On the ceiling of the hotel lobby, a shriveled corpse hangs upside down, its eyeballs rotted away, the empty eye sockets seemingly staring at everyone in the lobby.
That wasn't a corpse, but a Fierce Ghost that had fully revived.
"Don't look up, you'll die if you do!" Fan Cheng'an warned the man in the black trench coat, then walked towards the door.
The hotel door had been forcibly broken open; he no longer wanted to stay in this terrifying place.
Wen Jingyan was taken aback upon receiving the notification. He hadn't expected that the ghost's killing pattern had already been deciphered, which made things much easier.
Looking up means certain death—this rule is indeed simple, but the sheer terror of this ghost is no small feat.
Thinking of this, Wen Jingyan couldn't help but feel a little irritated. Where did the person behind the scenes find so many terrifying Fierce Ghosts?
He hadn't rested in a long time; if it weren't for the special nature of the ghost he was controlling, he probably would have been worked to death!
But he only dared to complain in his heart; on the surface, he still had to work diligently.
The person behind this is playing too big a game, actually going to publicly reveal the existence of the Fierce Ghost!
Wen Jingyan dared not even imagine how chaotic the situation would become once it was made public.
A man-made disaster is about to strike, and now he can only feign compliance with the mastermind behind it all, then find a chance to escape, change his body, and change his name.
Having escaped the reckoning of that year, he was naturally confident that he could emerge unscathed from this disaster.
With a casual flick of his finger, Wen Jingyan caused the Fierce Ghost on the hotel ceiling to temporarily freeze. Instead of capturing it, he left it where it was.
"I advise you not to wander around. It's dangerous everywhere right now. I've temporarily subdued the ghost in this hotel, and the hotel is safe for the time being. You'd better stay here and wait for the government to rescue you."
Fan Cheng'an had just stepped out of the hotel when he heard Wen Jingyan suddenly say this behind him.
He paused, and the others who were still alive also stopped.
Amidst the inquisitive, questioning, and admiring gazes of the crowd, Wen Jingyan didn't offer much explanation, only saying, "Believe it or not, the Jing City is dangerous everywhere right now."
After saying that, he disappeared on the spot.
Upon witnessing this scene, the few survivors from the hotel all gasped in shock.
"So the supernatural really does exist," Fan Cheng'an murmured to himself.
This is beyond doubt; everyone present has personally experienced and witnessed it.
"Are you planning to stay at this hotel or leave?" the hotel receptionist asked.
"I'm staying!" Fan Cheng'an said resolutely.
Although he had a very important client meeting today, what did work matter compared to his own life?
Since the big shot has already warned him, he's not going to take the risk.
Among the survivors, some shared Fan Cheng'an's opinion and expressed their desire to stay in the hotel.
Others, however, have a psychological aversion to the hotel and are eager to leave, feeling that home is safer.
The hotel receptionist hesitated for a moment, then ultimately decided to leave. "It's my mom's birthday today, I have to go back."
Since the group were complete strangers, no one offered any objections; they made their own choices and accepted the consequences.
"The cell phone signal has been restored. I just tried calling the police, but I can't get through at all," someone said worriedly. "The situation seems a bit bad. This is Jing City, how could something like this happen?"
"Why don't we exchange contact information? We've been through thick and thin together. If we encounter anything strange again, even if we can't help, we can at least let others know so they can be on guard," Fan Cheng'an suggested.
This proposal was unanimously approved.
They created a group chat, and those who chose to leave did so, while those who chose to stay returned to their respective rooms.
Since the hotel manager and service staff were mostly dead, Fan Cheng'an took what he could and consciously collected some supplies.
Fortunately, the power was not cut off. After the cell phone signal was restored, Fan Cheng'an was at a loss for what to do.
I can't get through to the police, and I don't want to tell my family what happened, afraid they'll worry.
He's not an internet celebrity, and if he speaks out online, probably very few people will see it.
But it seems that all he can do now is seek help online and vent his frustrations.
So he opened his most frequently used short video platform, Chanyin.
