Mediation

A meeting that seemed like a normal discussion about how to solve the Ghost Messenger incident was actually a meeting where everyone had their own agenda.

Deputy Minister Cao Yanhua was eager to resolve the matter, but he also did not want to touch the starving ghost, because he had also been in charge of the Dachang City case. Although the case was resolved then, according to Professor Wang's report, the danger level of that ghost was definitely no less than that of Ghost Messenger.

It poses a far greater threat to ordinary people than the current Ghost Messenger, which is why he has never agreed to Jiang Shangbai's presumptuous plan.

However, for the other Ghost Tamer, whether the starving ghost would go out of control was not important; they all hoped that the Ghost Messenger incident would not involve them. Now, Jiang Shangbai couldn't wait to jump out and propose a feasible solution.

Regardless of the consequences, let's blindly support it first.

If the plan succeeds, then everyone will be happy.

If we fail, the worst that can happen is that we'll be back to square one and continue discussing how to resolve the Ghost Messenger incident; we won't lose anything in the end.

There were quite a few bystanders who remained indifferent.

The only one who stood up to oppose the plan was Yang Jian.

"Yang Jian, you oppose Jiang Shangbai's plan, so what are your reasons?" Cao Yanhua pondered for a moment and asked seriously.

Yang Jian, "I am responsible for the detention of the starving ghost. My judgment is the reason. If Headquarters wants to implement Jiang Shangbai's plan, then I have nothing to say. However, in return, I will choose to resign and no longer actively participate in any supernatural events. Although I cannot influence Headquarters' decision, I can make my own choice."

He couldn't be bothered to explain.

Because he knew that his explanation would be useless, Jiang Shangbai wanted to use this opportunity to gain merit, and the others wanted to use this opportunity to stay out of it and not participate in the Ghost Messenger incident; they all had their own purposes.

Do the so-called reasons matter?

Yang Jian could do was withdraw and leave, ignoring what happened next.

Because Jiang Shangbai's plan carries a great risk, if the starving ghost goes out of control and the Ghost Messenger fail to imprison it, then two S-class supernatural events will occur in J City, and he will definitely be implicated again.

Rather than doing that, he might as well resign and return to Dachang City to retire. He didn't want to die here cleaning up after certain people.

Having finally managed to temporarily resolve the issue of the vengeful ghost's resurgence and regain his health, he wanted to live a few more years to consider marriage and having children. At least he wanted to leave an heir so that his lineage wouldn't end.

Many people looked at Yang Jian with surprise upon hearing his words.

It seems that no one expected Yang Jian to directly resign because of Jiang Shangbai's proposal.

However, judging from Yang Jian's attitude and tone, it is not difficult to deduce that the Starvation Ghost Incident in Dachang City is probably an unsolvable supernatural event; otherwise, Ghost Eye Yang Jian would not be so resistant.

"Yang Jian, don't act impulsively. Now is the time to discuss the plan. Sit down and calm down," Cao Yanhua immediately advised.

He dared not continue the topic, otherwise Yang Jian might really get angry and resign, going home and quitting his job.

But Jiang Shangbai didn't think so. Instead, he smiled and said, "Yang Jian, I know you have your own considerations, but don't forget, the starving ghost has already been imprisoned. As long as we are well prepared, we can take the coffin nail without paying any price. After all, it would be a huge waste to lock such a special thing in a box with a ghost. What do you think, Deputy Minister?"

Cao Yanhua hesitated. Although he thought it made sense, he was unwilling to get involved in their argument at this time. So he said, "This plan is not mature enough. Just as Yang Jian said, it is extremely risky. Let's put it aside for now and continue to discuss other plans."

However, Yang Jian ignored Cao Yanhua's attempt to smooth things over and instead stared directly at Jiang Shangbai, saying, "Go ahead and get the coffin nails if you want, but I have something to say beforehand: if anything goes wrong, you'll be responsible for the consequences. If you try to slip away later, I won't let you off the hook."

