Courtyard House: Time Traveler Not Yet a Ghost

Night falls, enveloping the ancient city of Taiyuan.

The city walls outlined their imposing silhouettes in the darkness, while beams of searchlights swept across the walls, drawing pale streaks of light across the night sky. The city gates were tightly shut, the drawbridge hung high, and the footsteps and occasional shouts of Japanese sentries broke the silence of the night, both inside and outside the walls.

Five miles outside the city lies a desolate mass grave.

He Damin's true form sat cross-legged under a withered old locust tree, his figure almost blending into the tree's shadow. His eyes were closed, his expression calm, but in his sea of ​​consciousness, eighty pale golden soul fragments had split off and floated around the Soul Refining Banner, like soldiers waiting to attack.

"Taiyuan..." He Damin's main soul consciousness swept across the outline of the city, and his divine sense spread out like invisible ripples.

In his perception, Taiyuan was like a pot of boiling soup—the fluctuations of countless souls mingled together: the brutality of the Japanese devils, the cowardice of the puppet troops, the fear of the common people, the vigilance of underground workers… And beneath this chaotic fluctuation, there were a few exceptionally “bright” points:

In the east of the city, at the headquarters of the Japanese First Army, the residence of Yoshio Shinotsuka, several powerful soul fluctuations emanated. One of them, deep and unfathomable, carried the authority and bloodlust of someone long accustomed to a high position; it was likely Shinotsuka himself.

South of the city, at the Taiyuan Arsenal. The soul fluctuations there are relatively thin, but the faint vibrations of running machines and the "material aura" of a large amount of metal, gunpowder, and machine oil can be heard from the factory buildings.

In the western part of the city, there was a large warehouse area belonging to the Japanese. It was piled high with supplies: food, ammunition, clothing… like a cake emitting an enticing aroma in the darkness.

In the north of the city, there were Japanese military camps and important strongholds. Machine gun emplacements, artillery positions, and command posts were filled with dense and violent spiritual energy.

"Time is tight and the task is heavy." He Damin's main soul calmly assessed, "One night is needed to complete the clearing of important strongholds, the collection of warehouse supplies, the relocation of arsenal equipment, and the 'visit' to the headquarters... Eighty clones are still not enough."

But he has his own way of doing things.

"Operation begins."

With a command from the main soul, eighty soul fragments transformed into pale golden streams of light, like an invisible meteor shower in the night sky, silently flying towards the Taiyuan city wall.

City walls, searchlights, sentries—obstacles that are insurmountable for ordinary people are meaningless to a soul. The divided soul easily passed through the bricks and stones and entered the city.

Following their pre-assigned objectives, the divided souls scattered in all directions:

Twenty separate souls flew towards the military camp in the north of the city, targeting heavy machine gun positions, light machine gunners, artillery operators, and commanders of various strongholds.

Fifteen separate souls flew to the East Command Headquarters, tasked with surveying the terrain, exploring secret rooms, and locating important figures and documents.

Twenty soul fragments flew towards the South City Arsenal, tasked with quickly taking control of key workers and technicians after the attack began, creating conditions for the acquisition of equipment.

Fifteen soul fragments flew towards the western warehouse district of the city to scout out the warehouse layout and guard distribution in advance.

The remaining ten soul fragments serve as mobile forces, ready to provide support or handle emergencies at any time.

He Damin's main soul remained outside the city at his physical body, overseeing the overall situation and sensing the fragmented information and emotional fluctuations transmitted back by each of his divided souls through the Soul Refining Banner's "Soul Ties" ability.

North of the city, the garrison of a regiment belonging to the 37th Division of the Japanese army.

A three-story brick building had two Type 92 heavy machine guns mounted on its roof. Four men, including the machine gunner and assistant gunner, were vigilantly watching the darkness outside the city walls. They were the machine gun crew on duty for the night.

A pale golden fragment of the soul silently drifted to the rooftop, approaching one of the machine gunners like a ghost.

The Japanese sergeant, named Sato, was a veteran who had served for five years. At that moment, he gripped the machine gun handle, his eyes fixed on the sights, but his mind was filled with thoughts of the cherry blossoms of his hometown and the letters his wife had sent. Suddenly, he felt a chill on the back of his neck, as if someone had breathed on him.

