Chapter 139: Return (5)

The old man's rust-covered wooden bucket looked rather ancient, and it was anyone's guess where such an object had been obtained.

"Why are there still children wandering around outside at a time like this? Hurry up, get away from here right now!" The old man drawing water glanced at Wu Zui, his expression shifting abruptly. Seeing the sharp, intelligent gleam in Wu Zui's eyes, he chose to believe he was a human rather than some phantom or spirit.

"Hey, slow down, old timer!"

Before Wu Zui could finish speaking, he was grabbed by the old man and pulled forward along the path.

Wu Zui himself was unbothered, but the old man appeared advanced in years. If he were to suffer a accidental fall, it would spell trouble. However, this was a path the old man had walked for decades; despite running at a brisk pace, his footing was steady and practiced. There was no sign of him stumbling at all, proving Wu Zui's concerns to be entirely unnecessary.

Soon, Wu Zui was led by the old man into a small village. The settlement looked reasonably well-maintained, though the number of inhabitants appeared pitifully small. Many main gates bore heavy locks, and judging by the rust upon them, it was evident no one had lived there for a long time.

Noticing Wu Zui's gaze, the old man could easily guess his inner thoughts. A bitter expression crossed the old man's face as he said, "The young ones have all fled to the big cities, leaving only us old bones behind. Nowadays, even if you run to a metropolis, you're merely postponing your doom by a few days."

With these words, the old man let out a deep, heavy sigh.

The food crisis and the phantom crisis—these were currently the two greatest terrors weighing on the minds of all humankind.

Wu Zui fell silent upon hearing the old man's words. He had originally intended to advise the old man to seek refuge in a major city, reasoning that the abundance of paranormal investigators there would at least afford some degree of safety. Yet, upon recalling the current state of City Y, he suspected other cities were likely in no better condition.

Perhaps, much as the old man had said, fleeing to a mega-city was nothing more than a desperate, lingering gasp for breath.

Amidst their conversation, the two arrived before the entrance of a courtyard.

"Old Liu, open the door! I need to use your phone!" The old man strode right up to the main gate, pounding heavily against the wood while shouting into the courtyard.

"Who is it? Coming, coming!"

Accompanied by a voice from within, the courtyard gate swung open. Another elderly man, appearing to be in his sixties, stepped out to face them.

"You really are sluggish on your feet, making such a fuss just to open a door!" The old man who had escorted Wu Zui chided the one surnamed Liu.

"Hah! Do you want to test whether I can still chase you down and beat you up just like the old days?" The Liu family elder glared fiercely.

"I have no time to bicker with you! Take this young man to use the telephone first; he seems to be in a great hurry." The man who had brought Wu Zui shrank his neck slightly, appearing somewhat intimidated by the prospect of being chased and beaten as threatened.

"Hmph! Come along, young man! Cell phones are completely useless nowadays, but fortunately, I've kept a landline in my house, though it tends to work only half the time. I'll take you inside to try your luck!" The Liu family elder shot another glare and a huff toward his companion before turning to address Wu Zui.

"I am truly grateful."

Wu Zui quickly expressed his thanks and followed the Liu family elder into the house.

Inside, Wu Zui spotted an antiquated push-button landline. It had been a very long time since he last laid eyes on such an old-fashioned telephone. Recalling the communication number of Xiao Anguo, he began pressing the buttons one by one.

*Beep... static... beep... beep... Hello? Who is this?*

As a deep, resonant voice sounded through the receiver, Wu Zui knew this was the designated personnel answering on behalf of Xiao Anguo. Because certain bizarre entities possessed the ability to travel along telephone lines, all communication devices belonging to high-ranking officials of Huaguo were kept in specialized, secure rooms and answered exclusively by dedicated operators. This precaution prevented malevolent spirits from seizing the opportunity to infiltrate the upper echelons.

"I wish to speak with the Minister. This is Wu Zui!" Wu Zui felt immensely grateful that the headquarters of the Paranomal Investigation Bureau had not simply hung up upon noticing an unfamiliar number. Otherwise, reaching Xiao Anguo again would prove exceptionally troublesome.

"Wu Zui? You can relay your business to me, and I will pass it on to the Minister. You know the rules!" The operator on the other end remained entirely unmoved. In the current climate, nobody could tell whether the person on the opposite end of the line might be a phantom in disguise.

"There are two matters! First, inform the Minister that I have successfully retrieved the target, though a minor accident occurred, and we require assistance from the Research Institute. I shall report the details to him in person upon my return.

Second, I am currently located in Longquan County, approximately fifty kilometers west of City Y. Every vehicle in the vicinity is broken down, leaving me unable to return in the short term. Can you dispatch a transport vehicle for me?"

Wu Zui spoke directly into the receiver.

"City Y has already been designated a dead zone. There is even a six-star phantom lurking right in the city center; you would be wise to put as much distance between yourself and that place as possible. As for getting back... I will report your request to the Minister." The operator, fully aware of City Y's nightmarish reality, couldn't help but marvel at Wu Zui's fortune.

