Yang Jian tortured the crooked merchant for over an hour.
The bastard was nearly driven to a breakdown.
Only then did he return to the phone repair shop and remove the phone he had stuffed into the merchant's head.
Yang Jian grabbed the merchant by the collar and said coldly, "You must have swapped out plenty of other people's phones before. Who knows how much money you've cheated them out of? Let me tell you this: I can deal with you like an ordinary person and do business fairly, but I can also be someone ten times more vicious than you. I can show you what regret really means. I'll be passing by here often from now on. If I catch you doing this again, next time I won't just stuff a phone into your head."
"B-Big Brother, I won't dare do it again. I won't." The crooked merchant was terrified and trembled as he spoke.
"People like you have black hearts when it comes to making money. Before you get caught, you act arrogant and even accuse others first, claiming I was selling stolen goods. Now that you've fallen into my hands, you think an apology is enough? Wouldn't that be letting you off too easily? The cost of cheating people is so low—no wonder crooked merchants like you are everywhere. Today, you'll pay to avert disaster and learn your lesson. Next time, watch out for your life."
Yang Jian gave him a severe warning before leaving.
Naturally, he also gained a sum of compensation for emotional damages.
His methods might not have been honorable.
But that no longer mattered.
He could be the villain himself. After all, he had already become neither human nor ghost. If he could not find that ghost, he would not live much longer anyway.
Before I die, I need to earn enough money to support my mother in her old age. It doesn't matter if my methods are a little despicable. If I die, what will happen to her? Her health isn't very good either. Yang Jian lowered his head, sorrow appearing on his face.
Too bad there are no bounties for supernatural incidents in this country. Otherwise, I could take a risk and make a few million, maybe even tens of millions of dollars.
He wandered the streets aimlessly, searching for a chance to make money.
Eventually, he stopped in front of a utility pole.
All kinds of advertisements had been pasted onto it.
Heavy reward for a child. Two million yuan.
Nothing much going on, just putting up an ad.
Yang Jian made a round of the area and suddenly noticed a flyer that had been torn in half.
Yang Jian hesitated. Should I give it a try?
Over a million yuan... If I can really earn it, then I'll have half of the money needed for my mother's retirement. After thinking it over, Yang Jian decided not to call first. He would go take a look and confirm whether it was real.
If it was fake, he would not waste his time.
He immediately hailed a taxi and headed toward the address written on the flyer.
On a bustling main road stood clusters of apartment buildings and residential complexes, with plenty of pedestrian traffic. Beside the road was a large shopping mall.
The address on the flyer referred to this mall.
After paying the taxi fare and getting out, Yang Jian studied the mall.
Police cordon tape had been set up outside and had not yet been removed. It seemed that some sort of case had occurred recently. The mall itself was deserted, without a single customer. Most of the lights inside were off, as though it had already ceased operations.
Yang Jian walked over and saw several advertisements at the entrance recruiting employees, offering things like a monthly salary of six thousand yuan with room and board included.
"From the outside, it really does look like something happened. I just don't know whether it was a supernatural incident."
Without overthinking it, he entered the mall.
The moment he stepped inside, Yang Jian's expression changed slightly.
A faint stench drifted through the air. It was subtle and intermittent, but exceptionally distinctive, because he had smelled it at school a few days ago.
It was the odor of a decomposing corpse.
His gaze shifted as he looked deeper into the mall.
Only the area near the entrance had its lights on. Since the mall was closed, the lights elsewhere had not been turned on, leaving the place dim and oppressive.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Yang Jian vaguely felt that something was secretly watching him from deep within the darkness of the mall.
Tap, tap-tap~!
Suddenly, crisp footsteps sounded from the darkness ahead, echoing through the empty mall.
A dark figure approached from afar, gradually walking toward him.
Yang Jian instinctively tensed up. He seemed to hold his breath. Was that thing a ghost?
Closer. Closer and closer.
It came straight toward him without the slightest hesitation.
"Sorry, the mall is undergoing renovations these days and isn't open for business. If you want to buy something, you can go to the small supermarket up ahead."
A thin young man in a security uniform emerged from the darkness.
"Hm? Why are you staring at me like that?" the young security guard asked Yang Jian with a puzzled expression.
"..." Yang Jian was silent for a moment before saying, "Big Brother, what were you doing just now?"
"I went to the bathroom. Is there a problem?" the young security guard asked.
"Why didn't you turn on the lights when you went to the bathroom?"
"The electricity bill is expensive. The boss doesn't allow it. If you don't have anything else to do, hurry up and leave. This place isn't open. If someone sneaks in, I'll be in big trouble. Last time, a kid ran in here, and I spent ages looking for him. I nearly lost my job because of it."
"I didn't come to buy anything. I came to see your boss," Yang Jian said.
"The boss isn't here today," the young security guard said.
"About when will he be back?" Yang Jian asked.
"The boss is away on a business trip. He won't be back for another couple of days." The young security guard frowned. "Why are you asking so many questions? 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 looked Yang Jian over. "Do you know that people have gone missing in this mall? Someone disappeared inside and still hasn't been found."
"I didn't know before, but I do now," Yang Jian said.
"And you still dare to apply?"
"Why wouldn't I, with such a high monthly salary? It's only a disappearance, not a haunting," Yang Jian said.
"Then come with me. I'll take you to Sister Li. She's in charge of hiring employees," the young security guard said.
Yang Jian followed him.
Inside a small shop in the mall, four or five mall employees sat on sofas. Some watched television, while others played on their phones. They had nothing to do and looked bored.
"Sister Li, someone is here to apply for a job," the young security guard said.
A middle-aged woman in a work uniform raised her head. She stood up and smiled. "The mall will reopen after a while, and we're short on staff right now. The hiring requirements are fairly relaxed at the moment. There are no requirements for education or work experience. The salary is six thousand yuan a month, with room and board included, though the working hours are a little long. If you don't have any issues with that, when can you start?"
Yang Jian thought for a moment. "I can start today."
"The probation period is three days. As for positions, do you have any preferences? We're short of people at the front desk, in purchasing, cashiering, security..."
Sister Li went on to explain some other requirements and the working hours.
Yang Jian did not listen closely. He was not here for the job; he had come to find the boss and earn a fee.
"I don't have much work experience, so I'll apply for security. By the way, I saw someone handing out flyers outside earlier. They said the boss had invited some master or Taoist priest here to drive away evil spirits and perform rituals. Is that true?"
Sister Li's smile faded. "That did happen, but it has nothing to do with you. Since you're a new employee, introduce yourself first so everyone can get acquainted."
She seemed to be deliberately avoiding the subject.
Yang Jian felt that something was indeed wrong with this mall.
Before you continue