Chapter 286: Chapter 285: The Great Bluff
The conference began with Deputy Minister Cao Yanhua singing praises of Yang Jian. It seemed this meeting had become a stage for Yang Jianâs personal showcase, set to let him shine in front of others, with every word hinting at laudation for Yang Jian.
However, Yang Jian regarded this adulation as nothing but hot air.
He wasnât some naive youngster who would become emotionally touched by a few compliments and then loyally commit wholeheartedly.
Yang Jian had his own way of living.
âTo tell the truth, the outbreak of S-level supernatural incidents globally is no longer an anomaly. Similar severe events occur abroad, but those are either resolved or suppressed. If our country fails to manage the Hungry Ghost incident, it will have a considerable impact internationally and might even shake our nationâs future standing on the world stage.â
âSo we absolutely cannot allow such a precedent to occur, at least not within our country,â Cao Yanhua said with solemnity.
Upon hearing this, Yang Jian began to understand a bit.
It was somewhat akin to a global military competitionânot based on the economy or weapons anymore but rather on the ability to handle supernatural incidents.
If a country canât deal with an S-level supernatural incident, it means the countryâs future prospects are worrisome. Naturally, it wonât be viewed favorably internationally.
Source: novgo.co
âAlright, Iâve said my piece. Now, I welcome Yang Jian to the stage to present a summary of the actions taken in this incident,â said Cao Yanhua after talking for about fifteen minutes before handing over the podium to Yang Jian.
Having heard so much praise from Minister Cao Yanhua, Yang Jian faintly sensed that this meeting was not as simple as he had imagined. The supposed action report he hadnât even prepared forâwas he really unafraid of speaking carelessly and revealing everything?
Or was the meeting just a front, looking to draw out some of his secrets?
He glanced at Zhao Jianguo.
The man sat upright with a serious demeanor, not indulging in idle chatter, apparently listening attentively to the meeting.
Then there was Wang Xiaoming, the internationally renowned Professor Bruce Pi, who also seemed to manifest some expectation and interest in the meeting.
âThese old foxes,â Yang Jian cursed silently in his heart.
But after the incident, handing over the Hungry Ghost and valuable items like the Coffin Nail and shroud felt like a fair trade to the Ghost Manipulatorsâ headquarters. Yet compared to this, the headquarters was definitely more interested in what had happened during those seven days he went missing since it concerned the resolution of an S-level supernatural event at its core.
Only Wang Xiaoming knew some of the details, yet not all.
But that guy Wang Xiaoming would certainly say nothing. It was just his character to not announce uncertain things to avoid misleading others.
As a prestigious professor, he knew all too well the impact even a slight hint could have on the country, or even globally. Thus, he had cultivated the skill of speaking cautiously.
But could the secret of resurrection be disclosed?
It involved the Ghost Mirror, and that was bad enough, but most important was its link to the existence of human skin paperâan eerie and horrific object that was his own cornerstone. Without it, he would have already died in the Ghost Coffin incident.
âHonestly, thereâs not much to say about this operation. It all relied on Professor Wangâs planning; I was merely an assistant. He is the true hero of the incident. I was just someone who took action, just more fortunate that I was the only Ghost Manipulator who made it to the end.â
Yang Jian stepped forward and immediately began, âIf it werenât for Professor Wangâs research discoveries about the behavior of the Fourth-stage Ghost Infant, as well as his ability to neutralize the final Ghost Infant, I would have likely died in this incident.â
âTherefore, I really canât speak on experience, and as for that, there are many here who are more senior than me and I believe possess even more experience in handling supernatural events. Iâm just a small fry who recently made the switch from temporary worker to permanent; how can I teach you anything?â
He behaved with utmost humility, concealing all his sharpness.
When it was time to shrink back, Yang Jian did so without the slightest hesitation.
Cao Yanhuaâs mouth twitched viciously upon hearing Yang Jianâs words. This kid turned so amiable all of a sudden, but he hadnât been like this during the phone conference earlier, daring to confront even the top brass, threatening the ghost manipulatorsâ headquarters not once but many times. Now that he had resolved an S-grade paranormal event, why had he suddenly turned into a coward?
He glanced over at Zhao Jianguo.
