Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

"Turn left quickly!" Ye Zhuo's shout pierced the cold wind as two crossbow bolts approached Ao Luya's face in an instant.

Half of her body was hanging outside the pickup truck, one hand reaching out to grab the white deer, the other hand gripping the edge of the door tightly. She had completely lost her balance and had no room to dodge. The shadow of an arrow was reflected in her eyes, and her pupils shrank. She was powerless to dodge.

At the critical moment, Ye Zhuo leaned forward in the car, grabbed Ao Luya's coat with his right hand, and pulled her with all his might to prevent her from falling out of the car window, while his left hand firmly gripped the back of the seat to stabilize himself.

At the same time, "Hold on tight!" Old Gu shouted, jerking the steering wheel sharply while slamming on the accelerator. The pickup truck skidded violently on the snowy road, its body almost at a 45-degree angle to the ground.

Two crossbow bolts were suddenly deflected by the vehicle turning around. One was bounced off the roof and embedded heavily in the snow by the roadside, while the other went straight through the gap in the white deer's antlers, pierced the fireproof plate stuck to the rear window, and then flew out of the pickup truck's windshield through a small hole before falling to the ground on the road ahead with a "thud".

Old Gu immediately got goosebumps, his palms were sweating profusely, and his hands were so slippery that he could hardly control the steering wheel. But he pressed the accelerator harder, not daring to relax for a moment.

Ao Lu desperately clung to the white deer's neck fur in the wagon bed, and used its own body to hold the wagon bed's side panel tightly, so it didn't fall out. The white breath that rushed out of its nostrils shattered Ao Luya's heart.

Despite the blizzard raging and filling her throat, Ao Luya shouted loudly in Evenki to the white deer, "Lie flat on the ground, hold on tight to the truck bed, and don't lift your head!" After shouting, she immediately turned to Ye Zhuo and yelled, "Quickly pull me back into the truck!" Ye Zhuo didn't dare to delay, increased the force with his hands, and braced his feet firmly against the side of the passenger seat back before finally pulling Ao Luya back into the truck.

Ao Luya's chest heaved violently as she gasped for breath. A bloody gash ran down her cheek from the friction of the car body, and the wind and snow that had entered her throat made her want to vomit, but she couldn't care less. Through the car window, she shouted loudly for Bai Lu to lie down.

While the pickup truck's skid allowed Aoluya to dodge the deadly crossbow bolts, it came at a price. The truck's speed plummeted, its previously rapid advance abruptly halted, and the vehicle swayed slightly. Old Gu gripped the steering wheel tightly, struggling to stabilize the car, his voice grave: "They're catching up!"

Ye Zhuo turned around and peered out the back window. His gaze swept over the car behind him, and his heart sank: the car that had just had a flat tire was now far behind, disappearing into the snowstorm, and the two assassins had already begun to take out their tools to change the spare tire.

"The other one is catching up!" Before the words were even finished, a piercing engine roar came from behind. The intact black SUV sped up like a hungry wolf, seemingly about to devour the pickup truck. The heat waves from the engine slapped against the rear of the pickup truck as it drew closer and closer.

Ao Luya's voice was full of anxiety, "The white deer is terrified. The truck bed is too bumpy. If it keeps struggling like this, it will fall off the truck sooner or later!" As soon as she finished speaking, there was a loud "bang". The off-road vehicle behind them crashed into the truck bed of the pickup truck. The truck bed shook violently. The white deer was shaken and instantly sprang to its feet. Its front hooves almost lost their footing. It let out a sharp screech and its eyes were full of fear.

Old Gu gritted his teeth and kept a firm grip on the steering wheel, slamming on the gas pedal in an attempt to create some distance. However, after the pickup truck had drifted and slowed down, it was difficult to accelerate again. The off-road vehicle continued to follow closely, ramming the truck bed every few seconds. The sound of the impact was particularly jarring in the silent snow. The truck bed's side panels were deformed from the impact and could fall off at any moment.

"No, they're sticking too tight! Think of something!" Old Gu roared, seemingly trying to find a way out with his shout, but he couldn't shake off the leech clinging to him.

Ye Zhuo quickly drew back her composite bow and aimed at the front of the SUV, but because the two vehicles were too close and the vehicle was constantly bumping, she was unable to lock onto the target. Her tone was sharp: "Old Gu, try to keep the vehicle stable. I'll find an opportunity to shoot their wheels!" But the SUV driver was very cunning. After each collision, he would quickly adjust his direction and always stay behind the pickup truck, just avoiding Ye Zhuo's shooting angle, making it difficult for her to shoot.

Even more unsettling, the passenger window of the SUV slowly rolled down, and a black-clad assassin leaned out. The tip of his crossbow gleamed eerily, signaling the relentless, high-speed chase through the blizzard. His gaze was fixed on the white deer in the truck bed, but all he could see were its two antlers and the occasional flick of its head.

His fingertip was already on the trigger, waiting for the opportunity to arise.

