Chapter 1145: Chapter 1144: Three Nights in a Row

The workers chasing after the eerie bird calls almost went insane. They didn’t expect that after chasing away the first Soul-hooking Bird, another appeared. When they dispersed to chase it, they quickly realized the mysterious calls echoed from all directions, east, south, northwest of the mountain.

Exhausted, they ultimately couldn’t drive them away. They couldn’t set fire to the whole mountain either. All they could do was return to the prefab cabins and rest.

When they got back to the cabins, they were so tired that they didn’t think about anything else and just lay down to sleep.

The next morning, when these workers got up to eat breakfast, ready to continue working, Da Qiu and Er Dan recalled the ghost bird calls from the previous night.

These birds have different names in their villages, but they’ve all heard that whenever these birds call, someone nearby is destined to die.

Thus, when they were having breakfast and thought of the previous night’s terrifying bird calls, they felt a peculiar sensation.

“If they call again tonight, we’ll shoot them.”

“Where do you have a gun? At night, you can’t see where they’re hiding!”

“Then we’ll smoke them out with smoke.”

After breakfast, the workers resumed their work, and since nothing happened, they didn’t think much about it. After all, earning money was more crucial for them.

Time flew by, and it was evening before they knew it.

Around eight or nine at night, all vehicles on the site stopped, and the workers took a break to eat, shower, or amuse themselves.

Most people were playing on their phones, watching TV, or chatting.

The prefab cabin where Da Fei and his uncle lived was empty, so it was closed.

Other cabins were occupied by workers, and as the site progressed, more workers might move in, leading to more cabins being set up.

They hadn’t heard the Soul-hooking Bird calls yet, so they thought the night would be peaceful.

By midnight, most workers had fallen asleep.

After working hard all day, they almost slept as soon as they hit the bed.

However, Er Dan, having drank too much, was woken up by the urge to urinate, only to hear the Soul-hooking Bird’s calls outside, feeling unusually close.

Has this damn thing flown here again?

Er Dan promptly woke up the other workers.

“Er Dan, are you crazy, waking me up in the middle of the night?”

“Listen, what’s that sound outside?”

“Coo, coo, coo!”

The Soul-hooking Bird’s calls were incessant. At this moment, other woken workers realized that the eerie bird was indeed calling again.

Now, naturally infuriated, they got up. During the day, they had prepared gasoline and diesel, along with plants and waste paper that could produce a lot of dense smoke.

Once ignited, they found a breeze and started setting up smoking fires. The thick smoke drifted up the mountain, and soon, the bird calls slowly ceased.

Eventually, when they heard nothing more, Er Dan and the others knew the ghostly bird couldn’t handle the smoke and had flown away.

Not hearing that eerie bird call anymore, they went back to the cabins to continue resting.

The next morning, when they got up to wash and have breakfast, talking about last night, they felt less terrified than the first night.

After breakfast, they resumed working at the site.

As evening approached, they returned to the cabins after work, following the same routine as the previous night: showering, eating, drinking, chatting, watching TV, or using their phones.

During their work at the site, they became accustomed to unearthing earth mingled with human bones, seeing it as normal, and discreetly hid any artifacts they found to sell later for some profit.

Beyond that, nothing much concerned them.

Around eleven at night, most workers prepared to sleep, exhausted from the hard labor, except for a few young workers who stayed up charging their phones, watching TV, or reading novels. The rest were asleep.

Pock, it was already after midnight, when few young workers heard strange cries outside.

“Coo, coo, coo!”

The uncanny cries were similar to the previous two nights, resonating from the nearby mountains.

The few young workers quickly woke the others. Despite not fearing the cooing bird calls, they found them unsettling, feeling it best to drive the eerie creatures away before resting.

With the experience from the past two nights, they got up swiftly, split into groups, and approached the large tree from where the bird calls emanated. They began lighting smoke fires or used megaphones to shout beneath the tree.

After busying themselves for nearly two hours, they finally scared the Soul-hooking Bird away, only hearing its distant call. Relieved, they returned to the cabins to rest.

…

After lunch, Ye Qiu and Luo Yang left the number one canteen and noticed more people glancing at him. Ye Qiu found it quite normal by now.

However, Ye Qiu knew he should maintain a low profile.

Returning to the men’s dormitory, they rested for an hour, as there were two classes in the afternoon.

When Ye Qiu and Luo Yang returned to the classroom, Leng Xue, who hadn’t paid much attention to Ye Qiu for a long time, began to slowly notice him again.

Having taken on that task before the semester started, it had been almost six months, and despite her attempts, she had failed many times.

What surprised Leng Xue was that today, when Ye Qiu was sparring with Akino in the Karate club training room, she realized Ye Qiu might be much more formidable than she had imagined, making it nearly impossible for her to complete the task.

However, if she didn’t complete it, the mission might fail, and she would have to return the commission.

Leng Xue glanced coldly at Ye Qiu, then lowered her gaze, thinking, “Give myself one more week. If I can’t complete it, I’ll have to abandon the mission.”

Ye Qiu noticed Leng Xue looking at him but didn’t think much of it.

During the afternoon classes, while other students diligently listened, he appeared to sleep through them.

As they left the classroom, Luo Yang asked, “Qiu Bro, where are you headed?”

“Of course, going home.”

Having completed the classes, Ye Qiu planned to head home, whereas Luo Yang and the others were going to play basketball, which Ye Qiu was not interested in. So, he planned to return home and spend some time watching TV with his mother.

After dinner, Ye Qiu intended to continue cultivating the “Primordial Five Emperors Technique.”