"Hey, little brother, you're here to fish too, right? Hahaha, our Chengyang City Reservoir often yields big catches!" The taxi driver chatted with Wu Liang before they reached the reservoir.
After getting out of the car, he surveyed the surroundings, indeed as the driver had said—
Chengyang Reservoir is a lake formed by the convergence of six rivers and the construction of an artificial dam, initially functioning mainly for power generation and irrigation, now also an important centralized drinking water source for Chengyang City.
Standing on the main road and glancing at the distant shore, quite a few men with fishing rods, sitting on small stools, fixated on their bobbers were seen.
Even without getting closer, Wu Liang could spot at least a dozen such anglers.
"Hiss... If Ghost Valley hides the base in such a place, with endless anglers wandering about daily, wouldn't it be exposed?"
The scene made Wu Liang start to doubt whether the base was really here.
In his imagination, a secret base should at least have some level of concealment, if not hidden in a remote place, right?
Yet, around the reservoir, there were hardly any places where the anglers hadn't been; if there was any odd occurrence, they would have noticed already.
Leaping down from the roadside guardrail, Wu Liang used Mist Ghost's ability to hide his form.
He began to fly quickly along the shoreline.
Planning to observe Chengyang City Reservoir from a higher perspective.
"Hmm... It seems like nothing... Whoa!"
Just as Wu Liang was flying overhead, suddenly he felt the mist around him scatter significantly, as if hit by something.
Fortunately, Mist Ghost itself was nearly at the Red Robe stage, just a moment of distraction and the mist was stabilized.
This prevented Wu Liang from the embarrassment of falling from mid-air.
Though falling from such a height, he could safely use other Fierce Ghost minions to cushion him, or reapply Ghost Shadow Following to the Puppet Ghost in a safe place to ensure his safety.
But maintaining stability and not falling allowed Wu Liang to discover something—
"Is this an air wall? No, there's no blocking sensation, just purely suppressing supernatural powers?" Wu Liang extended his hand, probing forward.
He felt no obstruction in the air where he nearly fell, as it should be, only surrounded by air.
Yet, waving his hand caused some changes, the mist wrapped around his arm dissipated gradually with the waving frequency.
In a mere ten seconds, only a thin layer of mist remained on his hand.
Seeing this, Wu Liang quickly retracted it.
Otherwise, once the mist fully dissipated, those anglers looking up would see a hand waving in the air, causing quite a stir!
"Interesting, what's suppressing supernatural powers? How large is the range?" He felt he might have hit the jackpot. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NoveI-Fire.ɴet
Encountering such an anomaly at this coincidental timing, doesn't it suggest something off about the reservoir?
As soon as the mist on his hand fully covered again, he slowly probed the anomalous area once more.
Fearing he'd inadvertently enter with his whole body and affect his flight abilities, Wu Liang had to test patiently.
"Heh, this thing can't cover the entire reservoir, can it? I have plenty of time!"
"Damn! It doesn't only cover the reservoir? Testing this will take forever!"
Although Wu Liang reached the reservoir around three in the afternoon, as the sunset neared, painting everything a golden hue, he was still slowly flying and testing.
Wu Liang flew around the reservoir for three hours, finally figuring out the full scope!
From the dam to the far end hydropower station, to the entire reservoir lake's overhead area up to several hundred meters high, all were covered by this supernatural influence.
The sheer expanse was staggering!
During the process, he also landed to test, finding that stepping within this area suppressed his Fierce Ghost abilities to a certain degree.
Even the Kitchen Knife Ghost, an ability modifying personal characteristics and strength, was similarly weakened.
"Above doesn't work... What about below?"
Standing on the shore, Wu Liang scrutinized the water body spanning dozens of square kilometers.
The surface seemed calm, with only faint ripples stirred by a gentle breeze, and the water reflected an emerald green due to the surrounding mountains, creating a picturesque tranquil scene.
But Wu Liang was aware that beneath this beautiful scene lurked great danger.
After all, the reservoir's water depth was daunting, combined with the complex bottom topography, besides overgrown weeds, even water intake and diversion facilities that frequently caused rapid currents and whirlpools.
Each year, many unfortunate souls drown here in Chengyang Reservoir.
"Let's give it a shallow try, be ready to pull me out anytime." Wu Liang summoned all Fierce Ghost entities except Kitchen Knife Ghost and Mist Ghost to the shore for backup.
Finding a secluded spot, he undressed, leaving only the mist to cover his body, then plunged into the water.
Like a small stone, he caused slight ripples entering the water, returning the surface to calm moments later as if nothing happened.
This was Wu Liang's first reaction upon entering the water.
This temperature was vastly different from that onshore, the risk of cramping from the temperature difference was significant for an unprepared ordinary person swimming directly!
Even with his body strength enhanced by the Kitchen Knife Ghost, bestowing Fierce Ghost traits, Wu Liang couldn't help but shiver.
"So far, no anomalies underwater... Dive deeper to inspect the situation!"
After swimming for a while, perceiving the suppression changes of his two Fierce Ghost minions, he found nothing unusual.
Wu Liang then surfaced, taking a hearty breath, before diving at high speed!
Stepping on the bottom, he moved boldly as if in a diving suit, slowly approaching the reservoir center.
Nearing the reservoir center, a torrent suddenly rose, hurling a mass of silt toward him!
Faced with the sudden danger, Wu Liang squatted instantly, thrusting his hands deep into the silt to anchor himself against the current!
Unmoving like a submerged statue, he waited until the chaotic current dissipated, revealing a look of disbelief.
"There's something in the water! A massive presence had silently passed right in front of me!"
There's no way that's just a fish!