I buried the gods in the restricted area.

Two hundred years ago, a large number of blood-red stone tablets broke through the ground, and countless cities collapsed, turning into eerie forbidden zones.

No one knows the true reason for the existence of these forbidden zones. All that is known is that once one steps into them, common sense vanishes, the landscape distorts, and order collapses. Monsters, evil spirits, and even the rules themselves—every terror that humanity has ever conceived of can find its physical form in these forbidden zones.

Some speculate that the source of the forbidden zone, possessing such incredible power, may lie in the legendary gods.

With the emergence of forbidden zones, the rules of the world seem to be changing as well. In the past two hundred years, a large number of supernatural entities have emerged both inside and outside the forbidden zones, and the most undeniable of them are the forbidden sequences.

The so-called forbidden sequence is a collective term for creations cursed by power. They often possess the ability to shake reality, while also emitting a pollution that erodes the soul. Once they appear or are unsealed, the [Bodhi], which is also a forbidden sequence, will drop leaves of different colors as a warning.

The only bodhi seeds that can be marked with the word "awakening" and also have black leaves falling are likely to be S-grade active forbidden sequences.

"Red text?"

Upon hearing his assistant's words, Qin Zhen frowned, his already prominent forehead wrinkles deepening. He didn't know much about Bodhi, but he did know that the writing on the fallen leaves of Bodhi was always black, never any other color.

"To be precise, it is blood-red script."

The assistant's expression was serious. "The people at headquarters said they smelled a very strong odor of blood on the leaves."

"What does this mean?"

"have no idea."

"have no idea……"

Qin Zhen slowly exhaled a breath of stale air, put the half-extinguished cigarette in his mouth, and solemnly picked up the confidential documents on the table.

Clearly, the document contained all the information about the newly awakened forbidden sequence.

[Forbidden Sequence: S-? ? ? Awakened]

[Codename (tentative): Crimson Script]

Threat Level: Unknown

[Description: The target appears as an ordinary young male, with unknown abilities. He typically appears in professions related to death, including but not limited to gravediggers, epigraphers, and corpse collectors. This phenomenon lacks a clear pattern and has no strong logical correlation with region or time.]

[Containment Procedures: The use of any form of containment procedure is strictly prohibited.]

[Execution Plan: Activation of any form of execution contingency plan is strictly prohibited]

[Note 1: The target disregards standard restricted area rules and has the ability to freely enter and exit restricted areas.]

[Note 2: Under normal circumstances, the target demonstrates complete communication skills and independent logical thinking. Their cognitive model of themselves and the external world has been anchored and stabilized within the framework of "normal reality".]

[Note 3: Target cognition has a certain self-deceptive mechanism, which can spontaneously integrate and interpret observed abnormal phenomena as events that conform to the logic of "normal reality". This mechanism is the core element for maintaining the current cognitive homeostasis of the target.]

[Note 4: Once the target's cognitive framework is impacted or disturbed by abnormal information, it may enter an unknown state defined as "awakening." The causes, specific manifestations, scope, and final outcome of this state are all unpredictable.]

[Warning: All contact with the target must adhere to the principle of minimal intervention. Any information delivered must be consistent with their current cognitive framework, and the awakening process must be delayed as much as possible.]

"Unacceptable, unexecution..."

The document contained little information, but Qin Zhen spent a full five minutes reading it before finally putting it down. He didn't rush to express his opinion but instead looked up at his assistant.

"What does 'headquarters' mean?"

The assistant, who had been standing quietly in front of the desk, replied, "Headquarters would like to ask for the boss's opinion."

"Ask me?"

"It's not just the leader, but also the heads of several cities including Liuyue, Yinxing, Jiangbei, and Chuyun. According to the information provided by Bodhi, the awakening location of this forbidden sequence is very likely in the surrounding area of ​​these cities."

Qin Zhen understood.

