Absolute Gate

Chapter 4 Lushan Rising Dragon
"Is it a superpower? I just deliberately deactivated that welded door effect..."

"I've tried to undo it in my mind before, but it didn't work. So, can it only be undoed when I actually touch it?"

Wu Zhong summarized that the 'doors' he had used were like doors that had recognized their masters. Only he could open the doors they closed, and only he could close the doors they opened; no one could shake them.

Including the accelerator! Tsk, this is really weird.

Fortunately, he can remove this effect, but not remotely; it can only be removed when he touches the door.

Thinking of this, Wu Zhong suddenly realized something was wrong: "Oh no, what about... the elevator?"

He looked back carefully, and if the elevator doors and car doors were like that... then it seems he closed the unit door on the first floor before leaving...

The fire department and property security guards are still inside.

"I rely on!"

Wu Zhong was shocked. No wonder he saw a crowd gathered in the community watching the commotion when he got off the bus. It turned out that he had welded the unit door shut!
He suddenly stood up and immediately decided to go back and take a look.

The boss was startled and stopped him: "What are you doing during work hours? Are you still angry? Young man, don't be so impulsive."

"Any grievances will be forgotten once you play games on your phone."

Wu Zhong casually remarked, "What a ghost! Can't I just take the day off?"

The boss glared at him: "What nonsense are you spouting in broad daylight!"

Wu insisted on going back, saying, "I'm so tired and sleepy. I need to go back and catch up on some sleep. Can I ask for half a day off?"

Seeing that he said that, the boss did not stop him.

After all, Wu is a model worker and a pillar of the shop. Since he started working overtime every day, customers' cars have been repaired on the same day or the next day.

Actually, the boss was also worried about his health, but was relieved to see that he finally took leave.

Wu ran out of the store and rushed to Yiheyuan, to the door of his own unit.

Good heavens, when he arrived, he was completely dumbfounded.

A crowd had gathered, and the residents of the neighborhood were talking about it.

Wu finally saw the firefighters dismantle the entire access control gate and load it onto a vehicle.

"Dude, what's going on?" Wu Zhong asked a passerby, sweating profusely.

The passerby said, "Oh, right, this neighborhood is absolutely terrible."

"First, the elevator malfunctioned and trapped the residents. The fire department finally arrived and rescued them, but then the access control wouldn't open, so the firefighters had to jump down from the second floor."

"The property management couldn't open the door no matter what they tried, and then you saw it: the fire department just chiseled off the connection and removed the whole frame."

Wu stared at the apartment building, where only a hole remained, the edge of the wall had been chiseled open.

"Why not just saw off the lock cylinder? Why dismantle the entire frame?" Wu Zhong asked, puzzled.

The passerby said, "I heard that the lock cylinder was sawed off, and the door still couldn't be pushed open. Several firefighters tried to ram it together, but they ended up knocking off the wall next to the door frame, so they simply removed the frame."

Wu Zhong stared in astonishment; his 'ghost welding gate' ability had truly welded the gate shut.

Whether it's locked or not, no one else can open or close the door.

Even with the lock cylinder cut in half, it still can't be opened!

An invisible force has welded the door shut? Is it something only I can move?
The longer you look at such a strange door, the more suspicious it becomes.

No, we need to stop the effects immediately.

Wu pretended to be curious, went over to the trailer, and casually pointed his finger at the large iron gate.

With a clang, the door, which was lying diagonally behind the trailer and had its lock cylinder sawed off, opened by itself under gravity as soon as it was released.

Everyone looked over. Wu Zhong had already stopped and was also looking around curiously in the crowd.

Firefighters came over and tried pushing and pulling the door; it was completely working, opening and closing freely, much to their amazement.

Fortunately, there were many onlookers who didn't think too much about it, but were just puzzled: "This is strange, it was already loaded onto the truck, and then it fixed itself."

Although it was a strange thing, everyone just laughed it off, which made Wu Zhong secretly relieved.

He left the crowd and ran back into the building. Seeing that the elevator doors were still wide open, he hurriedly went up to undo the effect.

However, the property management blocked him with plastic barriers, saying, "Hey, this elevator is broken, don't go near it."

Wu Zhong stepped aside: "I'll sit in another room..."

He pressed the up button, silently chanted "cancel," and it worked.

Just as he was about to step into the elevator, the 'broken elevator' on the other side suddenly closed its doors by itself.

Sure enough, if a door can be opened and closed with buttons, then it can also be closed by touching a button.

These two elevators share the same set of control buttons.

"Is it all better now?" Wu Zhong asked, feigning surprise.

The property management staff, however, were not surprised at all and calmly said, "This damn elevator is very slow and dangerous. It's unusable. Please take the other side."

Wu nodded and took another elevator back home.

He was now convinced that he had inexplicably gained the ability to 'weld doors'.

Although I think this ability is incredibly stupid, it is still a superpower after all.

He needs to study this carefully...

But ten minutes later, he finished his assessment... This ability was even worse than he had imagined.

At first, I couldn't feel any energy, as if I had no ability at all.

