Chapter Sixty-Three: Zero Visibility [4K]
“Hiss—!”
Under the cold light, Zhang Yu leaned against the bathroom sink, exhaling smoke, with a few scattered cigarette butts at his feet.
It had been a long time since he had smoked, knowing that Zhang Shuisheng had secretly become a follower of X Haze God in order to survive.
He had heard that after the evil god’s offspring broke free from X Haze God’s control, their authority had quietly influenced things like cigarette and alcohol. He wasn’t sure if it was true, but he had to be cautious.
However, today he lit another cigarette.
Waiting always seemed to slow the passage of time, and when time seemed to flow more slowly, it made people restless.
After waiting for a long time, the anxiety in Zhang Yu’s heart had continually swelled to a critical point.
Could they have already entered underground through another entrance?
Although Changlekou station was the most likely entrance for that old guy and those cultists, sometimes the most likely option wasn’t the first choice.
But if they chose another entrance, why hadn’t those guys sent any news?
“Could they have already encountered danger?”
Zhang Yu murmured to himself, but as soon as he spoke halfway, his voice abruptly fell silent, as if someone had pressed the mute button. He suddenly looked up towards the direction of the subway platform, his gaze deepening.
“Snap, snap, snap.”
The sound of flesh meeting the marble floor echoed like someone crawling on the pitch-black platform.
Have they arrived? Zhang Yu sneered, straightened up, and quietly took out a shotgun and two handguns from the already opened backpack.
All three guns were C-grade spirit energy items, once a well-known monster hunter’s sidearms in Europe. After the monster hunter was killed by a monster, his guns naturally flowed into the black market.
Although their origins were somewhat ill-fated and their grades low, they were Zhang Yu’s special collection.
In fact, given his identity and abilities, he had opportunities to acquire higher-grade spirit energy items, but he preferred firearms. Even though the quantity of firearm-type spirit energy items was scarce and they were grossly overvalued in the trading market, he still didn’t hesitate to spend a hefty sum to acquire these three items.
Dada. Da. Da…
New footsteps sounded on the platform, and not just a few, more and more. Zhang Yu coldly stared at the direction of the platform but was leisurely loading ammunition into the three spirit energy items.
He had heard that on foggy days, alchemical bullets matched well with spirit energy firearms!
He didn’t know who the lucky one would be to become the first soul under his g*n tonight.
A smirk crept across Zhang Yu’s lips as he stowed the loaded firearms into his concealed g*n bag, draped a large coat over them, and then took out a painting created by Tan Qiuming.
This was the first painting of a three-piece set, while the other two had already been distributed to his companions.
Unfolding the painting and scrutinizing it closely, Zhang Yu gently shook his head.
From the intelligence he had gathered so far, the followers of the evil god’s offspring had bought paintings from Tan Qiuming, which would serve as their “entrance tickets” for tonight’s pilgrimage.
But whether there were any special “anti-counterfeiting marks” on those paintings remained uncertain.
The three-piece painting in his hand was “borrowed,” and whether he could pass off as genuine was a different matter.
He hoped this thing would be useful!
If he wore a ghost mask, tried to blend in with the Hundred Demons Walk and was recognized by a ghost by accident, that would be quite embarrassing.
Exiting from the hidden bathroom and returning to the transfer passage between subway lines 1 and 2, Zhang Yu quickly discovered that his earlier concerns seemed a bit redundant.
As fragmented footsteps approached from the end of the passage, silhouettes emerged, hands raised with twisted, bizarre paintings, walking out of the darkness.
Even before they got close, Zhang Yu could see that their condition was very poor.
Those silhouettes were panting heavily, something stuck in their throats, producing discomforting croaks. Some staggered, others walked haltingly, and a few were even crawling on the ground.
They passed by Zhang Yu, casting a cold glance his way, leaving behind a pale profile marred by red spots, as if affected by some strange poison, and then ignored his presence, continuing on.
Standing still, Zhang Yu observed for a moment, and seeing that everyone who passed by didn’t care about him, he imitated them, raising his painting.
As long as he followed them, he should be able to find their final destination, right?
Once he found the destination, he would immediately contact Mai Mai and have her bring people over.
