Chapter 628 - Chapter 628: Chapter 625 Noise on the Stairs

Chapter 628: Chapter 625 Noise on the Stairs

Dachang City, ghost-eyed Yang Jian?

Upon hearing such a sentence, Li Yang was stunned, because these few words revealed far too much information. It not only indicated that many people outside were aware of the paranormal events, but also that there were organizations, and specifically special individuals, dealing with such matters.

No wonder Yang Jian had said earlier that times had changed.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you guys to be able to give me any useful information,” Yang Jian looked at them and said, “I was just trying to give you a chance to survive.”

“If you can seize this opportunity, you should be able to leave here alive with me. If you hadn’t followed just now, then you would have given up the chance to save yourselves. Now it seems you haven’t been foolish to that extent, knowing to grab the opportunity.”

“Perhaps the reason you are still alive and haven’t been killed by ghosts is this very reason.”

As Li Yang listened to this, his haggard face slightly shifted. He had encountered many people in his life, but never someone as special and unusual as the one before him.

It was a unique charisma.

Even though most of the time it was easy to feel repulsed, those who felt the repulsion didn’t realize that this man named Yang Jian was no longer on the same level as them.

“Are you looking for ghosts? Are you here to deal with that thing?” Li Yang’s gaze flickered uneasily.

“We’ll talk about the ghosts in this area first, maybe it’s the Source Ghost,” Yang Jian said.

The initial outbreak of the Ghost Painting incident started here.

Therefore, this city could very likely be where the source of the Ghost Painting was located.

“I will try my best to help you,” Li Yang finished speaking and started communicating with the foreigner named Jimmy in English.

“Listen, Jimmy, this Mister Yang here is here to deal with that thing. We need to help him find it, it’s our way to survive. You encountered that thing last time, so you should know its approximate location. Now you have to recall it.”

Jimmy looked terrified, speaking and gesticulating rapidly and in a disordered manner.

Yang Jian, who was quite poor in academics, could understand a few simple words, but most of the sentences were incomprehensible to him.

Li Yang, who often traveled abroad, obviously had a high level of proficiency in foreign languages. After listening, he nodded and then said, “Mister Yang, over there. Jimmy says he saw the ghost there last time he was out, but it’s very dangerous. We usually avoid that area.”

“Then lead the way,” Yang Jian said, “The scenery here can change, so just pointing in a direction isn’t very helpful.”

Li Yang nodded, agreeing to take the risky lead.

Immediately, the three of them advanced deeper into the deathly silent city.

All around them, the silence was terrifying, and only the echo of their footsteps reverberated through the empty streets. Apart from Yang Jian, who remained very calm, Li Yang and the Jimmy beside him were glancing around with frightened, wary eyes, alert to any movement in their vicinity.

This cautious and suspicious demeanor had almost become an instinctual part of surviving.

Among the many survivors, to live meant either to withstand the pressure and grow, or to be killed by ghosts. It was a cruel selection.

“This puzzle is huge.”

Yang Jian observed the architectural style surrounding him, which still had not changed, indicating that he was still within a different Ghost Painting, and the background of this painting was even more intact than the previous one.

The more intact it was, the larger the Ghost Domain.

Similarly, the higher the level of danger it represented.

“It’s just you guys alive here? There are no other survivors?” Yang Jian inquired.

Li Yang was startled by Yang Jian’s sudden question. He immediately said, “We used to see other people, don’t know if it was a month ago, or two, but afterwards we lost track. We don’t dare to wander, because as soon as we encounter a ghost, we’re doomed, so we rarely have contact with others. But I’m certain, there’s no one else within these several streets nearby.”

“The Ghost Painting’s killing efficiency isn’t very high; the rules for murder are quite harsh and not so easily triggered,” Yang Jian’s expression shifted slightly.

If it followed the efficiency of the Hungry Ghost, it wouldn’t be possible for people to still be alive in this city, let alone living here for half a year.

The truly terrifying aspect of the Ghost Painting lay in its wide-ranging Ghost Domain.

And the Ghost Domain can keep expanding.

As long as the background puzzle of the Ghost Painting becomes more complete, the range affected by the Ghost Shadow grows larger.

In terms of the degree of harm, the Ghost Painting has far exceeded the Hungry Ghost, yet it isn’t as difficult to deal with, which is good news for exorcists.

“Haven’t we arrived yet?”

After walking for a while, Yang Jian asked.

Li Yang asked Jimmy again, who pointed in terrified urgency at a building ahead.

“He says he saw the ghost standing there at the entrance of that building last time, a woman dressed in red.”

“And then?” Yang Jian pushed on.

Li Yang replied, “He chose to run away at that time.”

Yang Jian arrived at the front of that building, an overseas residential building with a narrow entrance leading to a gloomy corridor stretching into the house. One could faintly make out the dim stairwell spiraling and connecting the floors above and below.

