The Mansion in the Mist

Mike believed the current policies and measures regarding the Heart-Taker Demons in the city were sufficient. There was no need for him to issue additional orders—the Jinling Command had already fully adopted the strategy for dealing with them.

Building on Mike's original policies, the Jinling Command had issued extra guidelines: Immediate resolution and reporting of any Heart-Taker Demons discovered, Strict prohibition on using the "Heart-Taker Demon solution" as an excuse to harm others, No malicious actions or public displays involving the Heart-Taker Demons, among others.

Mike, in his subjective view, was relatively tolerant of the public and did not intend to suppress the occasional amusement people might derive from the Heart-Taker Demons. However, the Jinling Command did not share this view and maintained a stern approach.

That was fine, though—it would speed up the resolution of Heart-Taker Demon incidents and ease the burden of Mike's attention.

Mike no longer had to worry about the Heart-Taker Demons; his main concern now was the ghostly fog enveloping the city. This was the true theme of the Third Apocalypse.

Mike was unsure of the fog's properties; the old man had not provided him with more detailed information. To uncover the potential threats within the mist, Mike had been connecting with the perspectives of those entering the fog and closely monitoring Chen Dafeng's movements.

As for Chen Dafeng, he was fine, given his formidable abilities and the presence of over a thousand magicians. Even if something strange happened, it was unlikely to result in real danger.

The many talent units in Jinling, however, had been split into several smaller teams by the Command, tasked with duties such as city patrols and searches, transporting non-tradable materials, and handling security incidents.

The interference of the fog in Jinling was significant, as the city had entered a stable period last month, and many peace-time tasks had once again become part of the city's operational schedule. Security management alone was already troublesome.

With the fog spreading throughout the city, parts of the population were in panic, and some criminals seized the opportunity to threaten innocent people. When citizens reported security incidents, what was to be done? Should guards be sent to handle it? And what about violent acts or injuries? Could they really be ignored?

Public trust collapsed quickly, but rebuilding it was difficult, relying on small details and everyday matters. This was one of the Command's most serious concerns—the management teams knew that, while the larger strategies might not go wrong, it was the smaller things that were the most difficult to handle.

Personnel from various teams ventured into the fog, but it was impossible to assign several magicians to each unit for safety. There were simply not enough magicians, so each team's security relied on themselves, and the fog's properties were still largely unknown, making it a dangerous period.

Mike was determined to observe carefully and gather as much information as possible.

"As the old man said, strange occurrences will be frequent within the mist. The Heart-Taker Demon incident is just one of them..."

"If I think about it, could city teams encounter ghosts or other creatures?"

Just as Mike pondered, a new city-wide alert notification came through the chat channel.

"Southern Jinling, Bai Lianhua Street! Strange occurrences in the mist! Several teams and residents are trapped! All personnel are prohibited from leaving!"

"Warning! Bai Lianhua Street is under lockdown; all civilians must stay indoors! Lock your doors and windows! Be aware of Heart-Taker Demons disguising themselves!"

"Combat personnel are en route. The 833rd Magician Squad has been dispatched to handle the anomaly!"

The Jinling Command had assigned numbers to all the magicians, and each team consisted of 2-3 magicians, with a few exceptionally powerful ones paired with tech soldiers. These magician teams were tasked with addressing the anomalies that could occur in the mist.

"It's happening. A new anomaly."

Mike immediately checked the Command's latest personnel distribution chart and found that the trapped area contained a city security patrol squad. They were the trapped team.

Mike activated his skills and tried to connect with the squad's perspective. Fortunately, the mist did not interfere with his connection ability. As his view shifted, Mike was able to successfully link to the team's viewpoint.

The team members, about 90% from talent units with over 80% under Mike's command, were mostly D-ranked talents, with a few C and B ranks. The trapped squad consisted of six D-ranked combat talents, all fully equipped with tech weaponry but lacking magical powers.

"Captain, I think we're lost." One of the squad members said.

The captain looked back, "I know, we've been stuck here for half an hour and haven't seen any buildings."

Surrounded by thick black mist, they could barely see more than two or three meters around them, and anything lower than their knees was out of sight. The squad could barely make out each other's figures and kept close together, securing themselves with a rope.

Mike tried to reach them with his connection skill, "Can you hear me? This is Commander Mike. You've encountered an anomaly. Stay put and wait for rescue."

But despite repeated attempts, the squad leader did not respond and remained focused on the surroundings.

"This is bad," Mike thought. "My skills are being affected; I can see them but can't communicate."

The mist's interference was worse than Mike had expected, and this was the first time he couldn't communicate with frontline personnel.

A team member broke the silence, "Captain, could this be the anomaly?"

The captain nodded grimly, "According to the Third Apocalypse manual, if this were just mist, we should have seen buildings after walking for half an hour. But we're trapped here like we're running into walls."

After a few moments, another team member pointed out, "Look ahead, two o'clock!"

The captain raised his gun, peering through a special sight, and glimpsed a blurry building. It seemed like a residential structure.

"We must have walked out of the mist."

But as they approached, the team was shocked to see the building was not a modern structure—it was an ancient mansion!

The mansion seemed out of place, as if it had transcended time, emerging from a dark abyss. Its green tiles and moss-covered stairs emitted a foul smell, as though it had been abandoned for years.

"Does this house exist in the southern district?"

"No, I'm sure it doesn't."

The house looked like it belonged to the Republican era.

The team members exchanged wary glances, tightening their grip on their weapons.

The captain stared at the weathered walls, noticing cracks running down the facade. Further along, twisted old trees loomed in the mist, their branches swaying eerily in the wind, making ghostly sounds.

"Let's retreat."

Without hesitation, the captain turned and led the team away. He knew something was wrong with the house, and he didn't want to risk his team's safety.

However, no matter which way they turned, they kept finding themselves inexplicably drawn back to the mansion.

"Captain, we haven't tried going inside yet."

One of the team members suggested softly, and the captain's stern expression softened just slightly. "Alright, we'll give it a try. But if anything happens, I'll take full responsibility."

The door was locked, but after several attempts, the team managed to break it open using their gunstocks.

The moment the door creaked open, a pale, ghostly face appeared from the darkness inside, its eyes hollow and staring directly at the captain.