After Luo Nan passed through a few cabins, he discovered that the situation here was quite similar to the corridor. Several transmission ports had been opened within the cabins, and faint white smoke flowed out in an unending stream. Due to the cramped space, the concentration was even higher.
Many of the soldiers stood fully armed within the smoke, their expressions unchanged. It was obvious they were very familiar with this situation.
Of course, the smoke was definitely not poisonous.
Luo Nan had paid special attention to its effect on his soul body due to his earlier sense of danger. But judging from the current situation, there was nothing unusual.
He suppressed his doubts and focused more on experiencing the sensation of passing through walls.
So this is what an out-of-body experience feels like?
Luo Nan experimented, passing through seven or eight metal walls in a row before confirming his state once more.
His grandfather's Formatting Theory leaned heavily into metaphysics. Because of this, Luo Nan had long read books on philosophy, metaphysics, and mystic arts alongside his usual research. Accepting his current condition wasn't difficult.
However, he could also tell that his ability was far from perfect when compared to ancient records or mystical teachings. When he had first left his body, the cold air had nearly torn him apart. Even now, the memory made him uneasy. He still relied on the burning wraith—this "external fuel tank"—to maintain stability over long distances.
Still, the difference between being dragged along like a dog sled and freely "riding the clouds" was enormous. Passive and active control were completely different experiences.
This was the first time Luo Nan had moved purely through his own will after leaving his body. Naturally, he wasn't used to it yet.
Most of the time, his movements were clumsy, filled with redundant actions and unnecessary thoughts.
More importantly, he hadn't yet adapted to perceiving the world as a "soul."
Luo Nan had a deep understanding of the nervous system. He quickly realized that on the soul plane, the traditional five senses—sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and even cognition—had undergone massive changes in how they functioned. In fact, vision and hearing, as he knew them, were now inefficient.
In this state, Luo Nan was more like a radar, constantly receiving countless wavelengths from the surrounding environment. The sheer volume of information far exceeded what the human nervous system could normally process.
If he continued relying on old habits, most of these signals would be lost. Only familiar sensory patterns would pass through, filtered and translated back into the body's processing system before appearing as the traditional "five senses."
Even then, the results were heavily distorted due to the lack of direct neural stimulation.
At the very least, he had almost completely lost his sense of touch.
"Seems like it's better to process everything directly."
But that created a new problem: how to organize and interpret the data.
When Luo Nan deliberately tried to absorb and process the surrounding information, he immediately lost control and tumbled in place. The chaotic flood of data overwhelmed him.
It was clear that adapting to life on the soul plane would take time.
Still, with subtle shifts in thought, his Soul Sense would expand and contract. It was like tuning an old radio—amidst the static, occasional fragments of meaningful signals would emerge.
This was a fascinating experience, and Luo Nan didn't mind spending some energy exploring it.
At that moment, several fragmented keywords caught his attention.
His mind shifted slightly, and his trajectory deviated. While extending his senses, he remained separated by several layers of metal walls, yet the noise reached him clearly.
As he moved closer, Luo Nan felt a strange sense of familiarity.
This was the same place where Lian Yu, Li Xuecheng, and the other rich kids were being held.
He hadn't expected to return here in such a bizarre way—existing, yet completely undetectable. The surreal nature of it gave him a strange sense of detachment.
None of them noticed the specter in their midst.
They were too busy arguing.
It seemed that even after the "pervert" had been isolated, the atmosphere among the group hadn't improved at all.
The chain of events—banned drugs, detention, and Li Xuecheng's incident—had pushed them from complaints to arguments, and now to outright shouting. The tension in the room had once again begun to rise.
The earlier alarm about the Mutant incident and the spreading smoke had briefly silenced them. But it didn't last. Soon enough, the arguments resumed.
This time, however, the topic held some substance.
They were arguing about Mutant Species.
"The evidence for Mutant Species spreading through the ocean is conclusive. Stop talking nonsense!"
"Are your ears clogged? I'm not denying ocean spread—I'm saying there's evidence of a new infection source!"
"The only infection here is coming out of your mouth!"
"F*ck—!"
The so-called Mutant Species referred to large-scale, highly contagious mutations that began appearing in the later stages of World War III. They were the most destructive biological phenomenon in modern history.
The most widely accepted theory of their origin was this: somewhere deep in a Pacific Ocean trench, a gateway to the Earth's crust—or something even more unknown—had opened.
From there, pollution spread through the marine ecosystem, eventually invading freshwater systems and terrestrial environments.
Within just a few years, plants, fungi, insects, animals—and even some humans—underwent mutation. Twisted by genetic instability, they evolved into vicious, monstrous lifeforms.
For a time, they dominated the food chain.
Before the emergence of Quantum Corporation's Deep Blue Platform, humanity had been pushed to the brink. Survival depended entirely on fortified megacities.
It was a dark period no one wanted to remember.
Because of this, Mutant Species remained one of the most discussed topics in the post-war world.
"Then explain this—what the hell is a Darksider life form? The Mutant Encyclopedia from 2091 lists 17 major categories and over 2,000 variants. Which one is a 'Darksider'?"
"Oh, so your encyclopedia is a holy book now? Fine, I'm convinced—you're just that stupid!"
"Wait, wait—calm down!"
Someone finally stepped in to mediate.
"There's no point arguing about this. New mutations can appear anytime. We're amateurs—we won't figure it out. Hey, Taozi—your dad funds a field lab, right? Have you heard of this before?"
Liu Tao, wearing vintage gold-rimmed glasses, adjusted them slightly. He had a refined demeanor and rarely spoke, but when he did, it carried weight.
He had clearly been waiting for this moment.
Now, with a faint smile, he finally spoke:
"Darksider life form… think of it as a specter."
He paused briefly before adding,
"That's a pretty good angle to approach it from."