CHAPTER 274: CHAPTER 274: TREAT IT AS AN ADVENTURE_1

"Boss, why are you here?"

Su Xuan had just gotten out of the car when Zhao Yuansi hurried over to greet him. He was here today on Su Xuan’s instructions, bringing Old Zhou to Zhuilong Mountain to solve the problem.

"I..." Su Xuan scratched his head. "I was worried about you guys, so I came to take a look."

He couldn’t exactly say that the woman in red had guided him here, could he? Besides, he still didn’t know what she wanted. Why had she insisted on guiding him to Zhuilong Mountain?

"Boss Su, rest assured, I’ll take care of it!" Old Zhou also hurried to stand before Su Xuan, vowing earnestly.

He had been paid to solve the problem, and he astutely followed Zhao Yuansi’s lead by calling Su Xuan "Boss." He was currently wearing a Huatian Heavy Industry work uniform, which Zhao Yuansi had probably made him wear to avoid drawing attention.

"You must have arrived a while ago, right?" Su Xuan asked, looking toward the deep tunnel. "It’s so late, why are you still waiting outside?"

The tunnel looked like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast. It emitted a cold draft, waiting to devour its prey. Standing before it, Su Xuan felt a sense of his own insignificance.

"Well..." Old Zhou handed a Compass to Su Xuan, explaining, "I’m measuring the feng shui force field inside the tunnel. We must wait until the field is at its weakest before entering. That’s when it will be safest."

Su Xuan glanced at Old Zhou’s Compass. It was densely inscribed with characters, including eight directions, the Heavenly Stems, and the Earthly Branches, giving it a very complex and precise appearance. In the center of the Compass, a magnetic needle quivered as it pointed toward the tunnel.

"Boss Su, this thing of mine is highly professional!" Seeing Su Xuan looking at his Compass, Old Zhou said proudly, "In our line of work, there are three types of compasses. One is called a Three-Yuan Luopan, another is a Three-Harmonies Luopan, and mine is a Three-Yuan Three-Harmonies Comprehensive Luopan. It has cross latitudes and longitudes, as well as the twenty-four mountain directions marked on it. The body is made of pear wood, so it’s very sturdy and durable—"

"Can you confirm there’s a problem inside?" Su Xuan, uninterested in the device, interrupted Old Zhou’s lecture.

"There’s a problem!" Old Zhou pointed at the trembling magnetic needle on the Compass. "The needle was already pointing this way before I even arrived, which proves the force field here is excessively strong. There’s definitely some kind of anomaly inside the tunnel!"

"Then we’ll be counting on you later."

Afterward, Su Xuan sat back in the car, closed his eyes to rest, and waited for the force field in the tunnel to weaken. Shortly before noon, Zhao Yuansi came over and told him they could go in.

Su Xuan rubbed his face and got out of the car.

"Boss, are you really going in?" Zhao Yuansi asked.

"Let’s go in and have a look," Su Xuan said. "We’ll treat it as an adventure."

"Well... okay then!" A hint of bitterness appeared on Zhao Yuansi’s face.

If Su Xuan was going in, then he had to go in too! Truthfully, he didn’t want to enter at all. What if there was some kind of alien creature inside, like in the movies?

Old Zhou led the way with his Compass, with Su Xuan and Zhao Yuansi following close behind. Behind them were five or six able-bodied construction workers, all armed with heavy tools. Zhao Yuansi had arranged for them specifically, just in case they encountered something strange inside.

TAP! TAP!

After they had walked a few dozen meters into the tunnel, Old Zhou’s Compass needle began to click constantly, adding to the tense atmosphere. The chill inside grew heavier, as if they had suddenly stepped into winter. Moreover, the light had grown much dimmer, so Zhao Yuansi had the workers switch on their searchlights.

Several beams of light shot into the depths of the tunnel, but they revealed nothing but pitch darkness. The tunnel was like a black hole.

"Boss, the tunnel has been excavated to two hundred meters so far. We’re about halfway," Zhao Yuansi reported to Su Xuan after they had walked more than a hundred meters.

"Got it. Let’s keep moving," Su Xuan said, his gaze fixed forward and his steps steady.

But after another few dozen meters, Su Xuan noticed a strange phenomenon. His steps grew heavier and heavier, as if invisible hands were reaching up from the ground to grab his feet. However, his body had been strengthened many times, giving him strength far beyond an ordinary person’s, so walking was still relatively easy for him.

The same couldn’t be said for Zhao Yuansi and the others. They struggled to move, their foreheads quickly covered in beads of sweat as they gasped for breath.

"Has this happened before?" Su Xuan asked Zhao Yuansi.

"No," an engineer answered for him. "It only started after the incident."

"Let’s take a short break."

After walking a little further, Old Zhou, who was at the front, couldn’t hold on any longer and sat down cross-legged. When the light shone on him, Su Xuan couldn’t help but squint. He saw that at some unknown point, Old Zhou had stuck several bright yellow talismans covered in messy patterns onto his body.

"Haha, don’t mind me." Old Zhou raised an arm to wipe the sweat from his face, then pulled out a thick stack of talismans. "These are for warding off evil," he chuckled. "Come on, I’ll pass some out."

"Thanks!"

Zhao Yuansi reached for a talisman, but Old Zhou added, "I usually sell these for over a hundred yuan each, but since we’re all on the same team, I’ll give you the cost price: fifty yuan each."

"You’re charging money?" Zhao Yuansi’s mouth twitched. "Our company is going to pay you a one-million service fee when this is over!"

"Business is business," Old Zhou said. "It’s like being on a train. When the attendant comes by selling peanuts and sunflower seeds, that’s not included in the ticket price."

"But I don’t have any cash on me!" Zhao Yuansi genuinely wanted to stick a few talismans on himself. Whether they worked or not, they would at least give him some peace of mind.

"Then you can scan a QR code or send a red envelope!" Old Zhou took out his phone to check. "Look, I still have a signal. If we go any deeper and lose it, you won’t be able to buy them."

"Alright, alright!" Zhao Yuansi quickly took out his phone and paid Old Zhou, buying five talismans.

"I’ll take two!"

"I’ll have three!"

The other engineers also bought a few talismans and stuck them on themselves. Believe it or not, as soon as the talismans were on, they all suddenly felt much braver.

"Boss Su, won’t you take a couple?" Old Zhou tried to sell his Spirit Talismans to Su Xuan.

"No, thank you." Su Xuan shook his head. "Let’s keep moving once you’re rested."

No one else could see it, but a figure in red was standing right in front of him. The red figure had appeared the moment he entered the tunnel. When he walked, the figure walked, as if serving as his personal bodyguard.

She was his most reliable talisman!

"Take these!" Instead, Old Zhou surreptitiously stuffed a dozen or so talismans into his hand, whispering, "Just remember to treat me to a meal later."

The figure in red saw this and just smiled, shaking her head at Su Xuan.

The group continued deeper into the tunnel. The temperature dropped lower and their footsteps grew heavier, making them feel as if they were wading through thick mud. Every step required a great deal of effort.

Finally, they reached the end of the tunnel.

The figure in red stood at the very end, pointing toward a corner...