Chapter 180: Metal Password Case
For the next twenty-odd days, Yang Haoran locked himself inside his convenience store, not going anywhere.
During this time, Deng Feng did not proactively contact him, nor did Du Da reappear; both seemed to have suddenly vanished from his world.
Not until today, when the appointed time arrived as promised, was this silence broken.
Not only did Deng Feng call early in the morning, but Du Da also sent a beggar to deliver a note.
Although their methods of communication differed, their messages were largely the same: both reminded Yang Haoran that there could be no mistakes tonight, and everything must proceed exactly as planned.
From the information they revealed, both seemed quite confident, as if their goals were guaranteed to be achieved as long as Yang Haoran didn't encounter any issues.
After dismissing the beggar who delivered the message, Yang Haoran remained shut inside his convenience store. It wasn't until dusk that he finally opened the door, a square Metal Password Case in hand, and stepped out with a wry smile.
The reason he had secluded himself in the convenience store during this period was to use the remaining time to successfully draw some useful talismans.
However, the results were not satisfactory. Despite his strenuous efforts, using up every last bit of his remaining time, he failed to achieve the desired outcome.
Yang Haoran sighed inwardly, placing the Metal Password Case he carried onto the passenger seat. His gaze drifted to the convenience store outside the car window, his expression complex.
There was nostalgia, reluctance, and a tiny sliver of regret hidden deep within his eyes.
Taking one last deep look at the convenience store, Yang Haoran drove away, leaving behind the unremarkable, dilapidated shop.
The appointed time was midnight tonight, and Yang Haoran, of course, understood why Du Da had chosen this hour.
Du Da was a Spirit Medium; if he wanted to unleash the full power of his Guardian Yin Spirit, midnight was an excellent choice, as Yin Qi was at its densest during that time.
It was only dusk now, still several hours until midnight. Yang Haoran chose to leave at this time not to rush to the Ghost Building to seek his demise.
His destination at this moment was Guan Hai's bar.
As it was still early, the bar had few customers. Only Xiao Mo, the manager, was bustling about, preparing for the evening's business.
Yang Haoran walked into the bar, carrying a Metal Password Case. Seeing that it was Yang Haoran, Xiao Mo quickly greeted him with warmth.
"Brother Yang, I haven't seen you in ages. What have you been busy with lately?"
Xiao Mo was still as young and beautiful as ever, but she looked a bit tired. Perhaps it was due to work-related exhaustion, or perhaps something else was weighing on her mind.
"I've been quite busy lately, so I haven't had time to come by. You don't look too good; you should get more rest," Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
Xiao Mo chuckled. "That's just the nature of the job; how can I be like a normal person and sleep early and wake early? You're here to see Brother Guan Hai, aren't you? He's been here for a while, waiting for you over there."
With that, Xiao Mo pointed to the most inconspicuous corner of the bar.
Following Xiao Mo's gaze, Yang Haoran indeed spotted Guan Hai. However, Guan Hai was currently engrossed in his phone, a smile plastered on his face, seemingly engaged in a heated conversation with some girl, completely oblivious to Yang Haoran's arrival.
"Brother Yang, you two can chat. I'll get back to work now."
With that, Xiao Mo departed, while Yang Haoran, carrying the Metal Password Case, walked towards Guan Hai, who was still absorbed in his phone.
Even as Yang Haoran drew near, Guan Hai remained unaware of his presence, still chatting animatedly with his companion. Watching him, Yang Haoran couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.
"Hey, who are you talking to with such enthusiasm that you've forgotten there are other people in this world?"
Yang Haoran suddenly spoke, startling Guan Hai. When he looked up and saw it was Yang Haoran, he immediately complained, "Damn, how did you appear out of nowhere?"
"Nonsense, "appearing out of nowhere"! The whole world knows I'm here; you're the only one who didn't notice, yet you call me "appearing out of nowhere. ""
Yang Haoran chuckled, reprimanding him as he sat down opposite Guan Hai, placing the Metal Password Case beside him.
