Abyssal Hell

Upon reaching the summit of the hill, there are six light sources—the same lights visible from the exit of the Haofeng Ridge Tunnel.

Looking ahead along the road, tall tombstones, each over two meters high, stand on either side of the viewing platform. As Liuxing and Ping'an approached for a closer look, they noticed that these imposing tombstones, unlike the smaller graves, did not light up on their own—as if the spirits sleeping there had found eternal peace.

Meteor sighed silently in his heart.

This place finally feels a bit like a cemetery. Before, coming in from the cemetery entrance felt like shopping in a department store, with voices everywhere but no people in sight, which was creepy.

He moved closer to the tombstone, trying to see the light source on it. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that these graves had no stone foundations or underground burial chambers; there was only this solitary tombstone.

A beam of orange-yellow light shone from beneath the tombstone onto the dark background screen, almost reflecting his face like a mirror.

He wanted to take a closer look, and after taking a little over a step forward, he immediately sensed something was amiss. He quickly squatted down and shone his flashlight on the stone path.

The road surface is marked with "Danger: Keep Out" signs in Japanese.

"This is a cenotaph for a deity. The eternal lamps that illuminate the tombstone contain radioactive materials. For your health, please do not disturb the deity's resting place."

After A Xing finished reading the sentence, Mr. Ping An immediately took out the Geiger indicator from his bag. The radiation readings did indeed match the warning in the announcement.

"The lighting equipment here is probably tritium tubes; tritium is a byproduct of the nuclear industry," Mr. Ping An said.

Meteor: "Is it harmful to the human body?"

Ping An: "There is radiation, but not much, and it has little effect on the human body or electronic devices."

The meteor shone on the inscriptions on the stone path and asked.

"Then why did it warn us?"

Ping An explained, "The magic tricks used by the devil require many illusions—if you get too close, the deities lose their sacredness, and the devil loses its mystery when exposed to sunlight. I think this half-true, half-false warning is meant to remind people visiting graves to keep their distance from these tombs."

"That makes sense," Meteor pondered. "If I were to buy a cemetery like this, the closer to the gods, the better. But if it really has that much radiation, wouldn't my electronic tombstone be one of the first to break down? Would I become the biggest sucker in the universe?"

"Young man, I see words on the tombstone." Mr. Ping An urged, "Get closer. It doesn't want me to come near, but I'm determined to take a look."

Meteor was taken aback. He couldn't see any writing in the six orange lights; the tombstones were smooth as mirrors. Where did the marks come from?

It's amazing that Brother Ping An, wearing those sunglasses, could still distinguish things I couldn't see in such darkness.

The two were almost touching the tombstone. Meteor took off his glasses and put them back on, but he still couldn't see any words on them.

Ping An muttered to himself, "This monument has the name of the deity in Shinto City written on it, called Day Patrol —I think that's the slogan of the Nichishun Foundation. They have a great corporate culture."

Meteor: "Wait a minute! Wait, Brother Ping An!"

Ping An: "What's wrong?"

Meteor felt his hair stand on end, utterly astonished.

"I can't see anything! Does this thing have writing on it?"

Mr. Ping An shrugged and pointed to the other five tombstones, reading them one by one.

"The one opposite is the Night Patrol, probably the cenotaph of the Night Wanderer Foundation."

"The two figures to the left and right of the center have tombstones inscribed with 'Hayabusa' and 'Zhong Kui'."

"The two people sitting at the very front, on the hilltop, in the best feng shui, are Gale and North Wind."

Meteor exclaimed in surprise, "You're not kidding?"

Forget about saying a word, Meteor's eyes popped out of their sockets, and his eyes started to sting and tear up, but he couldn't see anything unusual.

"A monk does not lie, young brother," Mr. Ping An said. "I only speak the truth and will never deceive you."

This is a big problem.

The knowledge that Meteor had acquired in the Arcane Library could not explain this scene.

The biggest difference between ordinary people and psychics is psychic Inspiration. What appears as banknotes to ordinary people might actually be train tickets marked with psychic energy at the Nine Realms Station.

If Mr. Ping An can see things, there's no reason why a shooting star shouldn't; his Inspiration is quite strong.

So where did the problem lie?

"Young man, from what you're saying, you can't see the inscriptions on these tombstones? Is that right?"

The little chick nodded repeatedly, like pecking at rice.

Without hesitation, Mr. Ping An immediately took off his pyroxene sunglasses and asked Meteor to put them on.

When his vision was shrouded in the shadow of the dark lenses, a new scene appeared in Meteor's eyes! Everything seemed different.

