Chapter 65: The Disappearing Mortician

Crack!

Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.

The entire highway suddenly split apart, the earth sinking as if a subterranean dragon were rolling over, triggering a localized, minor earthquake across the region.

The vehicles that had been safe and sound just moments before were caught up in this seismic upheaval.

And then—

Another massive explosion followed.

"Damn it!"

Amid Zhang Jie's furious cursing, Qian Gu tore open a force field wall spell scroll in advance, summoning a barrier that isolated the inside from the outside to fend off external interference and damage.

"Thanks for the heads-up."

Qian Gu ruffled Xiao Honglu's head, entirely unconcerned with whether the boy wanted his hair messed up.

Zheng Zha cursed even louder: "This damn God, it doesn't leave us a single path to survive at all! It's only been a few minutes!"

"This is *Final Destination*. If God intended to leave us a way out, this wouldn't be a horror movie."

Qian Gu's expression was exceedingly grim.

Indeed, there was no way out; the crises came far too frequently, arriving almost back-to-back.

"For these next five days, there will be no rest. Everyone, stay completely alert."

Qian Gu began rummaging through his magic rope spatial container, taking out the potions he had prepared beforehand. "Uncle Mou, this can restore eighty percent of your internal energy in one go.

"This one can heal a near-fatal injury.

"Zheng Zha, you can't use this. Take the heavy injury potion instead—since you're a vampire, that one suits you better."

He distributed the potions accordingly.

His gaze then fell upon Zheng Zha. "As for the others, as long as you manage to stay by my side, even if you truly die from a crisis, it won't be a big problem. I can resurrect you through *Resurrection*, which will most likely serve as a get-out-of-jail-free card.

"But Zheng Zha, you cannot. You are a vampire."

A mutated vampire was still a vampire.

Qian Gu had unlocked the spell *Resurrection*, meaning the entire team could benefit from it, with the sole exception of Zheng Zha. Due to his "Mutated Vampire Bloodline," he was classified under "Undead," rendering him ineligible for resurrection through this spell.

Therefore, the entire team carried the weight of mortality on the shoulders of just two people.

One was Qian Gu. He could not afford to die easily, first because he was the strongest combatant and the team's coordinator and strategist; if he fell, it would easily lead to a collapse under pressure, causing the entire team to disintegrate instantly—even if Chu Xuan stepped in to save the day, it would be useless.

After all, ninety-nine percent of the Zhongzhou Team's current tactics relied on the versatility of Qian Gu as a spellcaster.

The other was Zheng Zha.

If he died, he was truly dead. With no Resurrection Gold Coin exchanged, having reached neither *The Mummy* nor *The Chronicles of Narnia*, and lacking any external means of resurrection, the Zhongzhou Team could not bring back an undead creature.

"Understood."

Zheng Zha took a deep breath. "I still want to return to the real world with Lori; I won't die so easily."

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Jie suddenly burst out laughing, shattering the tense atmosphere.

"What is with talking about life and death out of nowhere? Isn't that bad luck? We should figure out a way to survive this horror movie first!"

Qian Gu glanced at him sideways, his thoughts complicated.

*Zhang Jie...*

The plan had already been drawn up!

Yet, they had entered *Final Destination*. Could fate truly be unchangeable, something that only the inner universe could alter?

No!

I refuse to believe it!

"The force field wall is about to expire. Get ready—

"Charge!"

The force field wall dissipated, but the raging fires of the explosion had not yet died down.

Qian Gu raised a hand and gently blew a breath.

In an instant, a gale whipped up.

It was not violently fierce like a tornado, but rather akin to a knight's protection. The summoned wind swirled around the Zhongzhou Team, blowing away the thick smoke, extinguishing the flames, and turning the surrounding environment into difficult terrain that others would find hard to navigate freely.

2nd-level, Evocation school, *Warding Wind*.

Simultaneously, Qian Gu's lips moved as he continuously cast spells, enchanting every member with *Haste*, before launching a forced march.

"Zhan Lan, find the nearest funeral home."

"Got it."

Zhan Lan's spiritual power was by no means low now. With a single spiritual scan, her range was no less comprehensive than a GPS map, taking almost everything in at a glance and allowing her to pry at will.

Clearly, those rare heavenly treasures hadn't been eaten in vain.

Of course, it was also possible that it had stimulated the T-virus within Zhan Lan, activating the so-called evolutionary mode and bringing about a further breakthrough.

Move forward!

Press on!

The entire team did not halt for even a moment.

Even the two newcomers displayed extraordinary sprinting abilities under the effects of *Haste*, assisted closely by the veteran members of the team.

Having broken away from the highway where the accident occurred, Qian Gu cast *Greater Invisibility* on everyone once more to prevent ordinary people from spotting them, which could trigger accidental panic and lead to even more unforeseen crises.

"Found it!"

Zhan Lan's voice echoed in everyone's minds, pointing out the direction.

To be fair, it wasn't far.

Perhaps due to dealing with the dead, whether domestically or internationally, this was never something the general public viewed with equanimity. Consequently, such facilities were built in rather remote locations, often adjacent to cemeteries.

The funeral home was by no means small, featuring crematoriums, makeup rooms, reception rooms, and morgues.

Although designed to be open and well-ventilated from front to back, the entire funeral home was shrouded in an ineffable gloom. Even with the scorching, fiery sun hanging in the sky, stepping into this place sent a chill rising from the depths of one's soul, cold enough to freeze frost onto one's eyebrows.

Someone asked, "Is this the place?"

"Yes," Zheng Zha affirmed. "This is it. I can't be wrong."

"There's no one here."

Zhao Yingkong suddenly spoke up, her brows furrowed deeply. "There is not a single living person's aura here. There are only the dead."

"Yingkong is right."

Qian Gu nodded. He, too, sensed no living presence, only an oppressive aura of death.

As a building dedicated to displaying corpses—much like an ancient village morgue—the entire funeral home had accumulated too much lingering aura of the dead that had never dissipated. From Qian Gu's mage perspective, it was a prime location for the Necromancy school, perfectly suited for researching necromantic spells.

At the same time, the Black mortician was gone.

"Did he go out?"

Ba Wang suggested a possibility.

"Unlikely."

Qian Gu shook his head and looked at Zhan Lan.

"No."

Zhan Lan also shook her head, rubbing her forehead. "Along the way here, I scanned almost the entire city, and I didn't find that mortician at all. It's as if such a person never existed."

"What about the India Team?" Chu Xuan asked.

"Not there either."

Very well.

Qian Gu pushed up his glasses, steadying his mindset. His brain raced, synthesizing and analyzing the current intelligence.

"The India Team borrowed momentum, but it's somewhat different from what we imagined. The momentum they borrowed comes from the mortician."