Ghost Handler Headquarters.
After finishing the work on his hands, Fu Youhua sat down in his chair, looking exhausted. The ghost brought back from Linjiang City, originally codenamed [Unforeseen Calamity], had officially been renamed [Hysteria Ghost] not long ago.
It was not particularly terrifying, but it was extremely troublesome, and its true source could not be found. Like an infectious disease that could not be eradicated, it would flare up from time to time, displaying different symptoms on each occasion—obsessive-compulsive disorder, mania, amnesia, and so on had all been recorded.
This time it was persecutory delusions. Fortunately, it had been discovered and dealt with promptly, before it could spread widely.
Hu Jiu had successfully contained the ghost in so little time. He was even stronger than Fu Youhua had anticipated. Headquarters needed to revise its strategy for dealing with him and warn the research department not to act rashly.
The thought alone gave Fu Youhua a headache. As a leader, he hated things that slipped out of his control.
Most Ghost Tamers were arrogant and overbearing, but their behavior was predictable and logical. Headquarters' analyses of their personality models were not just for show; in negotiations or confrontations, Headquarters could easily gauge their mindset.
But in a forest big enough, there were all kinds of birds.
There were always a few exceptions who often refused to play by the rules, leaving others unable to figure them out. Hu Jiu was one of them. Ever since becoming a Ghost Tamer, he had been shrouded in mystery.
When Fu Youhua asked Hu Jiu for the Hysteria Ghost, he had been prepared for Hu Jiu to demand compensation. After all, Headquarters had withheld information from him. Yet Hu Jiu had said nothing and obediently handed over the Fierce Ghost, only to inexplicably request a compilation of information on supernatural incidents across the country afterward.
That was highly unusual.
And then there was Beifeng Commune, which gave Fu Youhua an even bigger headache. Why did that organization seem to be everywhere?
A sudden knock came at the office door. Fu Youhua sat up straight. "Come in."
His secretary hurried in. "Director, we found Zou Cong!"
"What!" Fu Youhua perked up at once. He took the document from his secretary, and his expression abruptly changed.
Beifeng Commune again, damn it!
Today, an especially vicious attack by a Ghost Tamer had taken place in Zhenyuan City. A man carrying a red candle had gone on a killing spree in a crowded shopping mall, murdering several citizens. All the victims had died of premature aging.
After the killings, the murderer had headed straight for Beifeng Commune's base and had not come out since.
Because of Beifeng Commune's presence, no Ghost Tamer served as the person in charge of Zhenyuan City. The police had dutifully notified Headquarters.
After retrieving and comparing surveillance footage, the intelligence department had confirmed Zou Cong's identity.
After reading the report, Fu Youhua sat in silence, a strangely familiar sense that something was amiss welling up inside him. This was not the first time he had felt it. As a competent leader, he would not ignore it again. He racked his brains, trying to recall exactly what had gone wrong.
After a long while, a very fitting word flashed through his mind—showmanship!
Yes, it was all for show!
In several incidents, the people involved had seemed to deliberately display their actions to the cameras, as though afraid others would miss them.
Fu Youhua's eyes lit up, but he quickly frowned again. What was the purpose of putting on a show? And what connection was there between those people?
For the moment, he still had no clue.
First, contact Beifeng Commune and bring Zou Cong back for interrogation. Then the reason will naturally become clear. With that thought, Fu Youhua reached for the phone.
The night was deep.
Even after becoming a Ghost Tamer, Hu Jiu still had to work himself to the bone. After working overtime until midnight, he finally made his way home beneath the stars.
Zhenyuan City was not very far from Linjiang City. The troublesome part was that Hu Jiu had concealed his identity, taken unlicensed taxis the entire way, and carried no electronic devices.
These days, going out without a phone really was inconvenient.
He would not use the same method to stir up trouble again anytime soon. If he did it too often, he was bound to leave a flaw. Other people were not idiots.
He put the Longevity Candle back in its gold container and tucked it into the wardrobe again. The Satellite Phone lay quietly on the table, while another, ordinary phone beside it had several missed calls from the same unknown number. Hu Jiu glanced at them and ignored them.
He rested briefly and ate a hearty late-night meal, then continued browsing the information, looking for the clues he wanted.
He did not sleep all night.
Hu Jiu marked several suspicious supernatural incidents, intending to investigate them one by one when he had the chance.
When the doorbell rang, Hu Jiu was eating steamed buns. Through the camera's display, he saw a man and a woman standing outside the door, both refined and pleasant-looking.
Hu Jiu did not recognize them. He quickly swallowed all the buns, got up and created a Phantom, then opened the door and asked, "Who are you?"
"Hello, Mr. Hu. I'm Han Ning, a manager at Rose Security Company," the woman introduced herself first.
"A security company?" Hu Jiu was taken aback. "What do you want with me?"
Han Ning did not beat around the bush. "The security company is just a cover. We're actually an organization of Ghost Tamers. We came to invite you to join us."
Hu Jiu asked, "How did you know I lived here? Why do you want to recruit me?"
Han Ning smiled. "Your address wasn't hard to find, Mr. Hu. We have a high opinion of your potential, so we took the liberty of paying you a visit."
Hu Jiu did not believe a word of it. As far as anyone knew, the ghost he controlled was the Bloodstained White Silk. What the hell kind of potential did that have?
"There are many wealthy people on Rose Security Company's board. Once you join, you'll never have to worry about money again. Supernatural items, methods to suppress a Fierce Ghost's revival, even experiments in controlling a second ghost—we have them all."
Han Ning spoke at length about the benefits and privileges, but Hu Jiu remained unmoved. "There's no such thing as a free lunch. What exactly do you want?"
"Please don't misunderstand, Mr. Hu. We only want a mutually beneficial partnership. When the company needs help, you lend a hand as circumstances allow, and you share some intelligence about Headquarters with the company. If you can do those two things, the company will provide you with resources."
The corners of Han Ning's mouth rose. To an ordinary Ghost Tamer, the terms she had offered were extremely tempting. Suppressing a Fierce Ghost's revival and controlling a second ghost were problems most Ghost Tamers urgently needed to solve!
Unfortunately, Hu Jiu did not care. "I refuse. You can leave. Since you've been reasonably polite, I won't hold this against you or report you to Headquarters."
"Refuse?" Han Ning's pitch rose sharply. She did not understand. Had she not offered enough?
"Hu Jiu, you've only just become a person in charge appointed by Headquarters. You may think Headquarters is far superior to Civilian Organizations, but I can tell you with absolute certainty that staying at Headquarters comes with plenty of restrictions too. Rose Security Company isn't some small-time outfit. If you have personal matters that are inconvenient to handle yourself, you can leave them entirely to us." Unwilling to give up, Han Ning continued trying to persuade him.
Hu Jiu raised an eyebrow, dark and vicious thoughts churning in his mind. With people like these volunteering to be his pawns, he would be letting down their enthusiasm if he did not make ruthless use of them!