26: Whether you're a demon or a ghost

Chen Nian walked toward the rusty iron gate.

A yellow police tape crudely sealed off the entire area; the "Public Security Bureau" text printed on it fluttered slightly in the wind, making a faint rustling sound.

"Stop! This place is sealed off; no approaching!"

Two middle-aged men wearing Public Security Bureau uniforms walked quickly out of the guard room, their expressions serious.

Their eyes were sharp, locking tightly onto Chen Nian, the uninvited guest.

Chen Nian seemed not to hear their warning; his footsteps did not pause in the slightest.

He just expressionlessly took out a black ID card from his pocket and waved it casually in front of them.

The action was simple, even somewhat perfunctory.

When the two Security Officers' gazes touched the ID, their pupils suddenly constricted.

The bodies that were tense a second ago instantly relaxed.

Their serious expressions vanished instantly, replaced by a complex look mixed with shock, awe, and humility.

"S-so it's a comrade from the Spiritual Energy Bureau!"

One Security Officer squeezed out a fawning smile.

"Hello, hello! Welcome, welcome!"

The other person also hurriedly nodded and bowed; the speed of their attitude shift was as if they were different people.

Chen Nian didn't care about their change in attitude at all; he just put the ID back into his pocket, his gaze passing over them and casting toward the deathly silent main building.

"Tell me about the situation here."

His voice was flat but carried an unquestionable tone of command.

"Yes, yes!"

The older Security Officer hurriedly spoke up, reporting at a very fast speed.

"comrade, it's like this."

"This mental hospital was completely abandoned many years ago because of a big fire."

"Originally, no one came here, but for some reason, a 'wasteland exploration challenge' suddenly became popular online recently, and a large group of fearless young people all ran here."

"At first we didn't take it too seriously, thinking it was just young people looking for thrills, so we couldn't be bothered to manage it."

"But just a week ago, our bureau suddenly received a report saying an exploration streamer went in, then went missing, and the stream cut off."

"We sent a search and rescue team in at the time and turned this dump upside down, but didn't find a single hair."

"As a result, once this happened, not only did it not scare those young people, it actually made them even more excited!"

"Those fearless guys are like crazy, rushing in non-stop; they really don't want their lives just for traffic."

"There were also a few guys dressed like Daoists who said they could exorcise evil, but they went in and never came out."

"In just this short week, one after another, eight people have already gone missing!"

Speaking of this, his voice already carried a trace of unconcealable fear.

"After that, we completely sealed off this place and requested support from your Spiritual Energy Bureau."

"A few days ago, three comrades from the Spiritual Energy Bureau did indeed come."

"But..."

He paused and swallowed with difficulty.

"After they went in, they also... also lost contact, and there hasn't been any news at all."

"This place is too evil."

After he finished speaking, he cautiously looked up at Chen Nian, his eyes carrying a trace of imperceptible probing.

"Um... comrade, where are your teammates? Have they not arrived yet?"

The hidden worry in these words was almost overflowing.

Obviously, he was afraid that this comrade from the Spiritual Energy Bureau in front of him was going to go in alone.

After all, three had already been lost before.

Now, even if not ten or eight, it wouldn't be excessive to have two more than last time, right?

As a result, Chen Nian withdrew his gaze from the main building and glanced at them indifferently.

"Just me."

The simple four words were like two heavy hammers, smashing hard into the hearts of the two Security Officers.

"Huh?"

"One?!"

The two exclaimed at the same time, their faces filled with disbelief.

"comrade, are you... really okay alone?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's really a bit evil in there, the three comrades from before..."

The two Security Officers said worriedly, fearing Chen Nian wouldn't take it seriously.

In their view, this was no longer confidence; this was simply going to one's death.

However, Chen Nian only curled his lips into an imperceptible arc.

"Hmph, I am enough alone."

The light and breezy tone was as if he were talking about what to eat for lunch today.

Hearing this, the two Security Officers looked at each other, seeing helplessness and worry in each other's eyes, but they couldn't say anything more.

After all, the other party's status was there.

"Then... then you must be very careful."

"It's broad daylight now, Yang Qi is strong, so there shouldn't be any big problems."

"But if something is wrong, just shout loudly, and we'll immediately go call for backup!"

Hearing this, Chen Nian actually felt a trace of amusement in his heart.

He could clearly feel that these two Security Officers were genuinely concerned for his safety.

But to him, this concern sounded somewhat funny.

"No need."

Chen Nian's voice entered their ears.

