Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The SUV sped along the snow-covered road, its wheels crunching over the thick snow, and the scenery outside the window rushed past, gradually transitioning from the vast riverside to the scattered city buildings.

Shen Xun sat in the passenger seat, thinking about the golden light in the photo. His expression was calm, and his gaze scrutinized every tall building they passed. His aura remained tense.

Lin Jian sat in the back row, his hands tightly gripping his phone. On the screen was a photo that contained clues about his grandfather.

She would occasionally look out the window at the rows of tall buildings, her eyes filled with anxiety and anticipation, mixed with a touch of trepidation. "Shen Xun, my camera is spinning by itself? It keeps pointing in one direction."

She suddenly spoke, "The camera is pointing to clues about your grandfather; let's follow its directions." Bai Wuchang appeared behind Lin Jian without his noticing. Lin Jian was startled.

Shen Xun slowly turned his head, his tone gentle yet firm: "Don't worry, we'll find it. The golden light in the photo is very special; I can sense its approximate location. With the camera's guidance, we'll check each location one by one once we get to the vicinity."

As he spoke, the snake-headed copper bell on his peach wood staff swayed slightly, making a soft, crisp sound. A sharp glint flashed in Shen Xun's eyes. "There's a reaction. The camera is pointing in the right direction, in the northwest."

The driver immediately adjusted the direction and drove northwest. Before long, they arrived at a cluster of high-rise buildings on the edge of the city. The streets here were narrow, and the road surface was covered with thick snow. There were hardly any footprints, making it look unusually deserted.

A cold wind swept through the tall buildings, whispering eerie murmurs that sent chills down one's spine. What made it even more troubling was that the buildings in this cluster all looked almost identical.

The buildings are all dilapidated and crumbling, with cracks all over the walls. Even the floor heights and window layouts are almost identical. Looking at them, they look like copies, making it impossible to tell them apart.

"This is the area." Shen Xun pushed open the car door, and the cold wind instantly enveloped him, causing the wisps of hair on his forehead to flutter slightly. "The peach wood staff's reaction is becoming more and more obvious, and the golden aura is in this cluster of high-rise buildings."

He gripped the peachwood cane and stepped into the snow-covered street. The snake-headed copper bell swayed slightly, and with each step, the swaying became more pronounced. Lin Jian's camera spontaneously generated a strange force, shaking violently and spinning incessantly, as if interfered with by something, almost breaking free from her grasp.

"But these buildings don't look like they've been inhabited. They seem to have been abandoned since they were built, and they're all too similar. We can only follow the signs and check each building one by one."

Lin Jian hurriedly followed, carefully stepping in Shen Xun's footprints. "Shen Xun, what should we do? All these buildings look the same. How long will it take us to find out?" Her tone was somewhat anxious, and her fingertips unconsciously stroked the screen of her phone. The edges of the Polaroid photo were starting to blur, as if they were slowly fading away.

Shen Xun stopped and raised his hand to press down on the peach wood staff. The copper bell on the snake head jingled loudly, and the burning sensation became more and more obvious: "Don't rush, the aura is getting stronger and stronger, it's not far ahead."

These buildings may look the same, but they actually exude subtle differences in their atmosphere. Just follow the guidance of the peach wood staff.” He turned to Lin Jian and instructed, “Put the photo away. Your photo probably won’t last much longer.”

Lin Jian's heart tightened, and he quickly stuffed the photo into his pocket, pressing it tightly, afraid that the photo containing the clue would disappear completely. The two men and their team followed the guidance of the peach wood staff, navigating between similar high-rise buildings. After checking three or four buildings, Shen Xun suddenly stopped. The bronze ornaments on the peach wood staff shook wildly, the scalding heat almost burning his fingertips. "This is it."

The Polaroid camera around Lin Jian's neck seemed to be pulled by something, flying towards the building. Lin Jian used all his strength to barely maintain his balance. His expression turned serious: "This is it."

"This area is shrouded in yin energy, harboring many evil spirits. Only this building has a golden light mixed with a strange, malevolent aura, unlike the other buildings." Shen Xun looked around, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. "This aura is rather strange, it doesn't seem to be naturally formed, but rather as if someone is deliberately trying to mislead us." He turned to Lin Jian and the escort team, instructing them, "You two stay behind me and be careful. The building is not peaceful; it's probably a trap set by someone."

Lin Jian nodded vigorously, clutching his phone even tighter, and followed closely behind Shen Xun, his heart pounding. The escort team member pulled out a baton from his waist, swung it forcefully, and with a "click," extended it three times its original length. He stood vigilantly behind the two, his eyes scanning the surrounding corners in case of any unexpected situation. The three approached the tall building step by step, the soft sound of snow under their feet mingling with the crisp clang of the peach wood cane's brass ornaments, creating a particularly jarring sound.

