Chapter 518 - Chapter 518: Chapter 515: The Mysterious Eight-Tone Music Box

Chapter 518: Chapter 515: The Mysterious Eight-Tone Music Box

“The plan is set, and the list of participants for this incident is mostly confirmed. If nothing unexpected happens, we will start the operation at nine o’clock tonight, aiming to resolve the Ghost Envoy incident before dawn tomorrow.”

In the headquarters’ meeting room.

Cao Yanhua, Wang Xiaoming, Shen Liang, and other key personnel held a small meeting.

The content of the meeting was simple: to refine the plan according to previous proposals and strive to solve the ghastly spirit codenamed Ghost Envoy.

The headquarters could not continue to allow the ghosts that escaped from the Ghost Coffin in Dachang City to wander near J City.

This operation was highly covert, with the entire plan being top secret. The list of participants was not disclosed to the public; even a spirit handler of Yang Jian’s caliber wouldn’t be notified unless chosen by headquarters as one of the participants.

…

However, it was clear that Yang Jian was not among those selected for the operation.

“Alright, if there are no other questions, the meeting is adjourned. Get ready for your tasks,” Cao Yanhua felt the issues had been thoroughly discussed and thus disbanded the meeting.

The others had somber expressions, remaining silent as they gathered their things and immediately left the meeting room to begin their actions.

A moment later.

Liu Xiaoyu came to the meeting room, found Vice Minister Cao Yanhua, who hadn’t left, and reported Yang Jian’s earlier situation.

“Oh, Yang Jian made his choice so soon?” Cao Yanhua wasn’t surprised after listening to Liu Xiaoyu’s report, just somewhat taken aback.

The surprise was because Yang Jian had actually chosen the Eight-Tone Music Box.

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This did not match his prior judgment of Yang Jian; he thought Yang Jian would reject the Music Box as his first choice and that the likelihood of choosing the Ghost Camera would be higher. After all, Yang Jian had always approached handling supernatural incidents with a strong gambling nature, and the Ghost Camera was more in line with the bold and reckless nature of this hot-headed youth.

“Did he say anything else?”

Liu Xiaoyu said, “Yang Jian asked the Vice Minister to hurry…”

“Alright, I am aware of this matter.”

After thinking it over, Cao Yanhua decided to settle Yang Jian’s request first, given the delicate situation. It was better to be on good terms with Yang Jian just in case something went wrong with the upcoming operation. At least they could count on Yang Jian to rescue people and minimize losses and casualties among the spirit handlers.

Checking the time, he felt there was enough time and immediately set into action.

Two red Ghost Candles, one white Ghost Candle, a securely packaged Eight-Tone Music Box, and a scapegoat doll.

For any spirit handler, these items were extremely precious resources, some even at the strategic level and would not be used unless absolutely necessary. Combined, even if they ended up in the hands of an ordinary person, they could easily survive a supernatural incident safely, let alone in the hands of a top spirit handler like Yang Jian.

Of course, this was a big expenditure for Cao Yanhua.

If it weren’t for the fact that Yang Jian had resolved the S-level supernatural incident in Dachang City and saved a group of important spirit handlers, including Wang Xiaoming, from the Ghost Envoy incident, thereby contributing greatly, Cao Yanhua would never have valued him so highly.

Not to mention, it had been him who had just dealt with Gao Zhiqiang’s defection at headquarters; if it were anyone else, they would have faced severe punishment long ago, not just a few verbal chastisements and a fine.

Soon.

He sent a staff member to secretly and quickly deliver these items to Yang Jian’s location at the Ping’an Hotel.

Around eight o’clock.

A suitcase was brought into Yang Jian’s hotel room by a staff member from headquarters.

“This is something the Minister has sent for you; please sign for it,” the staff member said.

“Cao Yanhua sure moves fast; it’s a bit out of character for him,” Yang Jian was surprised to see the items arrive so quickly, his eyes flickered, and then he smiled and said, “There must be a problem at headquarters, that’s why they settled my matter so quickly. They’re afraid to delay it and have me misunderstand.”

“The Ghost Envoy incident must be the matter troubling headquarters, and the operation is about to start… perhaps they’re making their move tonight.”

With that, he looked out the window.

That was in the direction of the laboratory; through the city skyline, Yang Jian could see several helicopters already heading that way.

Although inconspicuous,

his intuition told him that headquarters was mobilizing resources for the operation.

The staff member now had a trace of cold sweat on his forehead: “I don’t know about that; all this is confidential, and I am not authorized to know.”

“The situation can be kept secret, but the action can’t,” Yang Jian smiled, “You can go now. If there is anything, have Cao Yanhua call me.”

At this moment, fulfilling his request also suggested that Cao Yanhua was extending an olive branch.

