Passerby: Secret Image of Ancient Scrolls

The swarm of drones approached the floor where the flashlights were shining.

A burst of light illuminated the dark skyscrapers as if it were daytime, and the dark tide leading to the opposite building was cut in two. Illuminated by the strong light, the tide fell to the ground, only to be dispersed by the wind before it even hit the ground.

The drone had reached the broken window on the fifth floor when the laughter in the stairwell suddenly stopped. The evil tide seemed to have been poured into a pot of oil, causing it to boil and emit black steam.

The edge of the tide began to recede, and the remaining water surged and converged into a massive torrent that rushed downstairs like a thousand horses galloping. The invisible force of the converging waters even made the stairwell tremble.

The moment the evil tide left the fifth floor, Lu Ye and his team were fully awake. Lu Ye yelled "Oh no!" and immediately climbed out the window, shouting down, "That thing is heading towards you! Quickly lower the drone!"

The noise from the dozens of drones was too loud for the two to hear. They only saw Lu Ye waving and saying something from the window, and assumed that the drone rescue had worked. The two became excited.

"Quickly call them and tell them that thing has gone down to find them," Lu Ye said immediately, and the team members immediately took out their phones to call back.

The phone rang downstairs. The boy calmly operated the remote control with one hand and took out his cell phone from his pocket with the other to answer the call.

Just then, the sound of shattering glass came from in front of the building entrance. The window of the SUV that had crashed into the door had been shattered by the evil tide. The two people downstairs turned around and were immediately shocked.

A faint black aura followed the dark building and rushed towards them.

Suddenly, a chill rose from the bottom of my heart. It wasn't cold, but a tremor in my soul, which arose directly from within my body, filling my beating heart and traveling along my blood vessels to every part of my body.

The van's glass shattered into pieces in an instant. The balding middle-aged man's lips twitched. The black tide swirled around them, attempting to invade the boy operating the drone, but failed. It was using desire as a fulcrum to pry open any loose heart.

The boy had no desires; he simply wanted to fly drones well. He was the only one here with absolutely no distractions. He came here only because Lu Ye had brought him into the company. It was Lu Ye who transformed him from a delinquent on the verge of dropping out of school into a single-minded drone pilot. He had to come.

The black tide then began to swirl rapidly around the balding middle-aged man. A moment later, he started to laugh maniacally. His hands began to furiously type on the keyboard, faster and faster, until finally he slammed his hands down on the monitor screen.

The screen shattered into countless pieces. His two hands instantly pierced through the screen, dripping blood, and the evil tide surged wildly into the wounds, making the eerie laughter even more urgent and louder.

The fifty-odd drones stopped moving instantly, hovering outside the fifth-floor windows, shining their light into the corridor onto the empty puppet-like structures.

The boy's scalp tingled; his heart felt frozen and beginning to crack. His phone shattered on the ground with a sharp crack, one hand clutching his chest, struggling to breathe, on the verge of suffocation. His other hand remained firmly gripping the remote control to prevent the drone from going out of control.

"Come with me, go down and bring them up." Lu Ye's voice was frighteningly calm.

Rapid footsteps echoed in the hallway as everyone rushed downstairs.

Several beams of white light shot out from the building entrance, rapidly approaching the bread cart.

"Those bastards are nothing special. Shine the light on them. Monkey, keep an eye on Xiao Bu. The rest of you, keep an eye on President Li. He's completely out of control."

Several beams of white light instantly struck the two men, and Lu Ye and his team had already arrived in front of the bread truck. Under the light, the evil tide dispersed in all directions, then surged back towards the team members.

They roam where the light doesn't reach, seeking every gap to harass and erode people's minds.

The team members started chuckling, but were then swayed by the bright light shone from their teammates to calm their nerves.

"Monkey, take him up first, and keep an eye on the remote control, make sure it doesn't fall," Lu Ye said.

The monkey agreed, grabbed Xiaobu's arm with one hand, and held the remote control with the other. It half-pushed and half-pulled him quickly toward the building entrance.

After Xiao Bu left the bread truck's vicinity, the bone-chilling cold vanished without a trace, and the monkey quickly ran up to the brightly lit fifth floor illuminated by the drone swarm.

"Grab his hands and feet, control his neck, don't let him bite! Use the baton to restrain him."

Lu Ye immediately pulled out his baton and rushed forward, and the team members immediately did the same.

