I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

The scenery outside the window became increasingly desolate, rapidly evolving from low-rise buildings to bungalows on the outskirts of the city. Soon, Lu Ban saw paddy fields and irrigation streams.

When they arrived at the station, Lu Ban had already chosen a suitable weapon.

That was the "Holy Sword of Physics" located at the bottom of the "Weapons" list.

Chapter 016 [The Holy Sword of Physics]

The Holy Sword of Physics

【excellent】

[The most suitable weapon, capable of handling various combat situations]

In the ruined capital, in a crisis, anything can become a weapon.

Not easily bent, difficult to damage, absolutely durable.

"Use this to smash that damn bastard's head!"

Price: 1000 Quiet Points

This thing looks like a crowbar.

It is straight at one end and bent at the other with a groove at the end. It is a tool used to pry nails, locks, and other things, and has nothing to do with the description of "holy sword".

As for why it's called the "Holy Sword of Physics," you'd probably have to ask Dr. Gordon Freeman.

The reason Lu Ban chose it, besides its reasonable price, was also because it had no negative reviews.

Most weapons under the category of "murder weapon" are either cursed, attract the attention of strange beings, or simply drive people insane. It's extremely difficult to find one without any negative effects.

Compared to firearms that can easily injure oneself, a stick is definitely the most handy weapon.

Lu Ban got out of the car and followed the navigation to a wasteland. By then, he had already redeemed the [Holy Sword of Physics].

It is about 60 centimeters long and weighs less than 3 kilograms. It is made of some kind of metal that cannot be seen from the ground. It has a hexagonal body and a handle wrapped with coarse cloth so that it is not easy to slip out of your hand. Just holding it in your hand, you can feel a lot of power.

No man can resist the pleasure of picking up a twig and waving it around; the same goes for a crowbar.

Lu Ban tried it out, swinging the crowbar and smashing it against a protruding rock on the ground.

click-

A small pit appeared in the hardened stone formed from the old cement, and Lu Ban also sensed the special nature of the crowbar.

Besides being extremely hard, it can also effectively reduce the feedback of force. Even if it hits something, Lu Ban will not be shaken off by the reaction force. Moreover, when he swings the crowbar, his strength has increased a lot, and his crowbar skills have improved. It seems that he can at least pry open ordinary iron doors.

Like a suona horn, a kind of light veil of knowledge enveloped his cerebral cortex, and the trickle of this knowledge permeated his entire brain.

"very nice."

Lu Ban raised his head with satisfaction and saw a dilapidated building across the wasteland.

That is the Jiangcheng Grand Theatre.

The theater was designed in a Western style, with an exaggerated dome and doors, as well as columns and decorations of a European style that Lu Ban couldn't understand at all. Only the stained glass windows, which had become dark and dusty, told of its former glory.

This wasteland was originally part of the Grand Theatre's planned area. Lu Ban read in a report that Jiangcheng had previously planned an art city, which would build a series of antique-style art buildings around the Jiangcheng Grand Theatre, but that plan was later shelved.

The dome of the Grand Theatre is no longer magnificent, with only charred marks left from the fire. After more than a decade of wind and rain, the entire Grand Theatre looks extremely dilapidated, covered with moss and weeds, giving it a desolate and apocalyptic feel.

Lu Ban walked towards the gate when suddenly, he heard the sound of flapping wings from the side.

A flock of birds flew up from the roof of the theater, apparently making it their nest.

As the sun sets and the last rays of the setting sun illuminate the magnificent and artistic building, it resembles a senile behemoth, quietly awaiting its death.

With some time before nightfall, Lu Ban decided to go in and take a look ahead of time.

crunch--

The rotting wooden planks made a chilling sound as Lu Ban stepped into the shadows of the grand theater.

The door was originally locked, but years of wear and tear and the fact that scavengers had long since cleared the place out made it easy for Lu Ban to get in.

The once magnificent lobby was now dilapidated, the ticket office was in a mess, and there were still some performance flyers on the floor.

According to the design drawings, the front hall has several large doors that connect to the theater lobby, while the left and right sides lead to the dressing rooms, preparation rooms, control rooms, etc.

Without lights, the road was dark, and the two corridors resembled the gaping maws of some terrifying beast, waiting for prey to walk into their trap.

Lu Ban thought for a moment and decided to take a look at the rooms first.

