32 Chapter 32 (Two in One)
◎【Restricted Area No. 1】◎
The plush four-piece suit that I wore in winter was replaced when summer came.
Remove the stuffed animal from the dryer and put on its coat.
Surrounded by a bed of plush dolls, Ye Ping'an patted the soft quilt that had been exposed to the sun all day, and fell asleep peacefully with his head resting on a golden cake. He almost laughed out loud in his dream.
The lights in the Xile Hotel lobby were off, and the kitchen disinfection cabinet was humming. A robotic sweeper and mop diligently shuttled between the tables and chairs, its hairs twitching beneath its rollers as it moved at a rapid pace, sweeping away stains and polishing the tiles to a gleaming shine.
The eyeball placed on the counter rolled around, looking at the robot. It seemed to be unsteady, and fell to the ground with a plop, emitting a wisp of black mist.
Buzz~
The robot's movement speed suddenly increased, and the carefully hidden hair spread out like a spider web. Like a wolf with green eyes due to starvation, it ignored everything and just accelerated towards the black fog.
When the ends of the hair touched the black mist, it seemed to realize what it was and jumped back as if it had been electrocuted. The wriggling long snake of hair turned around and ran away.
The shriveled eyeballs behind the black fog opened, reflecting countless illusory eye hills.
The corpse in the reflection had disappeared, and even the number of eyes had decreased significantly.
But the moment he gazed upon the hair, a strand of black hair appeared in his reflection. The fleeing snake of hair returned to his eyes in the blink of an eye, its tail partially vanishing, as if swallowed by the reflection he was staring at.
A silent wail echoed from the deserted lobby of the Xile Hotel. The van outside lay motionless, seemingly hearing nothing.
The long, snaking strands of hair stretched straight, struggling frantically to push outward. With a faint clang like a broken string, the reflection of the eyeballs was momentarily covered by a web of hair that suddenly bulged, its sharp edges carving deep grooves into the small of the eye.
Countless eyes in the reflection swallowed the hair and reappeared. But in the field of vision, the long snake of hair had already fled, cut off its tail to survive, and burrowed into the robot vacuum cleaner to avoid the eyeball.
The eyeballs used as nightlights shrank even further, their wrinkles deeply sunken, as if they had been cut into pieces. The open eyeballs scanned the hall coldly, then quickly rolled towards the robot.
Bang.
The sunken folds severely blocked his vision. After rolling a few meters after the robot, the rapidly rolling eyeball hit the chair leg, making a loud noise.
“Hmm…?”
Upstairs, Ye Ping'an turned over in a daze.
The eyeball and the sweeping and mopping robot, one chasing the other, seemed to have been paused, and stopped in the lobby at the same time, motionless.
After a long time, the sky outside the window was slightly bright. I stared at the sweeping and mopping robot, which rolled reluctantly back to the counter where it was placed last night.
-
"Old Ji, remember to eat on the way. I know you two are in love, but there's no need to starve yourself and go back to eat. And my sister-in-law's cooking skills..."
When Lao Liu, the delivery truck driver, left, he recalled the taste of the meal when he went to Ji's house, and his face was full of indescribable emotion.
The last time he passed by Ji's house on his way to Lin Province, among the six dishes on the table, only one was cooked by Wang Xiaomei, Ji's wife.
Most of them were burnt and not at all delicious. The vegetables were probably discounted vegetable leaves from the market. I can only say that they were cooked well and it was a thoughtful gesture.
For this bite of food, I have to rush home. Maybe this is the power of love.
Old Liu didn't understand and could only try to persuade them. Whether they listened or not was up to the couple.
Old Ji nodded woodenly and drove away in a hurry.
On the highway in the early morning, all kinds of trucks were speeding.
The wind blew through the railings onto the stacked cargo, a whimpering sound that was both hypnotic and eerie. Other truck drivers blasted dynamic music and crosstalk from their windows, desperately fighting off sleepiness, but one truck was exceptionally quiet and moving at a breakneck speed.
It’s almost here, it’s almost here.
