In the rest room.
Yang Jian sat in a chair, munching on exquisite snacks while seriously flipping through the special incidents record book in his hand.
The supernatural events listed were all special cases collated by headquarters; if not impactful, they were mysterious and unknown, and most remained unsolved.
These events were given high priority, and Yang Jian felt it necessary to study them carefully, lest he encounter them one day unaware.
In handling supernatural events, information intelligence was extremely important. For the same supernatural event, a knowledgeable ghost handler could deal with it with ease, while one without information had to proceed with extreme caution and meticulous care, fearing that one wrong decision could lead to death.
Although the special event records didnât reveal much information, they at least provided a warning to prevent basic misjudgments.
At this moment, Liu Xiaoyu, usually far from quiet and serious, was an exception.
She waited very patiently on the sofa for the meeting to begin, not showing the slightest impatience.
Now was a working hour, and Liu Xiaoyu needed to be alert and perform her duties.
However, at this moment, she suddenly produced a cellphone, a work device limited to internal use at headquarters, generally for contacting superiors and colleagues.
A message made Liu Xiaoyu blink in surprise, her expression turning somewhat strange. It was a text from a colleague that read, âCome quick, help me.â
âAsking for my help without considering the timing, the meeting is about to start,â Liu Xiaoyu thought, unsure whether to go.
Eventually, after checking the time and seeing there was over half an hour until the meeting, she decided it should be enough.
Impromptu, she stood up and said, âYang Jian, may I step out for a moment?â
Yang Jian, who had been reading, slightly raised his head and replied, âDo you need to report to me before leaving? Youâre not under my supervision.â
âThen you better not tattle on me,â Liu Xiaoyu flashed a playful smile. âIt would be terrible if someone found me slacking when itâs almost meeting time.â
âDo you think Iâm that bored to tattle on you? Big sister, Iâve been very busy, youâve seen it yourself these past few days,â Yang Jian said, regarding her.
âWhat are you saying? How did I suddenly become âbig sisterâ?â Liu Xiaoyuâs round eyes stared at him.
Indeed, womenâs points of focus could be quite different.
Yang Jian replied, âSome people may look like little girls on the outside, but inside, they are âbig sisters,â and they wonât admit it. Are you younger than me or something?â
âIâm only twentyâŠâ
Liu Xiaoyu instinctively wanted to retort, but then she recalled Yang Jianâs personnel file.
The guy was a bona fide high school senior, only eighteen years old that year. She didnât stand a chance when it came to age.
âNo wonder you donât have a girlfriend.â
Liu Xiaoyu internally criticized, but said out loud, âIâm ignoring you. Iâm off. Donât you wander off and make trouble for me. The meeting starts in half an hour, and Iâll be right back.â
Yang Jian didnât speak; he simply lowered his head and continued reading the record book of supernatural events.
Liu Xiaoyu figured it should be fine and left the rest room.
As she walked, she texted, âWhere are you?â
âRest room number 12,â the response came after a while.
Liu Xiaoyu didnât reply because rest room number 12 was very close; just down a corridor. However, she found it odd. At this time, work shouldnât be too busy, and there shouldnât be anything that needed help.
But since they had asked, she felt it would be rude to refuse.
Soon, Liu Xiaoyu arrived at the door of rest room number 12 and knocked.
The person who opened the door wasnât her colleague but a man.
The man, in his early thirties, was tall and sturdy, with short hair and stubble on his chin. Seeing Liu Xiaoyu, he couldnât help but break into a smile that exuded a bizarre danger, as if a ferocious ghost wore human skinâstartling and making one wish to escape as quickly as possible.
Extreme danger!
This was the first impression most people had upon seeing the man.
âCome in,â the man said, turning back into the rest room after opening the door.
Liu Xiaoyu, her face tense and slightly nervous, walked in. She seldom interacted with other ghost handlers, as her daily tasks focused on Yang Jian.
âSorry, Iâm the operator Liu Xiaoyu. Iâm looking for my colleague; she should be here, right?â
âYes, of course, sheâs inside. Whatever it is, you can go find her,â the man said as he pointed to the bedroom inside, stroking his stubble and speaking with a smile.