He turned on his flashlight, and the oval beam of light illuminated the ground. Unlike outside, the indoors, which was not exposed to sunlight, had no plants, only cobwebs and dust.

As soon as the flashlight shone, Lu Ban saw some kind of creature fleeing from the light, disappearing into the crack in the door in a flash.

He carried a flashlight in his left hand and a crowbar in his right as he walked down the dark corridor.

Most of the room doors were broken long ago, but Lu Ban kicked them open with a light kick, raising a cloud of dust.

There was no sound in the room. As the flashlight shone, Lu Ban's gaze moved, revealing tangled wires, a toppled cabinet, a moldy clothes hanger, and... a human face!

Lu Ban's eyebrows twitched as he looked at the mirror reflecting the flashlight beam.

His reflection in the mirror was deathly pale under the glaring light, quite horrifying.

"Mirror?"

Lu Ban was a little curious. How could there still be a mirror left after so many years of abandonment?

Shouldn't they have been taken long ago?

He couldn't help but move closer and look at the mottled, dirty, and cracked mirror.

Lu Ban in the mirror also leaned closer.

Lu Ban examined the mirror carefully and found that it was stuck to the wall and looked like a makeup mirror.

However, the mirror had a strange shape; it was square, small in size, and faced the doorway of the room.

Why would a makeup mirror be facing away from the entrance?

Lu Ban noticed that at the junction of the mirror and the wall, there was a viscous liquid reflecting the light from the flashlight.

The liquid was yellowish-brown and thick, like some kind of oil, but it emitted a putrid stench. Moreover, as Lu Ban watched, he discovered that the liquid had just seeped out!

When Lu Ban realized this, he subconsciously took half a step back, and then he saw himself in the mirror, his face pale, cold and indifferent, smiling at him.

bang-

Lu Ban instinctively swung a crowbar down, shattering the entire mirror. Lu Ban inside the mirror split into hundreds of parts, which then vanished.

He looked at the spot where the mirror had originally been placed. There was only a charred patch, clearly burned by a fire. The oozing grease was nowhere to be seen, as if it had never existed.

The room fell silent again.

"There's definitely something wrong here... Is it the spirit of the fire victims? Or something else?"

Lu Ban loosened his grip on the crowbar, then tightened it again.

"However, after the mirror was shattered by my crowbar, there was no further action. Was it because it lost its vessel, or did the crowbar itself possess the power to exorcise evil spirits?"

He crouched down and looked at himself in the broken mirror; nothing seemed amiss.

Lu Ban grinned.

The person on the other end smiled back.

Faced with this situation, Lu Ban was afraid, but not completely afraid.

Fear stems from humanity's instinctive fear of death and the unknown.

I'm not afraid... because if some evil spirit were to kill me, I could just play the suona and we'd all ascend to heaven together.

Either way, I'm going to die, so who's afraid of whom?

He stood up, leaned on his crowbar, and walked out of the room.

Continuing forward, Lu Ban checked two more dressing rooms in the dimly lit corridor, but found no trace of makeup mirrors.

He arrived at the end of the corridor.

The room signs here are crooked and have faded lettering.

Control room.

Chapter 017 Mission Begins

The door to the control room appeared to be locked.

After more than 20 years of weathering, this lock still stands firm in its post, without slackening or giving up.

Lu Ban felt a surge of respect.

He then decisively pried open the door with a crowbar.

bang-

With a loud bang, the lock that had lasted for more than 20 years finally met its end.

Lu Ban arrived at the control room.

The control room is responsible for opening and closing the stage curtain, projecting lights, playing music, and controlling the operation. There are three control rooms in Jiangcheng Grand Theater, located above the two sides of the stage and directly opposite the stage.

This room should have been filled with many instruments, but now there's nothing there.

However, the control room was not dark.

The transparent windows offer a view of the theater lobby. Because a small portion of the dome had collapsed due to the fire, outside light was able to shine in, and the control room was thus given a faint light, but only a little.

As dusk approached, the last rays of sunset quickly faded, and the sky from here was already dark; night was about to fall.

From his vantage point, Lu Ban could see the stage shrouded in twilight.

Surprisingly, apart from some charred marks, the stage appeared quite empty. Although the seats were empty and messy, the stage alone stood out, with dim light falling on it like a spotlight during a performance, stubbornly trying to embellish the past glory.

Moving your gaze, you see a piano on one side of the stage.

"piano?"

How could there possibly still be a piano left?

The moment Lu Ban had this question.