Beyond the Gathering Square

(Because of an operational mishap, the first two chapters were accidentally posted at the end of Volume Two. We have to wait twenty-four hours before applying to have them moved, so please go read them there first, then come back.)

Late at night.

The shops lining the street outside Liliang Plaza had long since pulled down their shutters. Only a few sign lights remained on, their colors faded with age as they cast a patchwork of light across the pavement.

The people from Yanhuang Awakening had already set up roadblocks.

Layers of cordons overlapped one another. Traffic police and public security teams held the outer perimeter, while the inner perimeter was reserved for Yanhuang Awakening’s operatives.

Several engineering vehicles were blocking the intersection. Their beds were piled with modules for magnetic-energy transfer barriers, while members of the technical team crouched on the ground, connecting wires and cursing under their breath—not at ghosts, but at the chaotic network of pipes and cables in the old district.

After all, this was an old part of the city. The area around Liliang Plaza was packed with old arcaded buildings, self-built houses, and narrow side streets—a complete nightmare to deal with.

The residents couldn’t be evacuated, either.

It wasn’t that they didn’t want to. There was simply no way.

If they calculated the danger zone properly, they would have to clear out an area several kilometers wide at the very least.

With Yangcheng’s urban density, they might not be able to pull it off even if they were given three days, let alone tonight.

Besides, there was what Lin Mo had said himself:

“Whether you evacuate or not makes no difference. If it breaks out, no one will get away. If it doesn’t, there’s no need to run.”

It was a remarkably thuggish way of putting it.

But given the city’s current population density, a full evacuation was simply impossible.

At first, Liu Zheng’s plan had been to reinforce the seal and delay the inevitable for as long as possible.

Over the years, when dealing with supernatural incidents, Yanhuang Awakening had become best at containment, lockdowns, and cleanup. As long as they could suppress the situation, there was no need to let ordinary people see anything.

But Lin Mo had also pointed out the consequences of reinforcing the seal. If they continued to strengthen it, then on the day it was finally breached, the damage would not be limited to a few kilometers. It might spread across dozens—or even hundreds—of kilometers, engulfing the entire city of Yangcheng.

At the scene, Director Dongfang sat on the hood of a vehicle, drinking tea. He had already taken the medicine, and now he could see the black energy above Liliang Plaza seeping outward, clinging to the night. Ordinary people couldn’t see it, but the sight made his scalp prickle.

“This place has terrible feng shui.”

Director Dongfang took a sip of tea, then added, “And the property prices aren’t even low.”

An operative beside him was calibrating an energy shield. At that, his hand jerked, and he nearly plugged the connector in backward.

Everyone knew that Director Dongfang came from Tianjing, where housing prices were beyond what any ordinary person could afford.

“Director Dongfang, this probably isn’t the best time to discuss property prices, is it?”

“Talking about ghosts would be even worse. I’m not very experienced in that area.” Director Dongfang screwed the cap back onto his bottle. “At least talking about housing prices helps me stay rational.”

The area wasn’t exactly quiet.

Special signal antennas had been installed on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. Vehicle-mounted equipment gave off brief warning beeps, while the technical team repeatedly recalibrated the magnetic-field parameters.

Yanhuang Awakening didn’t rely solely on gifted individuals charging in headfirst. Over the years, they had also poured considerable money into technological development.

Magnetic-energy transfer barriers could alter the magnetic-field structure of a designated area within a short period, disrupting the buildup of surrounding qi.

Energy shields were designed specifically to block supernatural energy impacts.

There were also several sets of portable suppression stakes, expensive enough to give the finance department insomnia.

Of course, none of this equipment had been prepared for Lin Mo.

It was mainly there as a safety net for Wang Xincheng and his son, Wang Keting.

At the main entrance of Liliang Plaza, Lin Mo and the others sat on the steps. They didn’t even have a table, using plastic bags as makeshift mats while eating barbecue bought from a street stall beneath the bridge.

Beef skewers, chicken wings, beef fat, chives, and several portions of fried rice noodles.

Eating a late-night snack in a place like this was, to put it mildly, somewhat disrespectful.

But Lin Mo ate with complete seriousness.

