The meeting room was dimly lit.
Liu San sat beside the long table, holding a cup of steaming tea.
His skin had the waxy yellow pallor of a corpse, and his rigid features lacked even the slightest trace of life.
Hot water slid down his throat, yet his body, like a paper effigy, neither softened nor dissolved.
Ripples spread through the air.
Lin Cheng's figure solidified from a phantom, accompanied by a faint, briny scent of the sea.
He pulled out the chair at the head of the table and sat down, his deep blue eyes resting calmly on Liu San. His tone betrayed neither anger nor pleasure.
"Headquarters is gone. What brings you here?"
Liu San set down his teacup and forced a smile onto his stiff face, uglier than a grimace.
"Boss Lin, there's no need to treat me like a stranger."
"Do you remember inviting me to join the Paranormal Forum back when Headquarters was still around?"
A mocking, cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Cheng's mouth.
"What, with the world in chaos, you can't hold out on your own anymore, so you've come looking for shelter?"
Liu San sighed, his paper eyelids drooping slightly.
"I am looking for shelter, but I hear things aren't going too well for your Paranormal Forum either."
"To establish a connecting route to Dahai City, just to survive, you've sacrificed quite a few rank-and-file Ghost Handlers lately."
Lin Cheng's gaze instantly turned cold.
He immediately understood the meaning behind Liu San's words.
This was a probe, and an attempt to raise his own asking price.
"Taking a page out of Sima Yi's book?" Lin Cheng tapped his fingers lightly against the table, producing a steady clicking.
"You saw I was short-handed and came to join me at my lowest