Surgery

Time flies. Three days have passed since the last meeting, and the time Wang Xiaoming agreed to meet is getting closer and closer.

But during these three days, everything in Dachang City seemed very calm.

Nothing particularly noteworthy has happened. If anything, the only change is that more and more people are being diagnosed with Ghost Infant inside their bodies. Previously, there were only a little over 130 cases, but now there are over 200. If this continues, we will soon be waiting for the first batch of Ghost Infant to be born.

Once that batch of Ghost Infant is born, Dachang City will have more than a hundred more ghosts.

With the current limited number of Ghost Tamer, they simply cannot handle this number of paranormal events; they can only wait to die.

Support from outside Dachang City remains cut off. Although many high-level Ghost Tamer have put aside their own city affairs to come and provide assistance, none of them have been able to set foot in the city.

There was no good news at all, but bad news kept coming in one after another.

Although Yang Jian had the ability to extract the Ghost Infant, he chose to conceal it at this time.

Are you kidding me? Retrieving over two hundred Ghost Infant?

Is this trying to work him to death?

If the root cause cannot be addressed, even if these two hundred-plus Ghost Infant are eliminated, they will reappear in the future.

Wang Xiaoming knew that Yang Jian had this ability, but he didn't mention it. With his intelligence, he believed he had his own judgment: Yang Jian's importance was greater than the person currently possessed by the Ghost Infant.

The shelter in Guangjiang Residential Area is being built at top speed under Zhang Xiangui's supervision. However, time is tight, and with the security problems in Dachang City gradually emerging, many tasks cannot be carried out smoothly. Whether the shelter can be completed on schedule is a question.

One headache after another.

Aside from driving aimlessly around the dimly lit city every day, Yang Jian had nothing else to do.

He knew things were getting worse, but he was powerless to do anything to change the situation.

One person's strength seems particularly insignificant, even if they control two ghosts.

"If the situation really continues to deteriorate like this, it seems I'll have to consider hanging myself in front of the Ghost Mirror. There's been no news from Ye Feng for three days; he's probably done for. Although I hate that guy, I have to admit that Ye Feng's ability to control ghosts is still a real headache," Yang Jian sighed as he drove.

"That shroud could even withstand my ghostly attack, yet it died at the hands of that Ghost Infant? What exactly happened back then?"

"He left behind only the number 7 before he died."

"However, the ghost that could kill Ye Feng was definitely not just at the third stage; it might have encountered a fourth-stage Ghost Infant."

He pondered the situation while observing his surroundings.

Today was as quiet as ever.

There were very few pedestrians on the streets, with only special personnel patrolling to maintain order.

The city gradually became deathly quiet. Yang Jian could clearly sense that countless people had disappeared in the darkness. Just the day before, people had gathered at the entrance of a certain residential area to discuss this inexplicable situation, but the next day, the area was deserted.

"Yang Jian, have you found anything?" Zhang Han's voice came through the car's walkie-talkie.

"Nothing has happened yet," Yang Jian.

Sun Yi, on the other end of the walkie-talkie, continued, "Same here. My car's out of gas, and I haven't Ghost Infant. How much is gas now? Can I get it reimbursed? I only have a few dozen yuan in my pocket. Does anyone have any money? Could you lend me some to fill up the tank? I'll pay you back when I get my salary next month."

To expedite the process, the three men split up for patrols, communicating via walkie-talkie and providing immediate support should any issues arise.

Yang Jian ignored Sun Yi's concern about running out of gas at this point and said, "I've had a guess these past few days, although it's unlikely, but I still want to say it."

"What came to mind?" Zhang Han asked.

Yang Jian, "I think the Ghost Infant are actively avoiding us. They're not not in this city, but they're hiding."

"Hidden? How is that possible? Even if that's the case, what's the purpose of hiding it?" Zhang Han asked.

"I don't know. Maybe we're waiting for the right moment, or maybe the time hasn't come yet. But I'm certain that if we can't find a breakthrough, we'll have no chance to turn the tide when the supernatural events really break out," Yang Jian. "I have this feeling."

"Could the 7 Ye Feng left behind refer to seven days? According to folklore, a person's soul returns seven days after death, and the ghosts are most ferocious on that night. That's why Professor Wang wants us to catch the Ghost Infant within seven days. If that fails, we should investigate the place where Ye Feng disappeared and make the most dangerous attempt," Zhang Han said.

"It's not impossible. Wait, I've received a mission."

Yang Jian, who was chatting on his satellite-guided phone, heard Liu Xiaoyu's voice. "Yang Jian, it's an emergency. Please go to a hospital in Dachang City immediately. It's Professor Wang's order."

"Didn't Professor Wang say what it was about?" Yang Jian asked.

"No," Liu Xiaoyu said.

Yang Jian turned the steering wheel and said, "Would it be a mistake to put all our eggs in one basket with Wang Xiaoming? He hasn't made any progress for days. This professor is a bit incompetent."

"At this time, we can only trust Professor Wang. I hope you will cooperate. Everything will be fine once this is over," Liu Xiaoyu patiently comforted her.

