Chapter 100: Highway 17

With the plan finalized, Han Su and the others drove straight toward Highway 17 outside the city.

The first step in capturing the Ghost Freight Truck was to set a trap.

And this area near the bend of Highway 17 was the location carefully selected by Doctor as the bait point.

Here, one could utilize the terrain and arrange between three to twelve blocking positions using structures like triangles, six-branches, nine-pointed stars, or twelve-point configurations. The more blocking positions there were, the stronger the spiritual power of the blocking personnel would need to be, resulting in a more effective blockade.

Of course, at present Han Su had only officially submitted three blocking positions, so there was no need for that many.

When Han Su arrived, he stood on the slope and looked down to see two vehicles from the Operations Department driving over from the direction of the city. One vehicle carried execution members specializing in drawing mysterious symbols, and the other transported an approved special weapon.

To Han Su's surprise, the team leader turned out to be an acquaintance.

The Chubby Team Captain who had briefly served as his team leader during the Disaster Management Bureau’s evaluation task widened his eyes in shock upon getting out of the car and seeing Han Su.

Then, he shook his head helplessly. “This guy climbs so fast, I’m not even surprised anymore.”

Just a month ago, Han Su had been a rookie under his lead, and now, a month later, he had to work as an Execution Member under Han Su. The shift in roles was truly difficult to guard against...

Soon, as they worked, a massive symbol about fifty to sixty meters in diameter was drawn on this section of the highway. From the slope above, one could see crimson lines forming circles, triangles, and other interlocking patterns. It looked both conspicuous and eerie.

However, grotesques were not living beings; they would often turn a blind eye to such obvious traps.

Even if they became wary, it would usually be only after appearing here that they realized it was a trap and tried desperately to flee. But the personnel at the blocking positions would force them to remain in the surface reality, unable to escape.

As the mysterious ritual was being drawn, the other armed vehicle drove out, and the security personnel aboard carried a black box over to Han Su for him to sign.

This was the special weapon capable of eliminating the Ghost Freight Truck:

The Nail of the Dead Sea.

He had already read about this Disaster Management Bureau-exclusive weapon in the files, but seeing it up close still brought a sense of awe.

After signing, Han Su lifted the weapon from the box. It felt heavy—at least twenty kilograms. Without training in Mysterious Power, it would be difficult for anyone to wield it flexibly.

At first glance, it was about a meter long, but once assembled, it formed a mechanical spear nearly two meters in length.

This item didn’t even come with a manual—and didn’t need one. It was simple to operate: just drive the Nail of the Dead Sea into the core of the Ghost Freight Truck, namely the engine, and the problem would be resolved.

Even if the hit missed the target, the outcome would be the same.

“A special creation that can kill grotesques...”

Doctor stood quietly to the side, watching with an expression of admiration. “Some of the Disaster Management Bureau’s technological methods are completely different from the conventional ones.”

“They’re like branches extending from entirely different technological trees!”

“But the fact that this item was delivered means you must complete this mission within twenty-four hours.”

“When does the task begin?”

Upon hearing this, Hei Hu and Crow also lifted their heads to look at Han Su.

Han Su was sitting atop the car roof, watching the sunset in the distance. For someone who grew up in the city, this was a rare sight.

He glanced down at his communication with Special Assistant Xu and said softly, “In twenty minutes.”

Doctor extended his index finger and gently pushed up his glasses, seemingly getting excited. He smiled and said, “In that case, we should head to our blocking positions.”

With that, he turned and walked toward the location corresponding to the mysterious symbols, looking more determined than anyone.

Hei Hu had nothing to say, picked up his box, and walked off.

Miss Crow seemed like she wanted to say something, but upon seeing the expression on Han Su’s lowered face, she silently carried her box over as well.

The three of them walked to different positions, subtly forming an equilateral triangle spaced about a hundred meters apart, echoing the mysterious pattern under Han Su’s feet.

At that moment, Han Su also called Xu Ji over and said, “You should leave now!”

Xu Ji, who had finally gotten close enough to speak to Han Su, was stunned by this sudden statement. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good.”

Han Su turned off the recording device and said, “According to our unit’s procedures, I need to clear out ordinary people like you before the mission starts. I’ve done that, but since you’re not leaving, any consequences are on you.”

“?”

Xu Ji began to feel uneasy. He suddenly lowered his voice and asked, “So, when exactly is it going to start?”

