Zhang Wei and Zhang Chao were stunned. The murmurs of the crowd echoed in their ears, and they couldn't help but look at each other.
The next second.
Zhang Chao swallowed and slowly said, "Holy crap, it actually, actually came true?"
More than Zhang Chao's shock, Zhang Wei's eyes flickered. While surprised by Zhang Chao's accuracy, he was more concerned about how the Fengmen Zombie had escaped.
The security level of the Weidao Division prison, others might not know, but Zhang Wei, having visited it and even reached the lowest level, was well aware that its security was far more stringent than people imagined. Bound as the Fengmen Zombie was, how could he have escaped?
It was a pity.
There were too few clues now. All they knew was that the Fengmen Zombie had escaped, but not the specifics. However, knowing this much was enough.
"Fengmen Zombie, oh, no, it should be Grandpa who escaped, which is great."
Zhang Wei's lips curled as he whispered to himself.
"What did you say, Zhang Wei? Looking at your smile, what bad idea are you cooking up now?"
Zhang Chao turned to look at him. Distracted by the surrounding conversations, he hadn't heard Zhang Wei clearly but noticed his smile. Knowing Zhang Wei well, he knew that when Zhang Wei smiled like that, he was definitely plotting something.
...
On the other side.
Inside the Weidao Division prison.
At this moment.
Every level of the prison was flashing red lights and blaring alarms, intermittently announcing that an inmate had escaped and asking all departments' guards to be vigilant, intercept the inmate, and prevent their escape.
Because of this.
Guards were constantly moving throughout the prison, and inmates in their cells were frequently stirring, asking what was happening.
However, in the monitoring room hall, unlike the chaos outside, Warden Sun Jianyun and the deputy warden were present. Despite the prison breakout, there was no panic on their faces. They were even drinking coffee, watching the screens full of surveillance feeds, their gaze fixed on one particular screen.
It was the surveillance from the last underground level, showing that several rooms on the last level had been opened, including the cell belonging to the Fengmen Zombie.
After an unknown amount of time.
A powerful guard walked in. He was a guard belonging to the lowest level. He reported:
"Warden, it has been confirmed that the Fengmen Zombie has fled far away."
Upon hearing this.
Sun Jianyun nodded. He wasn't angry about the Fengmen Zombie's escape. Instead, he smiled and said, "It's good that he escaped. Now, let all departments sort out the prison to ensure no other inmates escape. The key figure, Fengmen Zombie, has already escaped. There's no need for other inmates to escape. Send people to recapture some inmates. If they resist, kill them all."
"Yes!"
The guard saluted and turned to leave.
The deputy warden glanced at the guard and then turned back to Sun Jianyun, saying, "Everything is proceeding according to plan. Now it's up to the Fengmen Zombie to prove himself. I hope he finds the Senluo Division quickly so we can catch them all in one fell swoop."
Sun Jianyun nodded in response:
"If we can catch the Senluo Division in one fell swoop with this, it's fine even if the prison's reputation takes a hit. Inform the people in the capital that, as planned, we created an opportunity for the Fengmen Zombie to escape. The next step of monitoring the Fengmen Zombie will be handed over to them."
As he spoke.
Sun Jianyun recalled the meeting he had with the high-ranking officials of the Weidao Division not long ago.
Following the incident in the Northeast, the Senluo Division had refined a national-level artifact, the Soul Summoning Banner, in the Northeast. Given the severity of this matter, the Weidao Division realized that if the Senluo Division were allowed to grow stronger, it would inevitably become a significant threat.
For this reason.
The high-ranking officials unanimously agreed to intensify the crackdown on the Senluo Division, determined to eradicate them completely in this era. However, given the Senluo Division's long history and their ability to resurface time and again, they knew the difficulty of complete eradication. To resolve it, they needed to find the Senluo Division's main stronghold and kill its mastermind.
Yet, the Senluo Division was too well hidden. For centuries, they had remained undiscovered, and even information about the Senluo Division's high-ranking members was scarce. Finding the Senluo Division's headquarters, let alone its mastermind, was impossible through conventional search methods.
Therefore.
They set their sights on the Fengmen Zombie. He was the only 'clue' the Weidao Division had to the Senluo Division. The plan was to allow the Fengmen Zombie to escape and then use his flight to track them and find the Senluo Division's headquarters, or even its mastermind!
Thinking of this.
Sun Jianyun took a sip of his coffee and looked at the surveillance feed of the Fengmen Zombie's escape, saying, "The Fengmen Zombie has escaped. Now it's up to the Senluo Division's movements. Given their obsession with the Fengmen Zombie, they should make a move soon."