Headquarters wants the leaders to make their own choices, deciding whether to execute or contain the [Crimson Script]. Although Bodhi has emphasized that neither of these actions is strictly prohibited, allowing an S-rank forbidden sequence to roam freely around the city could cause unforeseen trouble.

After a moment of silence, Qin Zhen took the cigarette from his lips.

"Do as Bodhi says."

Over the years, Bodhi had never given wrong advice. He still remembered the price he paid seven years ago for disregarding Bodhi's advice and forcibly executing a forbidden sequence marked as "unexecution"—

That was the fall of an entire city.

To this day, the forbidden sequence known as the "Flesh Bodhisattva" remains contained in the deepest part of the headquarters.

He doesn't want to repeat the same mistake.

Of course, not taking them in or executing them does not mean letting them go unchecked, since no one knows the consequences of the awakening of the [Bloody Words].

Qin Zhen looked out at the night sky and felt a sense of urgency.

We must immediately organize a team to find the whereabouts of the [Crimson Script].

……

The next day, early in the morning.

"You've been sitting here all night? Where are your two friends?"

Hearing the sound, Jiang Rou, who was half asleep, was startled. She subconsciously gripped the gun handle behind her waist. When she opened her eyes, she saw Jiang Mian's slightly pale face. She quickly let go and forced a kind smile onto her face.

"They went back to settle their affairs, and while they were at it, they also asked their family members about their birth dates and times..."

In fact, the two corpses secretly slipped away while Jiang Mian was asleep at night. Obviously, they were not the same kind of beings as this terrifying being whose cognition seemed to be stuck two hundred years in the past. The reason why they acted "obediently" was most likely due to some kind of fear.

Those two people couldn't speak or write, so how would they make arrangements for their deaths? Sign language?

Jiang Mian was suspicious, but didn't voice it, as that would seem too presumptuous. Instead, she asked, "Do they still need a tombstone?"

"Tombstone?" Jiang Rou was taken aback.

Jiang Mian raised an eyebrow: "Weren't you here to order tombstones from me?"

Zhou Kai, who hadn't slept since last night, immediately replied upon hearing this, "Yes, we've come to order tombstones."

He leaned against the corner of the wall, slowly stroking the hilt of the knife in his arms, lost in thought.

Jiang Mian's expression softened slightly, then he suddenly remembered something and reminded him, "I have some important matters to attend to these few days. If your two friends aren't in a hurry, I'll have the inscription carved for them later."

He had just realized that the shop had gone bankrupt, leaving not even a scrap of stone. Even if he made the deal, he wouldn't be able to repay the deposit for the eighty-eight tombstones.

Therefore, the most urgent task is to find the lost tombstone as soon as possible.

Jiang Rou nodded as if she understood, hesitated for a moment, and then said cautiously, "If you're really busy, they should be able to hold on for a while longer..."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at them, their expressions incredibly strange.

"That's good."

Jiang Mian breathed a sigh of relief, picked up the half-empty bottle of mineral water left over from last night, took a sip, and casually said, "I'm getting ready to go out. What about you guys?"

He thought to himself, "I'm about to leave, surely these guys aren't still staying at my house?"

At Zhou Kai's prompting, Jiang Rou took a deep breath and said nervously, "Mr. Jiang Mian... this city is too big, we can't find our way out. Could you take us out of the city?"

"No problem, I need to go out of the city anyway." Jiang Mian agreed quite readily.

"Really? Thank you so much!" Jiang Rou was overjoyed.

Even now, the densely packed corpses downstairs have not dispersed, but considering the situation last night, Zhou Kai speculated that as long as Jiang Mian was present, they would not dare to make any rash moves, and Jiang Rou also vaguely held the same idea.

Besides that, she thought of something else—

Due to some unknown restriction, creatures in the restricted area are usually unable to leave the restricted area.

If Mr. Jiang Mian can leave the City of the Wrongfully Dead, wouldn't that prove that he is not a monster?