Star Gate

It's getting dark.

Zhang Yuan's home is not in Qiming Community, but on an old street outside the community.

When he was a child, Li Hao loved to play in the old streets.

However, with the development of Yincheng, part of the old street was demolished, and the traders left one after another. The old street gradually became deserted. Now it is sparsely populated, and few people come to the old street anymore.

Even most of the residents have moved away, making it even deadlier than Qiming Community.

On the quiet street, there are some old houses on both sides and some scattered lights, which looks a bit strange.

If time permits, Li Hao should wait slowly, drink a little sword soaking water every day, slowly strengthen himself, and then think about other things.

However, time did not allow Li Hao to do this.

Every day that passes, the danger becomes greater for Li Hao.

Although he may be more powerful, soaking in sword water only makes him more physically strong, but it is not enough for Li Hao to have the power to deal with Hong Ying now.

Li Hao came to Zhang Yuan's house for one purpose. He wanted to see if the stone knife was still there.

If the stone knife is still there, it may be good news for Li Hao.

If it cannot be found, it may have been taken away by Hong Ying and the forces behind it. This also means that Li Hao's sword may have been exposed, and someone may even be interested in his sword.

The black panther followed Li Hao silently. In the darkness, the black puppy looked extremely inconspicuous.

The sound of slight footsteps slowly echoed on the street.

Li Hao's expression remained as usual. There was an old house in front of him with a seal on the door. That was Zhang Yuan's home.

At this moment, he could already see it.

No one was seen, and the panther gave no warning.

However, Li Hao will not place all his hopes on Black Panther.

When he was less than a hundred meters away from the gate of Zhang Yuan's house, Li Hao took out his communicator and dialed a number.

In the darkness, the communicator emitted a faint light, illuminating Li Hao's face.

"Dududu..."

After a moment, an energetic voice sounded from the opposite side: "It's late at night, have you figured out that you can't survive in the Inspection Department and want to come back?"

Loud voice!

Through the loudspeaker of the communicator, it spread on the dark streets.

Li Hao, who was still a little scared at first, suddenly felt a lot more at ease now. His voice was respectful and he said softly, "Teacher, I haven't had that idea yet."

"Then you're going to bullshit the communication!"

A somewhat annoyed voice came from the other side of the communication.

"Teacher, I have been investigating the case of Zhang Yuan's self-immolation this year, and I have found out something different. Zhang Yuan...may not have died accidentally!"

"Um?"

In the darkness, Li Hao's face was calm, but there was a hint of ferocity, "I checked and found that not only Zhang Yuan has committed suicide in Yincheng over the years, but several people. Although it seems unrelated, there is some vague connection. , I haven’t found any specific clues yet.”

Over there, it suddenly became quiet.

Li Hao had already walked to the door of Zhang Yuan's old house. He looked at the somewhat broken seal and said softly: "I am in Zhang Yuan's hometown now. I want to check if there are any other clues to prove that Zhang Yuan was murdered. , rather than an accident.”

"Li Hao!"

Over the communication line, the old man's heavy voice came: "I also know about Zhang Yuan's matter. According to you, if it is murder, then don't go there rashly, be careful of an accident!"

After that, he shouted loudly: "Wait over there for a moment. I'll say hello to the Inspection Department and Guyuan. If you need help, someone will be here soon!"

At this moment, Yuan Shuo opposite him seemed to understand something.

Li Hao doesn't need to say more.

When Li Hao called this message and told him that the discovery of Zhang Yuan was not an accident, but that he might have died of murder, and that he was at Zhang Yuan's old house, Yuan Shuo instantly understood what Li Hao meant.

It may be dangerous!

Li Hao, at this moment, he needs some force that is enough to deter him from some hidden crises that may exist.

There is no need for Yuan Shuo to do anything or say anything.

It is enough to let Yuan Shuo know that he, Li Hao, is here now and is pursuing Zhang Yuan's case.

As long as he is paying attention to a big shot of Yincheng Ancient Courtyard, that is enough.

No one dared to move easily.

Otherwise, the death of Li Hao may arouse the anger of the old man in the ancient courtyard and lead to more troublesome things happening.

It is rumored that Li Hao and Yuan Shuo had a falling out before.

It turns out, not really.

On this night, Yuan Shuo's voice echoed very far in the empty streets. If anyone really paid attention to this place, they would definitely be able to hear Yuan Shuo's words.

