Chapter 612 03-25 - Chapter 612: 609

Chapter 612: 609

Yang Jian had departed from Ping’an Tower and returned after what seemed a long time, but in actuality, it was only a few hours. This was because he encountered some urgently peculiar situations at Caesar Hotel in that strange place. If not for these special circumstances, he would not have wasted so much time.

The curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box echoed in his mind like a death knell.

Yang Jian now cherished every minute because only by doing so would he have more time to solve this curse after dealing with Fang Shiming.

Before that.

Back at headquarters.

Since Yang Jian left, the Ghost Domain that enveloped the city dissolved as well, and the crisis seemed to subside a considerable amount with the confirmation that Yang Jian was not followed by any revived fierce ghosts, allowing many to breathe a sigh of relief.

…

But correspondingly, some severe problems still persisted.

“The situation roughly went like this: all his friends from the circle are gone, Yang Jian and Fang Shiming fought on the top floor of Ping’an Tower, and as you know, it ended in a draw. Yang Jian didn’t have the ability to kill Fang Shiming, Fang Shiming was in too poor a condition, on the verge of transforming into a fierce ghost, and not wanting to be dragged to death by Yang Jian, he chose to flee,” said Cao Yang.

Inside the conference room, Cao Yang summarized the previous events.

Wang Xiaoming was in charge of this operation, with several other group leaders coordinating.

“However, it seems Yang Jian has no intention of letting Fang Shiming off. Although he left the city, I feel Yang Jian has gone to prepare for something. The next attack will probably come very soon. After all, everyone is more or less familiar with Yang Jian’s character. Once he decides to kill someone, I reckon nobody can stop him,” Cao Yang paused as he spoke, looking towards Wang Xiaoming.

Wang Xiaoming’s brother had been killed by Yang Jian in just such a manner; nobody could persuade him, and no deals or compromises mattered to Yang Jian.

He was a stubborn young man, a pure and straightforward young fellow.

Wang Xiaoming’s expression was calm, seemingly unconcerned about that matter, and he said, “Your speculation is quite accurate. If nothing goes wrong, Yang Jian will return to the city to search for Fang Shiming before dawn.”

At this point, he paused: “Can you locate Fang Shiming?”

He was neither a ghost controller nor an intelligence agent; he couldn’t track people.

“Do you want the struggle between Fang Shiming and Yang Jian to continue?” Cao Yang asked, taken aback.

Wang Xiaoming said, “Wrong, it’s to end it. Only by ending this struggle in advance can we minimize the losses. If possible, I hope Fang Shiming is the one who dies, as we might still have use for Yang Jian.”

Cao Yang understood his meaning. The longer the conflict between the two dragged on, the greater the impact it would cause. And now that neither party would rest until the other was dead, only the complete death of one side would signify the end of this affair… after all, the lingering threat of the ghost painting was still lurking in the city, unknown when it might erupt again.

“I’ll try my best to find him, but there’s no guarantee. If he’s determined to hide, no one will be able to find him,” he shrugged, indicating he’d do what he could.

Fang Shiming had already left the city.

He traveled to a small town not far from the city, where he had set up a temporary safe haven. As the president of the circle, it was impossible to keep all of his possessions in one place; the idea that cunning hares have three burrows is well understood by everyone.

In the basement of an inconspicuous bungalow.

Fang Shiming, emaciated with his skin stretched over his bones, appeared here. He was in bad shape, and it was lucky he left in time; otherwise, he indeed would have died from the fierce ghost’s revival. But now, he estimated that it would not be long before that happened, not sure if he could last another fifteen days.

“I need to prepare in advance. After sorting out some matters in the next few days, I need to take that paranormal bus. That Yang Jian is simply a madman. If not for him, I wouldn’t take such risks; that bus is too dangerous, once on board, whether you can come back alive is an uncertainty,” said Fang Shiming as he sat on the sofa, his bloodshot eyes slightly moving as if contemplating something.

A moment later, he picked up a phone and made a video call.

Most of the key members of the Friend Circle had been wiped out by Yang Jian, but he knew one person hadn’t died yet.

Soon, the connection was successful.

“It’s me, Fang Shiming. Where are you right now, He Tianxiong?” Fang Shiming’s voice was hoarse and strange, making it uncomfortable for the listener.

“President Fang?” He Tianxiong sounded somewhat surprised on the other end, “Why have you suddenly become like this out of the blue? I heard that something terrible happened at Ping’an Tower. I’m sorry to hear that. Right now I’m on a plane flying abroad. There’s some business I need to deal with there, so I have to make the trip.”

