"To make operations easier, each person in charge establishes a dedicated codename. What codename would you like to use?" Lin Guangning asked.
"Make it Hanged Ghost," Hu Jiu replied.
Lin Guangning paused for a moment. "Sorry, that codename is already taken. There's a Ghost Tamer at headquarters who controls a Hanging Rope..."
"Then change it to Strangling Ghost." Hu Jiu seemed rather casual about it. In a sense, a codename also revealed information about oneself; it was enough to make others mistakenly believe he only controlled the Bloodstained White Silk.
Once they had more or less settled everything, the call ended.
Hu Jiu didn't want to waste a single extra word on an intern operator like that.
These unqualified operators were generally overflowing with saintly compassion and fond of moral blackmail. During supernatural incidents in particular, they often used high-minded principles to pressure Ghost Tamers.
In his previous life, Hu Jiu had nearly exploded with anger over them, but he had gradually noticed something odd. Almost every independent Ghost Tamer newly recruited by headquarters was assigned a somewhat sanctimonious, preachy operator, only for that operator to be replaced shortly afterward.
Would headquarters make such a basic mistake when it knew full well that Ghost Tamers were mentally unstable?
Heh, this was probably just a test!
With such a method, a professional psychological analysis team could thoroughly analyze every Ghost Tamer's personality.
He shook his head and put the jumbled speculation out of his mind. It didn't matter what headquarters did; Hu Jiu only regarded it as a stepping stone anyway.
A little later, someone knocked on the door again. A man in uniform stood outside, carrying a safe.
When he saw Hu Jiu approach, he immediately lowered his head and said respectfully, "Mr. Hu, these are the things headquarters sent you. Please check them and sign for them."
"Besides the gold items, there's also a satellite phone made from special materials. It can be used to communicate even inside a ghost domain. Headquarters also opened a bank account in your name for future bonus payments. In addition, headquarters' benefits package includes a residence. If you need one, we can arrange it for you immediately."
Hu Jiu glanced at the damaged door. "I do need a new place to live."
The man answered without hesitation, "I understand. Everything can be arranged before this evening. You can move in tonight or tomorrow, Mr. Hu. Please wait for further details. If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."
Hu Jiu nodded.
The man hurriedly turned and left.
Hu Jiu continued browsing the Ghost Tamer forum. Although he had read it many times in his previous life, his perspective was different now, and so were the things he paid attention to.
Since his rebirth, he had only one goal—eternal life.
Now that supernatural things like ghosts existed, longevity no longer seemed like a pipe dream.
In his previous life, some people had used special methods to turn themselves into anomalies, becoming fierce ghosts with human consciousness. Ghosts could neither die nor be destroyed, and neither could these anomalies. Unfortunately, their consciousness would be eroded, gradually stripping them of human emotions and leaving them controlled by a fierce ghost's instincts.
But a solution might not be impossible to find. Supernatural power was astonishing: a severed hand, an eyeball, or a shadow could all become fierce ghosts. Why couldn't a person's consciousness become a ghost?
Before that, Hu Jiu needed powerful strength to support his path to eternal life. Otherwise, it would be bad if he died halfway there, or if someone captured and imprisoned him after he attained eternal life, then sliced him up for research~
The sudden sound of footsteps interrupted Hu Jiu's thoughts.
Was someone else here?
Was that staff member from earlier really that efficient?
No!
Even if the door was broken, an official would definitely knock first!
Hu Jiu vanished instantly, and a Phantom took his place on the sofa.
The footsteps drew closer, and a man about 1.7 meters tall walked into the room. He wore sunglasses, a mask, and a baseball cap, making his face impossible to see, but that alone was enough to suggest he probably hadn't come with good intentions.
Sure enough, the moment the man saw Hu Jiu, he attacked without a word. His arm, covered in corpse spots, shot toward Hu Jiu's head like rubber that could stretch and retract at will.
He seemed very confident in his Ghost Hand. The next second, however, it passed through "Hu Jiu's" body, and nothing happened.
"How is that possible!" The man was shocked, but quickly recovered. "Is it a defensive-type fierce ghost?"
Hu Jiu watched from the side. The Phantom created by the Mirage Ghost not only ignored physical attacks, but even a supernatural attack had failed to shake it in the slightest. It truly was worthy of being the S-class fierce ghost that had left headquarters helpless in his previous life.
"Let's see how long you can hold out!" The stranger continued attacking with his Ghost Hand. He had made the wrong judgment, thinking Hu Jiu was using a fierce ghost's ability to keep his own body intangible. That state couldn't last long. The moment his Ghost Hand touched Hu Jiu, the fight would be decided!
Just then, his eyes suddenly widened. An eerie chill came from his neck, a terrifying force descended, and a sensation of suffocation followed.
He looked down and saw a White Sash wrapped tightly around his neck, as though it meant to strangle him to death. He hurriedly withdrew his arm, trying to resist with his Ghost Hand, but another White Sash appeared out of thin air and wrapped directly around it. Though the White Sash was quickly suppressed by the Ghost Hand, it had still delayed him for a brief moment.
Crack!
The sound of his cervical vertebrae breaking rang out.
With the Ghost Tamer's death, the Ghost Hand immediately showed signs of going out of control. However, a White Sash was still wrapped around the Ghost Tamer's corpse, and Hu Jiu was still holding the other end. As the supernatural power of the White Sash and the Mirage Ghost suppressed it in turn, the Ghost Hand thrashed restlessly and tore itself free of the corpse.
Blood that had yet to cool sprayed out. The Ghost Hand was reviving, and Hu Jiu seized the opportunity to grab it, using the Mirage Ghost to suppress it while simulating and copying its supernatural power.
Six seconds. He counted the time silently. It took five seconds to copy the White Sash last time. This time it took one second longer. I reckon it has to do with how terrifying the ghost is. The more terrifying and powerful the fierce ghost, the longer it takes to copy.
I need more data to verify that hypothesis!
The Ghost Hand's killing rule was death upon contact. No wonder the man had been so confident. After putting the Ghost Hand and the White Sash away in gold containers, Hu Jiu crouched down and pulled the sunglasses and mask off the corpse, revealing an unfamiliar face with eyes still open in death.
Why did he attack me, a newcomer who had only just become a Ghost Tamer? Hu Jiu pondered as he searched the corpse for clues.
He found nothing...
Night fell, and the official staff member who had delivered the items earlier came by again. He had come to tell Hu Jiu that he could move, but before he could get the words out, the corpse on the floor gave him a fright.
"Mr. Hu, this is...?"
"A Ghost Tamer attacked me and was killed on the spot. Look into his identity, and take care of the corpse while you're at it."
"O-okay."
The staff member respectfully handed over a document envelope containing the keys to Hu Jiu's new residence and the relevant documents...