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Yang Jian was instantly stunned when he looked at the photo on his phone.

Although he could not see the face of the person in the security uniform, there were only two people in the entire mall who wore such uniforms: himself and Liu Qiang.

That was right. The mall only had two security guards—him and Liu Qiang.

It obviously could not be Yang Jian, so Liu Qiang's identity was beyond doubt.

He was... a ghost.

Yang Jian recalled that when he had first entered the mall, he had indeed smelled the stench of a corpse.

At the time, he had seen Liu Qiang walk out of the darkness and greet him. He clearly remembered Liu Qiang saying that he had just come back from the restroom.

The restroom?

If he had really gone to the restroom, how could he have failed to notice Jiang Yan hiding there?

It seemed that everything fit together now.

Yang Jian frowned deeply. "That's impossible. If Liu Qiang is a ghost, why wasn't I attacked when I stayed with him in the dormitory? Back then, I should have met the conditions for this ghost to attack me."

Still, while the possibility of Liu Qiang being a ghost was very high, there were doubts remaining.

Blind guessing was useless.

He had to investigate further.

With what he now knew and understood about this ghost, he had enough confidence to deal with it.

"Th-then, has that ghost left? Is it safe now?" Jiang Yan asked nervously and cautiously.

Yang Jian said, "It's fine. That ghost has left. You're safe for the time being."

"Can you stop pressing against me? And something of yours is poking me." Jiang Yan had her back to Yang Jian and was practically pressed against the door.

"It's fine. It's just a sausage. By the way, weren't you hungry? Do you still want to eat?" Yang Jian asked.

Jiang Yan looked a little stunned. "Huh? N-now? Shouldn't we talk about that after we get out?"

"If you don't want it, forget it. It's not like I want to give it to you," Yang Jian said.

Jiang Yan hesitated for a moment, then said, "All right, then. But can you hurry up? Don't take too long."

"You're really naggy."

Yang Jian switched on his flashlight, illuminating the surroundings, then pulled a sausage from his pocket.

"Here. I bought it for breakfast this morning. It cost three yuan, you know. Consider yourself lucky. But you really are something—this place is haunted, and you're still thinking about the sausage in my pocket."

Jiang Yan stared blankly at the Shuanghui-brand sausage in her hand. Th-this really was a sausage?

"Take your time eating. I'm heading out."

Yang Jian opened the door and walked out with his flashlight.

He shone it around.

There was nothing there. It was quiet and peaceful.

But when he shone the light on several nearby stalls, he froze.

Earlier, the stall door seemed to have been smashed and cracked open by that ghost. Yet now... it was completely intact.

That was right. The stall door was tightly shut, without the slightest sign of damage. It was completely unscientific.

"Running into a ghost wasn't scientific to begin with."

Yang Jian withdrew his gaze and stopped dwelling on the ghost's abilities.

"Where are you going? There's a ghost outside. Why don't we stay here until dawn before leaving?"

Jiang Yan cautiously walked out. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes rumpled, and she held a sausage in her hand.

Yang Jian said, "I still have things to do. I finally figured out a few things about that ghost, so of course I'm going to go cause it trouble. Besides, I came here to make money. If Boss Tang dies, wouldn't this trip have been for nothing? He put up a one-million reward to solve the mall haunting, and that's what I came for."

As he spoke, he walked out of the restroom with his flashlight.

Jiang Yan hurried after him. "If you leave, what am I supposed to do?"

"Miss, I'm not your dad or your babysitter. How would I know what you're supposed to do? Why don't you stay in the restroom? Once this is over, I'll come back and let you know. Then you can leave," Yang Jian said as he looked back at her.

"N-no, I can't. What if that ghost comes back while I'm in the restroom? And do you have a way to deal with that ghost?" Jiang Yan asked.

Yang Jian said, "More or less."

"Then can you protect me?" Jiang Yan pleaded.

"Why should I protect you when I don't even know you? Saving a damsel in distress is something heroes do, and heroes usually die young. I don't want to be a hero. I just want to do what I need to do." Yang Jian arrived on the first floor of the mall and swept his flashlight around.

Jiang Yan followed him and wrapped her arm around his. "Then I'll be your girlfriend. Is that okay?"

"You're not only dreaming big, you're incredibly naive. You don't even know my name, and you want to be my girlfriend? Once we walk out that door, who's going to recognize who? You just want me to risk my life for you, don't you?" Yang Jian looked at her.

"I mean it. I won't go back on my word," Jiang Yan said.

Yang Jian said, "I don't trust you. Besides, you being my girlfriend wouldn't do me any good. You'd only cause me trouble, and you might even get me killed. It's not like I've never run into useless teammates before."

As he spoke, he used the flashlight to search for something.

"I won't. I'm smart. I definitely won't cause you trouble. Believe me," Jiang Yan said.

She was on the verge of breaking down. She was an accountant at her company, practically a white-collar worker, and she was fairly pretty too. Though she was not tall, she had slender legs and a large chest. Usually, plenty of people pursued her, yet now she was throwing herself at a lowly security guard and still being rejected.

Even so, Jiang Yan had to cling to this young security guard.

Because she knew that only he could protect her.

"Found it." Yang Jian's flashlight quickly illuminated something.

A human head.

A rotten human head that gave off a foul stench.

This head belonged to... Wei Xiaohong.

It had remained here from earlier until now, without moving at all.

The ghost Jiang Yan saw was Wei Xiaohong, while the ghost I photographed was Liu Qiang. She had no reason to lie, and I couldn't have taken the wrong photo. The only possibility is that this ghost can change identities? Wei Xiaohong, Liu Qiang, even Sister Li, or perhaps some other employee.

Anyone could be the ghost. Yang Jian frowned deeply.

No, Boss Tang, Manager Li, Master Luo, and that group should be included as well. After all, they've been here for so long.

To truly find out who the ghost is, I only need to go to one place.

The surveillance room.

Everything that had happened these past few days must have been captured by the surveillance cameras. As long as he went to the surveillance room and reviewed the footage, everything would become clear.

"Jiang Yan, do you know where the surveillance room is?" Yang Jian asked.

"On... the fifth floor," Jiang Yan said.

Yang Jian said, "Take me there, and I guarantee you'll leave this place alive."

"Really?" Jiang Yan asked in surprise.

"It's true, but only if you listen to me. Whatever I say, you have to do. If you panic and run around out of fear, I won't be responsible if you die," Yang Jian said seriously.

"I promise I'll listen to you," Jiang Yan immediately swore.

Yang Jian said, "I hope you can keep your word. Not for me, but for yourself. Now come with me. We're going to the fifth floor."

He looked up.

Although it was dim upstairs, there was still some light, and he could see clearly. The situation was much better than downstairs.

It was just that there was no longer any movement upstairs.

He did not know how Boss Tang, Master Luo, the others, and the Ghost Tamer Yan Li were doing.

Maybe they had escaped. Maybe they were already dead.

But he had to go take a look. If they really were dead, then there was no reason for him to stay here any longer.