Night had fallen, yet large spotlights illuminated the graveyard and its surroundings, bathing the area in a bright glow.
Beams converged, and people came and went.
At the very center was the place where the gray mist had emerged.
"Compared to when it was first discovered, the area covered by the gray mist has expanded more than tenfold. However, both objects and people can pass through the mist without hindrance, as if it were merely an illusion."
Outside the graveyard, in a large tent within a makeshift camp, Director Zhou and several cadres from the Baiyun Prefecture Bureau and the General Bureau were in a meeting.
The incident in Poluo Country had devastated the entire small town, with strange phenomena everywhere, making it difficult to gather valuable intelligence.
However, in Sakura Country, the General Bureau had employed some means and paid a price to obtain information about the Gate of Hell from the demon hunters who had escaped and survived that day.
Information on two other Gates of Hell within the country was also being investigated by agents.
All this information had been compiled, organized, and sent here.
"There are two pieces of good news. One is that the Gate of Hell is not permanently open. In fact, the duration for which the Gate of Hell opens is quite short, ranging from half an hour to one and a half hours at most."
"Therefore, as long as we can withstand the strange phenomena pouring out during this period, we can achieve victory."
Director Zhou said,
"The second piece of good news is that due to the influence of the gray mist, or the inherent nature of the Gate of Hell itself, the strange phenomena that emerge will not be completely invisible and can be observed by us."
"Of course, this is accompanied by a greater impact of the strange phenomena on our sanity."
There were pros and cons.
Compared to the slightly increased impact on sanity, being able to see the strange phenomena made combat easier and more straightforward. Overall, it was beneficial to the battle, significantly so.
"But the bad news is that even if it's only open for half an hour or an hour, the number of strange phenomena that pour out is enough to overwhelm Sakura Country's defenses and turn a small town in Poluo Country into a dead city."
The impact on sanity, the spread of panic, and the increased activity of strange phenomena after killing… all these contributed to the disaster in Poluo Country.
This was also related to the fact that the strange phenomena were visible.
Visible strange phenomena were easier for their agents to deal with. However, for ordinary people who were already unable to cope with strange phenomena, visibility would only lead them to be targeted and their sanity to plummet faster.
Therefore, they had to stop it.
Such a disaster would not be repeated in their Donghuang.
"Now, I will elaborate on the specific situation in Sakura Country that day."
"The Gate of Hell in Sakura Country remained open for 58 minutes. The exact number of strange phenomena that emerged is unknown, but it was at least a thousand, or even more."
"While Sakura Country's equipment was not as advanced as ours, they also had some special trump cards, 'gods' nurtured by shrine offerings."
This was Sakura Country's strongest measure. Director Zhou did not know the specifics, only guessing that these 'gods' might be related to strange phenomena and entities.
Sakura Country worshipped these 'gods,' sacrificing souls and lives in exchange for opportunities for these gods to act.
During the defense battle against the Gate of Hell that day, Sakura Country had summoned three 'gods.'
"According to reports, any one of these gods could have defeated the 'Serpent Mother' encountered in Baijiang before. However, the result was that three 'gods' died, and two escaped."
This intelligence placed significant pressure on Director Zhou and the other cadres.
Fortunately, they also had their own trump cards, the latest research achievements from the General Bureau – technological talismans and metaphysical grenades.
Director Zhou and the others deliberated on tactics.
The agents hurried to catch up on their studies, focusing on courses related to intelligence on strange phenomena.
Beyond that, patrols were conducted as usual, and rest was taken as needed.
A night passed.
No strange phenomena emerged, only that the gray mist within the graveyard had spread a little further and was drifting slightly.
Director Zhou gazed into the distance, "The information provided by 'Xin Huo' is likely accurate. How much longer do we have?"
"Between two and a half and three and a half hours."
"Hmm…"
"That organization, the people from 'Xin Huo,' should also be… arriving soon."
…
Baijiang City, District dC, An Jianyou's home.
The hole in the ceiling remained unrepaired. A girl with a slightly chubby, baby-faced appearance stood on tiptoe, gazing up with confusion.
