Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

Old Gu sat in the driver's seat, his whole body drenched in cold sweat.

His back was soaked with cold sweat and stiffened by the cold air, sticking to his back. It was cold and sticky, but he didn't dare to move at all.

His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his fingers taut, and the sweat on his palms made the steering wheel slippery.

He carefully and extremely slowly pressed down on the accelerator with his right foot, his heart pounding against his ribs like a drum, afraid that if he used too much force, the wheels would slip and drag the car, which was already hanging in mid-air, completely off the cliff.

Large snowflakes pelted the windshield, and even with the wipers on full blast, they could barely clear a blurry view.

But he didn't dare to be distracted by wiping the glass; he could only keep his eyes fixed on the right front wheel, even blinking at the right moment.

He had executed Ye Zhuo's instructions perfectly. The 4L low gear was engaged, and the front and rear differential locks were fully engaged, ensuring that the locked four-wheel drive system maintained synchronized torque output to all four wheels.

At this moment, the right front wheel had barely scraped the edge of the roadbed. The off-road tires screeched as they rolled over the gravel and frozen ground, and each turn caused the vehicle to vibrate slightly.

With the help of the winch, it pulled the vehicle body onto the roadbed extremely slowly. Every centimeter it moved forward was like prying a sliver of life back from the fingers of death.

"Old Gu! Hold on! Move the right front wheel a little closer!" Lin Jian was still half-clinging to the passenger window, desperately peering out to check the situation of the car.

Her voice trembled violently, her teeth chattering, yet she kept her eyes glued to the wheels, shouting at the top of her lungs, "Two meters left! Just two meters and the car will be right! Keep it steady! You have to be steady!"

Before she could finish speaking, an accident suddenly occurred.

The right front wheel suddenly ran over loose gravel on the snow-covered surface. The moment the tire passed over the gravel, the gravel suddenly slipped and flew away. The wheel spun half a circle in the air for a moment, and the point of contact that was barely sticking to the roadbed disappeared instantly.

The entire car tilted outwards suddenly, the body making a metallic twisting sound as it couldn't bear the weight. The rear of the car, which was already in the air, dropped a few inches in an instant, and the items and tools inside the car slid out of the cabinets and slammed onto the car door with a clatter.

"Ah!" Lin Jian cried out in fright, almost being thrown out of the car. She grabbed the car door frame tightly, her face as pale as paper, as if her soul had almost left her body.

Outside the vehicle, the winch motor hummed even more piercingly. The already taut steel cable was yanked hard by the downward force, producing a chilling metallic scraping sound. The old pine tree securing the cable at the top of the slope had already begun to bend, its thick bark deeply marked by the cable, and wood chips mixed with wind and snow fell down, as if the tree and cable would snap together at any moment.

"Stay calm! Don't panic! Ease off the accelerator a little! Turn the steering wheel half a turn to the left!" Ye Zhu shouted sharply, his right hand holding the remote control tensing up instantly. He added more force with his thumb and forefinger, pressing the tighten button firmly, not daring to relax even a little, for fear that the winch's pulling force would break down.

Even though the violent shaking of the car made her heart skip a beat, her voice remained as steady as a rock, her clear instructions piercing through the wind and snow, precisely hitting Lao Gu's ears.

In the brief pause between roars, she swiftly steadied the compound bow with her left hand, and with only three fingers remaining on her right, she precisely hooked the bowstring and pulled it taut again.

She squinted, facing the swirling snow, and fired an arrow at the crazed assassin who had rushed close and whose arm was hanging limply.

The carbon fiber arrow whistled through the air and pierced the opponent's other intact arm, causing him to stagger and halt his forward momentum, giving Ao Luya time to make her move.

Ao Luya had been watching the charging enemy for a while. Seizing this fleeting opportunity, she suddenly exerted force with her arm holding the shield, and the heavy shield slammed forward, hitting the enemy's chest solidly.

With a dull thud, the already dislocated sternum collapsed instantly, and the person flew backward like a broken sack, crashing heavily onto the snow.