If you don't eat or drink, you don't have to stop at the service area, which can shorten the time and deliver the goods earlier. You can earn more money and go home to eat earlier.
Have a meal……
Old Ji's stomach was rumbling. After unloading the goods in the early morning, he climbed into the car and almost fell into the driver's seat.
He hadn't eaten for over a day after driving a long distance, and he was so hungry that his hands and feet were weak and his back was sticking to his stomach.
The two meat patties that Lao Liu had specially brought for him were wrapped in plastic and placed next to him, but he didn't want to eat even a single bite.
I can go home for dinner soon.
Old Ji knew that his wife was not very good at cooking, and the family was short of money, so they didn’t usually buy any good food.
But we changed to a different blended oil at home before. The flavor is adjusted when it leaves the factory. It doesn’t test your cooking skills, and the dishes cooked with it are particularly fragrant - even more fragrant than those in big hotels.
Thinking of the food at home, Old Ji's mouth began to salivate rapidly.
He seemed to smell the fragrance from home, the strange and fragrant aroma of oil, and his appetite increased wildly.
Where is the fragrance? Where is it?
After stumbling into the car, Old Ji lay in the driver's seat for a long time without moving.
He scanned the carriage with a dull look in his eyes, and finally stopped blankly at his arm.
It smells so good, like the fragrance rising from the skin and flesh, and seeping into the bones.
By the way, lard is squeezed from meat.
He is so hungry, he really wants to eat a bite.
It smells so good, so good, so good!
Old Ji's cheeks moved as if he was chewing, saliva flowed from his open mouth, licking his arms, as if he had already tasted the flavor he longed for.
The faint spicy aroma of the meat pie wafted up from the passenger seat, standing out from the rich foreign aroma.
"Is this cake rotten? It tastes weird. What a waste of money!"
Old Ji sneezed, the obsession with staring at his arm vanished, and he cursed and complained about the shop owner's rip-off. He gulped down a glass of boiled water to fill his stomach, then stepped on the gas and drove home.
Old Ji was panting, almost using both his hands and feet to climb up to the third floor of the old residential building with the cake in his pocket. "Damn it, when did I become so weak..."
As soon as I opened the door, the rich aroma of food hit me.
Old Ji swallowed his saliva and walked straight towards the table. Wang Xiaomei huddled in the kitchen, seemingly not noticing him.
Old Ji stopped and glared at her, "Are you dead? I came back and you didn't even move a muscle. You just stood there like an idiot!"
Wang Xiaomei woke up from her dream, "Husband, you're back! Food fried in fresh oil gets cold quickly. The meal is ready, come and eat."
Old Ji looked at the dishes on the table and said, "Why are there only vegetables and no meat? I work so hard to earn money, and you won't even let me eat! Don't you know that physical work requires meat to replenish your body?"
Wang Xiaomei awkwardly walked to the table and explained, "I've been eating a lot lately, and I'm out of money."
"No money?" Old Ji frowned and questioned, "Didn't you just pay? The new oil is cheap, how much did it cost? Did you steal it? No, where did the money you earned from the housekeeping company go? Did you hide it?"
Wang Xiaomei trembled all over when she saw his raised hand, and shook her head repeatedly, "No, no, you know, it was all spent at home. Xiaobao and Amei also paid for tutoring at school..."
"Cram school, huh, I haven't seen anyone get first place."
Old Ji's expression improved a little, and he reluctantly gave her a red envelope of several hundred yuan as payment, his eyes fixed on the table full of food.
He urged impatiently, "You have an early shift today, right? Hurry up."
"I haven't eaten yet..." Wang Xiaomei stammered as she picked up her chopsticks and couldn't help swallowing her saliva as she looked at the table full of dishes.
Pop.
Old Ji threw down his chopsticks and looked at her coldly, "You smell like detergent all day long. It's really disgusting. Who told you to eat these delicious things?"
He threw the pancake he had brought back to his wife. "It's still edible. It's a gift from Boss Liu. It's a chicken and chili sauce pancake. It's a bargain for you."
