The One Who Leads the Way

"Okay, I understand. I'll try my best to handle things here, but I can't guarantee anything. It's best to have contingency plans ready. That's all for now. Something's happened on my end."

A road that has been blocked off.

Chen Yi put down his phone, his brows furrowing deeply. His slightly sagging skin formed layers of wrinkles, making him appear quite gloomy in the dim environment.

As one of the three people in charge of the city, he even put aside his own work to stay here and guard the city for one night in order to cooperate with this operation.

If everything goes smoothly, he won't need to take any action at all; he can simply wait until dawn to go home after get off work.

But what you fear most is what happens.

An anomaly has occurred.

Through the phone call just now, Chen Yi learned about the situation ahead.

So far, five ghosts are steadily approaching this area, posing an extremely high danger.

"Chen Yi, it looks like we won't be able to finish work so easily today. We probably can't handle this situation on our own." Zhong Shan, who was standing next to him, also put down his phone.

They received the message almost simultaneously.

"The ghosts that emerged from S-class paranormal event are still unknown. We might all die here if we meet them. And this time it's not just one ghost; their numbers exceed ours. This is no joke."

The speaker was Guo Fan. His body was terrifyingly cold, and he stood there like a corpse pulled out of a freezer. Even his eyes were dull and lifeless.

Those Ghost Tamer are at a significant disadvantage when they come into contact with real vengeful spirits; if they are outnumbered, the probability of total annihilation is at least 90%.

Because an increase in the number of ghosts means it becomes easier to meet their conditions for killing, and there's even the possibility of two ghosts attacking you at the same time, a situation that's completely unimaginable.

"Quantity doesn't matter much in this situation. The more people there are, the more likely problems will arise. Do you think Headquarters can't send a few dozen Ghost Tamer?"

Chen Yi said, "It's just that there are very few Ghost Tamer can actually be used in this situation. They need to have sufficient survival skills, a stable mental state, and enough experience in handling paranormal events. If some unstable factors come, should we guard against the ghost's attack or the unexpected resurrection of our colleagues?"

"Furthermore, the larger the number, the greater the probability of being targeted by ghosts, the greater the chance of death, and the more terrifying the chain reaction. Therefore, no Ghost Tamer team, whether domestic or foreign, will ever have more than five members."

"Our mission this time is simple: change the direction those five ghosts are heading and lure them to the haunted house."

"Easy? Leading five ghosts to a haunted house, and if even the slightest mishap happens along the way, we're doomed." Guo Fan glanced at him, his eyes slightly eerie.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yi's already fiery temper flared up instantly. He walked over, grabbed Guo Fan's collar, and angrily said, "If you're afraid of dying, get lost. What are you complaining about at a time like this? Since you've chosen to stand here, then you'd better obey orders. I'm telling you, if anything happens to you, I won't let you off easily."

"Chen Yi, are you threatening me?"

Guo Fan was not afraid; his lifeless eyes stared at him with a slightly numb expression.

They are all people who have survived various terrifying paranormal events. Even though their abilities differ greatly, very few of them are afraid of trouble.

"I'm not threatening you, I'm just reminding you," Chen Yi said angrily, his eyes wide.

"Alright, alright, calm down. We're colleagues, why argue over such a small thing? Chen Yi, don't blame Guo Fan. He's not in as good a condition as before. If something unexpected happens this time, he might not survive. So it's understandable that I'm a little worried."

Zhong Shan stepped forward to offer his advice.

As one of the people who frequently came into contact with Guo Fan, he was well aware that Guo Fan's current situation was indeed not good.

The resurgence of vengeful spirits is a topic that can never be avoided.

"Your poor physical condition is not a reason for you to refuse to act, and do you think you're the only one facing this gradual threat of being corrupted by vengeful spirits?"

Chen Yi remained firm and did not show any leniency towards Guo Fan because of this.

Because everyone here is in the same situation, perhaps some are in a slightly better situation.

But when actually facing a ghost, no one can guarantee they can withstand a single ghost attack.

Guo Fan had a cold expression on his face. He was about to speak, but the words stopped abruptly. He turned his head slightly and looked uneasyly behind Chen Yi.

Chen Yi seemed to sense something as well, and immediately released Guo Fan and turned around quickly.

