Codename

Liu Xiaoyu regretted losing her temper the moment she did.

Inside the call center, a stern-faced middle-aged man in uniform immediately walked over and knocked on her desk. "Liu Xiaoyu, control your emotions. This is a special period. Don't bring your personal feelings into 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 incidents, most people develop mental problems. You need to be understanding, tolerant, and even comforting. That is why most operators are women. If you are not qualified for this job, you may choose to resign." The middle-aged captain's tone brooked no argument.

"Yes, Captain." Liu Xiaoyu lowered her head.

"Write a self-criticism afterward. Don't let it happen again. I'll handle this person. You watch and learn from the side," the middle-aged captain said.

"Hello, I'm Zhao Jianguo, Liu Xiaoyu's captain. I apologize for Liu Xiaoyu's behavior just now. She was not mature enough in handling the matter, and I have already criticized her. But I still hope that, when faced with major matters, you can stand firm and cooperate with our investigation. If there are no objections, we can continue our previous conversation."

Zhao Jianguo spoke steadily, giving off an air of reliability.

A captain?

On the bus, Yang Jian held his phone, his gaze shifting slightly. This was probably the highest-ranking person he could draw out for the time being.

"I will tell you everything about Zhou Zheng, without leaving out a single word. In return, I want to know certain things I should know." Yang Jian said, "That Liu Xiaoyu's rank was too low. She couldn't make decisions. That was why I didn't want to talk to her."

His voice was very young. Though his methods were somewhat immature, he was very clever.

Zhao Jianguo's expression shifted. He picked up a pencil from beside him and wrote down a few lines.

Name: Zhang Wei (tentative)

Age: Twenty (estimated)

Personality: Though his methods are somewhat immature, he possesses vigilance and intelligence far beyond those of his peers.

"Fine. Since you know about Zhou Zheng, there are some things I can tell you. For now, please give me a general account of Zhou Zheng's situation," Zhao Jianguo said.

"I already told you. Zhou Zheng is dead," Yang Jian replied.

Simple and direct, without any beating around the bush.

Zhao Jianguo fell silent for a moment.

If a Ghost Tamer died from a vicious ghost's resurgence, then he must have used the ghost's power.

And normally, there was only one reason a Ghost Tamer would use a ghost's power: an urgent special incident had occurred.

"Yes," Yang Jian said.

"Can you tell me about it?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"I can." Yang Jian began recounting what had happened yesterday.

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

Liu Xiaoyu quickly took notes. She did not use a computer, but wrote by hand.

"Ghost Domain. Knocking that killed people. A ghost in the stairwell restroom. Knocking sounds coming from a phone." As each event was recorded, Zhao Jianguo's expression grew increasingly grave.

Yang Jian said, "That's roughly what happened. Does this brother have any other questions?"

"It seems this little brother is still hiding things from us and does not fully trust us. But that is understandable. It is a good thing for young people to be vigilant and cautious. Still, I hope you will continue cooperating with our investigation." Zhao Jianguo said, "Can you tell me how you escaped the Ghost Domain? Once you enter a Ghost Domain, getting out is not something you can do casually."

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

"You may," Zhao Jianguo said after considering it.

"What exactly are ghosts?" Yang Jian asked.

Zhao Jianguo said, "Laboratories in every country have conducted experiments. Some believe that 'ghosts' are merely a special kind of energy, like dark matter or some special particle—a special existence that science has yet to study. Because people do not understand them and cannot analyze them, they rashly call them 'ghosts.' Just as ancient people, upon seeing wind, rain, thunder, and lightning, believed them to be gods, when in truth they were merely the most ordinary natural phenomena."

"I want to hear the truth."

Yang Jian said seriously, "I have another important piece of information about that old man that I haven't told you. I think we are worth exchanging intelligence."

Zhao Jianguo tapped the table and pondered briefly. "Current scientific experiments are still unable to analyze the existence of ghosts. Although scientists speculate that they are some sort of manifestation of energy related to the soul, the mainstream view still leans toward idealism."

"What does that mean?" Yang Jian asked.

Yang Jian's expression was especially grave. How he wished so-called ghosts were merely changes in some unknown form of energy.

But unfortunately, they were not.

So ghosts really did exist.

"Can we continue the previous topic?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

Yang Jian said, "The reason I could leave the Ghost Domain is simple. I became a Ghost Tamer."

"Just as I thought." Zhao Jianguo's gaze sharpened.

He had already guessed as much when he learned that Yang Jian had escaped the Ghost Domain. How else could he have left it without becoming a Ghost Tamer?

"Are you still concealing any information about that old man?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

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

"Fine."

Yang Jian said, "In that case, I won't hide anything else. That old man located people through the knocking sounds they heard, then killed them by knocking. The source currently seems to be connected to a post made by an online user. You can investigate from there, but be careful of that knocking sound. It is a curse. Anyone who hears it will be found by that old man."

Afterward, he roughly described the information and gave them the forum address.

"Understood. I have recorded it. We will send people to investigate afterward."

Zhao Jianguo said, "Please keep Zhou Zheng's phone for the time being. It was specially made and will not be corroded by a vicious ghost's power. Its battery can also last for a year. Unless the situation is especially severe, even if you encounter other supernatural incidents, the phone can remain connected the entire time."

"Is that so? Then thank you."

Yang Jian said, "But I've said everything I needed to say. Let's leave it at that for now. We can talk again when there's time."

"Fine. From now on, your dedicated operator will be Liu Xiaoyu. I apologize on her behalf for what happened earlier," Zhao Jianguo said.

"It's fine. I was the one with the bad temper." Yang Jian hung up after saying that.

"Captain, Zhou Zheng's phone should be recovered. There should be a great deal of important information on it. By the rules, it should not be possessed by someone else," Liu Xiaoyu said from the side.

Zhao Jianguo tapped the table. "The situation is different now. This person has already become a Ghost Tamer and should be treated specially. I think he has great potential. Liu Xiaoyu, this is your next assignment. You must stay close to him."

"He only just became a Ghost Tamer. Can that work?" Liu Xiaoyu asked in surprise. "He hasn't received any training."

"I know. He can start as a temporary worker. If necessary, he can begin working before training. I will report this matter. By the way, how is the file you were responsible for recording just now?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"It has already been recorded. Once it is organized, it can be filed. What should the codename be?" Liu Xiaoyu asked, looking at the densely packed manuscript.

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

After speaking, Zhao Jianguo added, "When the archives office reviews it, tell them it was my proposal."

"Understood." Liu Xiaoyu was startled.

Another disaster-level vicious ghost had appeared in Asia.