Fang Shiming said, “Cut the nonsense. I might have to leave for a while, so I’m entrusting the company to you.”

“No, no, I’m not capable of managing the company,” He Tianxiong hurriedly declined. Taking over the Friend Circle now would be like seeking death, wouldn’t it? He didn’t want to be the scapegoat.

“I know you’re wary of Yang Jian. I fought with him earlier, and some people died. I’m indeed in a bad state, but Yang Jian won’t live much longer… You’ll soon receive news of Yang Jian’s death,” Fang Shiming said.

He was sure his judgment wasn’t wrong; Yang Jian in that state definitely couldn’t last long and would die a violent death soon.

“Heh heh.”

Unable to contain himself, He Tianxiong laughed upon hearing this.

Fang Shiming immediately asked coldly, “What are you laughing at?”

Whether Yang Jian could live long, he didn’t know, but looking at it now, it seemed Fang Shiming himself might not live much longer, right?

Of course, He Tianxiong wouldn’t speak his mind; he just laughed and said, “I’m laughing at how incompetent the headquarters are, and how pitiable Yang Jian is. No matter how hard he worked, what’s the use? He still has no way to deal with us. Rest assured, President Fang, as long as Yang Jian is truly dead, I’ll definitely help take good care of the company.”

“But if Yang Jian is still alive, then I’m powerless to help. This guy is a madman; he wants to fight on sight. I don’t want to provoke him, and I can’t beat him. He’s seen my files and completely counters me; I almost died at his hands.”

Fang Shiming frowned slightly then said, “Then do as you say. If Yang Jian dies, you take over the company and maintain its normal operations. If you don’t manage well, you should know the consequences.”

He Tianxiong’s smile gradually stiffened on his face.

This certainly wasn’t an easy job. Could the Friend Circle even still be called that now? It had practically become an Orphans Circle; whether it could stand its ground in this city was questionable.

“I’ll do my best,” He Tianxiong could only agree, bracing himself.

If he didn’t agree, he probably would be killed immediately, after all, Fang Shiming had the capacity to do so.

At this moment.

Yang Jian had returned to Ping’an Tower once again.

The Ghost Domain appeared, and the entire Ping’an Tower was within its coverage.

He was now not stingy with using the power of malevolent spirits; from the moment the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box began, his Ghost Domain had never stopped.

“Yang Jian has returned.”

Li Jun, who was investigating anomalies inside Ping’an Tower, saw the surroundings covered by red light again and his expression subtly changed.

“Indeed, he’s here in this building now, but we probably won’t find him. His Ghost Domain is more peculiar than imagined,” said Su Fan beside him. “The captain could give him a call.”

“It’s no use, he didn’t bring a satellite-tracked phone with him. He left that phone on the street from before.”

Li Jun had already received the news: Guo Fan and Zong Shan had retrieved Yang Jian’s phone and brought it back to headquarters.

“However, Yang Jian must have also noticed us, but the fact that he hasn’t shown up means he doesn’t want to deal with us… Let’s all take a break; there’s no need to wander around Yang Jian’s Ghost Domain. I’ll contact Professor Wang to see how things are arranged on his end.”

The first thing Yang Jian did upon returning to Ping’an Tower was to check the surveillance footage; he needed to confirm where Fang Shiming had appeared.

The previous struggle with Fang Shiming had taken place within the Ghost Domain, so the act of stepping footprints was impossible.

Soon, Yang Jian saw that Fang Shiming had visited an office. That office had no surveillance, and he had no idea what Fang Shiming had done there.

But that didn’t matter. It was enough to determine the traces he had left behind.

Yang Jian arrived in front of the door to that office.

He pushed the door open, and everything inside came into view.

The setup was simple: a desk, a chair, and a simple bookshelf behind it.

But on this table, Yang Jian saw two photographs.

“These are my photos,” Yang Jian said as he picked up the photographs, his expression changing slightly.

The photos were full-body shots taken when he was in high school, with his name written on them. But now, these two photographs had been cut in half by something.

“This is the work of… Ghost Scissors.”

Yang Jian immediately made this judgment because the marks where the photos had been cut were very familiar to him—one photo showed his neck cut off, the other his head.

And these were the exact wounds he had experienced during the mysterious attacks he had suffered while walking on the street before.

