The Precarious Elevator

The night gradually deepened.

In the security booth at the entrance of the residential complex, the old guard's eyelids drooped. He merely glanced at the three black commercial vans that glided in silently before dropping his head back to sleep.

Dongfang Shuye stepped out of the middle van and waved his hand at the empty air.

Without a single word exchanged, several dark figures instantly melted into the shadows of the surrounding buildings. Their movements were clean and efficient, leaving behind only a relatively thin man who followed Dongfang Shuye, his face full of curiosity about their surroundings.

Just as Dongfang Shuye raised his foot to walk toward the building number left by Rose, two piercing high-beam headlights tore through the darkness from behind, casting their elongated shadows onto the ground.

Dongfang Shuye's forward footsteps came to a sudden halt.

He turned his head to look at the Cadillac that had driven into the complex.

The Cadillac came to a steady stop right next to their van.

Dongfang Shuye immediately noticed the man sitting in the driver's seat. With a single glance, he could tell that the other party was wearing a disguise.

What kind of normal person would wear a disguise?

Therefore, he stood rooted to the spot, not moving an inch.

The passenger door opened, and a man wearing a T-shirt and flip-flops stepped out. He had an ordinary build and plain features; if tossed into a crowd, you would never give him a second glance.

Yet, it was this ordinary man who, upon getting out of the car, looked straight at him. He raised an eyebrow slightly, carrying a lazy, overly familiar demeanor.

"Better to arrive at the right time than early. Dongfang Shuye, right? Got any water? Toss me a bottle?"

Dongfang Shuye remained silent. He merely scrutinized Lin Mo with his deep, penetrating eyes, as if trying to find some flaw in his expression.

A few seconds later, he pulled a bottle of Leaf tea from his jacket pocket and tossed it over.

However, with a flick of his wrist, the bottle turned into a straight line, whistling through the air as it flew toward Lin Mo.

Lin Mo casually reached out and caught the water bottle securely.

"Click."

He twisted off the cap, tilted his head back, and chugged several mouthfuls. His Adam's apple bobbed up and down, completely disregarding Dongfang Shuye's little probing attack.

Shou Zhen and the mind-controlled Ma Wenlong also got out of the car.

Xia Zhi had driven very fast along the way, but because they had changed locations at the last minute, it was already dark by the time they arrived.

Lin Mo looked at Dongfang Shuye. "Let's go. We'll head up together. After all, we're on the same path."

He strode forward, his posture as relaxed as if he were dropping by a neighbor's house for a visit.

Just as Lin Mo walked past him, Dongfang Shuye suddenly erupted.

Without any warning, he twisted his waist and spun around. His right fist shot out like a cannonball, carrying a heavy gust of wind as it aimed straight for Lin Mo's heart!

This punch was fast, accurate, and ruthless, powerful enough to punch a hole through a steel plate.

However, Lin Mo's reaction was even faster.

He simply dipped his shoulder slightly, shifting his body to the left at an impossibly subtle angle. That tremendously forceful punch narrowly brushed past the fabric on his chest.

Missing his mark, Dongfang Shuye's gaze hardened. Without retracting his momentum, he suddenly spread his five fingers like iron claws, hooking back toward Lin Mo's shoulder!

But Lin Mo was like a slippery loach. No matter how fast Dongfang Shuye moved, leaving afterimages with his claw strikes, he couldn't even touch a corner of Lin Mo's clothes.

After several exchanges, Lin Mo grew a bit annoyed.

Don't you have a damn clue whether you can hit me or not?

When Dongfang Shuye launched another tricky straight punch, he stopped dodging.

"Smack."

A soft sound echoed.

Lin Mo raised his hand and effortlessly caught Dongfang Shuye's fist.

Everything around them seemed to have been put on pause.

Dongfang Shuye's fist, which had enough power to split monuments and shatter rocks, stopped dead in mid-air. It was firmly wrapped within a seemingly ordinary, not particularly thick palm, unable to advance even an inch further.

He felt as if all his force had plunged into a bottomless pile of cotton, vanishing without a trace in an instant.

Lin Mo looked up at him, his tone flat.

"That's enough."

Dongfang Shuye stared fixedly at Lin Mo, but a stormy sea of shock was churning in his heart.

"Who exactly are you?"

Dongfang Shuye's voice was deep, his gaze like two awls trying to pierce through the young man in front of him.

"Just call me Lin Mo. My master is Perfected Beixuan."

Lin Mo smiled carelessly, as if he hadn't noticed the scrutiny and vigilance in the other man's eyes. "Let's go. We have a lot to do tonight."

With that, he took a step forward, walking right past Dongfang Shuye and heading into the building.

Dongfang Shuye glanced at the three people following behind Lin Mo. Ultimately, he didn't ask any more questions and followed them silently.

Walking through the residential complex, Lin Mo suddenly stopped. He looked up to examine the towering residential building, his brow slightly furrowed.

This place was too quiet, so quiet that not a single trace of a living person's aura could be felt. Only a lingering, gloomy coldness coiled in the air.

The six of them stood in an elevator, which didn't feel crowded at all.

As the metal doors slowly closed, Lin Mo suddenly smiled and spoke, "Say, if this elevator were to suddenly plummet, would we all be smashed into meat paste?"

Dongfang Shuye frowned but didn't reply.

Instead, it was Shou Zhen who earnestly looked up at the elevator's quality inspection tag. "Layman Lin, this is a new elevator. Its safety rating is very high, so there shouldn't be any problems."

"Is that so?" Lin Mo's gaze pierced through the ceiling, looking further up. A mysterious smile played at the corners of his mouth.

"Little Daoist, it seems your cultivation level is still far from enough."

Just as his voice faded!

"Screech!"

A piercing sound of scraping metal suddenly exploded. The entire elevator cabin trembled violently and then began to shake frantically! The overhead lights flickered wildly, alternating between bright and dim, casting a deathly pallor over their faces.

Dongfang Shuye's expression changed drastically. He raised his hand, a faint current of air swirling in his palm, as he stared intently at the completely unruffled Lin Mo.

This was definitely no ordinary malfunction!

Lin Mo, however, didn't even bat an eyelid. His divine sense swept over the entire building instantly, like quicksilver spilling across the ground, and he couldn't help but complain.

"What kind of fucking genius built a residential complex here just to use it as an urn house? Nourishing Yin with Yin, isn't this just breeding malicious spirits?"

Shou Zhen, being a member of the Daoist sect after all, instantly realized what was happening. His face turned pale. "Layman Lin, are there evil entities here?!"

"Shut up. With your talent, if you had joined the Zhengyi Sect from the beginning, would you really be unable to sense it?!"

Lin Mo raised his hand and seemingly casually pressed his palm against the cold inner wall of the elevator.

Spiritual energy radiated outward.

That terrifying, gloomy coldness was instantly dispelled. The elevator, which had been shaking frantically and felt as if it would plummet at any second, miraculously stabilized. The lights also returned to normal.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened on cue, revealing a clean and bright corridor outside.

"You guys go ahead. I'm going to deal with the thing up there, and then I'll catch up."

Dongfang Shuye gave him a deep look but ultimately said nothing.

This guy named Lin Mo was far more capable than he had imagined.

Shou Zhen said earnestly, "Layman Lin, I'll go up and help you."

"Help my ass!" Lin Mo cut him off directly.

"Your mission is to go tell the story. Don't cause trouble. As for the thing up there, even if four or five of you were tied together, you still wouldn't be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth."

With those words, Lin Mo waved his hand, signaling for everyone to step out of the elevator. He then directly pressed the button for the top floor.

The elevator doors slowly slid shut, concealing his figure from view.