53 Chapter 53 (Two in One)
◎B-level ghost den, [Hungry Ghost] rules◎
Ding Dong, 1,000 yuan has arrived!
The payment reminder sound was particularly wonderful. Ye Ping'an counted the ingredients and happily decided to add a batch of pig's trotters to take to Zhoukou in the evening.
The customer paid extra to buy only one portion. Since the processing plant is still open at night, and I heard that the crematorium also orders takeout at night, there must be a demand for boxed lunches nearby.
After traveling all the way to the state entrance, of course I have to make more money this time.
The best batch of meat was sold out early in the morning.
Ye Ping'an changed several sources of goods and asked around. Aunt Chen from the Huaxi City Canteen said that she could give him 1/3 of the goods, which would be enough.
With the new ingredients arriving, cleaning, processing and running the business, we are twice as busy as usual.
The police officers who were collecting samples came once during the trip, and the black cat screamed at the top of its lungs and ran all over the stairs, so Ye Ping'an had to take the time to catch the cat again.
At eight o'clock in the evening, Xile Restaurant closed as usual.
The hungry diners stretched their necks, sniffing the rich aroma wafting from the kitchen, and protested, "Boss, there's clearly more in the pot!"
Ye Ping'an spread his hands and said, "That was ordered by someone else and will be delivered soon."
Sighs of disappointment echoed one after another. "Hey, this is such a delicious pig's trotter. Boss, can you make some more tomorrow? Braised, marinated, spicy... anything is fine!"
Ye Pingan thought for a moment and said, "Tomorrow should be my mom's pig's trotter soup."
"Okay! It's a deal!"
The diners left happily, Cheng Yi cleared the table, and with the sound of the dishwasher blaring, she pushed the fully loaded cart onto the cart.
Two large buckets of chilled mung bean soup, still a bit cool to the touch even from the outside of the foam box. The pig's trotters, stewed until about 90% done, were taken away with the pot, and the simmered flavor was basically the same as in the restaurant.
The insulated boxes were placed next to each other in the carriage, and Ye Ping'an went upstairs to check and lock the doors and windows.
The black cat was lying at the entrance of the second floor stairs with its ears erect. When Ye Ping'an came over, it suddenly turned over and stiffly turned its belly out.
Ye Ping'an pinched the cat's belly, and the muscles were bulging and hard. She looked subtle, "Are you constipated?"
The cat litter is clean and has never been used. Where did the canned food and water go?
Black Cat:?
Ye Pingan opened another can of food for it, "Okay, let's eat. I'm leaving. Don't poop when I'm not around at night."
Not here?
The black cat quickly got up and hugged Ye Ping'an's legs with its claws. The big cat, which had shrunk a lot, buried its head in the shoe and rubbed it back and forth, like a carpet spirit, making a hoarse cry, "Meow..."
Ye Pingan was happy and couldn't help touching her twice more, "Why are you so clingy all of a sudden? Don't you want me to leave? The boss has to go out and make money, so be good."
Ye Ping'an pulled the big blanket spirit, tore the black cat off his legs, patted its head, and walked downstairs briskly.
The black cat huddled at the stairs, looking down cautiously.
The sweeping and mopping robot that was circling around in the store suddenly ran to the stairs on the first floor and started circling around.
The black cat's tail twitched, and its eyes lost their luster. It immediately ducked its head and ran in the direction farthest from the stairwell.
Cheng Yi was waiting downstairs. "Boss, the payment code and folding table have been put on the car, and the new takeaway package has also been loaded. I will watch the door carefully--"
Before he could finish, Ye Pingan interrupted him, "What are you looking at? Come with me and make some money. I'll give you one dollar for every one you sell tonight as overtime pay."
It is right for apprentices to pay money to learn skills, but considering that Cheng Yi works diligently, it is only right to pay her some money.
Cheng Yi was stunned.
She was assigned to "complete the task" and was paid?
Ye Pingan patted her shoulder and said, "Don't be in a daze, get in the car."
"Okay, okay, boss!"
Ye Ping'an turned around and locked the shop door. A car with police lights on drove up from the side of the road.
Yao Qing asked loudly, "Boss Ye, good evening. Where are you going?"
