Legendary Person: I brought my skills back to reality!

The car sped through the night, the atmosphere inside heavy and tense. Shi Shaowei gripped the steering wheel tightly, his brow furrowed, glancing occasionally at the rearview mirror as if checking to see if anyone was following them. Xu Hao remained silent, his gaze fixed on the street scenes rushing past the window, his mind replaying the suffering of the orphans in the hospital.

Suddenly, Shi Shaowei slammed on the brakes, and Xu Hao nearly crashed into the front seat.

"What's wrong?" Xu Hao asked warily.

Shi Shaowei did not answer, but quickly took out his phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, Xiao Li. Immediately mobilize all available manpower and head to the city welfare home." His voice was low and urgent. "Remember, evacuate the surrounding residents first, then completely surround the welfare home. No one is allowed to enter or leave, understand?"

After hanging up, Shi Shaowei dialed several more numbers, issuing different commands briefly and forcefully each time. Xu Hao noticed that with each call, Shi Shaowei's expression grew increasingly serious.

"Is the situation bad?" Xu Hao asked tentatively.

Shi Shaowei took a deep breath. "It's worse than we imagined. We just received news that unusual phenomena have appeared near the welfare home. Some residents have reported seeing strange lights and hearing eerie sounds."

Xu Hao gasped, his heart pounding involuntarily. He instinctively opened the system interface and saw that although he had received 50,000 experience points, he was still more than 600 short of level 18, and he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"What a pity. If I could have leveled up earlier and learned the Soul Fire Talisman, I would have had more confidence," Xu Hao muttered to himself.

Shi Shaowei glanced at him, seemingly guessing something. "Don't think too much. The most important thing now is to control the situation. If you have any talents you haven't shown yet, remember not to hold back later. Show them off when you should. Don't worry, we'll reimburse you for any damage to your pots and pans later."

Xu Hao nodded, forcing himself to calm down. He closed his eyes, feeling the faint power within his body, hoping it would come in handy at a crucial moment.

The car restarted and sped towards the orphanage. As the distance closed, Xu Hao felt an indescribable sense of oppression in the air. His palms began to sweat, his throat went dry, as if an invisible hand was slowly tightening its grip.

"Team Leader Shi, what do you think we'll encounter?" Xu Hao couldn't help but ask, his voice trembling slightly.

Shi Shaowei remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking, "I don't know, but it's definitely not something good. Let's prepare for the worst."

Xu Hao gave a wry smile. "Worst-case scenario preparation? I think in our line of work, it's best not to plant any flags lightly!"

Shi Shaowei's expression suddenly turned extremely serious. "Xu Hao, remember, you can never be careless when facing the supernatural. Let me tell you the truth, in our line of work, our heads are always on the line. Do you think a monthly salary of seventy or eighty thousand is so easy to earn?"

These words were like a bucket of ice water poured over Xu Hao's head; it seemed he had been ignoring a problem all along.

The strange occurrences in reality suggest that these are not benevolent people; one careless move could truly lead to death.

This isn't the real world; you won't suddenly be resurrected in the middle of the city in a flash of white light. If you die, you're probably really dead.

"We're here," Shi Shaowei said through gritted teeth, slamming on the gas pedal. The car stopped in front of the welfare home.

Xu Hao got out of the car with Shi Shaowei, and the scene before him made him gasp in shock.

The entrance to the welfare home was completely surrounded by police tape, with heavily armed special police officers standing by as if facing a formidable enemy. In the distance, the sirens of fire trucks and ambulances rose and fell, casting a tense and eerie atmosphere over the entire neighborhood.

"This...this is too exaggerated, isn't it?" Xu Hao muttered to himself, his heart beating faster involuntarily.

Shi Shaowei finally regained some face and said in a low voice, "Brother, you haven't seen anything more outrageous. They even have tanks!"

He strode toward a police officer in a bulletproof vest, exchanged a few words with him, and then turned to Xu Hao and said, "Let's go in."

"Just...just the two of us?" Xu Hao swallowed, his voice trembling slightly.

Shi Shaowei nodded. "That's right, just the two of us. The rest of you are waiting outside."

Xu Hao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He followed Shi Shaowei, crossed the police line, and walked towards the gate of the welfare home.

As the distance closed, an indescribable sense of oppression grew stronger. Xu Hao felt it becoming difficult to breathe, as if an invisible hand was choking him. He subconsciously touched the talisman in his pocket, hoping to give himself some sense of security.

Pushing open the gates of the orphanage, a nauseating stench assaulted his nostrils. Xu Hao suppressed the urge to vomit and looked around. The courtyard, which should have been filled with laughter and joy, was now eerily silent, filled with an inexplicable and eerie atmosphere.

"Watch your step," Shi Shaowei suddenly warned.

Xu Hao looked down and almost cried out in surprise. Scattered on the ground were black feathers of all sizes, each emitting a faint blue light.

"What...what is this?" Xu Hao asked, trembling.

Although it's far less eerie than the equally terrifying Skull Cave, Xu Hao knew exactly what was inside: various skeletons, bats, cave maggots, scorpions, and the like.

The most terrifying thing is actually the unknown.

Shi Shaowei squatted down and observed it carefully for a while, his face becoming even more grim. "I don't know, but it's definitely not a good thing," he said in a deep voice. "Brother, you have to be careful. If a fight breaks out later, I'm afraid I won't be able to take care of you."

Just then, a piercing scream suddenly came from deep within the orphanage, making Xu Hao's eardrums ache. He instinctively wanted to back away, but Shi Shaowei grabbed him.

"Don't be afraid, stay close to me," Shi Shaowei said in a low voice, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.

Xu Hao gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep up with Shi Shaowei's pace. As they went deeper into the welfare home, the surrounding temperature suddenly dropped, and the chill felt like a knife cutting into their bodies.

The walls on both sides of the corridor were now covered with eerie black vines, writhing as if they were alive. Xu Hao felt his heart was about to leap out of his chest, and cold sweat soaked his back.

“Team Leader Shi…” Xu Hao said with difficulty, “Can we really handle this?”

Shi Shaowei didn't answer, but silently took out a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to Xu Hao. "Drink this," he said briefly, "it will calm you down."

Without a word, Xu Hao gulped down the liquid in the bottle. A warm current instantly flowed through his body, dispelling some of the chill and fear.

"Thank you," Xu Hao said softly, feeling his courage returning somewhat.

Shi Shaowei nodded, about to say something, when suddenly his expression hardened. "There's movement!" he shouted, quickly assuming a fighting stance.

Xu Hao held his breath, staring intently ahead. In the darkness, a pair of scarlet eyes slowly opened, radiating a chilling light.

"They're here," Shi Shaowei gritted his teeth. "Xu Hao, prepare for battle!"

Xu Hao took a deep breath and reached into his pocket for the talisman with trembling hands.