Zhang Yu thought, trailing behind a middle-aged man who passed by him, heading deeper into the subway station.
Unable to contact Zhang Hainan and Jiang Li, Luxianbei ultimately decided to head into the city first, listing a series of reasons to try to convince Jumeng.
“Look, first, we’re just going to take a look. To enjoy the excitement of it all, you have to get closer to see it clearly.
Secondly, aren’t there many spirit ability users and monsters who came out of Peach Source in the city, with whom you have close relationships? You wouldn’t want to hand over their safety to Haze God, would you?
Third, I just received intelligence that the fanatics of Haze God’s offspring will hold some kind of ceremony tonight to welcome their master’s arrival. If we don’t stop them in time, there might be a clash in Shancheng, and many people could d*e.
Hearing this, Jumeng frowned and interrupted, “Wait! Your third point contradicts your first point, doesn’t it?
“It doesn’t contradict!” Luxianbei explained earnestly, “We go in to see what they’re up to, then leave the area impacted by the haze, and report them immediately.
“This is just like reporting someone for gambling in public; before reporting, you have to at least know where they are, right?”
After contemplating Luxianbei’s words for a moment, Jumeng turned her head, “That makes some sense, Sister Me, I can take you into the city, but once we encounter danger, no matter what you think, I’ll forcibly take you away, understand?”
“If luck is on our side, we might be able to teleport out through Liao Zhai Tavern. If Hu Boss still insists on running his shop in this ghastly weather.”
Although the reasons Luxianbei had come up with in such a short time were clearly flawed, she still pretended to be convinced.
She knew that if it weren’t for Luxianbei not being able to fly, she probably wouldn’t even have considered discussing it and would have set off for the main urban area of Shancheng herself.
So rather than allowing Luxianbei to go off on her own, it made more sense to go together, and if necessary, she could stop her from doing anything reckless.
“I almost forgot about that, but..” Luxianbei pouted, “When I hear your words, it’s obvious you’re an outsider and don’t understand Hu Boss’s character.”
Jumeng, “???” What are you talking about? I’ve known Hu Boss for over ten years, you’ve known him for less than a month, and you say I don’t understand?
Noticing the defiance in Jumeng’s gaze, Luxianbei replied expressionlessly, “I think, the more likely large-scale deaths become, the more likely Liao Zhai Tavern will show up!”
“Before people d*e, to get a taste filled with memories they’ve longed for, they will pay anything. Running a business during such a time seems like a profitable venture, right? With a bit of luck, you could gather enough raw materials for a feast in one night.”
“If I were Hu Boss, I definitely wouldn’t miss such a good opportunity.”
As a cataclysm-grade monster, if Hu Boss wanted to seize the opportunity to conduct business in Shancheng, Haze God would probably be unable to stop him.
Jumeng attempted to find fault in Luxianbei’s words, opened her mouth, but then realized she didn’t know where to begin, so she gritted her teeth and threatened, “Are you leaving or not?”
“Of course I’m leaving! Don’t be angry, my dear sister, the esteemed Lord of Eight Hundred Miles Peach Source, the beloved Jumeng Deity.”
Luxianbei obediently nodded, “Then let’s not waste any more time and hurry up!”
“Tch, I really can’t stand you!” Jumeng rolled her eyes, transforming back into a magpie form, grabbing Luxianbei by the collar and flapping her wings into the sky.
On the highway leading from Qutang Gorge Scenic Area to the main urban area of Shancheng.
After completing the mission, Dorethea, hastily retreating from the scene, sat in the car, her brow tightly furrowed as she gazed into the distance.
She saw the thick fog enveloping the city gradually intensify, turning from pale to yellowish-brown, slowly spreading toward her location, and observed the road on both sides.
“We can’t keep going forward; it’s too dangerous to enter the city at this time!” Dorethea shouted to the driver.
She had participated in the negotiation between Zhang Yu and Zhang Shuisheng and was well aware of what the thick fog engulfing Shancheng meant.
Watching the eerie scene outside the window, the driver had also become anxious long ago, but due to Zhang Yu’s mission, he didn’t dare take matters into his own hands. Hearing Dorethea’s words, he felt a sense of relief, took a deep breath, stepped on the brake, and pulled the car into the emergency lane.