Upon discovering that Ye Ping'an was about to go out, the investigator who stayed nearby hurried over, pretending to have just arrived, and inquired about the situation.
Ye Ping'an smiled. "You're patrolling the streets again, Officer Yao. It's almost the off-season in University Town, and I just got a big delivery order going to Zhoukou City. Here, would you like some freshly chilled lily and mung bean soup? It's eight yuan a cup, and it's good for clearing away heat and relieving summer heat."
"Boss Ye, please give us one portion each!"
Before he even left the house, he had sold more than a dozen cups of mung bean soup.
The van drove away. Yao Qing looked at the sign of Xile Hotel under the street light and his expression became serious.
There is a ferocious beast king in the store now.
During the day, Boss Ye was fine, and he might have left some strange creatures in the store to prevent the beasts from escaping. But if he was going to Zhoukou City, Boss Ye must have made preparations, and the store's defenses must be empty - didn't you see that Boss Ye took away all the people planted by the True Spirit Society?
He took out the guns prepared in the car, aimed at the store door, and was ready to prevent the beast from escaping at any time.
Yao Qing sent a message, asking the deputy captain to continue reporting that civilian ghost fighters from Jiang City would go to Zhoukou for support.
Boss Ye’s monsters are not of high level, so it is impossible for him to deal with the ghost as easily as capturing an E-level monster.
But her tricks are magical, and Boss Ye is very lucky. He was able to successfully escape from the [Hundred Eyes] ghost cave last time, so maybe he can bring good luck to another B-level ghost cave this time.
Yao Qing touched the photo in the phone case and said, "I hope Boss Ye will have great luck all the way and share some of his good fortune with me."
-
Lin Province, Zhoukou City.
In the evening, bursts of explosions were heard in the old city, attracting people to look around, but they could only see pitch-black smoke and dust, with occasional flashes of fire.
"The old city has been rumored to be demolished for so many years, and now it's finally going to be demolished?"
"By the time people had mostly moved out, and then the real estate bubble hit, we ran out of money to continue the project. The old town had been abandoned for over a decade, so it was a relief to have demolition start. It was good, because otherwise some people wouldn't want to leave, and there were always homeless people and thugs climbing over the walls to get in. There were even fugitives, and we were told there were disappearances every year at the entrance to our state. I didn't even dare send my children there."
"We can demolish it, but can't we blow up the building during the day? These past few days, there have been constant explosions at night, sometimes almost at midnight. I've complained to the municipal government, but there's been no response..."
Amidst the complaints, people subconsciously avoided the direction of the noise and went home early.
The old city area, which has attracted much attention, is surrounded by three layers of buildings inside and outside.
At the outermost edge, there were tents and vehicles coming and going hurriedly. A large truck without the military logo stood silently not far away.
The newly erected movable panel wall at the construction site was erected nearly a hundred meters away from the billowing smoke and dust.
Much of the barbed wire inside has rusted, with signs hanging on it saying "Construction area, no entry for unauthorized persons allowed." Together with the movable board walls, they form two circles of walls, enclosing the area where smoke and dust are rising.
From a distance, the pitch-black smoke and dust all came from the explosion. Only after passing through the barbed wire could you see clearly that the buildings deeper inside were all shrouded in thick fog.
The buildings at the edge of the barbed wire are still in the style of decades ago.
Low-rise tube-shaped buildings, no more than seven stories high, are crowded together, with "Unit One", "Unit Two" and so on written from the outside to the inside. Only the word "Four" can be seen on the doorplate of "Unit Four". Most of the buildings have been plunged into deeper fog.
The walls of all the buildings were peeling badly, the blue glass windows were foggy, and the moss and mildew were covered with a layer of dust. It was obvious that no one had lived there for a long time.
Between the buildings, the anti-theft nets that extend out of the windows and the clotheslines are like layers of railings, blocking the ground and the sky.
The narrow street's cement road has collapsed into potholes and cracks, and sewage has been flowing for years, leaving obvious marks between the road surface and the base of the wall.
There is a signpost in the middle of the road.
"...The city is about to be demolished. To avoid danger, please leave as soon as possible."
