Chapter 696: Going to See for Himself
When the temple was first being built, this Night Watcher discovered it.
Initially, he didn't know which deity the villagers were spontaneously building the temple to worship. He even wondered if it might be a Death God Temple, considering how the faithful who believed in their Underworld Office's Death God were growing in number.
However, once the temple was completed, he entered and took a look, only to discover that it wasn't a Death God Temple at all, but rather a Spiritualist Temple!
What a Spiritualist God Statue looked like was something Yang Haoran had already widely publicized. Thus, all the Night Watchers under him recognized the Spiritualist God Statue, and this Night Watcher was naturally no exception.
For the past six months, they had constantly been on guard against sneak attacks from Spiritualists, and had tirelessly searched for their whereabouts. Yet, the Spiritualists seemed to have vanished into thin air, never once appearing in Lecheng.
Therefore, upon discovering this temple, the Night Watcher couldn't spare a moment to continue guiding spirits in his jurisdiction. He immediately dropped everything, rushed to Lecheng overnight, met with Old Master Wu, and reported his findings.
Although this Night Watcher hadn't found any trace of Spiritualists, the mere appearance of a Spiritualist Temple spoke volumes. Why would ordinary people know about Spiritualist Gods, and why would they spontaneously build a Spiritualist Temple? There had to be the shadow of Spiritualists behind it. He understood the importance of the matter and thus dared not delay in the slightest.
After listening to Old Master Wu's report, Yang Haoran took a sip of tea, then offered Old Master Wu a cigarette. Old Master Wu saw that Yang Haoran wasn't in the least bit anxious, having no idea what Yang Haoran was thinking at the moment, though he himself was feeling a little anxious.
Yang Haoran lit a cigarette for himself, took a puff, and then asked Old Master Wu.
“What are your thoughts on this matter? ”
Old Master Wu naturally had his own ideas about this, but the matter was too significant for him to make a decision unilaterally. That was why he had rushed back from the Death God Temple immediately, to let Yang Haoran personally decide.
“I believe we should immediately send people to investigate this matter. By following the clues, we can definitely uncover the Spiritualists behind it,” Old Master Wu articulated his thoughts.
Yang Haoran nodded, agreeing with Old Master Wu's assessment.
“I'm thinking along similar lines, but sending ordinary Night Watchers for this probably won't do. They might even die there,” Yang Haoran said with a chuckle, taking a drag from his cigarette.
“Boss, are you worried this is a trap? ” Old Master Wu asked, his brows furrowing slightly.
“I can’t rule out that possibility. These Spiritualists have been dormant in Lecheng for so long. Who knows if they simply found Lecheng unappealing or if they have other plans? If it’s the former, that’s fine. If it’s the latter, then it gets a bit tricky,” Yang Haoran said with a smile.
“How about I go personally to investigate? Although I haven’t yet opened my Heaven Soul, I’m not too far from doing so. If there truly is a trap, I should be able to find a way to escape without issue,” Old Master Wu pondered aloud.
Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment, but then shook his head.
“While your current strength isn't weak, your body is declining day by day. At your age, how much more can you endure? I wouldn't be at ease with you going out, so you should remain at the Death God Temple. ”
As he spoke, Yang Haoran took another puff of his cigarette, then extinguished the butt in his hand and stood up.
“I’ll go myself. I haven’t really moved around much these past six months. This will be a good chance to stretch my limbs and maybe even get a bit of exercise. ”
When Old Master Wu heard that Yang Haoran intended to handle the matter personally, his expression shifted slightly. To him, it seemed a bit like making a mountain out of a molehill, but he didn't voice this thought directly.
“Boss, why don’t you take two capable Night Watchers with you? That way, they can handle any minor issues, and you won’t have to do everything yourself,” Old Master Wu suggested.
“Never mind, I’ll go alone. Too many people can sometimes make things harder to deal with,” Yang Haoran said with a smile.
Seeing that Yang Haoran had made up his mind, Old Master Wu said nothing further. The two left the villa. Yang Haoran didn’t head for the small town Old Master Wu had mentioned; instead, he first tore space to send Old Master Wu to the South Lake Death God Temple.