Someone from the Ancient Courtyard and the Inspection Department may come.

…

At the moment when Li Hao was talking on the phone, Black Panther, who had been silent all this time, suddenly bit Li Hao's trouser leg.

Li Hao didn't find anything unusual.

However, the Black Panther was more sensitive than him after all. He might have sensed something, or Yuan Shuo's words exposed some people and attracted the Black Panther's attention.

Someone is really watching over here.

Li Hao's heart moved slightly. This was not a bad thing, but a good thing. Someone was watching. The stone knife representing Zhang Yuan's family might not have been taken away.

In the communication, Yuan Shuo continued to talk.

Li Hao quickly smiled and said: "Teacher, it's not that serious. I'm calling you just to briefly talk about this matter. The key is not this, but that I have taken over the protection task of the ancient courtyard for inspection. In a few days , I may protect the teacher and go out on inspection together."

"you?"

Yuan Shuo over there seemed to be a little surprised, and he quickly laughed heartily and said: "Okay, then I'll wait for you! It just so happens that this inspection mission is a bit complicated. You have been with me for two years and you have learned a lot, but you have not practiced it. Pass! Li Hao, how about treating this as your practical class? If you perform well, I can consider giving you the status of a non-staff student. Although there are many rules in the ancient academy, as long as you perform meritorious service during this inspection, I can still give you You graduate!"

"You have to know that if you can get a diploma, even if you still stay in the Inspection Division, a diploma can get you promoted to two levels! Becoming a first-level inspection is a sure thing, and you have a much better future than you have now. Got it!"

Li Hao smiled and said, "Teacher, let's talk about it after we meet later. I'll take a look in the room first to see if there are any clues. After I find out Zhang Yuan's case and catch the murderer, I won't need to tell you what to do. I will also find a way. Return to the ancient courtyard."

"also!"

Yuan Shuo warned me again: "Contact me at any time if you have anything. There is no problem that cannot be solved. The Inspection Department and the Ancient Courtyard cannot solve it. Your teacher still has some face. If the necessary moment comes, as long as you give me a voice in the future, I will Even if you go all out, some experts will come!"

As soon as these words came out, Li Hao was suddenly shocked and silently moved.

He knew what Teacher Yuan meant.

When the time comes, his so-called expert may be the night watchman.

In the past, Li Hao never said much to the teacher.

He was worried about spreading the trouble to teachers.

However, with the teacher's wisdom, when he heard Li Hao say that Zhang Yuan's self-immolation might not be an accident, he would immediately think that it might be interference from superpowers.

Only then did he say what he wanted to do to find an expert.

However, even if Mr. Yuan's status is high, the night watchman is not invited just by asking. Li Hao's matter is not a business matter, but a private matter, which may require a high price.

"I know, thank you teacher!"

Li Hao hung up the communication, casually tore up the seal, and opened the door of the ancient house that had been dusty for a year.

…

When Li Hao took Black Panther into the ancient house.

Outside the quiet street, there was silence for a long time.

In the darkness, a pair of eyes with a faint blue light were looming.

Under the night, a black figure seemed to be a part of the night. It was black from top to bottom, except for the pair of blue eyes that were a little penetrating, and a ghost-like mask on his face, hiding his appearance. I don’t know the gender.

"Li Hao, Zhang Yuan's classmate and best friend, is a second-level student of Yincheng Ancient Academy. He dropped out after Zhang Yuan's death last year and joined the inspection department. He has been pursuing Zhang Yuan's self-immolation incident. Today, he reported to Wang Jie, the director of the inspection driver's office, Six cases of self-immolation are connected in series and we want to consolidate the cases."

Information about Li Hao flashed in Heiying's mind instantly.

Li Hao dropped out of school last year and joined the Inspection Department, and has actually become an informant.

What's more, it seems that it's more than that. Li Hao may still be a key figure, but this matter is not within the jurisdiction of the black shadow. I don't know for the time being. It's just that someone warned Li Hao not to make any moves lightly and stay here for usefulness.

Heiying thought in his heart that he really shouldn't move lightly.

Was Li Hao talking to his teacher Yuan Shuo just now?

Yuan Shuo, the top elder of Yincheng Ancient Academy and the director of the Department of Ancient Civilization Exploration, cooperates with the night watchman. He is one of the few big-shot figures in the entire Yincheng who can directly talk to the night watchman.