"Not good! They're going to shoot the white deer!" Ye Zhuo's pupils shrank sharply as he warned, and at the same time, he drew his composite bow again and shot it at the assassin who was peering out the window. However, the assassin quickly retreated back into the car to avoid it, and the arrow grazed the car window and disappeared into the thick fog in the distance.

Ao Luya had made up her mind: "No, I have to get into the truck bed and stabilize the white deer!" She suddenly looked up, her eyes resolute, and shouted to Lao Gu and Ye Zhuo, "You two stabilize the truck, I'll climb into the truck bed and protect the white deer, otherwise something bad will definitely happen to it!"

"No! It's too dangerous!" Ye Zhuo immediately stopped him, his tone urgent. "The two vehicles are so close now, the other side could shoot at any moment. If you climb into the truck bed, you'll be a sitting duck, and you could easily fall off!" Old Gu quickly echoed, struggling to steer and avoid another impact while shouting, "Ao Luya, wait a bit longer! Bai Lu is crouching low now; they can't find an angle to shoot!"

But Ao Luya no longer cared about the danger. The white deer was the tribe's guardian deity, and she would rather die herself than let anything happen to the white deer.

Her voice was choked with emotion, but unusually firm: "We can't wait any longer! The truck bed can't completely block the white deer, what if..." Before she could finish speaking, the SUV behind them crashed into them again, the pickup truck shook violently, and the tailgate of the truck bed became even looser.

Ao Luya tightened her grip on the car door, and just as she was about to lean out, Shen Xun was stepping into a pre-laid trap amidst the old high-rise buildings on the outskirts of the city.

In the old high-rise buildings on the outskirts of the city, the cold wind blew along the mottled walls, and the entire complex was shrouded in a lifeless chill.

Shen Xun stood at the entrance of the tall building, his fingertips resting on the snake head of the peach wood staff, his aura as solid and iron-like as ever. Behind him, Lin Jian and his team members stared intently at their surroundings, afraid of missing any movement, and remained equally vigilant.

"That sound just now came from a high place." Shen Xun's voice was very soft, but it clearly reached the ears of the two of them. "It sounded like something fell to the ground from a high place." "Clap...clap..." The door was slammed against the wall by the wind again and again, which was the death knell for Shen Xun and his companions.

He looked up into the dark stairwell, where there were no lights, only an aura of decay and coldness that emanated from the darkness and enveloped them.

Lin Jian subconsciously took half a step closer to Shen Xun: "Then...shall we go in?"

Shen Xun did not answer immediately.

He took off his sunglasses, revealing eyes that gleamed with a faint golden light that stood out starkly in the darkness. His gaze pierced the darkness and landed in the direction of the stairwell.

There was a distorted aura there, as if it had been deliberately nailed there. It had a trace of familiarity, yet it was entangled by a very faint layer of evil energy, like a tangled mess that could not be untangled.

"These talismans at the entrance are very strange. The building is filled with evil energy, and there is more than one evil spirit inside. If you rush in, I'm afraid I won't be able to protect you two."

Shen Xun put his sunglasses back on and popped a hawthorn preserve into his mouth. He leaned on his peachwood staff, lightly traced the snake's fangs with his fingers, and released a drop of gilded blood. The crimson in the blood had mostly faded, leaving only a faint red.

He stood at the entrance, his fingertips resting on the copper bell, eyes closed, concentrating on sensing every fluctuation of the aura within the building. The aura emanating from the talismans was like an invisible net, covering the entire corridor, each "thread" connecting to the deeper darkness.

Forcibly breaking in will only trigger them.

His fingertip slipped from the copper bell, hovering in mid-air, and the drop of golden blood hung below his fingertip, neither falling nor dissipating.

He closed his eyes, murmuring an ancient incantation, his voice as soft as wind rustling through pine needles, barely audible to Lin Jian, who was closest to him. Golden blood began to change at his fingertips.

It wasn't melting, it was growing. It slowly unfurled, transforming into an extremely fine golden thread that flowed down his fingertips and landed on the tip of the peach wood staff. The moment the staff tip touched the ground, the golden thread seemed to come alive, spreading outwards along the ground.

Shen Xun slowly crouched down, his fingertips pressing on the ground, guiding the direction of the golden threads. He drew winding, intricate runes. Each stroke was steady and precise, as if measured a thousand times. The golden threads meandered on the ground, slowly converging to form a complete light shield.

"It's done." Shen Xun breathed a sigh of relief. "The aura within the formation won't leak out, and the things inside the building won't be able to detect us."

"Stay close to me, don't leave the golden light's range, and turn on your flashlight." The darkness inside the building was like thick ink, instantly engulfing the three of them.

Lin Jian turned on his phone's flashlight, but the pale beam was trapped inside the glass lens. It had absolutely no effect.

At this moment, the team member nudged Lin Jian to signal him to turn off his phone flashlight, and took out a high-powered flashlight from the tactical vest and turned it on.

A blinding white light shot out from the flashlight, but in the pitch-black stairwell, it tore open a gap of less than a meter. This was the most powerful flashlight on the market; elsewhere, it could illuminate a large area far away.

On the mottled wall, large chunks of plaster have peeled off, revealing the original cement underneath.