He can use any door perfectly normally, and therefore, he cannot experience the effects of this ability himself...

However, the door malfunctioned after he used it; no one else could open or close it unless he manually deactivated it.

"What's the point of this?"

Wu's first thought was to make money from this; he was desperate for money.

But after thinking it over and over, he couldn't figure out how to make money with this skill.

The only commendable thing is that he discovered the definition of 'door' is quite broad.

Since he had previously welded the 'throttle' shut, he then thought of the 'electric switch'.

He has the power switch for his own house, but as the saying goes, everything works perfectly fine in his hands.

After thinking it over, Wu decided to go to the first floor and cut off the power to the entire building, then wait nearby for the property management to come and handle the situation.

This neighborhood is really old. The power switch used to trip frequently, but no one would have guessed that someone deliberately pulled it off.

A while later, the property management came to check the power switch.

"Moss's stuff is broken again!" The property management staff were also exasperated.

Wu wandered over and, sure enough, no matter how the property management tried to fix it, they couldn't get the power back on.

The property management staff hurriedly went to find an electrician, while Wu Zhong watched from the side and chatted with the staff.

When the electrician arrived, he was also baffled. He didn't know how the circuit breaker had gotten stuck and couldn't be reset at all.

"It's confirmed. An electric switch is also a door, or rather... any 'gate' that controls switches and pathways is a door."

Wu Zhong pondered to himself, "I can make all the gates recognize their masters, making them unusable by others, but what good would that do?"
How can we take advantage of this?

Could it be that he became an electrician, secretly broke someone's switch so that no one could fix it, and then fixed it himself?

How much money can you make from this? You might as well work more overtime.

Moreover, if you encounter too many of these unknown malfunctions, you simply won't be able to explain them yourself.

To be honest, he's still having some doubts about what happened at the building entrance today.

It's fortunate that the firefighters were also on duty, and probably didn't have the time or inclination to examine the damaged door in detail.

Seeing the property management staff sweating profusely, he felt a little guilty. He checked his phone and saw that the residents' group chat was already filled with complaints about the property management staff...

Today there was another elevator accident, another building entrance accident, and another power outage. The property management company is in a complete mess.

"How about I give it a try? It might just be stuck, and I can push it open with a little force," Wu Zhong suggested.

However, the property management told him to stay away.

The electrician also said, "Don't touch it. The circuit breaker is old; just replace it."

The experienced technician immediately began reconnecting the wiring and replacing the gate.

Sure enough, it was done in just a few minutes, and the power was restored to the entire building.

"..." Wu Zhong was stunned.

Seeing that the electrician had put away the replaced switch, he hurriedly went over and touched it to unlock it.

He casually asked, "Is that all?" The electrician calmly replied, "No problem."

“…” Wu Zhong scratched his head.

It's a minor issue, although his ability to lock the door is a miraculous supernatural power.

But why not just replace the door? That's what firefighters do, and that's what electricians do nowadays.

He locked the gate, not the circuit; the current was still normal, and the technician could have easily fixed it by simply rewiring.

Helpless, Wu deliberately damaged a certain door, and his money-making scheme was thus aborted.

Not only is it very risky, but you also won't make much money, so you can't even consider it.

He returned home dejectedly, looked around, took out his phone to play with it, and was completely bewildered.

Good news, he has superpowers.

The bad news is, he still has to go to work.

He thought about it for a long time, but this ability was not enough to defeat the enemy or improve combat effectiveness.

Secondly, it cannot fly or burrow underground, thus increasing mobility.

The three things that cannot produce or create wealth are not true wealth.

Fourth, we must not influence people's hearts, but rather enhance social interaction.

"Heavens! What kind of lousy chicken rib is this?!"

"If the protagonist of a novel were to awaken such a cheat ability, wouldn't he be doomed?"

Wu lay at home for a while, but the more he thought about it, the more unwilling he became.

No, I need to calm down and think about it again. It will definitely help.

"Door, door, door, what other door is there?"

"Doors, car doors, accelerators, ignition switches... what about departments?"

"Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism... Nantianmen?"

Wu frantically ran his fingers through his hair, his thoughts wandering, even conjuring up images of the sex scandal…

But here's the problem: even if these are doors, how do he open and close them?

Only a door that has been used by him will be locked and recognized by him, and will not be used by others.

How is he supposed to shut down Buddhism? Taoism? The Southern Heavenly Gate? The sex scandal?

These ethereal things are clearly beyond his reach, let alone his ability to use or verify.

"Tsk... How about I just join the government and see if I can get a stable job?"

"After all, he has superpowers."

Wu lay back down.

He looked out the window; the weather had worsened, with dark clouds gathering and lightning flashing.

The weather suddenly turned bad this morning, so Wu immediately took the clothes in.

Then I just made some fried rice at home and started watching short videos.

Soon, a local video was pushed to him.

Some people have captured images of unusual stormy weather at the Five Old Men Peaks of Mount Lu, and also of luminous orbs and mysterious creatures appearing on the mountaintop.

