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

As dawn broke, the convoy from the Seventh Division drove out of Black Locust Ridge.

The wounded, the remains, and the recovered items were transported separately.

The silver-gray storage box was lifted into the second transport vehicle and secured in the center of the compartment. Six locking straps fastened it, and the subtle patterns on the box slowly flowed.

Lin Ye sat on the left.

Cheng was placed on the opposite side.

Two technicians were guarding the testing equipment, one monitoring the aura curve and the other monitoring the status of the lock.

Before the car door closed, Tang Zhi waved her left hand at Lin Ye through the glass of the medical vehicle. Her right wrist had been re-splinted, so she could only greet him with her other hand.

Lin Ye also raised his hand.

Car number two followed the car in front up the mountain road.

The carriage was very quiet.

The spirit was sealed inside the spirit-isolating box, making no sound whatsoever.

Lin Ye leaned against the carriage wall, his chest still feeling slightly tight. Most of Lai Changqing's palm strike had been blocked by the protective stone shard, but the remaining force was enough to keep him in pain for days.

The driver asked from the front seat:

"We'll be out of the mountains in forty minutes. Should we speed up?"

Cheng Fang said, "Stay with the convoy."

"clear."

The taillights of the car in front swayed in the morning mist.

The medical vehicle followed closely behind.

After about ten minutes, the mountain road leveled out a bit.

The driver had just eased off the accelerator a little when the car lights in the rearview mirror suddenly disappeared into the distance.

It wasn't the car behind slowing down.

It wasn't that car number two suddenly accelerated.

The entire vehicle seemed to have been removed from the line by something.

The driver immediately gripped the steering wheel tightly.

"An anomaly has been detected in escort vehicle number two."

"Suspected signal interference."

"Requesting route confirmation."

All that remained in the headset was a faint, crackling noise.

The next second, the car headlights illuminated a narrow, broken road.

The road surface was cracked, and the weeds on both sides grew taller than the car windows. Several utility poles leaned to the side of the road, with no wires on top of them.

This road is not on the map.

But the wheels had already run over it.

The driver glanced down at the navigation.

The vehicles on the screen are still on the winding mountain road.

The location hasn't changed.

The direction hasn't changed.

But the road ahead was completely unfamiliar.

Cheng Fang stood up.

"Don't brake suddenly."

The driver slowed down and tried to turn the steering wheel to the left.

The steering wheel turned.

The front of the car didn't move.

The escort vehicle continued along the broken road.

There is a utility pole with an iron sign hanging on it by the roadside.

They had just passed by when, less than a minute later, the utility pole reappeared in the car headlights.

Even the cracks on the iron plate are exactly the same.

The driver cursed.

"It seems like we're going in circles."

The technician lifted the testing equipment.

The numbers jumped around randomly.

"The signal has been cut off."

Lin Ye reached for the Spirit-Shock Nail on his waist.

Cheng Fang glanced at him.

"It can't be used in the car."

Lin Ye released his grip and drew his sidearm.

Once the shock nail is activated, both the driver and the technician will be affected, and the isolation structure inside the storage box may not be able to withstand it.

The driver asked, "Should we crash into it?"

"Try it once."

floor the accelerator.

The escort vehicle sped off along the broken road.

A figure appeared ahead.

The man stood in the middle of the road, holding a palm-sized black magical artifact in his hand.

The magical artifact resembled a narrow door without a door panel, its four sides slightly twisted, and the interior was pitch black.

Lin Ye had seen him in the documents.

Cen Wudu.

The driver did not slow down.

The front of the car crashed straight into it.

Cen Wudu raised his hand.

The road ahead bends slightly.

The headlights flashed, and the escort vehicle sped off for dozens of meters.

Cen Wudu remained in the same spot.

The distance between the two sides did not shorten by even a fraction.

"The road has been turned around."

The driver released the accelerator.

Cen Wudu spoke through the windshield:

"parking."

Cheng Fang pushed open the side door.

"First, clear the way."

"Leave the box behind."

"You lead the way."

Cen Wudu smiled.

"It seems that the talks are not going to work out."

Three people stood up from the weeds.

Two people are on the right, and one person is on the left.

Cen Wudu looked down at the black door frame in his hand. A thin white crack had already appeared on the edge.

"Quick action."

The man on the right threw out a short spear.

The spearhead pierced the front wheel.

boom!

The tire burst.

The car suddenly veered to the right, and half of its tires plunged into the drainage ditch.

The driver held the steering wheel firmly to prevent the car from overturning.

Cheng Fang had already jumped out of the car.

The man on the left, carrying an axe, came forward to meet them.

The axe blade struck Cheng Fang's arm, sparks flying as the iron bone collided with the metal.

Cheng Fang threw a backhand punch.

The opponent ducked to avoid the blow, but was still grazed by the fist and forced to stagger back several steps.

