Chapter 77 The Tunnel
What truly drew official attention was that just a few days earlier, a tour bus carrying 16 children had also mysteriously disappeared in the same tunnel. The Qianzhou authorities dispatched police, armed police, and firefighters to conduct a joint search, but to no avail. In the end, they had to report the incident to the capital, which led to this operation.
"Master Xu, what are your plans?"
After reading the document, Chen Cheng asked a question.
"Let's conduct an on-site investigation first. This matter is quite different from Anping Coal Mine. It seems to be related to feng shui formations. Therefore, Team Leader Tian sent Wenmiao to assist us. In addition, Taoist Master Qianhe is in Hunan. He will come to join us after he finishes his work."
"According to eyewitnesses, even if there is a formation, there are still ghosts inside. What is puzzling is why some people are unharmed while others suffer misfortune. In addition, the large number of police officers, armed police and firefighters who entered were not affected. Logically speaking, if it is really a formation, then no matter how many people or when they enter, they should be attacked indiscriminately."
Chen Cheng asked.
"The essence of a formation lies in its ingenious layout and endless variations. Those who set up formations are either Taoist masters or experts in divination, or powerful mountain spirits and monsters. The setting of each formation point contains endless mysteries, utilizing terrain and feng shui to mobilize the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, forming a powerful defensive or offensive force. Entering a formation is like entering a mysterious maze. Once trapped inside, one will feel endless pressure or confusion. For those who set up formations, however, it is their best weapon to control the situation and defeat the enemy. Generally, such large formations are set up to protect important things or bury important figures. If future generations cannot break the formation, then these things or tombs will never be discovered!"
Wen Miao thought for a moment and then said:
"Some formations have a certain time limit, only effective within a specific period of time. Or, this tunnel is just on the edge of the formation, like sunlight or moonlight, which has varying strengths. The police, armed police, and firefighters were in the period when the formation was weakening at the edge, so they did not have the conditions to trigger the formation and were therefore safe and sound. This explains why some people got into trouble while others were unharmed."
Master Xu Gongyi, Lei Zhen, Chen Cheng, and even Ma Guangzu, who was driving, didn't know much about formations, but after Wen Miao's explanation, they nodded as if they suddenly understood.
"Sister Miao, if it's a formation, can you break it?"
"Every formation has a key point. Once the key point is broken, the formation will collapse on its own!"
"I just don't know how big the formation is, or how many key points it has!"
Wen Miao added another sentence with a worried expression.
"Let's go and see for ourselves before making a decision!"
Master Xu Gongyi scratched his head and said.
All of them had extraordinary physical constitutions. Lei Zhen, Chen Cheng, and Ma Guangzu took turns driving, and they didn't stop except to refuel and eat at service areas. By the evening of the second day, they had arrived in Xingyang City, Qianzhou. The local officials had already been notified and were waiting at the highway entrance.
The group, exhausted from their journey, returned to the hotel booked by the official organizers early after dinner to rest.
Chen Cheng took out his phone and called Zhang Qian. Although Zhang Qian was busy, she still texted Chen Cheng every day without fail. He had already texted her on the bus that he was coming to Qianzhou, and Zhang Qian immediately called him back. Since it wasn't convenient to talk on the bus, Chen Cheng hung up and texted her to call her back when he got there.
"Brother Cheng, is this mission dangerous?"
Zhang Qian, unlike her usual "little rascal," asked nervously, which warmed Chen Cheng's heart.
"It's not dangerous. There are five of us here, and another senior Taoist master will arrive in two days."
"I don't believe it. Missions that can alarm Bureau 709 must be very dangerous. I won't stop you from going, but you must be careful."
"Okay, I'll listen to you. How's the case going?"
"Three suspects have been apprehended this afternoon and are being interrogated. When are you coming back?"
"It's hard to say, maybe three to five days, or maybe more than ten days. Do you miss me?"
"Of course you miss me, don't you?"
"Can you say you don't want to, but think you do?"
"Hehe, no way, I don't like saying one thing and meaning another."
"When you come back, I'll come and stay with you for two days, okay?"
"Great, someone's warming my bed again."
"You little rascal, remember not to be reckless. If you get hurt, come back and I'll bite you!"
"Where should I bite?"
"Get lost, you pervert!"
The two chatted sweetly on the phone for a while before hanging up.
The next day, after everyone gathered, the authorities sent two people to drive and lead the way towards the deep mountain tunnel where accidents had frequently occurred.
Qianzhou is a mountainous province with continuous mountain ranges, undulating peaks, and overlapping ridges, resembling a giant dragon winding and coiling, majestic and spectacular. Some peaks soar into the clouds, shrouded in mist, like a fairyland, while others are steep and precipitous, with sheer cliffs that are both awe-inspiring and inspiring longing.
The station entrance closest to the frequent incidents had already been blocked off. Only after receiving the news did the staff open the entrance for everyone. When Master Xu Gongyi saw that the two people who led the way looked frightened, he tactfully suggested that they go back first. The two people then returned to the city with profuse thanks.
There wasn't a single car on the closed highway. Lei Zhen sped up to 160 km/h. It has to be said, there are so many tunnels here. Basically, you pass through one and immediately encounter the next one, but they vary in length.
Half an hour later, seeing the sign, they realized that they were still three kilometers away from their destination, Daotoushan Tunnel. Wen Miao took out his compass and looked at it. Chen Cheng also bent over from the back seat and looked at it. They saw the pointer in the compass's celestial pool spinning back and forth, indicating that the energy field here was very unstable.
"Now I'm certain there's a formation here, but I need to go up to the top of the mountain to see what kind of formation it is and where the key point of the formation is!"
Wen Miao frowned and sighed.
Chen Cheng looked up at the majestic mountain in front of him. How long would it take to climb to the top? The mountain path was rugged and difficult to walk on. The vegetation here was dense, and in summer snakes, insects, and rodents roamed freely. It must be very difficult to move forward. Wen Miao's expression was probably also thinking about this aspect!
As they pondered, they arrived at the tunnel entrance. Master Xu stopped the car and got out to carefully observe the surrounding terrain, but found nothing. If it weren't for the frequent accidents here, it would be just like any other tunnel.
"Let's go, let's enter the tunnel. Don't drive too fast, let's see if there are any evil spirits!"
Everyone nodded and followed Master Xu Gongyi into the car. The car slowly drove in. Because the road was closed, the lights inside the tunnel were not on. Fortunately, the van had laser headlights, which shone a bright white light ahead. However, an endless sense of oppression still enveloped the hearts of the group. The car seemed to have plunged into endless darkness. This kind of darkness was different from the night. It was the kind of darkness that felt like being buried deep underground in a suffocating cage.
Fortunately, the group consisted of Taoists. Although Ma Guangzu was not a Taoist, he possessed extraordinary abilities. Despite their repression, they were not afraid. If it were an ordinary person, their psychological fear would have reached its peak.
The car was traveling at 60 miles per hour. Master Xu Gongyi and Chen Cheng carefully looked ahead but did not find anything.
Twenty minutes later, the car drove out of the Daotoushan Tunnel. The group breathed a sigh of relief, but were also somewhat disappointed. Could it be that, as Wen Miao said, the formation had a time limit?