The car stopped.
Dorethea grabbed an umbrella from the car and opened the door to step outside.
Holding the umbrella while standing in the rain, the bizarre haze and the acidic rain accompanying it became even clearer in her sight.
She saw the green branches of early summer vegetation wilting, birds crying out as they fell from the sky, and rain like mud hitting the inclined road, leaving trails like scars.
Her teacher should still be in the main urban area, right? In such a situation, she wouldn’t just ignore it, would she?
If it were her teacher taking action, there must be a way; she wasn’t afraid of the big boss. Dealing with an X Haze God was nothing simple!
Indeed, no matter what situation arose, as long as her teacher was present, it made her feel particularly at ease!
Worrying about the damage and casualties the dense fog might cause, Dorethea comforted herself, and her heavy heart indeed relaxed quite a bit.
Unconsciously, she let out a long breath.
Accompanied by her breathing, discomfort crept in.
Her chest felt tight, thick phlegm surged up and clogged her throat, her respiratory tract felt as if something were gnawing at it, sending faint pains.
Time to get back in the car.
In this ghastly weather, one could only stay “indoors,” shutting the doors and windows to feel a bit better.
Dorethea thought, just as she turned around, her pupils suddenly jolted.
The car she had just been riding in had vanished, as if it had evaporated, merging into the pervasive fog surrounding her, drifting away with the breeze, disappearing without a trace, leaving only a vast, indistinct fog.
The yellowish-brown fog loomed close in front of her, as if a thin layer emitting the smell of burnt plastic were pressed against her body, enveloping her surroundings.
Generally, when visibility drops below 100 meters, people would call it “visibility nearly zero,” and at this moment, Dorethea felt she had truly experienced what genuine “zero visibility” was.
And such an almost impossible phenomenon could likely only be achieved by the powers of X Haze God.
She had been trapped in the thick fog created by Haze God’s powers, just as she had stepped out of the car.
Soaring back into the sky, looking down at the main urban area of Shancheng, the apocalyptic scenery left Luxianbei unable to help but sigh, “You know, Haze God, why does he have to engage in these strange paths? With his abilities, he could save so much on sets in a film!”
“Tch, look over there; it’s just like the scenes I saw in Ultraman when I was a kid.”
Jumeng’s small head dipped slightly as she glanced at Luxianbei, softly saying, “Ultraman doesn’t exist.”
“Trying to ruin my Dao heart, huh?” Luxianbei pouted, “I used to think it didn’t exist until one day in chemistry class, the teacher had me help him with an experiment, adding some liquid to a test tube with a dropper, um, I forgot what it was.”
“I was impatient and squeezed it all in, then immediately saw the teacher’s expression change, shouting ‘Drop! Drop! Drop it!’, then the teacher turned into light.”
Jumeng paused mid-flight, her trembling form nearly causing them to drop.
“Hey, hey! Stinky sister, don’t shake; if you fly like this, I’m going to fall! Be careful or I’ll report you to your airline!”
Jumeng took a deep breath, suppressing her laughter, “Dog thing! You still want to report? Were you not the one telling the joke first?”
“I’m just trying to cheer you up since you were looking all gloomy and said not a word,” Luxianbei said, quoting a saying from Uncle Zhang Shan to argue, “Besides, during a journey, if no one talks, isn’t it very boring?”
Jumeng opened her beak, was about to say something, when she suddenly heard Luxianbei let out a soft cry.
“Wait a minute, stinky sister, let me down for a second!”
“Down?” Jumeng rolled her eyes, “What kind of plane can stop on a dime?”
“No, I’m not joking,” Luxianbei said anxiously, “Look below, yes!”
Following the direction Luxianbei pointed, Jumeng saw a figure on the highway, enveloped in thick fog, holding an umbrella and wandering aimlessly like a lost lamb.
Recognizing from the figure’s silhouette that it was a girl, Jumeng scolded, “Dog thing, you want to heroically save the beauty? Save it; she has no fated red thread with you.”
“I know!”
“Knowing that, why…”
“That’s my student!”
Jumeng, “???”
When did she have students? What could she teach others? How to survive? Teach them to engage in illegal activities? Teach them to be a traitor?
Wasn’t that leading them astray?