"Today, I will completely settle this matter for you. I'm leaving."

As his voice fell, he ignored the two people behind him, walked straight through the police tape, pushed open the iron gate that made a harsh "creak" sound, and his figure was instantly swallowed by the shadows behind the door.

The two Security Officers stood blankly in place, watching that figure disappear, and only after a long time did they mutter.

"Sigh, I hope he can come out safely."

As soon as he stepped into the mental hospital's perimeter, an aura mixed with decay, dust, and mold violently drilled into Chen Nian's nasal cavity.

The air seemed to have become thick and heavy.

Weeds grew rampantly in the courtyard, almost as tall as a person.

The former flower beds had long since collapsed, leaving only a few broken pieces of cement.

The wall plaster of the main building not far away had peeled off in large areas, revealing the dark red bricks inside, which were covered in black mold spots, looking like a human face covered in corpse spots.

The wind passed through the dilapidated corridor, making a wailing sound, like countless wronged ghosts whispering.

However, these were all just appearances.

The moment he stepped into this place, his Prison Suppressing Divine Body had a clear sensing.

An extremely intense and pure abnormal aura permeated from the depths of the mental hospital.

The Prison Suppressing Divine Body operated on its own; a warm current instantly flowed through his limbs and bones, completely isolating the cold aura that was attempting to invade his body.

At the same time, he clearly "saw" that in the deepest part of the main building, there seemed to be an incomparably huge energy body coiled there.

That energy body was pulsating like a heart; with every pulsation, it would emit an even more intense evil aura, polluting this space.

Chen Nian's eyes narrowed slightly, and a glimmer of excitement flashed in the depths of his eyes.

This was much more interesting than the small fry he had encountered before.

He did not hesitate in the slightest, not even observing for an extra second.

After identifying the direction, he strode forward toward the direction where the evil aura was thickest.

However, he hadn't walked far.

"Fellow Daoist in front, please stop!"

A loud, boisterous voice came abruptly from the shadows of the side building next to him.

Chen Nian's footsteps paused.

He turned his head slowly.

He saw a Daoist wearing blue Daoist robes, holding a peach wood sword, and sporting a goatee, running out of the shadows with a face full of smiles.

The Daoist looked like a sage, but his eyes revealed a shrewd, mercenary glint.

Chen Nian looked at him without speaking.

His nose sniffed lightly, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

The Daoist seemed completely unaware of Chen Nian's anomaly and kept running over boisterously.

While running, he enthusiastically said:

"Oh, Fellow Daoist is also here to handle the evil spirits here? I see that Fellow Daoist has an extraordinary bearing; why don't you and I join forces to subdue demons and eliminate monsters? The credit afterward..."

He seemed to want to cozy up and get an ally.

However, his words weren't finished.

Just at the moment he approached within three steps of Chen Nian.

Chen Nian moved.

No warning, no extra movements.

He simply raised his right arm, clenched his five fingers into a fist, and punched toward that mouth that was still chattering away!

"Bang!"

A dull explosive sound rang out in the air!

The smile on the Daoist's face froze instantly.

His head was like a watermelon hit by a hammer.

With a dull, loud noise, it exploded!

Red, white, black... various viscous liquids mixed with bone fragments sprayed in all directions.

The headless torso swayed twice in place, then with a "thud," fell straight to the ground.

No blood.

What sprayed out was all black pus emitting a foul stench.

Chen Nian expressionlessly withdrew his fist, shaking off the few drops of black liquid stained on it.

He curled his lips helplessly.

The stench of a corpse all over his body was so thick it was about to overflow, yet he still ran in front of him to pretend to be a living person?

Did he really think his nose was just for show?

However...

A trace of curiosity also rose in Chen Nian's heart.

Is this thing a demon or a ghost?

He looked up and glanced outside.

Through the broken window, one could see that it was still sunny and bright outside.

Being able to come out and move around in broad daylight, and still maintain such a clear human form.

So fierce?

Or is it that the rules for ghosts and monsters in this world are different from those on Earth?

The ghosts and monsters here actually don't follow the setting of fearing sunlight?

Chen Nian pondered for a moment, then shook his head.

Don't care about this or that.

Don't care if you're a demon or a ghost.

Don't care if you're afraid of sunlight.

Anyway, it's all just a matter of one punch.

He ignored the corpse on the ground that was rapidly decaying and emitting black smoke, turned around, and continued walking toward the deepest part of the mental hospital.

His footsteps were steady and firm.