I work as a security guard at a cemetery, and I overhear the dead chatting about getting rich quick.

The taxi stopped outside the seven locations at 8:52.

After paying the fare, Lin Ye quickly walked through the door.

Meeting room number three is located on the basement level.

When he pushed open the door, the rest of the second group had already arrived. Cheng Fang sat at the front, with five black equipment boxes neatly arranged on the table.

Tang Zhi leaned back in her chair and yawned. When she saw Lin Ye, she glanced at the time.

"8:52, your timing is getting better and better."

"Does arriving eight minutes early count as scouting the location?"

"It's mainly because you look great today."

Tang Zhi glanced at him, her gaze lingering on his unkempt collar, as if she had just thought of something.

Lin Ye pulled out a chair and sat down.

"Take a second look, and you'll be charged."

"Who cares?"

Tang Zhi chuckled and didn't ask any further questions.

Xu Mian looked down to check her communicator, while Qin Zhao leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

Cheng Fang closed the file.

"Everyone's here, let's start the meeting."

The conference room screen lit up.

The first image is a satellite view of Heihuailing.

The mountain range is vast, with several villages and towns scattered around it. There is an abandoned highway on the outskirts, and further in, there are only dirt roads and firebreaks left by the forestry department.

Han Xu led two intelligence officers into the conference room.

"The advance investigation team completed the first round of peripheral reconnaissance last night."

He sat down in the main seat and gestured to the staff to switch the screen.

Several broken trees appeared on the screen.

The ground was covered in blood, animal footprints, and drag marks. A piece of bloodstained wire mesh hung from a bush, badly chewed and deformed.

"It's 4.3 kilometers from the outer highway."

Han Xu touched the photo with a laser pointer.

"Large-scale wolf pack activity has occurred at the site, and there are also signs of human involvement."

The scene continues to switch.

Anesthetic cartridge case.

A broken rope.

Fragments of sealing materials.

There were also several bloodstains that had been simply covered up.

"The other party used professional equipment and cleaned up the scene after the operation."

Tang Zhi asked, "The Candlelight Gathering?"

"It cannot be confirmed at this time."

Han Xu said, "Nothing was left at the scene that could directly prove my identity."

"Judging from the distribution of bloodstains, at least several people were injured, with two particularly large bleeding wounds. No bodies were found, so the wounded should have already been taken away."

Lin Ye looked at the photo.

The fact that they were able to take away the wounded and equipment after the wolf attack, and also clean up most of the traces, shows that the attackers were clearly not ordinary people who came into the mountains on short notice.

A demolished camp appears on the screen.

The tents and equipment have all been taken away, leaving only trampled grass and trees, a few craters, and unprocessed medicine packaging.

Qin Zhao asked, "When was the camp evacuated?"

"It won't take more than three days."

"Are they still in the mountains?"

"Possibly."

Han Xu switches to the next photo.

A yellowish animal bone was nailed to an old tree.

The animal bone is about a foot long, with many lines of varying depths carved on its surface. At first glance, they seem irregular, but upon magnification, it can be seen that these lines are divided into several groups with relatively fixed intervals in between.

"The advance team discovered four pieces of what appear to be animal bones in the northwest direction of the camp."

"Although the materials are different, the arrangement of the engravings is very similar."

Tang Zhi stared at the screen.

"Array patterns?"

"The research team has reviewed the photos and found that they do not belong to the seven common array and sealing structures recorded."

Han Xu said, "The beast bones themselves did not show any obvious spiritual energy fluctuations. The advance team did not move; they only set up monitoring equipment on the perimeter."

The screen went dark, and a recording began playing in the conference room.

It started with the sound of wind rustling through the leaves.

A dozen seconds later, a low, labored breathing came from inside.

It resembled some kind of large wild beast.

He continued to gasp for breath for a moment, and a few indistinct syllables were faintly squeezed out from the noise.

"Fu..."

"gas……"

"back……"

The voice was very soft, with long pauses between each word.