*[To think he actually managed to escape from so many entities ranked five-star and above—this fellow is truly formidable!]*

"A dead zone? That can't be right; I saw several underground shelters forged from solid gold, and people are still hiding inside them!" Wu Zui said, perplexed. Although he had only exchanged a few words with the occupants of one particular shelter, the number of such hideaways he had witnessed throughout City Y was by no means small!

"Those shelters were airdropped by the military back when the crisis in City Y first erupted. They were originally intended to provide temporary sanctuary for the civilians. However, as the containment and cleansing operations failed, those who couldn't be evacuated in time were left stranded inside," the operator replied from the other side.

"The City Y Cleansing Operation? What is that..."

Before Wu Zui could press for further details, he heard two consecutive beeps from the operator's end. The voice then stated, "The Minister of Logistics is calling in. I will relay your matters to the Minister as requested. Please do not leave the vicinity of this telephone; I will call you back."

*Beep~~~*

*Click.*

Listening to the dial tone, Wu Zui hung up the handset.

He then turned and walked outside. During the duration of his phone call, the Liu family elder had already departed the room. Consequently, Wu Zui needed to step out and inform him that he still awaited a return call.

In the courtyard, the Liu family elder and the man who had brought Wu Zui were engaged in a heated argument.

"Old man Li, if you don't get out of here right now, see if I don't give you a thrashing!"

As he spoke, the Liu family elder brandished a broom menacingly at the man surnamed Li.

"What's the big deal about borrowing a couple of buckets of water from you! So stingy, *bah*!"

With that, the Li family elder moved to toss his two wooden buckets into the courtyard's water vat. Before he could retrieve them from the vat, however, the exasperated Liu family elder swung his broom and chased him wildly around the courtyard.

"Water thief! You shameless old wretch! I'll beat you to death!"

Cursing as he pursued his target, the Liu family elder showed no signs of his advanced age; his speed easily surpassed that of many frail and sickly youths.

"Miser! Iron rooster! Just admit you're old and can't catch me anymore! Hahaha—"

The Li family elder appeared to be in remarkably robust health. While fleeing for his life, he would periodically halt to turn around and mock his pursuer. The infuriating spectacle was enough to drive anyone to distraction.

"I'll beat the life out of you!"

Driven to the brink of fury, the Liu family elder suddenly snatched half a brick from the top of the courtyard wall and hurled it straight toward the face of the Li family elder. The moment the brick left his hand, regret washed over him, but he could only watch helplessly as it hurtled through the air.

Just before the missile struck, Wu Zui summoned the Asking Heart Chain, wrapping it swiftly around the brick to halt its momentum.

"Dear elders, aren't we just talking about a couple of buckets of water? Is it really worth flying into such a rage? You could just hook up to the tap water pipe, couldn't you?" Wu Zui casually placed the half-brick onto the courtyard wall and attempted to mediate.

"Tap water? That's been gone for ages! Not long after the power outage, the water supply vanished as well. The village well has also acted up lately, producing nothing but foul, black water. We're forced to go outside the village to draw water from an old agricultural irrigation well. Making that round trip covers five miles just for two buckets of water, and I've spent days saving up this single vat..." The Liu family elder's voice gradually trailed off, as he well knew this was hardly a justification for nearly maiming a man.

"Ah, I was simply being lazy! I'll go draw water myself shortly," the Li family elder chimed in, pulling his buckets closer.

"Elder gentlemen, would it be convenient for you to take me to see the village well right now? If I can manage to fix it, it will save you both from having to make such a long trek. Besides, since I have to wait for a telephone callback anyway, I'll be staying here for a while."

Wu Zui blocked the path of the departing Li family elder.

Ever since entering the village, he had sensed an underlying wrongness, though he couldn't pinpoint the exact source. If a malevolent spirit happened to reside within the malfunctioning well, eliminating it would serve as fitting compensation for the use of their telephone.

After all, if cell phones were truly as useless as the Li family elder claimed, it might be quite some time before he successfully established stable communication.

"Oh! Splendid! Splendid! Come along, I'll take you to have a look."

Delighted to discover he had inadvertently brought home a capable individual, the Li family elder eagerly ushered Wu Zui toward the village well.

The Liu family elder cast a skeptical glance at Wu Zui, noting he carried only a bicycle and possessed no tools whatsoever. Even if the young man genuinely knew how to repair a well, what could he possibly accomplish with empty hands?

Shaking his head, the Liu family elder trailed after them.

*[Consider it treating a dead horse as a live veterinarian!]*

...

Wu Zui followed the Li family elder for a short distance before a pungent stench assaulted his nostrils. The odor was overwhelmingly foul, reminiscent of rotten pork that had soaked in a swill bucket for an extended period. As they drew closer, Wu Zui detected a faint trace of resentful spiritual energy mingling with the foul air.

*[Indeed, a phantom. Perfect timing to exterminate it!]*

Covering his nose with his sleeve, Wu Zui peered down into the opening of the stone well.

Murky, brownish-yellow water churned ceaselessly at the bottom. As bubbles continually rose and burst, the stench grew denser and more suffocating.

A cluster of karmic flame flickered to life within Wu Zui's palm. In an instant, the flames condensed into a fireball slightly smaller than the well opening. Wu Zui tossed the projectile directly into the depths of the well, where it detonated with a muffled roar. The magnetic karmic fire swept instantly across the entire bottom of the well.