Han Su smiled. “That depends on how strong your family’s monetary contamination ability is.”

...

...

Night had deepened, and Han Su looked around as darkness enveloped everything. The dazzling lights from Qinggang City in the distance already filled a third of the night sky.

Looking outward from this center point, three spots occasionally emitted light. Those were the signals being periodically sent by the three team members at the blocking positions.

Han Su transmitted the designated location and time to Special Assistant Xu and waited patiently. Before long, he saw rows of vehicles with their lights on approaching from all directions along the dark highway.

The surrounding roads had already been sealed off. At this hour, ordinary people could not have made it here. It wasn’t hard to guess the identity of those in the approaching vehicles.

One after another, the vehicles headed to six different locations, forming dense clusters at their assigned positions.

Then, all the headlights flashed simultaneously, signaling their readiness to Han Su—and affirming their identity.

“I knew it!”

The arrival of these vehicles, coinciding precisely with the blocking positions, made Doctor’s eyes gleam slightly as he stood at the base of the slope. He sighed, “Connections really are everything...”

Hei Hu suddenly looked wary: ‘With so many people coming, could someone be here to cause trouble?’

Miss Crow, on the other hand, was caught off guard, even blushing slightly: ‘Auntie gave such an impossible price, but they still easily gathered more people...’

‘Should I tell her? Among these people, some seem really tricky to handle. Even if Auntie came, it might not help...’

‘...’

“Goodness...”

Bored during the ritual, Xu Ji suddenly perked up, seeing the beams of light from six directions. He said, “Old Han, I thought you didn’t like crowds. Who knew you’d go all out like this? Compared to us...”

“...Only a few hundred pretty girls short!”

Seeing all the places packed with people, Han Su felt his worries fade and a faint sense of anticipation rise.

Turning to Xu Ji with a smile, he said, “No matter how many people they bring, they’re just support. The stars of tonight are us.”

“Facing that thing again from last time—are you scared?”

“Scared of what?”

Xu Ji stood on the car roof, hands on his hips, and laughed. “This is just exciting!”

“Besides...”

He suddenly lowered his voice and said to Han Su, “If you could handle this alone, would you have brought me along?”

“Helping a brother out makes me happy.”

“...”

Seeing Xu Ji’s rare serious expression, Han Su nodded and said, “That’s the spirit.”

“Just don’t die later, or I won’t be able to explain to your family.”

“Eh?”

Xu Ji, who had just been emotional, suddenly panicked. “You mean there’s a real chance I could die?”

Han Su had already turned to walk toward the mysterious symbols on the ground, laughing. “Come on. Since the net’s already set up, it’s time for us to bait the trap.”

The mysterious symbols were about twenty meters in diameter, exactly matching the width of Highway 17. The drawing materials seemed to be a mix that included aromatherapy agents—there was a faint scent of mugwort.

These symbols on a highway in the wilderness already felt strange, and the nightfall added a further sense of mystery.

Han Su brought Xu Ji to a spot and said, “Our Disaster Management Bureau has a spell that normally shouldn’t be taught to civilians, but you overheard me practicing it.”

“Once we recite the spell inside this hexagon, it means the task has begun.”

“Once you start speaking, your job is done. After that, no matter what happens, just remember to stay behind me, understand?”

“...”

Xu Ji was already nervous, peering around and said, “Don’t worry. I don’t need you to teach me that!”

“I learned to lie at three, deny things at four—family education, way better than yours.”

“...”

Han Su sighed. He instinctively wanted to say more but realized, knowing Xu Ji’s personality, it was unnecessary.

He could doubt everything about Xu Ji, except his survival instinct and shamelessness.

After all, he had been the first person who, without understanding anything, realized Han Su’s intent and fled with him from the Ancient Castle...

Han Su carefully let Xu Ji “overhear” the Zero Sequence No. 5 Encrypted Text Spell he would chant, then stepped a few paces away. They each stood at a point of the hexagon, facing each other. Everything around them fell into a dead silence.

The night seemed darker than usual. The wind in the wilderness made the man-high wild grass sway wildly. White plastic bags were lifted into the sky, drifting like ghosts.

Then, Han Su raised three fingers, then two, then one.

When the countdown ended, he and Xu Ji spoke in unison, their voices overlapping, intertwining, and resonating, as if summoning some mysterious force:

“By My Command, Appear in the Light...”

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.