The smoke spread, just like before, instantly engulfing the entire shelter.

The white mist swallowed everything, including the wall of fire.

The moment it was swallowed, Chen Ye could clearly feel that many, many more things had appeared outside the wall of fire.

They... were here.

Those tall, slender figures looming indistinctly beyond the firelight were like demons crawling out from hell.

Hidden among them were several Festering Anomalies.

These Festering Anomalies stood with their heads bowed amidst the crowd of Anomalies, appearing particularly out of place.

As the smoke spread, Chen Ye could distinctly sense that something seemed different this time.

Many changes had occurred among those things in the darkness.

The number of those tall, skinny, pole-like figures had increased significantly.

In contrast, the number of Door-Opening Anomalies with normal human silhouettes had decreased dramatically.

Suddenly, through the feedback from the Smoke Breath Mist, Chen Ye sensed something different.

They were four headless, towering figures.

These headless figures were much taller than the previous tall, slender ones.

Thick chains, as thick as arms, hung from their bodies—not just their torsos, but also their wrists and ankles.

With each step, one could feel the clanking and rattling of the chains.

They were like prisoners shackled in the Abyss.

If it were just this, Chen Ye wouldn't have thought much of it.

They were merely different types of Anomalies.

But what made Chen Ye's pupils contract sharply were the other things associated with these prisoners.

These prisoners moved in groups of four, two in front and two behind.

Where each prisoner's head should be, they balanced a massive log as thick as an adult's thigh.

These logs seemed to serve as their heads.

Between the two logs was a wooden platform, and in the center of that platform sat an ancient, eerie chair radiating a sinister aura.

A gray, cold mist emanated from the chair.

Chains from the four prisoners extended towards that sinister great chair.

Four thick chains were tethered to the legs of the chair.

It was as if the master had gone to the restroom and tied his pet dogs to the chair to keep them from running off.

The surrounding area was a vacuum.

The other Anomalies seemed to fear this presence greatly.

Even the Festering Anomalies, which had kept their heads bowed all along, kept their distance.

Chen Ye's Blood Eye flickered frantically...

This oppressive feeling made the blood in his entire body seethe with excitement.

Xu Lina was enveloped by the smoke, and the sensation of losing all her senses washed over her again.

She stared blankly at the vast expanse of white around her, feeling her own insignificance.

Her heart trembled slightly once more.

"This is Mr. Chen's true power!"

"Even if I've become a Superhuman, before him, I'm nothing but a slightly stronger ant!"

The small sense of pride she felt earlier was once again reined in by this thought.

Just then, Xu Lina felt her gaze could actually penetrate this layer of mist.

Before she could question it,

Chen Ye's voice sounded in her ear.

"Don't be nervous, they... are here!"

This was a small positive side effect of the Blood Moon Blessing.

The Blood Moon Blessing had blessed the Smoke Breath Mist ability, simultaneously enhancing Chen Ye's control over it.

Before, the Smoke Breath Mist was a double-edged sword; whether ally or enemy, anyone entering it would have their perception blocked.

Only Chen Ye himself was unrestricted.

But now...

Chen Ye could grant perception restoration to more people.

He had just never told anyone else.

Even back at the No-Rules Race venue, he hadn't revealed this change in his ability.

Of course, since leaving Oasis, he hadn't had many opportunities to use the Smoke Breath Mist.

And when he truly used it, Chu Che and the others were no longer around.

Now, Chen Ye didn't feel the need to hold back any longer.

Xu Lina stood inside the shelter, peering through the gaps in the wood at those pitch-black figures, her body trembling slightly.

She saw them clearly.

Especially outside the wall of fire, those four headless prisoners carrying that chair.

Despite now being a Superhuman, her Sequence level was too low.

Coupled with the numbering issue of the Corroding Marrow Six Eyes, she hadn't become a powerful Superhuman like Liu Li.

She was still too weak.

Two pistols appeared in Xu Lina's hands at some unknown moment.

The hollow tail at the back of her head writhed and coiled in the air like a venomous snake.

Chen Ye narrowed his eyes. He wasn't looking at those tall, slender figures.

Nor was he looking at the chair carried by the headless prisoners.

He was looking deeper into the darkness.

There...

It seemed there was still something else...

In the blink of an eye, the area outside the wall of fire was teeming with indistinct figures as far as the eye could see.

The expression on the face of a short Door-Opening Anomaly seemed more vivid than before.

It wore a look of deep resentment as it stared at the vast expanse of white mist.

These most common Door-Opening Anomalies began entering the mist.

The fierce flames burned.

A Door-Opening Anomaly approached the wall of fire, and its agonized, piercing scream was silenced the moment it left its mouth.