According to the Arcane Library, black stone has a very special nature; it is good at absorbing energy and emotions, maintaining a strong sense of curiosity, and can awaken it.

The Spirit Elder crafted pyroxene jewelry for the passengers, but very few Blackstone people used it, because it had a strong negative effect—it absorbed almost everything.

Whether it's a good mood or a bad mood, whether it's positive energy or negative energy, it's like a black hole that can quickly make people lose their goals in life, lose their motivation to move forward, and turn them into a naturally listless, indifferent person.

When Robert Tang Ning arrived at the station, he was filled with intense hatred and sorrow, so the stone he received was naturally black jade. His self-destructive tendencies were too strong, and he needed a black stone to calm himself down.

At this moment, Meteor, wearing Brother Ping An's brilliance jewelry, was able to see the words on the tombstone.

It's like a psionic detector, able to detect faint psionic tides in the environment. The words on these tombstones shimmer and flow like water, with the light source forming the shape of the characters.

The meteor involuntarily turned its head, following the spiritual energy fluctuations of the earth's veins, and looked back along the path it had come from. The low hills and the countless grave mounds covering the hillsides had also turned into clusters of pale green soul flames.

He didn't understand, and a romantic thought arose in his mind—

--Could the black stone in the Venom installation be used for this purpose?

This technological innovation, which allows ordinary people to see psychic phenomena, is a revolutionary disruption for the underground world.

When he turned his head and looked at Brother Ping An again, he was shocked and felt dizzy.

The light emanating from this ancient soul almost blinded him; for a moment, he seemed to understand what Jason Megan felt when she was overwhelmed with Inspiration.

The awe-inspiring light emanating from Mr. Ping An's eyes almost made Meteor instinctively close her eyes. It seemed that the spirit within her body did not want to come into contact with that ancient consciousness. In a daze, Mr. Ping An noticed A Xing's abnormality, immediately took off his sunglasses, and put them back on before A Xing opened her eyes.

"How about it, young man? Can you see it now?"

"Yes," Meteor said, still shaken and covered in cold sweat, "I saw it clearly, there are indeed words on these cenotaphs."

Arranged in order of seniority and rank—

--Night Patrol, Day Patrol, Hayabusa, Zhong Kui, North Wind, gale.

These six names represent six celestial deities, which are the six departments, functions, and titles centered around the Shinto City.

"Looks like I'll need to get my hands on Venom's Mechanism or a piece of Black Stone to see these things," Meteor cautiously analyzed. "Brother Ping An, you just said this mountain has the best feng shui. Since these people love money so much, why don't they sell it for cash?"

Ping An remained silent.

Meteor then asked, "What's the point of making cenotaphs for these departments? There's just a lonely tombstone, and no intention of digging a grave to bury the people."

Mr. Ping An said unhurriedly, "That's why they call themselves gods, little brother. If a god and a mortal are buried in the same tomb, that person also gains a bit of divinity."

He casually pointed behind him, towards the rows of graves halfway up the mountain.

"As the old saying goes, 'When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven,' so it's no wonder that there were both chickens and dogs along the way."

"Where do you think the appeal of religion lies? Where does the appeal of superstition lie?"

"Isn't it just that when you're devoutly chanting scriptures, you mistakenly believe that the gods will grant you divine power, and that this divine power manifests as a bit of divinity that you've acquired? Even Magdalene in the Bible, a prostitute who was also tainted by divinity, had a different status."

"So, the Night God Group is really good at real estate in the underworld! They're masters at making money. If they sell this prime piece of land on the mountain overlooking the water to a wealthy person, to a high-ranking official or businessman in Stone Hill Town, other burial sites won't sell well. It may look like an empty plot of land with a few useless tombstones, but it's actually a golden brand."

Reaching the end of the viewing platform, all you can see is darkness, and you can feel the humid, hot wind from the mountain streams and valleys through the darkness.

They originally came to this mountain hoping to ask the local spirits of the dead for some information that would help their exploration, but unexpectedly, apart from the six steles, they found nothing.

Meteor: "What do we do now?"

Mr. Ping An stood still, head bowed in deep thought, seemingly discussing something with the shooting star.

--His tone changed from joking and laughing to his usual casual and natural manner.

"There's a milestone at the cemetery entrance, about thirteen kilometers from Stone Hill Town. Young man, you should be able to get your hands on the VENOM there—it's like a cell phone—and the rest of the investigation will proceed smoothly."

Meteor: "Hmm"

Ping An: "I don't know whether these graves contain real souls or cyborgs that mimic their souls—I'm not sure."

