It seemed I had slept for too long!

On the first floor of the Rich Benevolence Mall, strands of sinister cold kept seeping through the gaps between the once-bright floor tiles.

"Heh heh, the hint said the opportunity's upstairs. I'd better hurry."

Bu Le rubbed his somewhat weak lower back, greed written all over his sleazy face.

He summoned his martial soul, the Sky Net Cover, and two pink covers pulsed around him.

Soon, he discovered a strangely shaped staircase. It was a sensor-activated escalator.

Bu Le had barely taken a step forward when a soft click sounded, followed by the hum of machinery in the deathly silent mall.

The motionless escalator had eerily started moving on its own.

Bu Le jolted in fright, almost losing control of his martial soul as he leaped backward.

He watched it warily for a long time. Only after realizing that the thing merely cycled in place without attacking did he click his tongue in wonder.

"This Otherworld's mechanical arts are pretty interesting. It can move without even using soul power?"

Mustering his courage, he stepped onto the escalator. As the machinery carried him upward, Bu Le reached the second floor.

The moment his head cleared the floor, he saw a figure whose back alone made his soul tremble.

It was Hu Liena.

She stood quietly in the second-floor atrium, her head tilted back as she stared fixedly at the Rich Benevolence Mall sign hanging above.

"Well, if it isn't Miss Nana from Spirit Hall!"

Bu Le dropped his arrogant expression. Knowing full well that Hu Liena was too powerful for him to provoke, he hurriedly plastered on a smile and greeted her.

Hu Liena turned around. Seeing a lowlife like Bu Le, a trace of disgust flashed through her beautiful eyes.

Just then, everything changed!

The gray, hazy space plunged into absolute darkness as a ghost domain spread over it.

In the darkness, Hu Liena instantly merged with her martial soul. Her fox ears twitched as she warily sensed her surroundings.

Seeing this, Bu Le began scheming.

He remembered the hint saying the ghost was on the third floor. If Hu Liena was also after the opportunity up there, what would be left for him?

Lowering his voice, Bu Le pointed toward an emergency stairwell behind them, pretending to be helpful.

"I saw it when I came up from downstairs. The exit's right around that corner on the first floor!"

Who was Hu Liena? The leader of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation.

She saw through the greed in Bu Le's eyes at a glance and thought to herself.

This is the first time I've seen someone so eager to get himself killed.

Hu Liena sneered, then actually turned and walked toward the stairs leading to the first floor.

Bu Le was ecstatic, thinking his plan had worked. Chuckling and rubbing his hands together, he continued feeling his way toward the third floor along the escalator.

Hu Liena descended to the first floor. The moment she entered the main hall, she saw a dazzling red glow flickering in the darkness.

"It's Yang Jian!"

Hu Liena's heart tightened, and she hurried toward him.

She kept Bibi Dong's teachings firmly in mind. In this world, Yang Jian was her chance of surviving.

Before she drew close, she heard someone say, "You've got to be kidding," from the center of the red glow, then mutter something under his breath.

Yang Jian turned his head, the scarlet Ghost Eye on his forehead shifting within the red light.

He noticed that the newcomer gave off an aura remarkably similar to Ning Rongrong's.

Once he confirmed she was not a ghost, the killing intent in his eyes eased slightly, and he lowered his guard.

"I want to join the Paranormal Forum. I'm willing to give anything!"

Hu Liena ran up to Yang Jian, breathless, and shouted her intentions outright.

Yang Jian sneered, his voice laced with mockery.

"The Paranormal Forum might have a bit of a reputation among ghost handlers, but you can't join just by saying a few words. Do you think this is a game of house?"

Ning Rongrong, who had been hiding behind Yang Jian all along, jumped out and shouted, pointing at Hu Liena.

"Hu Liena! Don't even think about using your charm, you vixen!"

She knew her rival far too well. Charm was probably Hu Liena's strongest soul skill.

Hu Liena sneered and shot back, "Since when did you get a say here, princess?"

"I can contribute to the Paranormal Forum, unlike certain people who can only hide behind others and tremble."

At first, she had indeed considered using her charm skill to control Yang Jian.

But when Yang Jian's red eye swept over her just now, the icy sensation of having her soul laid bare had instantly brought her to her senses.

If her charm failed, she would undoubtedly be killed. She did not dare gamble.

"You!" Ning Rongrong's pretty face flushed with anger.

Just as the two were about to argue, Yang Jian's expression suddenly changed drastically.

His Ghost Eye had clearly detected the presence of a human running from the second floor to the third, only for it to vanish in an instant.

That was the signal that the ghost had begun killing!

"Shut up!" Yang Jian barked.

The intimidating paranormal power in his voice made Ning Rongrong and Hu Liena shudder, frightening them into immediate silence.

The moment Yang Jian finished speaking, the red light surrounding him burst outward.

Hu Liena's vision blurred for an instant, and the boy vanished from where he stood.

Meanwhile, on the twentieth floor of the Paranormal Forum Tower.

Old Qin sat in a rosewood chair, steam still rising from the white porcelain teacup in his hand.

He calmly took a sip of tea, his cloudy eyes betraying no emotion.

Lin Cheng sat opposite him, his fingers still tapping rhythmically on the desk.

"Old Qin, let's stop beating around the bush."

"Headquarters went to all this trouble to send you to Dachang City in person because there's something they want to discuss, right?"

Old Qin set down his teacup with a soft clink. "Young friend Lin, some of the things you've done were rather underhanded."

Lin Cheng laughed without restraint. "Oh? I don't recall provoking headquarters again lately. Does Minister Cao think I've kept Dachang City so safe that he wants to give me more responsibility?"

"In exchange for incomplete information, you received two supernatural items from headquarters, access to all its files, a division of territory covering Dachang City and Dahai City, and even a hundred Ghost Candles and ten million in cash..."

Old Qin stared at Lin Cheng, his tone quiet and measured. "Young friend Lin, wasn't that deal a little unreasonable?"

Lin Cheng gave two dry coughs, recalling his friendly exchange with Cao Yanhua back when Elder Qin was still asleep.

"Old Qin, you're wronging me here. Minister Cao and Wang Xiaoming personally agreed to it back then. It's all there in black and white. How can you come after me for it now?"

Old Qin changed tack, his tone growing grave.

"Wang Xiaoming does need the Ghost Coffin for his research. If that ghost capable of absolute suppression could be controlled, it would indeed be a tremendous help to headquarters."

"But the information you provided about Huanggang Village was incomplete."

"All four elite ghost handlers headquarters sent into Huanggang Village disappeared. We still don't know whether they're alive or dead."

"You know the resurgence of ghosts is worsening, and headquarters is already short of people to maintain order. We can't afford losses like that."

Lin Cheng raised an eyebrow and leaned forward slightly. "So, what does headquarters want?"

"It's very simple. Headquarters wants you to act personally and retrieve both the supernatural item and the ghost promised in the deal, intact." Old Qin watched him calmly.

Lin Cheng scoffed. "Old Qin, you know my services don't come cheap."

"And does headquarters still... have anything to offer that would interest me?"

Old Qin's formerly cloudy eyes suddenly grew fathomlessly deep, and he sighed.

A mountainous weight of supernatural energy spread through the office.

"It seems I've slept for too long."

"Long enough for some young upstarts to think they can extort me as they please."