Before he could finish editing what he wanted to say, he suddenly noticed that the recommended video on the homepage was a netizen recounting his experience of encountering a supernatural event, surviving a near-death experience, and being saved by a handsome man in a black trench coat.
This is exactly the same experience as Fan Cheng'an's!
Previously, Fan Cheng'an did not believe in the existence of supernatural events and often Neglect a lot of information that was right in front of him when he went online.
The filter of "common sense" usually helps him filter out some things, but now that filter has broken, he has personally experienced supernatural events. When he comes back to online platforms, he discovers that many posts he once thought were nonsensical Supernatural stories may actually be true!
A chilling feeling welled up from the bottom of my heart as I thought about it.
Before he could even process this fact, a new situation arose in the newly established mutual aid group.
One of the people who chose to leave the hotel sent a video.
In the video, a very thick black fog rises from the highway, and the surrounding visibility decreases rapidly.
Others rushed to ask what had happened, but the person who posted the video never responded again.
Everyone realized that this person was probably in grave danger.
"What's the situation? Has the situation in Jing City stabilized?" Feng Qian, who had hurriedly met up with the troops stationed in Jing City, asked. "Given what happened, why hasn't the higher-ups taken any measures?"
The major general, who was being questioned by Feng Qian, was quite irritable, but when he saw Feng Qian's golden eyes, his heart skipped a beat. He suppressed his impatience and replied:
"All government departments were shrouded in a black fog, all communication equipment failed, and dispatched exploration teams, patrol teams, and rescue teams all lost contact."
"One of the exploration teams encountered monsters while exploring outside. Luckily, a person wearing a black trench coat saved them. That's when I learned what was happening outside—the whole city was full of ghosts and monsters."
At this point, a gloomy look settled over the major general's brow, and he asked in return, "Comrade Feng Qian, how did you manage to get here safely? As far as I know, there are countless ghosts and monsters outside; one wrong move and you could encounter danger."
Feng Qian's tone turned strange. "To be honest, I didn't encounter any ghosts or supernatural phenomena along the way. I arrived here normally."
"Last night, I learned about the incident at the Supernatural Investigation Bureau through a live stream by an online influencer. I lost contact with many of my superiors and colleagues. This morning, I found the outside world in chaos. When I went to the Supernatural Investigation Bureau Investigation Bureau, I found that the bureau building had indeed been reduced to ruins. After getting a general understanding of the situation in Jing City, I came here..."
The major general listened to Feng Qian's account, gave him a deep look, and thought to himself that this man was incredibly lucky.
"I'd heard before that there was a lucky guy in the Supernatural Investigation Bureau, but I never thought I'd actually see it for myself today. You're really lucky."
"You're lucky, and you also possess extraordinary powers. May I beg you to go and investigate the situation first?"
"Many government departments are shrouded in black fog, and we know nothing about what's going on inside. I hope you can go and take a look. If you can rescue the leaders while you're at it, that would be even better."
Feng Qian was silent for a few seconds, then a smile appeared on his lips, "No problem, but where should I begin my investigation? And are you all just going to stay here and not move?"
The major general frowned. He had already sent out many reconnaissance teams, but most of them had lost contact. Since there were superhumans around, why should he let his own soldiers take the risk?
He did not hide his thoughts and spoke frankly to Feng Qian, wanting to minimize personnel losses and have capable superhumans take responsibility.
This made Feng Qian think more highly of him. If the other party had used some high-sounding words to morally blackmail him, Feng Qian might have chosen to slack off, agreeing on the surface but not doing any work at all.
Now... Feng Qian is willing to give it a try; he also really wants to end this chaotic situation.
After all, he has many relatives and friends, and if the world really gets chaotic, it won't be good for anyone.
Feng Qian made some simple preparations, discussed the route of action with the major general, and then set off.
Not long after Feng Qian left, a communications soldier rushed up to the major general, his voice filled with panic, and said, "Something terrible has happened! A black mist suddenly rose outside here, and many people were swept in. They screamed and turned into skeletons..."
"What?!" The major general was shocked.
He looked up at the window and saw black fog surging in, with something seemingly crawling around in the thick fog.
Feng Qian had barely left when trouble struck. Was Feng Qian really that lucky? Could he always manage to avoid all sorts of dangers?
