Chapter 197 (Chapter 196) Strange Movement
Yan Shi: ?
She didn't quite understand the meaning of Christie's inexplicable words at first, but then she suddenly remembered that the last time Christie came to the Bureau of Extraordinary Affairs to see her was also late at night.
Isn't Christie a pure human? How come her lifestyle and habits are similar to those of vampires?
Yan Shi secretly complained.
The only difference between the Summer Palace during the day and at night is that there are more people during the day, while there are more cultural relics at night.
Why did Christie bring this up separately at this point?
Yan Shi didn't respond. She was always good at dealing with all strange riddles with silence, so she simply turned her head slightly and looked out the window again.
The sun had completely sunk below the horizon, and the entire Summer Palace was shrouded in a gentle and deep night, with only a few streetlights still shining, reflecting on the bricks and tiles.
The street right next to the Summer Palace was bustling with activity in the evening. There were residents from the neighborhood taking a stroll, vendors pushing carts and setting up stalls along the street, and tourists visiting the capital. It was a lively scene.
Suddenly, Yan Shi seemed to hear a heavy "thud" from afar, like a heavy object slamming against a wall.
At first, she thought she had misheard; the lively sounds of people outside the window continued. The lights were warm.
"Hello, double-skin milk." The waiter brought over three delicate little bowls, quietly placed them down, and then quietly retreated back to the stairwell.
Yan Shi withdrew her gaze, looked down at the table, and poked a spoon into the soft filling of the double-skin milk pudding. She had noticed last time she came that this teahouse made very delicious double-skin milk pudding.
Mango is delicious, durian is delicious, and Oreo is delicious too.
Beside her, neither Christie nor Lin Zizui had touched their spoons. Lin Zizui was looking at his phone with a slight frown, while Christie smiled and said, "Let's begin."
Another sound.
This time it was much clearer, coming from the Summer Palace.
Then came the third sound!
The sound was extremely loud, instantly drowning out the lively voices of the crowd. For a moment, only a booming and buzzing sound remained in the ears. After the echo dissipated, the sound of the building collapsing followed.
The temperature suddenly dropped, and the cold, damp air seemed to seep out from all directions.
Screams came from the street.
Yan Shi still had the spoon in her mouth when she subconsciously turned her head to look out the window.
The crowd on the street began to panic and swarm, all crowding towards the corner tower as if trying to avoid something.
Suddenly, afterimages appeared within the once quiet palace walls, tearing through the night and moving freely between the high walls and red tiles.
“How interesting.” Christie slowly scooped up a spoonful of double-skin milk pudding. “Spirits, monsters, ghosts, and miasma all belong to this world, don’t they?”
Her grey-green eyes looked at Yan Shi with a scrutinizing gaze and a certain expectant anticipation: "Yan Lan, you also like the world to be in chaos, don't you?"
"Director Yan, how can you get everything so easily?" Before Christie finished speaking, she flicked her finger as if brushing away some trash.
A muffled groan came from below the window; the voice was familiar.
The situation outside was getting increasingly chaotic, with screams and shouts of people running towards them.
Yan Shi sensed that something was wrong.
Without changing her expression, she slowly put the spoon down, making a soft sound. Then, she leaned back lazily in her chair: "What do my thoughts have to do with you, Principal?"
Christie raised an eyebrow: "You don't hate her?"
“What I’ve experienced has shaped who I am today.” Yan Shi looked into Christie’s eyes. “That’s how things are; don’t look back.”
"As for anything else," Yan Shi smiled slightly, "Principal, do you have a crush on Director Yan? You seem quite concerned about our relationship."
"Otherwise, why do you care so much?"
Christie's expression froze instantly, her smile fading: "Good, good, good. Well done, Yanlan."
"Christie." When Lin Zizui spoke to Yan Shi, he first turned his head to look at Yan Shi, then lowered his eyes as if he was thinking about something. At this moment, he suddenly interrupted, "Regarding the request you made to me last time, this is the solution I can offer at the moment."
As she spoke, she took a thin tablet out of her bag, opened a document, and pushed it in front of Christie.
The three of them were speechless for a moment.
"It's really noisy outside," Yan Shi said. "Then you two can continue your conversation. I'll go out and see what's going on."
After saying that, Yan Shi ignored Lin Zizui and Christie's reactions, stood up nimbly, and stepped onto the windowsill.
She sat half-sitting on the windowsill, one leg already dangling outside, then suddenly paused, glancing back at Lin Zizui.
"Ms. Lin," Yan Shi said softly, "it's cool at night, go home early."
As soon as he finished speaking, he leaped out of the window frame and disappeared into the night.
---
Yan Shi was in a hurry, very anxious, extremely anxious.
It is known that something has happened at the Summer Palace. Whether it's spirits, ghosts, miasma, or some other weird thing, just the fact that there are so many people at the entrance requires an emergency evacuation, control of the anomaly, and post-incident cleanup—a workload that would leave Yan Shi completely overwhelmed.
Moreover, the capital city government and the president's office are all near the Summer Palace. If an unusual incident were to injure the world's political leaders, negotiations would become a whole new mess.
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Yan Shi hurriedly walked against the current towards where the crowd had fled from. The further he walked, the lower the temperature became, and the air grew heavy and sticky. The noisy voices were gradually suppressed by an eerie silence, as if a thin film had blocked out the sound.
Along the roadside, many people lay collapsed on the ground, their faces pale and lips blue, lifeless.
Yan Shi's expression grew colder as he looked ahead, then stopped in his tracks.
