A Journey of American Comics Starting from the Zombie Universe

The next morning, as soon as the sky turned an ominous gray-blue, Bai Ye was already standing in the center of the camp, surrounded by an indescribable solemn atmosphere. He silently glanced at the soldiers lined up in front of him, each of whom had a lingering tiredness and a hint of barely perceptible tension on his face. Without saying too much, Bai Ye just raised his hand and signaled everyone to assemble.

"Soldiers," he said in a deep and powerful voice, penetrating the morning mist and striking everyone's heart, "today, we have an important mission to perform. Yesterday, Commissioner Smith's experience forced us to re-examine every corner of this city. According to him, that seemingly ordinary furniture store may hide unknown secrets and dangers. Therefore, I decided to lead you personally to conduct a thorough search there to ensure our safety and to uncover the fog that shrouds it."

Bai Ye's words echoed in the air, as if even the wind had stopped. The soldiers looked at each other, their eyes showing both fear of the unknown challenge and determination to execute orders. They quickly adjusted their status, organized their equipment, and prepared to face the upcoming unknown.

Following Bai Ye's order, the team slowly moved, their steps heavy and firm. On both sides of the street, the shutters of most shops were still closed, and only a few early risers began to work, their eyes full of curiosity and vigilance towards the team. Bai Ye walked at the front of the team, looking back from time to time to check on the status of the soldiers, and his deep eyes seemed to hide countless unsolved mysteries.

As the distance got closer, the outline of the furniture store gradually became clear. It was located on a slightly remote street, and looked ordinary from the outside, with only the slightly mottled sign on the door lintel flickering slightly in the morning light, revealing a trace of time. Bai Ye stopped and signaled the team to stop moving forward. He walked forward alone and gently pushed open the heavy wooden door.

The door hinges made a harsh creaking sound, as if telling a story from the past. An old and slightly musty smell came over, causing everyone present to frown. The store was dimly lit, with only a few rays of sunlight shining through the half-closed curtains, barely illuminating the road ahead. Bai Ye signaled the soldiers to disperse and carefully search every corner, not letting go of any suspicious traces.

The soldiers acted quickly, their movements were agile and cautious, as if they were engaging in a silent contest. However, as time went on, apart from the occasional noise of items being turned over, nothing unusual happened in the store. Bai Ye stood in the middle, frowning, and a trace of doubt arose in his heart. Could it be that everything that Commissioner Smith encountered was really just a coincidence?

At this moment, a soldier suddenly cried out in surprise. Bai Ye rushed over and saw the soldier standing in front of a seemingly ordinary desk, holding a yellowed diary in his hand. The cover of the diary was worn out, but the handwriting inside was still clearly legible. Bai Ye took the diary and quickly flipped through it. He saw that it recorded some unknown secrets behind the furniture store - it turned out that this store was once the residence of a mysterious sorcerer who used furniture as a medium to perform some taboo rituals.

As he read deeper, Bai Ye's face became more and more solemn. He realized that what happened to Commissioner Smith might not be accidental, but was inextricably linked to these taboo rituals. What worried him even more was that these rituals did not seem to have completely ended, but continued in a more covert way, threatening the peace of the entire city.

Bai Ye held the diary tightly in his hand, scanning the surroundings with a sharp gaze. He knew that their current strength was not enough to completely uncover the secret, let alone prevent those potential threats. But even so, he would never back down. He turned around and issued new orders to the soldiers: "Record everything here and report to your superiors immediately. At the same time, strengthen patrols around the area to ensure that no clues are missed. Although we cannot solve all problems immediately, we must at least do our part for the safety of this city."

The soldiers nodded in agreement. They knew that the battle had just begun, and they would continue to move forward as guardians. In the dim furniture store, an invisible force was quietly gathering, and Bai Ye and the soldiers became the most determined of this force. They interpreted responsibility and commitment with their actions, and also indicated that the road ahead would be full of challenges and unknowns.