The dense, eerie runes were revealed, and this time even the team members could see them clearly.

Lin Jian didn't dare to breathe loudly, gripping the camera tightly with both hands and following closely behind Shen Xun.

The team member's Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily as he swallowed.

The smell in the air suggested that someone had burned something here long ago. The team members gripped their batons and high-powered flashlights tightly, walking at the back, glancing back every now and then, as if something was watching them from behind.

Shen Xun's steps were steady; his peachwood cane tapped on the cement floor, producing a crisp sound that echoed through the empty corridor. The snake-headed copper bell occasionally trembled slightly, and with each tremor, Shen Xun's brows furrowed a little more.

He could clearly sense that the aura was the same as the snake pattern on the wooden box that Lin Jianbang left for Lin Jian, and that it was Lin Jianbang's handiwork.

However, the eerie aura emanating from the strange talismans covering the walls was of the same lineage as Su Jin's.

"The sound was crisp, so it shouldn't have been loud. The only place that could have fallen from such a height is the stairwell." Shen Xun stopped at the entrance of the stairwell, but was blocked by a tightly locked metal door.

The team members gestured to forcefully break through, but Shen Xun shook his head: "The atmosphere here is extremely strange, with several mysterious auras intertwined and interwoven. I don't know what other dangers might lurk. I haven't recovered yet, so let's not alert them." The team members nodded and remained silent.

At this moment, a pale white tall hat rose from Shen Xun's back, and his twin ponytails seemed to float in the air without weight; it was Bai Wuchang (White Impermanence).

"Shen Xun, this door has been enchanted. It has a chaotic aura that is the same as mine, mixed with a bit of Lin Jian's Polaroid aura. The two have intertwined and merged into one." After saying that, he immediately shrunk back into his pocket.

Shen Xun nodded: "That's right, I felt it too."

Lin Jian's heart tightened. He immediately said, "The scent of a camera... that's right, try taking a picture with an instant camera and see if there are any clues."

As he spoke, he immediately raised the Polaroid camera hanging around his neck with both hands, his fingers already on the shutter button.

"Wait," Shen Xun said in a deep voice, "Let me strengthen the golden light shield. If there is any unusual movement, the aura will not be able to escape transmission, and Su Jin will definitely not notice."

Lin Jian suppressed his anxiety and nodded.

Shen Xun gripped the snake's head even tighter, and the golden blood from Linghen's offering slowly spread across the snake's head, gradually enveloping the entire head.

The golden light grew stronger and denser, seemingly forming a solid entity that even a powerful flashlight could not penetrate.

"We can start filming now," Shen Xun said.

The team members held their breath, their eyes slightly narrowed, seemingly with a hint of anticipation, yet also a touch of fear.

"Click."

The flash went off with a sudden burst of white light.

The photographic paper disappeared from Lin Jian's pocket, then slowly reappeared from the camera body. Lin Jian reached out and caught it tightly in his hands.

As the photographic image slowly developed, it revealed a line of dark red text, clearly written in blood, obviously some years ago. Bloodstains still clung to the lower edge of the text, but now they suddenly began to slowly slide down, as if it had just been written.

"Lin Jian, use your key to open this door and go to the top floor. The key to the top floor room is behind the door. Guardian of Reincarnation, the building is extremely dangerous, infested with countless undead and evil spirits. Be careful. You will find out the answer when you reach the top floor."

The tears that had been welling up in Lin Jian's eyes could no longer be held back and burst forth.

Lin Jian took out the bunch of keys from his bag, found the old-fashioned key that he had never used before, inserted it into the lock, and slowly turned it.

The commotion behind the door intensified instantly, and the darkness in the air became incredibly thick. Shen Xun remained silent, standing firmly, and tightened his grip on the peach wood staff in his hand.

The team members were panting heavily, their thumbnails digging into their flesh. They held their batons up in front of them for protection, and their high-powered flashlights were fixed on the door. They were prepared to face anything at any moment.

Suddenly, a faint crack appeared on Shen Xun's golden light shield, and a series of "sizzling" sounds rose and fell. In an instant, the number of cracks increased more than tenfold.

A loud "bang" came from behind, and the last glimmer of light outside the door disappeared completely, leaving the building in absolute darkness.

The door to the building suddenly slammed shut and locked. The eerie runes on the mottled walls began to turn blood red, slowly flowing and merging across the entire surface. Boundless and endless, the blood-red runes began to drip, their pattering sounds merging into the endless darkness.

It couldn't make a sound.

The cracks covered with golden light resembled ice crystals frozen on a crystal ball, shimmering with a faint golden light, like scattered stars.

The three people under the stars remained silent. The copper bell under the snake's head continued to shake violently, but it made no sound.

White light pierced through the crack in the door, illuminating surging shadows.

The door creaked open, and a blurry figure slowly slid out. The pale light of a flashlight shone on the thing, and it darted back in with a "whoosh."

Immediately afterwards, the door began to shake violently, dust falling in clumps, which were then frozen in mid-air by the white light.

"clang."

That was the sound of Lin Jian's key hitting the ground.

It's a sound; there's a sound now.