Meteor: "Hmm"

Ping An: "Next, I might have to do some things, otherwise I won't be able to live with myself."

Meteor hesitated, then said, "Brother Ping An."

Ping An took out the ruler and patiently explained.

"But these things carry risks, and I don't know if you can accept them."

"This is your VIP trial mission. The mountain god we encountered in Haofeng Ridge Tunnel could easily tear us apart. Our escape route is cut off, and I can hardly guarantee that I can bring you safely back to the station under these circumstances."

"I really want to smash all these tombstones, dig up every grave in the cemetery, and cut off their energy supply. At least these dead souls can rest in peace and won't have to keep repeating those advertising slogans."

"Like Ms. Futian Liliya, whom we met before, whether she is a real spirit or a digital life form, she no longer has to frown and beg for money from people for a better tomb."

"But you know, if we try to destroy the clay idols in the temple, the followers and the Cult Leader will definitely come to kill us."

"This place has been abandoned for over fifty years. Judging from the cenotaphs of these gods, Shinto City has nuclear power facilities and eternal flames that have burned for over fifty years. The basic electrical equipment of this cemetery is still running. I don't know if the minions of these gods will wake up again because of the security alarm."

"If you're scared, we'll head back to Haofeng Ridge Tunnel and try to figure out a way to return to our familiar civilized world."

I think the meteor is being tested once again.

When he heard Mr. Ping An's suggestion, he began to re-examine the meaning of life and death.

A tomb is a trace of a person's existence, a history book made of stone. It should be the most solemn and profound thing in the world.

But in this 378,000 square kilometers, the gods who govern the lives, deaths, old age, sickness, and death of countless mortals have created an Avici Hell for people's deaths.

After much deliberation, he put himself in the shoes of the person in question.

--If one day, Ming Ge dies, his tombstone will have his portrait on it, and he will occasionally urge his sister-in-law and children to send money, asking me to buy a certain brand of liquor, so that we can drink together across the divide between the living and the dead.

--If one day, 3301 also dies, she will remain forever young in her grave. When she sees me, she will bar her breasts and flaunt her charms, begging me to buy her an upgraded grave.

--If one day...

At this moment, Meteor's hair and eyebrows stood on end; he was both shocked and furious, and his whole body was trembling.

"Brother Ping An! I'm going to smash this tomb!"

Luo Ping'an: "Have you calmed down and thought this through?"

Bu Liuxing: "I'm not calm! I can't calm down!"

Luo Ping'an: "If I take a ruler and go to chop down their cenotaphs, it's the same as chopping down their false bodies. I'll be fighting the entire Shinto City —you should think it through."

"These pieces of junk have been abandoned for over fifty years! What demons and monsters dare to challenge me! I am the second-in-command of the Nameless Gang!" Bu Liuxing's eyes blazed with fury. "I'm not afraid!"

Luo Ping'an smiled with satisfaction.

"You can back down, you can become shrewd and tactful, you can take it one step at a time, you can observe for a while. Perhaps there are hidden reasons behind this? Perhaps you can wait and see. Perhaps when you get to Stone Hill Town, you will change your mind."

"You need to think this through. We're currently living under someone else's roof, and we only have enough food and drink to last eight days. If we ruin the reputation of the local bully, things will probably get tough for us from now on."

"Brother Ping An!" Bu Liuxing said firmly, "I won't wait any longer! The thought of the more than two hundred souls still living in the deepest hell in this cemetery fills me with courage, and I can't think of anything else."

Luo Ping'an: "Then I'll make my move?"

Bu Liuxing: "Go ahead and do it."

Luo Ping'an: "You ring the Summoning Bell first."

Following Luo Ping'an's instructions, Meteor rang the waiter's Summoning Bell and then asked, "In this godforsaken place, will the Nine Realms Station be able to see my psionic beacon if I ring the bell?"

Luo Ping'an: "Not necessarily, but it's better than doing nothing."

Bu Liuxing: "Yes, Daoist Master, you're right. It's better than doing nothing!"

Daoist Master Ping'an strode forward, his ruler splitting rocks as he struck the tombstone on the Night Patrol, sending up shards of metal and debris that quickly oxidized and burned upon exposure to the air.

The other five tombstones immediately triggered security alarms, sending a warning through this ancient site dating back decades.

"Warning! Warning! You are destroying public property of Shinto City!"

"Facial scan of the prisoner complete."

"Personnel and body scan complete."

"Uploaded to Extreme Bliss Space, call upon the Stone Hill Town Kyoraku Special Squad to make the arrest."

"No response from the Kyoraku Special Squad; backup plan activated."

