The Silent Road

Yang Jian and Zhang Fen talked a lot, mostly about ordinary family matters.

"Son, I heard there was a chemical leak in Dachang City last time, causing a lot of pollution and a huge uproar. Is that true?" Zhang Fen asked mysteriously. "I heard there's going to be a war, and planes and armored vehicles have been sent there."

Yang Jian had no idea where his mother had heard all this nonsense.

Even talk of war is popping up online. Are there people online who specialize in spreading these fake news stories?

"It wasn't a war. I don't know the specifics of what happened. School was closed, and my classmates and I moved away from Dachang City to seek refuge outside the city," Yang Jian lied.

Zhang Fen suddenly realized, "No wonder I couldn't get through on the phone. I was only getting updates from higher-ups. I heard that Dachang City has returned to normal. What? You didn't go to school and instead came to J City?"

"Mom, I can't go to school anymore. All the schools are closed. I can't study even if I want to," Yang Jian said helplessly.

"How can this be? Aren't the higher-ups going to do anything about it?" Zhang Fen asked in surprise.

Yang Jian, "I can't manage it. There are too many schools and students to accommodate everyone. Unless I transfer to another school, but I missed the college entrance exam. Even if I transfer to another school, I'll have to repeat a year. So I'll just drop out of school temporarily and wait for next year's notice."

"That's true, we can't let our studies fall behind. Let's just repeat a year." Zhang Fen nodded.

Yang Jian, "By the way, I recently started a company with a classmate. We've been lucky and made some money. Mom, how about you quit your job here and go back to Dachang City in a few years?"

He felt that Dachang City was safer than J City now, and that he had the ability to bring his mother back.

Moreover, the emergence of the Captain Plan made him sense a sense of crisis.

Therefore, it's necessary to prepare in advance.

"Quit your job? How can I do that? I won this job in a lottery; only one in ten thousand people wins. Plus, the salary is high and the benefits are great. Why would I quit?" Zhang Fen immediately shook her head. "Although it's good that you and your classmate are starting a business together, you definitely won't earn much at first. I'd rather work here steadily."

She thought her son Yang Jian was just messing around with his classmates and was doing well enough to support himself, so she couldn't bear to give up his current job.

"Let's talk about this later," Yang Jian smiled, not pressuring him further.

"You still haven't told me why you ended up in J City?" Zhang Fen asked again.

Yang Jian, "What else could it be? I started a company with my classmates, and I'm here on business."

What kind of business trip?

Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Attract investment."

"You're so young, do you really think you can just find investors so easily?" Zhang Fen asked, looking incredulous.

Yang Jian said in a low voice, "My classmate has connections, so it shouldn't be difficult. If we can secure this investment, the company can grow, and our family will become rich."

Upon hearing about the chance to get rich, Zhang Fen immediately smiled, "Then you'll have to work hard and seize this opportunity."

The two talked for a while longer, and Yang Jian racked his brains to come up with several reasons to cover up his situation, barely managing to avoid revealing any flaws.

Since it was working hours, Zhang Fen didn't stay long. She was relieved to see that her son was alright. As for Yang Jian's work-related matters, she didn't ask much, only reminding him to be careful not to be scammed, to pay attention to safety, and not to overwork himself.

After seeing his mother off to work, Yang Jian called over the manager.

"Yang Jian, are you satisfied with the situation here?" the bespectacled manager asked with a somewhat ingratiating smile. "The company environment is top-notch; we will never allow any employee's family to suffer any hardship."

Yang Jian, "Do me a favor."

"You're too kind, please go ahead," the manager said with a smile, being very polite.

Yang Jian, "Fire my mom with some excuse in a few days. Give me a business card and I'll let you know when."

"This, this is? Is there anything you're unhappy about with the company? We can improve it." The manager seemed a little surprised.

Yang Jian, "This place is very nice, but I want to take my mother back to Dachang City, is that not allowed?"

"That's certainly possible, but I can't make that decision on my own; I need to apply to my superiors," the manager said in a low voice.

"Then apply. Call me if you have any questions," Yang Jian.

"OK."

Yang Jian left after dealing with the matter.

According to his plan, he would return to Dachang City after his trip to J City, taking his mother with him.

Of course, all of this has one prerequisite.

That is, he can think of a way to resolve his current situation. If he can't, he won't make the resignation call, since he needs to be prepared for both possibilities.