"No one needs to tell me, Li Hao can't move..."

The black shadow quietly approached the Zhang family's ancient house. He wanted to know why Li Hao went in?

clue?

Zhang Yuan set himself on fire and died in the ancient courtyard. What clues can there be at home?

Or is it to find something?

As for what he is looking for, Heiying doesn't know, but his mission is to keep an eye on everyone who enters or even approaches the Zhang family's old house.

…

"Woo!"

A low chirping sound came from the black panther's throat. It bit Li Hao's trousers, feeling a little anxious.

It seems to be telling something.

Li Hao remained calm, but he was wary in his heart.

Is anyone approaching?

Isn't the phone call between myself and the teacher enough to dispel some people's thoughts?

Without saying much, Li Hao gently touched Black Panther's head and comforted him for a while, then looked at the abandoned Zhang family's old house.

This is a small courtyard.

Directly ahead is the main house.

On both sides, one is Zhang Yuan's second bedroom and the other is the kitchen. This place is very familiar to Li Hao. He often came here when he was a child. Even when he grew up, before Li Hao's parents passed away, his home was not big and not suitable for playing. come over.

This time, Li Hao's main target was the Zhang family's stone knife.

He glanced at it. It seemed that no one had entered this ancient house, but someone must have been there. Not to mention other things, the placement of some things did not look unusual, but to Li Hao, it was clear that they were all passive. Pass.

Apart from Zhang Yuan, Li Hao is probably the most familiar with the Zhang Yuan family.

In the courtyard, even the old tree had been tampered with. It might have been dug up by the roots and then replanted.

"If Shi Dao is still in the Zhang family, he must not be in the main room or the second bedroom, 100% of it!"

Li Hao came here often, so he naturally knew the situation. If he had been in these two places, he would have seen it long ago, and he would have remembered that he often rummaged through the Zhang family. He regarded this as his own home at that time and never left the house.

"The last time I saw a stone knife was when Uncle Zhang hit Xiaoyuan. I remember that Uncle Zhang casually threw it to the ground, but I don't know if he picked it up later."

Li Hao thought about the past, and he vaguely remembered that Zhang Yuan seemed to have dug out the stone knife from nowhere at that time.

Zhang Yuan's father probably didn't remember where he had thrown it, but his child dug it out, so he took the opportunity to beat Zhang Yuan. As for any ancestral items, Zhang Yuan's father probably didn't take them seriously.

Just a piece of broken stone!

What heirloom?

Even if it is, it's not worth much. Why do you want that thing? If Zhang Yuan doesn't dig it out, Zhang's father may never remember that there is still a stone in the family that has been passed down.

Following the unclear direction in his memory, Li Hao walked slowly towards the corner of the yard.

There are some stones piled up there, which were originally used to mend the wall.

Li Hao quickly observed that there was no such stone in his memory.

He remembered that the stone was somewhat similar to the knife.

"There's someone secretly watching me. It's not easy to look for him in a big way."

Just as he was thinking about it, the black panther, who had been silent all this time, suddenly neighed in a low voice.

"Woo!"

It was not a sound of protecting food, but with some fear, the black panther made a whimpering sound.

At this time, Li Hao's scalp suddenly felt numb!

He followed the panther's line of sight and looked towards the main house, his heart skipped a beat. At this moment, his heart beat even more violently.

The door to the main house was originally closed and there was nothing there.

But at this time, the door seemed to have opened a gap, and in that gap, a faint hint of red could be seen.

"Blood Shadow?"

Li Hao's heart beat violently, and the blood shadow came out?

He vaguely seemed to have seen it before, but according to his inference, the blood shadow should be out on a rainy night. Why did it appear now, and it was in the Zhang family!

"Could it be that...this blood shadow has been staying in the Zhang family, looking for the stone knife, and has not left?"

A wisp of cold sweat seeped out from Li Hao's head.

The encounter came too early!

Li Hao was not fully prepared yet. He was encountering a bloody shadow here. Once the other party attacked him and burned him, Li Hao would have almost no room to resist.

"Why are you here?"

"Damn it, it appeared too early, I didn't even see the night watchman..."

Li Hao's body was slightly stiff. At this moment, his body was trembling slightly, and he even wanted to turn around and run away.

But outside, someone might be staring at him.

Yes, most people cannot see the blood shadow.

You can't escape!

Otherwise, even if he escapes, something will be exposed, such as the fact that he can see blood shadows, which is also a huge trouble.

