Three seconds.
Yang Jian's pupils contracted slightly.
He knew Lin Cheng was powerful, but those words still sent a chill through him.
It meant that Lin Cheng's ghost domain, or some other supernatural ability of his, had reached a terrifying level where neither danger nor distance mattered.
"Understood." Yang Jian nodded.
Lin Cheng took out two ordinary black earpieces and pushed them toward Yang Jian.
"Give these to the two downstairs."
Yang Jian asked no questions. He picked up the earpieces, turned, and stepped into the elevator.
Watching the elevator doors slowly close, Lin Cheng leaned back on the sofa, an amused smile curling his lips.
He thought of the mission he had just issued: take down the Cockroach Club.
The Cockroach Club had been entrenched in Dachang City for far too long. That good-for-nothing Wang Xiaoqiang had been stirring up trouble throughout the city, relying on his brother Wang Xiaoming's connections.
To Lin Cheng, it was an eyesore.
Dachang City was his territory. He would not allow any faction beyond his control to exist there.
But he had previously made a deal with Wang Xiaoming and promised not to move against the Cockroach Club.
That research fanatic Wang Xiaoming was too valuable to Headquarters. Lin Cheng did not want to burn his bridges with Headquarters just yet.
"Still..." Lin Cheng chuckled.
"Having Soul Masters who haven't joined the Forum do it shouldn't count as breaking the rules, right?"
Hu Liena and Yu Tianheng, the two Soul Masters from the Douluo Continent, did not even qualify as unofficial members of the Forum yet.
Lin Cheng rose and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, looking down over Dachang City beneath its shroud of thick fog.
"It's time to pay Huanggang Village a visit. The sooner I deal with it, the sooner it's off my hands," Lin Cheng murmured.
Outside the entrance on the ground floor.
Ning Rongrong stood below the steps, watching as the elevator doors opened and Yang Jian emerged, expressionless.
She took a deep breath and hurried over to him.
"Yang Jian, where are you going?" Ning Rongrong blocked his path and looked him straight in the eye.
Yang Jian stopped and looked at her coldly. "Move."
"Take me with you." Ning Rongrong stood her ground, her voice firm.
Yang Jian frowned slightly, and the Ghost Eye on his forehead shifted restlessly.
From what Lin Cheng had told him, he had already guessed how terrifying the Caesar Hotel was. It was a place where survival would be a long shot.
He was not even certain he could survive going alone. How could he possibly bring a burden along?
"You're too weak. You'll only die if you go." Yang Jian rejected her without mercy.
Ning Rongrong gritted her teeth. She knew Yang Jian was telling the truth.
But she knew even more clearly that if she did not follow him, she would be dead in three days!
The Sheepskin Paper's prophecy and the Ghost Cabinet's curse hung over her head like two swords.
Suddenly, something seemed to occur to Ning Rongrong!
If all of this was part of the Sheepskin Paper's plan, then she still had one last option.
"I've already become a Ghost Handler. The supernatural entity I control can block one otherwise fatal attack."
Ning Rongrong drew a deep breath. Her voice trembled slightly, but her tone carried a desperate, almost crazed resolve.
"If things really become dangerous, you don't have to worry about me."
"I can trade my life to save you once!"
The air seemed to freeze.
Yang Jian looked at the girl before him, at the wild determination in her eyes, and a flicker of surprise crossed his mind.
Take a lethal blow with her own life?
In this selfish supernatural world, that was indeed a substantial bargaining chip.
Yang Jian's mind raced as he weighed the advantages and disadvantages.
The Caesar Hotel was riddled with dangers. If he truly encountered an unavoidable fatal attack, having a human shield who could take the blow would greatly improve his chances of survival.
"Fine." Yang Jian gave his answer coldly.
Ning Rongrong's taut body instantly relaxed. Her back was already soaked in cold sweat.
Only then did she truly understand how terrifying the Sheepskin Paper was.
From the moment she picked up the Sheepskin Paper, every step she had taken, from beginning to end, had been part of its scheme!
Even if she understood everything now, it was already too late.
Her death three days from now might very well be tied to the Caesar Hotel!
But she had already set foot on this path. There was no turning back.
To fulfill her deal with the Ghost Cabinet, to seize that sliver of hope, she had no choice but to go!
Yang Jian paid no attention to Ning Rongrong's tangled thoughts.
He casually tossed the two black earpieces toward Hu Liena and Yu Tianheng, who stood nearby in a daze.
"Put them on." With that, Yang Jian turned and headed toward the street.
Ning Rongrong followed immediately, without hesitation.
Watching the pair walk away, Hu Liena and Yu Tianheng exchanged looks.
They picked up the earpieces from the ground and put them on.
The moment they did, Liu Xiaoyu's voice came through.
"You already know your mission. I'll send the exact location to your phones shortly."
"Oh, right. Boss Lin said you don't have phones yet."
"Jiang Yan should be downstairs by now. I've already registered all your personal information."
As soon as she finished speaking, something happened.
With a ding, the elevator doors opened again.
Jiang Yan stepped out in high heels, holding two latest-model smartphones.
She glanced at Yu Tianheng before her gaze settled on Hu Liena.
Hu Liena's naturally seductive air immediately stirred fierce hostility in Jiang Yan.
"Here." Jiang Yan shoved the phones roughly into Hu Liena's hands, snorted, and turned to leave.
Hu Liena held the phones, utterly baffled.
As the holy maiden of Spirit Hall, when had she ever been treated like this?
But in this world, she could only swallow it.
She and Yu Tianheng fiddled with the phones for a while and soon learned the basic controls.
The screen lit up, and a message from Liu Xiaoyu appeared.
It contained detailed information on the Cockroach Club.
Hu Liena opened the file. One glance was enough to drain all color from her face.
"How is this possible?!" Even Hu Liena's voice was shaking.
Yu Tianheng leaned over to look, and his pupils contracted sharply.
The information stated in no uncertain terms that the Cockroach Club's core members were all Ghost Handlers!
Wang Xiaoqiang controlled the Ghost Bone.
Ye Feng controlled the Ghost Fang.
Row after row of alarming names and abilities left Hu Liena and Yu Tianheng feeling as though they had plunged into an ice pit.
They had thought this would be a simple mission, merely killing a few ordinary people.
With their Soul Master physiques and martial souls, dealing with ordinary people would have been child's play.
They had never imagined their targets would all be Ghost Handlers!
"How are we supposed to beat them?!" Hu Liena shouted into her earpiece in panic.
They had witnessed the terror of supernatural entities firsthand. Soul skills were completely ineffective against them.
Sending them to fight Ghost Handlers was no different from sending them to their deaths!
In their earpieces, Liu Xiaoyu's voice remained calm.
"Boss Lin said your abilities are indeed useless against supernatural entities, but your opponents are human. Killing people should be simple enough for you."
"As for those special Ghost Handlers, the Forum certainly won't send you to your deaths."
"When the time comes, people from the Forum will support you."
Hearing that they would have support, Hu Liena and Yu Tianheng relaxed a little.
Yet the helplessness of facing an unknown terror still weighed heavily on their hearts.
The two exchanged a glance and sighed together.
They were at someone else's mercy, like fish on a chopping block.
Now, they could only grit their teeth and press on.
The sky over the Douluo Continent was swallowed by dense darkness.
The enormous Sky Screen erupted once more with a blinding blood-red glow!
[Mysterious Revival Plane trial: the fourth selection round is about to begin!] [Number selected this round: five!]
Before you continue