At this moment, at the South Lake Death God Temple, a small number of devotees gathered before the Death God Statue. Some burned incense, others prostrated themselves, their faces devout as they prayed to the statue, hoping to receive the Death God’s protection and ensure the safety of themselves and their families.
When the world first descended into chaos, all ordinary people in Lecheng dared not step half a pace outside their homes, spending their days in constant dread. Some, unable to bear the mental torment inflicted by this fear, chose suicide, while others went mad.
Though others didn't go mad or end their lives in extreme ways, if they wished to survive in this world, they had to eat and drink. Life, after all, had to go on.
At first, they could rely on whatever provisions they had at home, but this situation couldn’t last long. Once there was truly nothing left to eat in their homes, people gradually began venturing out onto the streets to find food.
To protect the safety of ordinary citizens, the Administrative Council dispatched large numbers of police and military forces to patrol the streets at all times, preventing and resolving any unforeseen incidents.
With the protection of the Administrative Council, the safety of ordinary citizens was somewhat guaranteed, and their inner fears were eased to a certain extent. Slowly, a few more ordinary people began to emerge from their homes.
Under the strong urging and safety guarantees from the Administrative Council, some businesses also reopened, bringing a little more vitality to the once deathly quiet Lecheng.
However, even now, only a minority of businesses have reopened. Most shops still dare not open their doors, and the vast majority of ordinary people remain unwilling to step outside their homes.
The current situation is merely a slight improvement compared to the initial days of the world's chaos. It is precisely because of this that a small number of devotees can now be seen at the South Lake Death God Temple.
Yang Haoran and Old Master Wu suddenly appearing from within a spatial rift—such a flashy maneuver, had it occurred before the chaotic era, would undoubtedly have caused intense shock to these ordinary people, perhaps even scaring some senseless.
But now, their appearance in such a manner didn't cause excessive shock to these devotees. Instead, the devotees regarded the two with extreme reverence, prostrating themselves and performing kowtows.
Yang Haoran watched this scene, then with a wave of his hand, a surge of Yin Qi whistled forth, gently lifting the devotees’ bodies.
“I’ll leave things here to you. I’m off. ”
Yang Haoran briefly instructed Old Master Wu, then sent him out of the spatial rift. As Old Master Wu respectfully saw him off, the spatial rift healed, and Yang Haoran vanished.
When Yang Haoran stepped out of a spatial rift again, he found himself in the internal parking area of the South Lake Death God Temple. He had parked a car here long ago, and for this trip to the small town, he planned to drive.
Although he could clearly tear space, he specifically chose to drive. This, of course, was due to his own considerations.
If he chose to tear space, he might end up 'beating the grass and startling the snake,' as tearing space would undoubtedly cause energy fluctuations to spread. Therefore, to ensure an ideal outcome for this trip, he decided to drive.
Yang Haoran had never visited the small town Old Master Wu mentioned, but Old Master Wu had provided him with its detailed location, so he knew exactly how to get there.
The car exited the Death God Temple and drove directly into Lecheng’s urban area. Few vehicles traversed the city streets; apart from patrolling military and police vehicles, only a sporadic few could be seen driving. The streets on both sides of the road were similarly deserted, with only an occasional pedestrian, though these individuals all carried firearms and ammunition.
In the past, for ease of management, ordinary citizens were not permitted to carry firearms or ammunition; even collecting them was prohibited. However, the situation was now different. Ordinary citizens could not only own firearms and ammunition, but there was also no issue with carrying them openly on the street.
Although Yang Haoran wasn't familiar with the Administrative Council’s affairs, he could surmise that the Lecheng Administrative Council was currently under immense pressure. Not only did they have to contend with demons, monsters, and ghosts, but they also faced the constant threat of potential invasion, and most critically, how to solve the food problem.
In Yang Haoran’s view, any one of these issues would be enough to cause a headache. Taken together, the immense pressure was unimaginable.
However, these weren't problems for him to ponder. The Administrative Council would find ways to handle these matters. If they couldn’t, other forces would take over Lecheng, and they too would find ways to deal with these issues.
Moreover, these matters weren't something he could manage simply by wanting to. He only needed to take care of what he was supposed to. As for what wasn't his business, others would handle it; it wasn't his place to interfere.
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