Counter-Invasion

"This Professor Wang is really stubborn. He could have left, but he changed his mind halfway and insisted on forcibly taking the ghost coffin. Isn't that just asking for trouble? That thing is currently possessed by a ghost. To take the ghost coffin, we must drive away the ghost. Moreover, that thing has undergone some unpredictable change and has become extremely dangerous."

A suburban area near the laboratory.

Several people stood on the hillside, gazing at the area in the distance that was gradually being covered by darkness.

The Ghost Domain has re-formed, and in addition, some unpredictable changes have occurred within it, seemingly revealing the abilities of multiple ghosts.

"Professor Wang must have discovered something more important that made him decide to take the ghost coffin."

Jiang Shangbai, standing to the side, squinted and said, "He finally found out, and was actually willing to risk so much to change his mind and take the coffin from the ghost?"

Something that Wang Xiaoming values so highly must be extremely valuable.

Unfortunately, he didn't know enough to speculate on some of the inside stories.

"Whatever Professor Wang discovered, this is the best course of action given the current situation. The ghost doesn't seem to have moved, so let's just leave it here. Even if we can't imprison it, at least it won't cause any harm." The speaker was Zhong Shan.

He had previously disagreed with Professor Wang and his colleagues, believing that continuing to take the risk was not worthwhile.

In times of crisis, a brief disagreement produced two drastically different outcomes.

One group of people successfully escaped the danger zone while the Ghost Messenger incident was brewing again, while another group followed Wang Xiaoming and fell into the Ghost Domain once more.

"That makes sense. Aren't there enough dangerous places we've learned about from the files? We haven't even solved the problems in several places in J City, so one more won't make a difference." Some people nodded in agreement.

Actually, J City wasn't completely free of paranormal events.

Paranormal events have occurred in some places. Some have been resolved, while others have been sealed off. Because the situation was under control, no one paid much attention to it.

"We've already notified Headquarters 'll arrange for a rescue. The rest is no longer our concern. It's about time we headed back." Jiang Shangbai glanced again at the increasingly dark Ghost Domain, not wanting to face something so dangerous, lest he accidentally fall into it.

The strange change he had just witnessed had made him realize how terrifying this thing was.

Its ability to suppress other ghosts is unparalleled, and combined with the ever-present supernatural presence, it can easily kill any Ghost Tamer.

If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he would have found it hard to believe that a group of novices at the training base had actually managed to escape alive from that monster yesterday.

"It cannot be imprisoned, cannot be disposed of, possesses the ability to Infinite Restart, can suppress the ghosts of other Ghost Tamer, and seems to be able to use the abilities of other vengeful ghosts. Moreover, it seems to be in a semi-revived state. This thing is simply a perfect ghost, without any weaknesses. Once it is targeted, even the most powerful Ghost Tamer will be worn down to death inside."

Jiang Shangbai closed his eyes slightly, pondering how he should deal with this thing.

It seems like all we can do is wait to die.

Just then, he suddenly realized something, abruptly opened his eyes, and looked to the side.

There was one more person there.

Someone who doesn't belong to their group.

The man was wearing a white shirt, about 1.78 meters tall, and somewhat handsome, but his face was pale. He exuded a strange, cold, and eerie aura, and his eyes were as sharp as a hawk or a lone wolf, with a beastly edge that made people feel very uncomfortable.

What's most striking is that a scarlet eyeball has grown out of this person's forehead. This eyeball has no pupil, and it has an evil aura, restlessly turning left and right, as if spying on everything around it.

"Who?"

The other Ghost Tamer then realized what was happening and almost instinctively took several steps back, their faces filled with vigilance.

"Yang Jian, what brings you here?" Zhong Shan asked, somewhat surprised that the young man remained motionless.

Logically speaking, Yang Jian should already be resting somewhere, since he just survived a supernatural event yesterday and it's unlikely he'd come back here.

Yang Jian?

The other Ghost Tamer nearby then looked him over, quickly compared his file with Yang Jian's, and then lowered their guard.

Is this person Ghost Eye Yang Jian?

I'd heard of his name before, but this was the first time I'd met him in person. I was surprised to find that he really was a young man, not even twenty years old, just like his profile suggested.

"Ghost Eye Yang Jian?" Jiang Shangbai's eyes flickered, and he became particularly attentive.

"Someone paid me overtime to come and rescue a few people, so I came." Yang Jian's expression was calm. Although his eyes were on Zhong Shan, his Ghost Eye had already scanned the people around him.

Finally, the Ghost Eye lingered on the young man in the suit.

That person gave off a much stronger aura than the others.

Overtime pay?

Upon hearing Yang Jian's words, Zhong Shan immediately understood; "Headquarters actually sent you here to provide support. This doesn't seem like Headquarters style. After all, you just experienced a supernatural event; you're probably not in good shape."

"My operator only mentioned it briefly, and I could have refused, but considering the extra overtime pay, I gritted my teeth and came anyway," Yang Jian said.

