PNB Chapter 270: The Bronze Gate Opens, and the Ghost Town Reveals
Chapter 270: The Bronze Gate Opens, and the Ghost Town Reveals
The huge bronze door opened slowly with a creaking sound that made one's teeth ache.
A long-buried smell blew in their faces, choking the four of them and causing them to cough uncontrollably.
When the giant door was fully opened, dust poured down like a waterfall, forming a hazy light curtain in the flashlight beam.
The four of them looked at each other in shock, but more than that, they were confused: How did this door open by itself?
There was a tense atmosphere in the air, as if some unknown danger was lurking in the darkness.
"Ahem...what's going on? Is it haunted?"
Fatty Baili covered his nose and asked in a muffled voice.
After a brief silence, Fatty Baili spoke again, "Should we go through the main gate, or find another hole to get in?"
An Yuqing adjusted his glasses and analyzed, "Let's go through the main entrance. At least we can see what's going on inside clearly, and if there's any danger, we can react in time."
"Makes sense!"
Baili Pang'er slapped his thigh and his tone became much more relaxed.
"I've had enough of digging holes, Fatty! Let's go to the main gate!"
The four of them walked to the huge bronze door and used the light of their flashlights to illuminate the scene behind the door.
The smoke and dust gradually dissipated, and in the dim light, the outline of an ancient city gradually emerged.
The towering city walls and dilapidated houses all tell of the antiquity and vicissitudes of this city.
"Oh my god, this can't be some lost civilization? 666!" Fatty Baili exclaimed, his eyes as big as copper bells.
Cao Yuanhai took the lead and stepped into the giant gate.
"What the hell are you afraid of? Fortune and wealth are achieved through risk. Do you understand? Brothers, charge!"
Everyone followed Cao Yuanhai with trepidation and passed through the huge bronze gate.
Behind the huge gate is a deep corridor, with towering black walls on both sides that seem to swallow people up.
A cold breath blew in the face, making people shiver.
"Hiss... What kind of place is this? Why is it so cold?" Li Yangde rubbed his arms and his teeth began to chatter.
Cao Yuanhai explained: "This is dead energy, which suppresses the yang energy. It's normal. Stay calm."
"How can you stay calm? This is too weird..." Fatty Baili'er's voice trembled a little.
The crowd continued to move forward, feeling colder and heavier as they walked, as if something was secretly watching them.
The atmosphere was extremely tense and everyone's nerves were on edge.
Suddenly, Cao Yuanhai stopped and his eyes fell on a dark shadow not far ahead.
"Wait..." he whispered.
"What's wrong?" An Yuqing asked, with a hint of uneasiness in her voice.
Cao Yuanhai didn't answer, but slowly raised his flashlight and shone it towards the dark shadow...
A vague human silhouette suddenly appeared in the flashlight beam.
It stood there hunched over, motionless, as if blending into the darkness.
"Fuck! What the hell?!"
Baili Pang'er jumped up in fright and almost threw the flashlight in his hand away.
Cao Yuanhai narrowed his eyes and observed the black shadow carefully.
"Don't panic, he looks like a human, but not quite..."
"Nonsense! It's the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere, what else could it be but a ghost?" Fatty Baili's voice changed.
"Calm down, I'm a very experienced guy. I'm not afraid of a little devil."
Cao Yuanhai patted his chest pretending to be calm, but he felt a little nervous inside.
"By the way, Lao Cao, where did you learn all this rich knowledge? Did you really have some Golden Cicada Wizard teach you?" Fatty Baili asked curiously.
"Ahem, the secret cannot be revealed..." Cao Yuanhai smiled mysteriously.
The crowd continued to move forward, and the gravel road under their feet made a "creaking" sound.
The windows of the mud houses in the distance made a low "humming" sound in the night wind, and the whole atmosphere seemed particularly eerie.
"Hey, that's not right. When did a city appear in this primeval forest? Why have I never heard of it?" Li Yangde scratched his head, looking confused.
An Yuqing pushed his glasses and said meaningfully, "The legendary 'Kingdom of the Dead' might refer to a place like this..."
"The kingdom of the dead?!"
Baili Fatty's face changed and he looked around quickly.
"Shit, no way? Then it would be everywhere..."
"Old An is right. The situation here really fits the description of the 'Kingdom of the Dead'..."
Cao Yuanhai also nodded, his expression solemn.
Fatty Baili swallowed, took out a pair of monocles from his pocket, and hesitated whether to put them on.
"This thing... should I wear it or not..." He muttered softly, fear and curiosity constantly intertwined in his heart.
Baili Pang'er was torn between his conscience and his desires, and was extremely conflicted.
Wear it, I’m afraid I’ll see something eye-catching and won’t be able to sleep at night.
If he doesn't wear it, he will feel itchy and his curiosity will make him feel uneasy like a cat's claws.
