The Mark

Liu Xiaoyu was just about to finish her work and head back to her dorm when she received a call from Yang Jian.

She immediately took it seriously.

Generally speaking, ghost wielders wouldn't make a satellite call for no reason. If they did, it was highly likely they had encountered a supernatural event, a ghost.

At such times, the operator's role was crucial: gathering intel, organizing files, and assessing threat levels. It was a vital part of maintaining regional stability.

Therefore, even if asleep, they had to rush to their posts the moment the phone rang.

Listening to Yang Jian's description.

Liu Xiaoyu pulled up the file for the ghost infant Zhou Zheng, her brows furrowing, a very solemn expression on her face.

"You're saying the ghost infant that came out of Zhou Zheng's belly is growing? A few days ago it was just an infant, and now it's like a child, and it even seems to be developing the ability to use a ghost domain?"

"Yes, that's roughly the situation. Also, one of my classmates was left with two palm prints by that ghost infant. After that, the ghost infant seemed to have fixated on her, intent on devouring her, as if cursed by that knocking sound. Do you have any similar cases on your end, or any ideas on how to break it?" Yang Jian asked.

"In past supernatural case files, there have indeed been people who encountered similar situations. Most ghosts, if they have a clear intent to kill, generally require two conditions: one is a hard trigger condition, and the other is a killing pattern, much like a normal person's motive and method of murder."

"The trigger condition for the previous knocking ghost was the sound of knocking, and the method of killing was the ghost knocking. Of course, other killing methods are not ruled out. The ghost infant's method of killing should be eating, killing a person by eating them, and the trigger condition should be touch."

"Based on some information, I've analyzed that the ghost infant should immediately eat the person it touches, or anyone who touches it. It's only targeting your classmate now because she had contact with the ghost infant."

Yang Jian said, "I hadn't come into contact with the ghost infant before, yet it still attacked me."

He was the first person attacked by a ghost.

"Most ghosts possess indiscriminate killing abilities. If the conditions aren't met, they will randomly attack people nearby. You were the first person the ghost infant saw after leaving Zhou Zheng's body, so it considered you prey. However, this kind of ghost, which can spread and roam, is generally classified as B-class." "Encountering a ghost doesn't mean you'll be safe if the requirements aren't met; it only means that understanding the ghost's patterns can increase your survival rate," Liu Xiaoyu said.

Hearing this, Yang Jian's mouth twitched. He finally understood why Fang Jing would sacrifice others so ruthlessly to save himself.

"Regarding the palm prints on your classmate, I believe that might be a ghost slave mark," Liu Xiaoyu said.

"Ghost slave mark?"

Yang Jian asked, "What is that? How is it different from a ghost slave?"

"Every ghost that can use a ghost domain possesses an ability: it can turn dead people into ghost slaves. Ghost slaves have no reason; apart from their appearance, they are completely unrelated to their former selves. They are a different kind of ghost, so don't be fooled by their former appearance. Moreover, ghost slaves obey their master unconditionally. You should have encountered them before, but that knocking ghost's level was too high; the number of ghost slaves it could control was beyond your imagination. We've classified it as A-class."

"A-class."

Yang Jian's heart tightened. So the knocking ghost was that terrifying.

"The ghost slave mark is actually a mark placed by a vengeful ghost, similar to a company's trademark. Although your classmate isn't dead yet, she's already considered a ghost slave of that ghost domain. If she dies, she'll be controlled. This is the only information I have for now," Liu Xiaoyu said.

Hearing these words, Yang Jian's heart sank. "So, you're saying that ghost infant, before it's even fully grown, is already planning to take a beauty as its concubine? I thought it was a decent ghost, but it turns out to be a perverted little thing."

". As of now, ghosts have no desires. They don't distinguish between beauty and ugliness. Perhaps your classmate is a girl, and the ghost infant, having just crawled out of Zhou Zheng's belly and failed to attack you, chose to attack someone who appeared weaker. That's all," Liu Xiaoyu said.

"Is there any way to remove that mark?" Yang Jian asked.

Liu Xiaoyu replied, "No, but there's a potentially viable plan. No ghost wielder has ever tried it."