Then, he lost control of his body.

Sato's eyes momentarily went vacant, but only for less than a second before regaining their "spirit"—only this spirit was now cold and mechanical. His finger remained on the trigger, his posture unchanged, but his soul had been suppressed and taken over by He Damin's split soul.

"Possession successful." The split soul transmitted a brief confirmation message to the main soul through the soul link.

Almost simultaneously, another assistant gunner on the rooftop, as well as several other key Japanese soldiers at machine gun positions and sentry posts nearby, were possessed by split souls. These people remained standing in the same spot, still maintaining their alert posture, but their core had changed.

East of the city, the headquarters of the Japanese First Army.

This is a sprawling complex of buildings blending Japanese and Chinese architectural styles, originally the military governor's residence of Yan Xishan. High walls and deep courtyards, numerous sentry posts, both overt and covert, are manned by patrols that pass by every five minutes.

The fifteen fragmented souls, like the most nimble fish, darted through the buildings. They passed through walls, floated through corridors, and slipped into offices, meeting rooms, archives, and even directly underground—where there was a reinforced concrete chamber with a heavy iron lock on the door, guarded by two armed soldiers.

But to a soul, there is no difference between a lock and a wall.

The divided soul passed directly through the door.

The secret room was small, about thirty square meters. Inside, there were more than a dozen metal cabinets neatly arranged, with labels on the cabinet doors: "North China Operation Plan", "Top Secret Troop Deployment", "Special Higher Police Personnel Files", "Economic Looting Accounts"... There were also three large safes in the corner.

The split soul circled the secret room once, transmitting back detailed information such as the layout, cabinet locations, and safe model.

"Very good." The main soul outside the city received the information. "Once the attack begins, prioritize collecting these documents. As for the safe... take it along with the safe."

South of the city, Taiyuan Arsenal.

This place was originally a military industrial enterprise of a Shanxi warlord. After being occupied by the Japanese, it was expanded and can now produce rifles, machine guns, mortars, hand grenades, and even mountain artillery shells. Although its equipment and technology are not as advanced as the Fengtian Arsenal in Northeast China, it is already one of the best in North China.

The arsenal was still operating late into the night—the Japanese were operating in three shifts to support the front lines. The workshop was brightly lit, the machines were roaring, and the workers (mostly Chinese laborers who had been forcibly conscripted, and a few Japanese technicians) were busy on the assembly line.

Twenty separate souls infiltrated various workshops. They did not possess anyone, but simply observed and marked the locations of key equipment: large forging presses, precision lathes, boring machines, heat treatment furnaces, ammunition assembly lines... as well as the Japanese technicians and supervisors who controlled these machines.

"There's too much equipment; it's unrealistic to collect it all at once," the main soul assessed. "Prioritize collecting the most sophisticated and irreplaceable equipment, as well as those Japanese technicians—their technical memories are also a treasure."

The warehouse district in the west of the city.

This was the Japanese supply depot in Taiyuan. Dozens of large warehouses stood in neat rows, surrounded by barbed wire, guard towers, and patrols. The warehouse doors were labeled in both Japanese and Chinese: "Grain Warehouse No. 3," "Clothing Warehouse No. 5," "Ammunition Warehouse No. 8," "Fuel Warehouse No. 2," and so on.

Fifteen separate souls traversed the warehouse area, meticulously inventorying the stock like auditors. Passing through the warehouse doors, they saw mountains of sacks (rice, flour), wooden crates (canned goods, compressed biscuits), iron drums (gasoline, diesel), and shelves (military uniforms, leather shoes, helmets)...

"The amount of supplies... is more than expected." The main soul frowned slightly. "Fortunately, there is the Taiji Space, so collecting them is only a matter of time. But it must be completed as soon as possible after the chaos erupts."

Time passed second by second.

At 9:40 p.m., all the divided souls were in place.

Outside the city, He Damin's true form opened his eyes and glanced at the pocket watch—a finely crafted pocket watch captured from the Japanese devils, with accurate timekeeping.

He took a deep breath, focused his divine sense, and like an invisible net, slowly covered Taiyuan City.