"Youyou, how did you create such a big hole?"
"No matter how I think about it, it's impossible to create such a large hole."
The baby-faced girl looked at the hole, then at An Jianyou, wondering if…
"Eat your chips."
An Jianyou grabbed a handful of chips and stuffed them into the girl's mouth, puffing it out and making muffled sounds.
She asked, "Are all schools really closed?"
"Mmhmm." The baby-faced girl nodded.
An Jianyou was a little surprised but then thought it was normal.
When she requested a long leave, some of her classmates had already taken leave. After all, even before she learned that the world was about to fall into ruin, there had been rumors of people jumping off buildings and into lakes at school, which was very ominous.
She knew it was definitely related to strange phenomena.
After catching the first and second "Little Black," An Jianyou had also quietly returned to school and visited those "legendary places."
There had indeed been strange phenomena, but they might have been dealt with by seniors from the Investigation Bureau or the Organization. She didn't see any.
After looking around, she discovered a newly born strange entity. She quickly eradicated it, otherwise, more lives might be lost in a few days.
This world was too dangerous. It was good that schools were closed, otherwise, Ning Ying would still run to school every day and always liked to explore obscure alleys in search of food.
It was fine before, but now…
This world was too dangerous!
An Jianyou had a headache.
She couldn't talk about strange phenomena; it was pointless. But if Ning Ying, a girl, encountered a strange phenomenon outside, she would almost certainly die. Hiding at home wouldn't necessarily prevent her from encountering one.
She couldn't always be with her.
In such times, without the ability to deal with strange phenomena, one couldn't be considered safe.
Unless she could join an organization. But their "Xin Huo" was an organization dedicated to saving the world from collapse, so their recruitment must be very strict. According to her mentor, they only recruited special individuals, and Ning Ying…
Apart from being able to eat without gaining weight, An Jianyou couldn't see anything special about her. She didn't know if the organization recruited support staff. Even as a mere errand runner, being protected by the organization would be safer.
An Jianyou thought, turned on the TV, and handed the game controller to Ning Ying.
"Play games by yourself for a while. I'm going out and will be back later. Don't go anywhere, okay, sweetie~"
Ning Ying: "(*⊙~⊙)"
While she was looking dazed, An Jianyou was already ready. She touched the soul-binding banner on her body, patted her cheeks, and took a deep breath.
A moment later, she drove away from the neighborhood.
…
In the graveyard area, the atmosphere grew increasingly serious.
Director Zhou checked his watch for the thirteenth time. "Haven't the people from 'Xin Huo' arrived yet?"
"Not yet. The time provided by 'Xin Huo' indicates at least fifteen minutes until activation, and at most, a little over an hour."
But can't they arrive right on the dot!
He was also afraid of being stood up! Perhaps he should have someone make a phone call?
"Director Zhou, Director Zhou, Miss An has arrived!"
"Good!"
Director Zhou was excited but quickly feigned calmness. "Please escort her to the camp to rest and prepare for battle."
Since An Jianyou had arrived, the Black-Clad Swordsman would likely also be present.
Two strong reinforcements.
Of course, their own agents were not bad either. Today, they would showcase the might of their Investigation Bureau!
It would be even better if they didn't need the reinforcements.
But apart from Miss An and the Black-Clad Swordsman, would any other awakened individuals from 'Xin Huo' be present?
Director Zhou wondered.
He had no ulterior motives, just pure curiosity.
The entire southern suburbs were now sealed off, which had caused considerable tremors throughout Baijiang City and Donghuang.
However, the situation remained generally stable.
Within this cordon, a figure walked straight in without encountering any obstruction. He seemed to not exist, yet he was like an ordinary staff member of the Investigation Bureau.
Fang You, in his "No Light" state, followed the navigation map and arrived at a hilltop with higher terrain.
From here, he could clearly see the gray mist in the distance and quite a number of agents.
"Thirty-seven minutes left."
He glanced at the game interface again. Black Sword Brother was resting and could be deployed at any time.
All personnel of 'Xin Huo' had arrived.