Barren land.
As the postal car drove on, Wang Ye grew farther and farther away from the city.
The entire barren land was shrouded in ghost domains, full of gloom and terror.
One could vaguely see some scavengers carefully digging something out of the ground.
But none of the scavengers were in teams.
Wang Ye understood this.
Scavengers don't form teams.
It was an unwritten rule.
The barren lands had a very high chance of encountering ghosts. You could say if you wandered outside for a day without running into a ghost, that would be a rare occurrence.
If you met normal ghosts, you could fight and some may survive.
But if it was a ghost that could possess people...
That would be a disaster for the entire team.
Death wasn't scary for scavengers. After all, risk and opportunity coexisted. Every scavenger that left the city had already prepared for death.
But...
Money stirred the heart.
In the eyes of these desperate souls, if they discovered treasure, they would dare to kill even the gods themselves.
Gradually, not teaming up became an unspoken understanding between everyone.
Seeing the occasional scavengers, Wang Ye fell silent.
In his previous life, after finding out he couldn't awaken any abilities, Wang Ye had considered going out scavenging, hoping he could find his own path.
If he hadn't died in that supernatural incident, he probably...would have been one of them.
Looking out the car window at the scenery, scavengers occasionally fell into supernatural events, but oddly, all the ghosts seemed to avoid his postal car.
At first Wang Ye simply thought the ghosts couldn't see his car.
But as time passed, he observed that most of the ghosts actively avoided his vehicle.
For example, a ghost without legs that crawled on the ground saw his postal car in the distance and strangely left the path his car was taking.
"Are they...afraid of this postal car?" Wang Ye wondered.
The car gradually drove further away. After about an hour, it had completely left the city behind, and even the silhouettes of scavengers could no longer be seen.
After all, most scavengers only dared to wander near the city. The depths of the barren lands were too dangerous.
The mysterious postal car silently drove through the ghosts, and Wang Ye's tightened heart slowly began to relax.
After all, the more you saw, the more numb you became.
However, Wang Ye also gained a deeper understanding of the barren lands.
The barren lands were obviously much more exaggerated than he had imagined.
If the barren lands were already so terrifying, what kinds of terrifying existences were the forbidden zones that people spoke of?
Also...
How were the rumors of the forbidden zones outside discovered in the first place? What kind of terrifying being was able to cross the barren lands and reach the forbidden zone, and still return alive?
At this moment, Wang Ye humbly realized that in his previous life, he was still just an insignificant commoner after all.
Perhaps...
His purpose for existing was to spread hope to ordinary people.
Suddenly, Wang Ye's pupils abruptly contracted.
On the road ahead of Wang Ye, a ghost wearing sackcloth and ashes knelt on the ground, with a burning brazier in front of it.
The ghost let out bursts of wailing cries.
These cries...could even penetrate the postal car and echo in Wang Ye's mind.
In an instant, Wang Ye's eyes turned blood red, and trails of bloody tears ceaselessly streamed down his eye sockets.
These cries...were countless times more powerful than the one at the haunted carnival.
Wang Ye felt his body instantly weaken, as if he could die at any moment.
"Damn it, I knew it wouldn't be so easy to deliver this blood-colored letter!"
Wang Ye cursed under his breath and forcefully stepped on the gas pedal, but the wailing ghost ahead seemed unaffected and continued tossing paper money into the fire.
The cries only grew louder and louder.
Blood and tears kept streaming down Wang Ye's eyes, and his face grew paler and paler.
Should he ram into it or detour around?
Wang Ye struggled internally, his mind descending into chaos. The only thing echoing was the ceaseless wailing.
Finally, Wang Ye gritted his teeth. The pain stimulated him and briefly cleared his mind. He sharply turned the steering wheel, barely grazing the ghost's body and swerving around it.
Wang Ye let out a breath of relief.
He had no idea what would have happened if he hit that ghost.
What's more, what gave him the confidence that ramming the ghost would kill it...was it the ghost's psychological influence from its cries?
Wang Ye slammed the gas pedal, putting more and more distance between himself and the wailing ghost.
The cries gradually faded until they disappeared.
Wang Ye collapsed limply back into the car seat, as if utterly spent.
If that ghost appeared in Beijing City...
He shuddered. The consequences were unimaginable.
"The road ahead probably won't be easy."
Wang Ye gritted his teeth, his expression becoming solemn. He knew that creature was merely an appetizer. The dangers ahead would likely be even more perilous.
If a single blood-red letter could be delivered just by driving, then the reward would have been too easily obtained.
...
"What?"
"I see, thank you for informing me."
Heaven Division headquarters, 21st floor. Zhang ZiLiang frowned slightly as he hung up the phone, his brows deeply furrowed.
"What's wrong?" Yang Chen asked, puzzled by Zhang ZiLiang's expression.
Zhang ZiLiang started for a moment, then shook his head. "It's nothing. Anyway, how are those guys doing?"
"Most of the corrupted members have resigned."
"Out of the 12 ability users...5 have died."
Yang Chen shrugged, his expression somber.
He knew what kind of price Zhang ZiLiang paid to recruit those 12 ability users.
They were the trump card of the Logistics Division.
The loss of five ability users was an absolute devastating blow to Zhang ZiLiang.
"I see, you can go now."
What surprised Yang Chen was that Zhang ZiLiang seemed to not care at all, simply nodding lightly.
After a brief silence, Yang Chen turned and left.
Zhang ZiLiang gazed at a file on the desk, lost in thought.
On the file, the name column had Wang Ye's name.
"This guy is becoming more and more mysterious."
Zhang ZiLiang murmured softly with a sigh.
...
On the other side, Wang Ye's expression was grave.
Unknowingly, the car...
had entered a graveyard.
In the graveyard, rows of old tombstones stood silently.
What astonished Wang Ye was that the shape and style of every tombstone was almost identical to those in the city outskirts cemetery.
"Damn..."
"Just what is going on here!"
Wang Ye cursed inwardly and sped up.
The next second, Wang Ye's pupils violently contracted.
A small wooden hut flickering with candlelight entered his vision.
This hut...
was exactly the same as the one in the city outskirts cemetery!
Inside the hut, a figure stood with his back to the window, slightly hunched over, seemingly an old man on his deathbed.
...
An old man!!?
A chill instantly rushed through Wang Ye's entire body.