The outside of the pancake was stained with a strange smell from the lack of air circulation in the truck. When I opened the plastic bag, the aroma of chili and meat became clear again.
Wang Xiaomei seemed to be unable to smell the fragrance and hesitated to take a bite. "It tastes so weird..."
"Forget it. Go away." Old Ji waved his hand perfunctorily.
As he spoke, he kept using his chopsticks, and the juice splashed onto the table, which was licked off carefully.
The food on the table was already cold. Too much oil was poured, and the soup was almost full of oil. A layer of oil film formed on the surface of the soup, and the whitish fat solidified on the leaves, covering the burnt and blackened areas.
Old Ji, however, looked like he was eating a delicacy. He picked up the food and gobbled it up ravenously. He would stuff another bite into his mouth before finishing it. His full mouth was bulging, and his bulging belly seemed to be a little bigger.
Wang Xiaomei held the meat pie in her hands and looked at him in horror as he ate, not daring to speak.
She usually cooks only when her husband comes home.
But the new oil was so fragrant that yesterday morning, before her husband came home, she couldn't help but pour a little of it in to cook for herself. A little, then two, and she poured more and more oil until she almost wanted to drink it directly.
Before drinking it, the madness suddenly disappeared.
Wang Xiaomei didn't understand why she was so greedy and was terrified. She didn't even bother to clean up the house and rushed to work.
Today we heated up the dishes that we didn’t eat yesterday and served them on the table.
She was always afraid that her husband would find out that she had used too much oil.
But instead of scolding her, her husband ate with great relish… so much relish.
As if he wasn't satisfied with the food, Old Ji picked up a spoon and scooped the half-solidified soup directly into his mouth.
It smells so good...I really want to eat it.
Wang Xiaomei unknowingly walked to the table. Old Ji stared at her fiercely, like a wild animal guarding its food, and raised his hand to push her away. "Eat your cake! It stinks. Get out of here!"
Wang Xiaomei was pushed out of the room and fell to the ground with the pancake in her arms.
The neighbor lady next door heard the noise and stuck her head out. "What are you arguing with your husband about again? He earns a lot of money, but he has a bad temper. At least he's just trying to scare you into not getting violent. It will pass if you endure it. Hurry up and get up..."
A skinny hand like a chicken claw grabbed Wang Xiaomei's arm and pulled her up. In the dim corridor, the old lady's bony face got closer and closer. "Xiao Wang, that oil in your house... slurp..."
As she spoke, she stared straight at Wang Xiaomei's neck, her yellow teeth grinning, and her saliva couldn't help but drip.
Wang Xiaomei was so frightened that she froze.
Before taking a bite, the old lady smelled the chili pepper and stepped back in disgust, fanning her nose with her hand. "What a smell! It's already rotten, why don't you throw it away? Xiao Wang, I'll take you to buy oil when I have time."
"Okay, okay." Wang Xiaomei nodded randomly and ran downstairs in panic.
The old woman stared at her back, her eyes slowly shifting to the door opposite. A faint aroma drifted out from the security door, and she could faintly hear Old Ji cursing while he ate and drank heartily.
The old lady leaned over the crack in the door and took a deep breath, "What a nice smell...so much oil."
Wang Xiaomei ran out of the building in one breath, holding her knees in the sun, panting, and sweating profusely.
So hungry.
The more she moved, the hungrier she became.
In the distance, steam was rising from the breakfast cart, and people were already queuing up.
Wang Xiaomei was reluctant to spend money, but also didn't dare go home to eat leftovers, so she pinched her nose and opened the cold meat sandwich.
After smelling it for a long time, she suddenly felt that the cake was not smelly.
Yes, the pancakes were only left out overnight. It's not that hot now, how could they go bad?
Why did she think it smelled bad?
Wang Xiaomei couldn't remember. Her empty stomach twitched violently and she felt nauseous.
A strong sour and rotten smell blocked his throat. Wang Xiaomei squatted on the side of the road and vomited.