The other two people went around to the back of the car.

Lin Ye lowered the car window and raised his gun to fire.

The first shot hit the muddy ground.

The second shot grazed one of the men's shoulders.

It missed the vital point.

The man was forced to retreat behind the car.

The driver leaned out from the front and fired two more shots to the other side.

"There's someone on the right!"

The roof of the car suddenly sank.

The third member of the Candlelight Society has already climbed onto the roof of the car.

He crouched down, plunged the dagger into the metal seam, and forcefully slashed along the back door lock.

The roof of the car was cut with a screeching sound.

Two technicians immediately grabbed the retaining rings on both sides of the sealing box.

Just as Lin Ye was about to leave through the side door, he saw Cheng Fang rushing back.

It's only a few meters long.

He ran a few steps, but the rear of the car only got further and further away.

The magical artifact in Cen Wudu's hand twirled slightly.

He increased the distance between Cheng Fang and the escort vehicle.

Maintaining this ability is not easy.

A new white crack had appeared on the black door frame, and Cen Wudu's face began to turn pale.

He glanced at the time.

"One and a half minutes."

The axe-wielder once again entangled Cheng Fang.

The short knife on the roof had already cut open the door lock casing.

The driver swerved sharply, and the car swayed back and forth along the edge of the ditch.

The person on the roof slipped.

Lin Ye pushed open the side door, leaned out, and fired upwards.

The bullet hit the edge of the car roof.

The man flipped over and jumped down, rolling into the weeds as he landed.

Just as Lin Ye was about to pull back, a hand suddenly reached out from beside the car.

A fist slammed into his chest.

The wound felt like it had been torn open again.

Lin Ye's back slammed into the storage box, and the gun in his hand almost slipped from his grasp.

The technician next to him grabbed the testing equipment and smashed it into the man's face.

The outer shell cracked on the spot.

The man was also knocked to the side by the impact.

Lin Ye raised his knee and struck him in the abdomen, taking the opportunity to kick the side door shut.

The door panel trapped the other person's fingers.

A scream came from outside.

The driver immediately locked the doors.

The sound of metal scraping came from the back door again.

The members of the Candle Shadow Society threw a hooked steel cable through the breach and hooked it onto the base of the storage box.

The other end of the steel cable is attached to a winch.

A few clicking sounds.

The locking strap tightened instantly.

The first one broke off immediately.

The technician rushed over and grabbed the remaining straps tightly.

"The support frame can't hold up!"

The storage box slid back a few centimeters.

The base scraped against the carriage floor with a sharp, piercing sound.

Lin Ye grabbed the fixing ring.

The winch outside is still tightening.

The second locking strap began to deform.

Cheng Fang forced the axe-wielding man back with a punch and charged at the transport vehicle again.

Cen Wudu lifted the black door frame.

Those few meters of distance were stretched out again.

The cracks on the door frame have spread to the corners.

Cen Wudu's forehead was covered in sweat.

"One minute left."

The rear door lock is completely disconnected.

The two doors were ripped open from the outside.

Cold air rushed into the carriage.

A member of the Candlelight Society stepped on the back of the car and grabbed the outer edge of the storage box.

Lin Ye raised his gun.

The other person kicked his wrist.

The pistol flew under the seat.

Lin Ye simply pounced on it and hugged the anchor ring.

The steel cable suddenly tightened.

The storage box slid outwards quite a bit.

His chest ached and felt numb, but his fingers still didn't loosen.

The person outside raised their elbow and slammed it into the back of his hand.

a bit.

Two times.

Lin Ye's fingers gradually lost sensation.

Before the third blow could land, Cheng Fang's voice came from afar:

"Let go!"

Half of the storage box was hanging outside the vehicle.

If you don't loosen your grip, he'll be dragged out with you.

Lin Ye gritted his teeth and let go.

The silver-gray storage box slid out of the carriage and crashed onto the muddy ground.

The two men from the Candle Shadow Society dragged it onto a makeshift slide.

Cen Wudu immediately retreated.

"withdraw."

The axe-wielder threw down a smoke bomb, turned, and disappeared into the tall grass.

Cen Wudu slid the black door frame forward in his hand.

A narrow crack appeared deep within the broken road.

Several people dragged the sealed box inside.

Lin Ye reached under the seat for his sidearm and fired two shots.

The bullet veered off course as soon as it approached the crack.

A shot was fired into the weeds.

Another shot went off and hit the ground.

The crack closed.

Cen Wudu disappeared along with the sealed box.

The surrounding weeds began to fade.

The dilapidated road surface was like old paper soaked in water, its edges quickly becoming blurred.

The crooked telephone pole swayed, spreading out along with the darkness in the distance.

The static in the headset suddenly disappeared.

"Car number two!"

"Please respond if you receive this!"

The car headlights shone again on the winding mountain road.

