Headquarters Conference

"Hey, everyone's gone. What are you doing standing here? The meeting's about to start."

Just as Yang Jian was lost in thought...

Suddenly, a woman's voice rang out behind him. The voice was familiar; even without turning around, Yang Jian recognized that the person behind him was Liu Xiaoyu.

He snapped out of his daze and turned to look at her, saying, "You recovered quite quickly. So, what were your thoughts on being attacked by Ghost Tamer for the first time?"

Liu Xiaoyu had obviously just come out of the house. Although she had been in the room the whole time, she remembered everything that had happened around her very clearly. It was just that she was affected by the vengeful ghost at that time and was unable to resist, but that did not mean that she was completely unaware of it.

"I feel really bad."

She frowned; "I feel like a puppet, completely at Gao Zhiqiang's mercy. And what's most terrifying is that I know what I'm doing, and the whole process is voluntary. It's horrifying. One moment I'm desperately resisting, and the next I'm like a completely different person."

"I am still me, but my personality seems to have been distorted and changed. I still find it unbelievable; I simply don't understand why I acted that way back then."

"It's good that you put it that way," Yang Jian nodded.

Liu Xiaoyu puffed up her cheeks in anger. "What did you say? I was almost bullied by that Gao Zhiqiang and you say it's good? Can't you sympathize with me a little and comfort me? I'm still a girl, you know."

Yang Jian said earnestly, "It's definitely a good thing that you have this experience. At least you understand how desperate and helpless ordinary people are in front of ghosts. Fortunately, it was Gao Zhiqiang who made the move today. If Gao Zhiqiang were a ghost, you would already be dead by now, and you wouldn't have any chance of surviving."

"But you've only experienced it once, and someone even came to your rescue. However, many people who deal with paranormal events are not as lucky as you. Most of them are isolated and helpless, facing all sorts of terrifying and complex paranormal events alone. You've been in charge of me for so long, and you know my experiences. Now you understand some of my feelings, right?"

Liu Xiaoyu paused for a moment, then lowered her head and fell into deep thought.

What Yang Jian said makes sense. People who haven't personally experienced paranormal events can never understand the despair and hellish fear they feel.

As a former switchboard operator at Headquarters, Liu Xiaoyu realized that she had indeed been too arrogant.

If it were her, she would never want to experience something like that a second time, because you can't be sure you'd be lucky enough to survive it again.

Liu Xiaoyu now understood why Yang Jian had been avoiding paranormal events before.

Escaping danger and despair is a principle everyone understands, and it shouldn't be criticized, because you're not the one bearing the risk. Of course, it can be described as noble and righteous.

"You're right." After pondering for a while, Liu Xiaoyu didn't know how to respond, so she just whispered these words.

Yang Jian said, "There is no right or wrong, only different perspectives. When you become the victim, you naturally think I am right."

"But I still want to thank you." Liu Xiaoyu looked up at him with a complicated expression.

"What are you thanking me for?"

Yang Jian, "I didn't save you. Gao Zhiqiang didn't intend to kill you; he just wanted to play with you. I killed him because he influenced me, that's all."

"It's almost time, time to go to the meeting. Today's meeting is going to be very important, and I have a lot of things to take care of afterwards, so don't give me any random tasks."

"You're wronging me! I didn't give you any random tasks. All the previous tasks were assigned by higher-ups," Liu Xiaoyu said, puffing out her cheeks and looking somewhat aggrieved.

Yang Jian said, "It's the same thing. In short, turn down any missions you have. I want to go back to Dachang City to retire for a few more years. I don't want to die so soon. Besides, my death won't do you any good. The next Ghost Tamer might not be as easy to talk to as I am."

"Okay, I'll try my best to help you get rid of the tasks," Liu Xiaoyu said.

"That's right. Which way is the conference room? Lead me there," Yang Jian.

Liu Xiaoyu said, "This way, come with me."

This Headquarters meeting is extremely important, not only because of the Ghost Messenger incident, but also because the Captain Plan is underway. Some of the captain candidates have already arrived in J City, and most of the top Ghost Tamer are now gathered here. It can be said that every move they make can affect the trends in various parts of Asia.

The meeting was held at an air defense base within the Headquarters.

This is a base built by hollowing out a mountain. There is nothing inside the entire base except for a huge round table and a few dozen chairs.

There were no security guards, no communication equipment, and not even any staff members inside; everything was kept to a minimum.

"This is it. I can only take you this far. The content of this meeting is confidential, and I have no right to listen in," Liu Xiaoyu said.

"Okay, I understand." Yang Jian walked forward alone.

The meeting was about to begin, and quite a few people were already seated at the conference table.

He recognized some of them, such as Jiang Shangbai, Feng Quan, Cao Yang, Li Jun, Chen Yi, and Guo Fan. There were also some he didn't recognize, but had met before when he fought with Gao Zhiqiang; these were the Ghost Tamer in the other rest rooms.