Without pausing for a moment, Ao Luya swung the deer bone knife in one smooth motion, the blade precisely striking the opponent's knee. The sharp blade cut directly into the knee, and the assassin staggered.

Even with his knee pierced, the wounded enemy continued to roar in the snow, dragging his broken leg and crawling forward with his hands, his scarlet eyes fixed on the direction of the suspended vehicle, showing no sign of retreat or fear.

Ao Luya's brows furrowed even more, and her unease grew heavier.

She grew up with the tribe's shaman and was particularly sensitive to this sinister and eerie aura. This ferocious aura was more terrifying than the fiercest wolves or the most malevolent ghosts on the grassland.

She had just slowed down the attack when she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye that the assassin, whose tendons in both hands had been crippled, had stumbled and rushed within ten meters of her on the frozen riverbank.

Even though he was hit by two arrows from Ye Zhuo in his legs, he still did not stop. Dragging his two legs with arrow shafts stuck in them, he roared and charged forward, leaving two bloody trails on the snow. His speed did not decrease at all.

Ao Luya immediately turned to defend, her shield once again held horizontally in front of her, firmly protecting the frightened white deer behind her.

The white deer pawed at the ground, its front hooves digging holes in the snow, and it exhaled white breath frequently from its nostrils. It could sense the madness emanating from these "people," an aura that was completely unlike that of the living.

Ao Luya gripped the deer bone knife tightly. The wrist was still numb with pain from slashing the assassin's knee, but her eyes remained resolute as she held firm in a horse stance, guarding this defensive line. If she took a step back, there was the car suspended in mid-air behind her, and Ye Zhuo, who was multitasking, behind her. Therefore, she could not allow these crazed assassins to break through even half a step.

The winch motor, continuously operating under overload, had begun to emit wisps of white smoke, and the sound was sharp, like a knife slicing through everyone's eardrums.

Each sway of the vehicle amplified the vibrations of the steel cable. Suspended in mid-air, 2045 continued to move slowly upwards at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye, thanks to Lao Gu's careful throttle control and the winch's pull. However, every centimeter of upward movement brought new risks, and every sway of the vehicle made everyone's hearts stop beating.

At the forefront of the battlefield, Shen Xun was being relentlessly entangled by two crazed assassins, finding himself in an unprecedented stalemate.

The peachwood staff was swung out again and again, each time striking the opponent's vital bones with precision, and the crisp sound of bones cracking rang out one after another in the wind and snow.

He smashed the arm of the gunman and shattered the leg bone of the crossbowman, but these two assassins had become monsters devoid of pain and limitless. Even with broken bones and crippled limbs, they still roared and pounced. Even as the snow turned red and their bodies were dislocated and twisted, they still bit with their teeth, rammed with their heads, and attacked with every means at their disposal. Every move was a suicidal attack, with absolutely no defense.

Shen Xun's breathing gradually became heavy, and fine beads of cold sweat seeped from his forehead. The cold wind made his head throb with pain.

He had several scratches on his body, and the wounds on his palms grew larger with each swing of his staff, the golden blood blooming like golden flowers in the snow.

What weighed heavily on his mind was that the previous continuous struggles, rock climbing, and pulling the car body down had already exhausted a lot of his physical and mental strength. Now, facing two fearless and relentless beasts, he was stuck here, unable to break free.

He couldn't retreat, not even a single step. Behind him were Ye Zhuo and Ao Luya, like 2045 suspended in mid-air. If he were breached, these two crazed assassins would immediately break through the defenses and rush towards the winch. At that point, this extremely critical rescue would be completely ruined.

He sidestepped a madman's headbutt attack, then swung his peachwood staff backhand, striking the attacker's cervical spine hard. Even though the cracking sound of the spine dislocating could be heard, the attacker only swayed slightly before lunging at him at an odd angle.

In the brief interval between parrying and counterattacking, a chilling thought flashed through his mind like lightning, instantly allowing him to grasp the essence of this eerie aura.

This is not simply an evil technique that disturbs people's soul.

This sinister and violent aura has completely taken over the minds of these assassins, and even controlled their bodies.