Just as Bai Ye and the soldiers were immersed in shock and contemplation about the secret of the furniture store, a burst of hurried footsteps broke the silence in the room. Everyone looked in the direction of the sound and saw Commissioner Smith rushing into the store breathlessly, with disbelief and astonishment written all over his face.

"Captain Bai Ye, this... what's going on?" Commissioner Smith's voice trembled with excitement. He looked around, and everywhere he saw was dilapidated and desolate, which was in stark contrast to the bright and beautiful modern furniture store yesterday.

Bai Ye stepped forward and handed the diary in his hand to Commissioner Smith, saying in a deep voice: "We don't know what happened exactly, but according to the records in this diary, this store seems to be hiding some unknown secrets. After last night, everything here has changed dramatically."

Commissioner Smith took the diary and quickly flipped through a few pages, his face becoming more and more solemn. He looked up at Bai Ye, his eyes flashing with complex emotions: "This... How is this possible? When I came here yesterday, everything was normal, and the waiter was still enthusiastically introducing the products to me. How did it become like this overnight?"

Bai Ye shook his head, indicating that he was also confused. He turned and pointed to the scattered furniture pieces and dusty corners, and continued: "This was already the case when we came in. It looks like some kind of power was working in the dark and destroyed everything here."

Commissioner Smith couldn't help but gasp when he heard this. He recalled his experience here yesterday. Those seemingly ordinary furniture and those smiling waiters were now gone. An indescribable sense of fear arose spontaneously, and he couldn't help but shudder.

"We must find out the truth as soon as possible," Commissioner Smith clenched his fists and said firmly, "This is not only related to the safety of this city, but also to the fate of all of us. Captain Bai Ye, do you have any ideas?"

Bai Ye pondered for a moment, glanced at the soldiers present, and then slowly said: "First, we need to record the situation here in detail and report to our superiors. At the same time, we need to strengthen monitoring and patrols in the surrounding areas to prevent similar incidents from happening again. In addition, I think we should conduct an in-depth investigation into the source and content of this diary, perhaps we can find some clues from it."

Commissioner Smith nodded in agreement, knowing that Bai Ye's suggestion was crucial. So he immediately organized the soldiers to take action. Some were responsible for recording the scene and taking photos as evidence; others were responsible for setting up cordons and strengthening patrols in the surrounding areas. Together with Bai Ye, he carefully read the diary, trying to find the key to solving the mystery.

As time goes by, the secrets in the diary gradually surface. It turns out that the owner of this furniture store is indeed a mysterious sorcerer who uses furniture as a medium to perform taboo rituals in an attempt to gain immortality or powerful power. However, his plan ultimately failed, and not only did he suffer a backlash, but he also implicated the entire furniture store and the people around him.

Commissioner Smith and Bai Ye looked at each other, and saw shock and anger in each other's eyes. They realized that the root cause of this disaster was human greed and ignorance. In pursuit of unrealistic goals, people often go astray and eventually lead to irreversible consequences.

"We must prevent such tragedies from happening again," Commissioner Smith clenched his fists, his voice low and powerful, "We must let everyone know that the pursuit of power and immortality is not easy, and it cannot be at the expense of others."

Bai Ye nodded in agreement, knowing full well that he had a heavy responsibility on his shoulders.

At this moment, a sudden commotion broke the silence in the furniture store. Everyone was shocked to find that from the depths of the store, which was supposed to be empty, a figure suddenly rushed out like a ghost. It was the clerk they had seen before. But at this moment, his eyes were flashing with a strange light, and his face was distorted, as if he was controlled by some unknown force.

He let out a series of low roars, clenched his hands into fists, and exuded an ominous aura. Even more shocking was that the furniture that had been quietly placed - sofas, chairs, bookcases... seemed to come alive. At the clerk's command, they all vibrated, making strange creaking noises, and then slowly moved, approaching Bai Ye and the soldiers.