Just as Chen Ye thought this time might be relatively easy,

those tall, slender figures began walking into the Smoke Breath Mist.

They searched around aimlessly.

The light from the flames had minimal effect on them.

This wasn't due to the Smoke Breath Mist's shielding.

Even the scorching, burning wall of fire, effective against the lowest-level Anomalies,

had very limited effect on them.

They finally reached the front of the shelter.

The tall, slender figures began eagerly searching for the location of a "door."

These creatures possessing unimaginable strength frantically assaulted the shelter's main gate.

The entire shelter shook under their tremendous force.

Mixed among them were several Festering Anomalies.

Foul-smelling pus seeped from their bodies, beginning to corrode the shelter's door.

Although the surroundings were filled with this white mist,

for these creatures, the mist had now lost its ability to obstruct their vision.

No one knew why these beings were so obsessively fixated on "doors," such an ordinary structure.

But Chen Ye didn't dare to test it.

This time, the shelter's main door had been built sturdier and more solid than before.

The Monster Pickup Truck also extended its tentacles, firmly bracing against the shelter's door.

Chen Ye also used the Smoke Breath Mist to simulate a structure, blocking the shelter's door completely.

The survivors hidden inside Bus Number Seven tightly gripped their weapons, nervously staring into the white mist.

Chen Ye hadn't granted them perception restoration permissions.

Therefore, they still couldn't hear, see, or smell...

For ordinary people, perhaps ignorance was a form of bliss.

Even so, the entire door-breaking event only persisted for a little over ten minutes.

The moment the door shattered, Chen Ye repeated his old trick, completely destroying the entire shelter door.

Making this "door" instantly cease to exist.

The tall, slender figures roared in anger, but the sound was still inaudible.

This time, with the help of the survivors,

the Door-Opening Anomalies charging into the shelter interior triggered traps previously set by the convoy members.

Buying them a little more time.

Finally, they reached the last line of defense.

Chen Ye had made all preparations.

He just needed to hold on for ten more minutes.

Just ten minutes.

The last few minutes would be his time to strike.

Right at that moment,

Chen Ye witnessed an extremely bizarre phenomenon.

On the nearby Bus Number Seven, the door opened.

A woman walked out in a daze, stepping right into the midst of the crowd of Anomalies.

Then, the bus door slammed shut tightly.

It seemed the scent of a living person stimulated these Door-Opening Anomalies.

Countless Door-Opening Anomalies swarmed towards the dazed woman.

Chen Ye recognized this woman.

She was one of the three who had pushed someone off the leaf litter layer earlier.

Seeing this, Chen Ye recalled the scene of feeding koi fish in the park.

It seemed all the Door-Opening Anomalies were stimulated.

Even those that had been about to attack Chen Ye ran over instead.

Chen Ye didn't know how long the entire process lasted.

He only knew that when the Door-Opening Anomalies turned their attention back to Bus Number Seven and the Monster Pickup Truck,

another person got off the bus.

"Sister Lina, I... I would die for you!"

After saying this, the person seemed to go mad, charging directly outside the shelter.

The living human scent once again ignited the hunting desire of all the Door-Opening Anomalies.

Chen Ye: "..."

His gaze pierced through the Monster Pickup Truck's windshield, looking directly at the situation on Bus Number Seven.

Coincidentally, Xu Lina also turned her head and looked over.

Chen Ye saw that within Xu Lina's two eyes, six pupils were slowly rotating.

At the same time, his own Blood Eye also began to rotate.

It was like a lion receiving a challenge from hyenas.

Xu Lina slightly lowered her eyes, her red lips moving gently.

Chen Ye could clearly see what Xu Lina was saying.

"Mr. Chen, my little secret, don't tell anyone, okay!"

Chen Ye: "..."

The headlights turned on.

The surrounding Anomalies, stimulated by the light, retreated in succession.

A cough sounded.

The Anomalies were weakened.

The final five minutes.

Chen Ye stepped out of the vehicle, blade in hand.

Within the Smoke Breath Mist, countless Crawlers were simulated, attacking the Anomalies.

Xu Lina was stunned for a moment, then imitated Chen Ye's actions, launching her own attacks against the Anomalies.

The survivors trembled inside the bus.

And the sedan chair carried by the headless prisoners remained standing there from beginning to end, completely motionless.

That chair was perpetually wreathed in cold mist.

Until 0:30.

The Anomalies retreated.

They also slowly withdrew.

Their appearance was like they had come to watch a performance.

In a daze, Chen Ye seemed to see a blood-red eye within the darkness.

An eye exactly identical to the one in his own left socket.