The limit of a person's spiritual sense in the early stages of the Golden Core realm is about five li (2,500 meters) in radius. However, if it is concentrated and extended in one direction, it can reach more than three li (1,500 meters). And by using a split soul as a "relay", this distance can be extended even further.

At this moment, the Taiyuan city wall was about five miles away from his location, and the target inside the city wall was no more than eight miles away. By using his divided soul as an "anchor point," his main divine sense could "borrow" a path to extend and effectively perceive and control the area, covering most of the key areas of Taiyuan City.

"That's about it," He Damin muttered to himself.

9:55pm.

With a thought, he issued a preparation order to all the divided souls.

In the north of the city, Sergeant Sato, possessed by the body, tightened his grip slightly on the trigger of the heavy machine gun. His eyes, through the sights, looked down at the military camp's parade ground—where a squad of Japanese soldiers was finishing their patrol and preparing to hand over their duties.

The gunner of another machine gun nearby (who was also possessed) adjusted the direction of his gun and aimed it at the officers' quarters of the military camp.

The "own men" at the other machine gun positions and sentry posts were also ready.

10 p.m. sharp.

"Fire."

The calm command, transmitted through the soul link, was simultaneously sent to the minds of all the possessed Japanese soldiers.

Sergeant Sato pulled the trigger.

"Da da da da da—!!!"

The distinctive, tearing sound of the Type 92 heavy machine gun ripped through the night sky of Taiyuan! Scorching bullets poured down from the rooftops, sweeping over the unsuspecting Japanese patrol below!

Almost simultaneously, light and heavy machine guns on various outposts and watchtowers in the north of the city opened fire! Bullets rained down on the barracks, canteens, warehouses, and the crowds on the parade ground!

"Enemy attack—!!!"

The piercing alarm finally sounded, but it was too late.

The first volley of fire resulted in heavy casualties. Patrols changing shifts were riddled with bullets, soldiers lying down in their barracks were struck by bullets that pierced through walls, and officers having their late-night snack in the mess hall were shot dead right next to their tables before they could even react…

Chaos erupted instantly.

"What's going on?! Where are they shooting from?!"

"The machine gun emplacement has defected?!"

"Baka! Fight back! Fight back!"

The Japanese soldiers who hadn't been possessed recovered from their initial shock and grabbed their weapons, trying to find cover and organize a counterattack. But they soon discovered that the machine gun positions that had opened fire were not only sweeping through the camp but also precisely targeting and killing officers and non-commissioned officers who were trying to organize resistance!

Even more terrifying, some machine gunners, after firing a single round, would suddenly turn their guns around and spray bullets at their comrades! Or they would simply pull the pin on a grenade and charge into the crowd!

These possessed soldiers are often killed by the Japanese soldiers who have reacted after the first round of attacks. But the moment they fall, the possessing soul immediately breaks free, transforming into a pale golden stream of light, and rushes towards the nearest next "target"—it could be another machine gunner, an officer, or an artilleryman operating a mortar.

It takes time for a split soul to possess another body, but the process of "death-detachment-finding a new target" only takes a few seconds on a chaotic battlefield.

Chaos spread like wildfire through the northern military camp. A machine gunner suddenly turned his gun, mowing down a group of friendly soldiers before being killed; the next second, an artilleryman grabbed a shell and smashed it against the barrel, causing an explosion; the next second, a company commander directing a counterattack suddenly drew his sword and slashed at the messenger beside him…

"A ghost! There's a ghost!"

"They've been possessed!"

"Fire! Anyone behaving suspiciously, shoot them dead on the spot!"

The Japanese soldiers' discipline and training proved effective at this moment—but they also exacerbated the chaos. No one knew if their comrade might suddenly go berserk. Once suspicion formed, trust crumbled. Friendly fire and panic shooting began to occur.

All of this happened only in the military camp in the north of the city.

10:05pm.

Just as chaos reigned in the north of the city, He Damin's main spirit stirred.

His consciousness, anchored by a fragment of his soul in the western warehouse district, suddenly extended outwards!

"receive!"

A silent command.

West of the city, Grain Warehouse No. 3.

Inside the enormous warehouse, mountains of sacks and wooden crates vanished in droves, as if swallowed by a black hole, under the influence of an invisible force! In just ten seconds, the warehouse, capable of holding hundreds of tons of grain, became completely empty!