Most of the handwriting is already mottled, and the signature was from more than ten years ago.
The blackish-red mist overflowed from the depths of the street and from the old tube-shaped buildings. It had already passed the street signs and spread to the edge of the barbed wire fence.
The searchlight swept back and forth along the edge of the fog, but at best it could only illuminate the buildings at the edge. The overflowing fog was much lighter, and the streets where the fog was floating could barely be seen.
The outside of the barbed wire was quickly turned into a battlement, with firing points set up from high above. From time to time, someone would jog and carry their companions who were in panic and hallucinations down for treatment.
Lao Jiu watched the fog grow thicker with a heavy heart.
When she and Captain Yan arrived in Zhoukou City, the fog had not yet completely covered Unit 5. But after midnight last night, Unit 4 in front was also half engulfed.
Only then did she realize how badly the situation in Zhoukou City had deteriorated.
The ghost den was expanding, not as fast as a normally revived ghost den, but much faster than when it was confined. When the fog thickened and the signal was severely interfered with, the defense line in front of the barbed wire would have to retreat again to ensure that it would not be sucked into the ghost den.
The drone buzzes around, monitoring the image changes of every pixel at the edge of the fog at all times.
"A suspected target has appeared in the stairwell at the three o'clock direction at the exit of Block 7."
A prompt from the information department came through the headset.
Lao Jiu suddenly looked up.
At the door of the stairwell not far away, a woman stuck her head out carrying a bag of garbage. As soon as she came down the stairs, she was startled by the black holes of the gun/cannon launch ports set up outside.
"What's this for?"
Her exclamation alerted others walking out on the street. Men, women, young and old looked ahead in shock. "...Are you, are you using violence and armed forces to carry out forced demolition? Where are the police? Police, arrest them quickly!"
Despite their pale faces and thin bodies, their fear and surprise didn't seem fake. Two or three-year-old children clutched their parents' hands, their tiny bodies huddled and trembling.
The investigator who had just been replaced by Lao Jiu pressed the trigger and hit the loudspeaker hanging on the edge of the parapet.
"Everyone inside, listen up! This is a special period for handling cases. Get down immediately with your head in your hands!"
"Investigating a case?" The residents whispered to each other in confusion, but continued to move forward without stopping.
Just moved.
Boom! Boom! Dadadada!
The explosion sounded again, aiming at the building in the fog behind the figure, but there was not even a ripple in the fog, as if the explosion was just a non-existent phantom.
Bullets flew down like frying beans, and special electromagnetic anti-riot guns cross-covered to ensure that no target was missed.
The moment the lower limbs were hit, the crowd fell down like cut ears of wheat.
The injured pieces of flesh fell to the ground without a drop of blood, just like dead meat that had been frozen for a long time.
Sharp buds grew out of the bloody flesh, like a single, living sharp tooth, greedily biting the nearest torso.
"Ghost slave trap?!" The new investigator gasped.
Lao Jiu's face was serious as he whispered to the others around him, "Dealing with the expansion of the demonic den is not a game. If you see the guns/cannons still going on, shoot first and then repeat the warning!"
The senior investigators and soldiers around her were also giving the same reminders.
In the few seconds it took to speak, the knocked-down resident showed noticeable changes.
Their expressions became dull and ferocious, as if the previous panic and confusion were just a repetition.
They lay on the ground, tearing at the flesh with the sharp teeth, swallowing the fallen flesh, the bullets embedded in their bodies, and even the dirt on the road, wolfing it down into their mouths.
The more they ate, the more ferocious their expressions became, as if they could never eat enough.
More and more fragments fell off during the biting, and pairs of black eyes stared at the living people outside the barbed wire, drooling greedily, and pounced on them with their hands and feet.
"Hungry... so hungry, so hungry!"
Lao Jiu shook his head.
Of course there are ordinary people in the ghost den, but...
People who have been completely enslaved by ghosts cannot be saved.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
This time the shooting no longer just restricted movement. Bodies torn apart by the firepower piled up at the edge of the fog, as if being swallowed by an invisible existence, and quickly disappeared into the fog.
The fog became thicker and the smell of blood almost suffocated people.
