Ling Pingan looked at the time on his phone.
10:30 pm.
The moon was dark and the wind was high. The streetlights on the roadside seemed to be flickering due to the lack of maintenance.
The lights were flickering.
In the depths of the alley, there was the faint whimper of a wild cat.
In the distant forest, there seemed to be the low growl of an owl.
Most of the shops on both sides of the road were closed.
There was only faint light coming through the cracks in a few doors.
At the junction ahead, a rusted road sign was hanging on a telephone pole.
On it was written ‘Northern Road’, with directions.
Ling Pingan scratched his head and looked at the sparse buildings on both sides of the road.
“So this is a place that sells funeral supplies…”
The shops on the side of the road were mostly shroud shops and paper money shops.
At the intersection, he could see piles of burnt paper money.
There were also incense sticks in many places.
After thinking about it carefully, he understood.
“This is probably the place where the people of the imperial capital buy and sell funeral supplies…”
“That’s also why the legend of the cross slope was created!”
He could understand.
In history, there was a legend of the underworld in every capital city.
The big shots lived in grand houses and were buried in famous mountains.
The most famous one was Mount Bei Mang in Luoyang.
It was said that there were over a hundred emperors and countless famous people buried there.
Therefore, it was very normal for the imperial capital to have something similar to Mount Bei Mang.
It was just that..
“Why is there no public information about this place on the internet?” Ling Pingan felt a little puzzled. “Isn’t this encouraging feudal superstition?!”
However, Ling Pingan thought about it and shrugged.
“Maybe it’s on purpose!”
This was very easy to understand.
Any city hoped to attract tourists and earn their money.
The imperial city was no exception.
Although, as the ancient capital of the eight dynasties, the imperial city didn’t lack tourist attractions.
Who would complain about the lack of money?
Moreover, the official system of the Federal Empire placed great importance on political achievements.
Whether it was the Republican Party or the Datong Party.
When they chose officials, they would choose the officials with good political achievements first.
After all, no one wanted to see that they had worked hard to defeat their opponents, but in the end, they chose a fool who messed things up, meaning that they would end up taking the blame themselves.
Basically, in the election battle, once a person who didn’t know who he was was labeled, it would be difficult to turn the situation around.
At least, there was no way to turn the situation around in the local area.
Therefore, whether it was the Datong Party or the Republican Party, they both had a team that specialized in studying the files of officials at all levels.
After striving to win, they could choose a capable official to consolidate their advantage.
Therefore, the officials of the Federal Empire were very concerned about their own achievements and reputation.
It was not surprising that they used some tricks.
After all, it was not shabby to develop the economy!
Thinking of this, Ling Pingan slowly walked to an old stone arch bridge.
In front of the stone arch bridge, there was a warning line and a log that blocked the way.
Under the faint moonlight, Ling Pingan saw red warning signs hanging on the log: Dangerous bridge ahead, no entry!
He scratched his head and stopped moving forward.
Although, in his eyes, this stone arch bridge should be quite solid.
However, he wouldn’t take any chances, and he wouldn’t try to break the law especially since he knew there was a warning.
This was irresponsible both to himself and others.
If something happened, he would have to call for help.
He might even put the young police and firemen at risk.
Ling Pingan had always felt that his life was his own, and the lives of others were also their lives.
After all, everyone was human. They had parents and siblings.
Why should others pay for their own recklessness and impulsiveness?
Anyway, Ling Pingan would not.
So, before he blocked the path, he took a detour.
Since this path was impassable, he would think of a way to find another place.
If he really couldn’t, he wouldn’t go there.
No matter how fun the haunted house was, he wouldn’t risk his own life and the lives of others.
This wasn’t cowardice.
It was responsibility.
… … … ..
Zhang Hui looked at the surveillance camera.
More than ten small military rotorcraft drones were circling high in the sky.
These were the most advanced reconnaissance drones of the Federal Empire. They carried the latest cameras with extremely high resolution. It was said that they could even see the movement of ants on the ground clearly.
And at each intersection, the high-definition surveillance cameras had already changed directions.
Thus, on the big screen, countless real-time images from different angles were projected.
“How did he get here?” Zhang Hui thought.
The cross slope could be considered a top secret of the Federal Empire.
Most of the folklore and rumors were smoke bombs released by the Blackguard.
The purpose was to prevent those who were curious from approaching that area.
At present, the effect was still very good.
The vast majority of the citizens would avoid the cross slope.
Occasionally, there would be a few suicidal people who would be scared half to death at the edge of the area and then be rescued by the Blackguard.
Then, these people further amplified the legend of the cross slope.
Until now, except for a few people who were really not afraid of death and those who liked to attract attention, no normal person would approach the cross slope for no reason.
But..
Why did this person come over?