“Definitely not a good place.”

He glanced around, his eyes shifting. The building’s complicated environment could possibly hide anything.

He checked the time.

Two and a half days left until the curse, so there was still time to act.

“I need to find that ghost, and you guys have to come with me,” Yang Jian said in a harsh tone.

He was unable to open his ghost eye, facing significant restrictions, and needed several pairs of eyes to search within this complex environment.

“This…” Li Yang hesitated, as he was scared.

During the time he had been trapped here, he had witnessed too many horrifying scenes. The fact that he was still alive was mostly due to luck. If he were to enter this house now, there was a high probability that he would die here.

“I haven’t threatened or forced you. This is a fair trade. If you want to leave this place, you have to risk your life. Even I am the same. Don’t think I’m not worried about dying here,” Yang Jian stated earnestly.

To some extent, he was not much stronger than an ordinary person here—the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box and the abilities of a ghost controller were not all-powerful.

What could happen after real contact with a ghost was anyone’s guess.

Li Yang’s face changed, and he discussed the current situation with the black youth, Jimmy, standing beside him.

Jimmy shook his head like a pellet drum and rapidly shouted “NO,” vehemently refusing the task with palpable fright.

“Make up your mind,” Yang Jian said without further questioning, and walked straight into the building.

The narrow corridor was dim and oppressive.

A cold, damp breath hit his face.

Yang Jian’s expression remained unchanged as he looked from side to side, following the corridor to an old wooden staircase.

It was evident that the house had some years on it and hadn’t been renovated, looking particularly rundown. In foreign countries, such a place was definitely rented to families with poor conditions or to working-class individuals. People with slightly better conditions wouldn’t choose to live in such a place, as it would be hard for the average person to endure.

The world of the Ghost Domain was not real; it was replicated according to reality.

However, the painting by ghosts was quite unique. The Ghost Domain could influence reality, so everything here seemed extremely real. No, in this place, this was the reality.

“Creak.”

Yang Jian stepped on the staircase, and the wooden stairs emitted a grating sound that echoed up and down the floors, eerily and ominously.

“The ghost within this puzzle is the Source Ghost. As long as I find that ghost, it’s enough. There’s no need for a frontal confrontation or to restrict and detain it, which makes it much easier for me.”

He confirmed his plan ahead of time to avoid losing perspective later.

“Yang Jian, wait up. I agree to take the risk with you, and I hope you’ll keep your promise when the time comes.”

As Yang Jian reached the second floor, Li Yang’s voice came from downstairs. He seemed to have persuaded himself and the black youth named Jimmy, rushing over with a particularly uneasy expression.

“Are you doubting my trustworthiness? I have never broken a deal,” Yang Jian rarely praised one of his own virtues.

But this was no joke; he indeed was a man of his word.

Regardless of which paranormal event he dealt with, whatever he promised, he fulfilled. That was one of the reasons Cao Yanhua would always pull him into action at critical moments.

It was already rare for an ordinary person to be trustworthy, let alone a ghost controller.

“I have no choice but to trust you, and so does Jimmy. This isn’t just about the lives of the two of us; it’s also about whether others can survive,” Li Yang said through clenched teeth.

By his side, Jimmy walked over, closing his eyes and making signs over his chest—not sketching a Guo Fucheng, but praying.

The two of them ascended the wooden staircase, and the creaking sound resonated in the cramped environment.

“Stop for a moment,” Yang Jian suddenly changed his expression and signaled them to halt.

Li Yang was taken aback and hurriedly pulled Jimmy to stop against the wall.

At that moment, the creaking sound came from above their heads, as if someone was walking down the wooden staircase. But soon, the sound ceased, as if footsteps had stopped at some spot upstairs.

“It’s not an echo,” Yang Jian narrowed his eyes and looked up.

From this angle, nothing was clear, shrouded in darkness, and it was even uncertain on which floor the footsteps had been.

Li Yang also realized something was amiss and his face turned pale, realizing that there could be a real ghost in the building.

Because he had confirmed it sometime before.

There was no one around.

“Don’t move; I need to assess the situation,” Yang Jian’s gaze flickered as he deliberately stepped on a stair tread.

The wooden floor made a creaking noise.

But then, a creak also came from above, as if responding, or as though a ghost was descending the stairs.

“Something is off with these stairs,” Yang Jian’s heart chilled.

It couldn’t possibly be a person upstairs, because people don’t walk in sync with their own footsteps—only a ghost could.

An unknown ghost was lingering on the old, wooden staircase, moving with those who navigated the stairs.

In other words, the moment Yang Jian stepped on the staircase, he had already alarmed the ghost above.

The ghost was coming downstairs.

And they needed to go up.

Under these circumstances, there was certain to be a moment when the ghost and the humans would meet on the stairs.

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