Since you can't see it, there is no reason to be afraid.

Countless thoughts flashed through, and the next moment, Li Hao scolded: "What's your name? Be quiet!"

After scolding the Black Panther, Li Hao looked at the main room and shouted: "Is there someone inside? I am an inspector from the Inspection Department, who is inside?"

Li Hao raised the Whirlpool III, pointed it at the main room, and shouted again: "Is there anyone? Come out!"

He clearly saw the corner of the blood shadow, but he resisted not looking at the red corner. Instead, he kept staring at the door and yelling in the direction of the door.

Li Hao approached the main door step by step.

Suddenly, with a lunge and a kick, with a bang, the door of the main house was kicked open by Li Hao.

A loud bang also attracted the attention of a few nearby households.

Vaguely, there was a sound of rustling.

Li Hao ignored this, kicked open the door, looked at the dark main room again, and shouted: "Is there anyone there? I am an inspector from the Inspection Department. If you don't come out, I will shoot!"

At this moment, Li Hao was staring ahead, but sweat was seeping out of his forehead, and his arms were shaking slightly.

At his feet, the black panther had long been lying motionless, so frightened.

Without him!

In Li Hao's peripheral vision and in the eyes of the black panther, at this moment, a red blood shadow was actually standing on Li Hao's left side. The blood shadow was almost touching Li Hao's cheek.

However, Li Hao seemed not to see it and had no reaction at all.

His eyes kept falling on the main room.

"no one?"

Li Hao's voice was trembling, and he cursed in a low voice: "Damn! Fortunately, no other colleagues were here, otherwise they would have laughed to death. It scared me so late at night, I thought the murderer was hiding here!"

Li Hao let out a long breath, as if he didn't see the blood shadow.

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he looked down at the black panther and struck with his hand: "Silly dog, why are you barking when it's okay? You're scaring me to death!"

boom!

The black panther was beaten, a little innocent, a little scared.

Didn't you see?

This dog saw it!

It doesn't dare to raise its head now.

Because the blood shadow was floating on its head.

Li Hao seemed to know nothing. He had just slapped the black panther and even passed through the blood shadow with his arm, but he felt nothing at all. Only a trace of invisible coldness penetrated into his arm.

But he didn't feel any blockage from penetrating anything.

"Invisible existence!"

Li Hao was actually bold enough to test the blood shadow. He wanted to see if it was really invisible and intangible. He hit the black panther just to touch the blood shadow naturally.

As a result... I really can't hit it!

"Damn it, we're in big trouble, this means the guns are useless at all!"

Li Hao was frightened in his heart, but relied on his strong concentration to prevent himself from showing anything strange.

In the eyes of outsiders, he should not be able to see the shadow of blood.

So there was no problem with the tapping just now.

Li Hao cursed Black Panther and cursed in a low voice: "Damn stupid dog, if you yell again, I will chop you into pieces! I kicked down Xiaoyuan's door. I was so scared that I wanted to call the teacher and ask him Let’s go find the people from the Inspection Department and Guyuan!”

Li Hao seemed to be upset and kicked him again!

This time, it still penetrated the blood shadow without touching it.

Li Hao's courage is not bad.

This blood shadow didn't attack him when he saw it, but seemed to have been observing something. In this case, he had to pretend that he couldn't see it at this moment, what should he do.

Looking at the dark old house again, Li Hao breathed out: "It's so late at night, it's quite intrusive. No, why don't we just send a message to the teacher... The guys in the inspection department don't feel reliable. It's useless at all. They closed Xiaoyuan's case and didn't find anything unusual... If it doesn't work, just ask the teacher to find those men in black to come forward."

Li Hao had seen the man in black, the night watchman, once from a distance, but of course, he had no contact with him.

Talking to myself now is just to intimidate.

If the blood shadow is conscious, then it should understand who the man in black is talking about, the night watchman!

Li Hao also wanted to test whether the night watchman and the blood shadow were in the same group.

At this critical moment, Li Hao calmed down.

Not only did he not escape, he was still trying to find something.

Escape is the stupidest choice. Once he escapes, the fact that he can see the blood shadow will be exposed immediately, and he will have to die.

According to Li Hao's analysis, even if he was killed by Blood Shadow, it would have been on a rainy night, not now. There must be some reasons for this. In this case, it's better to win once!