Jiang Shangbai darkened. "Yang Jian, do you think you've got me cornered?"

"Yes, I've got you figured out. You can try if you disagree." Yang Jian didn't back down at all, and a faint red light emanated from the Ghost Eye on his forehead.

Jiang Shangbai was startled and hurriedly stood up; he dared not face Yang Jian's Ghost Eye.

Just a couple of days ago, he witnessed Yang Jian's Ghost Eye making things in reality disappear. If it were to suddenly do that to him, he might die.

"Yang Jian, calm down. This isn't a place for fighting. We're deciding the fate of a city right now," a slightly effeminate man next to Jiang Shangbai said seriously, his eyes darting around.

"Yang Jian, don't be so arrogant. There are plenty of people here who can handle you. Don't think that just because you managed to handle an S-class paranormal case, you can act all high and mighty. We're giving you face and don't want to embarrass you here. If a fight really breaks out, do you think you'll come out on top?"

"Ha, kids are just kids. They want to fight at the drop of a hat. What era are we living in? Do you still like to solve problems with violence? Isn't life good enough? Why do you have to show your presence everywhere? If it weren't for the problem of the resurgence of vengeful ghosts troubling some of us, do you think you would have any right to speak here?"

There was more than one person backing Jiang Shangbai up; soon, two or three Ghost Tamer spoke with warning tones.

Without a doubt, these people are all from my WeChat Moments.

They have been Ghost Tamer for longer than Yang Jian and have been exposed to more things than Yang Jian.

A young man from out of town, who had only been Ghost Tamer for half a year, had some abilities, but that was all.

Anyone who affects the interests of us, no matter who they are, should be eliminated.

However, they had only just finished speaking.

Without saying a word, Yang Jian grabbed the stool behind him and threw it at the third Ghost Tamer spoke.

With his strength, plus the heavy solid wood stool, he could have easily crushed an ordinary person to death if he threw it. But considering that the other party was Ghost Tamer, he didn't even think about holding back and used his full strength directly.

"Bang!"

With a loud crash, the heavy solid wood chair landed squarely on the Ghost Tamer's head before slamming heavily to the ground and shattering into pieces.

The man's head caved in, and his neck was twisted in a bizarre way, but he didn't show any pain. He just looked at Yang Jian with an incredulous expression, as if he didn't expect him to actually hit someone.

Everyone else was stunned by what they saw.

"Yang Jian, it seems you really aren't afraid of death." The man gritted his teeth and suddenly stood up.

His head was still tilted, as if his spine was broken, and it leaned against his shoulder at this moment, looking particularly strange, but it seemed to have no effect on him at all, and he could still move freely.

"Threatening me isn't about words, it's about ability. I've never lost a fight since I was born. A bunch of self-important fools, if you think you've had enough of living, then make your move now and see if I can take you all down in one go today. Anyway, I never intended to live long since I became Ghost Tamer. I think dealing with you is much easier than dealing with demons."

Yang Jian remained calm and showed no fear whatsoever; when he made a move, he did so without the slightest hesitation.

It seemed as if he could truly take on three or four top-tier Ghost Tamer, including Jiang Shangbai, in one fell swoop.

To be honest, Yang Jian wasn't very confident.

But he couldn't lose in terms of momentum. There were at least four members of his circle of friends at the meeting table. Since he had already offended his circle of friends by eliminating Gao Zhiqiang, he had to show enough strength so that people would be hesitant to act against him.

Once he becomes weak or afraid, he believes his situation will be ten times more difficult than it is now.

Danger, violence, and madness are Yang Jian's way of life.

Only by disguising oneself as a fearsome presence can one prevent others from making any moves against them.

After all, he was not even twenty years old, and had been Ghost Tamer for less than half a year. He had not yet built up his network, friends, or helpers, and could not compare to these established forces.