The recording ended quickly.

Xu Mian asked, "Is anyone nearby?"

"The advance team checked and found no one else."

Han Xu retrieved the voiceprint image.

"This voice can only be heard when you are near the animal bones; it cannot be collected after you are more than ten meters away."

"The technical team tried to separate the processes, but the results were inconsistent."

Cheng Fang looked at Lin Ye.

"Is it a residual sound?"

"That's possible."

Han Xu also looked at Lin Ye.

"Therefore, you need to go to the site to confirm."

Lin Ye asked, "All four animal bones made a sound?"

"Currently, only two records have captured similar content."

"Animal activity was frequent in the other two areas, so the monitoring personnel did not get too close."

The next video segment will begin playing.

The footage was captured by a long-distance camera.

A wild boar, significantly larger than normal in size, emerged from the woods.

It came to the vicinity of the animal bones, but instead of digging for food or leaving immediately, it lay down on the spot.

After a few minutes, it raised its head, slowly inhaled, and then exhaled a long breath.

The action was repeated several times.

Soon, as if sensing something, it suddenly turned its head to look in the direction of the camera equipment, and then disappeared into the woods.

This concludes the video.

The meeting room was silent for a few seconds.

Tang Zhi asked, "What is it doing?"

"It is not possible to determine at this time."

Han Xu did not provide a conclusion.

"It may just be resting, or it may have been affected by the animal bones or the surrounding environment."

"The only thing that can be confirmed is that the animals on the outskirts of Black Locust Ridge have undergone a higher degree of alienation than those in the nearby mountains and forests, and their behavior has also changed."

Qin Zhao asked, "Where is the advance team now?"

"They have retreated to the outer camp."

Han Xu said, "There is another team in the mountains, and it is too risky to continue going in alone."

Cheng Fang asked, "Our mission?"

A brief task description appears on the screen.

"Group Two will join the advance team as support."

"First, confirm whether there are any residual sounds inside the animal bones, and try to reconstruct the content."

"Second, investigate the relationship between animal abnormalities and animal bones."

"Third, confirm the identity and operational scope of the other team."

Han Xu paused for a moment.

"This investigation will still only cover the outer perimeter."

The map on the screen is cut off by a red line.

That was the old firebreak located northwest of Black Locust Ridge.

"No one may cross this line without orders from headquarters."

Lin Ye looked at the map.

The advance team discovered the animal bones in an area more than ten kilometers away from the firebreak.

This mission may sound like just an external investigation, but the fact that a formal field team was forced to retreat to camp suggests that things were not as easy as the documents made them out to be.

Cheng Fang did not immediately express his opinion.

Why were all members of Group Two transferred?

"Lin Ye's abilities prevent him from acting alone."

Han Xu said, "Moreover, there were not only residual sounds at the scene, but also mutated animals and unknown personnel."

"Group Two's recent comprehensive training results have met the standards, and they are qualified to enter the outer survey area."

"The advance team will remain in charge of the overall operation, while you will be responsible for capability support and mobile backup."

This arrangement is reasonable.

Lin Ye's spiritual hearing can provide information, but it's not a skill suitable for going into the mountains alone.

If you encounter a pack of wolves, you'll simply become their meal.

The side door of the conference room opened.

Zhou Heng walked in carrying Lin Ye's monitoring report for the past week.

He did not participate in the task analysis; he simply placed the report in front of Cheng Fang.

"Body indicators are stable."

"The Spirit Protection Stone can be carried, but the Spirit Shock Nail can only be used with the Limiting Handle."

"Wait at least fifteen minutes between each release. If you experience persistent numbness in your right arm or chest tightness, discontinue use immediately."

Cheng Fang flipped through the report.

"The spiritual energy concentration outside Black Locust Ridge is higher than that in the capital. Does that affect him?"

"No problem with normal activities."

Zhou Heng said, "But it's best not to actively summon spirits."

