Chapter 183
56 voueney
Jane’s soul power wrapped around Lyra and Zoe, whisking them away so fast that all they could hear was the wind rushing past their ears. The Wraith mist sped by, and the Wraiths faded further and further into the distance.
“We’re out,” Jane said, letting go and setting them down gently.
As soon as Lyra’s feet hit solid ground, the first thing she did was glance back into the thick Wraith mist, but she couldn’t see a thing. The Wraith mist had completely cut off her view.
“Roar!”
A deep, furious roar echoed from deep within the mist, filled with rage and greed. Then came a second, and a third, roars tangled together in a wild jumble.
“Are they coming after us?” Zoe caught her breath and lifted her binoculars, but the fog was so thick she couldn’t see/ anything.
“I don’t think so. We got out quick, they didn’t even spot us,” Jane said, shaking her head.
Lyra muttered, staring into the Wraith mist, “I wonder how those Wraiths will react when they find out one of their own got killed.”
Zoe replied, noticing Lyra’s puzzled expression, “Maybe we’ll find out next time we come in. I left a recorder back there, if it’s still working when we return, we might catch what those Wraiths are doing.”
Lyra suddenly got it. “Zoe, you’re so smart!”
Zoe smiled, and they waited a bit longer to make sure the Wraiths weren’t coming out and wouldn’t threaten the safe zone. Then they decided it was time to leave.
“Let’s go. We’ll talk more when we get back, and we need to analyze the data,” Zoe said.
Zoe was the first to open the car door and slid into the driver’s seat, with Lyra quickly taking the passenger seat beside her. Zoe fired up the engine, and the car rumbled over the gravel as they headed back to Sunvale Base.
The guards spotted Zoe’s SUV from afar and quickly swung open the gates of Sunvale Base. Zoe pulled up in front of the Command Center and killed the engine.
“We’re here, Zoe said.
Lyra and Zoe, with Jane’s soul drifting along beside them, hurried out of the car and pushed open the conference room door. Zoe headed straight for the projector, brought up the comms, and dialed into the Command Center’s secure line.
Beep.
After three beeps, the screen flickered to life, and Lana’s face appeared, with the Command Center’s big screen behind her.
“Zoe, Lyra, Lana said, her gaze sweeping over them before landing on Jane’s soul floating nearby. “What happened?”
Lyra jumped in, “Lana, we ran into a new kind of Wraith deep in the Invasion Zone.”
Lana sat up straight.
Zoe brought up the footage and synced it to the projector. The three-eyed Wraith appeared on the screen, its grayish-white carapace, three eyes, bone spurs, tentacles, and tail all clearly visible.
“We ran into this one this afternoon,” Zoe said, pointing at the screen. “It looks nothing like the Wraiths we’ve seen before. Its
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Chapter 183
defenses are way stronger, its core is hidden deep in its chest, and it can regenerate even faster
She brought up another video, showing the battle in action.
“Regular weapons can’t break through its defenses. Soul power has to focus on the chest to be effective, and Vital Flame works, but only a hit to the core can kill it for good,” Zoe explained.
Lana narrowed her eyes, staring at the screen.
Zoe added. “Its three eyes can launch attacks that actually hurt the soul.”
The conference room fell silent for a moment.
On the other end of the screen, Lana adjusted the equipment, and Ms. Reed and Garrett popped up on the screen too.
Lana tapped her finger on the table. “Was this the only one, or were there others?”
Zoe shook her head. “Only that one directly. Before it died, it screamed, probably calling backup. Jane saw more new Wraiths coming, so she got us out fast. Through binoculars, I saw many, but we never engaged.”
“But I left a recorder there, maybe it picked up something,” Zoe added.
“Why was it out on the edge?” Lana asked. “Was it just a coincidence, or did something drive it out from the inside?”
Jane spoke up. “My guess is it probably showed up because of all the commotion earlier. We made a lot of noise this morning, might’ve spooked it.”
“That’s possible.” Lana nodded. “If you go back in, be careful. The new weapons are still being rushed out, so don’t go too deep into the heart of the zone.”
Lyra’s eyes went wide. “Just the outer edge?”
Lana looked at her. “Lyra, the appearance of a new type of Wraith means the situation inside the Invasion Zone is more complicated than we thought. Don’t be reckless, safety comes first.”
“What about the soul awakening?” Lyra pressed. “Can we still keep working on it?”
Lana thought for a moment. “You can keep at it, but stick to the outskirts. Don’t go too deep. We’ll wait until the new weapons are ready before doing anything else.”
“Got it Lyra nodded.
After replaying the day’s events in her mind, Jane spoke up cautiously. “This new breed of Wraith might not be the only one out there.”
Zoe’s pen paused mid-sentence.
“There could be other types of Wraiths lurking in the Invasion Zone,” Jane continued. “Different sizes, different attack patterns, tougher defenses, each one could be totally different.”
Everyone froze. Something clicked in Ms. Reed’s mind, and she asked, “Jane, do you remember the packed crowd of Wraiths you saw in the game? What types were there, roughly how many?”
Jane shook her head. “I can’t recall.”
There was a rare hesitation in her voice. “When the game had control over me, my head was all foggy and my memories are just bits and pieces. But I know for sure there were definitely more than just two kinds.”
Ms. Reed nodded, not pressing further. She glanced down at her notebook on the table, where she’d just jotted down notes
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