Xie Yuling had also taken a grilled shrimp skewer, though her movements were far more refined than his.

Jiang Yunlu was devouring her fried rice noodles with gusto. She really loved this sort of food.

Chu Miaomiao cradled a cup of lemon tea, occasionally glancing up at the sign hanging above the plaza.

The character for “plaza” on the Liliang Plaza sign was quite unusual. At first glance, it didn’t look like the character for “plaza” at all. It looked more like the character for “corpse.”

The sign practically read: Liliang Corpse Field.

Zhafu stood off to the side.

Liu Zheng approached with a set of equipment. He first handed Wang Xincheng and Wang Keting shield generators, energy markers, emergency medicine, and other gear.

As for Lin Mo’s group, Liu Zheng had already enjoyed the benefits of the protective jade himself, so he was certain—completely certain—that Lin Mo would have even better things to give the three girls.

Compared to those, Yanhuang Awakening’s equipment was about as useful in front of Lin Mo as a cheap shatterproof phone case bought from a roadside stall.

As for Zhafu, it was obvious at a glance that Lin Mo had him under control, just as he had during the Ning family incident.

“Why are you bringing Zhafu inside?” Liu Zheng asked casually.

Lin Mo picked up a tissue and wiped his hands.

“He’s a crucial part of the plan. You’ll understand when the time comes.”

Lin Mo rose to his feet and looked up at the sky.

The hour had not yet arrived.

Meanwhile, Wang Xincheng was giving Wang Leyao some instructions. Wang Leyao would not be entering Liliang Plaza; she would remain outside.

The things Wang Xincheng was telling her were nothing more than arrangements for his estate.

He was going in with Wang Keting. If he died, Wang Keting might not survive either. But if they managed to come back alive, then both of his children would be able to live normal, stable lives.

As Wang Leyao listened, she lowered her head.

She didn’t cry.

She merely gripped her phone tightly.

“Dad.” Her voice held a slight tremor. “Stop saying things like that.”

Wang Xincheng looked at her. Several seconds passed before he said, “Someone has to remember.”

Wang Leyao raised her head, struggling to hold herself together.

“Then come back and remember it yourself.”

Wang Xincheng didn’t answer.

Wang Keting walked over and awkwardly patted his sister on the shoulder.

Wang Leyao slapped his hand away.

“You too. Don’t pretend to be an adult. You’ve been unreliable your entire life.”

Wang Keting was rendered speechless. After a long moment, he finally managed, “I can be reliable sometimes.”

Just then, a medic came over to draw his blood.

“Take a little extra. I had some blood-enriching supplements last night, so I should be fine.”

Several operatives nearby failed to hold it in and lowered their heads, coughing.

The tense atmosphere eased a little because of that one sentence.

Wang Xincheng also smiled, though only briefly, before quickly composing himself again.

He walked over to Lin Mo’s side and lowered his voice. “Mr. Lin, we’re more or less ready on our end.”

“Don’t rush.” Lin Mo looked toward the intersection. “There’s still someone who hasn’t arrived.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a car came drifting around the distant corner.

Its headlights swept across the cordon. The operative in charge of the outer perimeter immediately moved aside, and the car drove straight through without obstruction.

It stopped several dozen meters away.

The door opened, and Ning Qingcheng jumped out first.

She was wearing an ordinary jacket, her hair tied up carelessly, her face still carrying some of the excitement of having snuck out of the house.

Old Bai followed behind her, holding a McDonald’s paper bag as if he had picked it up on the way.

“Special delivery!” Old Bai called out.

Ning Qingcheng immediately turned around. “I’m not a package!”

Old Bai nodded. “Right. You’re a valuable item. I couldn’t afford to lose you.”

“I’m a key combat asset!”

Ning Qingcheng raised her hand. The Rift Arrow emerged from the reverse side of space and hovered beside her.

The instant the arrow appeared, tiny distortions rippled through the surrounding air. The instruments in the hands of several members of the technical team began beeping at once.

With her spatial abilities, Ning Qingcheng could hide objects on the reverse side of space and retrieve them whenever necessary.

Combined with the Rift Arrow’s unique properties, the weapon was practically made for her.