A new command sounded in the headset, "It's like this again... [BBQ] start."
Lao Jiu lit the barbecue grill. There was nothing on the grill, but a strange barbecue aroma spread in the fire.
Thanks to Boss Toye, after the Butcher was dealt with, Huaxi City gained several powerful E-rank monsters. Originally, only the captain was seconded for support, but the [Delicious Grill] was very suitable for use outside the Ghost Den, so Lao Jiu came along.
"Gulp."
The aroma of barbecue made everyone around drool, but the ghost slaves who did not disappear seemed to have smelled the only delicious meal in their lives. They stopped attacking everywhere and rushed towards Lao Jiu.
The video footage captured by the drone was played repeatedly in the largest tent. The command center held an impromptu meeting on the recent attack, and the information department quickly made an analysis.
"This is the fourth round of ghost slave raids tonight. Based on facial feature comparisons, we've confirmed that 90% of them are missing during the initial resurgence of the Heart Devouring Demon.
The first female victim to appear in the fourth round of deaths was confirmed to be a 39-year-old housewife who was reported missing last month. Her daughter reported her missing to the police three days after she went missing.
During the investigation, connections were discovered to other disappearances. Most of the missing individuals were low-income, unstable, or socially connected individuals. They had consumed oils that appeared in private group-buying events and disappeared within a month. This case has been classified as a mysterious resurrection incident involving the "Oil Seller." Expected D-level classification.
"It can be confirmed that the [Oil Seller] is also a new weirdness that leaked out after the [Heart Devourer] transformed into the [Hungry Ghost]."
The leader of the operation sounded calm as he reassured the others, "The ghost den gets stronger every time midnight passes. The third team that entered this morning to crack the strange creatures has yet to receive any news."
After Lao Jiu took over his shift, he tried hard not to smile bitterly in the audience so as not to make the already depressing atmosphere even worse.
The daily ghost slave raids only occurred at night, but lasted longer and longer.
The ghost slaves' behavior can reveal some strange patterns of killing.
The outer defense line blocked the overflow of strange ghost slaves and lured victims, and senior investigators drove more powerful monsters to explore the ghost cave. But until now, no one has come out.
When familiar strange patterns appear on the ghost slaves one after another, it means... the ghost is reviving, and the ghost master is dead or dying.
So, no news is also good news.
The person in charge checked the data of ghost slave attacks in other areas. "The ghost slaves that appeared tonight displayed strange characteristics that are very different from before. [BBQ], what did you find about the ghost slaves you attracted?"
"They're showing 'hunger.'"
Lao Jiu emphasized his tone, "In the deliberately arranged ghost-raising incident in Huaxi City last month, [Delicious BBQ Grill] was one of the ghosts. The victim at that time behaved very similarly to the ghost slave this time. At the same time, the attraction of this ghost on the defense line is stronger than the others. I suspect [BBQ Grill] is also one of the ghosts that flowed out from the ghost den.
"Today, it seems that [Ghost Takeaway] has reappeared after a period of silence. The ghost slaves' attacks are more frequent than before, and the expansion of the ghost den has become more rapid. The ghost slaves that appeared this time are more affected by the ghost den. I suspect that today's midnight may be a key node for the expansion of the ghost den. I——"
“Ring, ring, ring—”
Before he could finish his words, a phone rang in the command tent.
The person in charge frowned. "Whose phone is this? Let me reiterate, during this meeting, except for the information department, no communication that interferes with the command center is allowed."
“Ring, ring, ring—”
The phone is still ringing.
Everyone exchanged surprised glances and looked around for the source of the sound, wondering who was so clueless that they didn't even press the mute button.
"Wait, the sound came from the information department?"
The technician blanched and let go of the phone.
"I-I turned it off, but I can't!"
The cell phone was lying on the conference table, and the screen displayed four big words: "Unknown Number".
"Ring——" As soon as the third ring rang, the call was automatically connected.
"Help, someone is trying to eat me!" A shrill voice rushed out of the receiver, piercing everyone's eardrums.
Lao Jiu was stunned.
The voice...seems familiar?
