When Hu Jiu arrived at the meeting room, he realized that there were several fewer people present than at yesterday's meeting.
Fang Qingjiao leaned closer to Hu Jiu and said meaningfully, "Several conflicts occurred at the hotel yesterday, several people died, and some even withdrew from the exploration mission."
Hu Jiu raised an eyebrow. So it wasn't just Gao Qiuhai who died. But thinking about it, it made sense. Anyone who could become Ghost Tamer and had the courage to explore the Ghostly Ancient Tomb must have some self-confidence. Everyone thought they were the protagonist. With such a group of self-important guys gathered in one place, it was normal for things to escalate into a fight.
However, there is one advantage to conflicts between Ghost Tamers: they generally don't cause too much of a commotion, taking lives silently without disturbing the people.
Several murders occurred last night, and the atmosphere was somewhat subdued when people gathered together today; it was clear that many were on high alert.
When the time came, He Ming arrived at the scene in a very dilapidated bus and gestured for everyone to get on.
Someone immediately questioned, "Is the Headquarters really this shabby? Are we supposed to ride in a wrecked vehicle to explore an ancient tomb?"
He Ming explained, "This vehicle is Supernatural Item from Headquarters. Taking this Supernatural Bus to the ancient tomb is safer."
Everyone then boarded the car one after another. The interior space was not large, the air was exceptionally dry, and a dim yellow light shone from the ceiling, its faint glow seeming as if it might go out at any moment. The seats were old and worn, and cracks could be seen occasionally in the windows.
He Ming sat in the driver's seat, acting as the driver. The seat closest to the door was occupied by an elderly man with white hair. He had been in the car before the Ghost Tamer got in, and it seemed that he had come with He Ming.
I didn't see the Ghost Tamer colleagues from the Research Department that He Ming mentioned; they probably all blended in with the crowd and didn't get special treatment.
"Old man, you're so old, why are you still participating in this kind of mission?" One of the Ghost Tamer said casually when he saw the old man in the car. After all, the old man did look very old, and he seemed to be of unusual status. If they encountered an emergency in the tomb, he might hold them back or use his status to force others to help him, which would be troublesome either way.
"Young man, don't underestimate me. I am also a legitimate Ghost Tamer, with more seniority than anyone here," the old man said calmly.
Hu Jiu sat in the back. Some people on the bus were playing on their phones, some were resting with their eyes closed, and some were chatting quietly. If Neglect their inhuman faces and the faint stench of corpses emanating from them, this busload of people really looked like an ordinary tour group.
There were no other vehicles or pedestrians on the road. The Headquarters had long since sealed off the area surrounding Lanqiong Mountain, and the original residents had been evacuated. Looking out the car window at the empty streets, I suddenly had a feeling that the end of the world had come.
He Ming said that due to the influence of ancient tombs, the closer one gets to an ancient tomb, the more likely one is to encounter sudden Supernatural events, because not only do humans want to enter the ancient tomb to explore, but some things inside the tomb may also come out.
The Ghost King's house was dilapidated and looked like it could be scrapped at any moment, but its comfort level was surprisingly high. Even when driving on bumpy and broken roads, it was still as smooth as driving on flat ground without any bumps.
The scenery outside the car window slowly changed. The hustle and bustle of the city gradually disappeared, and what came into view were dark green mountains. The sky was as blue as if it had been washed. The continuous mountain peaks reflected the green, which was very magnificent and beautiful. The view extended outward along the road. The vast land covered with wild grass, shrubs and unknown flowers was very beautiful in the sunlight.
"It's this time of year, and the vegetation is still quite lush," Hu Jiu thought to himself.
With the Ghost Bus around, even the most difficult mountain roads can be traversed with ease, and even if there is no road, the bus can carve out a path.
By working alongside Headquarters, you certainly don't have to worry about certain trivial matters.
The bus drove over a hillside and gradually descended, making countless turns. Suddenly, as if by magic, a large meadow appeared before everyone's eyes, with a shimmering stream in the distance.
The scenery here is indeed beautiful; no wonder so many tourists visit Lanqiong Mountain every year.
The bus stopped, He Ming said, "We've entered the area of Ghostly Ancient Tomb. Due to Supernatural influences, the terrain and landforms may change, so please be extra careful."
"Are we getting off now? Why not drive straight to the tomb entrance?" someone asked, puzzled.
