"Yeah, I don’t know when these old buildings were constructed. There are many basements below, probably built to avoid wartime chaos. However, after years of neglect and heavy vehicles rolling back and forth these days, quite a few basements have collapsed." The uncle driver said helplessly.

Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan exchanged a glance and then asked, "Are there any relatively intact basements here? Our club wants to do a photo shoot for our project."

The uncle driver hesitated for a moment. He was not supposed to let Lin Tian and the others stay here according to the regulations, but perhaps because Lin Tian had helped out, he relented, "Well, there are a few old buildings in the back that haven’t been torn down. They are safe. I can take you there, but don’t stay on this construction site; it’s dangerous."

"Thank you, uncle. You’re so kind," He Xiaofei smiled sweetly and praised.

The charm of the beauties was undeniable. The uncle immediately turned around to lead the way. Passing several semi-collapsed old buildings, he stopped in front of a few intact ones.

These buildings were still intact but indeed somewhat dilapidated. The old buildings in this old area covered a large area, but due to safety concerns, they couldn’t be utilized.

In the land-scarce Imperial Capital, it’s an enormous waste. Lin Tian suspected maybe the school was looking for an excuse to tear it down and build new ones. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

"This is the place. But let me remind you, these old buildings have been deserted for so long, they’re eerie. Be careful," the driver uncle kindly warned.

He said this quite seriously, and Xiao Manxuan couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Uncle, why do you think it’s eerie here? Has anything happened?"

"Of course, our scaffolding randomly collapses, our vehicles get stuck in sudden sinkholes, and while digging, we saw strange insects—just thinking about it makes my skin crawl," the uncle driver said with some fear.

He Xiaofei joked, "Uncle, you mentioned that the sinkholes were caused by collapsing basements, the scaffolds might not have been tied securely, and as for insects, it’s quite normal to find some in such old places, right?"

Lin Tian didn’t laugh. His heart stirred as he asked, "You mentioned strange insects? What kind of insects?"

"Black ones, red ones, insects we’ve never seen before, and they’re very peculiar. When we tried to burn them, they burrowed underground and vanished." The uncle driver spoke very excitedly, as if the insects had left a strong impression on him.

Insects, insects, could it be that Xu Feibai had already started searching with Yasuo? That’s too fast, Lin Tian thought to himself.

"That’s as much as I can tell you. Be careful. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now." The uncle driver looked back at the old buildings behind, shivered slightly as if a chill ran through him, then turned to leave, and with the sound of the car engine, quickly vanished into the night.

"Are we really going in?" He Xiaofei surveyed the surrounding environment with a look of hesitation, already regretting coming at night. As she said, running straight into a Ghost City wasn’t scary; the eerie, desolate atmosphere was.

"Anyway, it’s boring. Let’s go for a walk. Otherwise, you won’t be able to report back to our beautiful club president." Lin Tian smiled and then stepped toward the old building.

This old building in front of them was different from the others, which were already half-collapsed and mostly wooden structures—perhaps the reason for their structural cracks. But the one in front of Lin Tian was made of a combination of stone, brick, and wood, undoubtedly more solid than those with a wooden-only structure.

The first floor of the old building was quite spacious, about the size of half a classroom. However, there were wooden partitions on the sides and inside, all with hollowed-out, carved window frames. Through the hollowed-out patterns, one could faintly see the scene behind.

"This is a typical old-fashioned hall structure, with wings on both sides. If it weren’t so old, there might be beaded curtains at the entrance to the wings. During house receptions, men would primarily be in the main hall, while the wings would be used to entertain women who shouldn’t be seen publicly."

"According to the school’s history, this might have been the residence of a teacher a century ago, possibly even a Hanlin Scholar." He Xiaofei surveyed the surroundings and narrated, deserving of her worldly-wise class head title.

"It’s a pity, demolishing a building with a century-old history." He Xiaofei sighed slightly.

Lin Tian smiled, offering a different perspective: "For such old buildings, the annual maintenance cost is astronomical. Instead of spending money here, it could be better used to support more financially challenged but outstanding students."

"Alright, your views are always unique." He Xiaofei said helplessly.

"Lin Tian, Sister Xiaofei, come quickly! There’s really a basement here." Xiao Manxuan’s voice came from the left wing. This bold little girl had slipped away to explore the wing without them noticing.

Lin Tian quickly walked over. The left wing still had a few chairs, but judging by their condition, they were placed later and weren’t of much value.

At the far end of the wing, Xiao Manxuan had already opened a secret door. The doorway was pitch-black, like an entrance to Hell, but Lin Tian could see clearly—a staircase leading down was inside.

After a quick look around the wing, and finding nothing of interest, Lin Tian and the others stepped through the secret door and entered the basement. The basement was spacious too, not at all simple, like a second hall.

At the very end, there was another door, but it was closed, leading to some unknown place.

"Buzz buzz buzz..." A slight sound came to Lin Tian’s ears. He furrowed his brows slightly and looked up.

A small insect flew across his line of sight and quickly disappeared into a corner.

"Lin Tian, I think I saw a bug." Xiao Manxuan said from behind him in a low voice.

Lin Tian glanced at He Xiaofei ahead. The beautiful class president was still surveying the basement, evidently not hearing the insect fly by or seeing it.

Exchanging a glance with Xiao Manxuan, the little girl giggled and whispered, "Little Zi..."

With a soft buzz, a purple insect flew out from the protective necklace around Xiao Manxuan’s neck, circled her once, and then turned to circle Lin Tian twice, as if it had a mind of its own.

Xiao Manxuan found it amusing but still whispered, "Little Zi, go deal with the bugs here!"

Little Zi buzzed its wings, darting like a thin purple line towards the direction the insect vanished. A few seconds later, several insects flew out, closely followed by Little Zi.

"That Yasuo, he’s really cunning," Lin Tian said coldly.

"What are you mumbling about?" He Xiaofei turned her head, seeing Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan speaking quietly, looking quite curious.

"Uh, nothing much." Lin Tian said vaguely, as he inadvertently glanced upwards. Little Zi suddenly accelerated, flickered like a purple lightning bolt, and zipped through all the insects ahead.