Chapter 646 The Guardian of the Collection (Part 10)

The dark matter in the air fluctuated slightly, which the little bluebird sensed and angrily notified everyone.

While comforting the little bluebird, Yun Zhao retreated to the side of the car.

Xie Tu stood in front of her, drew his Tang sword, and observed the changes around him. However, having lost his extraordinary senses, what he saw and heard was no different from that of an ordinary person.

The sky seemed even darker.

A cold wind swept by, swirling up fallen leaves and dust that danced in the air. The lanterns along the street had long been extinguished, their shades swaying in the wind and making eerie noises.

Everyone placed their hands on their weapons, quietly observing their surroundings.

However, about a minute later...

After the ripples spread out in a few circles, they gradually subsided.

Everyone's hearts sank.

They're heading in the wrong direction!

At this moment, the 5S team seemed to be at a stalemate.

They couldn't find a way out, and they couldn't find any other clues. Even their last guess was rejected.

For a moment, all around was silent.

Xia Mingang couldn't hold back any longer. He was too lazy to pretend and asked directly, "It's not a red-crowned crane, so the intelligence was correct, and we guessed wrong?"

"Don't panic, let's go through the information again." Xie Tu remained calm, especially in situations like this.

When they first entered the place, they found that their five senses were weakened, so they decided to split up. However, after they separated, the gatekeeper took the initiative to show up and offer a wager.

The others explored the town but found no useful clues.

Apart from what they gathered before they came in, this is all the information they currently possess.

"It says that those who disturb the peace will eventually become exhibits."

Yun Zhao said slowly, "It also said that we will never be able to find it."

Is it impossible to find it?

Jiang Mu: "I remember the rules of the game were that you just had to guess it."

Yun Zhao: "Yes, but those two sentences were said before the game started."

Xia Mingang's attention was drawn to the words 'exhibit,' and he turned around with a look of horror, saying, "Could it be that the exhibit being watched isn't it, but something that disturbs the peace?"

It's like beheading someone in ancient times and displaying their head to all the mutants, letting them come and take a look?

When Uncle He came in, he happened to see this scene and mistook the people being watched for the gatekeeper.

Xie Tu slowly uttered, "That possibility cannot be ruled out."

If that's the case, then we're even more confused.

I have two questions.

Fu Heng frowned and asked, "First, why does it react when Shen Ying's name is mentioned?"

Yun Zhao had just thought of this as well.

Their suspicion that the other gatekeeper was Shen Ying stemmed from the illusion Xia Mingang had seen in another passageway.

But in that illusion... there were two girls.

Xing Nandie?

Yun Zhao quickly rejected the idea, arguing that Xing Nandie was a Sentinel and that it was impossible for her to take over the Twin Towers under the watchful eyes of the Red Eyes.

—Because the sentinels cannot withstand the corrosive influence of the red eyes.

When Yun Zhao learned that the twin towers were located in that area, she wondered if it was the Red-crowned Crane who had deliberately placed them there. She was risking everything, guarding the twin towers, her obsession being to open them...

Jiang Mu looked up. "And the second point?"

Fu Yan looked at Xia Mingang and replied, "Secondly, why can the spiritual body sense it?"

With all the sentinels' senses sealed, it is clearly illogical that the spiritual entity could independently detect the gatekeeper's movements.

Xie Tu, however, said, "Not all spiritual entities can perceive it."

Fu Heng nodded: "Indeed, the water unicorn did not react."

The little bluebird is easy to understand. Its spiritual power is too strong, and given that it awakened in the sixth contaminated zone, it's not surprising that it could sense the commotion here.

But why can Bixi do that too?

Everyone looked in Xia Mingang's direction, including Yun Zhao.

Xia Mingang noticed everyone's gaze, maintaining a cool and aloof demeanor on the surface, but inwardly he was relentlessly questioning Bixi: "Do you know why?"

I said I didn't know.

Xia Mingang didn't believe it: "That's impossible. Aren't you supposed to be very smart?"

Bixi didn't want to talk to him anymore.

"There are no clues, and we can't guess anything."

Xie Tu checked his communicator; almost half the time had passed, with only three and a half hours remaining.

"The gatekeeper's domain, more or less, is filled with its own obsession."

Xie Tu said, "Since we can't leave, let's go into the town and look around some more."

Everyone agrees.

Yun Zhao suggested, "Now that all the mutants inside are gone, let's not split up this time, and search inch by inch."

There may have been some omissions due to interference from aberrant variants.

Without further delay, the group shouldered their backpacks, took out their flashlights, and prepared to enter the ancient town a second time.

Yun Zhao was worried about leaving his uncle outside, so he let him hold those two things and silently follow at the back of the group.

The sky was dark and gloomy, like around seven or eight o'clock at night.

Stepping into the ancient town again, a lifeless, deathly darkness greets you.

A bustling town and an empty town have completely different atmospheres.

The sound of several people's footsteps echoed in the empty street, amplified to an unusual clarity, even producing an unsettling echo, as if something in the shadows was mimicking their footsteps.

The beam of the flashlight swayed around, casting shadowy and eerie shadows wherever it shone.

"I originally thought the ancient architecture was quite beautiful, but without the lights and human presence, it looks a bit eerie," Xia Mingang said, looking at the dark, carved windows on the second floor opposite.

Yun Zhao suddenly blurted out, "Are you afraid of ghosts?"

Fu Mo, who was walking at the front, suddenly froze.

Xia Mingang scoffed and replied, "This young master isn't even afraid of a gatekeeper who has come back from the dead, so how could I possibly be afraid of that thing?"

Fu Yu gripped the Gatling gun tightly in her hand, deliberately slowing down to walk side by side with Jiang Mu in the middle.

Jiang Mu glanced at her and said knowingly, "It seems that Captain Fu... is afraid of that 'thing'?"

His voice was not loud.

But it stands out exceptionally clearly in the extremely quiet environment, carrying its usual irony.

Upon hearing this, Fu Yu straightened her back abruptly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, but her grip on the Gatling gun tightened even more.

"fart!"

Yun Zhao and Xie Tu walked at the front. Hearing their conversation, she suddenly remembered that she had once asked Fu Mo about her fear of ghosts.

She smiled silently.

Fu Yan forced herself to remain calm and said, "Let's get down to business. How are we going to find them this time?"

"Start with the first one, try anything that seems suspicious." Xie Tu reached out to take Yun Zhao's hand, but in the darkness, he felt something furry in her arms.

That Arctic fox plush toy?

Xia Mingang's flashlight happened to shine on them, and he exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you still carrying that thing?"