The Closed Mall

Yang Jian tormented the unscrupulous businessman for over an hour.

The scoundrel was almost driven to the brink of collapse.

Finally, he returned to the phone repair shop and retrieved the phone he had shoved into the businessman's head.

Yang Jian grabbed the unscrupulous businessman by his collar and said coldly, "You've probably done this kind of phone-swapping trick many times, haven't you? Who knows how much money you've scammed from others. I'm telling you, I can do business with ordinary people normally, but I can also be a villain ten times worse than you and make you understand regret. I'll be passing by here often, and if I see you doing this again, I won't just shove a phone into your head next time."

"B, Big Brother, I won't dare to do it again, I won't dare," the unscrupulous businessman stammered, terrified.

"People like you have black hearts for money. When you weren't caught, you were arrogant and played the victim, accusing me of selling stolen goods. You think a simple apology will suffice now that you're in my hands? That's too easy for you. With such low consequences for deception, no wonder there are so many unscrupulous businessmen everywhere. Today, consider it a lesson learned through financial loss, and be careful of your life next time."

Yang Jian gave him a stern warning before leaving.

Of course, he also gained a sum of money for emotional distress.

Although his methods were not exactly honorable.

It didn't matter.

He would be the villain himself. After all, he had already become something neither human nor ghost, and he wouldn't live much longer without finding that ghost.

"Before I die, I need to earn enough money for my mother's retirement. Being a bit despicable with my methods is fine. If I die, what will happen to my mother? She's not in good health either." Yang Jian lowered his head, a look of sadness on his face.

"It's a shame there are no bounties for supernatural events in China. Otherwise, I could take a risk and earn millions upon millions of US dollars, and everything would be sorted."

He wandered the streets aimlessly, searching for opportunities to make money.

He eventually stopped in front of a utility pole.

Various advertisements were plastered on the pole.

"Seeking pregnancy with heavy reward, two million."

He had nothing else to do, so he just wanted to post an ad.

Yang Jian looked around and suddenly noticed an advertisement that had been torn in half.

Yang Jian hesitated, "Should I give it a try?"

"It's over a million yuan. If I can really earn it, I'll have half the money needed for my mother's retirement." Yang Jian thought for a moment and decided not to call directly but to go and see for himself to confirm if the offer was real.

If it was fake, he wouldn't waste his time.

Immediately, he hailed a taxi and quickly headed towards the address listed on the advertisement.

On a bustling main road, surrounded by residential buildings and communities, with plenty of foot traffic, there was a large shopping supermarket by the roadside.

The address indicated this mall.

Yang Jian paid the taxi driver and got out, looking at the mall.

There was still a police cordon outside, not yet removed, suggesting a recent incident. The mall inside was eerily quiet, with no customers. Most of the lights were off, and it appeared to be closed.

Yang Jian walked over and saw several recruitment advertisements at the entrance, offering salaries like six thousand yuan a month with free food and accommodation.

"From the outside, it really looks like something happened, but I don't know if it's a supernatural event."

Without overthinking it, he entered the mall.

As soon as he stepped inside, Yang Jian's expression changed slightly.

A faint, elusive odor wafted towards him. It was a peculiar smell, one he had encountered at school a few days prior.

It was the stench of a decaying corpse.

His gaze shifted as he looked into the mall.

Except for the area near the entrance, the rest of the mall was dark due to its closure, creating a somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

He couldn't tell if it was his imagination, but Yang Jian vaguely felt something lurking in the shadowy depths of the mall, watching him.

"Tap, tap, tap~!"

Suddenly, crisp footsteps echoed from the darkness ahead, reverberating through the empty mall.

A dark figure approached from the distance, gradually moving closer.

Yang Jian instinctively tensed up, holding his breath. Was it a ghost?

It got closer, ever closer.

It was walking directly towards him without hesitation.

"Sorry, the mall is undergoing renovations these days and is not open for business. If you need to buy something, you can go to the small supermarket up ahead."

From the darkness, a thin young man in a security uniform emerged.

"Huh? Why are you staring at me like that?" the young security guard asked, looking confused.

"..." Yang Jian paused for a moment and said, "Big Brother, where did you just go?"

"To the restroom, why? Is there a problem?" the young security guard asked.

"Why didn't you turn on the lights when you went to the restroom?"

The young security guard said, "Electricity is expensive, and the boss doesn't allow us to turn them on. If you have nothing else, please leave. We're not open, and it would cause me a lot of trouble if someone snuck in. Last time, a kid ran in, and I almost lost my job trying to find him."

Yang Jian said, "I'm not here to buy anything. I'm here to see your boss."

"The boss isn't here today," the young security guard said.

"When will he be back?" Yang Jian asked.

"The boss is on a business trip and won't be back for a couple of days," the young security guard replied. "Why are you asking so much? You're not here to cause trouble, are you?"

Yang Jian thought for a moment. "No, I'm here to apply for a job."

Apply for a job?

The young security guard sized Yang Jian up. "Do you know about the disappearances that have happened in this mall? People have gone missing in the mall and haven't been found yet."

"I didn't know before, but I do now," Yang Jian said.

"And you still dare to apply for a job?"

"Why wouldn't I dare to come for such a high monthly salary? It's just disappearances, not a haunting," Yang Jian said.

The young security guard said, "Then follow me. I'll take you to Sister Li. She's in charge of hiring employees."

Yang Jian followed him.

In a small shop within the mall, four or five mall employees were sitting on a sofa. Some were watching TV, some were playing on their phones. They had nothing to do and seemed bored.

"Sister Li, someone's here to apply for a job," the young security guard said.

A middle-aged woman in a work uniform looked up. She stood up and smiled. "The mall will be opening soon, and we're in urgent need of staff. We're pretty relaxed about HR right now, no requirements for education or work experience. The salary is six thousand a month, with food and accommodation included. However, the working hours are a bit long. If that's okay, when can you start?"

Yang Jian thought for a moment. "I can start today."

"The probation period is three days. Do you have any requirements for the position? We need people for reception, purchasing, cashier, and security."

Sister Li went on to explain some of the requirements and working hours.

Yang Jian wasn't really listening. His true intentions weren't about the job. He wasn't here to work, but to meet the boss here and earn a fee.

"I don't have much work experience, so I'll apply for security. Oh, and I saw someone posting flyers outside earlier, saying the boss was hiring some kind of master or Taoist priest to perform exorcisms and rituals here. Is that true?"

Sister Li's smile faded. "That is true, but it has nothing to do with you. You're a new employee, so please introduce yourself first so we can get acquainted."

She seemed to be deliberately avoiding the topic.

Yang Jian felt that there was indeed something wrong with this mall.