Outside the old city area.
The man who had just unfolded the Forbidden Zone sat by the sign, glancing back at the half-frozen part of the old city. He shook his head helplessly and took out his phone from his pocket, starting to play a mobile game.
"Brother, why are you sitting here playing with your phone in the middle of the night? Aren't you afraid of getting a cold butt?"
Before long, a pedestrian walked across the street from the opposite side and burst into laughter upon seeing the scene.
The man looked up at him, then lowered his head to continue operating his phone. "Nothing to do, just killing time."
The pedestrian chuckled, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and handed it to the man.
The man waved his hand, speaking seriously, "It's working hours; I don't smoke during work."
"Hey, you're squatting on the road playing with your phone; does that count as work?" the pedestrian teased.
"Yeah."
"Fair enough." The pedestrian shrugged, stood up, and walked towards the street behind the man.
"Where are you going?" the man suddenly asked.
"Home."
"You can't go back, at least not now."
The pedestrian raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"This road is closed now. You can only go back when it's open." The man pointed to the sign behind him.
The pedestrian followed his pointing finger and saw the inexplicable sign standing in the middle of the road. He was about to say something when the four words "No Entry Ahead" flashed briefly.
The pedestrian's gaze suddenly became blank.
After a few seconds, he turned stiffly, took steps, and walked back the way he came, his eyes filled with confusion.
The man seemed unsurprised by this. Just as he was about to continue playing his mobile game, another man's voice suddenly sounded in his earpiece.
"Zhao Kongcheng!"
At the sound of this voice, the man abruptly sat up from the ground. The casual and weary expression on his face disappeared, replaced by absolute seriousness.
"Yes! Captain, what happened?"
"There's an issue. Among this group of Ghostface operatives, a Ghostface King has emerged. While we were besieging the other Ghostface members, he suddenly rose and severely wounded Hongying, escaping the Forbidden Zone through the sewers."
"Ghostface King?" Zhao Kongcheng's face changed. "Which way did he run? I'll intercept him!"
"No, Kongcheng, you're not good at combat, and you can't beat the Ghostface King. I'll go after him."
Zhao Kongcheng was stunned. "Then what should I..."
"After the Ghostface King escaped, two other Ghostface members took the opportunity to flee into the sewers. The others are busy dealing with the remaining Ghostface members and can't break away."
"Which direction?"
"Southeast."
"Got it."
Zhao Kongcheng's eyes gleamed, and he sprinted to the other end of the street, jumped into a black van, and sped away amid a buzzing sound.
On the passenger seat beside him, neatly folded, was a black and red cloak and a sheathed straight knife.
...
"Alright, I'm turning here. I'll be heading home now."
Wang Shao stopped and turned to the four people behind him.
Just then, Li Yifei seemed to recall something suddenly and spoke, "Wang Shao, if I remember correctly, isn't your home near the old city area?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"...Nothing, just be careful on your way back."
Wang Shao's mouth twitched slightly, rolling his eyes. "If you have something to say, just say it. Don't hold back halfway; it makes people uncomfortable."
Li Yifei hesitated for a moment. "I heard that the old city area is not very peaceful lately. There's a maniac serial killer!"
"A maniac serial killer? Is it true?" Jiang Qian was skeptical.
"Of course, it's true!" Li Yifei looked around and, lowering his voice, continued, "This might not be known to you, but in the past few days, more than a dozen people have died in the old city area."
"More than a dozen people? Impossible. If there were such big incidents, the news would have reported it already," Wang Shao shook his head.
"Heh, why impossible? Let me tell you, there's something strange about this. Someone from the higher-ups forcefully suppressed the news. If my dad didn't work at the police station, I wouldn't have known about it either."
"Strange? What's strange?"
"It is said..." Li Yifei paused and lowered his voice even more.
"It is said that the faces of the deceased were completely peeled off, leaving only a mass of bloody flesh and protruding eyeballs. The method was extremely brutal!"
A chilly breeze passed by, and when they heard this, everyone felt a cold shiver from the soles of their feet to the top of their heads!
"Li Yifei! Are you crazy? Why tell such stories late at night?" Jiang Qian's face turned pale. Subconsciously glancing around the silent street, she felt a bit uneasy.
Not only her but even Wang Shao and Liu Yuan, the two big men, were a bit frightened. Wang Shao glanced at the narrow alley he was about to go through, suddenly feeling a bit uneasy...
If Li Yifei's words only made people a bit scared, what Lin Qiyue said next directly sent
shivers down their spines!
After pondering for a moment, Lin Qiyue spoke faintly, "Are you sure... these things are done by humans?"
"Qiyue, you..." Jiang Qian's body trembled!
Wang Shao and Liu Yuan's mouths twitched slightly, and their gazes toward Lin Qiyue became somewhat strange.
Lin Qiyue, with your thick eyebrows and big eyes, who would have thought that you were the one hiding the deepest?
Surprised, Li Yifei looked at Lin Qiyue, "Do you also feel that way?"
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Jiang Qian couldn't take it anymore. She reached out and twisted Li Yifei's arm fiercely, causing him to cry out in pain.
"In the middle of the night, stop talking about ghost stories! I still need to go home later!"
Li Yifei, holding his arm, muttered, "This is not a ghost story..."
Wang Shao shrugged, "I won't bother with your nonsense. I don't believe in all these supernatural things. I'm leaving."
Wang Shao's figure gradually disappeared into the narrow alley.
Jiang Qian gave Li Yifei another glare and took a few steps forward, suddenly stopping.
She sniffed forcefully, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, and her eyes showed a hint of confusion.
Turning around, she said, "Have you guys smelled something foul?"
"Foul smell?"
"I haven't. How about you, Liu Yuan?"
"Neither have I..."
"I haven't either..." Li Yifei said.
Jiang Qian frowned and took a few steps forward before suddenly stopping.
She sniffed again, her eyes showing a trace of doubt.
"Have you smelled anything rotten?"
"I haven't smelled it. Liu Yuan, have you?"
"Me neither... Ugh!"
Liu Yuan and Li Yifei hadn't finished speaking when their expressions suddenly changed. They covered their noses in shock, glancing around with a terrified look.
Lin Qiyue was about to say something when an extremely nauseating stench invaded his nostrils. The sensation was as if someone had thrown a piece of meat that had rotted for over ten days into a sewage tank, mixed with the smell of a dozen rotten eggs. Just a brief whiff made stomach fluids churn violently.
This was the foulest odor Lin Qiyue had ever smelled in his entire life.
As for the most sensitive-nosed Jiang Qian, she crouched down and began vomiting.
"Damn, what's that thing that stinks so much?!" Li Yifei shouted, covering his nose.
"I don't know." Lin Qiyue's eyebrows furrowed slightly. After a moment, he pointed to the narrow alley where Wang Shao had left.
"But judging from the direction of the smell, it seems to be coming from there."
In the next moment, a miserable scream echoed from not far away, reverberating in the silent night sky.