The Lowered Rope
At this very moment.
Somewhere in Headquarters.
Eight minutes have passed since the door was first opened, and according to the plan, it will be time for the second opening in two minutes.
Cao Yanhua stood outside the room without saying a word, his face very solemn.
The timing of the second opening of the door would almost certainly determine the fate of Li Jun's team. If they hadn't emerged from the door by then, it was almost certain they had been wiped out in the Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain. As for the third opening, it was merely a final check, clinging to the last glimmer of hope.
In reality, it's not very meaningful.
Anyone who has dealt with paranormal events knows that once someone is targeted by a ghost, whether Ghost Tamer or an ordinary person, they either have to escape or be killed.
Surviving a ghost attack for an extended period of time is virtually impossible.
"There are one minute and thirty seconds left. Please be prepared, Old Qin. This time is especially crucial," Cao Yanhua said in a deep voice, snapping out of his worry.
"Don't worry, I'll be very careful." Old Qin's voice was hoarse and sounded very strange from inside the room.
Thank you.
Cao Yanhua nodded, then turned to Wang and said, "Professor Wang, if this fails, do you have any alternative evacuation plans? At this point, I hope you won't hide anything anymore."
Wang Xiaoming remained silent, his expression still calm, even appearing somewhat wooden.
Cao Yanhua was speechless; he knew Professor Wang very well.
This guy often has some ulterior motives hidden in his plans. In the past, he wouldn't have questioned it, since minor actions could be tolerated once the big problem was solved. However, this time it concerns the life and death of a top-notch team of Ghost Tamer at Headquarters, and if it's not handled properly, it will have very bad consequences.
After nearly thirty seconds, Wang Xiaoming suddenly smiled and said, "Do you think I should believe the information the ghost gave me, or not?"
What do you mean by that?
Hearing this tone, Cao Yanhua immediately knew that this guy was planning something.
"It's nothing, I just stumbled upon something interesting and felt it was worth a try," Wang Xiaoming said. "As for the retreat plan, I did have a backup plan. I can't put my escape route on this uncertain door; that would be irresponsible to everyone."
"Of course, I've included some security measures in this plan."
"Huh?" Cao Yanhua stared at him with wide eyes, feeling an urge to curse.
No wonder you were so calm and unconcerned the whole time; it turns out you were prepared.
"Why are you only telling me now?" Cao Yanhua said through gritted teeth, without losing her temper.
"Because a possible fact is worth the risk, and I'm saying it now because the time for the second opening is almost here." Wang Xiaoming checked the time. "Thirty seconds left."
"I will only let A Hong lead them away if the door fails to open a second time."
A Hong?
Cao Yanhua immediately remembered that an inconspicuous female Ghost Tamer had indeed infiltrated Li Jun's team this time.
"Is she your backup plan?"
Wang Xiaoming said, "Otherwise, why do you think I would put someone who's not very useful into the team? But A Hong is just one layer of protection. I considered the possibility that she might fail, so..."
"So you've made a second safeguard? Who is it? Liu San? Su Fan? Or Li Jun? No, it can't be Li Jun. I know Li Jun's character very well. He's a person who considers the big picture and wouldn't cooperate with you in doing something so dangerous." Cao Yanhua was filled with doubt and surprise. He never expected that this guy had prepared so many backup plans.
Did I worry for nothing for hours?
"Nothing else matters. What matters is that they will be able to retreat safely after the second door is opened. That's enough." Wang Xiaoming's gaze shifted to the room.
Through the yellowed glass, the old, red-painted wooden door trembled slightly, as if some unpredictable and eerie force was trying to open the door and come out from inside.
"Ten seconds left."
"Damn it." Although Cao Yanhua really wanted to criticize Wang Xiaoming, he didn't meddle at this crucial moment, since the time for the second opening of the door had already arrived.
Hopefully, everything will go as he said and Li Jun and the others can be rescued successfully.
As long as the overall situation remains stable, other minor issues can be disregarded.
Old Qin was in the room, was also ready. His cloudy eyes shifted slightly as he leaned on his cane and walked to the old wooden door again.
For him, no matter how strange the door was, it was unlikely to kill him.
Therefore, he was the most suitable person to be the one to open the door.
Before that.
The eerie Huanggang Village.
This is the last remaining house in the village. The other houses all show signs of being corrupted by ghost paintings. Countless eerie things are emerging in every corner of this village: the picture frames lying all over the ground, the shadows hidden in the dark, and the gray-white paper dust falling from the sky.
Everything seemed to be telling the few remaining people that the ghosts of the Ghost Painting had their eyes on this place.
Therefore, soon everything here will cease to exist.
Whatever survived this attack by the ghost painting could not possibly be human; it could only be a ghost.
This last remaining house is a typical brick-and-tile bungalow common in rural areas in the 1980s. Because the house is very old, the main hall appears darker and more eerie than the other houses. The empty windows are half-open, exuding a deathly silence and a strange eeriness. Just a glance at the front door of this house gives one a chilling feeling.