"Calling the medical trauma insurance team, duty units within Stone Hill Town."

"The medical trauma insurance team did not respond; the backup plan will be implemented."

"Calling the Night Patrol Special Operations Team - Executioner."

"Response successful, task being issued."

"Suspect, please stop your violent behavior! Please stop your violent behavior!"

"We will collect evidence as indictment materials and upload them to Extreme Bliss Space for a public online trial. The Supreme Court of Shinto City will judge your crimes, at which time you will need to compensate Night Wanderer Company for all material and property losses and pay litigation costs."

"Suspect, since we are unable to detect your Venom apparatus, we will treat you as a foreign national. Please cooperate with the executioner's investigation; otherwise, your personal safety cannot be guaranteed."

The electronic sound abruptly stopped, and the gleaming golden ruler shattered the last tombstone.

Luo Ping'an: "Looks like I'm in legal trouble."

Bu Liuxing gripped the Iron Knight tightly, hoping to glean some useful information from the warning broadcast.

The town's basic law enforcement apparatus has been paralyzed, but the Night Wanderer's armed forces seem to still exist and are responding to the security hub of [Extreme Bliss Space], meaning—someone is coming.

Ahei's roar echoed from the cemetery gate, accompanied by a deep, rumbling sound.

Meteor was momentarily stunned. "So fast!?"

According to the milestones, the nearest town was more than ten kilometers away, and the enemy arrived at the scene in just a few minutes.

Luo Ping'an looked up at the sky in response.

--The four bright red dots were getting closer and closer; it was a drone.

A tall human figure was hanging on the drone, more than ten meters above the ground, when the figure was seen descending from the sky.

The man wore a helmet and had short, shiny hair with a texture like optical fibers. His entire body was covered in exposed, pale artificial muscles with distinct molding lines at the joints. He landed with a heavy thud, stirring up strong winds and dust.

Meteor raised his hand to cover his face and saw an orange-yellow safety light shining through the smoke.

The dust and fog blew away the drone's rotors, and Meteor finally saw the [executioner] clearly.

He has trademarks on his forehead and profile, resembling the logo of a weapons company.

His eyes were blood red, but without capillaries; they were artificial eyes consisting of two pupils and two complex sights.

He had no ears; instead, he wore a helmet around his neck, with the plate extending all the way to his temples.

He had no long-range firepower, and there were no guns on his body. His thighs and chest were lined with armor, and he held a decapitation sword in his hand. It was a large, square-headed sword without a tip.

A warm orange safety light emanated from his multi-jointed spine, with cylindrical structures resembling energy batteries and ring-shaped light sources. A dark box, the [VENOM] mechanism seen in the mission briefing, was embedded in his right forearm. At this moment, it emitted a bright red light, its display panel resembling flowing water, leaving various readings on the pale muscle texture, seemingly broadcasting the executioner's physical data. These magnetic fluids coalesced and dispersed unpredictably.

When his gaze locked onto Mr. Luo Ping'an--

--This bald, hairless android was covered in a layer of black armor.

Like a mixture of water and mud, this muddy flow quickly climbed up the exposed artificial fiber muscles, transforming into a flexible hexagonal mesh, becoming the executioner's skin.

Thirty-two ventilation holes were distributed on his shoulders, ribs, spine, buttocks, and legs. The executioner raised his execution sword, tilted his head, and looked at Luo Ping'an, but did not move for a moment.

--This android seems unable to identify what Mr. Ping An really is. After all, Luo Ping'an doesn't use the Shinto City's cell phone, doesn't have the [VENOM Agency·Venom Agency], and is an outsider. Just like in modern society, people have ID cards, WeChat QR codes, various social media accounts, and personal files, but Meteor and Ping An are considered unregistered.

Luo Ping'an adjusted his sunglasses and counted the various features on the executioner's body.

"Nano armor, artificial spine, artificial nerves, artificial muscles."

Mr. Ping An pulled out a gun from his waist and fired a shot at the executioner.

The nine-millimeter bullet struck the dark skin like hitting a supple swamp. Ripples appeared on the executioner's skin, and the muscles in his chest bounced back to their original positions without leaving any wounds. The words "[Night Patrol]" and the barcode twisted and deformed with the impact of the bullet, eventually slowly wriggling back to their original form.

Luo Ping'an dropped his pistol, telling A Xing not to do anything and not to become a criminal in the Shinto City public security system.

He picked up the ruler again, ready for a contest of wits.

"With all that high technology around you, you probably don't have many human organs left in your body. Bullets wouldn't even scratch you. No wonder you're carrying a sword to arrest criminals."