The appearance of the black mist caused a huge commotion, but the major general didn't know how to handle it. He knew a lot of inside information, and ordinary physical attacks were ineffective against this thing.
With his firepower ineffective, he could only order an emergency evacuation to safety.
Just then, the major general noticed that a young woman suddenly appeared above the black mist, her expression cold and expressionless, with a mirror floating behind her head, like the halo behind a Buddha.
A series of "clattering" sounds came from the black mist, followed by countless skeletons emerging from it and spreading in all directions.
Upon seeing the woman, a sense of shock immediately welled up in the major general's heart.
He knew who that woman was: Bai Jingjing, an extraordinary being who was unexpectedly born after the destruction of Shanque City!
He was also the person who resolved the "Anomalous Mirror Image" incident in Yunsun City!
Although many people had doubts about Bai Jingjing's stance before, it was still hard to accept when she actually appeared as a villain.
The opponent's overwhelming power was truly infuriating.
At this moment, Bai Jingjing's eyes showed neither sorrow nor joy; she had simply received a notice to come here and cause trouble.
Having previously resolved the strange mirror issue in Yunsun City, she signed an agreement with the Investigation Bureau to explore an ancient tomb alone.
However, this promise was not subsequently fulfilled. Although the Investigation Bureau did not explicitly break its word, it indefinitely delayed the process.
Since that's the case, then don't blame Bai Jingjing for turning her back on you.
The person behind the scenes just happened to send her to cause trouble, and she decided not to hold back at all!
Thick black smoke billowed everywhere, and wherever the skeletons passed, all sorts of horrific screams followed, further fueling the panic.
"What should we do?" Looking at the scene before them, the soldiers in the unit were filled with deep despair.
"Pick up your weapons and prepare to fire!" the major general ordered. Since there was no way to hide, they had no choice but to fight.
Although he knew that ordinary physical attacks were ineffective against things on the supernatural side, he couldn't just sit and wait to die.
Even if he were to die, he hoped it would be in battle, rather than a humiliating and silent death during a chaotic escape.
Upon receiving the order, the soldiers fired wildly at Bai Jingjing and the Skeleton Ghost emerging from the black mist, using every weapon at their disposal.
However, as expected, the guns had no effect. When the bullets came into contact with the black mist, it was as if they had entered a non-Newtonian fluid with infinite thickness, without even a sound.
Seeing the attack completely ineffective, panic spread even further.
Even the military is facing a terrible situation, let alone ordinary citizens in Jing City.
Some unsuspecting civilians picked up weapons to fight the seemingly falling-apart skeletons, only to be killed by them instead.
The skeleton drags the living into the black mist, and only a few screams can be heard. Then a brand new skeleton will emerge from the mist and continue to hunt the living.
"Ah!!"
"There's a ghost!"
"Run, run..."
The thick black fog turned living people into skeletons. The people who witnessed this scene completely collapsed and ran around in a chaotic frenzy, unable to muster any desire to resist and only wanting to run away.
Some elderly people are too old to run, so they can only pray for the protection of gods and Buddhas.
An old woman by the roadside took out a crucifix from her bosom and began to pray. The crucifix was decorated with a yin-yang symbol and the words "Namo Amitabha Buddha" written on it.
Perhaps the old woman was too silly and funny, or perhaps for some other reason, she actually survived the skeleton's attack.
However, others weren't as lucky as her.
"Someone, please save me!"
"Where is the government? Why did this suddenly happen!"
"I barely survived in Shanque City, and now that I've moved to Jing City, this damn thing is still chasing after me!"
The wails, screams, and cries for help mingled together to create a beautiful symphony.
The mirror floating behind Bai Jingjing suddenly shone brightly, its surface extending infinitely in mid-air, from which even more ghosts and monsters emerged.
Those who were fortunate enough to witness the photograph were all speechless with fear, as if they had suddenly become mute, their faces filled with terror and despair.
Skeletons wreaked havoc, followed closely by a thick, dark fog, and the sky was covered by mirrored reflections.
Death seemed to have become an inevitable fact.