The person in charge's face instantly turned pale. She typed on the keyboard, and words popped up on the conference screen, as if squeezed out from between teeth.
"[Ghost Call] has revived. Don't answer, don't make a sound, turn on the [Funeral Song Recorder]."
Lao Jiu's expression also changed.
【Ghost Call】is revived, everyone you have contacted recently is the target of "calls"!
But... [Ghost Call] had previously followed Captain Hu of Jiang City into the depths of the ghost den. This place was beyond the range of [Ghost Call]. In theory, they could only see traces of the weirdness from the ghost slaves, rather than being directly attacked by the weirdness.
[Ghost Call] became the first foreign monster to become stronger in the [Hungry Ghost] den, and became a part of the expansion of the ghost den?
"Help, help me, I don't want to be eaten like a pig! Wuwu..."
“I…I…”
The middle-aged woman's voice was weak, perhaps she was trying to keep it down, or perhaps she simply didn't have the energy to speak. Her shrill voice was punctuated by obvious sobs and trembling, as if she were terrified.
If you listen carefully, you can also hear Hu Tu's voice.
"...Help, I'm about to be found!"
"Help!"
“Ahhhhhh!”
After the shrill scream, the voice in the receiver suddenly disappeared.
The tent was so quiet that not even the sound of breathing could be heard. Everyone held their breath and swallowed the urgent questions that were about to come to their lips.
The call was not disconnected, but the other end of the receiver was just as quiet, eerily quiet.
There was no sound of breathing, no sound of footsteps, not even the electrical noise that would interfere with the signal near the ghost cave.
A minute later, the tent door moved.
The investigator who brought the strange creature was instructed not to come in directly or make any noise.
The telephone receiver suddenly rang again, and the thin, breathless voice seemed to ring right next to my ear.
"Save me... Why don't you save me, hehe, hehe, I'm about to be found, found..."
She was sobbing and crying, her voice trembling, as if she was about to faint from crying, and she was so scared that she could only repeat one word.
But everyone standing here had experience with strange events, and no one answered.
"Found it... Found it, cluck, cluck..."
Beneath the trembling sobs, a malicious snicker burst out uncontrollably.
It was never about crying and fear.
The shrill voice didn't sound like Hu Tu at all, more like someone else's imitation. Like... a murderer who fakes tears to lure people out, then loses control of his ecstasy when he sees his prey approaching.
No one responded, and the crazy laughter gradually stopped.
As soon as the laughter died down, a female voice sounded again.
"This is the Jiang City Action Detachment, Hu Tu, I've been found.
All those who are investigating further please note that humans do not eat meat, and those who cannot eat meat are not humans.
Oil is fragrant, everyone loves to eat oil, and anyone who eats oil will die.
At 0:00, oil will be distributed. You can buy oil with pigs, but there are no pigs in the ghost den."
Hu Tu's voice was soft, yet firm and steady, as calm as a robot devoid of emotion. He spoke quickly, yet every word was clearly audible.
She repeated the last three sentences.
The phone beeped and hung up, and the phone page was blank, as if there had never been a call.
"Phone numbers that have been contacted are to be stored and monitored using the Funeral Song Recorder. Be on alert for incoming calls at any time."
The person in charge standing at the head with clenched fists was the first to calm down, though his voice was still a little choked.
Silence spread in the tent. When Lao Jiu saw the red eyes of others, he realized that he was crying too.
The strange creatures are reviving one after another, and almost the next day you can see the rules of the strange creatures that entered the day before appearing on the ghost slaves.
[Ghost Call] is not the first strange creature confirmed to have been resurrected today, and it probably won’t be the last.
"Captain Hu has passed on the latest rules of the Ghost Den to us. First, we can confirm that the Hungry Ghosts no longer follow the Heart Devouring Demons' pattern of depriving us of our emotions."
The person in charge's voice cracked. "The stele for suppressing ghosts named the ghost den 'Hungry Ghost'. It must be related to Forbidden Zone 1 and influenced by folklore. The key is the alms oil, 'human', and 'pig'."
