I Forged the Myth of the Ancient Overlords
Chapter 430 - 430 429. Cant fall behind others_1

Chapter 430: 429. Can’t fall behind others_1 Chapter 430: 429. Can’t fall behind others_1 Like a radio that had lost power, joyous music sounded from the amusement park.

“Riding on my… beloved… little pony… cart, da da… da, la la… la…”

One could faintly hear such a voice, which, by the quietly flowing Lingjiang at this desolate mountainous region, could hardly be called normal.

Lu Ban glanced at the surveyor by his side, who had already passed out, making him easy to carry back.

When he turned his gaze back to the amusement park, Lu Ban found it to be pitch black again, as if the bustle from before was just an illusion.

“There’s a problem.”

Lu Ban considered that the amusement park might be made up of some sort of bizarre entity, similar to the cinema before, but there were too many people now, and Lu Ban found it difficult to ensure that Li Zijian and the others would encounter no trouble while he explored the amusement park.

“Let’s head back first.”

Picking up the surveyor and equipment, Lu Ban turned to leave.

Just as he looked in the direction from which he had come, Lu Ban saw a small child standing in front of him.

The child’s sparse hair seemed diseased on the scalp, making it look ulcerated.

She was a little girl, different from the one seen before, wearing a tattered red jacket. Only around her neck hung a decaying, rusty lock.

The girl’s eyes were pitch black, her complexion pale and dirty, as if she had just crawled out of the mud.

Lu Ban blinked, and the little girl’s figure disappeared.

Only the rustling of the wind blowing through the woods echoed in his ears.

Lu Ban glanced at the small town.

He noticed lights seemed to be on in the town.

The breakfast shop at the entrance appeared to be open, with figures flickering in the dim light, making it twinkle.

From the mountains, a whispering song reached his ears again.

“Truly a feng shui treasure spot.”

Lu Ban probably understood why the people from this town had moved away.

He carried the surveyor back to where everyone was waiting. Thankfully, everyone was fine.

Lu Ban did not share what he had seen and heard, simply stating that the surveyor might have passed out from low blood sugar.

Perhaps because of these incidents, there was a deep silence among the group on the way back.

It was only after they entered the main road from the highway and the surrounding lights brightened that someone broke the silence.

“Speaking of which, I’ve heard a rumor about Jiangcheng Mountain before.”

“What rumor?”

“It’s that in the past, Jiangcheng was often the site of battles. During ancient times, a general led his troops to Jiangcheng Mountain to camp, and they stayed in a mountain god’s temple, attended to by a blind old priest. The general was asked to pay homage to the mountain god, but he refused and even destroyed the temple and killed the priest. This angered the mountain god, and the entire army ended up trapped in Jiangcheng Mountain, unable to leave to this day.”

“Isn’t this some kind of ghost story? You’re trying to put kids to sleep here.”

“I’ve heard something similar, but it happened a few years ago. There seemed to be a taboo on Jiangcheng Mountain, and every year people in the villages at the foot of the mountain would die. That’s why the people from those towns moved away.”

The passengers exchanged the rumors they had heard about Jiangcheng Mountain in short conversations, some of which even Lu Ban had heard in different versions. It remained unclear whether there really was such a legend or if it was just a spooky story brought up for the occasion.

Listning to them, Lu Ban found several people looking at him.

The general sentiment was that this place seemed inauspicious, and they wondered why there were still plans to develop real estate here.

“There’s no big problem, players need these kinds of places with lots of supernatural tales to have a sense of immersion, to fully experience the project,” Lu Ban reassured them with a pat on his chest.

Once back in the city, everyone got out of the car, and Li Zijian did a headcount, only to find something amiss.

“Strange, why is there an extra person?”

He compared the checklist and found there was an extra surveyor.

“What’s the matter?”

One of the surveyors asked.

“Uh, it’s nothing.”

Li Zijian thought he must have seen it wrong, so he sent the surveyor away and checked the checklist again, there really was one extra person.

But he couldn’t figure out who the extra person was. He compared each name one by one, crossing them off as he went, and found that the extra person was untraceable.

“What’s wrong?”

Lu Ban, who was packing up, saw Li Zijian’s puzzled face and came over to ask.

“It seems… there’s an extra person?”

Li Zijian, holding the checklist, showed it to Lu Ban.

“An extra person?”

Lu Ban wasn’t unfamiliar with such situations.

A group of people would go into the mountains for fun, walking around and suddenly there would be an extra person, who upon returning, no one could identify.

This usually happens deep in the mountains; some people due to disasters die in the depths, their bodies devoured by wild beasts, unable to be buried. So they try to follow others out, seizing the opportunity to seize a body, replacing someone else’s position.

This is a superstitious explanation among the people.

According to Lu Ban’s scientific understanding, it should be some kind of strange Rule. If those who wander into the mountains fail to discern who the extra one is, then the extra being can establish its own identity, acquiring a real one.

If it is discovered, then it can only flee back into the mountains, waiting for the next opportunity.

In fact, having one extra person was not a big issue for Lu Ban. Such an extra, who was originally also a person or a similar being, is just trapped by strange Rules. Now returning to society is merely another mouth to feed, and who knows, they might even become an internet sensation by live-streaming product promotions.

The biggest problem was, there wasn’t just one extra person.

For example, if ten people go in, and eleven come out, but among them two are creatures from the strange occurrences.

Then, inevitably, one living person would remain in the mountains, gradually mutating into one of those strange creatures, waiting for the next person to arrive.

Lu Ban took the checklist from Li Zijian and glanced at it briefly with “True Sight”.

Thankfully, there was only one extra person.

He guessed that when they left the town, something probably blended in under the cover of the dark night.

Lu Ban even recognized who the extra one was.

Suddenly, that name was erased as if by Fire, without leaving a trace.

Once recognized, the strange being had to return to the deep mountains, unable to escape.

“Director Lu, does this mean the development of the real-scene game can still proceed normally?”

Li Zijian didn’t understand Lu Ban’s reasoning. He took back the checklist, and couldn’t help but look over it twice; he counted the number of people, and they matched up perfectly.

“Of course, it will proceed normally. Brother Li, we’ll base the game around this small town and set up the corresponding scenes,”

Lu Ban nodded.

“Trust me, we can definitely turn this place into a brand-new amusement attraction. When the time comes, people from all over the world will come to Jiangcheng. Brother Li, you might want to find me a few capable legal counsels in advance.”

“Why?”

Li Zijian didn’t quite understand.

“Because the legal department cannot fall behind the others,”

Lu Ban answered as if it were a matter of course.