Furthermore, it was confirmed upon entering the village that this old brick house was haunted.
In the middle of the house's main hall, an old hemp rope dangled from a wooden beam, hanging in mid-air, while the outline of an indistinct corpse hung there motionless.
A nauseating stench of death permeated the air, as if the person who hanged himself had been dead for over a week, or even longer. This stench emanated from the corpse. What was most unsettling was that, despite the fact that there was no possibility of even a breeze in this environment, the corpse hanging in mid-air swayed slightly.
It sometimes swings back and forth, and sometimes it spins.
Li Jun's face was charred black, and his eyes glowed with an eerie green light, making him look like a corpse crawling out of a grave—terrifying and frightening.
"Be careful. This house is special. The entire Huanggang Village has been affected, but this house has remained unaffected. There must be a reason. The second opening time is approaching, and I don't want to lose anyone at this crucial moment. You are all top-tier Ghost Tamer. Losing any of you would be a huge loss for Headquarters. Hang in there, everyone, and let's get out of here alive together."
While reminding everyone, Li Jun also took the lead without hesitation.
At this point, there's no need to worry about your situation.
If you can't leave this old brick house alive, you'll die here.
Su Fan, Liu San, A Hong, and the others behind him remained silent.
Soon.
The group crossed the somewhat rotten wooden threshold and stepped into the old brick and tile bungalow.
With just the first step, a chilling coldness traveled from the sole of the shoe to the sole of the foot, then spread throughout the body, making one shiver involuntarily.
The living room floor wasn't cement, but rather a dark, muddy floor. Houses with this type of flooring naturally give off a cold and gloomy feeling, and people would feel uncomfortable living there for a long time. Houses with this structure disappeared a long time ago, and I didn't expect there to still be one here.
But at this moment, no one cared about the house itself; they were more interested in what was inside.
Especially the corpse hanging in the middle of the living room.
The corpse was still swaying slightly, and even in the dim light, it could be seen somewhat clearly at this point.
But all they saw was a pair of feet dangling in mid-air.
Stiff, pale, covered in lividity, and in some places already beginning to blacken and rot.
"Just keep an eye on this thing, don't worry about it for now. After all, it hasn't shown any abnormalities yet. Our time is almost up, and the most urgent thing is to find a door." Li Jun's face was charred black, and the ghostly fire in his eye sockets flickered. The surrounding darkness could not block his vision at this moment.
He quickly looked around, trying to find a door.
Any door will do.
Found it!
Li Jun was then delighted. He saw a grayish wooden door on the right side of the living room, the lower half of which was covered with green moss, as if it had been damp and abandoned for a long time.
But it doesn't matter, as long as the door is intact.
"There's one minute left until the agreed time. As long as we're safe and sound within that minute, we can leave," Li Jun said immediately.
But before he could finish speaking, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
At that moment, he saw Liu San, who was in the group, climbing up the corpse that was hanging in mid-air.
The body swayed violently in mid-air due to its weight and the force of its climb.
The old wooden beams creaked and groaned.
The stench of death in the air grew even stronger.
"Damn it, what are you doing at a time like this, Xu Yiping? Are you trying to kill us? Su Fan, A Hong, aren't you going to stop him?" Li Jun was both shocked and furious.
At this moment, Liu San said, "Li Jun, you have your mission, and I'm sorry, I have mine too. We've been searching for so long in Huanggang Village and finally found him. I thought Professor Wang was just talking, but I didn't expect him to actually exist. Although doing this might put us in danger, I believe we can hold out until the very last minute."
A Hong remained silent, but then took out another red ghost candle.
Li Jun was stunned by what he saw.
Judging from their actions, it was clear that this had been planned beforehand; otherwise, they wouldn't have coordinated so perfectly.
However, Liu San mentioned Professor Wang in his words, and the red ghost candle in A Hong's hand is also an important resource that is not in the plan.
Even if Li Jun was slow to react, he would understand what was going on as Wang Xiaoming's bodyguard.
Professor Wang had other tasks assigned to others this time.
We're just waiting for the right time to execute it.
"You should have told me sooner!" Li Jun couldn't help but shout.
But it's too late to investigate this matter now.
"Bang!"
Whether the ghost rope on the roof beam had lost its restraint or had been untied by Liu San, it suddenly loosened, causing the corpse in mid-air to fall heavily to the ground.
The ghost rope fell crookedly to the ground. The eerie creature that had been revived was now unusually calm, except that one end of the rope still rested on the corpse.
But the corpse seemed to come back to life at this moment, and began to show some signs of movement.
A Hong had lit the ghost candle without anyone noticing.
The eerie candlelight burned fiercely, a speed at which was enough to prove that ghosts were present.
The green candlelight illuminated A Hong's face, making half of her face appear particularly unfamiliar. More than unfamiliar, that half of her face wasn't a woman's face at all, but a strange male face, deathly pale and lifeless.