I discovered a world bug.

"Snake skin, tung oil, yellow paper, candles, IV catheters, blood bags, tents, instant noodles, pots..."

Lin Shu checked the items one by one.

He spent the whole night preparing all the materials and equipment.

He has made up his mind to raise the "snake" as quickly as possible.

After all, this set of rituals is his most direct and powerful weapon in the face of potential threats.

Without the ability to protect themselves, how can we talk about development in the future?

As for the mass graves...

To be honest, Lin Shu used to be very afraid of death and everything related to death, and his "fear" was related to an experience he had as a child.

Back then, I had to pass through a small path every time I went to school.

The path cut through a wasteland on the edge of town, with high, overlapping hills on both sides.

He was once puzzled as to why such an undeveloped wasteland would be left in a town that had already developed, but of course, he didn't think much about it when he was a child.

----Until one year during the Qingming Festival.

After the holiday, he went back to school.

When he walked down the path as he always did, he found that the path had completely changed.

Perhaps it was a fire that broke out during the Qingming Festival tomb sweeping, or perhaps it was intentional, but in any case, the once lush bushes and weeds on both sides of that path have been completely burned to ashes.

The true appearance of those "hills" has also been completely exposed.

That wasn't a hill; it was a pile of graves, crowded together.

I had never seen such crowded graves before. When I went back to my hometown to sweep the tombs, since it was in a village, each grave occupied almost its own hilltop. The slightly crowded ones were just couples buried together or two generations buried together.

Such a form would never be frightening; it would only make people feel solemn and at ease.

...But that path wasn't one.

The graves on both sides of the path were densely packed together, like a crowded bus packed with people.

Many tombstones were broken, and many more had no tombstones at all, just piles of stones.

The stone collapsed, revealing a dark hole behind it. From the hole protruded the dark red wood stumps of a rotten coffin and some grayish bones.

He was caught in the middle of the graves, unable to move forward or backward, as if he would be swallowed up at any moment and become one of those withered bones in the tomb.

At that time, I fled the path as if my life depended on it, and I never dared to step into that path again.

For a long time afterward, dogs on the street would bark incessantly whenever they saw him.

That's when I was left with psychological trauma.

But as I grew up, this shadow gradually faded with my memories.

Especially after meeting Xu Changshun and learning everything about the "ritual", Lin Shu suddenly felt that she was no longer afraid of these unknown things.

Grave? Death? Ghost?

Ghosts might exist.

But who says it isn't like the "snake," a special being generated through ritual?

If it is related to ritual, then it is knowable.

Since it is knowable, it is not scary...

Shaking her head slightly, Lin Shu stuffed all the prepared items into her backpack one by one.

Let it be a mass grave.

Fortunately, I have a perfect location to choose from, which couldn't be better...

However, I'm still missing one last thing.

A live snake.

According to Xu Changshun's records, the "snake bait" he used for raising snakes was caught by himself, and it was a silver-ringed snake.

I clearly don't have his skills, but fortunately, with the internet so developed now, there are always some people doing business that skirts the edge.

Lin Shu had previously interviewed a blogger who specialized in exotic pets, and he owned several venomous snakes, including a silver-ringed snake.

With almost no effort, Lin Shu and he agreed on the location and time for the transaction—it was set for 11 a.m.

Lin Shu originally wanted to rent a car, but then she thought that those people could track her whereabouts, and they might have some kind of "opening box" method.

Just to be on the safe side, it's best to borrow a car directly from Xie Yuchi.

Lin Shu took out her phone and sent a message to Xie Yuchi.

"Could I borrow your car for today or tomorrow? I need to go to the countryside."

A moment later, Xie Yuchi's reply came through.

"Sure, you can come and drive it."

"You've been quite busy these past few days. What have you been up to?"

What were you doing...?

Do you believe me when I say I'm busy saving myself and trying to survive?

After hesitating for a moment, Lin Shu typed a reply:

"There's a project related to ancient culture in the countryside, and I'm busy researching it."

"Really? It has nothing to do with Xu Changshun?"

Xie Yuchi was as perceptive as ever, but at this moment, she absolutely could not admit it.

"It's okay."

Lin Shu replied:

"I just got him registered, that's all."

"That's good."

Xie Yuchi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

The words "typing..." kept flashing in the chat box. Lin Shu was getting impatient when her reply finally came through.

"No matter what, Xu Changshun's matter ends here."

"I know you might want to dig deeper, but I feel... something's not right about him."

"Let's just focus on our work. There are some things we can't get involved in."

This is not something we can get involved in.

Lin Shu frowned instantly.

Xie Yuchi's words seemed to be hinting at something—what new things had she discovered during the two days he was away?

"What does that mean? Has anything changed? What did you notice?"

Lin Shu asked the question directly, but Xie Yuchi was unwilling to say more.

"I'm not sure yet, but some people suspect that his death may have been murder."

"The police have come twice already, and they might contact you again later."

"We'll see about the specifics when the time comes. In any case, you shouldn't worry about it."

".....clear."

Lin Shu gave a brief reply.

murder......

This coincided with my own judgment.

But can the police find any clues?

If the murderer committed the act through a "ritual"....

How could the police possibly find out?

do not care.

Do your own thing first!

With her phone tucked in and bag on her back, Lin Shu hailed a taxi and headed straight to the Second Hospital. After retrieving Xie Yuchi's used BYD, she drove directly to the flower and bird market.

He met the exotic pet blogger he had interviewed before. The two were quite familiar with each other, so the transaction process was naturally smooth.

"...You still need to be careful with this thing, you absolutely must not handle it or play with it."

"The cages are all enclosed, so you feed the animals through this small opening."

"I've given you the gloves, but if anything happens, it's not my problem..."

The blogger kept rambling on and on, and Lin Shu couldn't help but roll her eyes.

"Give me a break."

"This kind of trading is illegal, and it has nothing to do with you..."

"We're not making a deal."

The blogger quickly waved his hand.

"I have a breeding license! I'm just lending it to you for filming purposes!"

"That's right, that's right..."

Lin Shu nodded quickly.

"Cash, 16,000. Count it yourself."

Pay in one hand and deliver in one hand.

Lin Shu carried the box to the car. She originally planned to put it in the trunk, but after thinking about it for a moment, she finally put it on the back seat.

The snake definitely can't crawl out; if you put it in the trunk, it might suffocate...

The car drove all the way up the highway, getting closer and closer to its final destination.

The shadow of that mass grave resurfaced in Lin Shu's mind once again.

But this time... he felt that he was really not afraid at all.

I am coming.

You are merely tools, part of the "local laws and timely speech".

And I am your master...