National Guardian's Gone and We're Done

The night was black as ink, a heavy shroud over the silent, eerie construction site.

On site, a few high-powered floodlights cast a hazy, yellow light,

struggling in vain to pierce the cloying darkness.

They only managed to throw a shadowy halo onto the surroundings,

shrouding the towering construction equipment and mountains of building materials

in a mysterious veil, making them impossible to see clearly.

"This is it! This is where the problem is!"

The foreman’s face was ashen.

Large beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks,

dripping onto the dusty ground and vanishing instantly, leaving only a tiny wet mark.

His voice trembled violently, the sinister atmosphere nearly scaring the soul from his body.

His trembling finger pointed toward a massive, deep pit ahead.

The pit was like the gaping maw of some man-eating beast, radiating a bone-chilling aura.

"We just tried drilling down with an earth auger. You have no idea... it was terrifying!"

His eyes were filled with terror and panic, and he spoke in a frantic rush,

as if fearing that a moment’s delay would get him swallowed up by this bizarre place. "The moment the auger touched the ground,

it started making a horrible GRINDING sound.

The noise was sharp and piercing, like it had hit something incredibly hard.

Even our super-powered model—the one that’s supposed to punch through three layers of foundation with ease—

was completely useless against this thing. It couldn’t make a dent.

We didn’t give up. We tried again and again, but it was the same every time.

The machine nearly shook itself apart. We had no choice but to give up."

"Then we figured, if the machine wouldn’t work, we’d dig by hand.

But who would’ve thought? The men we sent down couldn’t budge it!

The soil was as hard as rock. It was simply impossible for anyone to move.

It’s like it’s been laid with some evil Curse or a powerful seal."

As he spoke, he unconsciously took a few steps back,

as if trying to distance himself from the terrifying pit, his body trembling with fear.

"Boss Zheng, there’s a new development!"

Just then, a young worker ran over, his face a mask of panic.

His face was just as pale, his lips bloodless, and his eyes were wide with terror and anxiety.

He stumbled so badly he nearly fell.

"What new problem?"

Zheng Qifeng’s brow furrowed, his eyes revealing a hint of impatience and anxiety.

His voice was low and hoarse, sounding particularly jarring in the silent night.

"Boss Zheng, look!"

The worker carefully took a small jar from inside his jacket.

He held it out to Zheng Qifeng with both hands, as if the jar contained a bomb about to explode. "This is soil we just dug up from down there.

At first, no one paid it any mind, but then I happened to get a closer look...

The soil is terrifyingly red. It looks exactly like fresh blood!"

The worker was sharp enough

not to touch the bizarre-looking soil with his bare hands.

Instead, he had used the jar to bring some of it up.

He poured all the soil from the jar onto the ground,

then quickly turned, snatched up a shovel leaning against a wall, and gripped the handle with both hands.

He took a deep breath as if to steel his nerves,

then gently patted the soil flat with the shovel.

As he patted it, something horrifying happened.

The soil, as if it were alive,

began to make a wet SQUELCHING sound.

Immediately after, droplets of blood-red liquid splattered out from the soil,

spattering onto the ground in crimson, flower-like patterns.

The color was so vivid it was jarring to the eyes, looking especially gruesome under the dim lights.

Seeing this,

many of the men felt their scalps tingle and the hair on their arms stand on end.

A strange terror welled up from deep within them.

Their eyes bulged as they stared, transfixed, at the soil that was continuously spattering blood-red liquid,

their faces filled with horror and disbelief.

"How can there be blood in the soil? What on earth is happening?"

the men muttered, exchanging bewildered glances.

A thick, coppery smell of blood began to fill the air.

The stench was pungent and nauseating,

as if countless living things had been slaughtered on this land, their blood seeping into every inch of soil.

Goto Taiji stood to the side, his expression as black as thunder.

His eyes betrayed a flash of anger and irritation.

He waved his hand impatiently, a gesture that carried an unquestionable authority.

Immediately, a powerfully built Samurai with muscles as solid as rock strode forward.

His eyes were cold and resolute, showing no fear of the bizarre scene.

He snatched the shovel from the worker’s hands, his movements swift and decisive.

Then, he took a deep breath,

and leaped into the bottomless pit, vanishing from sight in an instant.

The Samurai emanated a powerful aura.

It was the Martial Arts Power he had cultivated through long, arduous training.

An invisible force coiled and surged faintly around his hands,

ready to burst forth at any moment.

This was an ability the ordinary workers completely lacked, a symbol of power that transcended that of normal men.

As he swung the shovel again and again,

the ground, once as hard as iron, actually began to loosen and give way, dug up bit by bit.