Li Hao was still talking to himself, as if hesitating: "Those men in black look scary too. The teacher is looking for them, but I don't know if they can be found... No matter, the inspection department doesn't have any clues, maybe they can only It's up to them, I'm cowardly and incompetent, there's nothing I can do about it, I'm scared to death even if I come to take a look at it at night, I'm afraid I can't continue the investigation."

Li Hao looked a little frustrated. He took out his communicator and gritted his teeth: "I can only ask the teacher for help!"

The next moment, Li Hao started dialing Yuan Shuo's number.

At this moment, Li Hao's heart was slightly shocked. The blood shadow around him suddenly began to vibrate. Outside the courtyard wall, a faint red thread spread out and connected to the blood shadow.

The blood shadow seemed to have received some instructions. The next moment, the blood shadow quickly floated away and disappeared into the yard.

Not only that, after a while, the black panther climbed up and shook its tail, seeming to become active.

The dog looked at Li Hao with some relief.

"Woof woof!"

It seems to be saying, it's okay, the person is gone, and the ghost shadow is gone.

Li Hao's face was a little solemn.

Xueying and the people outside the yard seemed to be in a group. This was not important. He had already guessed that Xueying did not exist alone, but was organized.

The key is that people outside the yard seem to be able to see the blood shadow, and can even contact and control the blood shadow to make the blood shadow leave.

Li Hao said he wanted to find his teacher and the night watchman, which probably made people outside a little worried, so he chose to leave.

The intimidation tactics worked!

But Li Hao was not happy at all. The spreading red thread was a bit like the starlight he saw when he drank water before, which was the mysterious power.

"The person outside is a super mysterious person!"

"The other party has a cooperative or controlling relationship with Xueying. Is the other party letting Xueying test him?"

"I can't kill the blood shadow with a gun...then...what if there's a person outside? If I kill that person by surprise, what will happen to the blood shadow?"

At this moment, Li Hao suddenly felt that he had grasped something key.

The blood shadow is terrifying, but as long as it is a human being...even a superpower, as long as it is a human being, it is impossible to be invulnerable.

"Blood shadow... mysterious man..."

Li Hao murmured in his heart, more than that, the moment he just touched the blood shadow, the silent jade sword seemed to be about to move. Li Hao was guessing, could the Starry Sky Sword hurt the blood shadow?

"This time, even if I can't find the stone knife, it's not in vain!"

Li Hao suddenly became a little excited. Maybe, I can deal with these guys, provided that these guys don't care about me, otherwise, they can easily kill themselves with just the blood shadow.

"Suddenly, kill the people outside with guns. If the Starry Sky Sword can cause damage to the blood shadow... If the plan is right, maybe we can kill them together!"

Li Hao's eyes instantly became sharp and bright!

Fear the unknown!

When the blood shadow and the forces behind it gradually emerged, he was no longer afraid, and only had the urge for revenge.

"But... the blood shadow that came tonight is the one I saw before? Is there only one blood shadow? Is the one who is secretly watching here some big shot?"

Thinking of this, Li Hao became a little worried again. How many blood shadows, how many people, and how many mysterious superpowers are there in this blood shadow organization?

I always feel like I’m not alone!

"I'm just an ordinary person...it's so difficult!"

Sighing, while they were gone, they might not dare to come back for a while, for fear of encountering the night watchman. At this moment, Li Hao had to hurry up and search to see if he could find the Zhang family's stone knife.

…

at the same time.

End of street.

Under the mask of the ghost, the blue eyes showed some hesitation. Are you going to leave like this?

But... if that Li Hao could really call the night watchman, it would be troublesome.

Once exposed, it may cause even greater trouble.

"Forget it, let's leave first, just in case. That guy may not be able to invite the night watchman. Even Yuan Shuo can't invite him with clear explanation, but we should avoid it first."

The ghost masked man still chose to leave.

Not far behind him, the red blood shadow followed him like a shadow, quietly following him away.

The Li Gui Mask Man didn't care whether Li Hao could find anything. They were looking for something. They searched countless times and almost completely overturned the entire Zhang family. They couldn't find it. I'm afraid it was lost. If Li Hao could find it, it would be a joke.

But one thing is certain. When Li Hao left the ancient courtyard a year ago, it was not because he saw something, but because he could not accept the accidental death of his friend.

If he really saw something, Li Hao would probably wet his pants tonight.

This time, this was ruled out, and at least there was an explanation.