This operation was definitely very dangerous, and should there be an accident, like some getting trapped in the Ghost Domain as before, they might need to call on him to retrieve them. At this crucial juncture, Yang Jian believed that regardless of the demands he made, Cao Yanhua would agree, as long as they weren’t excessive.

After all, in Cao Yanhua’s view, the bigger picture was the most important; many smaller issues could be tolerated.

After sending away the staff member,

Yang Jian looked at the Ghost Candles and scapegoat doll in front of him, verified their authenticity, and then left them aside, finally turning his attention to a golden box.

The box was very well sealed, even sporting warning slogans like “Dangerous, do not touch.”

“This must be the eerie and terrifying Eight-Tone Music Box that Cao Yanhua mentioned, capable of keeping the person holding it from being killed by vengeful spirits… but afterward, they would suffer from a terrible curse,” Yang Jian pondered briefly before carefully opening the golden box.

Inside was a small square wooden box.

Its appearance was ordinary and somewhat worn, with patches of red paint flaking off the wooden exterior as if it had been used for a very long time, and a faint stench of decay wafting out.

Yang Jian’s nose twitched, his gaze sharpening, “This is the smell of a corpse.”

The scent made him suspect that the Eight-Tone Music Box might contain part of a cadaver, but what caught his attention was that the material of the music box seemed oddly familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.

Right, the Ghost Cabinet.

The red-painted wooden exterior, it was nearly identical to the material of the Ghost Cabinet.

“A product of the same era, or a terrifying toy created by a ghost master from the past using imprisoned vengeful spirits?” Yang Jian mused.

He dared not open the music box, as according to Cao Yanhua, once it was opened, it would continue to play a sequence of chimes. The dreadful curse of the vengeful spirit would then start to spread, and it could only be used at the most critical moment. On an ordinary day, anyone who listened would die, but if one was targeted by a vengeful spirit, the cursed music could ensure their safety.

Though it was temporary, it could at least save lives.

Thinking about the previous users who had all died due to the curse without exception, Yang Jian was very wary of it.

Yet he still chose this object.

Not for anything else, but for the sake of having a last-ditch effort in a critical moment.

“Hope this thing only serves as a last resort and never needs to be used,” he thought to himself.

Not sure if it was an illusion, but just by looking at the Eight-Tone Music Box, without even opening it, a chilling presence seemed to be hovering around. At first, it wasn’t very noticeable, but it became increasingly clear over time. It wasn’t just around him, this cold presence seemed to be right beside him.

Lingering, as if a ghost was about to appear.

“Sss sss~!”

Yang Jian saw the lights flickering at that moment, a sign of the circuits being affected by a strange force, and it seemed like the light in the vicinity was also dimming.

The tightly closed Eight-Tone Music Box suddenly began to tremble slightly, as if it was about to open on its own without any deliberate action.

Yang Jian’s expression darkened, and he immediately closed the golden box, sealing it shut.

Immediately.

The chilling presence vanished, the dimmed light returned to normal, and the disrupted circuit stopped making hissing noises.

“Wicked thing, already displaying abnormalities without being used; one can hardly imagine how terrifying it would be to actually use it. Indeed, objects that can save lives are not as good as one might think,” Yang Jian felt uneasy.

Because he thought that the eeriness of this item could match that of the Ghost Mirror.

And at that very moment.

A team of special personnel was now approaching a valley near the suburban experiment base.

The quietness nearby was somewhat terrifying, with not even the sound of insects at night, only the occasional cold wind blowing over the treetops making a rustling sound. This wind carried a mysteriously cold chill and a faint, nearly imperceptible stench of decay.

Drones flitted overhead, evidence that the operation was underway.

But ordinary people had very little to contribute to the operation; the most they could offer was support with information.

“So it was Yang Jian who trapped the Ghost Envoy in this valley?” the group paused in their steps.

Lights shone overhead.

The valley ahead was pitch black, like a huge black coffin laid out on the ground, only hidden by earthen hillocks from the eyes of outsiders.

“It’s not Yang Jian who trapped the Ghost Envoy here; rather, it’s that the Ghost Envoy has momentarily stopped here after losing its target. This ghost doesn’t seem one with a strong propensity to spread, as can be seen from the files on the Huanggang Village incident. The catch is that we must prevent this thing from being lured into the city, otherwise…”

Someone analyzed the situation and voiced the most frightening consequence.

This consequence was also the headquarters’ greatest concern; if it entered the city, it would be an utterly horrifying threat capable of easily decimating an entire city.

More unsolvable than the Hungry Ghost incident.

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be sufficient to just let it stay here indefinitely, why bother with it?” someone frowned, feeling that the endeavor was unnecessary.

“Are you at ease with something like this near your doorstep?”

“Everyone quiet down, we wait for news from that Liu guy,” they quickly fell silent, standing in the dim light by the side of the road, waiting for the message from the other side.

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