"They've arrived."

Zhong Shan lowered his voice, and the surroundings instantly fell silent, the atmosphere becoming frighteningly oppressive.

It's obvious.

Whether it's a certain instinct of Ghost Tamer or some abnormality within the ghost within the body, the appearance of these messages proves that a ghost is approaching.

This is not as simple as dealing with an ordinary paranormal event.

As we already know from previous information, five ghosts emerged from the ghost Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting.

The situation and pattern of the five ghosts are unknown.

It could be a newly appeared ghost, or it could be the source of the ghost painting codenamed S-class paranormal event.

It could even be Ghost Messenger.

Anything can happen under these circumstances; they might be killed without resistance the moment they meet.

Verbal disputes become insignificant at this point.

The three of them stared intently ahead.

In the dim night, only a faint light reflected from the distance shone through the streets. The streets were deserted and eerily silent. There wasn't even a chirp of an insect in the surrounding green belts or woods. Just standing there, they could feel a chilling aura gradually creeping over them.

Before the real ghost appeared, Guo Fan, Chen Yi, and Zhong Shan immediately made preparations as planned.

The task at hand is simple: do everything in our power to keep the ghosts out of the city and absolutely prevent them from entering.

The Headquarters' plan was to use ghost candles to lure the ghost away and take it to the haunted house.

The alternative plan is to adapt to changing circumstances.

Because anything can happen when facing a ghost, the plan to summon a ghost carries a high risk of failure, which means the three of them need to figure out a way to deal with it themselves.

In the brief silence, clear, muffled footsteps gradually echoed across the empty road.

The footsteps weren't loud, but in this environment they sounded particularly jarring, each step feeling like it was stomping on the hearts of three people, giving them a suffocating feeling.

The sound grew closer.

Finally, at the end of the dark road, five figures walking side by side came into view.

Their bodies were stiff, like walking corpses, yet their movements were strangely astonishing, as if they were five marionettes, each leg lift and each sway perfectly precise.

From a distance, Chen Yi and the others didn't think these five strangely behaving people posed any threat. However, they knew that if they were targeted, they would definitely suffer a terrible fate.

"At least there's some good news: the ghosts haven't formed Ghost Domain, so the guiding plan might still be feasible," Zhong Shan said in a low voice after observing for a moment.

"Guo Fan, it's your turn." Chen Yi turned and stared at him.

This plan to lure ghosts can only be carried out by Guo Fan, because he possesses a very special ability that allows him to avoid being attacked by any ghosts under certain circumstances.

Only in this way could Guo Fan use the ghost-summoning technique; otherwise, anyone else summoning a ghost would be committing suicide.

Guo Fan was clearly not happy; his face was terribly gloomy, and his lifeless gaze became increasingly eerie.

He didn't say a word, but silently walked forward to meet the five terrifying figures that were gradually approaching.

The first encounter with an unknown ghost is the most dangerous, almost requiring the Ghost Tamer to risk their life.

No one can guarantee that a ghost won't suddenly appear and kill you.

However, as Guo Fan walked forward, he reached his hand inside his clothes.

His face contorted in pain and agony, accompanied by the sound of flesh being torn apart. A stench of rotting flesh and entrails wafted out, filling the surrounding area with a strong, unpleasant stench of death.

The next moment.

He seemed to have forcibly removed a blackened, old, wooden memorial tablet from his body.

In the center of that old memorial tablet was a strange black and white photograph.

The person in the photo looks almost exactly like Guo Fan. The only difference is that Guo Fan's face in the photo appears to be injured, with half of his face drooping as if it had been torn apart by something.

Such injuries would have killed an ordinary person long ago, but the person in the photo still has a calm and peaceful expression, revealing an eerie tranquility.

Guo Fan held the memorial tablet in both hands. The further he walked, the heavier his body felt, and the stronger the smell of death emanated from him.

In the blink of an eye.

The person in the photo on the memorial tablet has a completely different face, exactly like Guo Fan's.

Guo Fan, walking down the street, had half his face drooping down, looking eerie and terrifying.

At this moment, the person walking was no longer Guo Fan, but a real ghost.

Please understand the recent updates; I will try my best to update as soon as things return to normal.