Ghost Compendium

Vroom——Whoosh——

Feeling the roar of the engine while stepping hard on the gas, the whistling wind, and the scenes outside the window retreating wildly like a film reel.

The military-grade off-road Humvee raced along the road to the Celestial Pool of Tianshan without any worries.

"Wuhu! This vehicle is awesome! I thought playing with guns was great, but this is heavyweight!" Wu Liang was in a great mood.

After the Supernatural Calamity, the roads from this city to major natural scenic spots had long been controlled.

Under normal circumstances, no vehicles were allowed on this road.

So once Wu Liang hit the road with his approval documents, there wasn't a single other vehicle in sight, and there was no such thing as a speed limit.

The freedom to speed recklessly is such a thrilling experience for a man!

The more he enjoyed the drive, the more regret Wu Liang felt in his heart—

After all, he could only maintain this adrenaline rush for about forty kilometers before he had to stop.

Di Wu City is about a hundred kilometers from the Celestial Pool of Tianshan, but local Awakened knew they'd encounter resistance halfway.

The strangest part is that this resistance didn't come from supernatural events, but from living people.

"Within about thirty kilometers of the Celestial Pool of Tianshan, if you meet any people, it's best to quickly distance yourself," warned Mei Xin Mountain to Wu Liang.

"Aren't there countless Fierce Ghosts inside the Celestial Pool of Heavenly Mountain? Why are people living so close?" Wu Liang couldn't help but wonder.

The explanation he got was quite strange.

"After the Paranormal Handling Department was established, we gathered the surviving residents in Di Wu City but discovered many had already self-organized into villages before that."

"These people claimed they wanted to build their own Utopia and resolutely refused to integrate into Di Wu City, displaying strong hostility towards outsiders."

"Gradually, this area evolved into two groups: city residents and those self-build Utopia residents."

Already by this point, Wu Liang sensed something was amiss.

During the Supernatural Calamity, on one side was the Celestial Pool of Tianshan teeming with endless Fierce Ghosts like a forbidden zone, on the other were safe areas carved out and protected by the official gathering of people.

Wouldn't any sane person know which to choose?

It might be understandable if a few crazies wanted to be close to the Celestial Pool of Tianshan.

But Mei Xin Mountain's point was that these people were numerous enough to form settlements, possibly even more than one!

Where did so many deranged minds come together in sync?

The crucial question is—why can they continue existing so close to the Celestial Pool of Tianshan after the Supernatural Calamity?

"The supposed 'ghostly balance' in the Celestial Pool of Tianshan wasn't there from the start, was it? How could they survive such severe ghost activity? Could the self-built Utopia outside the city also have so many Awakened?" Wu Liang pondered this as he left Mei Xin Mountain.

The only explanation he could think of was that these people might include Symbionts or Awakened with abilities like Minister Long.

Otherwise, how could they survive Fierce Ghosts?

However, the other person seriously replied, "They don't have a single Awakened!"

"They survived because the Fierce Ghosts coming out of the Celestial Pool of Tianshan simply wouldn't harm them, so I used to suspect that they were probably already..."

Mei Xin Mountain halted at this point, making a throat-slitting gesture, leaving the rest for Wu Liang to deduce.

Given his position as the head of the Di Wu City official division, he had to be accountable for his words.

This kind of rumor cannot spread from him; otherwise, it might color the perception of city residents against the outside self-built Utopia.

This is an outcome he certainly didn't want to see.

As Wu Liang left Di Wu City, he pondered over Mei Xin Mountain's words.

"Could it be a situation like Wangsheng Village?" Wu Liang muttered, looking at the scenery outside the window.

From the outside, you couldn't tell if they were dead, yet they seemed to live normally as their entire village developed in its original rhythm.

It's a situation he's seen before.

Only at that time, the influence of the Corpse Concealing Ghost was limited to his hometown's one village.

This self-built Utopia around Celestial Pool of Tianshan covers dozens of kilometers.

"Ah, Mei Xin Mountain, I know your warning to stay away was well-intentioned, but have you considered, if they are indeed a part of the ghostly balance, I would have to engage and handle this matter regardless."

"Therefore, instead, let's start with their exploration of the Celestial Pool of Tianshan!"

With this mindset, Wu Liang now sped towards the Celestial Pool of Tianshan, aiming to find and connect with these self-built Utopia members!

As he approached the 30-kilometer mark to the Celestial Pool of Tianshan, he gradually slowed his speed.

According to previous words, the residents of the self-built Utopia have strong hostility towards outsiders, and racing past their settlement might be seen as provocation.

At best, they'd throw stones or cow dung; at worst, they'd fire warning shots and contact nearby villages to jointly blockade the vehicle.

These were situations encountered numerous times by Awakened from Di Wu City during negotiations here.

Slowing down made Wu Liang look like he was genuinely on a road trip, enjoying the sights as he proceeded.

But unexpectedly, the unforeseen situation still arose.

Bang—

Clang—

The gunshot shattered the road's peacefulness, leaving a dirty shell casing on this seemingly endless path beneath blue skies and fluffy clouds.

Due to the car's top-notch bulletproof glass, the impact merely produced a clang noise.

"Damn! We agreed to slow down and not shoot, right? And was that really a warning shot? Where the hell was the bullet aimed at!?"

Wu Liang cursed and swung the steering wheel to park on the roadside, glancing at where the bullet hit, directly aligned with his temple.

This was definitely an attempt to kill him instantly!

Not knowing why someone would want him dead, it seemed trying to contact them peacefully wasn't possible.

He could only use his Wu Style contact method!

The detailed content and execution are somewhat complex, but basically, it boils down to a rough translation: beat the truth out!

Bang—

Noticing the car didn't veer out of control but rather braked and pulled over, the opponent realized Wu Liang wasn't hit and quickly fired another shot.

This time, instead of hitting the car's bulletproof glass, the bullet was caught firmly by a hand extended out the window!

Then came an excited voice saying, "400 meters northwest! Buddy, you've given away your position…"