Chapter 499 - Chapter 499: Chapter 496 Not One Normal

Chapter 499: Chapter 496 Not One Normal

The atmosphere around the conference table was somewhat oppressive.

No one knew whether it was because of Yang Jian, or because some people already knew that the Captaincy Plan was underway, and certain individuals were potential rivals, or perhaps ghost controllers are inherently wary of their own kind, lacking trust in one another.

The conflict between Yang Jian and Jang Shangbai had subsided and did not lead to more trouble because of Gao Zhiqiang’s issue.

Resting his head on his hand, he glanced at the others, intentionally or not.

Yang Jian was acutely aware of the importance of these people. As long as he remained alive, he would inevitably have to deal with them, so getting to know them in advance was necessary.

“Not a single one of them is normal,” he said to himself.

…

After observing for a while, he concluded this in his mind.

Some sat upright and proper, appearing normal, yet their bodies were stiff, their breath icy-cold, devoid of the slightest trace of life, no different from a corpse.

One was playing with a paper frog, but upon closer inspection, the paper used for the origami frog was actually joss paper burned for the dead.

Another was applying makeup, yet the colors in the makeup box were so vividly eerie, and underneath the strong fragrance of perfume, there was a hint of the stench of decay.

One person was hunched over, playing with a phone, and while they held it in their hands, a small, unseen hand crept out of the palm to help tap the screen.

…

Of course, even Yang Jian wasn’t normal. A ghostly eye on his forehead looked around everywhere, its red glow revealing a bizarre gaze, utterly at odds with him, almost as if a ferocious ghost was spying on the others.

Time ticked away slowly.

Actually, the meeting could have started normally, but it was delayed due to some disputes.

Outside the meeting venue, on the road.

Cao Yanhua and Wang Xiaoming were walking together, discussing something by the looks of it.

“Although this meeting is mainly about discussing the aftermath of the Ghost Envoy incident, the shortlist for the Captaincy Plan will also be announced during this meeting, as was agreed upon earlier,” said Wang Xiaoming.

“That’s right, it’s part of the later agenda. Professor Wang, are you interested in this matter? I remember you’ve already used up your recommendation spot,” Cao Yanhua responded.

The headquarters rewarded Wang Xiaoming with a nomination for the Captaincy Plan in recognition of his contributions. This spot was significant, as anyone fitting the profile had a high probability of being selected for the Captaincy Plan.

It was expected that Wang Xiaoming would use it on Li Jun, but it was surprisingly given to Yang Jian instead.

This was beyond many people’s expectations.

“I plan to change the nominee at the last minute,” Wang Xiaoming said calmly.

Cao Yanhua was taken aback for a moment, “Such a last-minute change doesn’t seem like your style, Professor Wang.”

“I know, but certain matters have given me a greater insight,” said Wang Xiaoming slowly. “Believe me, this last-minute change is very important.”

Cao Yanhua pondered for a moment then said, “So you mean… ”

“I’m revoking Yang Jian’s captain qualification and, as originally planned, will pass his spot to Li Jun,” stated Wang Xiaoming seriously.

“That won’t do.”

Cao Yanhua immediately rejected the idea, “Yang Jian becoming a nominee for the Captaincy Plan is no longer something you can change, Professor Wang. His achievements and his influence in the ghost controller circle are significant. If he can’t become a captain, it’s not just a simple replacement of a person; it would bring about much deeper implications.”

“Furthermore, we must consider Yang Jian’s personal feelings. If solving an Unsolvable Level paranormal event is not enough to become a captain, then would he resign from his current position? I’ve heard that people from the paranormal forum have been in contact with him; they’ve spoken with Ye Zhen, the forum’s administrator, and there are others in his social circle trying to publicly relate with him. Some people behind Shen Liang have also had some private interactions with him, or else the substitute doll wouldn’t have ended up in Yang Jian’s hands.”

Although he didn’t quite like the unruly and stubborn Yang Jian, strategically speaking, it was beneficial for the headquarters to have Yang Jian as a captain.

Personal emotions should not affect the interests of the headquarters, and Cao Yanhua was conscious of that.

“I understand, but I know that Yang Jian is not someone who cares about power or status; what he values more are tangible benefits. Removing him is unlikely to provoke any strong resentful emotions, provided the compensation is adequate – I am confident in that,” Wang Xiaoming explained.