Liu Xiaoyu suspiciously approached the bedroom.
But when she got to the bedroom door, she immediately widened her eyes in shock.
Inside the bedroom, a colleague she recognized sat on the bed with a vacant look, showing no sign of resistance.
Whatâs going on? Could it be that her colleague was romantically involved with this man? She hadnât heard anything about it before and was surprised they were in such a mood with a meeting about to startâit certainly hadnât been apparent daily.
Yet as she noticed her colleagueâs blank stare and numb expression, a sense of unease rose in her heart.
âSomethingâs not right; sheâs been influenced by Ghost ShadowâŠâ
A critical piece of information flashed in Liu Xiaoyuâs mind, causing her to exclaim and immediately pick up her phone to send a distress signal.
If her guess was correct, her own situation was also very grave.
However, the next moment, the man suddenly appeared behind Liu Xiaoyu, forcefully grabbing her wrist.
âLet me go.â
Liu Xiaoyu struggled frantically, looking slightly panicked.
The man behind her didnât let go but instead snatched away her phone, preventing her from sending any more distress messages.
âI just wanted to vent on a woman, but I didnât expect my operator to be displeased. Without saying much, she wants to send a distress signal like you. But she was unlucky; she didnât send it to the right person, instead, it went to you. Since youâre here, stay and join me. Thereâs half an hour till the meeting; letâs not waste time,â the manâs smile slowly faded as he spoke.
Grabbing Liu Xiaoyuâs wrist firmly, he pushed her.
With her delicate frame, Liu Xiaoyu couldnât resist at all and was pushed into the bedroom, falling to the floor.
Her eyes wide with anger, she said, âGao Zhiqiang, do you dare to do such things at headquarters? Arenât you afraid of dying?â
Liu Xiaoyu recalled this manâs file; his name was Gao Zhiqiang, codenamed Ghost Conman, recruited to J City for his control over a highly unique ghost.
âLittle girl, what a joke, death? Do you think people like us are still afraid of death?â
Gao Zhiqiang laughed, âAnd I havenât done anything excessive, just slept with you two, right? Besides, you were willing, itâs all personal life matters, headquarters shouldnât have the right to intervene.â
âBah, willing my foot, I advise you to stop now, or you will definitely regret it.â
Liu Xiaoyu was shocked and angry; she couldnât believe Gao Zhiqiang would be so bold as to extend his hand into headquarters.
Although she had heard from colleagues about Gao Zhiqiangâs messy private life before, she had never imagined he would be so utterly shameless.
âIf I say you are willing, then you will be willing. I can even deceive ghosts, do you think you can resist?â
Gao Zhiqiang said with a teasing laugh, âNo matter how much you resist now, in a moment, I guarantee you will obediently listen to me, and you will clearly remember everything that happened. Only, by the time you realize something is wrong, it will probably be ten days later.â
âBy then, the meeting will be over; I might have even left J City. You surely wonât trouble me over regretting having slept with me, right? The impact of that getting out wouldnât be good, and headquarters is even less likely to punish me for this matter. Donât worry, weâre just making friends, I wonât harm you in the slightest.â
Having said that, his gaze heatedly swept over Liu Xiaoyuâs sweet face.
âYouâre a sick pervert.â
Liu Xiaoyu felt a chill and fear at that moment.
This Gao Zhiqiang had indeed used his ghostâs abilities to influence her colleagues; otherwise, they wouldnât have allowed him to manipulate them.
And now, he planned to influence her too.
If she were truly affected by the Ghost Shadow, then Liu Xiaoyu had no doubt that what Gao Zhiqiang had just said would come trueâshe would be under his control⊠and by the time she realized something was amiss, many days would have already passed.
This had nothing to do with personal will; the abilities of ghosts were simply inexplicable to ordinary people.
âThe more you curse now, the less you will later.â
Gao Zhiqiangâs smile emerged, its falseness sending shivers down oneâs spine.
