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The usually talkative forty-year-old driver fell into a rare silence.

"I've told you before, only Master Chu can save my life now. Waiting a few hours is nothing. Even if Master Chu asked me to wait two more days, I'd be patient."

The driver sighed. "Brother Ming, you used to put your faith only in science and physics."

"Yes," Zhong Guoming replied nonchalantly. "Look where that got me. Do you want to join me in the hospital?"

The driver was speechless.

With a thud, the passenger door opened, and Chu Yuening entered the car.

Zhong Guoming asked politely, "Is Master done with your work?"

"I am," Chu Yuening replied. After accepting Zhong Guoming's request, she had planned to accompany him to the construction site first. However, halfway through the journey, her sixth sense turned grim, and she calculated that Du Miao was in danger. Thus, she decided to make a detour.

Looking at Zhong Guoming, whose body was contorted like a worm in the backseat, she apologized, "I kept you waiting."

"No worries." Zhong Guoming wiped his sweat, putting on a casual front. "As long as I haven't disturbed Master's schedule, it's fine. A bit of crowding in the space is nothing."

The car started moving slowly, heading towards Sai Kung.

The farther they drove towards Sai Kung, the more desolate the scenery became, with mountains gradually appearing.

Eventually, the car entered a bustling area. Tall commercial buildings lined the road, while on the opposite side was an expansive construction site covering tens of thousands of square meters.

The deafening roar of machinery echoed through the air, amidst which hundreds of workers were bustling about.

Chu Yuening stepped out of the car and, seeing the dark aura hovering above the construction site, asked, "What are you planning to build here?"

"A commercial complex," replied Zhong Guoming, assisted by the driver and two workers to sit half-upright on the stretcher. "The boss wants to create the largest one in Sai Kung. I'll take you inside for a look."

Chu Yuening followed behind. As soon as she stepped into the concrete structure, she felt uneasy, as if a heavy burden had settled on her shoulders. Going further in, she realized that the dark aura above the construction site wasn't tied to any particular floor; it seemed to rise straight up to the sky.

"What's the plan for this spot?" she inquired.

"A parking lot. It's quite central here. We can venture further in," answered Zhong Guoming.

"No need," Chu Yuening halted her steps, her gaze sweeping forward.

The darkness in the parking lot was even more intense.

Inaudible cacophonies filled the air, intermingled with the clanging of chains resonating throughout the construction site. More than ten soul entities were bound by chains to the concrete ground. Two were headless, while two were limbless. One of them, noticing someone approaching, slowly turned its head. Melted flesh dangled from its face, and its pale eyeballs, connected by blood vessels, hung loosely outside its eye sockets.

It panted heavily, attempting to come closer, but as soon as it raised its hand, it was violently pulled back by the thick chain, letting out a pained howl.

A putrid stench resembling that of rotting seafood permeated the atmosphere.

Zhong Guoming pinched his nose. "Ever since they dug up that bloody soil, this fishy odor has persisted in the parking lot."

"That's because something is buried beneath," Chu Yuening remarked, retracting her gaze and turning her attention to the structure above the parking lot. The ghostly auras emanating from the trapped souls were all ascending upwards.

After observing for a while, she asked, "How many people have died before?"

"Thirteen," Zhong Guoming recalled his fallen comrades with a heavy heart. "All sorts of accidents – some were caught in cement mixers, others lost limbs, and there were even decapitations."

Chu Yuening counted them out. "Not a single one missing."

Zhong Guoming's hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. "Master Chu, you mean their spirits are all here?"

The trapped souls ceased their wailing as if bees drawn to nectar. Their stiff heads turned in unison, eerie gazes fixated on Zhong Guoming. Muffled whispers echoed, repeating over and over.

"Can you... see them?"

"Help us."

"Don't want to be trapped here."

The mournful voices multiplied.

Chu Yuening stopped Zhong Guoming from continuing. "Their resentment runs deep."

Ghosts came in ranks. Low-level spirits lacked the strength to manifest, but those with immense resentment could.

All of this unfolded before them.

They were trapped, unable to live or die.

Just as a ghost was about to break free, the earth trembled. A long, crimson tongue, slick with mucus, shot out swiftly from the dark ceiling, coiling around the ghost and pulling it back into the shadows.

After a moment's silence.

Two golden threads of gas emerged from the mass of black aura, slowly piercing through the circle of darkness.

Chu Yuening withdrew her gaze, her expression somber.

"The situation is troublesome."

She pointed at the concrete roof of the parking lot and then at the concrete ground below.

"There are two arrays here. One traps the ghosts, while the other devours human lives."

Zhong Guoming's face paled instantly, and he laughed bitterly, assuming his life was in peril. "Master Chu, whatever it takes, please save me."

Chu Yuening shook her head. "The array won't close until it's devoured enough people, not just you."

Both arrays were substantial in size – one for confinement and the other for consumption. Without locating the array constructor, dismantling them manually would be a daunting task.

"Impeding more casualties, the construction site must be halted," Chu Yuening expressed, deeply concerned as she gazed at the thousand laborers working diligently.

Seeing the dire situation, Zhong Guoming hastily responded, "I'll contact the boss right away to request a work stoppage."

As he finished speaking,

A flurry of hurried footsteps echoed from the floor above.

moments later, a group of workers descended, escorting a fifty-year-old Caucasian man with blue eyes and curly hair.

"Halt construction?" The Western boss, upon hearing those two words, erupted in anger with his broken Cantonese. "Are you the one who'll shoulder the losses on the construction site?"

"The land has already been purchased, and bank transactions keep flowing out. If the workers don't work, when will I ever recoup my investment?"

Zhong Guoming promptly explained the two life-threatening formations on the construction site.