Their bodies had long since reached their limits, their nerves were destroyed by pain, and their bones were broken inch by inch. But this aura, like the strings of a marionette, kept their bodies, which should have collapsed long ago, hanging on, forcing them to exhaust their last bit of life force in order to complete the killing.

Conventional methods are completely useless.

Knock them unconscious? Their consciousness had already been swallowed up by this aura; whether they were unconscious or not had no impact on their actions.

Broken bones and permanent disability? They've blocked out all pain; even with all four limbs crippled, they'll use every means to stand up again, making it impossible to "subdue" them. Even if he were to use lethal force, he wasn't sure if this eerie, malevolent energy would control the corpse and continue its attacks.

Another thought then arose. The only way to break the deadlock and completely stop these mad beasts was to activate the Reincarnation Well Mark.

Only the power within him, which had guarded the Well of Reincarnation for hundreds of years, could dispel this sinister and eerie aura and sever the threads controlling these puppets.

Otherwise, these mindless mad beasts would gnaw at them like maggots until they die, and all of them would be trapped here, unable to move, their strength, arrows, and energy would be gradually depleted, and they would eventually be defeated by exhaustion.

But the moment the thought arose, he instantly tensed up.

The mark of the Reincarnation Well should not be disturbed lightly.

This power is too immense. If it is used, will it alert the source of this eerie aura? Will it disrupt the balance of this area? Will it completely expose the secrets he has been hiding to his companions?

More importantly, in this desperate situation where he is surrounded by enemies and his vehicle is suspended in mid-air, will he have a momentary opening when he uses his power, which these mad beasts could seize and bring about the destruction of his companions behind him?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind like lightning; this was the only possible way to break the deadlock.

He shifted his feet, using his lightness of footwork to dodge the assassin's lunging bite. His peach wood staff slammed into the assassin's shoulder joint, but the assassin continued to roar, ramming his body into him, determined to drag him there even if it meant mutual destruction.

Shen Xun gritted his teeth and swung his wooden staff again, blood pouring down his palm from the wound, causing him to tremble in pain.

Looking into those bloodshot, unfocused, and lifeless eyes, his decision became clear.

He had no other choice.

Meanwhile, Ye Zhuo had also reached his limit.

There were only a few carbon fiber arrows left in the quiver on her back.

What's even more difficult is that her attention has to be divided into countless parts.

Half of his attention was focused on 2045 suspended in mid-air, monitoring the winch's status and operating the remote control; another part was on the remaining enemies rushing in from all directions, using the last of his arrows to intercept and restrain them; he also had to keep an eye on Shen Xun's entanglement, occasionally firing an arrow to force back the assassins who wanted to flank and ambush Shen Xun, thus relieving some of his pressure.

The wind and snow were so strong that visibility began to blur.

Her fingers, which were pressing the remote control, were already stiff and numb. The other three fingers, which were controlling the strings, were so sore from repeated exertion that they were almost losing sensation. She didn't even have a chance to shake her hands and relax.

She knew very well that every arrow was crucial now. Once the arrows were exhausted and the suppression failed, these crazed assassins would break through the defenses instantly, and everyone would be caught in a desperate situation, attacked from both sides.

She gritted her teeth, drew the bowstring taut again, and shot an arrow at the assassin charging towards Ao Luya. The arrow pierced the assassin's shoulder precisely, but the assassin only swayed slightly and continued charging forward. Ye Zhuo gritted her teeth, extremely anxious.

Ahead lies a precarious situation; behind, a madman; deadly intent lurks in the wind and snow.

Inside the car, Lao Gu and Lin Jian were trapped in the metal shell, placing all their hopes on the three people outside. They couldn't even protect themselves.

The wind and snow howled incessantly, carrying the stench of blood and a biting chill, turning the entire battlefield into a white cage.

That eerie, malevolent aura returned and enveloped the entire ice plain once more.

Having just narrowly escaped the car crash, the group was suddenly dragged into a deeper, more terrifying, and inescapable dead end by this unexpected evil force.

Shen Xun gripped the peachwood staff tighter and tighter, while the fingertips of his other hand, hidden in his sleeve, began to glow faintly with a golden light.