Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The man walked straight toward 2045.

Ye Zhuo was ready to make a move, but the man knocked on the car window first: "Hello, I'm Lu Ye, looking for Shen Xun."

The crowd relaxed slightly, but remained vigilant.

A slight noise came from the rear of the car. Shen Xun slowly sat up. Although his face was pale, his eyes were clear and sharp, and his breathing was steady.

Upon hearing the name "Lu Ye," he nodded slightly, got up, opened the car door, and got out.

A biting wind, carrying snowflakes, rushed in. Shen Xun instinctively pulled his clothes tighter around himself, his tone calm yet revealing familiarity: "You're here."

Lu Ye glanced at Shen Xun's pale face, then at the chaotic battlefield around them, a knowing look in his eyes: "I brought my men here as soon as I received the news, but the snowstorm was too strong and delayed us. We're late."

Seeing Shen Xun's pale appearance, and then looking at the wounds and tattered clothes on everyone else, Lu Ye said with a hint of concerned reproach, "Brother Shen, why didn't you contact us sooner? We could have come to help you sooner. You're all injured like this."

Shen Xun shook his head slightly, his tone calm and firm: "Those people are not just ordinary desperados. Their souls have long been controlled, turning them into bloodthirsty madmen. You can't handle them. Calling them here rashly will only cause more trouble."

"Besides, it's not too late now." Shen Xun pointed to the small box next to him. "There are seven seriously injured assassins inside. Have your men keep a close watch on them; they'll still be useful. Their weapons are nearby, all poisoned. Be careful when you seize them."

"Understood." Lu Ye immediately instructed his men to divide the work: some went into the house to carry out the assassin, while the rest used powerful flashlights to search for scattered weapons around the house.

Shen Xun's tone was grave, and he added, "Some of our people have been poisoned by them. They've received antivenom and are temporarily stable. There haven't been any abnormalities yet, but we can't say for sure whether there will be any other side effects."

Lu Ye's expression darkened slightly, but he immediately nodded: "Don't worry, I will take all of these poisoned weapons back to the base for testing and analysis to find out the source and composition of the poison."

The team members were well-trained and acted swiftly, collecting all the weapons in no time, demonstrating caution and professionalism throughout the process.

Ye Zhuo picked up a dagger, bent down, and wiped the poison off the blade with snow. His eyes were sharp. "This dagger is made of excellent material. I'll keep one as a spare. By the way, there's a strange mark on the hilt. Take a look."

As she spoke, her gaze swept over the assassins lying on the ground. During the close combat, she had noticed that all of them had uniform dark lines on the back of their necks.

Taking a closer look under the car headlights, he frowned instantly, walked over to the nearest assassin, and reached out to pull open the collar of the man's shirt, which was stained with blood: "Not only on their weapons, but all these people have the same mark on the back of their necks."

Lu Ye immediately leaned over to check, and then quickly examined the back of the necks of the other assassins. His face darkened: "Seven people, all of them have this mark on the back of their necks, without exception."

Shen Xun came over upon hearing the sound and looked at the mark.

Even with my fingertips half an inch away, I could sense the eerie aura emanating from the patterns.

The aura was ethereal, eerie, yet strangely familiar.

At this moment, a subordinate stepped forward with a repeating crossbow and reported: "Captain Lu, Brother Shen, we've never seen these crossbows before, and they don't look like military products. They also have the same markings on the side." Lu Ye frowned even more: "They have the same markings from beginning to end. The other side is well-organized and well-equipped. They must be someone important. But I didn't know such an organization existed."

Shen Xun pulled a silenced pistol from his pocket and handed it to Lu Ye: "This also belongs to the assassin; keep it too." Lu Ye weighed the pistol in his hand, his eyes suddenly narrowing: "It also has that marking on the gun. I'll hand it over to the relevant authorities immediately tomorrow."

A cold glint flashed in Shen Xun's eyes: "Their origins are definitely not simple. In addition, when I woke up, I sensed a strange aura at the bottom of the river, which was even stronger than before. There were also faint tremors coming from deep underground."

Everyone tensed up. Lu Ye holstered his pistol and hurriedly asked, "Is there any danger?"

"Not for now, but we must not let our guard down."

Shen Xun looked up at the pitch-black riverbank, his tone grave, "We must stay here and monitor any unusual activity. We'll spend the night here and make further plans tomorrow morning."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Shen Xun's tone softened slightly, with a hint of barely perceptible helplessness: "By the way, I've run out of hawthorn preserves. Have your men buy some sweet and sour ones, but make sure they don't get the wrong kind."

Lu Ye couldn't help but chuckle, his tone teasing: "I always bring you some, how could I forget this time? I prepared it a long time ago, it's in my car. But you never come, and I've been craving it, so there's only one pack left. I'll have my men buy some more now."

Lu Ye's gaze swept over the group's tattered clothes, his tone becoming increasingly concerned: "Your clothes are so torn they can't withstand the cold at all. Once my men send these assassins back, they'll bring over new equipment."

A warm feeling spread across everyone's faces. Ye Zhuo stepped forward and said succinctly, "Thank you, Captain Lu! Also, do you have any arrows for a compound bow, or any riot shields?"

"I have them all, I'll bring them to you together."

Lu Ye nodded, his gaze falling on Ye Zhuo, and said with certainty, "I saw you from afar four years ago during the Northwest Army's martial arts competition, and I recognized you at a glance."

Ye Zhuo's expression suddenly turned cold, and his tone became distant: "I don't know you. You've mistaken me for someone else."

Lu Ye's smile faded slightly, but he remained stubborn: "I won't admit my mistake."