There was a pool of acidic water mixed with blood, and black mucus was wriggling inside. The black liquid disappeared as soon as it appeared.
Wang Xiaomei didn't eat anything, and when she vomited, she could only vomit sticky sour water.
Passersby on their way to work walked past her and walked around her in disgust, saying, "Can you please stop vomiting on the road? It stinks and is so disgusting. Please move on..."
Wang Xiaomei retched for a long time and then struggled to get up.
The nagging hunger still exists, but it feels different from the previous hunger.
Wang Xiaomei drank some boiled water and took a bite of the meat sandwich.
The pancakes were cold, but they were less spicy. The peanuts and sesame seeds were fried to a fragrant aroma, and the large pieces of diced chicken were orange-red and shiny, just like the cold chicken I hadn't eaten in a long time.
The chili peppers are spicy with a slight numbness, and I broke out in a sweat after eating them.
Wang Xiaomei touched her belly contentedly, "The meat smells so good."
When she arrived at the housekeeping company, the supervisor gave her a second look in surprise. "You've been so dazed lately, but you're finally perky today. Not bad. You're so busy taking care of the family, and you're the most active when you get home. So, you're not going to the cleaning job out of town this time, right?"
Wang Xiaomei was about to nod, but hesitated again.
She thought of her husband's hideous and strange face and blurted out in fear, "I'll go. I'll go!"
The supervisor curled his lips and noted her place. "You can't regret it. Finish your morning work, go back and pack your things, and leave this afternoon."
Wang Xiaomei nodded quickly.
She was busy with the other cleaning staff when someone came over and asked, "By the way, Xiaomei, you said you bought some cheap cooking oil. It smells really good when you cook. When are you going to buy some more? Can you take us with you?"
"I, I have to go out of town. I can't do it recently." Wang Xiaomei shook her head repeatedly.
She had a vague feeling in her heart and said hesitantly, "Did you see the news about the tanker truck accident? The oil I bought was so cheap, I wonder where it came from. Maybe I should not buy it? My old Ji is getting thinner and thinner."
My colleague rolled his eyes. "Tsk, oils are all pretty much the same. High temperatures kill the bacteria. What can go wrong? Your husband is thin because you're reluctant to use oil, right? You've taken advantage of us enough, and now you're not letting us take advantage of you anymore. If you don't want to tell us where you bought it, forget it. There are only a few dedicated grain and oil stores. We can go ask ourselves."
"Wang Xiaomei! It's time to get on the bus!" A voice urging people to set off was heard.
Wang Xiaomei had no choice but to shut up.
-
A day ago, on the southwestern edge of Lin Province.
The mountains are continuous and from a distance, they seem to be shrouded in morning mist, like a fairyland.
Passing tourists were unconsciously attracted by the rising mist. When they reached the end of the road, they saw the blockade sign of the military stronghold on the barbed wire and had to turn around and leave regretfully.
"The national highway forks here, and there's a large area ahead that's not even marked on the Lin Province map. There's no car in this mountainous area. Where is this base?"
Watching the tourists leave, the guard standing outside with a stern face secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Heavy electric fences blocked off the easily misguided intersections, with a sentry every five steps and a guard post every ten steps. Inside was a special garrison. After layers of barriers, a highway sign stood at the end of the desolate road.
[1KM ahead, Chong Province].
The road signs were still the same old style from decades ago, faded by the wind and rain. The poles had been removed, leaving only the large sign standing in its place, like a tombstone.
About ten meters behind the highway sign, a slightly new stone tablet was erected, engraved with four conspicuous large characters: [Restricted Area No. 1].
Beneath the sign were a dozen lines of small characters: "Rule 1 of Restricted Area No. 1: There is no Buddha in the world. If you hear the Buddha preaching, please come to the monument immediately and repeat the rules loudly. Rule 2:..."
"The Blue Country Abnormal Investigation Bureau is with you all. Chang Geng, Feng Yunshan... Investigators are buried here."
Following a few simple rules, the time it takes to carve names, old and new, varies.