He Ming explained, "Due to the Supernatural interference from the ancient tomb, the vehicle's functions will be affected if we continue driving in. We'll still need this vehicle when we leave, and Ghost Bus can be used to escape in case of an emergency."
Now everyone understands: this Ghost Vehicle is both a means of transportation and a backup escape vehicle, and it cannot be left in dangerous places.
He Ming led the way, Ghost Tamer got off the car one after another. Some were traveling light, while others carried large bags. Hu Jiu only carried a small bag and was unremarkable in the crowd, with little presence.
At this moment, the disorganization and lack of discipline of the Ghost Tamer group became apparent. He Ming led the way, and the group gradually grew longer. Some had already formed small groups of three to five, while others laggard at the back, occasionally looking up at the sky and the ground.
Hu Jiu maintained a normal walking pace and soon left many people behind. He Ming slowly approached him and muttered, "These Ghost Tamers are all very cunning. They don't want to walk in front, afraid of encountering danger. They're waiting for me to clear the mines for them."
"More than that, they want to wait until the people ahead of them have gone through all the trouble to find the good stuff so they can take advantage of it," Hu Jiu reminded them with a smile.
He Ming understood instantly. In a flash, he thought of the plots in the cultivation novels he had read, such as exploring secret realms, killing and robbing treasures. Then he shook his head violently, trying to get these strange ideas out of his mind.
"Unless one is certain of a fatal blow or possesses overwhelming strength, Ghost Tamers shouldn't rashly snatch things from each other. Reckless actions will only result in mutual destruction. Ghost Taming isn't like cultivating immortality; every attack irreversibly depletes one's own resources," He Ming said thoughtfully.
Hu Jiu shook his head. "A person's rationality isn't always on point, Ghost Tamer's rationality is even more prone to collapse. In a moment of impulsiveness and a heated argument, who knows what unexpected things Ghost Tamer might do in an ancient tomb?"
"You're right." He Ming looked melancholy. "Being the captain is really stressful."
Why does it have a Versailles vibe?
Hu Jiu didn't remind He Ming Headquarters would really entrust the exploration of such a crucial Supernatural place as the Ghostly Ancient Tomb to a bunch of rabble.
It wasn't that he looked down on folk Ghost Tamers, but rather that while these people were somewhat interesting when acting alone, they were no good when they gathered together; scattered, they were like stars in the sky, but when they gathered, they were a pile of dung.
Headquarters might have secretly prepared some backup plan; this team might just be a facade to deceive everyone.
"By the way, what's the deal with that Ghost Bus?" Hu Jiu suddenly asked. "I remember last time the Ghost Grass outbreak happened, Shi Chang, the person in charge of Xihe City, was driving a Ghost Vehicle. Why is there another one at Headquarters?"
"Shi Chang? Who is that?" He Ming was completely confused.
Hu Jiu said, "It's that Mediterranean-looking guy driving the car when we first met."
"Oh, I remember now." He Ming suddenly realized. Although he remembered that experience vividly, he was not very willing to recall it.
"The Ghost Bus is actually a derivative of the Supernatural. It comes from a Supernatural place—codenamed [Fierce Ghost Parking Lot]. Every now and then, a haunted land vehicle will appear in that parking lot." He Ming lowered his voice and revealed the Headquarters' confidential information to Hu Jiu without hesitation.
"I see."
After hiking for more than twenty minutes, the scenery began to change. The weeds grew more and more lush, as vibrant as in the height of summer. The ground was covered with a layer of moss and lichen, making it very slippery to walk on.
The surroundings were completely Silence; even the chirping of insects and birds had ceased. A chilling aura swept by, and the astute Ghost Tamer was already on high alert.
There were only a few tall trees scattered around, and mostly weeds and shrubs. The view was fairly good. After walking for a while, the surroundings became completely silent, with only the sound of people's footsteps on the plants remaining.
The originally scattered and long line gradually came together. As they moved forward, the environment began to become strange. Scattered animal carcasses could be seen from time to time. Some had just died, some had rotted down to the bones, and there was even a human skull.
Everyone became alert and prepared to act.
Surprisingly, after walking for a long time, apart from the somewhat eerie atmosphere, they did not encounter any danger whatsoever.
Some of the Ghost Tamers gradually breathed a sigh of relief, thinking they had been overthinking things and were seeing threats everywhere.