"This guy is a complete madman." Jiang Shangbai's face darkened.

Now he felt that his previous decision was correct. This Yang Jian was someone you really couldn't offend recklessly. Once you provoked him, this guy would act without any regard for the consequences or the occasion, and he would really dare to make a move. Trying to reason with someone like that was like talking to a brick wall.

Facing Yang Jian's icy gaze.

The Ghost Tamer whose head had been smashed wanted to give a strong response, but his lips moved and he didn't say anything.

He was scared.

Because he trusted his own judgment, he knew that if he responded, it would only provoke Yang Jian's frenzied attack.

It feels like walking down the street and being slapped across the face for no apparent reason, with the other person asking, "What are you looking at?"

If you say something like, "What are you looking at?"

Then the other side will immediately draw their knife.

Therefore, he dared not accept the offer.

"Don't rely on your numbers. If it really comes to blows, I'll side with Brother Leg."

Seeing the tense atmosphere and the imminent threat of a fight, Feng Quan immediately stood up to show his support for Yang Jian.

"Although everyone acted impulsively, if a fight really breaks out, I hope you can all calm down." Li Jun stood up with a serious expression. He believed that Yang Jian's role was far greater than those of the people in his circle of friends, and he also admired Yang Jian for resolving the Dachang City incident single-handedly.

So we need to support him at this time.

"Feng Quan, Li Jun?" Jiang Shangbai darkened again.

Both of them are very influential. Li Jun, needless to say, has always been responsible for protecting Professor Wang, and his status and trustworthiness at Headquarters are self-evident.

Feng Quan is even more special. He was the first person in charge of Dachang City and one of the first Ghost Tamer at Headquarters. He is still alive today, and his seniority and experience are worthy of respect.

"You people in my circle of friends are being too nosy. Yang Jian wasn't wrong. Whoever comes up with the plan is responsible. If something goes wrong after removing the coffin nails, Jiang Shangbai will have to take full responsibility. Yang Jian's reminder wasn't out of personal motives; he was considering the bigger picture. So I don't agree with the plan to remove the coffin nails either," Cao Yang replied lazily, standing up as well.

"Taking other people's achievements to do your own thing, without considering the risk of failure, you expect success to be yours and failure to be our responsibility to clean up your mess? There's no such thing as a free lunch. Jiang Shangbai, you're smart, but I'm not stupid either."

Cao Yang?

Jiang Shangbai hadn't expected that Cao Yang, who had a strange temper and was usually arrogant, would side with Yang Jian.

When did Yang Jian gain such influence?

"I also think Yang Jian's concerns are valid. Although I wasn't involved in the Starvation Ghost Incident, the fact that a Ghost Domain enveloped the entire city and cut off all support shows that this thing is no less terrifying than the Ghost Messenger. If things go wrong, no one can take responsibility." Zhong Shan thought for a moment and made a verbal statement, but he did not stand up.

After all, Yang Jian hadn't agreed to cooperate with him as captain at the airport, so this verbal gesture of goodwill was already quite generous.

Upon seeing that four top-tier Ghost Tamer— Feng Quan, Li Jun, Cao Yang, and Zhong Shan— had expressed their stance, not only Jiang Shangbai, but also the other Ghost Tamer in his circle of friends, looked quite displeased.

The man whose head had just been hit by the chair was startled and secretly relieved.

Thankfully, I managed to hold back and not retaliate.

Otherwise, if a real fight breaks out and these people come to reinforce us, we could all possibly be wiped out here.

Four against four.

The eight people at the conference table stood up and stated their positions and attitudes to each other.

The atmosphere was quite heated, with a feeling that a fight could break out at any moment.

But to others, it seemed as if this matter had nothing to do with them.

Those who play with paper frogs are still playing with paper frogs.

The yawning person is still yawning.

The person sitting upright remained in that posture, motionless like a corpse. If it weren't for the fact that their eyes could still move, onlookers would have thought that Cao Yanhua had placed a corpse there to make up the numbers.

