Chapter 437: Chapter 401: The Pathway Opens
On the morning of August 31, Sang Que returned to the present.
To prepare for going to the Deceit Dynasty in advance, she didn’t stay in the dormitory within the research base, nor did she have Zhao Yunshu follow her, instead returning to the mobile team’s dormitory to stay.
The preparations over at Bright Moon Mountain were already complete, with plans set for Sang Que to take people there after nightfall on September 3.
This time, when she came back, she had already opened the gate in Dongpo Village to the east of Eight Diagram City, and these days, Liu Tianyou and his team would be relocating all the people in Dongpo Village.
Everyone would rest during the night, so taking people past wouldn’t cause too much commotion.
After Sang Que finished washing up and got ready to go out for exercise, she saw several buses pulling in; they were for the new recruits taken out for the second phase of the mobile team training.
Ninety-nine went out, and only a little over sixty returned, with many eliminated.
Everyone had dark circles under their eyes and looked mentally exhausted, as if they had stayed up all night and been severely frightened, leaving them somewhat dazed.
Sang Que thought of herself when she first realized the existence of ghosts, not too calm either, except she was good at suppressing her fear inside.
This was only the second phase of the training. In the third phase, these people would be formed into three-person teams, learning to use the research base’s weapons to capture evil spirits.
After having breakfast, Sang Que reported back to the research base, telling Zhao Yunshu she had everything ready and would open the gate at 7 PM three days later, officially leading them to the Deceit Dynasty.
Once the news spread, the entire Lishi Mountain went into a state of battle readiness, with defensive measures possibly higher than those of the Imperial City.
Zhao Yunshu had also mentioned to Sang Que that if uncontrollable issues arose during the first contact, Lishi Mountain would be flattened within seconds.
Sang Que could understand their tension, as it was an uncontacted otherworld, and such precautions were understandable.
That afternoon, the list of the first group going over was finalized, divided into researchers and military personnel, all young people. Sang Que only knew two: Zhao Yunshu, who would always follow her, and Jia Liang, who became a Yin Walker.
The researchers were the prized students under the supervision of esteemed professors from various fields. Led by Ye Changqing, these professors had protested, wanting to be the first to go. The higher-ups didn’t dare to take risks and sent the students ahead to gather basic data, with Jia Liang leading the military to protect them.
Once preparations began, Sang Que followed Zhao Yunshu into a spherical structure, and upon entering, Sang Que immediately felt an atmosphere similar to the Ghost Realm, able to enclose the whole area.
After consulting Zhao Yunshu, Sang Que learned that because ghosts affect electromagnetic fields, the research base had been studying and developing materials and equipment to block these interferences for years and had made significant progress.
The building they were in was a complete sphere, half buried underground, to ensure any ghosts from the Deceit Dynasty could be temporarily contained within in case they crossed over.
Bombarding the area was a last resort, not the first choice.
Zhao Yunshu placed Sang Que in the lounge to make herself comfortable, where through the window she could see the tense yet busy crowd outside.
Sang Que had requested that everyone wear ancient costumes when crossing over. Men had to tuck their hair, aiming for an appearance replicating ancient times. Nevertheless, modern firearms and weapons were indispensable for safety.
Sang Que laughed at the absurd sight of a team of ’ancient people’ orderly lining up, all reporting numbers while holding down their gun barrels.
She suddenly thought of Jiang Zao and Xu Yichao, wanting to share this with them, but her current work meant she was bound to drift apart from the two.
Once the Deceit Dynasty’s situation stabilized and absolute safety could be assured, she could consider taking them on a day trip. For now, it was impossible.
September 3.
Xia Chan was personally escorted by Zhao Yunshu to Sang Que, her face drooping, lips so pouted they could hang an oil can, full of discontent.
"You really don’t want to go back at all."
Sang Que couldn’t help but tease, helping Xia Chan take off the overstuffed backpack that was about to burst open. The zipper popped, and Xuan Yu, inside, jumped out to brush against Sang Que’s foot halfheartedly before starting to survey the lounge, searching for a high point to jump up and lick its paws.
"Little Chan hasn’t finished watching the cartoons or playing the games!"
Xia Chan sat down, wearing a beautiful dress, her hair intricately and beautifully styled, looking like a doll, undoubtedly the handiwork of Sang Wan.
This reminded Sang Que of her childhood when her mother always complained about her unruliness, and how any carefully styled hair was a mess by midday as if she were a madwoman.
Little Sang Que didn’t make her mother feel the joy of raising a daughter, but now Xia Chan was much loved at home, playing ’Miracle Chan’ dress-up games daily. Whenever Sang Que had internet access, she received numerous photos of Xia Chan’s various outfits.
"You’ve even learned to play games, Little Chan, you’re amazing," Sang Que praised, "But everyone misses you, especially Yu Da. Don’t you want to share the good food with him?"
Xia Chan nodded gloomily, "Little Chan brought hot pot ingredients; everyone can enjoy hot pot together."
Thinking about the food made Xia Chan happy again, and she took out some chocolate from her little purse to eat.
At six in the afternoon, Zhao Yunshu came to Sang Que with two weapons cases, handing her a specially made Desert Eagle handgun with three loaded magazines.
Zhao Yunshu briefly explained to Sang Que, "The gun and bullets are carved with the talisman, the ’Ghost Soldier Talisman’ you provided. They also contain traditional materials that repel ghosts, after extensive experiments and modifications. They are made with complex processes and science, and can currently only be produced in small quantities."
"In theory, the bullets from this gun should be somewhat effective against Ghost Level entities. Of course, the actual results need to be verified during this trip. This case contains various grenades, the ones you used before and praised for their effectiveness. There’s an hour left before departure; you all should change and get ready."
At 6:50 PM.
In a black ancient outfit and carrying a scroll and a saber, Sang Que walked to the center of the first-floor lobby under everyone’s gaze.
The entire central lobby was empty, with only a red door standing in the middle.
Xia Chan, wearing a blue dress and carrying her bulging backpack, held Xuan Yu in her arms and followed behind Sang Que.
To the side of Xia Chan was Zhao Yunshu, who had selected a dark red martial outfit and wielded a Tang Cross Blade, exuding the aura of a seasoned general.
Further back, ten men and women, researchers with backpacks and tool cases, were sweating nervously.
Jia Liang led another ten people, all calm and poised, carrying large boxes and waiting silently.
Before opening the door, Sang Que glanced up at the second-floor platform, where those important figures stood behind the glass windows, watching this historic moment.
Sang Que looked at the distant clock, waiting quietly until the hands were about to reach the starting point. She stepped forward and grabbed the door handle, and everyone held their breath.
Click!
The sound of the lock echoed as the door to the Deceit Dynasty opened at exactly 7 PM on September 3, unveiling it to Huaxia.
