Codename

Liu Xiaoyu regretted losing her temper as soon as it happened.

Inside the dispatch room, a stern-faced middle-aged man in uniform immediately walked over and tapped the desk in front of her. "Liu Xiaoyu, control your emotions. These are special times, don't let your personal feelings interfere with your work."

"Captain, but this guy clearly knows what's going on and refuses to say anything," Liu Xiaoyu said.

"In the face of special events, most people's minds will falter. You need to be understanding, tolerant, and even comforting. This is also why most dispatchers are women. If you can't handle this job, you can choose to resign," the middle-aged captain said, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Yes, Captain," Liu Xiaoyu replied, lowering her head.

"Reflect on yourself later, and don't let this happen again. I'll handle this person. You can learn from the side," the middle-aged captain said.

"Hello, I'm Liu Xiaoyu's captain, Zhao Jianguo. I apologize for what happened with Liu Xiaoyu just now. She's not mature enough in her work, and I've already reprimanded her. However, I still hope that you, sir, can stand firm in the face of major issues and cooperate with our relevant investigations. If there are no further problems, we can continue our previous conversation."

Zhao Jianguo's tone was calm and trustworthy.

A captain?

On the bus, Yang Jian's gaze flickered as he looked at his phone. This should be the highest-ranking person I can attract for now.

"I'll tell you everything about Zhou Zheng, without leaving anything out, but in return, I want to know some things I should know," Yang Jian said. "Liu Xiaoyu just now was too low-ranking to make decisions, which is why I didn't want to talk to her."

His voice is very young. Although his methods are a bit immature, he's very smart.

Zhao Jianguo's expression shifted, and he picked up a nearby pencil to write down a sentence.

Name: Zhang Wei (To be confirmed) Age: Twenty (Estimated) Personality: Although his methods are somewhat immature, he possesses a level of vigilance and intelligence far beyond his peers.

"Alright. Since you know about Zhou Zheng, I can tell you some things. For now, please briefly explain Zhou Zheng's situation," Zhao Jianguo said.

"I already said it, Zhou Zheng is dead," Yang Jian replied.

Concise and to the point, no beating around the bush.

Zhao Jianguo was silent for a moment.

A ghost wielder died from a ghost resurgence. They must have used the ghost's power. And the usual reason for using a ghost's power is only one: an emergency special event occurred.

"Yes," Yang Jian confirmed.

"Can you elaborate?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"Yes." Yang Jian began to recount the events of the previous day.

Zhao Jianguo gestured to Liu Xiaoyu beside him. "Prepare to create a new ghost file."

Liu Xiaoyu quickly took notes. She wasn't using a computer but a notebook.

"Ghost domain. Knocking to kill, the ghost in the stairs and toilet, knocking sounds from the phone." As each event was recorded, Zhao Jianguo's expression grew increasingly grave.

Yang Jian said, "That's roughly how it happened. Do you have any other questions, big brother?"

"It seems this young man is still hiding something from us and doesn't fully trust us. However, that's understandable. It's good for young people to be vigilant and cautious. But I still hope you can continue to cooperate with our investigation," Zhao Jianguo said. "Can you tell me how you got out of the ghost domain? Once you're in, it's not easy to get out."

"Before I answer your question, may I ask one?" Yang Jian said.

"Yes," Zhao Jianguo replied after a moment's thought.

"What kind of existence are ghosts?" Yang Jian asked.

Zhao Jianguo replied, "Laboratories in various countries have conducted experiments. Some believe 'ghosts' are just a special form of energy, like dark matter or some special particle, a unique existence that science hasn't yet researched. It's just that people don't understand it and can't analyze it, so they arbitrarily call it a 'ghost,' just like ancient people seeing wind, rain, thunder, and lightning and thinking they were gods. In reality, they were just normal natural phenomena."

"I want to hear the truth."

Yang Jian said seriously, "I still have an important piece of information about that old man that I haven't shared. I think it's worth exchanging intelligence."

Zhao Jianguo tapped his desk and pondered for a moment. "Current scientific experiments are still unable to analyze the existence of 'ghosts.' Although scientists speculate it's a materialization of energy related to the soul, the mainstream view still leans towards idealism."

"What does that mean?" Yang Jian asked.

Yang Jian's expression was extremely solemn. How he wished that ghosts were just variations of unknown energy.

But unfortunately, they weren't.

So ghosts were real.

"Can we return to our previous topic?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

Yang Jian replied, "The reason I could leave the ghost domain is very simple: I became a ghost wielder."

"As expected." Zhao Jianguo's eyes narrowed.

He had guessed it when Yang Jian left the ghost domain. How else could he have left if not by becoming a ghost wielder?

"Do you have any other information about that old man that you're withholding?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

Yang Jian said, "I want to know more information about vengeful ghosts."

"Okay."

Yang Jian continued, "In that case, I won't hide anything anymore. That old man located the knocking sound through someone else's hearing, and then killed people by knocking. The root cause is currently related to a post made by an online friend. You can investigate from there. However, be careful of that knocking sound; it's a curse. Anyone who hears it will be found by that old man."

Afterward, he roughly explained the information and the forum address.

"Okay, I've recorded it. We'll send someone to investigate later."

Zhao Jianguo said, "Please keep Zhou Zheng's phone for now. That phone was specially made so it won't be corrupted by the power of vengeful ghosts, and its battery can last for a year. Unless he encounters a particularly serious situation, even if he encounters other supernatural events, the phone can maintain a call."

"Is that so? Thank you."

Yang Jian said, "But I've said what I needed to say. I think that's all for now. I'll contact you again when I have time."

"Okay, your exclusive operator from now on will be Liu Xiaoyu. I apologize on her behalf for what happened earlier," Zhao Jianguo said.

"It's fine, it was my bad temper," Yang Jian said before hanging up the phone.

"Captain, Zhou Zheng's phone should be retrieved. There should be a lot of important information on it. According to the rules, it shouldn't be possessed by others," Liu Xiaoyu said from the side.

Zhao Jianguo tapped the table and said, "The situation is different now. This person has become a ghost wielder and should be treated specially. I see great potential in him. Liu Xiaoyu, this is your next task. Make sure to keep a close eye on him."

"He just became a ghost wielder, can this work?" Liu Xiaoyu exclaimed. "He hasn't been trained yet."

"I know. He can work as a temporary hire first. If absolutely necessary, we can train him after he starts working. I'll report this matter. By the way, how is the file recording you were responsible for?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"It's already recorded. It can be archived after sorting. What's the codename?" Liu Xiaoyu asked, looking at the densely written manuscript.

"Codename: Ghost Knocking. Threat level, directly defined as: A, disaster level."

After Zhao Jianguo finished speaking, he added, "When the archives are reviewed, just say it was my suggestion."

"Okay." Liu Xiaoyu was startled.

Another disaster-level vengeful ghost in Asia.