The video was taken by a tourist. Mount Lu was shrouded in clouds and mist, with shimmering light reflecting off the clouds, resembling a fairyland.

Suddenly, the rosy clouds in the sky twisted and the sea of ​​qi churned.

A huge vortex appeared on the observation deck, and the air instantly became turbulent and restless.

The flow was so fast that it seemed to create a sonic boom, with a fierce wind rushing towards the center, compressing and exploding.

Tourists were swept away by the air currents if they weren't careful. Only the photographer, who was far away and halfway up the mountain, would have been blown into the air if he hadn't held on to the railing.

Everything in the forbidden area of ​​Wulao Peak is rising up, and the scene looks like an apocalyptic movie.

"Hehe." Wu finally took a couple of bites of rice.

The spectacular sight of light, mist, wind, and clouds converging in this sea of ​​clouds is truly beautiful.

The most outrageous part was at the end. With a deafening roar from the vortex, a sudden shockwave erupted, and a ferocious and majestic dragon head emerged from the ball of light.

It really was a dragon, with huge horns, a magnificent mane, and shimmering scales.

It's a bit distorted; the light and shadow are blurry and swaying, like a mirage formed from gas.

"Haha, AI at first glance."

Wu then shoveled down two more mouthfuls of rice.

I scrolled through several more short videos of the strange light and shadow effects of the sea of ​​clouds at Lushan Mountain, which showed that the local fire department had arrived at the scene.

Halfway up the mountain, tourists clung tightly to the railings in the strong winds, waiting for rescue. It must be said that the railings in Lushan Scenic Area are very sturdy; some are even made of the mountain rock itself, only carved into stone railings.

Whoosh! More and more monsters emerged from nowhere in the eye of the storm. The monsters paid no attention to the tourists, but focused on flying in the sea of ​​clouds, as if summoning wind and rain, and transporting matter to the center of the vortex.

They were all like gods, including dragons from the sea of ​​clouds, bird-headed humans, or monsters with horns and wings.

Among them, the Feathered People were the most numerous, each with feathers adorning their heads and wings sprouting from their ribs, displaying a vibrant array of colors.

But these images are all quite ethereal, their physical essence as fleeting as air currents, like mirages.

When the local fire helicopter arrived, it was clear that the propellers shredded the seemingly strong bodies of these creatures, but the helicopter was quickly sucked in, collided with the cyclone, exploded, and disappeared, the flames completely engulfed.

This tragic situation, coupled with rousing music, gives the video the feel of a blockbuster commercial film.

The image quality is a bit blurry.

"What year is it? Still this kind of terrible special effects. Can't you shoot something clearer?"

Wu Zhong ate his meal while brushing his teeth, his face calm.

Looking at the profile picture in the corner, it was posted by the official Lushan Culture and Tourism account. Oh, then it's alright.

Looking at the comments again, sure enough, a group of people were complaining: "I've finally found the Demon-Refining Pot that I left behind in the mortal realm."

"They seem like legendary gods, demons, monsters, or ancient anomalies."

"Isn't that a myth?"

"Spiritual energy is reviving, and myths are becoming reality?"

"It looks like a monster from the Classic of Mountains and Seas. Is it tasty?"

"The one with the long horn shape is delicious. Remember to cook it in a pressure cooker for three hours until it's very tender. Add plenty of star anise and chili peppers, and it will be incredibly fragrant."

"I don't eat beef."

"These are clearly ancient ingredients! A recipe carefully selected by our ancestors."

"After eating hot pot for so many years, can I finally eat 'dragon intestines,' 'dragon brains,' and 'dragon tripe'?"

"Holy crap, I'm drooling."

"Tsk, a bunch of evil cultivators, Bureau 749 is about to lose control. 'Dog head'."

"The end times are meant to seal us demons away. What you think of as the spiritual revival is everyone becoming like a dragon, diligently cultivating, and competing with all races. The real spiritual revival is that billions of evil cultivators have rushed out of Blue Star, clamoring to destroy all the heavens and myriad worlds."

Wu Zhong almost died laughing in the comments section, and casually left a comment: "With my innate talent and physique, even if you gave me a cultivation technique, it would be useless. I'd rather focus on making money."

The video was then swiped away.

Shortly after, a hurricane weather warning appeared, advising tourists that the Lushan scenic area was temporarily closed.

Meanwhile, the weather forecast predicts a prolonged period of hurricanes and rainfall.

"This is the kind of awful weather that comes with the rainy season."

Wu Zhong curled his lip. Northern Jiangxi Province is known for its unpredictable climate, and weather forecasts are often inaccurate.

For example, in Hongdu, the provincial capital, there was a severe thunderstorm last year, with tens of thousands of lightning strikes occurring overnight.

Two years ago, there was a strong convective air mass that blew open the walls of buildings and lifted residents into the air.

Two years ago, many areas of Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China, were arid and turned into grasslands or even deserts...

As a local, Wu was used to these things and they weren't a big deal to him.

He's thinking about three things right now: making money, making money, and fucking making money.

……

　P.S.: Sorry.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)