Chapter 81: Illusions, They Are All Illusions

Parking a car alone in front of a funeral parlor in the dead of night, then carefully shielding the glow of a cigarette upon seeing another vehicle approach—that person was definitely suspicious. Under normal circumstances, no one would care if someone was just smoking and waiting for a person. Therefore, his secretive behavior aroused Lin Jian’s suspicion. Naturally, the man had no idea that Lin Jian could see his every move using his Thought.

Lin Jian didn’t stop. Feigning ignorance, he drove past the main gate, pulled over, and killed the engine.

WHOOSH.

The moment the engine died, the car plunged into darkness. The driver of the parked car kept a close eye on Lin Jian’s driver-side door. However, after watching for a long time, no one stepped out.

Suddenly, a series of knocks echoed from right above him!

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

In the dead of night, right outside a funeral parlor, the sudden noise nearly scared the soul out of the driver. Furthermore, the sound came from the roof. Not from the windows, but directly above his head!

"Who is it?" The driver nervously drew a dagger, debating whether he should get out of the car.

Yet, in that tense moment, a fist suddenly smashed through the driver’s side window, shooting forward unimpeded to slam into his head! The driver didn’t even have time to react before he was knocked out cold.

Instead of immediately withdrawing, the hand flipped downward, pulling the dagger from the unconscious driver’s grasp as if drawn by a magnet. Like the legendary Star-Absorbing Art, the moment the dagger met his palm, the hand swiftly retracted. Immediately after, Lin Jian sprinted toward the main gate and vaulted over it with a running start.

He didn’t activate his Invisibility Technique just yet. Since the Invisibility only lasted for three minutes, he had to use that time wisely. His Thought continued to cover everything within a thirty-meter radius as he picked up his Speed, running close to the walls of the office buildings and cremation facilities.

After about five or six minutes, he came to an abrupt halt and quickly pressed his back against a wall.

"Here!"

He took a deep breath. He had actually found her. Shen Ke was inside the incinerator’s operating room, tied to a mortuary cot that resembled a stretcher. Seeing this made Lin Jian’s scalp tingle with dread, as it seemed they were planning to push her straight into the incinerator.

Moreover, Shen Ke wasn’t the only captive. Three others—two men and a woman—were also tied up with their hands behind their backs and blindfolded. Inside the operating room were over a dozen other men. Four of them held guns, while the rest were armed with various lethal weapons.

The building also had a mailroom near the entrance, much like a guardhouse. Whoever walked through the front doors would be clearly visible to anyone inside. At that moment, two men were smoking in the mailroom.

After quickly scanning the building, Lin Jian decided he couldn’t wait any longer. They were about to commit murder! He couldn’t afford to hesitate; he had to eliminate everyone swiftly and decisively.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly faded from sight.

WHOOSH.

The moment his body vanished, he pushed the front doors open and charged in.

CREAAAK!

To his surprise, the doors let out a loud squeak as they opened, successfully drawing the attention of the two men in the mailroom.

"Holy shit, the door! The door!" A young man pointed outside in terror, then looked down at the surveillance feed in front of him. There was nothing on the monitors, and he couldn’t see anyone with his own eyes! Yet, the front doors had just opened and closed! The hairs on his arms stood on end.

In contrast, the other man—who seemed to be an actual staff member here—appeared very calm. "It’s fine. Just pretend you didn’t see anything. Don’t make a fuss." He spoke with a strong Northeastern accent.

The young man hurriedly pulled his head back and even turned off the surveillance monitor. This was way too terrifying. Who would dare to work the night shift in a place like this? He suddenly felt a sense of admiration for Hu Er.

The man who had told him not to worry was Hu Er. He was in his forties, hailed from the Northeast, and had supposedly been working the night shift here for six or seven years. The man must have a cast-iron fate to dare work nights in a place like this.

Hu Er chuckled, pulling out a metal flask of strong liquor and taking a swig. "Just treat it as an hallucination. As long as you don’t provoke them, they won’t mess with you."

The young man was on the verge of tears, wishing nothing more than to go home to his mother. However, the bosses were busy taking care of business. He couldn’t leave; he could only wait.

Lin Jian didn’t head for the mailroom. Instead, he moved swiftly to the entrance of the operating room. Taking another deep breath, he pulled the doors open!

The doors to the operating room were like the radiation-proof stainless steel magnetic doors in a hospital CT scan room, sliding open to both sides. As the doors parted, everyone inside immediately looked out.

However...

There was nothing there!

"Wei, go see what’s going on," a guy sitting with his head down smoking commanded. Obviously, he was the leader.

A guy named Wei pulled out a knife, stuck his head out, and looked both ways. The hallway lights were on, but... there was no one!

Cold sweat instantly poured down Wei’s face. "Feng, there’s... there’s no one!"

"No one?" Feng frowned, scolding in irritation, "Useless trash. Old Cang, you go take a look."

Standing near the door, Old Cang drew a gun from his waist and swaggered out. He also looked both ways! The hallway stretched for over ten meters in both directions.

But there really was no one!

Beads of sweat formed on Old Cang’s forehead. He quickly ducked back inside. "Feng, there’s really no one!"

"Ask Chen Hu. He’s at the entrance; he’d know if someone came in!"

Someone immediately dialed the number.

The young man in the mailroom was Chen Hu. When he heard his phone ring, he nearly jumped out of his skin, but he quickly picked it up. "I’m scared to death! When are you guys going to be done? Hurry up and leave, this place is too creepy!"

"Chen Hu, did you see anyone come in?" the person on the phone asked.

"No one! But... but there’s a ghost, Qi! I saw the front doors open and close, but there was no one there! I couldn’t see anyone on the monitor either! Hu Er told me to just treat it like a hallucination. I think this place is really haunted!"

BEEP.

The call was hung up.

Since Qi had put the phone on speaker, everyone in the room had heard every word!

Just then, a sudden knocking echoed through the room.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

Everyone was startled by the sound, yet no one could figure out where it was coming from. Worse, the light switch in the operating room suddenly flipped off by itself!

CLICK.

The room plunged into utter darkness!

"Ah!" The moment darkness fell, someone let out a bloodcurdling scream.

"Feng, a ghost..."

"Ah!"

"Don’t panic! Turn on the lights! Wei, hit the lights!"

"Ah, my hand... Feng, my hand!" Wei shrieked in agony.

At that moment, gunshots rang out as a panicked gunman opened fire. But his bullets only hit his own people. Feng had already thrown himself to the ground, nearly wetting his pants in terror. What in the world was going on?

"Ahhhh!"

One after another, agonizing screams filled the room.

Back in the mailroom, Chen Hu went mad with fear upon hearing the screams. Sobbing uncontrollably, he bolted out the door. He didn’t want to stay in this place a second longer!

Conversely, the mailroom guard, Hu Er, simply took another sip of his strong liquor. Exhaling a boozy breath, he muttered, "Heh. Hallucinations. It’s all hallucinations!"