"Just you alone?" Zhong Shan felt a little unreal.

Yang Jian was lucky to have survived the Ghost Messenger incident, let alone this supernatural event. Isn't he afraid of the vengeful spirits resurrecting?

Yang Jian, "For now, it's just me alone, but if my operation fails, Headquarters will definitely arrange for someone else to take over."

"Hey, Yang Jian, could you take your eyes off me for a moment? Being stared at by your Ghost Eye isn't a good thing, is it?" Jiang Shangbai felt a little uneasy because Yang Jian's Ghost Eye were constantly looking in their direction.

"I'm sorry, sometimes it's beyond my control," Yang Jian said. "It's just warning you, which means you're much better than others."

Jiang Shangbai darkened.

This Ghost Eye has this ability? It can sense the level of danger posed by the Ghost Tamer?

Zhong Shan said, "Even if you wanted to save people, it wouldn't be that easy, considering you weren't able to escape the ghost Ghost Domain of the Ghost Messenger in the first place."

He didn't quite believe Yang Jian could provide support.

"Actually, you've already noticed some issues from your exposure to these paranormal events. The reason this ghost can't be imprisoned is because you're inside its body. Perhaps that's not entirely accurate, but you can understand it that way," Yang Jian said.

Jiang Shangbai glanced at him and said, "The professor once said that the Ghost Domain is a part of the ghosts, so the ghosts cannot be imprisoned and can be restarted at any time."

"I'm not surprised that Wang Xiaoming said such a thing. He probably could have guessed it as soon as he made contact, but by then it would have been too late," Yang Jian.

"That's right, because by the time you discover this, you're already in the ghost's Ghost Domain, which means you've already lost. No matter how much you know about ghosts, it's useless." Zhong Shan nodded.

Jiang Shangbai asked, "So, what's your solution?"

"Uh, it's so obvious, how come you still didn't know?" Yang Jian was somewhat surprised.

Jiang Shangbai's lips twitched violently; he had absolutely no idea what Yang Jian and Professor Wang's intentions were.

They said almost the same things, but the meaning was completely incomprehensible. However, Zhong Shan, who was standing to the side, seemed to understand something.

"Actually, I already understand some of it, but I want to know what method you want to use to solve it," Jiang Shangbai said.

He actually knows nothing, but he can't say.

Zhong Shan said, "I'm curious about your proposal."

"The only way to resolve this Ghost Messenger incident is to act from the outside, meaning the Ghost Tamer must not be trapped in that Ghost Domain," Yang Jian. "There is a solution, simple and brutal: use a more powerful Ghost Domain to forcibly suppress the Ghost Messenger's ghost Ghost Domain, reducing this Ghost Domain to its smallest possible size."

"If you could, you could even put this Ghost Domain into a tiny bottle, made of gold, of course."

His plan originated from the suppression of his own Ghost Domain during his first encounter with the Ghost Messenger. After understanding the true nature of the Ghost Messenger, he decided to take the opposite approach.

If a vengeful ghost can suppress its own Ghost Domain, then if other Ghost Domain are strong enough, they can suppress it back.

"So that's how it is," Jiang Shangbai murmured, as if he had suddenly realized something.

"What did you say?" Yang Jian asked.

"Nothing."

Jiang Shangbai said coldly, "Your plan is almost impossible to implement. Can you suppress the Ghost Domain of an S-class paranormal event? The Dachang City incident was also covered by Ghost Domain, and it couldn't be resolved at first, could it?"

"Dachang City was different; I didn't have the capability to deal with it back then."

Yang Jian said, "Besides, I didn't intend to completely suppress this Ghost Domain. I just need to find a way to break in and bring the people out. After all, this is just about rescuing people, not dealing with a supernatural event."

"Alright, enough talk, it's time to get moving. Be vigilant about your surroundings, don't let anyone interfere with me, and keep an eye on the situation in the Ghost Domain. Let me know if there are any other changes." After saying that, Yang Jian walked towards the area covered in darkness.

"We won't obey your orders," Jiang Shangbai said.

Zhong Shan waved his hand and said, "It's alright. Let's cooperate with him once and bring him out first. We can't just watch Professor Wang die here, otherwise we'll all be responsible."

Jiang Shangbai thought about their previous escape. If Professor Wang died, the responsibility would naturally fall on those of them who had fled.

He immediately shut his mouth and remained silent.

Yang Jian had now arrived at the edge of this darkness-shrouded area.

If you keep going forward, you'll enter this Ghost Domain.

He didn't act rashly; instead, he wanted to try it out first.

"I previously activated four layers of the Ghost Domain to see the truth of this darkness, but that's still not enough. At least five layers of the Ghost Domain are needed to potentially invade the Ghost Coffin," Yang Jian pondered.

He had never tried stacking five layers of Ghost Domain before.

However, after he took the coffin nail from the Ghost Messenger's body and integrated it into his own, a new balance was formed between him and the ghost within his body. According to his deduction, he should have the ability to open the fifth level of the Ghost Domain.

