"Hasn't the Black-Clad Swordsman arrived yet?"
"Director, you've asked that for the sixth time. Wouldn't it be better to just ask Miss An directly?"
Director Zhou: "..."
It would be too improper to ask directly, and besides, I'm just being cautious!
He stared into the distance. The grey mist was already drifting, becoming more and more intense.
At this point, even without the predictive time given by the Xin Huo, one could tell that the Gates of Hell were about to open.
But this, even more, surprised Director Zhou.
So accurate!
The Xin Huo had truly predicted it, estimating the opening time of the Gates of Hell two days in advance, with an error of only one hour.
What kind of skill was this?
...
On one side of the graveyard,
Master Ma, leading a group of investigators, was responsible for defending this area. He held a white-plumed spear, a new type of weapon designed to effectively kill strange entities.
Behind him, the investigators wore strings of Buddhist beads, but today the beads were not the main focus. Their true trump cards were the weapons they carried.
Specially consecrated cards.
Spherical objects, resembling grenades but far more futuristic.
These were their weapons, and today they would show their might.
On the opposite side, leading the defense was another special-class investigator, 'Cannon Platform', whose awakened ability focused on offense, allowing him to generate flames from his palms, making him a top-tier among the special-class.
He and Master Ma were separately defending the most critical points.
Besides them, there were five other special-class investigators, including Bai Xue, but their awakened abilities were relatively "useless" compared to Master Ma's ability to carve a path through hordes of strange entities.
Everyone had entered a state of combat readiness.
...
An Jianyou was also within the defensive line, slightly on the outer edge.
The Investigation Bureau had previously built high platforms around the graveyard, and she was positioned on one of them, with a clear view of the situation in the distance.
The grey mist surged, like the exhales of a giant beast. The Gate to the Strange Realm was about to be torn open, and all sorts of terrifying strange entities would pour out.
An Jianyou clenched her fists, a sense of nervousness rising within her.
...
Fang You stood on a hilltop, his gaze shifting away from An Jianyou.
This was the first time he had seen Miss An in reality, but there was no need for a meeting. His attention turned to the grey mist, which billowed like a misty veil, and the ground around him seemed to gradually turn grey and black.
Fang You glanced at the game interface.
"60 seconds remaining."
"30 seconds remaining."
"10 seconds."
"5 seconds."
"2 seconds."
In his eyes, the grey mist surged violently and then suddenly expanded outwards, forming one, two, three rings.
A faint grey mist enveloped the sky, the space slightly distorting, the mist expanding and contracting like breathing.
Shadows, one after another, quietly appeared within the grey mist.
...
"They're here!"
The grey mist dispersed, casting a gloomy pall over the entire sky. Grey mist drifted everywhere, and some of the previously constructed facilities seemed to have decayed under the mist, as if they had existed for months rather than having just been built.
Shadowy figures, shuffling like zombies, appeared within the investigators' field of vision.
Not just their outlines, but they could be seen almost completely... except that wisps of black mist emanated from around these shadowy figures.
Ominous!
Terrifying!
From low growls to piercing shrieks, they echoed in the investigators' ears, causing their brains to ache and their eyes to bleed.
Even more alarming was their sheer number. Even though they had anticipated it, seeing so many strange entities gathered together, a chill inevitably crept into their hearts.
No one had ever seen so many strange entities gathered in one place!
Director Zhou had never seen it, Bai Xue had never seen it, and even Master Ma, the combat powerhouse of the Investigation Bureau, had never seen it!
This was a first in their lives!
But there was no time for dazed astonishment. "Open fire!" a special-class investigator shouted!
Following the previous drills, the investigators picked up their cards.
Thick, large cards, about the size of A5 paper, covered in intricate electronic patterns. At first glance, they looked like circuit boards, but upon closer inspection, the etchings were crooked and mysterious, resembling talismans, which they essentially were.
These were electronic talismans!
A fusion of technology and metaphysics, the latest research achievement of the General Bureau!
An investigator pressed the switch on the card and then threw it forcefully. Great effort yielded great results!
Upon impact with a shuffling strange entity, the card detonated, unleashing arcs of lightning that crackled and burst into brilliant light, engulfing the entity and several others nearby.
After a while,
The lightning subsided, and three of the strange entities were eliminated.
"Excellent! Very effective!"
"Continue!"
In addition to the electronic talismans, there were also metaphysical grenades, which were tossed high into the air and exploded amidst the clusters of strange entities, erupting into balls of orange-red flames.
In a short while, the explosions created pits, raising dust and creating a grand spectacle.
"How about that, aren't our Investigation Bureau's 'Lightning Talismans' and 'Fire Orbs' quite impressive?"
Beside An Jianyou, investigator Yu Su said with pride.
An Jianyou nodded.
Indeed, the spectacle was grand; she was startled.
However, amidst the lightning and flames, quite a few strange entities still broke through. Some were scorched but their speed was undiminished. Although they had initially walked with a shuffle, once they broke into a run, their limbs twisted unnaturally, and they crawled rapidly on the ground like spiders.
Or they leaped high into the air, pouncing towards the investigators.
Or their arms stretched out like snakes.
They were still terrifying.
The spectacular lightning and flames seemed to only inflict damage on a small portion of the strange entities.
"Do I not need to make a move?" she asked.
Yu Su smiled, "The current situation is within the Investigation Bureau's predictions, and they are not difficult to deal with. The Director also hopes you will conserve your life energy for the more troublesome ones."
"Of course, if everything goes smoothly, Miss An might not need to intervene."
Yu Su hoped that An Jianyou would not be needed.
This was a battle for their Investigation Bureau; they had the ability to resolve it.
On the field,
The Lightning Talismans and Fire Orbs continued to unleash their power. While their destructive force might not have appeared as strong as they looked, it was still potent enough. A single deployment eliminated two or three minor strange entities, and with Master Ma and other special-class investigators clearing any that broke through,
The strange entities within the grey mist were gradually decreasing, and the piercing sounds echoing in their ears also began to subside.
The investigators showed smiles.
At this moment,
Crash——
The grey mist surged again, expanding and contracting. Within the central area, grey figures appeared, one after another.
"The second breath!"
Director Zhou's expression was solemn.
Besides the shuffling figures, there were now quite a few larger ones.
Three-meter-tall, four-legged behemoths, ugly and ferocious.
A few electronic talismans hit them, but only caused minor damage.
Master Ma, from a distance, charged forward with his spear.
His body emanated fine lightning, which was his awakened talent, 'Lightning Infusion'. This allowed him to greatly enhance his physique with lightning, while also imbuing his attacks with lightning damage.
Lightning damage was crucial.
With lightning damage, Master Ma was a top-tier powerhouse.
He struck the behemoth repeatedly with his spear tip, igniting explosions of lightning that unleashed bursts of green liquid. Simultaneously, he weaved agilely, dodging the behemoth's attacks, and occasionally threw a Fire Orb to blind the beast before launching a surprise attack.
Master Ma was formidable!
Killing this four-legged behemoth was not a problem at all.
However, at this moment, another four-legged behemoth appeared and charged towards another area.
Master Ma could not stop it.
The exploding flames also failed to impede the behemoth's charge.
An Jianyou took out her Ghost Soul Banner, and with a gentle wave, a wisp of black smoke shot out, traveling dozens of meters before manifesting in the air.
"Roar~!"
A black giant, towering like an iron tower and covered in rock, descended from the sky, crashing onto the four-legged behemoth.
Instantly, the ground shattered, and the behemoth's four legs sank into the earth.
A wave of dust and wind swept across the astonished faces.