I am a full-level celestial master, you let me enter the strange talk of rules?

Zhang Yangqing looked at him but didn't say anything more.

But he judged in his heart: This bandaged security guard is not simple. He is indeed clever to be able to force me to show up in this way.

But we can't completely trust what he says. What is his purpose? What does he want him to do? We must be wary.

The reason Zhang Yangqing was rude to the bandaged security guard was because the guy almost killed him.

Regardless of the reason, his turning off the camera indirectly poses a threat to the Chosen One.

Every time a surveillance camera goes out, it means a loss of presence, a decrease in his "invisibility" in this world, and a step closer to those eerie and deadly rules.

During this period, only Zhang Yangqing has noticed that the bandaged security guard appeared with a specific purpose.

Other chosen ones didn't notice, such as Jones, who felt guilty towards the bandaged security guards, thinking that he was the one who started the fire and attracted them, and that he was the one who should apologize.

This also shows that the bandaged security guards' methods were absolutely ingenious.

He's not forcing you to help; he's making you feel that "you should help."

It's not that he's begging you, it's that you feel "I'd feel bad if I didn't help him".

This kind of psychological manipulation is more terrifying than any threat.

Upon closer reflection, isn't this bandaged security guard just like Zhang Yangqing from other supernatural tales?
However, some issues are relative.

Even if Jones knew that the bandaged security guard had turned off the cameras, he didn't have much "right" to be angry.

After all, Jones had to light the test paper and use the black smoke to trigger the smoke alarm to lure out the bandaged security guard.

If you cheat me and I cheat you, at most we're even.

Zhang Yangqing didn't check the test papers, so he had the right to be angry.

The security guard with the bandage turned off his camera. He hadn't done anything to offend the security guard, and he could hold that against him.

Having already made a fairly good judgment in his mind, Zhang Yangqing remained calm and pretended to have calmed down. Seeing that there was a reason behind what happened, he said, "Then take me to the rest of the place, and I won't hold this against you."

The bandaged security guard immediately turned around and led the way: "Okay, this way please."

His voice carried a sense of relief that someone was finally willing to team up with him, but Zhang Yangqing noticed that he never looked back while leading the way.

It wasn't that he didn't care whether Zhang Yangqing kept up or not; it was that he didn't dare to, afraid of Zhang Yangqing's gaze.

The bandaged security guard led Zhang Yangqing to the restaurant.

On the fifth floor, there are double doors.

The door was made of wood, dark brown, with intricate patterns carved on its surface, and the doorknob was made of brass and polished to a high shine.

The bandaged security guard pushed open the door and stepped aside to let Zhang Yangqing go in first.

The restaurant was magnificent, but not in the way modern hotel restaurants are; it was the kind of magnificent restaurant used by palaces, noble families, and royalty.

Looking at the black and white surveillance footage, it just seemed a bit old, a bit dark, and a bit off.

But when I arrived here, I found that the ceiling was very high, so high that I had to look up to see the top. There were murals on the ceiling, depicting angels and clouds. The colors had faded, but you could still see the exquisite craftsmanship of the past.

Large oil paintings hang on the walls, depicting noblemen and women dressed in fine clothes, some riding horses, some dancing, and some feasting.

The floor was covered with a thick, dark red carpet that felt soft and silent underfoot.

A long table stretched from one end to the other, covered with a white tablecloth, on which were placed silver candlesticks, porcelain plates, and crystal glasses.

A candle was inserted in the candlestick, but it wasn't lit yet; the wick was white.

If it weren't for the black gas pollution, this would indeed be a very normal, high-end, and stylish aristocratic restaurant.

But the black mist polluted the space, swirling beneath the ceiling like dark clouds pressing down, obscuring the murals, the upper half of the oil paintings, and the space above the candlesticks.

Something was floating in that black mist.

A black humanoid figure, without facial features, without any details of clothing, only the shape of a human.

Some were standing, some were sitting, some were walking around, and some were gathered in small groups, as if they were talking.

They maintained a certain posture: raising their glasses, smiling, bowing, and so on. It was the "aura" left behind by the noble guests who had dined here, or rather, their lingering memories.

At some point in time, they ate, drank, chatted, and danced here.

Time has passed, people have left, but their shadows remain.

The shadow was corrupted by the black mist and turned into a strange, black humanoid shape.

These guys are powerful and numerous, dozens of them, in groups of three or five.

They don't attack proactively, they don't make a sound, they just stand there, like sculptures, like portraits, like being frozen in a certain moment.

But Zhang Yangqing knew they could move at any moment, and that they would attack as soon as he arrived.

Zhang Yangqing glanced at the bandaged security guard and said, "Go and turn on the camera."

The bandaged security guard quickly waved his hand, his face full of apology: "Brother, I can't do that. When I came, there weren't so many strange things inside. I just climbed up and turned off the camera."

He pointed to the black, round camera in the corner of the ceiling, and then to the pillar that needed to be climbed, which had carvings and handholds.

Zhang Yangqing deduced that these strange phenomena only appeared after the cameras were turned off.

When the cameras are on, their "presence" is suppressed, and they can only stay quietly, like ordinary shadows.

The moment the cameras are turned off, their presence becomes overwhelming; they emerge from the shadows and become active, threatening, and eerie beings.

Zhang Yangqing casually said, "Alright, I'll go suppress these monsters. You find a chance to climb up."

The bandaged security guard nodded expectantly, thinking that Zhang Yangqing was about to start a violent fight, rushing in and punching each of the black humanoid figures until they were scattered.

But this time Zhang Yangqing did the opposite. He walked into the restaurant and went to the long table instead of the black humanoid figures.

On the table was a silver candlestick with a candle inside.

He took out his matchbox, pulled out a good match, and struck it.

The flame was small, but it shone brightly in the darkness.

The black humanoids moved, not lunging at him, but retreating.

Perhaps he was afraid of light, or perhaps Zhang Yangqing had calculated some kind of rule.

Zhang Yangqing walked slowly to the second candlestick and lit it.

With each candle lit, the black humanoid figure took a step back, its form fading slightly.

The bandaged security guard stood at the door, stunned. His expression seemed to say: Dude, I thought you were a violent maniac. I didn't expect you to have a brain.

A single match can only light a limited number of candles, so Zhang Yangqing only lit the candle below the camera.

After all, each one of these is one less available.

Zhang Yangqing felt the time was right, so he gave the bandaged security guard a look, and the latter immediately reacted and climbed up the pillar.

He used both his hands and feet to climb very quickly.

The bandages rubbed against the rough surface of the pillar, causing blood to seep out, but he didn't stop.

Zhang Yangqing had been observing from here, and he realized that the kid was indeed injured; it didn't seem like he was acting.

This is also the main reason why Zhang Yangqing let him go.

The bandaged security guard climbed to the top, reached for the camera, and flipped the switch.

The red indicator light is on, indicating that the camera has been activated.

The black mist in the restaurant suddenly contracted, and the black humanoid figures completely disappeared without leaving a trace.

The murals on the ceiling were revealed, the noble men and women in the oil paintings were revealed, and the flames on the candlesticks stabilized and stopped flickering.

Zhang Yangqing's gaze, however, was fixed on a severed arm on the table in the middle of the restaurant. (End of Chapter)