National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

It festered in the oppressive atmosphere, making the already tense mood even heavier.

Hou Yuguai’s body trembled slightly,

the look of fear on his face growing more intense.

He seemed to be struggling to recall the terrifying scene, and after a moment,

he said in a trembling voice, "I remember now. I saw a ghost!

"At the time, I was clearing that area,

the shovel in my hand digging into the earth, one scoop after another. Each one felt like a knock on the gates of Hell.

"Suddenly, I dug up something. When I looked closely, it was a human face!

"The face just appeared abruptly before my eyes, pale and twisted,

a strange smile hanging on its lips. It just kept smiling at me,

and that smile made my hair stand on end.

"I was so scared I nearly jumped out of my skin. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me,

so I rubbed my eyes. But when I looked again,

the face had miraculously vanished,

as if it had never been there at all.

"But, just as I lifted my head, the face reappeared right in front of me.

"This time it was closer, not even two centimeters between his face and mine.

"I could clearly feel the cold air of his breath,

a chill so cold it felt like it would freeze my very soul.

"Before I could even scream, the face rammed straight into me,

"And then... then I don’t remember anything after that."

Hou Yuguai’s eyes were filled with terror.

The horrifying scene seemed to be replaying before his very eyes,

trapping him. His body trembled uncontrollably with fear, as if he were right back in that moment.

"What in the world is going on? This construction site can’t really be haunted, can it?"

A young worker couldn’t help but shout, his voice laced with trembling and panic.

His eyes were filled with fear as he kept glancing around, worried a ghost was right beside him.

"No wonder I always feel cold working at this site, even though it’s the height of summer.

"I didn’t think much of it at the time, but thinking back now, something really is wrong."

Another, middle-aged worker chimed in, a look of lingering fear on his face.

He unconsciously rubbed his arms, trying to ward off the inexplicable chill.

"Boss Zheng, you have to give us an explanation for this.

"A site back in my hometown had a similar problem before.

"Every night, you could hear someone crying, and later, a lot of people died on that site.

"The boss of that site hired a master to perform a ritual,

and that’s what finally solved the problem.

"You can’t just gamble with our lives!"

An older worker stepped forward and spoke to Zheng Qifeng with a grave expression.

His tone left no room for doubt,

clearly showing how seriously he took the matter and his fear that his and his coworkers’ safety was threatened.

His eyes revealed a hint of anxiety and anger

as he stared intently at Zheng Qifeng, waiting for a reasonable explanation and a solution.

The construction site was cloaked in night, its flickering lights illuminating a group of workers with varying expressions.

They were all from the Great Xia Empire, having originally harbored hopes and dreams for their lives,

leaving their homes to come to this foreign land and pour out their sweat,

hoping to earn a stable living for their families.

But now, fear, like countless invisible threads,

was tightly wound around each and every one of them, their faces etched with tension and unease.

Many already showed a resolute desire to flee this "haunted place,"

and some had even begun to silently calculate how to resign as quickly as possible and get away from this dreadful, trouble-ridden place.

Zheng Qifeng stood to the side, his brows knitted tightly,

his eyes revealing a deep sense of helplessness and anxiety.

His gaze swept over the workers’ faces, a mix of emotions swirling within him.

These were his brothers from back home, who had come out here to struggle and build a life with him.

Now they were trapped in this state of panic,

and for the moment, he was completely clueless as to what to do.

In this turbulent era of Evil Spirit invasions,

the entire Blue Star had been plunged into endless fear and despair.

Countless lives were extinguished by the rampaging Evil Spirits, as fragile and helpless as a candle sputtering in the wind.

Under the blow of one disaster after another, humanity’s once-unshakeable faith in science had gradually crumbled.

Now, faced with this sudden, bizarre incident, a few pale, powerless words of comfort

were hardly enough to calm the tempest raging in everyone’s hearts.

"Mr. Chu, what do you think we should do about this?"

Zheng Qifeng looked at Chu He, his face fraught with worry, his voice trembling with helplessness.

He knew all too well that the situation had reached a critical, hair-trigger moment.

The slightest misstep could trigger even greater chaos.

Chu He stood there quietly. Hearing Zheng Qifeng’s question,

he raised his head slightly, his gaze fixed on the distance. After a moment of thought, he said, "Have the site temporarily halt all work.

"Then, report what happened here truthfully to your point of contact.

"I think you know what I mean.

"Have them come over and see for themselves just what is going on."

"The energy at this site is in extreme disarray, and it’s growing more frantic and unstable,

like a fierce beast about to break free from its cage, ready to unleash astonishing destructive power at any moment."

Chu He’s brows furrowed slightly, a grave look in his eyes. "By my estimation, your development of this land has gradually touched upon something critical. You’re getting closer to the truth."

Chu He recalled the land development plan he had seen before.

That seemingly detailed and perfect plan,

now seemed to exude an air of strangeness and conspiracy from every detail.

The plan was filled with all sorts of exquisite designs, including buildings that retained a unique Tokyo style,

as well as modern skyscrapers towering into the clouds, just like in the Lighthouse Empire.

It seemed to be an attempt to cleverly blend the cultural flair of the White-Red Empire with the modern, magnificent style of the Lighthouse Empire,

creating a one-of-a-kind model city.

However, Chu He knew deep down that behind this seemingly grand blueprint lay a massive conspiracy.

The White-Red Empire had no real intention of developing this land into a prosperous modern metropolis.

Instead, they were using Zheng Bolan and the others, having them constantly dig during this seemingly ordinary land development process,

in an attempt to find what the White-Red Empire was truly after.

And these innocent workers were nothing more than disposable cannon fodder in their hands.

"I understand what you mean, Mr. Chu."

Zheng Qifeng nodded slightly, a flash of determination in his eyes.

He turned to face all the workers, waved his hand, and shouted, "Everyone, go and rest for now.

"Your pay will be issued as usual.

"Once things here are taken care of, I’ll notify you all to come back to work immediately."

Zheng Qifeng’s voice, firm and powerful, echoed across the chaotic construction site, giving the workers a sense of reassurance.

"Boss Zheng is a class act!"

A cheer immediately erupted from the crowd,

and looks of joy appeared on many of the workers’ faces.

At this difficult time, Zheng Qifeng’s decision undoubtedly gave them a sense of warmth and comfort.

This was also the reason they had been willing to follow Zheng Qifeng so loyally all these years.

They knew full well that Zheng Qifeng was a man of principle and loyalty.

Even today, with this sudden accident making it impossible to work normally,

he would never exploit his workers.

Instead, he would keep his promise and pay everyone the wages they were owed, down to the last cent.

Zheng Qifeng silently took out his phone, his finger swiping across the screen.

He found a number in his densely packed contact list.

He took a deep breath, as if steeling himself,

and then pressed the call button.

He was well aware of the situation. ’Since this construction site is already having problems, and the White-Red Empire is trying to use us as cannon fodder to probe an unknown danger, I can’t just sit back and wait to die. I have to do the opposite—use the work stoppage to pressure the White-Red Empire and force them to send someone over to solve this.’

From this moment on, the role of cannon fodder would begin to shift.

And this war without smoke and gunpowder had only just begun.