“Moreover, I have more important matters for which I need Yang Jian. Actually, I had considered many people before, but unfortunately, none of the current candidates for the Captaincy Plan fully meets my criteria, with the exception of him… he still has great potential for growth. If he were to become a captain, given Yang Jian’s nature, he’ll probably just settle down in Dachang City, which is what I don’t wish to see,” he concluded.

“Nurturing him is a good thing; he can at least solve the special incidents of a region, and also reduce the chances of him causing trouble.”

Cao Yanhua said, “If you can only use this reason in certain places, you can’t convince me. I can make unlimited concessions in terms of research, but when it comes to the situation at hand, I need to be more rigorous. Here’s the deal, it’s about a three-minute walk from here to the conference center. Professor Wang, you have three minutes. If you can’t find a legitimate and convincing reason within these three minutes, I can only apologize.”

He had some speculations, thinking that Wang Xiaoming was taking this opportunity to take revenge on Yang Jian, after all, Yang Jian was the one who personally took down his brother Wang Xiaoqiang.

Therefore, he had to consider matters concerning Yang Jian even more carefully.

If, because of some personal grudge, they lost a top ghost manipulator, it would be a huge loss for headquarters.

“Alright, three minutes then.” Wang Xiaoming’s eyes flickered; for him, ten seconds was enough to craft a perfect reason and excuse.

Time quickly passed.

Three minutes later.

Cao Yanhua, Wang Xiaoming, along with several accompanying staff members, and the old man leaning on a walking stick finally arrived at the conference center.

They arrived?

The tedious waiting time was finally over.

Many people perked up, their gazes lingering on Cao Yanhua, the deputy minister who convened this meeting.

But Yang Jian’s gaze was constantly fixed on the centenarian leaning on the walking stick.

From the nameplate on the table, they could see that the old man’s surname was Qin, called Old Qin.

This was likely a title; his real name was kept hidden, and of course, even the surname could be false, because with modern means, just knowing the name and appearance, and spending some effort and time, one could find lots of information and clues.

That’s why cellphone signals were blocked during this conference, and photography and recording were prohibited.

“It seems I’ll have to find an opportunity to contact this Old Qin after the conference,” Yang Jian thought to himself.

Some questions couldn’t be asked face-to-face.

“Is everyone present? Good. Because this matter is very urgent, I’m going to skip the useless pleasantries. This meeting will be led by me, the deputy minister, with Professor Wang assisting.”

After the other attendees took their seats, Cao Yanhua glanced around, nodded, and said, “The main topic of the meeting is to discuss how to resolve the S-class paranormal incident coded as Ghost Envoy, located in the outskirts of J City near the experimental base. The incident occurred quite unexpectedly and led to the deaths of a large number of new recruits who were attending training at the base. Here, I want to specifically commend Yang Jian, because his presence at the training base at that time enabled the successful rescue of four ghost manipulators, as well as some surviving staff members, and he prevented the malevolent spirit coded as Ghost Envoy from continuing to grow. This is a remarkable accomplishment.”

“However, I believe many are still not well-informed about the Ghost Envoy incident due to its suddenness and the secret nature of the special event; thus, we can only explain it now, on the fly. Please, go ahead and start the slideshow,”

Shortly after, the staff turned on the projector.

A massive picture appeared on the screen with descriptions of the Ghost Coffin, information about Wei Jing, as well as origins of the Ghost Envoy incident.

Yang Jian wasn’t interested in such explanations; he was involved from start to finish in the whole incident, and no one knew the details of the Ghost Envoy incident better than he did. However, he was still willing to listen to the headquarters’ perspective, after all, there wasn’t just one think tank behind headquarters analyzing and dealing with the case.

Cao Yanhua explained the origins and the entire course of the Ghost Envoy incident bit by bit.

About the killing patterns of the Ghost Envoy, some particularities of the Ghost Coffin.

The others were silent, just listening quietly.

For top ghost manipulators, they all had one thing in common: they cared greatly about information and intelligence gathering. In dealing with paranormal incidents, any detail or oversight could be life or death.

So they took it seriously.