Mr. Li suddenly jumped out of the car window, climbed onto the roof, and kept laughing at everyone.

"Surround him, don't let him get away. Watch out for those things attacking from behind, cross-guard!" Lu Ye shouted.

The team members immediately surrounded the bread truck in a defensive formation.

The evil tide surged in time and again, but thanks to the team members' vigilance, it was never able to take over their minds.

Mr. Li's laughter suddenly stopped, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. He looked into the darkness in the distance, then leaped down, landing directly on one of his team members' shoulders.

The team member immediately swung his baton with all his might, striking Mr. Li squarely in the leg. Mr. Li didn't hesitate for a moment; after knocking down the team member, he dashed into the darkness. The evil current still swirled around him, like the mysterious and beautiful rings of Saturn deeply embedded in his hands.

"Get in the car, shine the flashlight on him, and chase after him."

Before he finished speaking, Lu Ye had already gotten into the van, turned the key and started the vehicle, and the other team members quickly took their positions and closed the doors.

The van's tires spun wildly in place, billowing white smoke. After a moment of skidding, it darted off, its headlights fixed on the fleeing CEO Li. CEO Li's movements slowed abruptly, and the Saturn ring in his hand began to slowly emerge, splitting into several strands that swirled around him.

Just then, a buzzing sound came from overhead, and the rescue drone swiftly rushed in front of Mr. Li, blocking his path. Under the powerful illumination of the car headlights and the drone, the swirling evil tide gradually began to solidify, emitting black smoke as it dissipated.

Like water that has been boiled dry and evaporates into the air.

Mr. Li suddenly stopped, motionless, and slowly turned around. His eyes were already swallowed by the darkness, blending into the night. His lips twitched again. A strange, chuckling laugh once more drifted through the night.

Before the eerie laughter subsided, Lu Ye slowly raised his head and felt the chill. It wasn't coming from President Li, but from the top of his head.

From the window of the building across the street, a torrent of black liquid poured down like a waterfall, as if someone had splashed a basin of ink from the sky. It slammed into the drone's propellers, causing them to shake violently and the drone itself to sway. The lights began to flicker, one after another, like candle flames about to be extinguished by the wind.

He didn't know how much longer the drone could last.

All he knew was that the light could not be extinguished. If it were extinguished, everything would be gone.

Ye Zhu saw the firelight, the firelight in the eyes of a wild beast. She turned her head away from the beast, gripped the steering wheel tightly with both hands and spun it wildly, her foot pressed hard on the accelerator.

She tried to throw the beast off the car, but it clung tightly to the window, its grotesque face still snapping at her.

She suddenly swerved to the left, and the Pikachu sped off into the woods on the left. The hidden assassin stared at the rapidly approaching Pikachu, began to crouch low and slowly retreat, but kept his crossbow locked on tightly.

Just as the pickup truck was about to crash into the woods, Ye Zhuo, with his neck stiffened, quickly turned the steering wheel sharply to the right. Caught off guard, the beast slammed into a tree trunk and crashed to the ground with a loud bang. The pickup truck door was even pulled off by the beast.

The pickup truck stumbled, its two left tires already off the ground, and it veered to the right. The next second it would either overturn or crash into the wooden house in front of it. If it crashed into the wooden house, at the current speed, the simple wooden house would be smashed open, and the people inside would be crushed into meat patties.

A chill ran down her spine. She made a swift decision: he stood up and leaned out of the car, his right leg outstretched and firmly on the brake, the steering wheel swung madly to the left. The wheels locked onto the snow, carving two black, deathly arcs that ended precisely at the cabin.

A series of screeching brakes echoed through the dark forest. The pickup truck finally came to a stop, only half a meter away from the cabin.

Ye Zhu rolled over, dissipating the impact of inertia as he tumbled onto the snow, and immediately pounded on the wooden door, shouting for it to open.

The beast stood up and shook itself. Its scales rustled loudly, and the flames in its eyes seemed to burn everything, including itself.

It slowly shoved the car door it was clutching tightly into its mouth and began to tear at it with its two rows of human teeth.

The car window frame had been bitten in two by human teeth, twisting and stretching into the night sky.

The hidden assassin stopped in his tracks, too afraid to move. At that moment, only he and the creature were outside.

He couldn't make a sound, he couldn't even breathe.

Yes. I can't breathe, and I'm unable to breathe.

His lungs were blocked, blocked by fear, and not a single breath of air could get in.