Just as Shen Xun was about to reach the entrance of the high-rise building, the copper bell on the peach wood staff suddenly stopped shaking. Shen Xun's expression changed slightly, and he stopped abruptly, reaching out to stop Lin Jian and his teammates behind him: "Something's wrong. This 'evil aura' has suddenly become stronger, as if it has been disturbed, but it doesn't seem malicious. It's more like... it's deliberately trying to attract our attention."

He looked up at the entrance of the tall building and saw that the wall at the entrance was covered with blurry and eerie patterns that ordinary people could not see. They were twisted and intertwined, like a tangled ball of fishing line. It was these patterns that exuded that sinister aura.

This was clearly a spell set up by someone. As soon as she finished speaking, a crisp, loud crash suddenly came from inside the high-rise building, as if something had fallen from a great height. The camera that was taut around Lin Jian's neck suddenly plummeted downwards, just like the figure that had fallen from the building outside the window half a year ago. It slammed hard into Lin Jian's chest. Lin Jian instinctively clutched her chest, and the corner of the camera slammed heavily into her hand, leaving a bloody wound.

Lin Jian didn't make a sound. She couldn't even feel any pain. All she could think about now was the clue to her grandfather. The photo in her arms faded completely in an instant, leaving no trace.

While Shen Xun was investigating the high-rise building, Lu Ye had already delivered the 2045 SUV to the repair shop; the owner was an old friend. Upon arrival, they immediately began arranging for people to replace the windows and weld reinforcement plates inside the vehicle. The workers worked together efficiently, making surprisingly fast progress. Lu Ye then drove alone to the relevant department to hand over the handover of the pistol. Even with this race against time, the entire process took nearly two hours.

Lu Ye immediately drove back to the repair shop. As soon as he arrived at the entrance, the owner greeted him: "Captain Lu, the inner steel plates of the car have all been welded. After welding, it needs to cool down for a while. The original damaged parts of the car body have been simply repaired. There's no time to paint now, we'll do that when we get back. We've put some stickers on to cover up the flaws for now. The adhesive for the glass is curing, and it will be completely finished in another half hour at most."

Lu Ye breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Okay, thank you for your hard work. Please speed things up; we have an urgent mission and can't afford any delays." Just then, the phone rang. A team member's voice was urgent; the caller said, "Captain Lu, we've encountered a situation. Brother Shen said someone deliberately set a trap to lure us here!"

Lu Ye's expression changed drastically. He immediately gripped his phone, his tone urgent: "Be careful! Report to me immediately if anything happens! My vehicle repairs will be finished soon, I'll contact you right away!" After hanging up, he shouted to the repair shop workers: "Everyone, speed things up! Faster!"

Meanwhile, on another snow-covered road, Lao Gu was flooring the accelerator, his pickup truck speeding across the deserted, snow-covered road. The wind and snow intensified again, the sky was terrifyingly dark, and the gale seemed poised to lift the pickup truck off the road at any moment. The snow kicked up by the wheels landed on the vehicle and instantly froze into ice flowers by the cold wind. Inside the truck bed, the white deer remained restless, its nostrils flaring as it panted, its breath mingling with the snow and wind, melting into frozen ghosts that wandered aimlessly in the air.

Ao Luya sat in the passenger seat, leaning slightly forward, her eyes fixed on the road ahead, her fingers gripping the armrest tightly until her knuckles turned white, her voice filled with anxiety: "Old Gu, faster! Bai Lu's reaction is getting stronger and stronger, Uncle Linchang, he..." She choked up halfway through her sentence, her eyes filled with worry, fearing that she would see the worst possible outcome when she arrived at the forest farm.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. I'm already going as fast as I can." Old Gu's voice was steady and strong. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and stared intently at the road ahead. "The snow on the road is too slippery. Going any faster would be dangerous and would only waste time. Don't worry, we'll definitely make it."

Sitting in the back seat, Ye Zhuo had already changed into new cold-weather gear. She kept a tight grip on her compound bow, the quiver readily available, and her eyes warily scanned the scenery outside the window. She occasionally glanced at the white deer in the truck bed, her brow furrowing slightly: "The fog is getting thicker."

Ao Luya's heart sank, and a bone-chilling coldness spread from her feet throughout her body. She raised her hand and gently touched the car window, looking at the thick fog outside. She could feel the chill outside with her fingertips and clearly sense that along the way from the Mohe River to the forest farm, there was a strange and intangible ribbon of energy. However, people with keen senses like her and Shen Xun could clearly perceive it.

At this moment, the eerie and malevolent aura in the forest was surging, like a black hole greedily devouring the surrounding evil ribbons. The ribbons fell into the black hole, forming a pool of stagnant water, which continued to spread in all directions. Even the road where they were standing could feel the bone-chilling cold.