The car in front had only gone a few hundred meters.

The ambulance behind was braking suddenly.

The second escort vehicle had half of its body pressed against a drainage ditch, its front tires were flat, and its rear door was open.

In reality, less than a minute had passed.

The driver had a cut on his forehead.

One technician suffered a graze to his shoulder from the steel cable, while another twisted his wrist.

Lin Ye felt pain in his chest and the back of his hand.

Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.

The medical vehicle was parked nearby.

As soon as Tang Zhi got out of the car, the first thing she saw was the empty lock rack.

Her expression changed instantly.

"Where are the things?"

Cheng Fang did not answer.

He picked up the communicator.

"Vehicle number one, verify the goods."

After a brief crackling sound, Qin Zhao spoke:

"Verification successful".

Cheng Fang then said:

"The bait has been taken away."

Lin Ye raised his head.

Tang Zhi was also stunned for two seconds.

"Fake?"

Cheng Fang hummed in agreement.

Lin Ye looked down at his swollen hand.

"I was almost dragged away along with the counterfeit goods."

"If you had known, you wouldn't have been able to act this convincingly."

"My gun was almost kicked away, and you call that acting?"

Cheng Fang reached out and pulled him down from the carriage.

"Medical expenses reimbursement."

"It should have been reported anyway."

When Lin Ye landed, the hand touched his chest, and he stopped for a moment because of the pain.

Tang Zhi looked at the two injured technicians.

"You don't know either?"

The two shook their heads together.

Cheng Fangdao:

"I only know there's bait, I don't know which car has the real stuff."

"Who knows?"

"Switch groups."

We parted ways before we even set off.

The convoy began to stand guard.

The mechanics changed the tire, and the medical team treated the wound.

The chassis of vehicle number two was also disassembled and inspected again.

Lin Ye sat by the railing and only then heard the whole story from the technician.

During the routine pre-departure inspection, the space parameters of vehicle number two were slightly off.

The deviation is very small.

Ordinary instruments do not react.

The technician removed the underbody protection plate and then pulled out a thin black piece the size of a grain of rice from the gap between the wheel axles.

Similar spatial disturbances occurred at the scene when Xing Shanhe was abducted in the past.

The thin sheet was not removed in seven places.

If it's dismantled, the Candlelight Society will know that their plan has been exposed.

The temporary replacement began immediately.

The fake box contained fragments of the black stone box that had fallen off, broken bones and remnants of spirit-gathering materials, and a test artifact simulating fluctuations.

The weight and temperature have been adjusted.

It's difficult to tell from the outside because of the two layers of sealing structure.

Lin Ye was in car number two.

This is more convincing than any test result.

Cen Wudu knew that he could communicate with the spirit of the artifact.

As long as Lin Ye is with them, the Candle Shadow Society will naturally assume that the Myriad Spirits Scripture is also present.

The maintenance worker tightened the last bolt.

The convoy set off again.

This time, car number two was sandwiched right in the middle.

More than an hour later, the convoy entered seven underground passages.

The heavy protective doors closed one by one.

The No. 1 project support vehicle parked in the B5 unloading area.

Damaged instruments and testing equipment were piled up outside.

The transport staff moved two rows of equipment aside, and the silver-gray storage box was finally revealed from the inside.

Qin Zhao got off the car first.

Xu Mian followed behind, still holding the gun.

The sealed box was sent to the testing station.

The lock is intact.

The spiritual characteristics match.

The All Souls Bible is still inside.

Tang Zhi stood to the side and let out a breath.

"What did Cen Wudu steal?"

"Stone fragments, broken bones, and a simulated source."

Lin Ye pressed his newly bandaged hand.

"The box is real."

Tang Zhi glanced at him.

"You're even calculating their gains for them?"

"I'm afraid he'll make a wasted trip."

The terminal in the technician's hand suddenly vibrated.

The simulation source inside the dummy box has stopped.

It will only send a final short message to the preset receiver when the outer lock is fully opened.

There are only two lines of text on the screen.

The outer box is opened.

The analog source was interrupted.

Tang Zhi glanced at it.

"It wasn't a wasted trip."

"At least there's something to look forward to when you open the box."

Lin Ye said, "They should be gone now."

The actual storage box was pushed into the isolation channel.

The last protective door began to close.

Cheng Fang stood outside the door.

"The shipping manifest has been re-encrypted."

"All those involved in the swap were reviewed individually."

No one thought he was overreacting.

When the space anchor was attached, and how the Candlelight Society confirmed the location of Vehicle No. 2, are still unclear.

Cen Wudu only managed to steal a fake box.

The hand that had reached inside the seven places had not yet been revealed.

The isolation door was completely closed.

Lin Ye stood still, watching the indicator light on the door turn red.

On this trip, the Seventh Division took the first step in the right direction.

Next up are the old things in the box.