The soldiers pointed their guns at the strange furniture, but they were full of doubts and uneasiness. How could these inanimate objects move on their own, let alone attack? However, the scene before them did not allow them to think too much. Under the command of the clerk, the furniture seemed to be given life. Some of them stretched out sharp edges, while others exuded a suffocating cold breath, pressing forward step by step.

Bai Ye frowned and analyzed the current situation quickly. He knew that there must be a hidden secret behind this, and the abnormality of these furniture was probably related to the taboo ritual recorded in the diary. He whispered to the soldiers, asking them to stay alert and look for opportunities to subdue the clerk and resolve the crisis.

However, the clerk's actions were extremely fast and cunning. He seemed to be able to predict the soldiers' movements, always avoiding attacks at critical moments and guiding the furniture to launch a more fierce attack. Although the soldiers were well-trained, they were inevitably a little flustered in such an environment.

At this moment, Commissioner Smith arrived at the scene breathlessly. He had obviously rushed in from a distance, and his face was full of shock and confusion. Seeing this scene in front of him, he exclaimed: "How is this possible? When I came here yesterday, this was still a healthy modern furniture store, and the waiters warmly entertained me. How could it become like this now?"

Bai Ye did not have time to explain in detail to Commissioner Smith, and simply told him: "Something happened here that is beyond our understanding. We must find a solution as soon as possible."

Although Commissioner Smith was full of doubts and fears, he also knew that now was not the time to ask questions. He quickly adjusted his mentality and fought side by side with Bai Ye to fight against those weird furniture.

The battle became more intense, and the furniture seemed to launch rounds of attacks tirelessly. Although the soldiers fought hard, they gradually became powerless. Bai Ye keenly observed the changes on the battlefield, trying to find the connection between the clerk and the furniture.

Finally, during a fierce confrontation, Bai Ye discovered a flaw in the clerk. He took advantage of the clerk's unpreparedness and quickly struck him with a sharp punch. The clerk screamed and fell backwards involuntarily, and the crazy furniture also stopped moving, as if out of control.

The soldiers saw this and took the opportunity to subdue the clerk. Bai Ye quickly checked the clerk's condition and found that his eyes had recovered, but his body was extremely weak due to excessive use of strength. He tried to get the truth from the clerk, but the clerk just muttered some incomprehensible words, as if he didn't even know what happened.

Just when everyone was confused, a faint noise suddenly came from a corner of the store. Bai Ye followed the sound and found a secret basement entrance hidden there. He immediately realized that this might be the key to solving all the mysteries.

Bai Ye pushed open the door, and a colder and damper air hit him. He turned on the flashlight and walked down the narrow stairs carefully. The basement was dimly lit, and there was an indescribable sense of oppression in the air. He looked around, and saw all kinds of furniture wreckage and waste items piled up around him, as if it was a forgotten world.

At this moment, a low roar came from deep in the basement, and then a group of larger and more ferocious furniture monsters rushed out from the darkness. They were either made up of multiple pieces of furniture or had strange deformation abilities. They had different shapes and were creepy. Bai Ye quickly drew his sword and started a fierce battle with these furniture monsters.

The soldiers also rushed to the basement and fought side by side with Bai Ye. However, these furniture monsters seemed to be more difficult to deal with than those upstairs. Not only were they extremely powerful, but their attack methods were also extremely cunning. Although the soldiers were brave and fearless, they gradually fell into a bitter battle under the fierce attack of these monsters.

Bai Ye swung his sword while searching for the weaknesses of these furniture monsters. He noticed that whenever these monsters attacked, their bodies would emit a faint light, as if connected to some kind of energy source. He guessed that if he could find and destroy this energy source, perhaps these furniture monsters would lose their power.

So he shouted loudly: "Soldiers, pay attention to finding the energy source of these monsters! Only by destroying it can we completely get out of this predicament!" Hearing this, the soldiers concentrated their attention and began to search carefully.