He had killed many people before. But now, he knew that this time, he was the one to be killed.

He saw that the thing that had just been his companion had turned its head towards him, baring its two rows of white teeth. The two flames in its eye sockets were now burning towards him.

Aim, fire, cock, aim, fire, cock, aim, fire...

Before the third crossbow bolt could be fired, he suddenly realized he could breathe again. He was overjoyed, so happy. He could finally breathe again. His blocked throat was completely clear; the suffocation he had felt earlier was gone.

His hand fell limply, swaying gently like soft moonlight spreading across the water, yet the crossbow remained in his grasp. His other hand reached for his waist, intending to draw a dagger. His hand had already touched the hilt.

Just one more step.

He could then pull out the dagger and stab it into the damned monster's chest.

Just one more step.

That's all that's missing.

a bit.

He saw the dark night sky moving, with stars shining and the Milky Way flowing, before it faded into darkness.

The beast stopped in front of the wooden door, released the killer it was holding, and a dull thud sounded as it landed, followed by a strong smell of blood. Ye Zhuo had smelled it many times before, but never as strong as this time.

Ao Luya's bell had stopped ringing. She slowly exhaled, and the uncle lying on the bed opened his eyes and began to cough violently.

The white deer stood beside Ao Luya, quietly watching her.

Ye Zhuo had already entered the wooden house, and together with Lao Gu, they knocked down a large wardrobe to block the doorway.

The bound assassin was huddled in the corner, his face hidden in the darkness. The dim candlelight in the room made it impossible to see his face clearly.

A loud bang was heard, followed by the sound of a monster knocking on the door. A dark red liquid seeped into the room through the crack in the door, shimmering in the flickering candlelight.

Old Gu shuddered and stepped back against the wall.

"Watch out!" Ye Zhuo pulled Old Gu back.

"There's a bear trap on the wall, are you out of your mind?"

Old Gu then turned around and saw that Ye Zhuo had seen the animal trap on the wall as soon as he entered the wooden house, but had not noticed it even though he had been there for so long.

"The uncle is alright for now. We'll take him to the town hospital as soon as we get through this ordeal."

"Cough cough, it's not a bad person, it's a guardian spirit," the uncle lying on the bed coughed and spoke up.

"Squeak..." Suddenly, the sound of fingernails scraping against glass came from outside the window, one scratch after another, seemingly mocking the old man. It heard the conversation inside the room clearly.

Ye Zhuo immediately raised his dagger and hid behind the wall by the window, signaling to Lao Gu, then turned and pointed at the animal trap on the wall. Lao Gu immediately understood and slowly moved closer to the wall.

Ao Luya looked out the window and sighed. She knew that nothing outside would break in now; tigers in the Greater Khingan Mountains would tease their prey before eating it. Ao Luya picked up the thermos on the table, poured a cup of hot water, and helped the uncle sit up so he could slowly drink some.

The man felt a little better after drinking water; his cough wasn't as severe, but he was still very weak and his voice was trembling.

"I have a terminal illness, and I know I don't have many days left to live. Today I saw my mother standing by my bedside, trying to take me away. I know she wants me to be with her. Cough cough..."

The fingernails started scratching again, this time with a rapid, screeching sound.

Suddenly, a beast's claw pierced through and shattered the glass, creating a hole in the wooden planks sealing the window.

Everyone's hearts seemed to be gripped tightly by the sharp scraping sound. Old Gu's hand holding the animal trap trembled and almost slipped out of his grasp. The white deer suddenly turned its head, its eyes fixed on the claw.

The evil current rushed straight towards Xiulian through the broken window of the building opposite.

Strangely, they did not dissipate upon encountering fresh air, unlike the evil tide in Shen Xun's building.

They are not afraid of the wind. They only chase after Xiulian.

The golden shadow continued to coil and swirl around Xiulian, round and round. Xiulian's figure had begun to slowly become transparent, and the areas not covered by the golden shadow became transparent even faster.

Her arms were fading, her shoulders were fading, her face was fading. She was disappearing. The continuous, growing closer and closer came the sounds of laughter.

The air was filled with the smell of rotting silt from the bottom of the river, as if something was crawling out from very, very deep.

"Go to the top floor, that's where we're looking for. I'll activate the golden light shield again." Shen Xun's voice was very low. His thumb pressed against the snake fang again, and this time the golden blood he offered was tinged with a pale red, indicating that his power of reincarnation was almost exhausted.