"We've been walking for so long, why haven't we reached the entrance to the ancient tomb yet?" the mummy-like Ghost Tamer suddenly asked in a muffled voice.
"There's still some distance to go, don't rush," He Ming reassured him.
A large patch of dark clouds drifted in from the sky, turning the once clear blue sky suddenly gloomy. The mummy stopped and pointed into the distance.
Noticing his movement, everyone stopped. "What happened?"
The mummy was completely covered, including its eyes, but its eyesight seemed excellent. It said, "There's a strange noise ahead."
"Could it be a wild animal from the mountains?" someone suggested.
Another person said, "It shouldn't be. We've hardly seen any wild animals along the way."
In the group, a young man with a missing little finger on his left hand suddenly exclaimed "Huh?", attracting everyone's attention.
He held out the compass in his palm for everyone to see, and the needle seemed to be spinning erratically, sometimes fast and sometimes slow.
"Hong Ying, is this thing broken?" Su Jingtang, the man with the severed finger, muttered.
"I spent a lot of money to have this specially made, with a lot of gold added to the materials. It's not going to break so easily," Hong Ying retorted.
"The compass isn't broken," spoke a Ghost Tamer entire body was ceramic. His mouth didn't move, yet he could still make sounds. He also produced a compass, its needle swaying erratically. "It's a problem with the local magnetic field."
"Will the chaotic magnetic field affect our mission?" someone couldn't help but ask.
"I don't see any negative effects yet, but I'm worried the captain might get lost," the mummy said.
In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to He Ming again.
In fact, what else could He Ming say?
"Don't worry, everyone, I won't get lost."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a strange thing happened!
"Damn it, what the hell is this?!" someone suddenly shouted, and then the person stepped back, drawing a long sword to block in front of him.
Everyone was startled and braced themselves for action, but to their surprise, the surroundings were quiet and no danger occurred.
He Ming asked in a deep voice, "Don't be so startled, what did you just see?"
The man with the knife wiped the cold sweat from his brow. "A strange thing darted past me; it was incredibly fast."
He Ming pressed further, "Are you sure it's not a wild animal?"
"No." The man was very nervous.
"I saw it too. It walked on two legs. Like a little child," someone chimed in.
He Ming frowned. "Could it be that we've encountered a Supernatural event?"
"What's there to be afraid of? With so many Ghost Tamers among us, ordinary Supernatural events are no problem at all." Many in the team maintained this confidence.
A gentle breeze carried a high-pitched laugh past my ear, carrying an eerie and unsettling sense of humor.
"Who laughed? How rude!" Hong Ying blurted out instinctively, followed by another soft laugh a second later.
He Ming instantly went into a blurry state and rushed towards the direction of the laughter, but found nothing but bushes and weeds all around.
Just then, sharp, piercing laughter came from all directions. The laughter struck straight to the heart, and those who heard it felt as if they had watched the funniest comedy sketch. A sense of joy suddenly welled up in their hearts, and the corners of their mouths involuntarily turned up.
"There's something wrong with that laughter! Cover your ears and don't listen!" He Ming shouted.
"Don't laugh, try not to!" someone quickly added.
Laughter echoed through the mountains, layer upon layer, and soon the terror became audible to the naked ear.
"This is a Supernatural event. Dragging it out isn't a solution. We need to find the Source Ghost and resolve this as soon as possible!" Hu Jiu looked around and said to He Ming.
This laughter can affect emotions; listening to it for a long time might impair one's judgment.
Swish--
A series of jubilant figures emerged from the bushes not far away, waving their arms and legs as if chasing and playing, laughing and rushing rapidly toward the crowd. They grinned and laughed, gathering in ever-growing numbers, moving extremely fast.
"It's Ghost Slave!" Someone exclaimed, raising their voice eight octaves.
Click click--
Many of the Ghost Tamers had already drawn their guns, loaded with golden bullets, and in the blink of an eye, a small Ghost Slave, who looked like a child, suddenly jumped up. It seemed to have been lurking nearby for a long time, and suddenly pounced from behind, reaching out to pounce on He Ming's neck!
"Careful!"
"Get out of the way!"
The chattering voices reminded He Ming, while some gloated, some sat on the wall to watch, and some secretly observed, wanting to see how capable this young captain was.