"Your batch is quite cooperative. Many in the last batch tried to resist me at this stage."
The Man in Black gave a hollow smile.
For a moment, Jiang Jiuguo and the others wondered if the Man in Black had a layer of human skin pasted onto his face; it looked human enough, but aside from the upward curve of his lips, no other expression could be seen.
"Follow me."
With that, he pushed open the door at the end of the corridor.
Behind the door was yet another pristine white passage.
But there were no more Numbered Rooms.
It only led to several branching corridors.
Jiang Jiuguo turned his head to look, but unfortunately, doors blocked the entrances to the branching corridors, obscuring the view inside.
During the walk...
Someone in the crowd took the initiative to strike up a conversation with the Man in Black, hoping to fish for information.
However, even after trying every trick—money, beauty, and more—the Man in Black remained unmoved, not saying a word or even sparing them a glance.
Jiang Jiuguo watched all of this.
His earlier conversation with Zhou Fengchun had already quelled any desire he had to pry.
Knowing more now was useless. In the end, they still had to consume the formula, and their survival was out of their hands. Who cared about the truth anymore?
Rather than wasting effort sucking up to the Man in Black...
It was better to think about how to survive the formula.
Just as he was thinking this...
The Man in Black up ahead spoke.
"We're here. Go inside." The Man in Black led the group to a large door. "Don't think about resisting; it's useless. If you don't believe me, feel free to try."
Hearing this, Jiang Jiuguo looked ahead.
Rumble.
A heavy, dull sound of metal sliding open echoed.
"This door..."
Jiang Jiuguo's eyebrows twitched, his shock and surprise unconcealed.
The Man in Black placed both hands against the door and slowly pushed it open. His movements were deliberate and his expression calm, but the heavy sound emanating from the portal made Jiang Jiuguo and many others notice its abnormality.
The door wasn't just iron on the surface.
The entire door was solid iron, over 20 centimeters thick, built exactly like a bank's armored vault door.
Forget about being bulletproof.
If the Man in Black suddenly said this door could withstand a shell, Jiang Jiuguo and the others would believe him.
"With a door like this, we couldn't escape even if we wanted to."
"Escape? Give me an RPG with infinite ammo right now, and I still don't think I could blast it open."
"This door looks so heavy, at least seven or eight hundred catties, right? Can a person even push that? Is there a hydraulic system?"
Someone present was well-versed in metal machinery.
He saw the door's construction and weight at a glance, his face full of astonishment.
"This door is more than seven or eight hundred catties, at least nine hundred. It's strange; a door this heavy should be automated with an electronic code lock or something, but it doesn't have one. Did you notice? There's no keyhole. It's a simple double door, almost as if it were designed to be pushed and pulled open manually."
The others were equally surprised upon hearing this.
"You're right. There's no fingerprint or password lock. It only has two push-pull bars."
"So that Man in Black pushed it open with raw strength? 900 catties?"
Jiang Jiuguo's eyes flickered.
His gaze fell on the Man in Black's face... Not only did he push it open with brute force, but more importantly, his expression hadn't changed at all.
He remained as calm as ever.
"900 catties... some people who train could push it, but could they do it as effortlessly as him? Look, he's not even out of breath. Even Olympic athletes aren't that incredible." Someone else had also noticed the Man in Black's expression.
Everyone became even more stunned.
Indeed.
This Man in Black's strength was excessive; even professional weightlifters might not compare to him.
A hidden master among the common folk?
The Man in Black currently had his hands against the door, with no intention of letting go. It seemed that, as the person earlier suggested, the heavy iron door would slam shut the moment he released it.
"Everyone inside."
At his command...
Jiang Jiuguo and the others exchanged glances, but still chose not to resist.
It wasn't that they were too cowardly.
It was simply that the situation inside the portal left them with no desire to resist.
Inside the door...
A dozen men stood with guns in hand, and there were even automated machine guns with infrared targeting on the walls.
"Resist my ass. I feel like if I take one step back, I'll be riddled with holes like a hornet's nest."