Zhao Jianguo slightly shook his head, evidently thinking trying to pry information out of Yang Jian with this method would not succeed, he had already become cautious.
Someone who could survive on the brink of life and death wasnât so simple.
âYang Jian, I heard youâre controlling two ghosts. Coincidentally, Iâm also a manipulator who controls two ghosts, and Iâd like to know if an operator of our level could face a Hungry Ghost of the S-grade directly.â Suddenly, Cao Yang asked smilingly, âAfter all, Iâve never encountered such an event before and would like to understand my own capability to get a clear sense of where I stand.â
âOf course, controlling two ghosts qualifies you to confront a Hungry Ghost. If youâre lucky, you can even manage to imprison it directly. You just need to discern the murderous patterns of the fierce ghost and possess some special abilities.â
Yang Jian nodded, looking serious and sincere.
âDamn, this kid is trying to set me up,â Cao Yang cursed in his mind. If he really believed what this guy said, he wouldnât even know how he died.
He had seen the profile of a ghost manipulator from Dachang City named Ye Feng, who also controlled two ghosts. The result was that he died on the first day of his operation, showing that controlling two ghosts did not qualify one to confront a Hungry Ghost directly.
Although Cao Yang didnât believe it, other ghost manipulators did. Some had never faced a paranormal event of this level, so they thought an S-grade event was nothing much.
âYang Jian is right. As long as we know the pattern and have the ability, it shouldnât be difficult for us to contain this Hungry Ghost. It was only because the ghostly thing sealed off the entire city, preventing our support from getting in, that such a large disaster brewed,â a manipulator commented, nodding.
âBullshit, you actually believed his nonsense. You must be looking to die quicker,â another retorted.
Cao Yang glanced at the person and thought to himself, âThis is an inflated fool. Better stay away from him in the future. As long as he doesnât drag me into his troubles, thatâs fine.â
However, Yang Jian was smiling as he said, âThatâs right. With Professor Wangâs help in planning, any ghost manipulator could resolve this event with relative ease. Actually, I think defining the Hungry Ghost event as S-grade is a bit of an overstatement. I believe itâs at most an A-grade paranormal event. Of course, there is also a misleading element in naming. I think âGhost Child Eventâ would be more apt.â
Comparing the Hungry Ghost event with the Ghost Child event, the latter sounds much less harmful, even somewhat petulant, making it hard to sense the severity of the situation.
âI also feel that the headquarters overreacted this time. If it were truly an S-grade event, how could it have been resolved by a single person in the end? It must have been an initial lapse in reaction, giving the entity a chance to escalate the danger. After engaging with it, we found the actual ghost to be not as terrifying,â another ghost manipulator joined in the discussion.
Yang Jian added, âYouâre right, the Ghost Infant originally emerged from Zhou Zhengâs body. Zhou Zheng, who had controlled one ghost, even if it were a resurrected fierce ghost, could only cause limited harm.â
âYouâre really lucky, stumbling upon what was actually an A-grade event and treating it as an S-grade situation. Furthermore, with Professor Wangâs advice and strategies, you fortuitously earned tremendous credit. But dealing with paranormal incidents canât rely on luck; you managed to resolve it this time, but next time you might not be so fortunate.â
Some shook their heads with laughter, considering Yang Jian to be nothing more than a lucky guy.
Yang Jian sighed, âYes, thatâs why if I encounter an S-grade event in the future, I need to stay as far away as possible. I absolutely canât rush in hot-headed; otherwise, I wonât even know how I died. Do you all know why Iâve been hiding and not showing my face lately? I was frightened, too scared to leave my houseâŠâ
Upon hearing this, Cao Yang wondered if it was really as Yang Jian said, just a misjudgment of the eventâs level, along with Professor Wangâs help, that allowed him to inadvertently achieve such great success?
Wang Xiaoming remained silent, neither agreeing with Yang Jianâs words nor revealing the truth.
He generally didnât care about such trivial matters, knowing that Yang Jian didnât want to divulge his secrets.
Based on his understanding of Yang Jian, he knew that whatever Yang Jian didnât want to reveal would remain unknown. Yang Jian was very adept at keeping his cards hidden; he already had a profound experience during the event, where everyone thought they were doomed, yet Yang Jian still had the capability to turn the tables without ever showing his hand.
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