Zhang Hui’s brows furrowed.
And in the surveillance, the cat that was carrying him was wandering at the edge of the Northern Road.
He did not choose to take a shortcut and go through the stone arch bridge.
Why?
Why did the omniscient and omnipotent him choose to do so?
Zhang Hui did not know.
“There must be a deeper meaning behind this!” Zhang Hui thought, “Perhaps this can also reveal some of the logic behind his behavior!”
Therefore, Zhang Hui focused all his attention and carefully examined the surveillance footage, not missing any details.
At the same time, he pressed a button.
He connected to Li Shouyi, who was patrolling in the Kunlun mountains.
Li Shouyi was also online, waiting for Zhang Hui to contact him.
The moment Ling Pingan walked out of Lu Ming Manor, the commander-in-chief of the Blackguard had been watching the situation online.
Therefore, Li Shouyi’s voice was quickly transmitted to Zhang Hui’s ears through a special microphone.
“General Zhang… What happened to him?”
Zhang Hui briefly explained the situation while staring at the screen.
Li Shouyi listened and after a moment of silence, he said, “Since he is willing to let us see…”
“Then let us see!”
Zhang Hui suddenly woke up.
Yes!
You could only see if he wanted you to.
If he didn’t want to, no matter how advanced the equipment was, it would be impossible to see his shadow.
So..
Zhang Hui immediately eliminated a few of the questions he had in mind.
In the end, there was only one thought in his mind.
“He wants to use this opportunity to tell us something?”
This was the only truth.
It was also the only possibility!
If it wasn’t so, how could these drones and cameras capture him?
Thus, Zhang Hui remembered the origin of the cross slope, and his heart pounded.
“Commander-in-chief, what do you mean?” He asked carefully.
However, Li Shouyi had quietly disconnected.
… ..
Chu Wen drove his car to the alley at the end of the Northern Road.
He looked at the time.
It was 10:40 pm!
The street lights in the alley flickered.
Buzz… buzz..
There was the sound of electricity.
In the distance, the wild cat was howling in a low voice.
Vaguely, there seemed to be an owl whimpering in the forest.
It sounded like a ghost that had died unjustly, like a wail from hell.
He opened the car door, took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a deep puff.
“Damn it!” He shook his head. “I hope that guy didn’t come!”
“Otherwise, we’ll be in trouble!”
As a transcendent, he could feel that the cold spirit aura was slowly gathering at the cross slope a few kilometers away.
At midnight, even if he was standing in the alley of the Northern Road, he could still encounter some ominous evil spirits.
In the circle of transcendent being in the Imperial City, there was a legend.
It was said that a lieutenant colonel once entered the cross slope at midnight.
The next day, his body was found in an underground chamber in Seven Li Pu.
There were no wounds on his body.
He had a smile on his face, but his eyes were filled with fear.
It was extremely strange and terrifying.
Every person who saw that person’s death had met with misfortune in the following year.
Therefore, even a transcendent being didn’t dare to approach the cross slope.
It was too strange!
Fortunately, with the Blackguard around, and under their power, even the ghosts and monsters of the cross slope had no choice but to bow their heads.
Therefore, as long as they didn’t enter the Cross Slope’s range after midnight, those things wouldn’t harm anyone.
At most, they would just bump into some little ghosts that accidentally wandered out.
With a cigarette in his mouth, he walked out of the alley.
His shiny leather boots stepped on the ground of the Bluestone Road.
Creak.
The door of a funeral parlour at the entrance of the alley suddenly opened.
An old man with a kind face and a walking stick looked at him with a smile.
Chu Wen immediately bowed his head and cupped his hands. “Hello, old man!”
“Young man, the old man chuckled. “It’s so late, you should go back earlier… This place is not for you to come here!”
Chu Wen sighed and cupped his hands. “Old man, there’s nothing I can do!”
“A friend came here, and I’m worried that something might happen to him…”
The old man sighed. “Young man, listen to my advice and take care of yourself!”
Chu Wen listened to the old man’s words and sighed helplessly. “How could I not know?”
“But there’s nothing I can do!”
The old man did not reply to him.
Chu Wen raised his head.
There was no old man in front of him, nor was there a funeral parlour.
There were only pieces of paper money and a few white obituaries floating in the wind.
He grabbed an obituary that floated in front of him and looked down. An old man’s posthumous photo appeared on it.
The old man in the black-and-white photo was dressed appropriately and was smiling very brightly.
Under the obituary were the words “Old Mas terwas born in July of year 2760, and passed away in September of year 2841. He was seventy nine years old, and according to his will…”
Chu Wen felt his scalp tingle, a boundless terror rising from the bottom of his heart.
“Did I just… encounter a ghost?”
Even the ghost advised him to go back.
So..
“Should I go back?” He hesitated.
