Tianjin, starting with unorthodox methods to achieve immortality

The family blended into the growing crowd on the street and headed towards the South Wharf outside the city.

The further they went, the more uneasy the atmosphere became.

Along the way, I began to hear terrified discussions.

"Old Wang's son got up in the middle of the night last night and didn't come back. He was found behind the woodpile this morning; he was just skin and bones..."

"Old Zhang, the night watchman, is gone too, died the same way—his life essence was completely drained!"

"They say it's a terrible epidemic, spreading like wildfire!"

Panic spread like a plague.

On the way, Chen Mo even saw several corpses hastily covered with straw mats being carried away by the police, the hands sticking out from the edges of the straw mats were withered like chicken claws.

His heart sank deeper and deeper. The Moon Worship Cult had already made its move!

This is definitely not an epidemic!

When I arrived at the pier, I found it already packed with people, with people crying, shouting, cursing, pushing and shoving in complete chaos.

The ferries that usually shuttle back and forth are now mostly moored far away in the middle of the river, not daring to approach.

The riverbank was already blocked off by rows of soldiers dressed in black uniforms and carrying repeating muskets.

A tall flag was raised behind the soldiers, bearing the emblem of the united government: a crossed sickle and ears of wheat.

"By order of the United Government! A severe epidemic has broken out in the three counties of Linhe. To prevent its spread, a complete lockdown is in effect immediately!"

"No one is allowed to leave without permission! Return to your residences and await inspection and relocation!"

A man who looked like an officer stood on a high place, repeatedly shouting through a tin megaphone.

The crowd erupted in uproar; some pleaded, some cursed, and some even tried to break through the blockade.

Their response was the sound of warning shots fired into the air, and the batons in the hands of the police.

They're not even giving us a chance to survive?

"Let's go, since the waterway is blocked, let's see if we can leave from somewhere else!"

Chen Mo frowned as he watched this scene, never expecting that the United Government would actually cooperate with the blockade.

He certainly wouldn't believe there wasn't something fishy going on.

The family had barely squeezed a few steps against the terrified crowd when the clamor behind them suddenly subsided.

A sense of foreboding suddenly struck Chen Mo, and he abruptly stopped and turned around.

The crowd had silently parted to create a passage.

A man dressed in a dark blue Zhongshan suit stood five steps away with his hands behind his back, quietly watching them.

The visitor was Yue Changkong, an inspector from the Bureau of Suppressing Strange Things.

The feeling he gave Chen Mo now was different from that of last night.

After breaking through the Yin Aperture, the Yue Changkong I saw at this time was a completely different feeling.

That's a walking furnace!

The intense, suffocating energy was almost bursting through his body.

He could even feel the blood flowing within the other person's body, like the muffled sound of churning magma underground.

The Yin energy that he had gathered in his dantian was like a candle in the wind in the face of this scorching aura.

The gap is just too big.

Fortunately, Yue Changkong's gaze lingered on Chen Mo for a moment before shifting away, while Yue Shan, who was behind him, walked over instead.

Just as the two passed each other, Yue Shan suddenly moved his lips slightly.

"Don't waste your energy, all the major and minor roads leading out of the city are blocked."

"These people are all from the Black Scythe Army of the United Government. There are at least three more brigades outside the city, with 30,000 guns, surrounding the three counties of Linhe like an iron barrel."

"They won't reason with you."

His words were like a bucket of ice water, completely extinguishing Chen Mo's lingering hope of finding another way out.

Three brigades, totaling over 30,000 men, were well-equipped.

This is not a normal epidemic lockdown, but a military siege!

The coalition government has actually mobilized such a large regular army to cooperate with the Moon Worship Cult's actions!

Chen Mo's heart sank to the bottom, his fingertips turning icy cold.

It turns out they weren't denying us a way out, but rather they had already laid a trap to turn these three counties along the river into a giant slaughterhouse.

After Yue Shan finished speaking, he didn't look at him again and quickened his pace to catch up with Yue Changkong and his group.

Yue Changkong had already walked up to the officer and whispered a few words to him.

The officer immediately straightened his back and saluted respectfully. Then the message coming from the tin loudspeaker changed, becoming even colder.

"Anyone attempting to storm the checkpoint and flee will be shot on sight! All personnel are to return home immediately and are not permitted to move about freely!"

"Bang! Bang!"

Several more gunshots fired into the air quelled the last ripples of disturbance in the crowd.

The Black Scythe Army, with 30,000 guns.

Chen Mo slowly loosened his fist, his palms already covered in cold sweat.

Force your way in?

With his newly unlocked Yin Aperture cultivation level, facing a well-equipped and organized army was tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

Individual bravery is utterly ineffective against organized violence.

"Mo'er, what do we do now?"

Chen Dachuan also heard Yue Shan's words, and his face was filled with panic.

It's probably so bad that even flies can't get out of Linhe County now.

Chen Mo did not answer immediately.

He forced himself to calm down, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic dock and the imposing blockade in the distance, then over the direction Yue Changkong and the others had gone, finally settling on the land beneath his feet.

"Forcing your way in is a dead end."

Going home is tantamount to sitting and waiting to die.

It seems there's only one last option left.

"If all else fails, we'll have to risk crossing the turbulent Blackwater Beach at night."

"Wait here for me, I'll be right back."

Chen Mo touched the Commander of the Suppressing Demons token in his pocket, gave a few instructions to the others, and turned to run against the thinning crowd in the direction Yue Changkong and his group had gone.

Now we can only gamble—gamble on the value of this token, and even more so on whether the other party is willing to explain the reasoning at this moment.

"Inspector Yue!"

Chen Mo raised his voice a few steps away from Yue Changkong and the others, not too close to provoke an overreaction from the guards, but still enough to ensure they could hear him.

Yue Changkong did not stop walking, as if he had not heard.

However, his two henchmen in black uniforms immediately turned around, placed their hands on the gun handles at their waists, and locked their eyes on Chen Mo.

Yue Shan also stopped and turned around. When he saw Chen Mo, he frowned slightly, wondering what he wanted to do.

Chen Mo took a deep breath and, under the cold gazes of the others, took out the bronze token with the character "异" (yi) engraved in the center from his pocket, and stretched out his hands slightly forward.

"Chen Mo, preparing to travel to Jinmen from the Zhenyi Division." He spoke as calmly as possible, then introduced himself as Chen Dachuan had told him. "I'm heading to Jinshi to participate in the formal examination. Inspector Yue, could you please grant my family permission to leave the city?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

All the pressure converged on Yue Changkong's broad and upright back.

The silence that lasted only a few seconds felt like several hours.

Finally, Yue Changkong slowly turned around, his gaze first falling on the token in Chen Mo's hand, lingering for about two breaths, before finally looking up at Chen Mo's face.

Chen Mo felt that terrifying, scorching aura envelop him again, even heavier than before.

The Yin energy within the dantian circulated spontaneously, bringing a touch of coolness.

But it still felt like being on the edge of a furnace, making even breathing difficult.

"Preparing to march to Tianjin?"