As he rapidly chanted incantations, golden-red streaks of blood extending outwards, Shen Xun crouched down and swiftly drew lines on the ground with his fingers. The cracked golden light shield reappeared, this time much fainter. The golden light shield enveloped the three of them and Xiu Lian.

"Hurry up!" The group continued running upwards without stopping. A dark, surging tide was already pouring in through the windows, densely packed and slowly swirling around the golden light barrier.

The slowly rotating vortex seemed to be pulling the entire golden light shield down to the bottom of the river, plunging it back into the illusion of the primordial spirit. Faceless figures desperately tried to squeeze into the cracks in the golden light shield, which grew larger and larger, until writhing empty faces could be faintly seen through the gaps inside the shield.

They're laughing. Hehe, hehe, hehehehehe.

Shen Xun shouted and exerted force with his hand. The staff was now a golden-red color, and the gaps in the golden light shield began to slowly repair and merge.

Lin Jian, her voice trembling with tears, cried out, "What do we do? They keep coming! We have to get to the top floor faster." The team member's palms were already drenched in cold sweat. He suddenly stopped, his tone resolute, "My life was saved by Captain Lu. Without him, I would have died long ago. Now that what Captain Lu has arranged is already so difficult, I'll stay here and distract them. You guys go to the top floor."

"Shut up!" Shen Xun roared, suddenly spitting out a mouthful of blood. The golden light shield, splattered with tiny golden-red blood droplets, repaired its cracks somewhat. He didn't turn around, continuing to walk upwards.

"Take the candied fruit out of my pocket and pour it into my mouth. Don't cause me any trouble. Lin Jian, you hold him back. If we're going to die, we'll all die together." The team member paused for a moment, then didn't say anything more. He quickly walked behind Shen Xun and reached into his coat pocket. There were two packets on each side, four packets in total. He quickly tore open the packaging, walked up to Shen Xun, and poured an entire packet of hawthorn candied fruit into Shen Xun's blood-stained mouth.

Shen Xun chewed as he walked, a trace of color returning to his pale face. The cracks opened and closed intermittently as Shen Xun and the evil tide clashed. "Keep falling," the team member obeyed again. The evil tide continued to surge in, growing larger and faster.

The cracks in the cover had begun to disintegrate uncontrollably. Shen Xun swallowed the chewed dried fruit again. A new packet was poured into his mouth, the overwhelming sweet and sour taste had numbed his sense of taste, and a surge of acid in his stomach almost made him vomit, but he managed to hold it back.

The golden shadow was still circling over Xiulian, whose lower body was already transparent, with nothing below her waist.

She was still going upstairs. She was going home. Her home was in that room on the top floor.

Those featureless faces were pressed against the golden light shield, squeezed into the cracks, and laughing.

He poured the fourth packet of dried fruit into his mouth. Shen Xun couldn't chew anymore; he was just swallowing. The sweet and sour juice mixed with blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.

His face wasn't deathly pale, it was ashen. He had almost bled to death, and the color of the staff had changed from golden red to dark red, like blood that was about to congeal.

The cracks on the golden shield were denser than the patterns, and it would shatter in the next second.

An empty face had crawled in; it had no eyes, no nose, no mouth, but it was smiling. It tried to burrow into Lin Jian's wound, into the team members' ears, into Xiu Lian's disappearing body. The team members swung their batons, scattering it, but another one crawled in, and another.

He couldn't finish. The cracks grew wider and wider, and the empty faces multiplied.

Just moments before the golden light shield was about to shatter, the onslaught suddenly lessened. The empty faces clinging to the shield began to shrink back, and those squeezed into the cracks began to retreat outwards.

The swirling tides slowed down, as if something was pulling them back.

The rate at which the cracks were breaking down slowed down. Shen Xun swallowed the last bite of dried fruit in his mouth, and golden blood seeped out from the spiritual mark, dripping onto the still cracked lines. The cracks began to slowly close.

The team members continued to swing their batons, scattering the empty faces that hadn't yet retreated.

He heard it. It wasn't laughter, it was the sound of rotors.

There are many drones.

It came up from downstairs, seeped in through those broken windows, and was mixed with the wind.

Shen Xun gripped the peach wood staff and gasped for breath.

He couldn't stop. At this moment, he could feel an extremely familiar aura coming from the room on the top floor. Lin Jian's eyes suddenly widened, as if he had sensed something.