Captain Yang Ming

Fang Xiu stopped listening at that point. Out in the corridor, he could hear that the two had moved on to nothing but gossip.

The two were clearly clerks, which explained why they were relatively free and still had time to gossip.

He continued wandering through the Investigation Bureau, gathering information as he listened.

"Quick, get to the conference room. Director Wang is calling an emergency meeting."

Hearing about the meeting, Fang Xiu immediately slipped into the crowd and followed them to the conference room.

Inside, men and women filled the seats around a long conference table. Most were fairly young. Notably, very few wore black work uniforms; most were dressed in eccentric outfits that reflected their individual tastes.

More than a dozen uniformed staff members stood along either side of the table.

Fang Xiu blended in among them, standing against the wall as he discreetly studied the people seated at the table.

Clearly, these people were probably all Spirit Tamers. As the main force fighting Ghosts, Spirit Tamers naturally held a higher status than ordinary people and were entitled to seats at the table.

Wang Dehai sat at the head of the table, his expression solemn.

Strangely, the seats immediately to his left and right were both empty. No one took them.

Two empty seats?

Fang Xiu guessed that those seats must belong to Captain Yang Ming and Deputy Captain Bai Qi. With Bai Qi dead, it was only natural that his seat was empty. But where was Yang Ming?

Was he still tracking down the Ghosts?

Just then, he caught a faint, acrid smell of cigarette smoke.

Smoking during an emergency meeting?

Fang Xiu followed the smell and saw a forlorn-looking man squatting in a corner behind Wang Dehai, smoking.

The man looked about twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He had thick eyebrows, large eyes, a square face, and a broad nose. He was not particularly handsome, but his features gave him a spirited, upright look.

At the moment, however, he was clearly in a poor mental state. His eyes were lifeless, his chin covered in stubble as he stared blankly at the empty air before him. If not for the occasional drag on his cigarette, he could have been a statue.

Everyone else in the conference room chose to ignore the man, leaving him to squat there and smoke.

Seeing this, Fang Xiu already had a guess.

Though the Spirit Tamers present wore eccentric outfits and had strong personalities, they still observed basic order during the meeting, sitting obediently in their seats.

Yet no one said anything about this man's behavior, and even Wang Dehai tacitly allowed it. That could only mean the man held a very high position.

Taking the empty seats into account, it was easy to guess that the smoking man was Captain Yang Ming.

Wang Dehai began the meeting. Given the urgency, he wasted no time on pleasantries and went straight to the point.

"Following an examination of the scene by our investigators, we have confirmed that Deputy Captain Bai died in the line of duty."

Wang Dehai's heavy voice rang through the room.

Silence settled over the gathering. Some remained expressionless, some looked indifferent, and others were visibly saddened.

The man Fang Xiu suspected was Yang Ming still had that vacant look in his eyes, but the hand holding his cigarette trembled slightly.

After a brief silence, Wang Dehai's deep voice rang out again.

"Deputy Captain Bai died at the hands of a Ghost that controls shadows."

As he spoke, a blurry photograph appeared on the room's large screen. It showed a shadow-a human-shaped shadow.

Unlike an ordinary shadow, however, it was not flat but three-dimensional, resembling a person dressed in a black bodysuit that covered even their eyes, mouth, and nose.

It was pitch-black from head to toe, as though a person's shadow had come alive and taken physical form.

"This Ghost has been designated the Shadow Ghost. So far, it has demonstrated the ability to hide within shadows. While Deputy Captain Bai was fighting the Head Ghost, the Shadow Ghost emerged from his shadow and severely wounded him in a surprise attack, resulting in his death at the Head Ghost's hands."

Everyone studied the Shadow Ghost in the photograph intently, their expressions grave.

An attack that came without warning from within a shadow was almost impossible to guard against. A moment's carelessness was all it took.

Even someone as strong as Bai Qi had been severely wounded by the ambush. The other Spirit Tamers did not believe they could match him.

"The Shadow Ghost's whereabouts are currently unknown. However, Yang Ming has already dealt with the Head Ghost, so our next task is to devote all our efforts to locating the Shadow Ghost. We must find it and put a definitive end to this Ghost incident.

"And..."

Wang Dehai suddenly took a deep breath, then said slowly and heavily, "Avenge Bai Qi."

The atmosphere in the room instantly grew solemn.

Perhaps finding the mood too oppressive, Wang Dehai suddenly forced a faint smile. "Amid this unfortunate Ghost incident, I do have some good news to share."

Good news?

Everyone was taken aback. Deputy Captain Bai was dead, and there was still good news?

"After resolving the Head Ghost incident, Yang Ming, captain of our Green Vine City Investigation Bureau, successfully advanced to become a Third-Tier Spirit Tamer, joining the ranks of the very best!"

An uproar broke out at his words. Every gaze instantly converged on the man smoking in the corner.

The smoking man was indeed Yang Ming. He seemed not to have heard a thing, his expression unchanged as he dropped his cigarette butt and took a pack from his pocket, intending to light another.

Quite a few blackened cigarette butts already lay at his feet.

Yang Ming opened the pack, only to find it empty. He casually crushed it and tossed it on the floor, then lifted his listless eyes to look at everyone.

"Hey, anyone got a cigarette?"

His voice was hoarse, with a trace of exhaustion.

Everyone remained silent. No one answered.

A flicker of sympathy crossed Wang Dehai's eyes at the sight, but he still snapped, "Yang Ming, pull yourself together! You're a Third-Tier Spirit Tamer now. Green Vine City will be relying on you to keep it safe. And don't you want to avenge Bai Qi?"

Wang Dehai's reprimand did not stir so much as a flicker in Yang Ming's eyes. Still looking half-dead, he slowly rose from the corner, slipped both hands into his pockets, and muttered, "Then I'll go buy a pack myself."

With that, he actually started leaving the meeting to buy cigarettes.

As he walked, he continued muttering, "Revenge? Will getting revenge bring Little Bai back?"

"Stop right there!" Wang Dehai roared in anger, but Yang Ming did not slow down at all, as though he had heard nothing.

Angry and helpless, Wang Dehai could only pull a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and call out, "I've got cigarettes!"

Yang Ming stopped immediately, looking disgruntled. "Why didn't you say so earlier?"

Wang Dehai tossed him the cigarettes and turned back to continue the meeting, clearly unwilling to say another word.

Yang Ming returned to his corner, lighting a cigarette as he quipped, "Well, well, Director Wang. What kind of money does your family have? Smoking Huazi every day."

Wang Dehai's face darkened, but he suppressed his anger and continued the meeting.

Just then, the conference room door burst open with a bang.

Wang Dehai erupted in a furious shout. "Discipline! Discipline! How many times have I told you? You..."

The staff member who entered did not give him a chance to finish. In a panic, he said, "Director Wang, we have a problem! The man you just told me to take to the lounge is gone! He knocked me out and ran off!"

"What?! You're saying Fang Xiu escaped?" Wang Dehai was instantly shocked and furious.

Standing among the crowd, Fang Xiu sighed inwardly. His technique still lacked finesse. He had not expected the man to remain unconscious for so little time.

Although becoming a Spirit Tamer had given Fang Xiu the ability to exert greater strength than an ordinary person, he had never tried knocking anyone out before and had no idea how much force to use.

"Fang Xiu! You're actually here!" a woman's voice rang out through the room.

It was Shen Lingxue.

Shen Lingxue sprang from her seat, pointing at Fang Xiu in the crowd with a look of astonishment.

All eyes immediately turned to Fang Xiu-all except Yang Ming's. He was still staring into empty space, smoking.