Jiang Jiuguo heard the person beside him grumbling.
He patted the man.
"Buddy, don't just look at the guns." Jiang Jiuguo glanced sideways at the Man in Black and said seriously, "With that guy's strength, if you fail to escape and take a punch from him, I'm afraid your medical insurance will be maxed out on the spot."
The corners of the others' mouths twitched.
Damn, that's way too real.
In the end, everyone, including Jiang Jiuguo, flooded into the room in a tacit understanding.
Their pace was quick.
They were afraid that falling behind by one step would lead to a bullet or a heavy blow from the Man in Black.
Bang!
A massive, heavy thud rang out.
Jiang Jiuguo and the others looked back. Seeing that everyone was through, the Man in Black stopped holding the door and let go. The portal slammed shut instantly like a runaway horse.
"Hiss!"
Many people gasped at the sight.
The way the door closed made it clear that their previous guess was correct—there was no hydraulic device; it was opened purely through brute force.
"Everyone line up, then come up one by one to touch the ghost sequence cornerstone."
The Man in Black walked over to his companions and stood on a high platform in the hall.
Following his gaze...
There was a table on the platform with four dirty, square stone tablets on it.
"ghost sequence cornerstone? What's that?"
"Weren't we supposed to take a ghost sequence formula? Why are we touching stones?"
The square stone tablets were about half the size of an infant's fist.
They were roughly rectangular.
They had the texture of green stone and seemed to have been eroded by time; their surfaces were rough and damaged. Some were stained with a black, viscous liquid, while others were caked in mud like freshly unearthed artifacts. Each one was slightly different.
For some reason...
After staring at the 'ghost sequence cornerstone' for a long time...
Jiang Jiuguo felt like he was turning into a pervert. The ghost sequence cornerstone was like an alluring young lady; he knew that touching it was wrong and dangerous, yet he couldn't suppress the urge to step forward and give it a feel.
The line formed.
The Man in Black gestured to the first person to come up.
"Pick up the ghost sequence cornerstones from left to right. Hold each one in your hand and feel it for a few seconds. If information about a formula appears in your head, tell me. If not, move to the next one."
"Ah? Okay."
The first person nodded nervously and grabbed the first stone, which was stained with the black viscous liquid.
A few seconds passed.
"Uh, I don't seem to feel anything." He scratched his head in confusion, put down the first stone, and moved to touch the second.
This was the stone that looked like an unearthed artifact.
Hmm?
As he picked up the second stone and gripped it tightly, his expression suddenly froze.
"Holy crap?!"
Confusion was replaced by astonishment.
"Do you feel it?" The Man in Black was not surprised by his reaction.
"Yes, I felt it, it's just..." The first person clicked his tongue as if he'd seen a ghost. "Are you sure those formula ingredients are edible for humans? Ten years of vir..."
He instantly covered his mouth.
He had almost blurted out the formula information.
The Man in Black: "Don't speak the formula. Go down. Next."
Jiang Jiuguo suddenly understood.
No wonder the people who kidnapped them couldn't just give them a pre-mixed formula. It turned out the formula came from a stone, and people needed to touch it to filter out which ghost sequence formula they were supposed to take.
The Man in Black's voice rang out again.
"Each ghost sequence cornerstone contains the formula to turn into a type of ghost. But not everyone is suited for every formula; everyone's constitution is different. You need to step forward and touch them. If you are suited for that Ghost Sequence's formula, you will feel the information. Simply put, these four ghost sequence cornerstones contain the formulas to turn into four types of ghosts. If you are suited to become that kind of ghost, you will obtain its sequence formula."
After saying this, he scanned the crowd.
"ghost sequence cornerstones are extremely precious items. We originally only had three; we only recently got our hands on the fourth. Consider it an increased chance for you to obtain a formula. I hope you all find a compatible ghost sequence formula among them."
"Can I ask a question?" Jiang Jiuguo raised his hand and asked, "What if none of the four are compatible?"