There is something hazy behind the stone tablet. From a distance it looks like the outline of a mountain, but when you get closer it becomes unclear.
The investigators who rarely gathered together at the Investigation Bureau headquarters were now standing in front of the monument, holding various strange objects in their hands, their faces pale as they resisted the huge pressure that came from the sky.
"The Suppressing Ghost Monument confirmed the resurrection of the B-level [Hundred Eyes], and the restricted area immediately fluctuated. It must be the strange object that those lunatics took from the restricted area!"
They gnashed their teeth and cursed the madman, their solemn gazes fixed on the thin figure in front of them. "Advisor Tushan... the number of times you can use your trick is limited. Can you still withstand it?"
A white-haired figure stood behind the stone tablet. When passing the stone tablet, the hazy mist in front faded away, and behind the stone tablet were the towering mountains.
It was clearly a vast ruin that stretched as far as the eye could see.
Most of the reinforced concrete buildings have collapsed, and the surrounding ground is full of cracks all the way to the center of the ruins. It's like a meteorite fell from the sky and destroyed everything, causing the sky to collapse and the earth to sink suddenly.
In the deep pit, there are layers of towering pagodas.
The decaying rubble and dust cannot conceal its golden brilliance. The towering pagoda seems to be made of gold, copper and precious jade, and seems to be born in the clouds and glow.
Even if the details are hard to discern, anyone can see that they were once majestic and grand, but have now collapsed and are now slanted into the ground.
They are like a huge winding mountain range, replacing the former Chong Province and separating the southwest of Lin Province.
All the buildings are shrouded in light, no, they are already glowing.
Compared to it, the stone tablet, which is only a few meters high, looks like a small clod of earth on the ground.
Endless, holy golden light shone from behind the stone tablet. Beneath the brilliant light, a thick shadow rose, outlining a hazy outline above the pagoda. Atop the Sumeru throne, a majestic presence appeared.
Even if you can only see the outline, you can recognize it at the first sight, as the outline is very similar to the Buddha statues in the temple.
In the hazy shadow, the Buddha's topknot gradually became clear.
A heavy pressure like the sky collapsing fell upon them. The investigator leading the patrol squeezed out a warning between his teeth, as if reminding himself, "Don't look! There is no Buddha in this world!"
"Long——"
Faintly, countless morning bells could be heard, and compassionate Buddhist chants could be heard from the pagoda.
Thousands of brilliant lights, bell sounds in the pagoda.
Amidst the ethereal and grand sound of chanting, the golden light that was blocked by the stone tablet almost overflowed, crushing the edge of the radiance and the lonely figure standing with his back against the stone tablet.
The Buddha's topknot gradually grew into an illusory outline of light and shadow, as if it had more eyes that were about to open and cast its gaze upon the mortal world.
Tu Shan Sui stood before the ruins of the pagoda, gazing at the horrifying scene, his cold face devoid of any unnecessary expression. His snowy skin and white hair stood like an icy snow-capped mountain, towering for eternity.
"Mountain..." As he spoke, the stone tablet shook gently, shaking off countless dust.
Before the voice fell, the Buddha's fleshy bun, which was about to become real, suddenly disappeared, leaving only a hazy outline.
The huge pressure suddenly eased, and a trace of confusion and surprise flashed across Tu Shansui's expressionless face.
The investigator who had been on high alert behind the stone tablet broke free from his restraint and asked, "What's going on?"
"It's Jiang City! Jiang City's [Hundred Eyes] failed to revive and was just removed from the monument!"
"Very good!"
Shouts of surprise rang out one after another, the hazy outlines in the sky merged into the light, and golden light fell like waves, surging towards the stone tablet.
"The mountains and rivers still exist."
Under the heavy pressure, Tu Shansui's voice rang out word by word. The miniature tablet in his hand lit up, and the stone tablet behind him lit up in response, like a shield surrounding the restricted area, firmly blocking the golden waves coming down.
The light from the stone tablet slowly moved forward. As a day passed, the golden light that was almost overflowing was pushed back to the edge of the ruins bit by bit.