After leaving the Ping An Building, Yang Jian did not leave immediately. He went to a nearby restaurant to get something to eat.

Although my health has deteriorated and my appetite and sleepiness have gradually decreased, my body is still functioning normally. Eating and sleeping are still essential to maintaining normal bodily functions; it's just that I can reduce my needs in these areas compared to the average person.

However, his purpose was not simply to eat; he had another objective.

For now, we just need to be patient.

Time passed little by little.

Six hours had passed since Yang Jian finished lunch.

As dusk fell, the sky gradually darkened.

But it had no impact on J City. There were still many pedestrians on the streets, and the colorful lights around gradually lit up, with the night view soon replacing the bright sunshine.

At this very moment.

Inside the Ping An Building.

Li Yao had just finished her work. Although it was already past her off-duty time, due to the nature of her job, she had to work overtime until she finished everything before she could leave.

Feeling a little tired, she took the elevator to the underground parking lot, intending to drive home.

Even in the underground parking lot, there are security guards patrolling, and the surrounding area is covered by surveillance cameras, leaving no blind spots.

This Ping An Building is so safe that a sexy beauty like her can walk freely in the quiet, dimly lit parking lot wearing a seductive short skirt, revealing her long, fair legs, without any fear of encountering criminals or being targeted for showing off her money.

Soon.

As the car engine roared to life.

A sleek red sports car drove out of the parking lot, quickly left the Ping An Building, and sped south along a road.

Inside the car, Li Yao listened to soothing music, wore sunglasses, and stepped on the gas, preparing to return home to rest as usual.

The day's events had caused her some distress, but she was someone who was very good at managing her life. She would forget about work-related troubles during her drive home, and completely forget about them.

Otherwise, dealing with all sorts of people and things every day would be too much for her, no matter how capable she was.

As the red sports car sped along, encountering no obstacles, Li Yao's mood gradually improved. She hummed a little tune, a faint smile appearing on her lips.

However, as time went by...

As Li Yao drove along, she suddenly felt something was off.

She had noticed earlier that there seemed to be far fewer cars around than usual.

In the past, it was normal for the road to be congested for several tens of minutes when she got off work, but today there was no traffic at all, and even when she passed through traffic lights, the lights were always green.

These small details initially made Li Yao feel good; she thought she was lucky today because she wouldn't have to be stuck in traffic breathing in car exhaust fumes.

But now, Li Yao had already frowned.

Not having traffic jams can be considered good luck, but the decreasing number of vehicles on the road is very abnormal.

Moreover, the road ahead seemed much longer than usual.

Something's not right.

Li Yao took off her sunglasses, her expression changed slightly, and then she slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel, executing a beautiful drift to stop the car in the middle of the road.

Doing this under normal circumstances would definitely be against the rules, and could even result in hitting someone else's car.

But now, there isn't a single car on the wide road.

The area in front was completely empty, and when I looked behind me in the rearview mirror, it was also completely empty.

Apart from the neon lights on the distant skyscrapers, she was the only car on the entire road.

Li Yao opened the car door, got out, and looked around. The calmness and confidence in her eyes gradually turned into unease and fear.

Without a doubt.

This is a paranormal event.

She hurriedly returned to her car, picked up a special cell phone, and immediately sent out a distress signal.

"Don't be afraid, don't worry, everything will be alright. This is J City. Even if I encounter a supernatural event, as long as I hold on for three minutes, someone will definitely come to save me within three minutes. I'll be fine," Li Yao reassured herself, overcoming her inner fear.

At the same time, remain quiet and calm.

She knew that if an ordinary person were to accidentally get involved in a paranormal event, as long as they remained calm, didn't shout or scream, and didn't run around, the chances of being targeted by a ghost were very low.

Even if they are being targeted, it's unlikely to happen in the short term.

What she had to do was ensure that she wouldn't kill anyone within three minutes.

While waiting, Li Yao observed her surroundings closely, remaining vigilant for any "people" or strange creatures that might appear.

But unfortunately...

She saw nothing, and nothing unusual happened around her.

It felt like I'd been thrown into a deserted place; there was no one else there.

"What could be a paranormal event that has never happened before? The only one that fits the criteria seems to be the A-class paranormal event in the newly established files not long ago, codenamed: Fierce Ghost Road." Li Yao couldn't help but shudder slightly at this thought.

If it truly is the supernatural event codenamed "Fierce Ghost Road," then her situation is extremely precarious.