You Are Already Dead

Father and Old Sun were sweating profusely; their backs were soaked the moment they laid eyes on Li Fan.

They had originally intended to slip away unnoticed, never expecting that the Collector would come looking for them in person.

It was clear that the Collector had come specifically for them.

To hold them accountable for their incompetence.

Trying to bluff their way through was now completely impossible.

Death was perhaps staring them in the face!

The two exchanged a glance, seeing nothing but despair in each other's eyes.

It was the final cry of a trapped beast.

Li Fan had never expected these two subway workers to be Father and Old Sun.

Seeing their faces, his heart tightened abruptly.

First, he worried they might realize he wasn't the Collector due to his odd behavior moments ago, and then he worried that the Anomaly Bureau personnel behind him would discover he was the Collector.

In an instant, his own back was soaked, and he froze in place.

He didn't say a word.

Finally, it was Li Fan who broke the deathly silence with a hoarse voice; after all, having seen his fair share of major events within the Prison of Suppression, his mental fortitude had improved significantly.

"Has the mission been completed?"

Hearing Li Fan's emotionless words, Father spoke nervously:

"After receiving your orders, we immediately came to the Silver Glow Cinema Subway Station to search for the enemy, but we have yet to find any traces and are continuing our search!"

Old Sun added:

"Please rest assured, once the enemy appears, we will do everything in our power to eradicate them!"

Li Fan nodded slightly.

So, they still hadn't found the Unity Society.

Was the Collector truly the number one on the wanted list for Awakened criminals?

Did these people really belong to the Collector's team?

But thinking back to the brutality of the Blood Pearl earlier, Li Fan's doubts were temporarily dispelled.

The Unity Society was strange in every way, hiding like rats, so they were indeed difficult to track down.

He spoke up:

"Go to the maintenance tunnel."

At the same time, he handed the protective suits to the two men.

He couldn't let his colleagues from the Dissection Department grow suspicious.

Father and Old Sun resignedly took the protective suits and obediently led the way, the three of them heading toward the maintenance tunnel together.

As soon as they reached the entrance of the maintenance tunnel, Li Fan caught the scent of vegetation.

Then, he saw that the maintenance tunnel was covered in creeping ivy and various strange vines, which had taken deep root in the concrete, tearing a massive fissure directly into the cement floor!

Within this fissure, layers of smoke, swirling like living things, lingered.

Mother was leaning against the wall, smoking while exhaling plumes of smoke shaped like skulls, which turned translucent and surged in all directions.

At Auntie Zhang's feet, rats covered in Blood Fruit scurried about, darting through every crack in the subway tunnel to search.

The driver, Old Chen, had his ear pressed against the wall of the maintenance tunnel, listening intently.

They looked like they were working very hard; if they couldn't find the Unity Society, they might just tear the subway station apart.

Seeing Li Fan arrive, the few people in the maintenance tunnel panicked, immediately standing with their hands at their sides in respectful, fearful silence.

Their eyes were filled with despair.

They never imagined the Collector would come in person.

They had just botched the Shepherd's inauguration ceremony a few days ago, and now, even with a clear objective, they hadn't even found a shadow of the Unity Society.

They were simply useless.

I am very disappointed. Li Fan secretly noted their abilities in his mind, while gaining a new understanding of how powerful the members of the Cleaning Association truly were.

Terrifying.

His voice was hoarse and deep, as if coming from the depths of darkness:

"A mere Unity Society has left you in such a sorry state; it makes me wonder if there is any need for your continued existence."

A principle he had recently discovered: a true big shot must speak ruthless words with a calm demeanor.

As soon as these words were uttered, all five people present trembled, and tears welled up in Auntie Zhang's eyes.

Mother hurriedly said:

"We have searched every inch of this place, but there is truly no Unity..."

Suddenly, a powerful surge of abnormal mental radiation erupted within the subway space, causing everyone's hearts to skip a beat!

It was as if a ripple of energy had swept across the entire area!

Li Fan felt a jolt in his heart.

This sensation was surprisingly similar to the Tiger Pillar God!

Mother's eyes lit up, and she and Auntie Zhang looked simultaneously toward the massive pit dug out entirely by plant roots.

At this moment, the pit had transformed into a downward-leading staircase, antique in style and paved entirely with Han dynasty bricks covered in intricate carvings!

Immediately following this, everyone felt a strange sense of distortion.

From the direction of the Dissection Department, the shouts of Wu Qian and his team could be heard.

The subway exit staircase, which had been clear just moments ago, had somehow turned into a grim brick wall.

The concrete floor they were standing on was also rapidly transforming before their eyes into bluestone, even becoming covered in moss.

The surrounding walls evolved at a visible speed into tomb walls painted with scenes of deities and sacrificial rites.

Arched brick ceilings began to manifest overhead!

Then, with a "snap," all the lights in the subway went out, plunging the surroundings into total darkness!

"What on earth is happening? Hong Bing, backup power! Lighting!" Wu Qian's voice echoed through the hollow underground.

Soon after, the backup power was engaged, and the floodlights that had just been set up flickered back to life.

But this time, the scene that appeared before them left everyone stunned.

The original subway tunnels and platforms had completely vanished.

What stood before them was, in fact, a magnificent underground palace!

A massive dome, reminiscent of a celestial palace, was painted with cinnabar lotus patterns and eerie scenes of ascension after death.

Directly beneath the dome, where the tracks should have been, hung a colossal bronze hanging coffin, suspended in mid-air by rusted bronze chains.

Surrounding the hanging coffin were hideous patterns and small mountains piled high with thousands of black Shell Currency.

The entire Dissection Department was now inside this underground palace!

The subway platform they had been standing on had transformed into the shape of an altar, littered with various withered bones and shattered jade figurines.

A forest of twisted, demonic trees hung with skulls stood right before them, encircling the massive bronze hanging coffin.

"This... an abnormal event! Prepare defenses immediately, avoid infection!" Wu Qian shouted. "Old Hu, contact the Command Center and the Investigation Department!"

At the same time, he yelled toward the direction where Li Fan was:

"Fan! Are you alright? Don't run around! Protect the subway construction workers!"

From their perspective, the maintenance tunnel where Li Fan was located was blocked by that twisted forest, appearing only as a strange brick wall.

The members of the Dissection Department immediately sealed their protective suit visors, standing perfectly still, not daring to move an inch.

Everything before them was far too bizarre.

Weren't they supposed to be in the second line?

"I'm fine, Director Wu, you all be careful too!" Li Fan shouted from behind the wall, then asked Auntie Zhang, "The time?"

Auntie Zhang hurriedly held up her Patek Philippe watch.

One minute past midnight.

Just after midnight.

It was the release time for the movie Legend of the Dian King.

Struggling to overcome the fear in his heart, Li Fan took a deep breath and, looking at the staircase emitting a faint glow, said:

"Let's go down and take a look."

The members of the Cleaning Association, however, remained composed, showing no fear toward the sudden anomaly.

Father and Old Sun took the lead, rushing down immediately.

The others followed closely behind.

Li Fan brought up the rear, descending the staircase.

At the bottom of the stairs was a spacious side chamber.

In the dim candlelight, a figure in a hooded cloak stood with head bowed, letting out a chilling laugh:

"Friends from the Cleaning Association, welcome. I have been waiting for a long time."

But as Li Fan walked down, the cloaked man caught sight of him, and his voice suddenly turned sinister:

"Collector!? No, you are already dead!"