The main gate of the Summer Palace collapsed. A huge iron bolt flew several meters and crashed onto the street, scattering rubble everywhere.
Behind the door, the bronze statue, which I had seen several times before and which seemed to have a talent for crosstalk, was now completely black, with dark runes covering its body. Two pieces of red jade were embedded in its eye sockets. It stood in the center, uttering a stiff voice:
Behind it, artifacts are emerging from the Summer Palace.
The broken sword that had slain demons floated in the air, its blade casting a blurry reflection; a scroll embroidered with figures and landscapes suddenly opened, and the figures on the rice paper stepped out, clad in armor and wielding weapons, their eyes empty and lifeless, yet filled with chilling killing intent.
Even more striking are the floating jade seal, the swirling palace lanterns, and the resounding zither. These ancient artifacts, which should have remained silent in the annals of history, seem to have been reborn, carrying the obsessions of their former owners as they roam the world.
"Yanlan?" A voice came from behind Yanshi, and she turned her head to look.
Gui Gemu strode over, followed by a whole team of fully armed officers. Unusually, she didn't wear her uniform jacket properly, but instead draped it over her shoulders, her steps hurried.
The wind lifted the hem of her dress, revealing patches of dust and undried bloodstains.
Gui Gemu's expression was cold and stern: "What are you doing here?"
Yan Shi tilted his head: "Just passing by."
Just then, another voice came from the side: "Have you seen Director Yan?"
Lu Jian hurried over from near the main gate of the Summer Palace, operating the spirit screen floating in his palm. The screen was filled with dense data and images scrolling rapidly.
Guigemu: "How is the situation?"
“It’s terrible,” Lu Jian said, frowning. “The information department can’t get past that bronze statue at all. It’s like there’s some kind of independent barrier inside the main hall of the Summer Palace; the detectors show no signal.”
Most of the staff in the General Administration's Information Department are theoretical. Their practical skills rely heavily on theoretical knowledge.
"Let's wait for Director Yan," Lu Jian sighed. "I think you guys are in a tough spot too."
If the enforcement team insists on entering under these circumstances, there will inevitably be casualties.
But Director Yan hasn't come to headquarters for three days.
Lu Jian's eyes showed deep thought.
Not long after Yan Ju left the hunting grounds near Novano Port, the loopholes in the world barrier were completely patched up in an instant.
It's obvious without much thought that it was Director Yan's doing.
Yanju is omnipotent.
However, no matter how omnipotent one may be, the world's barriers are related to the laws, and all living beings that touch the authority of the laws must pay a price.
What was the price Yanju paid?
Lu Jian didn't know.
In fact, she was somewhat bewildered.
She couldn't bear to think about what they would do if Director Yan couldn't come today.
"Yanlan." Lu Jian turned to look at Yan Shi, his voice softening slightly, "It's dangerous here. You'd better..."
Yanlan is Director Yan's only younger sister.
As a subordinate, Lu Jian personally hoped that Yan Lan was alright.
“Director Yan can’t come,” Yan Shi interrupted her.
Lu Jian's pupils contracted.
Gui Gemu also turned around, his expression frozen.
The wind swept across the broken walls and ruins, raising a cloud of dust.
Yan Lan stood there, looking at them, her expression unchanged, and repeated, "Your Director Yan can't come."
When she's not smiling, she really looks like Director Yan; their features seem to be cut from the same mold.
Yanju is always serious and self-disciplined, and equally unpredictable, while Yanlan is light and airy, like the wind, like the untouchable moon.
Behind her lay the collapsed old palace gate, the bronze statue still stiffly reciting:
Demons danced wildly, but there was no one there.
"I'm here to do a good deed every day," Yan Shi said with a laugh, his tone playful, "to be a kind passerby."
Gui Gemu pursed his lips and remained silent for a moment: "Yanlan, be careful in everything."
"Don't worry," Yan Shi said, leaping into the air. The moonlight was bright, and the blessings of the tides swelled in her chest. Water spirits wrapped around her limbs, lifting her as she soared onto the bronze statue.
"You guys are in charge of cleaning up." Yan Shi's voice drifted on the wind. "I'll go beat up the troublemakers."
As she leaped, the wind whipped up her sleeves because of the large range of motion.
Lu Jian noticed a bright flame on Yan Lan's wrist, but soon his sleeve fell back down to cover it.
Lu Jian watched her retreating figure and narrowed his eyes.
"What's wrong?" Gui Gemu asked.
Lu Jian: "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered an ancient book I read when I was in school."
"Hmm?" Gui Gemu looked down at the data on the screen. "There are some rare books on the fourth floor of the Zhanzhou Library."
“Yes.” Lu Jian’s voice was very soft. “The only books about the deceased are in the Zhanzhou Library. They say that the deceased are also hated by the law because they have abandoned life.”
"Most of them are unable to control their spirits."
Guigemu paused, then suddenly looked up.
“Furthermore,” Lu Jian continued, “the deceased all have part of their bodies that have died. Or, they are simply spirits.”
She paused, turned her head to look at Guigemu, her eyes unreadable: "Have you seen Yanlan appear in front of Yanjuan?"
Gui Gemu remained silent, as if something had blocked his throat.
Lu Jian muttered to himself, "I should have thought of that sooner."
Yanlan never appeared in front of Yanjuan, and even avoided her sister.
Yanju turned a blind eye to all the "abnormalities," even though she was omniscient.
Because Yanju knew perfectly well that his younger sister, Yanlan, had already died.
The Yanlan who is currently active cannot possibly still be a normal, living person.
She is a walking dead.
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