"What if that doesn't work? Can I still act according to my method then?" Yang Jian asked. "Miss Liu, your rank is too low. Let Zhao Jianguo answer."

The call was quickly transferred, and Zhao Jianguo asked, "Can you guarantee Professor Wang's safety?"

"I can't be too sure, but I'm somewhat confident," Yang Jian.

How confident are you?

"Around forty percent," Yang Jian.

Zhao Jianguo pondered for a moment and said, "If there is still no progress after seven days, I will approve your personal actions."

"I'm recording what you said. Don't blame me if anything goes wrong," Yang Jian said with a smile.

"Of course I understand. Alright, I won't disturb your operation any longer." Zhao Jianguo logged off.

At that moment, Yang Jian had already driven to the entrance of a hospital.

This place is under martial law and completely sealed off; no one can enter or leave except for those with permission.

"It seems Professor Wang's research has made some progress, otherwise he wouldn't have called me here alone." Yang Jian looked around and saw only his car; Zhao Kaiming's, Sun Yi's, and Zhang Han's cars were not there.

"I am Yang Jian. Where is Professor Wang?"

"Hello, Yang Jian, please come this way." A staff member immediately came forward.

Led by staff, Yang Jian arrived at an operating room.

However, along the way, he heard many patients screaming in pain, as if they were being tormented by some terrible disease.

"Professor, Yang Jian is here."

The operating room doors opened, revealing Professor Wang sitting at a surgical table, taking notes while receiving an IV drip. His white coat was stained with bright red blood, and the entire operating room reeked of blood.

It looked as if this place had become a slaughterhouse, where many livestock had been slaughtered before.

"I'd believe you'd die of overwork very soon with this kind of job." Yang Jian glanced at the IV drip bottle; it was just glucose water, so it was clear that Wang Xiaoming wasn't actually sick.

"You've come."

Wang Xiaoming put down his pen, looked up at him, and said, "Some of my research has hit a bottleneck, and I need your help. I can't get the work done without enough assistants here. You and Li Jun both possess the Ghost Domain, which is very important to me, although I don't really want to ask you for help."

"I know," Yang Jian. "But I wonder what stage Professor Wang's research has reached?"

"We've figured out the killing patterns and growth patterns of the second-stage Ghost Infant. We lack research materials for the third-stage Ghost Infant, so we can only speculate. But none of that matters. What matters is that I've made a new discovery these past few days," Wang Xiaoming said, standing up.

"What discovery?" Yang Jian.

Wang Xiaoming said, "Before the seven-day deadline arrived, I sent people to investigate the place where Ye Feng and He Chuan had their accident, but unfortunately, we found nothing there."

"Hmm?" Yang Jian's expression shifted slightly. "Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"Because it's unnecessary? A seven-day deadline would allow you to work even harder," Wang Xiaoming said calmly. "Besides, this isn't exactly good news, because we've lost our last chance to give it our all."

"I personally believe that the location where Ye Feng had his accident does not exist on any street in Dachang City. It must be a special place, a world similar to Ghost Domain. I currently refer to that place as the Seventh Street."

"The reason I've called you here today is to ask you to help me find that location and get inside."

Yang Jian, "So what if we get in? If Ye Feng dies inside, are we going to die inside too?"

Wang Xiaoming said, "This is only the first step. Finding the location doesn't necessarily mean we have to go inside. I need further research to determine the source and pinpoint exactly where that starving ghost is."

"What do you know?" Yang Jian narrowed his eyes.

"I do know some things, but I can't tell you yet. We need to complete the first step first, otherwise everything will be meaningless," Wang Xiaoming said.

"What do you want me to do?" Yang Jian.

Wang Xiaoming asked, "I heard you have a way to remove the Ghost Infant?"

"That's right."

"Very good, let's start by saving lives," Wang Xiaoming said. "Bring the patient in and begin the surgery."

The sound faded.

The operating room doors opened, and a patient was wheeled in.

The patient was a man with a distended belly, like a pregnant woman. He was emaciated, with a furrowed brow and a look of pain on his face.

"I used the maximum dose of painkiller that the human body can tolerate, so you can use your method without worry. But I want all of this to be done in your Ghost Domain, and your Ghost Domain should simulate a map of the entire Dachang City," Wang Xiaoming said.

"You want to follow the clues, but will that even work?" Yang Jian asked. "Isn't it a bit naive to try to understand a ghost's thoughts using human logic?"

"Give it a try, you won't regret it," Wang Xiaoming said.

Yang Jian, "Alright, I'll make an exception and give it a try. Also, I'll only help this once. If you want to verify your results through repeated attempts, I refuse. I don't want to die before the vengeful ghost resurrects."

With continuous use of his abilities, even if he controls two demons, they will revive.

"Of course, your importance in Dachang City now surpasses that of anyone else, including me," Wang Xiaoming said.

"Alright, let's begin." Yang Jian approached the patient.

Beneath the bulging belly, the outline of an infant was constantly wriggling.

The thing inside her belly was about to be born; it was already the size of a newborn baby.