After all, no one could be sure who would be assigned to handle the Ghost Envoy incident next.

If someone wanted to act arrogant, show off, and disdain to listen, then sorry, such people would already be dead and absolutely unable to participate in this meeting.

When the others heard that the Ghost Envoy had the ability to suppress other ghosts mindlessly, their faces turned dark.

What kind of joke is this?

To directly suppress other ghosts and render the ghost manipulators as ordinary people?

That’s just too bullying.

When they heard that the rule of the Ghost Envoys was to kill ghost controllers who were alone, many people breathed a sigh of relief. Knowing the rule allowed them to avoid it, which was a precondition for ensuring safety.

Then Cao Yanhua explained the reason why being alone meant certain death.

“Within a certain range, the number of ghosts must be greater than the current number of ghosts the Ghost Envoys control, otherwise even hundreds of people together would be of no use. That’s why this matter only has the possibility of being countered through the collective action of ghost controllers,” Cao Yanhua pointed at the data chart on the screen.

“This range, after discussion and verification by headquarters, is currently a safe distance of twenty planes, about the size of one room.”

“Deputy Minister, may I ask how many ghosts that Ghost Envoy code-named ‘thing’ currently has?” someone asked seriously.

Wang Xiaoming spoke up, “Not clear.”

“How could it not be clear, didn’t you participate in this event before?” someone else exclaimed in surprise and doubt.

“Because during the process of participation, people died, and not just one. The number of ghosts changed, making it very difficult to estimate correctly. But from the few surviving ghost controllers at the training base, we know that at that time, the Ghost Envoy could suppress… 9 ghosts.”

Wang Xiaoming paused here, glanced at Yang Jian, and continued, “If we add in those who died later in supernatural events, then the Ghost Envoy currently has at least 16.”

“Professor Wang, are you serious? This Ghost Envoy can now unsolvably suppress at least sixteen ghosts?”

“How can we deal with this? To avoid being alone, we’d need to prepare to gather eight ghost controllers together. Has it really become that terrifying?”

“Based on the data, yes, give this thing some time, and it could completely destroy a nation’s population. Even ghost controllers can’t stop it. We’re simply not on the same level as this thing.”

“To be honest, hearing this, I really don’t want to be involved in this supernatural event. I’d rather continue sleeping.”

The information about the Ghost Envoys wasn’t finished, yet fear and unrest had already begun to spread around the conference table.

Unsolvable suppression, alone meant certain death.

With these two conditions laid out, it was enough to massacre a group of ghost controllers, and this was under the premise of knowing the rules. If they didn’t know, they really would have no chance at all. They wouldn’t even know why they died.

“If that were all, it might be fine, but Minister Cao hasn’t yet mentioned two more of the Ghost Envoy’s abilities. You’ll know what an ‘Unsolvable Level’ supernatural event really is once those are revealed,” Cao Yang said with a smile at this point.

“Indeed, these two conditions are just the Ghost Envoy’s patterns of killing, but it also possesses two extremely horrifying properties of its own,” Cao Yanhua said with an especially grave expression as he continued to advance the slides. An image shrouded in darkness appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“This Ghost Envoy code-named ‘creature’ has a Ghost Domain, and as long as it is within the Ghost Domain, the Ghost Envoy cannot be imprisoned or subdued.”

“What if it’s successfully imprisoned during that period?” Li Leping, who sat near Yang Jian, asked.

This question also spoke to what others wanted to know, as they wanted to understand why the Ghost Envoy couldn’t be imprisoned.

“If it is imprisoned, then the Ghost Envoy would reset and begin the next round of attacks, and it could reset a second time, a third time, a fourth time… until everyone within the Ghost Domain was killed. It wouldn’t stop otherwise,” Wang Xiaoming explained to everyone.

Unsolvable suppression, alone meant certain death, impossible to imprison, infinite restarting.

Each characteristic of the ghost that was revealed was like a heavy hammer, pounding heavily on each person’s heart.

It seemed to strangle all hope, leaving nothing but endless fear and despair that could not be resisted.

“Haha, this isn’t a supernatural event, it’s a death mission. Whoever goes dies, and a single person doesn’t even have the chance to embrace death. You’d need to form groups, and if you’re wiped out again, the Ghost Envoy continues to grow, and then there will be no more playing later,” someone shook their head and chuckled bitterly.

