At dusk.
Jiang Qiao and the others arrived at a small town, preparing to spend the night there.
However.
The moment they entered the town.
They sensed that something was wrong.
There were very few people in town, yet two households were holding funerals. The entire atmosphere felt unusually oppressive.
Besides that.
There was also a strange smell in the town.
It was impossible to describe.
It somewhat resembled the smell left after coal had burned completely.
But it was not particularly strong.
It was not enough to choke anyone.
The gas station employee was an old white man.
He looked quite friendly.
It was just that he spoke with a buzzing voice, making it difficult for Tian Zhuang to communicate with him.
Jiang Qiao understood nothing at all.
"He said both victims met with accidents on the highway. He doesn't know whether they encountered ghosts or a serial killer." Tian Zhuang came back and said, "The smell in town appeared a week ago."
"They called to complain."
"But no one has come to investigate yet."
"They don't know where it's coming from."
"They suspected that something had gone wrong at an abandoned coal mine nearby. But they went to check and found no signs of spontaneous combustion. The smell wasn't coming from there, either."
Huai Prefecture had considerable coal reserves.
Even now, it remained the largest coal-producing base in the Ugly Nation.
So after the problem appeared, everyone naturally went to the nearby mines to look for answers. Unfortunately, they found nothing.
"It might be a Supernatural Event."
"We'll stay one night and leave."
"There's no need to worry about it."
He glanced toward the highway, then looked at the town.
Jiang Qiao had a feeling that, starting here, this terrifying journey through the Ugly Nation had officially begun.