016. [Physics Holy Sword]

The Physics Holy Sword

Excellent

The most comfortable weapon, capable of handling combat in all situations.

In the ruined city, in critical moments, anything can become a weapon.

Not easily bent, difficult to damage, absolutely durable.

"Bash that damn bastard's head with this thing!"

Price: 1000 Silence Points

This item looks like a crowbar.

One end is straight, the other is bent with a groove at the end, used for prying nails, door locks, and other things. It has nothing to do with the description "Holy Sword."

As for why it's called the "Physics Holy Sword," one might have to ask Dr. Gordon Freeman.

Lu Ban chose it not only because the price was reasonable but also because there were no negative descriptions, which was an important reason.

Most weapons in the "Murder Weapon" category are either cursed, attract the gaze of strange entities, or simply drive people insane. Finding one with no negative effects is extremely difficult.

Compared to firearms that can easily injure oneself, a club is still the most comfortable.

Lu Ban got out of the car and followed the navigation to a wasteland. By the time he arrived, the "Physics Holy Sword" had already been exchanged into his hand.

It was about sixty centimeters long and weighed less than three kilograms. It was made of some metal Lu Ban couldn't identify. The shaft was hexagonal, and the handle was wrapped with coarse cloth to prevent it from slipping. Just holding it gave him a sense of power.

No man can refuse the joy of picking up a branch and swinging it; a crowbar is the same.

Lu Ban tested it, swung the crowbar, and smashed it towards a protruding stone on the ground.

Crack—

The stone, made of hardened waste cement, immediately developed a small pit. At the same time, Lu Ban felt the crowbar's special quality.

Besides being extremely hard, it also effectively reduced the feedback of force. Even after hitting something, Lu Ban wouldn't be shaken to the point of dropping it. Moreover, when he swung the crowbar, his strength increased significantly, and his skill with it improved. It seemed he could at least pry open ordinary iron doors.

Like a suona, a light, gauzy package of knowledge enveloped his cerebral cortex, its trickling streams of knowledge moistening his entire brain.

"Very good."

Lu Ban raised his head in satisfaction and saw a dilapidated building across the wasteland.

That was the Jiangcheng Grand Theater.

The theater was designed in a Western style, with an exaggerated dome and grand entrance, along with European-style pillars and decorations that Lu Ban couldn't understand at all. Only the dim, dust-covered stained glass windows spoke of its past splendor.

This wasteland was originally part of the theater's planned expansion. Lu Ban had read reports that Jiangcheng once had plans for an "Art City," intending to build a series of ancient-style artistic buildings around the Jiangcheng Grand Theater, but these plans were later shelved.

The theater's dome was no longer magnificent, with only scorched marks from a fire remaining. After more than a decade of wind and rain, the entire theater looked extremely dilapidated, covered everywhere with moss and wild grass, giving it a desolate, post-apocalyptic feel.

As Lu Ban walked towards the main entrance, he suddenly heard the sound of flapping wings from nearby.

A flock of birds flew up from the theater's roof; it seemed they had made it their nest.

The sun was setting, and the last rays of sunlight illuminated the grand and artistic building, making it look like a dying giant, quietly awaiting its end.

There was still some time before nightfall, so Lu Ban decided to go in and take a look.

Creeeak—

The rotten wooden planks made a heart-stopping sound as Lu Ban stepped into the theater's shadows.

The door was originally locked, but years of wear and tear, along with scavengers, had already cleared the place out. Lu Ban entered easily.

The once magnificent front hall was in disrepair, the ticket booth was a mess, and there were some performance flyers on the ground.

According to the blueprints, several doors in the front hall connected to the main theater hall. Extending to the left and right were corridors leading to the backstage dressing rooms, preparation rooms, control rooms, and so on.

There were no lights, and the path was dark. The two corridors looked like the gaping maws of some terrifying beast, waiting for prey to fall into its trap.

Lu Ban thought for a moment and decided to check these rooms first.

He turned on his flashlight, and the oval beam illuminated the ground. Unlike the outside, the interior, which didn't receive sunlight, had no plants, only cobwebs and dust.

As the flashlight beam shone, Lu Ban saw something scurrying away from the light, darting into a crack in the door.

He held the flashlight in his left hand and the crowbar in his right, advancing into the dim corridor.

Most of the room doors were already broken. Lu Ban kicked them open easily, stirring up clouds of dust.

There was no sound in the rooms. As the flashlight beam moved, Lu Ban's vision shifted: tangled wires, overturned cabinets, moldy coat hangers, and... a face!

Lu Ban's eyebrows twitched as he looked at the mirror reflecting the flashlight's beam.

In the mirror was his own reflection, his face pale and somewhat terrifying under the harsh light.

"A mirror?"

Lu Ban was a little curious. After being abandoned for so many years, why was there still a mirror left?

Hadn't it been taken long ago?

He couldn't help but lean closer, looking at the mottled, dirty, and cracked mirror surface.

The Lu Ban in the mirror also leaned closer.

Lu Ban examined the mirror closely, noticing it was stuck to the wall and looked like a vanity mirror.

However, the mirror's shape was strange, square and not very large, and it faced the room's entrance.

Why would a vanity mirror be placed facing away from the entrance?

Lu Ban saw a sticky liquid reflecting his flashlight's beam at the connection between the mirror and the wall.

This liquid was yellowish-brown and thick, like some sort of oil, but it emitted a rotten stench. Furthermore, as Lu Ban stared, he realized the liquid was freshly seeping out!

Upon realizing this, Lu Ban instinctively took half a step back and saw his reflection in the mirror—his own pale, cold, and indifferent self—smiling at him.

Clang—

Lu Ban instinctively swung his crowbar down, and the entire mirror shattered with a crash. The reflection of Lu Ban split into hundreds of pieces and then vanished.

He looked again at the spot where the mirror had been. There was only a charred mark, clearly showing signs of a fire. The oozing oil was gone, as if it had never existed.

The room fell silent again.

"There's definitely something wrong here. Is it the spirits of fire victims? Or something else?"

Lu Ban loosened his grip on the crowbar, then tightened it again.

"But after I broke the mirror with my crowbar, nothing else happened. Was it because it lost its vessel, or does the crowbar itself have some power to ward off evil?"

He squatted down and looked at his reflection in the broken pieces of the mirror. There was nothing unusual.

Lu Ban grinned.

His reflection grinned back.

Facing this situation, Lu Ban was scared, but not entirely.

He was scared due to humanity's instinctive fear of death and the unknown.

He wasn't scared because if something malevolent really wanted to kill him, he could just play the suona and they could all ascend together.

Death was death anyway, so who was afraid of whom?

He stood up, propped himself on the crowbar, and walked out of the room.

Continuing forward, Lu Ban checked two more dressing rooms in the dim corridor but found no more vanity mirrors.

He reached the end of the corridor.

Here, a crooked room number sign bore faded lettering.

Control Room.

*

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