A chill ran through many people’s hearts.

What this person said made sense. If group actions still ended in failure, it was unimaginable how the Ghost Envoy would grow.

“Why continue this discussion? It’s impossible to imprison, and it keeps restarting. We can’t handle this at all. Indeed, if we really move on it, it’s a case of whoever goes dies.”

“Although not many have died yet, this event truly qualifies as an S-level supernatural event. To tell the truth, just us here trying to deal with it probably doesn’t stand much of a chance.”

“Right now, I don’t want to think about anything, just want to go home and sleep.”

Indeed.

The terror caused by the Ghost Envoy made everyone uneasy, and a negative, evasive mood spread across the conference table.

No one dared to face such a supernatural event.

Even those who were qualified to be candidates for the team captain plan were not up to the task.

If it can’t be done, it can’t be done. It’s not something that can be achieved by just shouting a few encouraging words and acting recklessly. Without a viable plan, going ahead would mean certain death.

“Quiet down.”

At this moment, Cao Yanhua slapped the table, “I know this event is very difficult, which is why we need to discuss it. Moreover, the Ghost Envoy issue cannot be delayed and must be resolved as soon as possible. If left unattended, the consequences will be catastrophic. Today, the top ghost hunters in our country are here. If we can’t handle it, it means the supernatural events will spiral completely out of control.”

“So, I implore everyone to come up with a plan. Whatever the cost, as long as head office can bear it, it’s worth it.”

He believed that the ghost hunters attending the meeting today must have some secrets, no matter how deeply hidden. But now, the head office had to exert some pressure and make them come forward.

Without solving the Ghost Envoy problem, many things will be meaningless.

Because the Ghost Envoy is in the outskirts of J City.

Once it wanders into the city and a region falls under the shadow of the Ghost Domain, the supernatural incident will be exposed prematurely.

Before many preparations are completed, this absolutely cannot be allowed to happen.

Silence, oppression.

All were silent.

Because they could sense the determination of the head office. If this issue wasn’t resolved, they reckoned nobody would get off lightly.

The Deputy Minister was playing good cop, bad cop.

“Since Deputy Minister, you’ve put it that way, then I’ll speak frankly. My proposal remains the same as before—extract the Coffin Nail embedded in the Hungry Ghost. I’ll lead the team and directly tackle the Ghost Envoy. Didn’t the Hungry Ghost in Dachang City also possess the ability to restart but was still restricted?”

The one to break the silence was Jiang Shangbai, who presented his plan that he firmly believed could succeed.

Hm?

Jiang Shangbai’s words attracted the attention of many.

It turned out there was a feasible plan, which made things much easier.

“The plan indeed has a certain degree of feasibility, but it is a rather risky move. The head office cannot afford the risk of failure,” Cao Yanhua hesitated before speaking gravely.

“This is the best plan we have. If we had listened to me before, then Professor Wang’s action would not have resulted in the loss of several ghost hunters,” Jiang Shangbai said.

Wang Xiaoming heard this, kept silent, and did not retort.

His failed action gave him no right to speak. Although Jiang Shangbai’s plan had flaws, it indeed had a chance of success. He would not comment before a failure occurred.

“Since Jiang Shangbai has a plan, let’s just go ahead with that. It’s better than just sitting here waiting,” someone said carelessly.

“Solving it with special artifacts that have subdued the Hungry Ghost indeed has a possibility of restricting the Ghost Envoy. The success rate is not small, and as long as it is well executed, there’s no worry of the Hungry Ghost getting out of control. I agree with this plan.”

“I have no objections either.”

Many nodded in agreement.

Because they didn’t want to take risks, it was best if someone was willing to step forward.

Yang Jian actually didn’t care too much about how they discussed the plan, for he already had a detainment strategy in his mind, although he didn’t know if it was feasible at the moment.

But when he heard Jiang Shangbai was going to target the Hungry Ghost, he suddenly stood up.

“I disagree,” Yang Jian said firmly and loudly.

“Targeting the Hungry Ghost? You call this a plan? Let’s not talk about whether it will solve the Ghost Envoy issue, even if it could, who’s going to deal with the Hungry Ghost then?”

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