"Why?" Yang Jian asked.

"The requirements are too high." Liu Xiaoyu said.

"What requirements?"

Liu Xiaoyu said, "The most basic requirement is that the ghost wielder must be able to use a ghost domain. One professor theorized that if a ghost can have ghost slaves, then a ghost wielder should also be able to have ghost slaves. By replacing the vengeful ghost's mark with a ghost slave mark, one could escape the vengeful ghost's pursuit."

"Isn't that nonsense? So the mark is still on them?" Yang Jian said.

"It's different. A vengeful ghost is dead, while a ghost wielder is alive. Even if they become a ghost slave, they won't lose their reason, which is fundamentally different from a ghost slave. Of course, if you die from a ghost resurgence, the ghost within your body will take over your ghost slaves."

"..." Yang Jian's face darkened.

Ghost wielders were short-lived people. Wouldn't this mean jumping from one frying pan into another?

They would still die.

"I understand. I'll talk to you later." Yang Jian said.

"Wait, wait." Liu Xiaoyu suddenly remembered something and quickly stopped him.

"Is there anything else?" Yang Jian asked.

Liu Xiaoyu said, "I need to create a file for you. I hope you can cooperate. It would be best if you know something about the ghost within you, such as its abilities, characteristics, and form. If you don't cooperate, I won't be able to assist you with your work next time."

"Alright."

Yang Jian thought about it and felt it didn't matter, so he mentioned the matter of the eyes.

After Liu Xiaoyu finished recording, she said, "We've arranged for your mother. She's entered a legitimate company and will return to Dachang City from another city after some time. You can rest assured. By the way, what happened with your father last time? Can you tell me in detail?"

"Father? My father died when I was a child? What are you referring to?" Yang Jian asked in confusion.

Liu Xiaoyu was taken aback and said, "Didn't you say last time in your rental apartment that your father was nearby? I suspect that was a ghost, trying to make you leave that place."

"That was a ghost, just a ghost. Why bring up my father?" Yang Jian said, "Do you think that ghost was my father? Don't be ridiculous."

"..." Liu Xiaoyu wasn't angry; instead, she frowned.

Judging by Yang Jian's tone, he didn't seem to be joking.

The only explanation was... his memory had been tampered with again.

A ghost suspected of being able to alter people's memories? And the person itself couldn't detect it. Even ghost wielders couldn't. But why hadn't her own memory been changed?

Liu Xiaoyu quickly took notes, preparing to let the high-intelligence think tanks deduce the matter. This wasn't her job.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, that's it. Talk next time," Yang Jian said.

"One last thing, how has your mental state been recently?" Liu Xiaoyu suddenly asked again.

"It's fine, no problems," Yang Jian hung up the phone.

Then he looked at Wang Bin and Wang Haiyan in the car. "Did you hear that?"

"This is a call from an operator at the Asian branch of the Ghost Wielder Headquarters. What she said carries authority. In fact, you've been involved for a while now. Since you've encountered this matter, I won't hide it anymore, lest some people call me a charlatan or a madman."

The Wang Bin family fell into a deep silence.

No one was calm within.

Yang Jian looked at Wang Shanshan again, and suddenly, his expression tensed.

He saw that a faint red mark had appeared on Wang Shanshan's wrist at some point. The mark looked like an eye, but it was so dim it was almost gone.

"When did this appear?" Yang Jian grabbed Wang Shanshan's hand abruptly.

Wang Shanshan flinched and whispered, "It appeared when you grabbed me."

This is the ghost slave mark~!

Yang Jian froze. He recalled.

He had indeed grabbed her wrist once when he was saving Wang Shanshan.

Was it left then?

Understood. Yang Jian understood now.

Why Wang Shanshan hadn't died after being entangled by the ghost infant for several days was because of his mark. It was just that the ghost infant had grown and its power had increased, so his mark was about to disappear.

"This mark can save people, and it can also harm people." Yang Jian's expression flickered as he fell into thought.

However, not long after Yang Jian hung up the phone, a file about him was added to the archives at headquarters.

The first page of the file had a large heading: Ghost Eye Yang Jian (Not Employed).