"The higher the concentration of spiritual energy in the surrounding area, the faster he can draw it in, and if problems arise, there won't be enough time to deal with them."

Lin Ye asked, "Is the Spirit Hearing functioning normally?"

"Can."

Zhou Heng looked at him.

"Don't confuse spiritual hearing with spirit summoning. Only use your ability when you need to hear, don't use it to practice your skills."

"rest assured."

Lin Ye said, "I haven't lived enough yet."

Tang Zhi chuckled beside her.

"That sounds quite believable."

After giving his instructions, Zhou Heng left the conference room.

Assigning tasks was not within his scope of responsibility.

After reading the report, Cheng Fang continued to ask questions.

"Outside support?"

"Two high-altitude drones and a medical team."

"If a relay device is used after entering the mountains and there is a continuous loss of contact for ten minutes, the outer team will immediately initiate the rescue procedure."

"What happens after the unknown individuals are discovered?"

"Confirm their identity first."

Han Xu said, "If the other side doesn't attack first, we're not in a hurry to engage in combat."

"Investigation is the priority; no deviation from the planned route is allowed in the pursuit of individuals."

Cheng Fang nodded.

"Group Two accepts the mission."

Han Xu pushed five task documents onto the table.

"Depart at 12 o'clock."

"We expect to arrive at the outer camp by evening."

Tang Zhi glanced at the time.

"Three hours left."

"Eat, check equipment, take care of personal matters."

After Han Xu finished speaking, he left with his intelligence personnel.

Each of the five people opened their equipment boxes.

Firearms, non-lethal weapons, medical kits, storage equipment, and communication devices have all been provided.

Two small sealed boxes were found in Lin Ye's box.

Place the protective spirit stone on the left side.

The modified Zhenling Nail is placed on the right side.

Lin Ye secured the two boxes into his backpack and took out his phone.

Lu Zhixia sent a message half an hour ago.

"Have we arrived yet?"

He leaned against the equipment table to reply.

"We've arrived, but I have an urgent mission and need to go on a business trip for a few days."

The message came back quickly.

"Where to?"

Lin Ye paused for a moment.

"I can't say."

This time, he didn't follow up with "It's nothing."

Lu Zhixia did not press the matter further.

"When are you coming back?"

"uncertain."

Tell me when you get back.

Lin Ye replied:

"it is good."

He thought for a moment, then sent another message.

"I left in a hurry this morning, I'll come find you when I get back."

Lu Zhixia replied after a while:

"Come back safely first."

Lin Ye stared at those words for two seconds.

"Yes."

He switched his phone to task mode and put it in his inner pocket.

11:50.

Two groups of five people boarded the black SUV at location seven.

Cheng Fang sat in the passenger seat, Xu Mian and Tang Zhi sat in the middle row, and Lin Ye and Qin Zhao sat in the back.

The vehicle drove out of the underground parking garage.

At noon, the capital city was bustling with traffic, and restaurants along the streets had long queues, just like any other day.

Qin Zhao leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and asked:

"nervous?"

"A little."

Lin Ye asked, "Aren't you nervous?"

"Being nervous won't help."

"Your mindset is quite suited to buying lottery tickets."

Qin Zhao did not answer.

Tang Zhi, who was in the front row, turned around.

"Can you two stop saying discouraging things as soon as you step out the door?"

Cheng Fang didn't even turn his head.

"We rested during the four-hour drive."

"Once we go into the mountains, we may not have time to sleep."

The car quickly fell silent.

Lin Ye leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

The protective spirit stone and the spirit-shaking nail in the backpack swayed gently with the movement of the vehicle.

They entered Black Locust Ridge this time in order to hear the sounds left inside several pieces of animal bones.

But the image of the wild boar lying under the tree in the video, repeatedly adjusting its breathing, remained in his mind.

It's not surprising that animals absorb spiritual energy.

What's really strange is that its movements are so predictable.

It looks like it's imitating something.

It's as if there's something I've taught it over and over again.