As for Cao Yanhua, who was trying to smooth things over, he didn't dare to offer any advice at this moment, knowing that he couldn't persuade him otherwise.

He only had the power of Deputy Minister, but not the ability of Ghost Tamer. As an ordinary person, it was already quite remarkable that he could preside over this meeting under pressure. If it were someone with poor mental fortitude, they would probably have been scared into resigning and going home.

Wang Xiaoming seemed withdrawn and made no attempt to comfort him, only offering some informational assistance during normal discussions.

He won't offer any crucial advice either.

"Alright, stop fooling around and sit down."

Just as the situation seemed to be at a stalemate, suddenly, Old Qin, whose face was covered with age spots, tapped his cane and made a hoarse sound.

He had barely finished speaking.

Eight people sat down almost simultaneously.

The body moved almost unconsciously, without the person even realizing it.

"Um?"

When Yang Jian realized what was happening, he suddenly looked at Old Qin.

What just happened?

Was his mind influenced by the ghost's power, or was his body controlled?

One sentence was enough to affect me; the ghost inside my body offered no resistance whatsoever.

"Wait. My stool." Yang Jian then realized that he was sitting on a solid wood stool.

Didn't I throw this stool away earlier?

Looking at the ground nearby, the broken stool had disappeared.

Not only him, but everyone else looked at Old Qin with the same expression of utter disbelief.

Can Ghost Tamer influence someone's actions with just a single sentence?

"This old man is very mysterious." Jiang Shangbai frowned deeply; he was very wary of this Old Qin.

Because he had never seen this Old Qin handle paranormal events, but a saying had always circulated in Headquarters: Old Qin was the Number One Ghost Wielder in J City.

It was precisely because of him that J City never experienced a truly supernatural event.

This is unimaginable for a large city.

Because, currently, almost every major city has experienced paranormal events to some extent, and J City should be no exception.

"Let's continue the meeting. Let's put this argument aside and give this old man some face," Old Qin said slowly.

Everyone remained silent, as if even the ghosts within them had fallen silent.

"Could he be Ghost Tamer from the Republican Era?" Yang Jian's eyes flashed. "This old man is indeed very special, an anomaly among anomalies."

Now that the old man had intervened, he stopped arguing. He had said what needed to be said, and the rest was up to Headquarters to decide.

He has decided that he will resign once Jiang Shangbai's plan is implemented.

But before that, he still needed to get reimbursed from Cao Yanhua for the expenses from the last time, as well as the overtime pay for this Ghost Messenger incident.

"Cough cough."

Cao Yanhua coughed twice, looking slightly embarrassed. "Let's continue with our previous topic. Jiang Shangbai's plan will not be considered for the time being, unless it's absolutely necessary. So I hope everyone can think of other solutions."

"We've figured out the patterns of ghosts and their methods of killing. I believe you all won't let me down, so let's continue discussing the plan for imprisoning the Ghost Messenger."

I thought the conversation would fall flat, but someone immediately came up with an idea.

"It's no use. To deal with this ghost, you absolutely cannot imprison it inside. Once you fall into the ghost Ghost Domain of the Ghost Messengers, you will only die. So if you want to imprison it, you must do it from the outside. Only in this way can you stop the Ghost Messenger from constantly restarting." The one who spoke was Li Lepeng, who was next to Yang Jian and whose appearance he could not remember.

"The so-called Ghost Messenger, after reviewing so much information, I can analyze that this is not a single ghost at all. To be precise, this is a Ghost Domain, and Ghost Domain is ghosts."

"To deal with the Ghost Messenger, we need to imprison this entire Ghost Domain. Have any other people at Headquarters handled similar paranormal events? Anyone with experience, please share your experiences."

Huh?

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Li Lepeng.

Then a strange thought popped into my head.

Who is this person?

It looks somewhat familiar, but I don't recognize it.