Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"Is… is that Zhou Zheng?"
Zhao Jianguo was shocked when he saw the corpse being carried out of the guardroom by other Interpol officers.
"It's just a lookalike; the identity of the ghost isn't important," Yang Jian remarked.
"That's true," Zhao Jianguo quickly composed himself.
Looking at the rusty coffin nail on the corpse's head, it was clear from previous communications that this was a crucial item for restraining the malevolent spirit. Without it, the ghost would be unmanageable.
"I haven't touched the body, nor do I intend to. I'm leaving it to you today, and I hope no one else will interfere with it in the future."
Yang Jian stood up and calmly said, "This entity is more horrific than you can imagine. Don't attempt to study it under any circumstances. The best course of action is to seal it away in a box forever."
"I'll also repeat this to Wang Xiaoming. I have no objections to him studying other ghosts, but this one is beyond his capabilities. If it breaks free again, I fear no one in this world could handle it. It's a complex amalgamation of ghosts, and the usual tactics won't work on it."
"Moreover… it has many more terrifying aspects that it hasn't shown yet. I was able to contain it by being clever, but I hope we never encounter it again."
Without the coffin nail, any ghost master would be lucky to protect themselves, let alone confront it.
"Yang Jian, rest assured, we'll handle the rest. With us here, even if it does awaken, we can take care of it," an Interpol officer said.
Yang Jian glanced at the man: "With that statement, I can tell you know nothing. If it truly awakens, you're all dead."
"Yang Jian, while we acknowledge the difficulty of this entity, it's not as you say—that no one in the world can deal with it. We respect your significant efforts, but that doesn't mean you can belittle us. Any one of us is among the top detectives in the country, and with teamwork, an S-class supernatural incident isn't hard to resolve," the man said sternly.
"Can't even enter Dachang City, yet you claim to be top-notch," Yang Jian replied coldly. "I think you're just boasting."
The man was immediately displeased: "Setting other things aside, we are your seniors. We've set aside our work to support you, a newcomer. Could you show some respect?"
"I'm just reminding you of the seriousness of the situation. This is not like the minor disturbances you're used to. I've done what I needed to do; I don't want any issues now that it's in your hands. If you approach this with the same attitude as past supernatural events, you're being naive."
Yang Jian continued calmly, "The entire city is shrouded in darkness, cutting off all ghost master support. Think about what that means. If this ghost is released, it could top the current ghost rankings, surpassing that 'ghost call' incident. And yet, you think it's not difficult to resolve this together."
"If I had Professor Wang's plan and studied the patterns, plus the coffin nail, indeed, it wouldn't be difficult. I'm not boasting," the detective insisted. "I have that much confidence."
Yang Jian just smiled lightly, not bothering to argue.
Plans… Professor Wang's plans were made at the cost of human lives. The first encounter nearly wiped them out. Now that the mystery has been unraveled, of course, it seems easy.
Those who speak after the fact are probably referring to people like him.
"Lucky you're not in Dachang City," Yang Jian said before turning to leave.
"Yang Jian, where are you going? There's still a lot that needs your assistance," Zhao Jianguo called out urgently.
"There's nothing I need to help with. If you need anything, go find Wang Xiaoming. I'm going to sleep," Yang Jian replied.
"Then rest well; you've worked hard on this case."
Zhao Jianguo thought for a moment, realizing how much Yang Jian had risked for this case, and decided not to press further.
Without a response, Yang Jian quickly walked away from the scene.
"Captain Zhao, has this Ghost Eye Detective Yang Jian always been so arrogant?" Guo Fan, the detective who had spoken earlier, frowned slightly. "Completely disobedient and insubordinate, he'll be a liability to Dachang City as a ghost master."
"Enough, hold your tongue," Zhao Jianguo scolded. "Yang Jian is right; this incident isn't as simple as the usual supernatural events. If it were that easy, it would have been resolved long ago. I know much more than you, and there are secrets I can't reveal. You should be aware of that. And whether Yang Jian will become a liability is not for you to judge."
"I know some of you are unhappy that Yang Jian single-handedly resolved this supernatural incident, gaining worldwide fame. But no matter how displeased you are, you shouldn't show it."
"Is the body ready?"
After speaking, he changed the subject.
"Captain Zhao, the body is ready. The containment process went smoothly, with no incidents. It seems Yang Jian has thoroughly restrained the ghost," another Interpol officer reported.
Zhao Jianguo glanced over and saw the body wrapped in gold foil like a mummy, bound with golden ropes tied in dead knots, before being placed into a golden box.
The sturdy box was bulletproof, making escape impossible.
"Good, weld the box shut and prepare for transport. Be vigilant on the way. Some foreign powers have infiltrated the area around Dachang City, some with malicious intent, hoping we fail to resolve this incident. So be on guard," Zhao Jianguo instructed.
"Everyone else, follow me to patrol Dachang City. The minister is waiting for our safety report."
Yang Jian's reason for hurrying home wasn't to sleep.
He was worried that Wang Xiaoming, having seen the Ghost Mirror, might have taken it while he was away. Of course, Zhang Wei and Zhang Xiangu had also seen it.
But as ordinary people, they would avoid the mirror, unaware of its value. However, with Wang Xiaoming's intelligence, he would certainly understand the worth of the Ghost Mirror. If he took it, getting it back would be troublesome, especially since he had once dared to alter supernatural incident records and conceal key information for a ghost coffin.
"The Ghost Mirror is no longer useful to me, but it has the ability to revive others, which is crucial. There are also deeper aspects yet to be uncovered. It was deliberately placed in that room a hundred years ago for a reason."
As Yang Jian pondered, he used his ghost domain to return to the residential area.
By then, lights were on in the complex, and the sound of generators rumbled. Armored vehicles were parked, with special personnel on guard.
Yang Jian saw Wang Xiaoming being escorted out of the safe house, looking haggard and pale, having clearly suffered over the past few days.
"Yang Jian, you did well this time. On behalf of Professor Wang, the citizens of Dachang City, and the nation, I thank you. Without you, the situation could have spiraled out of control," said Li Jun, a resolute special forces major general, who was the first to notice Yang Jian's sudden appearance and approached him respectfully.
"No need for such formality," Yang Jian replied.
"Yang Jian, thank goodness you're alive. I was so worried about you," Jiang Yan exclaimed with joy as she ran over to him.
"Don't come near me. Why do you reek of feces?" Yang Jian asked.
Jiang Yan stopped, embarrassed: "It's because of Zhang Wei. He had diarrhea and sprayed the safe house. It was disgusting, and the smell filled the room."
"How did he wipe himself?" Yang Jian thought of the human skin paper.
It won't be used by him, will it?
"How would I know?" Jiang Yan replied.
Yang Jian said, "I'll go ask him. You should go wash up. Dachang City is safe now, and there won't be any supernatural events for a while."
The ghost famine incident had been fierce, and while it caused severe consequences, it also had a silver lining.
It inadvertently resolved other supernatural events in the process.