“Photos are the medium, the trigger for the Ghost Scissors’ killing pattern. When the Ghost Scissors cut the photos, they triggered some curse that made me suffer the same attacks as in the photos. However… a mere photo doesn’t seem to trigger the killing pattern precisely. After all, there are people in the world who look quite similar, so my name was needed.”

“A name and a photo together can almost 100% lock in a person’s identity for an exact strike.”

With a gloomy expression, Yang Jian repeatedly examined the two photos and became even more convinced that this was how he had been attacked.

No wonder there had been no forewarning.

These Ghost Scissors and the Firewood Knife he now held were very much the same kind of thing.

“So if I change my name and appearance, maybe I can escape this curse?” Yang Jian speculated: “Changing my name or appearance is not difficult for me. If such a method could break the attack of the Ghost Scissors, it would be worth trying.”

But this was just an analysis.

He didn’t rush to act on it. Now, he sat in the chair that Fang Shiming had previously sat on and took out the box containing the ominous Firewood Knife.

“This is Fang Shiming’s private office; this spot where I’m sitting must have Fang Shiming’s footprints.” Yang Jian’s gaze shifted as he picked up the rusty Firewood Knife again.

“To cover footprints, you don’t actually need to use your own feet; just making contact with the medium is enough. I was attacked when I used the Ghost Hand on that tall, rotting corpse, which shows that indirect contact works as well.”

Thinking of this, a dark shadow started to emerge under his feet.

Ghost Shadow was almost completely reassembled at this point, and he could control it. The Ghost Shadow under Yang Jian’s feet now spread out like a pool of thick ink, starting to cover the area.

Indirect covering using the Ghost Shadow was a more reliable method.

Anyone who had been to this office couldn’t escape Yang Jian’s attack.

As the Ghost Shadow spread, Yang Jian, who was holding the eerie Firewood Knife, began to see several figures appear around him. Among these figures were construction workers, decorators, cleaning ladies, company employees, and he even saw the figure of the deceased Li Yao here.

All these people had left their footprints here before, and now, due to the medium, they appeared before Yang Jian.

Apart from these figures, Yang Jian also saw Fang Shiming.

Fang Shiming stood motionless in front of him, like an image.

“With Ghost Shadow combined with this Firewood Knife, it’s easy to trigger this medium, no need to stomp around or touch prints randomly; just covering the ground with Ghost Shadow is enough,” said Yang Jian, his expression shifting as he thought of the tall, rotting corpse.

The Ghost Shadow and the Firewood Knife both formerly belonged to that ghost, no wonder they complemented each other so well.

At the same time, he also felt fortunate that for some reason the tall, rotting corpse had chopped off its own Ghost Shadow; otherwise, if the Ghost Shadow had spread, everyone who passed through the corridor would have died, leaving no chance for survival.

“Now doesn’t seem like the time to think of this, it’s time to send Fang Shiming off,” Yang Jian said to himself.

He stood up and lifted the rusty Firewood Knife in his hand.

So what if using one more quota for suppressing ghosts to counter the curse? In his eyes, it was worth it.

He swung the knife in an instant.

The bizarre Firewood Knife chopped down on Fang Shiming’s shadow, cutting him clean in half from head to toe.

Yang Jian didn’t want to sever his head or body, since that might not kill him effectively, given that some ghost controllers are not so easy to kill. So he struck with extra force.

After the stroke, the curse of the Firewood Knife erupted.

An even larger section of blackness faded from Yang Jian’s arm. He only had the quota to suppress one more ghost left. Even if he resolved the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box, his condition would be worse than before.

At that moment.

In a basement of a small house near the city in a rural area.

Fang Shiming sat on the sofa, reviewing some documents and coordinating with people, making arrangements.

Suddenly.

Fang Shiming stiffened completely, then a bizarre crack appeared on his body.

In the next moment, blood splattered, and he was split in half by something.

Not only he but also the corpse lying behind him was split in half at that moment.

Both man and ghost were cleaved apart.

“Thump!”

Fang Shiming’s body dropped heavily to the ground; his eyes were wide open, as if he hadn’t died immediately, his expression one of utter shock.

“What’s going on, the Ghost Scissors were clearly in my hand…”

He suspected he had been attacked by the Ghost Scissors, but before he could dwell on the thought, his consciousness faded.

Although Fang Shiming had some emergency measures available, such an attack was too strange to predict, leaving him no time to react, much like what Yang Jian had previously experienced.

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