Chapter 107: The Small Town

Leaves drifted down, and a cold wind blew. It was unclear how much time had passed when ripples suddenly spread across the full-length mirror, and Liang Bing tumbled out.

She gasped and scrambled to her feet, her clothes soaked through with cold sweat.

She quickly scanned her surroundings. It was deep into the night; the streets were devoid of merrymakers, as the children celebrating Christmas Eve had all gathered at various parties to revel.

Thanks to her enhanced hearing, she could clearly catch the faint sounds echoing from the distance.

Confirming she was safe, Liang Bing let out a small sigh of relief. She quickly headed downstairs, moving silently and keeping to the shadows. Soon, she found the locations of Zhou Banxian and Dong Huawen.

Both had been decapitated. Dong Huawen’s expression was relaxed; clearly, his death had been instantaneous. Even at the moment of his passing, he had not realized he was in danger. Zhou Banxian’s face, however, was twisted in terror and a touch of madness. Judging by his posture, he must have been trying to flee when he died. Unfortunately, the enemy was too powerful; a single strike had severed his head, and the wound had been instantly frozen by a chilling force, preventing even a drop of blood from spilling.

Liang Bing’s mood grew noticeably heavy. She took a small bottle from the mirror and sprinkled some yellow powder over the two corpses.

[Corpse-Dissolving Powder]

This was a reward she had received just after killing the Red-Haired and Blue-Haired men.

The other reward was the [Dragon Pearl of Water and Fire].

Liang Bing did not know why the rewards had suddenly taken on the style of a martial arts television show, but that did not hinder her from skillfully using the items.

The props rewarded by the Mysterious Train were all highly valuable, and the Dragon Pearl of Water and Fire was no exception. Used separately, the Fire Dragon Pearl could fan flames into water, and the Water Dragon Pearl could solidify water into ice. Used together, they would transform into the Dragon Source, granting the user immortality and immunity to all poisons.

Although, without the aid of internal energy, the miraculous power of the Dragon Pearl of Water and Fire could not be directly applied to combat, immunity to all poisons and immortality were, in themselves, top-tier abilities.

The Corpse-Dissolving Powder, while only a single bottle, was inexhaustible. It seemed to function like a container of infinite capacity; as long as she tipped it, it would pour. However, the substance appeared to have a time limit: once poured out, it had to come into contact with a physical body within a quarter of an hour to be effective; otherwise, it would expire.

It was quite miraculous.

Watching the bodies gradually dissolve into a pool of yellow liquid spreading across the floor, Liang Bing wore a complex expression. She had never expected the first use of these items to be on her own teammates.

"We’ve lost three people, and the enemy has lost two. Our current score is in the negative. The female ghost’s state is very strange; I can't see her weaknesses at all. Perhaps I need to find Gao Ning as soon as possible, but the town is sealed. Even if I could find him, how would he get in? Is this mission doomed to fail?"

Looking up at the sky, Liang Bing thought silently: Perhaps this thing can help me.

Until the yellow liquid on the ground had evaporated completely and the two corpses had turned into a pile of powder that dissipated into the air, Liang Bing did not turn to leave, disappearing into the street corner in a few swift movements.

The female ghost might be difficult to deal with, but she still needed to be tested. She would have to find some cannon fodder first.

In contrast to Liang Bing, although Gao Ning was startled by the successive notification tones, he soon cast them to the back of his mind. There was no point in dwelling on them; he couldn't find his teammates even if he wanted to. Fortunately, this was a vacation-style mission, and even if the score was negative, it didn't really concern him.

He just wondered which three unlucky souls had died. If they were three men, he might offer a three-minute silence, but if it were Liang Bing, he might add another two minutes. Truth be told, Liang Bing was quite beautiful, with an alluring figure. Although she was cold every day, she was undeniably a beauty with fair skin and long legs. Even when she wore a suit that covered her up completely, Gao Ning had long noticed that her legs were white, straight, and long.

It was a pity she was a bit older and her personality was too chilly; otherwise, she was perfect. The reason Gao Ning hadn't made a move, or even expressed any interest, was not only because they hadn't interacted much, but also because he wanted to keep a purely professional team dynamic. After all, they were constantly traveling through mission planes; as long as they encountered human society, there would be no shortage of pretty girls. Why settle for his own backyard? If a conflict arose, it would just lead to a messy brawl. It would be ridiculous if, in the late stages, his "animal world" were destroyed just because of a lovers' quarrel.

But Liang Bing was indeed very beautiful, and giving up on her like this left Gao Ning feeling somewhat reluctant. So, he let things take their natural course. After all, he had plenty of time.

On the way there, he had traveled with great fanfare, but on the return trip, his style changed completely. He sent his convoy away, acquired a cool motorcycle, and sped through the highway with the fiery Jennifer.

Feeling the softness of her waist and the faint, lingering fragrance, Gao Ning was in quite a good mood. He decided to let go—since it was a rare trip with a girl, he might as well enjoy it. Anyway, he couldn't find his teammates, and worrying wouldn't help.

The decision he had just made was slapped down at lunchtime.

When Gao Ning and Jennifer passed through a town called Rex and stopped at a bar to rest and replenish their food, an emergency news report suddenly interrupted the television broadcast.

"This is a tracking report; I am your host, Chris. The town of Fernandez in New Mexico has been out of contact for two weeks. The town is wrapped in an invisible force that isolates it from the outside world, like a transparent bowl placed over the earth. People outside cannot get in, and those inside cannot get out. Government expert teams have arrived one after another to launch rescue operations, but so far, there has been no progress.

"The invisible containment shield seems to have isolated the town into a different world. No matter how the weather changes outside, the town remains shrouded in dark clouds and perpetual night. Furthermore, in the faint glimpses we've caught, the town appears to be celebrating Halloween every day. You must understand that Halloween passed two weeks ago, yet the town seems to be trapped in a repeating time loop. This is truly a hair-raising phenomenon."

On the news screen, they first showed a shot of the town. It truly looked like a dark bowl inverted on the ground. While the outside was clear and sunny, the town above was shrouded in dark clouds, currently celebrating Halloween. Faintly, one could even see children running around with smiles on their faces, knocking on doors to trick-or-treat.

Meanwhile, outside, a large number of experts and firefighters in protective gear were using various methods to try to enter the town. Unfortunately, neither welding torches nor cutting saws had any effect. A helicopter even landed directly on top of the town, and people stood on the barrier, but the isolation layer showed no reaction at all.