"I can feel that the evil aura in the forest is getting stronger and stronger. If it gets any later, the entire forest will probably be swallowed up. At that time, not only will Uncle be in danger, but the nearby villages will also be affected."

Just then, Old Gu suddenly slammed on the brakes, causing the pickup truck to jerk violently. Ao Luya and Ye Zhuo instinctively leaned forward, nearly hitting the seats in front of them. "What happened?" Ao Luya asked anxiously, her eyes widening as she looked ahead, her pupils instantly shrinking.

In the middle of the road ahead, two black SUVs were parked side by side, exactly the same as the cars used by the assassins last time. Like two black behemoths, they blocked their path.

The white deer in the wagon's cargo bed showed increasing terror in its eyes. Ao Luya's heart sank; a sense of foreboding washed over her, and her fingertips trembled slightly: "This is bad, they're with the same group as last time!"

Ye Zhuo gripped the composite bow tightly, his gaze fixed on the two black SUVs, his expression extremely grave: "They're assassins! Old Gu, stay alert and be careful, they're definitely going to ram us."

As soon as she finished speaking, two black SUVs suddenly started up at the same time, their engines emitting a deep roar, their tires crushing the snow and kicking up a cloud of snow. One of them rammed straight into the front of the pickup truck with a fierce and unwavering momentum.

"Hold on tight!" Old Gu shouted, gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands. Using his skillful driving technique, he swerved sharply, and the pickup truck veered towards the roadside. The tires screeched on the snow-covered surface, narrowly avoiding a collision with the SUV. The two vehicles were less than half a meter apart. Snow kicked up by the other vehicle's wheels splashed all over the pickup, startling the white deer in the truck bed into letting out a mournful neigh.

Before they could regain their footing, the SUV that hadn't been hit immediately turned around, its wheels skidding on the snow and kicking up clouds of snow. It then started chasing after the pickup truck from behind, its engine roaring more and more rapidly, clearly intending to ram it from behind and force the pickup to stop.

Meanwhile, another SUV that was originally blocking the middle of the road quickly started and rushed toward the side of the pickup truck. The two vehicles, one on the left and one on the right, formed a pincer movement, intending to force the pickup truck into the snow ditch by the roadside.

Ao Luya gripped the handrail tightly, her body swaying violently with the pickup truck's movements. Her eyes were filled with anxiety and worry: "Old Gu, this can't go on. They're trying to force us to stop and then surround us! It's getting more and more dangerous at the forest farm."

Ye Zhuo didn't panic. She leaned out of the car window, her eyes fixed on the SUV chasing behind, and quickly drew her composite bow, aiming the arrow at the SUV's wheels. Her tone was sharp: "Old Gu, find a way to stabilize the car. I'll force them back!"

Before she finished speaking, she released the bowstring, and the arrow shot out like a bolt from a bow, accurately hitting the left front wheel of the SUV behind her. The moment the carbon fiber arrow pierced the tire, the SUV lost its balance, rolled on the slippery snowy road, and crashed into the tree trunk by the roadside. The hood was violently bulged, emitting puffs of white smoke.

In an instant, the car door opened, and two assassins in black jumped out. They paused for a moment, then raised their crossbows and aimed at Ye Zhuo, firing. Upon seeing this, Ye Zhuo immediately retreated back into the car. Two sharp whistles brushed past the car window and disappeared into the thick fog ahead.

The remaining SUV continued its relentless pursuit, still hurtling towards the side of the pickup truck. Just as they were about to collide, Old Gu's eyes narrowed. He jerked the steering wheel with one hand, frantically maneuvered the gearshift with the other, and simultaneously slammed on the accelerator. The pickup truck instantly executed a beautiful drift.

The truck tilted violently, and the white deer in the truck bed completely lost its balance. Half of its body suddenly jutted out of the truck bed, its front hooves kicking wildly, and it looked like it was about to fall onto the snowy road! Ao Luya's heart tightened. The sinister aura from the direction of the forest farm suddenly surged a few more times, and the uncle's breath grew weaker and weaker. Completely unaware of the murderous intent behind her, she roared and disregarded the danger, immediately climbing to the back seat.

He leaned half his body out of the car, his fingertips reaching out towards the white deer, with only one thought in his mind: the white deer must not be harmed. It is the forest farm's warning sign and the hope to save the uncle. He was only an inch away from the white deer's neck hair, and he was about to grab it.

Just as her fingertips were about to touch the white deer's fur, she suddenly heard two sharp "whoosh" sounds. Two crossbow bolts, accompanied by a cold wind, shot precisely at her face and chest from the off-road vehicle that was chasing her from behind!

At this moment, half of her body was hanging outside the carriage, one hand reaching out to grab the white deer, while the other hand had nowhere to grab it. She had no room to dodge, and before she could even react, the crossbow bolt was already right in front of her. Life and death were just a thought away.