Next came warehouses 4, 5, 6...

The Japanese soldiers guarding the warehouse were still reeling from the gunfire and explosions coming from the north of the city, completely oblivious to the strange occurrences inside. When they finally turned around, they found the warehouse door ajar, the interior pitch black, and the once-piled supplies... gone?!

"Where are the supplies?! Where are the supplies in the warehouse?!"

"An enemy has infiltrated?!"

"Baka! Warning! Warning!"

The guards in the warehouse area were in complete disarray, but He Damin had already moved on to his next target.

10:15pm.

South of the city, the arsenal.

The Japanese foreman in the workshop was brandishing a whip, yelling at the laborers who had stopped working after hearing gunfire: "Keep working! Don't stop! That's a military exercise!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the foreman's eyes suddenly froze, then became vacant. He put down his whip, turned around, walked to the workshop's power switch, and pulled down the main switch.

The entire workshop was plunged into darkness in an instant.

"What are you doing?!" the other Japanese soldiers roared in unison.

But the next second, they were all possessed by the split souls and began to do all sorts of incomprehensible things: some turned off the power to the precision machine tools, some disassembled key parts, and some ran to a corner of the workshop with blueprints and process documents...

At the same time, He Damin's divine sense locked onto several of the most critical pieces of equipment—a large precision boring machine imported from Germany, a gear machining center made in the United States, and a state-of-the-art heat treatment furnace from Japan...

"receive!"

The equipment, along with its concrete foundation, was completely "excavated," leaving behind a neat, large pit.

The laborers stared in disbelief, bewildered by what had happened. Some tried to escape, but were stopped by the "restored" Japanese overseer (whose soul had separated)—though the overseer himself was also in a state of confusion.

10:30pm.

East of the city, the headquarters.

News of the chaos outside had reached this place. Staff officers were rushing in and out, and the telephones were ringing incessantly.

"Report! A large-scale mutiny has broken out at the military camp in the north of the city! Multiple machine gun positions have defected!"

"Report! Supplies are missing from multiple warehouses in the western city warehouse district!"

"Report! An unexplained power outage and equipment loss have occurred at the arsenal!"

Two guards outside the secret underground room of the command headquarters gripped their guns tightly. They could hear the commotion outside, but duty called, and they could not leave their posts.

Just then, they felt a blur before their eyes.

The iron door to the secret room, along with its frame and part of the surrounding wall, suddenly vanished! Inside, neat metal cabinets and safes were revealed!

Immediately afterwards, the metal cabinet and safe also disappeared one after another!

The whole process took less than five seconds. The two guards stared wide-eyed, their minds blank.

When they finally realized what was happening and rushed into the secret room (which could now only be considered a room), it was completely empty, without even a scrap of paper left.

10:45pm.

He Damin's main soul breathed slightly.

The continuous high-intensity use of his divine sense and the collection of resources had taken a toll on his soul power. But the golden light in his eyes remained bright.

At this moment, Taiyuan City was in complete chaos.

The gunfire at the northern military camp gradually subsided—not because the battle was over, but because fewer people remained alive. The souls of those possessed and then dead Japanese soldiers, barely leaving their bodies, were directly absorbed and refined by other fragmented souls hovering above the battlefield using the Soul-Devouring property of the Soul-Refining Banner. The Soul-Refining Banner's soul power reserves were rapidly increasing.

In the western warehouse district, two-thirds of the supplies have already been stored in the small world space. The remaining supplies are either too scattered or heavily guarded, making them difficult to attack for the time being.

At the South City Arsenal, key equipment and some technical documents have been collected, and a portion of the Japanese technicians' memories have also been read by a split soul (though fragmented, they are useful).

At the East Command Headquarters, the documents and safe in the secret room have been obtained. Next up is Yoshio Shinotsuka himself…

He Damin's main soul locked onto the most powerful soul fluctuation deep within the headquarters.

"It's time to go see this commander."

A pale golden soul, more solid than the other divided souls, flew out from the main body outside the city, carrying the illusory image of the Soul Refining Banner, and drifted towards the headquarters like a ghost seeking death.

The night in Taiyuan is still long.

This all-encompassing "harvesting" of the entire city, initiated by eighty soul clones, has only just begun to reach its climax.