The golden light from the ruins dispersed into countless clouds of mist, auspicious clouds that obscured the buildings. Soon, the unusual brilliance faded again.
Tu Shan Sui released the small tablet in his hand and saw the white fluff growing out of his sleeve, his pupils shrank slightly.
He shook off his sleeves to cover himself, turned around and walked back to the edge of the stone tablet, where he was greeted by a series of surprised faces.
"Advisor Tushan!"
"Advisor Tushan suppressed the expansion of the restricted area! He's truly a top-tier demon controller, incredible!"
"Another day of seeing awesome people! I have the confidence to hold on for a few more years! Comparable to god-level—"
Amidst the praises, Tu Shansui was escorted out of the stone tablet without saying a word.
Until he heard a word, he looked at everyone and said it sparingly, "Godless."
Facing the emotionless, almost cold gaze, the investigator fell silent instantly and almost bit his tongue.
"Yes, yes, there is no God now. I was so happy that I said the wrong thing."
The head of the Investigation Bureau stationed here quickly spoke up, "The restricted area is fluctuating. Consultant Tushan, do you think we should focus on strengthening the blockade? Or is it more important to continue investigating hidden spillovers and reduce illegal immigration?"
"There are unusual movements in restricted area No. 1. There must be something strange hidden outside the restricted area. Investigate." Tu Shan Sui said.
"Okay, I understand." The person in charge nodded repeatedly and sighed. "The restricted area will move from time to time when it revives. We know we can't seal it off completely, but the later we can, the better."
At the back, someone was checking the video footage on a tripod and couldn't help but sigh, "Even with the new technology, we still can't capture the eerie and spooky things clearly."
The strange aura severely affected the electronic equipment, and the video was filled with overflowing light. Only when the outline disappeared could the image be barely seen, but it was still far from being able to capture the movement.
Tu Shansui paused for a moment. The person in charge noticed his gaze and quickly explained, "This is a surveillance device being tested by the scientific research department. The video footage will only be kept as an archive. It may be released internally by the Investigation Bureau to encourage everyone. Of course, if you don't want it to appear, delete it now..."
Consultant Tushan is the most mysterious top ghost fighter. It is said that he has close ties with the Investigation Bureau. He only appears to erect monuments in restricted areas, and almost no one has seen him in the past.
The person in charge didn't want him to leave a bad impression - if something happened again one day, the consultant would have to come and activate the boundary stone tablet to save lives!
"Nothing." Tu Shansui uttered two words and continued forward.
This time Su Xing was also very imposing and did not bring shame to Tushan clan! Why delete it?
Tu Shansui pursed his lips, suppressing the corners of his mouth that were slightly raised.
The back figure is still as cold and clear as snow, not like an ordinary person.
"Delete...eh? Eh hey hey? Okay, I'll send it right away!" The person in charge was stunned for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
The person in charge chased after him. "Advisor Tushan, you've already been to two restricted areas. Next, are you going to the ones you haven't been to yet, or...? The Investigation Bureau's cars and planes are on standby. Can we take you there?"
Tu Shansui stopped and asked, "Is [Hundred Eyes] in Jiang City?"
The person in charge nodded and pulled up the navigation. "From here, we have to cross the entire Lin Province. We'll arrive today by plane."
"Thank you." Tu Shansui nodded.
Tu Shansui got into the car and quietly took out the mobile phone that the Investigation Bureau had given him not long ago. He awkwardly poked the screen with one finger and wrote and drew.
Click to search: [What does Niubi mean? ]
Watching the white-haired figure walk away, the young investigator sighed, "If only Consultant Tushan had stayed longer. There are still many strange things in our Lin Province. The lost [hearse] has not been found yet... Ouch!"
The person in charge knocked the investigator's forehead hard. "The True Spirit will try every possible means to revive the [Hundred Eyes] and trigger the restricted area. I'm afraid there's something serious behind their sudden disappearance. Don't just focus on us and delay the consultant's work."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