However, it's clear that not everyone is particularly interested in this meeting.

Someone was lying on the table, yawning and playing with a paper frog.

Someone put their feet up on the table and leaned back in their chair to sleep.

Some people propped their heads up and looked around curiously.

"Has Ghost Eye Yang Jian arrived?"

Yang Jian's arrival attracted a lot of attention. Everyone had witnessed him personally beating up Gao Zhiqiang. In addition, he had handled S-class supernatural cases and survived the Ghost Messenger incident, making him quite famous. He was like a celebrity in the entertainment industry, easily attracting attention.

There is a nameplate on the table in front of each chair, with each person's name written on it.

If the seats were clearly assigned beforehand, then it wasn't a random seating arrangement.

Yang Jian was positioned next to Feng Quan. This arrangement seemed to be taken into account by Headquarters, as they had previously worked together and survived the Huanggang Village incident and the Z City incident.

"Brother Leg, you're as fierce as ever." Feng Quan forced a smile onto his sallow, dull face, which looked like a dead man's skin.

Sitting next to him, Yang Jian smelled a stench of rotting earth, and a chilling dampness constantly seeped into his senses.

It makes people very uncomfortable.

If Yang Jian hadn't been certain that Feng Quan was alive, he would have wondered whether the person sitting next to him was a human or a ghost.

Feng Quan was the first person in charge of Dachang City. He had been Ghost Tamer for even longer than Zhou Zheng, who died at the school. The extent to which he had been corrupted by the vengeful ghost was extremely deep. Underneath his skin, there was probably no flesh or bone left; it was all filled with Grave Soil.

Even if Yang Jian used Gao Zhiqiang's ghost, he couldn't reverse this level of erosion.

"What a load of rubbish! I almost got into trouble this time in J City. What happened on the plane was nothing serious, just a minor C-class incident. But what happened at the training base was a nightmare," Yang Jian complained, shaking his head.

Feng Quan said, "You can't say that. I've also been assigned tasks recently. It's not like you're the only one busy, but there are some things that really can't be done without you. And I just heard that you took down Gao Zhiqiang in the rest area?"

"He messed up and killed himself. You can't entirely blame me. I hadn't even gone all out when he couldn't hold on. I was just cleaning up his mess afterward. But this incident has caused quite a bit of trouble. I'll probably get punished at the meeting later," Yang Jian.

"It's only right to be punished. We still have to maintain appearances, otherwise Headquarters will lose face. But it's just a formality at most. Your contribution is so great, this is just a slap on the wrist. If you find it noisy later, just pretend it's nothing. You'll be fine once you go back," Feng Quan said with a smile.

"That makes sense," Yang Jian said. "Is that all? Are there no more?"

He then ended the private chat and glanced at the people in front of the table.

The huge round table only seated about twenty Ghost Tamer; including myself, there were fewer than thirty people.

"The list doesn't stop there. Headquarters can't possibly bring all the top Ghost Tamer from all over the country to J City. There are also branches in other places, which are no less important than Headquarters and also need to be managed. Of course, there aren't many people who meet the requirements, so we can currently be considered the top Ghost Tamer in Asia."

A stranger nearby chimed in with a comment.

Yang Jian glanced at the person. He looked normal from the outside, like a normal person. At least his physical condition hadn't deteriorated too much. However, the person had a very ordinary appearance.

What's even more frightening is that once this person is out of sight, you can no longer remember what they look like.

He knew of such a person, but couldn't recall what he looked like.

"Li Lepeng." Yang Jian glanced at the nameplate on his desk.

This person is very strange.

This was all he could think to himself.

It's terrifying that someone whose face can't be remembered can even be influenced by Ghost Tamer.

Yang Jian felt no supernatural invasion of himself, nor did he feel any problem with his thinking. Yet, in his mind, Li Lepeng was only a name, not a face.

He then wanted to check Li Lepeng's information.

But after thinking about it, I gave up.

The information on Ghost Tamer have reached this stage is no longer relevant. Their encounters with supernatural phenomena and hidden things will not be recorded, and even if they were seen, it wouldn't be of much use.

Just like his profile says, Ghost Eye Yang Jian.

However, information about other things is not available in the documents.

"It's normal that you don't recognize me, but I'd like to get to know you. I've often heard of the name Ghost Eye Yang Jian," Li Lepeng said. "I was also present when Gao Zhiqiang was involved. If you don't mind, may I ask a question, Yang Jian, your method of controlling ghosts isn't the one from Headquarters, is it?"

Yang Jian's eyes flickered slightly.

Li Lepeng then said, "I'm sorry, I'm just curious and have some interest in this area. If it's not convenient to discuss this further, let's stop here."

"It was a coincidence and luck; I definitely didn't use the Headquarters' methods," Yang said.

There's nothing to hide; anyone interested can easily find out by investigating.

He had never been to J City, yet he had already controlled three ghosts. Even a fool could guess that he must have mastered some special method to control vengeful spirits.