...
The Weidao Division prison, as the most renowned place for ghost exorcists in Great Xia, its incident, once spread, traveled throughout the night. Many ghost exorcists, and even ghosts, learned of this matter, causing a sensation throughout Great Xia.
On the Weidao Division forum, the top ten posts, more than half were about the Weidao Division prison. Even three days after the incident, it was still being discussed by many ghost exorcists during their leisure time. The reason for this was the escape of an inmate from the Weidao Division prison, specifically from the lowest level, and even more so, the escape of a high-ranking member of the Senluo Division, the Fengmen Zombie.
At this time.
It was the third night after the escape.
In the suburbs near Shanghai.
The Fengmen Zombie sat wearily on a moldy wooden chair in a dilapidated old house. His terrifying zombie eyes constantly scanned his surroundings:
"I've already sent the Senluo signal. They should be coming to pick me up soon."
To maintain the charade, even though the Weidao Division had created an opportunity for the Fengmen Zombie to escape successfully, they hadn't let go. They continued to send people to pursue him. For the past few days, the Fengmen Zombie had been dodging and hiding, narrowly avoiding discovery several times.
However, he hadn't just waited to die. He had used the secret signal he had with the Senluo to notify the Senluo Division, and he expected the Senluo Division to have received the message and be looking for him.
"Who!"
The Fengmen Zombie muttered to himself, suddenly sensing something and looking sharply towards the window.
Just then.
Under the moonlight, amidst the sparse sounds from the broken window, one centipede after another began to crawl in. There were too many of them, a dense mass that would surely trigger trypophobia.
Then.
Under the Fengmen Zombie's gaze, thousands of centipedes piled up in an instant, forming a human-like shape, transforming into a strange figure wearing a large cloak. The rustling of centipedes could faintly be heard from within the cloak. At this moment, a hoarse voice emerged from the cloaked figure:
"Don't be nervous, it's one of us. I'm from the Senluo, sent to pick you up. Let me introduce myself, my name is Chongzi, one of the current high-ranking members of the Senluo Division."
Saying this.
The cloaked figure extended a hand, showing the Fengmen Zombie proof of his affiliation with the Senluo Division.
Seeing this, the Fengmen Zombie finally relaxed:
"You're really slow. Decades have passed, and the Senluo Division's efficiency has become so low."
Originally displeased that his descendant, Zhang Wei, had been attacked by the Senluo Division, the Fengmen Zombie, despite needing the Senluo Division, didn't miss the opportunity to be sarcastic. He was accustomed to behaving this way anyway.
In response.
Chongzi seemed to understand the Fengmen Zombie's temperament and didn't get angry. He stated directly:
"You can't blame us. It's mainly because the Senluo Division has encountered some trouble recently. Other high-ranking members are occupied, and the Weidao Division has been keeping a close watch, especially on you right after your escape. I had to seize a rare opportunity to contact you."
"What trouble has the Senluo Division encountered?"
The Fengmen Zombie looked over.
Chongzi did not hide anything:
"The Senluo Division has begun to gradually execute its plan for the Suolong Well. We have refined the Soul Summoning Banner, and the next step in contacting the Suolong Well plan is continuing, but the contact plan has stalled. Someone disrupted it, and not only that, but two of our Senluo Division's high-ranking members were injured."
"Hmm? Who did it? Someone who could injure two high-ranking members must be quite capable. Could it be those True Dragon Guards from Shengxuan?"
"It's not someone you know. You've been imprisoned for decades, and many capable individuals have emerged. One of them is a rising star who did it. His name is Zhang Wei."
At this moment.
Chongzi, engrossed in his explanation, failed to notice the subtle glint that flashed in the depths of the Fengmen Zombie's eyes upon hearing Zhang Wei's name.
Zhang Wei?
Isn't that my descendant!
Haha, as expected of my descendant, well done, you've got my old style.
Just as the Fengmen Zombie was thinking this.
Chongzi continued, seemingly afraid the Fengmen Zombie would think the Senluo Division had declined, adding:
"That Zhang Wei is quite formidable. He has disrupted our Senluo Division's plans multiple times and is very powerful. Although he is young, he possesses strength comparable to our Senluo Division's high-ranking members. However, rest assured, even if he disrupted the plan unintentionally."
"The Division will not let him off easily. Especially this time, the Senluo has noticed him and is preparing to convene a meeting to discuss the handling of Zhang Wei and subsequent plans. I'm taking you back now, and we can discuss this matter together."