Liu Xiaoyu could not tolerate such things happening; she was extremely terrified and seized the moment Gao Zhiqiang spoke to suddenly stand up, rushing out of the bedroom while calling out loudly for help, âHelpâŠâ
But before the words could emerge, she had only managed to stand and take one step forward when she froze in place.
The light in her eyes gradually faded, and her gaze grew dull. The fright on her face quickly dissipated, becoming numb just like her colleagueâs expression next to her.
âNow close the door nicely for me,â Gao Zhiqiang ordered, a playful smile on his lips.
Liu Xiaoyu lost any will to resist and did as he said, closing the door to the room as he had directed.
âYou sit over there,â Gao Zhiqiang pointed to another female colleague.
She too blankly did as told.
Gao Zhiqiang checked the time, his eyes flickering as he said, âNow, there should be no one to disturb me, after all, the signals are blocked. Itâs a shame I donât have much time after the delay, only twenty minutes left before I need to attend a meeting. Heh, that operator always had such a cold tone, it really got on my nerves. Today, she finally fell into my hands; Iâve waited a long time for this day.â
He didnât just enjoy toying with women for simplicityâs sake, there was more of a vengeful mindset behind it.
He had had enough of the attitude that he, a telephone operator, had to put up with every day.
A woman who understood nothing, commanding him, a ghost master, for what reason?
Therefore, Gao Zhiqiang felt it necessary to take back what was his today.
As for this young girl who came later, she was like a bonus item.
âBy the way, what was the name of this beauty just now? Iâve forgotten it all of a sudden, though I remembered a moment ago.â Gao Zhiqiang sat on the edge of the bed, hesitating as he was about to make his move, as though trying to recall her name.
Without a name, it seemed too impersonal, like she was a stranger.
âLiu Xiaoyu, her name is Liu Xiaoyu,â a voice reminded.
âOh, right, right, right, her name is Liu XiaoyuâŠâ Gao Zhiqiang suddenly realized.
The next moment.
He came to his senses, his body stiffened, then he sprung up like a spring, looking warily in the direction from whence the voice had come.
âWhoâs there? Come out!â
âI am your long-lost father. You may not recognize me, but that doesnât stop you from calling me âDadâ in a moment,â the voice said from a corner of the room.
The corner was rather dim, but in the next instant, it was lit up with a red glow.
A person walked out from that corner slowly, and the spot in the corner was evidently too small for a person to stand, thus the man appeared as if he walked right out of the wall, in an unreasonably eerie manner.
Ghost Domain?
Gao Zhiqiangâs pupils contracted at the sight, realizing the situation was not good. There were too many formidable people at the headquarters, especially during the meetings, and heaven knew which one might have inadvertently discovered his doings.
Yang Jian appeared in the room, looking calmly at Liu Xiaoyu who lay on the bed. However, at the moment, Liu Xiaoyu looked dull and apathetic, like a doll, docile and devoid of any will of her own.
As for the woman beside her, he ignored her completely.
A stranger Yang Jian was not inclined to pay attention to.
âWho are you? Why are you here?â Gao Zhiqiang frowned and asked warily.
He did not recognize Yang Jian. Perhaps he had seen Yang Jianâs file before but had not identified him immediately.
âWho I am? Didnât I already tell you? As for why Iâm here? I have a bad habit, which is that when I have one eye too many, I like to look around. I sensed someone using the power of ghosts, so out of curiosity I took a look; I didnât expect to see such a terrible scene. But donât you think what you are doing is a bit excessive?â
Yang Jian withdrew his gaze and asked, looking at him.
Gao Zhiqiang cast a glance and then said, âJust making a friend, thatâs all. This matter shouldnât concern you. Youâd better mind your own business, or youâd just be troubling yourself.â
Yang Jian didnât speak, but a scarlet ghost eye on his forehead kept staring intently at the man.
Killing him here at headquarters, that wouldnât have any repercussions, would it?
His mind was calculating this matter, not considering joining Gao Zhiqiang in his corruption.
Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com
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