Since you're going to try it sooner or later anyway, why not give it a try now?

Yang Jian looked at his pale, slightly stiff hand; this was the new Ghost Hand he had mastered.

It was part of the ghost's body. This hand was not rotten, had no lividity, and was almost perfectly preserved. It was just frighteningly cold, and looked exactly like a dead person's hand.

Then, he was gradually enveloped in an eerie red light.

As soon as the red light covered him, Yang Jian disappeared from the sight of Jiang Shangbai, Zhong Shan and the others.

He entered his own Ghost Domain.

He only needs the first layer of the Ghost Domain to avoid the perception of ordinary people, but that is far from enough. To invade the Ghost Messenger's ghost Ghost Domain, he would need at least four Ghost Domain. Five layers is just a guess. Perhaps he will eventually need to open up to six layers. So Yang Jian needs to try.

Soon.

The red light around Yang Jian intensified considerably, and the second layer of his Ghost Domain activated. The world within his Ghost Domain began to appear illusory.

Next, the third layer of the Ghost Domain opened.

Everything in the real world has disappeared; only the Ghost Domain he created remains here. Those things that remain unaffected are either gold or ghosts.

But that wasn't enough; the darkness before him remained, and he couldn't see through it.

"The fourth layer of the Ghost Domain." Yang Jian's Ghost Eye overlaid once more.

The eerie red light forcefully dispelled the darkness in one area, but it couldn't penetrate to the source of the darkness.

Just as Yang Jian was attempting to re-invade this Ghost Domain.

In the depths of this darkness, a bizarre and terrifying scene continues to unfold, only this time it is not Yang Jian who is in danger, but others.

A sinister laugh echoed in the darkness, sending chills down one's spine and sending shivers down one's spine.

The laughter echoed on and on, growing clearer with time, as if it were ringing right next to one's ears, lingering and making one involuntarily laugh along.

That's a vengeful ghost laughing.

But the source of this laughter was a face.

A dead man's face with a smile on it.

This face on Tong Qian's body forms a stark contrast to another crying face.

There was a ghost face on each side; these were the ghosts Tong Qian controlled. If it weren't for the balance between the ghosts, she would have already died on her own ghost face.

"Tong Qian, you can't continue, or Professor Wang won't be able to hold on, and you'll kill him." Li Jun's voice rang out, and he quickly stopped the eerie laughter.

The ghost's laughter stopped.

She forcefully repelled a terrifying wave of attacks from the surrounding area, and they were temporarily safe.

"It's useless. If the source isn't dealt with, these attacks can happen any number of times," Wang Xiaoming said. "The only solution now is to remove the ghost coffin and wait for rescue. Once the coffin is removed, the ghost will revert to its previous state of activity. We won't be alone anymore, so we'll be fine."

"Why are you so insistent on taking the ghost coffin? Hasn't that thing already become a ghost?" Tong Qian turned her head, her human face facing Wang Xiaoming.

In the darkness, Li Jun emitted a bluish-green light, dispelling a small patch of darkness around him.

"Because I've made a new discovery. If we survive this crisis, I'll most likely be able to let people control the resurrected ghost," Wang Xiaoming said calmly. "This is a new advancement, but if the ghost coffin continues to be in contact with the ghost, the coffin will disappear, and the ghost will continue to resurrect."

"Whether it's the ongoing research or preventing the ghost coffin from reviving, it's worth the risk."

"Are you so sure reinforcements will come?" Tong Qian asked through gritted teeth.

Wang Xiaoming said, "I'm sure, because of J City."

"Then let's keep going," Tong Qian said.

They didn't leave, but instead headed towards the ghost coffin. However, the further they went, the more terrifying the supernatural things they encountered became. They needed to work together to deal with these things, otherwise it would be difficult for them to survive.

The only saving grace was that the vengeful ghost did not emerge after returning to its coffin.

The true source of terror seems to have been somewhat contained, so they are now facing other supernatural phenomena.

For example, the ghost rope and the Ghost Turning Back should be other ghosts that were taken away by the Ghost Messenger before.

Even so, this group of top-notch Ghost Tamer still faced a difficult situation, with the risk of total annihilation at the slightest mistake. Fortunately, they had enough manpower, with Tong Qian, whose ghost face was in a malfunctioning state, holding the line, giving them the ability to hold out.

But the Ghost Messenger are still there.

In the darkness ahead, the coffin sitting on the ground remained motionless. The coffin had no lid; to be precise, the lid was broken, and it had lost some of its mystique.

But strangely, a person was standing inside the coffin.

This person was sitting in a coffin, but at some point, it changed its posture and stood up.

If this continues, it will soon emerge from the coffin.

That will be the time when the Ghost Messenger are fully revived.

Perhaps in a sense, this coffin is both nurturing and restricting ghosts.

However, this balance was broken at some point, causing the ghost to eventually break free from the coffin's confinement.