Two days later at noon, the weather was gloomy.

Chen Shouyi stood in the neighborhood with a backpack on his back and a sword in his hand, waiting.

The residents passing in and out of the neighborhood occasionally glanced at him.

A middle-aged man with stubble pulled out a pack of cigarettes and walked over enthusiastically: "Brother, want a cigarette?"

Brother?

Chen Shouyi glanced at him, estimating that he was about as old as his father, and quickly declined, "Thanks, I don't smoke."

"You look familiar, are you the martial artist from the neighborhood?" The middle-aged man withdrew the cigarettes and asked.

Chen Shouyi nodded: "Is there something you need?"

"No, no, I just came to say thanks. If not for you, our neighborhood might have lost many lives." The middle-aged man said with a sigh, "In the entire lower city district, our area had the fewest deaths, but other places were seriously tragic, with blood everywhere."

Chen Shouyi silently pondered; the number of casualties in the lower city district was already beyond calculation, with hundreds of bodies visible to him alone.

"You're a martial artist, I want to ask if it's too late for my son, who is nineteen, to start learning martial arts now?" The middle-aged man asked hopefully.

"As long as he works hard, it shouldn't be too late!" Chen Shouyi assured him.

The middle-aged man did not disturb him further and, after saying a few words of thanks, left.

Chen Shouyi sighed inwardly, after this incident, the number of people practicing martial arts in Hedong City will likely multiply several times.

Martial Arts has been popularized for nearly twenty years, but in reality, very few people genuinely invest significant energy and persistence daily; most give up after practicing for a while due to various reasons.

Perseverance and persistence have always been extremely scarce qualities!

Not long after, a steam-truck stopped by the roadside, letting out a hiss with steam billowing from the train-like cab, and a young lady dressed smartly in office attire jumped off from the rear of the carriage, confirming: "Excuse me, are you Mr. Chen, Chen Shouyi?"

"Yes!"

"This is your ride, please get on board!"

Once Chen Shouyi got on the vehicle, he found two people already sitting inside: a stern-faced middle-aged man sitting regally on a leather bench with eyes closed, and another slightly younger person opposite him, boredly studying the vehicle's interior details.

Upon seeing Chen Shouyi come up, he glanced over quickly before shifting his gaze away.

The atmosphere might be somewhat awkward, so the young lady in office attire stepped onto the vehicle, lowered her voice, and said: "Let me introduce you, this is Mr. Qin Liuyuan, the lead martial artist from the city government, and this is Senior Martial Artist Mr. Yu Hongyong."

Qin Liuyuan opened his eyes to glance and then closed them again.

The other martial artist, named Yu Hongyong, nodded slightly at him without speaking.

Chen Shouyi didn't try to impose himself and merely thanked the young lady before choosing a seat to sit.

The vehicle soon started.

Compared to a regular car, the steam truck was definitely uncomfortable, but it ran smoothly and was quite fast.

Chen Shouyi estimated that the speed could be fifty to sixty km/h, and with streets now empty and free from traffic jams or traffic lights, it was faster than driving in the city during pre-disaster times.

The vehicle stopped again after driving for about ten minutes, and a female martial artist named Xu Jie, dressed in black, got on, with fair skin, tall stature, and alluring beauty.

She glanced at everyone, smiled when she saw Qin Liuyuan: "Brother Qin, you've arrived early, please look after this little sister this time!"

Qin Liuyuan opened his eyes, and a slight smile on his stiff face dissipated the cold atmosphere: "Since a beauty asks, I naturally have to look after you!"

"Are you joining too? Aren't you afraid of the danger? This time we're venturing deep into the nest of Giant Scythe Insects!" Yu Hongyong asked.

"With Brother Qin's hefty presence, what do I have to fear?" Xu Jie said with a radiant smile.

"When things get dire, I may not be able to look out for you." Qin Liuyuan, no longer resting his eyes, jokingly replied.

"Brother Qin, please don't be modest. With your great martial artist strength, what danger could you encounter?" Xu Jie replied, chuckling.

"Indeed, President Qin is just being modest. Even I've shot five Giant Scythe Insects, and President Qin could surely handle even more!" Yu Hongyong flattered.

Could it be that no one has encountered those silver Giant Scythe Insects?

Listening to their conversation made Chen Shouyi curious.

With Xu Jie joining, the formerly quiet atmosphere became lively, leaving Chen Shouyi isolated and observing coldly; he didn't know anyone, so didn't join in the merriment, and had little desire to.

Bored, he opened the status panel and pleasantly found an increase in his agility attribute; it had grown by 0.1 to reach 14.4, equal to his strength.

A hint of joy flashed in his heart.

"If I encounter the silver Giant Scythe Insect again, it shouldn't be as embarrassing as last time," he thought to himself.

…

The vehicle occasionally stopped to pick up another martial artist.

After about an hour, everyone had gathered—a total of four men and two women; besides one whom Chen Shouyi hinted was somewhat familiar and perhaps seen briefly at a martial artist matchmaking event, he didn't know any of the others.

"Young brother, why so quiet?"

The one striking up conversation was the other female martial artist in the group, named Jin Feiyan, appearing somewhat masculine-looking, robust and loud, with a hearty disposition; if not for her prominently raised chest, Chen Shouyi would've mistaken her for a man.

Female martial artists were already few, with even fewer beauties.

"I'm usually not very talkative, plus I don't know anyone here!" Chen Shouyi deflected; he was of a different age from these people, having no common topics, hence nothing much to discuss.

"Your introversion won't do; exploring other worlds is a highly dangerous task, getting familiar with unfamiliar companions swiftly becomes crucial—it might save your life during critical moments." Jin Feiyan advised patronizingly.

"Thank you, I'll heed that advice!" Chen Shouyi thanked her, involuntarily glancing at her.

"Sister Jin, seems you've taken a liking to the little handsome guy, be careful your husband doesn't get jealous." A middle-aged martial artist teased.

Jin Feiyan didn't mind and laughed boisterously: "Jealous over nothing, Zhou Dapao, keep spouting nonsense and I'll crush your balls."

Listening to this made Chen Shouyi a little taken aback—could this woman really find a husband? Perhaps she coerced a man?

…

The vehicle soon stopped, and led by Qin Liuyuan, the group got off in single file; Chen Shouyi glanced around and found they were at the Haunted House area.

Now this place had completely transformed into a military zone.

Around the ruins at the front, there were cannons aplenty, even idle tanks had been dragged out and lined up by the roadside; with little time elapsed, no defense structures had been set up, leaving all military equipment exposed to the elements. Numerous soldiers in military coats waited in the chilling wind, constantly prepared to open fire.

It seemed the spatial passage emerged right beneath the Haunted House.

The more Chen Shouyi thought, the more plausible it seemed.

The existence of the Haunted House itself was strange, spanning over a decade—a time when Earth was entirely ordinary; if a spatial passage lay beneath, it made sense. Furthermore, the recent burning evidently not only eradicated the rampant spirit but also thoroughly alerted the Giant Scythe Insects behind the passage.

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