He explained it as a coincidence and luck, and also to dispel some unrealistic ideas from others, so as not to have any negative thoughts about him.

After all, only Wang Xiaoming had deduced the existence of the human skin paper; no one else knew that such a special supernatural object existed in the world.

"Coincidence and luck? Heh, yes, surviving was indeed a combination of coincidence and luck, and so was my experience." Li Lepeng smiled and didn't continue with this sensitive topic.

"Yang Jian, I'd like to say something to you before the meeting begins."

Suddenly, someone tapped on the table not far away, and the wooden table emitted a crisp metallic sound.

The one tapping on the table was Jiang Shangbai, who was looking over with a frown.

"What do you want to say?" Yang Jian's gaze met his.

"You took down Gao Zhiqiang today?" Jiang Shangbai asked.

Yang Jian smiled and said, "You're not surnamed Gao, why do you care so much?"

Jiang Shangbai said with a stern face, "Gao Zhiqiang is a member of our circle of friends. You've aborted him so easily because of a woman. You'll have a hard time explaining this to your circle of friends. If you don't know what the term 'circle of friends' means, I suggest you ask Feng Quan over there."

"Moments"?

Yang Jian's smile faded, and his gaze sharpened. This was the second time he had heard the words "WeChat Moments."

I first heard Li Yao mention it at the Ping An Hotel.

Now he heard it from Jiang Shangbai.

"If I want to get rid of him, do I need the approval or explanation from that damn WeChat Moments? Ha! Do I need to explain myself to some unknown force?"

Yang Jian slammed his fist on the table and retorted forcefully, "Do you really think I'm a three-year-old? Trying to scare me with this nonsense? If anyone in my WeChat Moments dares to cause trouble, I'll wipe them out right now and turn my WeChat Moments into a circle of dead people. I can even take on an S-class vengeful ghost. If you don't believe me, you can try."

"You were able to restrain the starving ghost because of those coffin nails, right? Without them, you would have been trapped and died in Dachang City anyway." Someone was dissatisfied with Yang Jian's attitude and suddenly retorted.

Yang Jian sneered, "Who told you there's only one coffin nail?"

The man's eyes flickered, and he immediately shut his mouth.

This statement reveals a lot: if Yang Jian possesses a second coffin nail, everyone present will have to reconsider their own importance.

"Jiang Shangbai, saying something like this at a time like this, does that mean you're one of the people in your circle of friends?" Yang Jian ignored the argumentative person and stared at Jiang Shangbai instead.

Jiang Shangbai's expression was constantly changing, and his gaze was particularly gloomy. He was indeed a member of the circle of friends, but he had witnessed Yang Jian's forceful invasion of the Ghost Messenger Ghost Domain, and he had also seen Yang Jian's domineering nature and the terrifying information revealed in his words just now.

For a moment, he was caught in a dilemma.

If I admit here that I'm part of their social circle, won't Yang Jian jump over and beat me to death on the spot?

Although the possibility is very small.

But don't forget, Gao Zhiqiang only died not long ago.

Yang Jian had already set a precedent by eliminating the Ghost Tamer at Headquarters, and he didn't want to become the second one.

Previously, Jiang Shangbai might have had some confidence, or even a sense of superiority, since he had controlled three ghosts.

But Yang Jian also controlled three ghosts.

I have no advantage against him, only a disadvantage.

"There's no need to cause trouble for yourself over this." Although Jiang Shangbai was frighteningly gloomy, he remained silent and did not respond to Yang Jian's words.

Seeing that he did not respond, Yang Jian withdrew his gaze.

But he was basically certain that this Jiang Shangbai was someone from his circle of friends. It was just that this guy wasn't the impulsive type and was afraid of turning on him on the spot, so he swallowed his anger.

"If this Jiang Shangbai really dares to stand up for Gao Zhiqiang, we'll take him down today." Yang Jian narrowed his eyes slightly, exuding a dangerous aura.

Some people, once they've been hurt, naturally won't dare to show themselves again, because at that point they'll have to consider the risk of being shot down if they do.

Weakness will only invite bigger trouble.

Yang Jian has always believed in this.

Of course, he wouldn't deliberately cause trouble, otherwise, if he went around making enemies, he would only die faster.

Time passed little by little.

Almost everyone who was supposed to attend the meeting had arrived.

However, the meeting was not held.

Deputy Minister Cao Yanhua, Professor Wang Xiaoming, and the elderly man who appeared to be from the Republican Era were all absent, seemingly delayed by something.

However, most people at the conference table remained silent, each doing their own thing and not appearing impatient. Some slept, some played on their phones, some folded frogs, and one female Ghost Tamer even touched up her makeup.

Their lazy and undisciplined behavior makes one wonder what they do for a living.

Who would have thought that such a small group of people could decide the life and death of countless individuals, and even influence the global situation?

It's just one chapter, nearly five thousand words, so I won't divide it into chapters.