The keyboards in the information department were clacking, and the screen was screening various related legends. Big data quickly locked onto one:
"Hungry ghosts are plagued by the three poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance, and cannot eat normal food. On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, during the Ullambana Festival, offerings to the Buddha and monks are made, and the merits are donated to the hungry ghosts, so that they can be liberated."
Lao Jiu didn’t understand.
Someone in the meeting changed their expression. "It's still nearly a month away from July 15th. If the Hungry Ghost Den successfully expands, will it become part of the restricted area in a month? [Yulanbon Festival]?"
"[Ghost Call] is out of control. Captain Hu is near death. It's unknown how much longer he can hold out. The details of the message being passed out may have been strangely distorted. Without her to contain the core area, the teams entering this time might not succeed. With restricted area 1 unable to move, can we still mobilize personnel from restricted areas 2 and 3?"
"Quiet!" the person in charge sternly suppressed the noisy and uneasy discussions. "The strange files are only for reference, and the rules for entering the ghost cave are also just for reference. Do you need me to teach you again?
"We've already obtained the latest rules for reference during the assault, so it's not time to panic about failure. We'll take turns to be on guard against possible new ghost slave attacks. Rearrange the team members who will be entering the ghost den after midnight based on the latest rules."
The person in charge took a deep breath, looked around, and forced a smile unnaturally, "Don't worry, the application for transferring the restricted area has been submitted, and the monuments of the Tushan consultants are also being produced.
Those rushing here are the frontline Ghost Controllers active outside the restricted area. We are battle-hardened, the smartest and most perceptive investigators left alive. Everyone, please take a mental check later. Believe in yourself, and stay calm so you can better face the battle."
The meeting ended in silence, with only the information department remaining. The person in charge turned his back to everyone, covered his face with one hand, and sighed silently.
The logistics officer in charge of liaising with the various branches cautiously poked his head in. "Captain Zhu, I just received word that a folk ghost tamer from Jiang City is on his way."
The person in charge perked up, "Are there any C-level or quasi-C-level ghost masters among the civilians?"
"Uh...it's said to be no higher than D-level. During the strange incidents in Huaxi and Jiang City, she showed a clear ability to control the strange after coming into contact with it. In addition, her strange burden is very low, which can clearly affect her thinking logic and make people believe that there is no strange."
"No higher than D-level? A control ability that only works upon contact?"
The person in charge was speechless for a few seconds before swallowing back the words, "Are you here to die, or are you bringing new weirdness to the den of evil?"
"The people are willing to help out of kindness. Let's encourage her and let her go back. Jiang City..." Thinking of Hu Tu, the person in charge had mixed feelings, "Tell her that Jiang City also needs people."
As he was speaking, a noise came from not far away.
The warning from the loudspeaker was particularly clear in the tent, "During this special period, no approaching is allowed!"
The person in charge frowned, "Why is the sound from the outermost part?"
The silver van drove out of the intersection, and the faint shadow on the window glass disappeared.
Seeing the convoy and tents stacked up in front of him, Ye Pingan rubbed his hands in anticipation, "There are so many people! Fortunately, I prepared a lot of food!"
Cheng Yi hesitated to speak.
…How on earth did the boss consider someone a big client in such a heavily guarded place?
The loudspeakers made people's ears buzz, and the armed team blocked the road urgently.
Notice has been issued to everyone. The situation in the ghost den has worsened. The "Ghost Takeaway" appears to have reappeared. Suddenly, a car shows up. It might be the delivery driver lured by the "Ghost Takeaway"!
Ye Ping'an had a lot of dealings with the police, so he was not nervous at all when looking at them, but rather felt a bit friendly.
Ye Ping'an poked his head out familiarly and waved, "Officer! Are you working overtime? Have you eaten yet? I'm here to sell you boxed lunches! I'm Ye Ping'an, the owner of the Xile Restaurant. All the police officers in Jiang City eat at my house!"
The team looked at each other in confusion as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Her complexion was rosy, her dialogue logical and emotional, and she didn't seem to be deceived or seduced. But...why did Jiangshi come all the way to Zhoukou to sell boxed lunches?
The person in charge quickly received a report of the interception from outside. She was stunned for a moment. "Ye Ping'an, is she the folk ghost control expert whose logic was affected? How did she get here so quickly?"
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