"What's going on today? You, the busy man, actually invited me out, and to my own bar, no less. It's still so early; don't tell me you're planning to skip dinner and just drink?"
Guan Hai sent a reply, then put his phone away, looking at Yang Haoran with a teasing smile.
"Didn't we often do this before? What's so strange about it? Stop the nonsense and get the drinks."
Although Guan Hai found it a bit odd, he didn't press for details. He simply called for a case of beer as Yang Haoran requested.
Yang Haoran didn't stand on ceremony. Once the beer arrived, much to Guan Hai's speechless expression, he chugged three bottles straight down with Guan Hai.
The beer in this bar couldn't truly be called "bottles"; "sticks" would be a more fitting term for them. Regardless, chugging three down in one go was no difficult feat for either Yang Haoran or Guan Hai.
Yet, such an aggressive start was a bit unusual for Guan Hai. In his memory, Yang Haoran rarely drank with such ferocity.
After three bottles of beer, both men let out a burp. Yang Haoran wore a satisfied expression, his heavy mood momentarily eased, while Guan Hai looked at him with a complaining face.
"When did you get so impatient? Haven't you ever drunk before, or are you afraid you won't get to drink again?"
Guan Hai complained between burps. He was accustomed to this kind of playful banter with Yang Haoran, so he didn't take it to heart.
However, while the speaker had no intention, the listener took it to heart. Yang Haoran, whose mood had just begun to lighten, couldn't help but sigh inwardly upon hearing Guan Hai's words.
Guan Hai's offhand jest had, by chance, revealed the truth.
Though his mood was heavy, the smile on Yang Haoran's face didn't falter.
"That's right, I'm afraid I won't get to drink in the future, so tonight I'll drink to my heart's content, haha!"
Yang Haoran burst into laughter. Anyone looking at him would think he was just joking; under normal circumstances, who would take such words seriously?
The two laughed, chatted, and drank, and a case of beer was quickly emptied. At Yang Haoran's request, Guan Hai ordered another case.
Outside, it had grown dark sometime unbeknownst to them, and Yang Haoran couldn't remember how much he had drunk. When both were thoroughly intoxicated, Yang Haoran picked up the Metal Password Case beside him and placed it on the table.
It was a very ordinary Metal Password Case, not large, but it appeared quite old.
Yang Haoran no longer remembered when he had bought this Metal Password Case. In his recollection, he had purchased it during his years wandering outside.
While traveling, he had met countless people from all walks of life—many passing acquaintances in his life, colleagues and friends changing one batch after another. But this Metal Password Case alone had stayed with him, never once replaced.
Years had passed in a blink. Although he no longer used this Metal Password Case, he had never discarded it. After so many years of use, he held a deep affection for it.
He had believed he would never use this Metal Password Case again, keeping it merely for the place it held in his memories. Yet, unexpectedly, the Metal Password Case had found a use today.
Seeing Yang Haoran place the Metal Password Case on the table, Guan Hai's face couldn't help but show a perplexed expression. He had noticed the Metal Password Case beside Yang Haoran earlier and had asked about it, but Yang Haoran had always brushed him off with a single sentence, never giving him a satisfactory answer.
Since Yang Haoran was unwilling to say more, Guan Hai naturally wouldn't pry further. He hadn't expected Yang Haoran to actively place the Metal Password Case on the table now, seemingly intending to share something with him.
"Drinking late at night and bringing a Metal Password Case? So mysterious. Anyone who didn't know us would think we were conducting some illicit transaction," Guan Hai said with a drunken smile.
Yang Haoran, equally intoxicated, pushed the Metal Password Case towards Guan Hai with a smile, then said, "This Metal Password Case is very important to me. I'll be leaving Lecheng for a few days, and it's a bit inconvenient to carry it with me, so I'll leave it with you for now."
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