"The situation here is unclear, so I'll stay and help as well." With that, he turned to his subordinates and instructed them: "Contact the base and send over 5 sets of winter snow camouflage; send some men to the city to buy more hawthorn preserves and prepare some supplies, and send them over as soon as possible; the rest of you take the assassins back to the base to watch over and treat them, be very careful, and don't let anything go wrong."

"Yes, Captain Lu!" the subordinates responded in unison, quickly dividing up the tasks and taking action.

The remaining men stayed behind to help clean up the site, while one of them quickly went to the riverbank to set up geological monitoring equipment.

Lu Ye noticed that 2045's left rear tire had blown out and immediately ordered his men, "Go to my car and get the tools to change the spare tire." His men responded and acted. Lu Ye took the tools, and Lao Gu quickly stepped forward to help. The group worked in the blizzard using the headlights. Ye Zhuo then removed the winch cable from the pine tree, put it away, and went to help as well.

The spare tire was quickly changed, and the winch cable was retrieved. Shen Xun instructed, "Drive down to the riverbank. We'll camp there tonight. Stay alert the whole time, and warn us immediately if anything seems amiss."

"Understood!" the team members replied in unison.

Lu Ye packed up his tools and instructed his team members to put them back in the vehicle. He then said, "I won't get out of my car; I'll leave it up there just in case. I'll lead the way on foot. You guys drive slowly; the wind and snow are too strong, and visibility is poor, so drive carefully."

Shen Xun nodded slightly, turned and got into the car; Ao Luya quickly packed up the quiver, electric blanket and power bank, loaded them onto the pickup truck, then led Bai Lu and followed behind. Old Gu started the pickup truck, put it in reverse and went downhill, while Ye Zhuo drove the 2045, adjusting the direction, and the two vehicles went downhill in an orderly fashion.

The sounds of engines echoed and swirled in the wind and snow as the two vehicles slowly drove downhill towards the riverbank, braving the fierce winds.

The wind and snow continued outside the window, and the distant river was pitch black, silently watching everything on the shore.

Soon, the two vehicles arrived at the riverside roadside embankment. Shen Xun opened the car door, looked around, and said, "There are so many people, there's not enough room in the car. We've already rested for several hours, so let's all set up the canopy outside and camp."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone nodded in agreement, their faces showing anticipation, and their tension and fatigue eased slightly.

The group quickly divided up tasks and prepared for camping.

In a short while, the canopy was erected, and the wood-burning stove roared to life, its warmth slowly spreading and slightly dispelling the surrounding chill.

Suddenly, the shamanic bell at Aoluya's waist rang out with a clear sound, and a faint yet chilling aura quietly spread out.

Ao Luya immediately gripped the copper bell tightly, focusing her attention on guard. She scanned her surroundings but found nothing unusual.

Bai Wuchang quietly appeared beside Shen Xun, his figure ethereal and elusive, his twin ponytails drooping over his shoulders, surrounded by white mist, his voice weak: "Shen Xun, the aura at the bottom of the river has become stronger again, but there is no danger for the time being, so don't worry too much."

Shen Xun's expression softened slightly, and he nodded, saying, "We plan to camp here and monitor the riverbed from start to finish."

When Bai Wuchang saw Lin Jian looking at him with curiosity, he couldn't help but crinkle his eyes and stick out his tongue in a playful response. Lin Jian quickly greeted him softly. Although Ao Luya couldn't see Bai Wuchang, she subconsciously nodded slightly.

Upon hearing this, Shen Xun got up and walked towards the riverbank, with Ao Luya following closely behind. The two of them focused their attention and released their senses to carefully investigate the movements at the bottom of the river.

The cold wind cut their faces like knives. The two men looked solemn and could clearly sense that the eerie aura at the bottom of the river was constantly rising and gathering, but it never released any aggressive energy.

Lin Jian followed, waving the Polaroid camera in his hand, his tone filled with anticipation: "The previous photos of the river showed nothing, but now your breathing seems more stable. I'll try again."

As he spoke, he aimed at the dark river and pressed the shutter. The photographic paper slowly emerged. Bai Wuchang, seeing this, leaned over and curiously examined it for a moment before turning to Bai Lu and looking at her with interest.

The white deer gave a gentle, low cry, indicating the unpredictable whereabouts of Aoluya.

Ao Luya listened to the white deer's low bleating, a look of doubt on her face.

Bai Lu said there was an aura of impermanence, but she couldn't detect it at all.

Just then, Bai Wuchang's figure became increasingly ethereal. She whispered, "My spiritual power is waning, so I must leave first. You must be careful of the aura at the bottom of the river and don't be careless!" Before she finished speaking, she turned into a wisp of white mist and completely dissipated in the wind and snow.

By the light of the fire, Lin Jian carefully examined the photographic paper that had just been ejected from the stove, and suddenly exclaimed, "Something's not right! This time it's different!"

The crowd quickly gathered around, only to see a blurry black shadow printed on the photograph, its outline eerie and exuding an indescribable sinister aura.

Ye Zhu frowned: "The previous photos were all blank, how come a black shadow suddenly appeared?" Ao Luya stared intently at the photograph paper, her tone certain: "The aura of this black shadow is the same as the aura that Tong Ling sensed just now."

No sooner had the words been spoken than the white deer in the basket suddenly let out a sharp warning cry, and the gale, carrying snowflakes, crashed violently against the sky, causing the fire in the stove to flicker and burn.

Without warning, the chilling aura hidden beneath the ice reached the shore.

Approaching the crowd.

Staring intently.