In the end, curiosity overcame fear. He gritted his teeth, stomped his feet, and made up his mind to put on the monocle that was said to be able to see ghosts.
"Fortune and honor are sought through risk, and today I, Fatty, will risk it all!"
The moment he put on the glasses, Fatty Baili'er's body shook violently and his face turned pale instantly, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying.
He turned his head sharply and glanced around in horror.
“What the hell! What the hell! What the hell! There really is a ghost!”
Fatty Baili's voice was trembling violently. He pointed in one direction and shouted incoherently,
"So many ghosts! So many ghosts! Floating around...Ahhh! Don't come over here! Don't come over here!"
The other three looked in the direction Baili Pang'er pointed, but saw nothing.
"Fatty, what...what did you see?" Li Yangde's voice began to tremble, and a chill ran from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
"Ghosts... So many ghosts! They're wearing... ancient clothes, their faces... their faces are pale, and their eyes... their eyes are red..."
Baili Pang'er spoke tremblingly, his body constantly backing away, as if the ghosts were approaching him.
Cao Yuanhai and An Yuqing looked at each other and saw shock and confusion in each other's eyes.
Could it be that this monocle can really see ghosts?
"Fatty, are you sure you saw a ghost?"
Cao Yuanhai's voice was a little dry, as if his throat was blocked by something.
Fatty Baili nodded sharply, pointed to an open space in front of him, and shouted in horror: "There...there! There is a...there is a female ghost!"
"She's wearing red clothes and has very long hair... She's... She's floating towards us!"
The three of them looked in the direction of Baili Pang'er's finger, but still saw nothing.
Suddenly, a cold wind blew, the temperature around dropped sharply, and a strong stench filled the air.
“Here she comes…she comes…”
Fatty Baili's voice trembled even more violently, and his face turned pale as paper.
Cao Yuanhai grabbed Baili Pang'er's shoulders and said in a deep voice, "Pang'er, calm down! Tell me, where is she now?"
At this moment, footsteps were heard in the distance...
The footsteps came closer and closer, becoming clearer and clearer. The four of them held their breath and looked nervously in the direction where the sound came from.
A tall figure appeared in their sight, it was Lin Qiye.
Beside him was Wu Hen, who looked relaxed and hummed a tuneless little tune.
"Hey, what kind of cosplay are you guys doing?"
"This outfit is quite retro!" Wu Hen looked at the four people's nervous expressions and couldn't help but teasing.
Lin Qiye ignored Wu Hen's joke, glanced at everyone, and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"
Cao Yuanhai briefly recounted what had just happened, emphasizing the fact that Baili Pang'er saw a ghost.
After listening to this, Lin Qiye frowned and fell into deep thought.
Wu Hen looked indifferent and even yawned, as if he was completely uninterested in the ghost stories.
"System, please issue a task. The atmosphere is too depressing. We need to add some fun." Wu Hen muttered to himself.
"Ding! Mission issued: Scare Baili Fatty. Mission reward: A thousand-year-old zombie's fingernail."
The system's voice sounded in Wu Hen's mind.
Wu Hen's mouth corners slightly raised, revealing a wicked smile.
He quietly walked behind Baili Pang'er and patted his shoulder hard.
"Ah——" Fatty Baili was so frightened that he let out a shrill scream and almost fainted.
"Hahaha..." Wu Hen couldn't help laughing when he saw Baili Pang'er's frightened expression.
Lin Qiye shook his head helplessly. This Wu Hen was really a funny guy.
Suddenly, Wu Hen's laughter stopped abruptly. He looked in one direction and his expression became solemn.
"Fuck, there really is a ghost!" He pointed ahead and shouted in horror.
Everyone looked in the direction Wu Hen pointed, and saw countless paper people swarming out of the cave, densely packed and rushing towards them like a tide.
Lin Qiye acted decisively and quickly sealed the entrance to the cave.
However, these paper people were extremely ferocious and soon broke through the blockade and continued to approach them.
"Run!" Lin Qiye shouted and took the lead to run towards the town.
Everyone followed closely behind, and the atmosphere was tense and urgent.
After getting rid of the paper man, Lin Qiye, Wu Hen and others came to an ancient abandoned town.
Looking at the dilapidated scene before them, everyone couldn't help but feel a little surprised.
They were clearly in the primeval forest, so how could a town suddenly appear?
"This place... is a bit weird..." Wu Hen touched his chin and muttered to himself.
In order to avoid being chased by the paper man, Lin Qiye chose a house that looked relatively intact as his hiding place.
However, just as they were about to enter the mansion, Wu Hen suddenly stopped and his eyes fell on a plaque at the entrance of the mansion.
"and many more…"
Wu Hen stretched out his hand and gently wiped the dust off the plaque, revealing a few blurry words.
"Yi...Zhuang..."
Wu Hen read out the words on the plaque word by word, his expression becoming somewhat ugly.