Demanding

This meeting lasted longer than the last one, and most of the discussion focused on how to deal with the ghost drawings.

Wang Xiaoming offered several key solutions based on the existing clues and information, but many people were skeptical and did not fully believe them, because they were all speculations and had not been confirmed.

Cao Yanhua seemed to have made up his mind, demanding that the Ghost Tamer in the city find the source within three days. If they could solve it, great; if not, the Ghost Painting Incident absolutely could not be allowed to break out.

The meeting ended at approximately 11:00 AM.

And so, Operation Ghost Drawing began silently.

Some people backed down, while others wanted to participate and compete for the captain's position. Of course, there were also quite a few people like Yang Jian who planned to be a couch potato.

Although everyone has their own ideas, actions are still being taken.

Cao Yanhua doesn't expect everyone to work themselves to the bone, just that at least some people care.

"That concludes today's meeting. Everyone can begin taking action now. Jiang Shangbai and Yang Jian, please stay behind; I have something to say to you both."

At the very end, Yang Jian and Jiang Shangbai were called out.

Both of them knew perfectly well that this was because Cao Yanhua wanted to mediate the matter from before.

"Brother Leg, will everything be alright?" Feng Quan, who was about to leave, hesitated for a moment and said, "I won't go too far for now. I'll just stay at Headquarters for a while. If a fight really breaks out, just shout and I'll rush in immediately."

"Don't worry, there won't be a fight."

Yang Jian, "We can talk about forming a team later. I'll also take this opportunity to ask about Tong Qian. You can just wait for me at the Ping An Hotel."

"Okay." Feng Quan nodded and left.

Zhang Lei, Huang Ziya, and Wang Jiang said goodbye and then left.

Xiong Wenwen was also accompanied by staff and escorted out of the conference room.

The once crowded meeting room was now empty except for Yang Jian, Cao Yanhua, Jiang Shangbai, and Old Qin, who sat motionless in a chair to the side. As for Wang Xiaoming, he seemed uninterested in the struggle; he walked away faster than anyone else, seemingly preparing for the Ghost Painting incident.

"Deputy Minister, if it's about mediating a fight, I think we should just let it go. Even if you wanted to, you might not be able to stop it." As soon as the others left, Yang Jian broke the deadlock by speaking directly.

Cao Yanhua's eyes flickered. "What you did on WeChat Moments was indeed excessive, but continuing this fight won't solve anything. Right now, we need to prioritize the bigger picture."

"If we really wanted to prioritize the big picture, we wouldn't have made the first move in the WeChat Moments." Yang Jian sneered. "They don't care about the big picture, so why should I? If you think I'm easy to bully, Deputy Minister, just fire me. I don't even need to be the team leader anymore. I'll just go back to Dachang City and retire there."

"Given my current condition, I wouldn't dare say I'll live to be sixty or seventy, but I should be able to hop around for another ten or so years without any problem. That's better than being killed in a muddle."

Cao Yanhua's lips twitched.

If he dares to dismiss Yang Jian, the higher-ups will dare to suspend him from his post. Now, as long as the news of Yang Jian leaving Headquarters gets out, foreign countries will probably be scrambling to win him over. Moreover, at this critical moment, any problem with any team leader candidate will trigger a series of chain reactions.

Therefore, he didn't want to see Jiang Shangbai and Yang Jian fight to the death.

"Things haven't gotten out of control yet. How about this, you give me a condition, and I can discuss it with my friends. Jiang Shangbai, you should also back down. This whole thing was wrong of you. You should know how serious the consequences will be," Cao Yanhua said coldly.

Jiang Shangbai replied, "Many things are not up to me to decide alone. I reserve my opinion, but if Yang Jian chooses to reconcile, I will try my best to help."

He knew that if Headquarters intervened, things would become very complicated. It wouldn't be enough to simply kill Yang Jian; he would have to consider the future gains and losses.

Therefore, reconciliation is possible.

After thinking it over, he had calmed down considerably.

"Yang Jian, what's your answer?" Cao Yanhua said, "WeChat Moments made a mistake, and a lesson is enough. But I can guarantee that this will only happen this once. If there's a next time, you won't need to ask; I will personally order the entire WeChat Moments to be wiped out."

For him, this is just an opportunity to suppress his circle of friends; actually eliminating them is absolutely out of the question.

So Headquarters achieved its goal; it didn't want things to deteriorate further.

"Children need to be disciplined for making mistakes, but adults make mistakes that require much more than just a reprimand," Yang Jian said. "I'm not alive and sitting here in this meeting today because I'm a candidate for team leader, but because I've been cautious enough. If you can even bargain for your own life, then Jiang Shangbai, why don't you give me some terms and see what kind of terms can buy your life?"

Jiang Shangbai's expression shifted slightly, a hint of embarrassment and annoyance in his eyes.

This Yang Jian is really taking me for granted. Although I'm wary of him, he can't be this arrogant and presumptuous.

Cao Yanhua said, "Yang Jian, don't say such angry things. I know you are rational, otherwise we would have started fighting just now. Name your terms. Continuing to fight will not benefit anyone. I also know that the reason you are unwilling to compromise is because you are worried about retaliation from your friends. But as long as you agree to a settlement, I can guarantee on behalf of Headquarters that your conflict will end from now on, and there will be no retaliation."

Yang Jian's eyes flickered slightly.

He trusted no one, nor any of their promises; he only believed in harsh reality.

Because reality doesn't lie.

However, he also understood that it would be difficult for one person to completely destroy a circle of friends, especially since Cao Yanhua also intended to preserve it.

There are likely many unclear relationships between the Headquarters and it.

They are like two companies, with business dealings between them.

"I don't like this," Yang Jian said, staring at Cao Yanhua. "But since you're asking me to name my conditions, I do have one: if my social circle can be satisfied, I'll immediately let bygones be bygones."

Have you changed your mind?

Jiang Shangbai was somewhat surprised, not expecting that this hothead would actually be persuaded.

Or perhaps Yang Jian was just putting on an act all along, and wasn't as reckless as people thought.

"Go ahead," Cao Yanhua said.

"You have something in your WeChat Moments, give it to me." Yang Jian took a photo out of his pocket.

The photo shows an old, rusty pair of scissors covered in black hair.

Ghost Scissors!

The two words on the photo are crystal clear.

Cao Yanhua frowned, seemingly seeing this for the first time.

However, Jiang Shangbai changed drastically, and he asked in surprise, "Where did you get this photo?"

"Of course I have my own channels. I've given my conditions, so can you agree to them?" Yang Jian said in a deep voice.

Jiang Shangbai's eyes flickered. "I need half a day to give you an answer."

Feeling Cao Yanhua's aggressive gaze, he didn't say it was impossible directly, but could only bite the bullet and give it a try.

"Remember, you only have half a day. If you can't do it, I'll shut down all your businesses on WeChat Moments first thing tomorrow morning." Cao Yanhua spoke up for Yang Jian again at this moment, putting pressure on him.

"That's all for now. I'll get back to you as soon as possible." Jiang Shangbai pondered for a moment, then picked up the photo and left.

Seeing him leave in such a hurry, Yang Jian couldn't help but sneer, "He won't agree, because that thing isn't in Jiang Shangbai's hands. I thought he would stall for a day. Since he said half a day, then I'll give him half a day for Cao Yanhua's sake. I need to hear definite news before six o'clock tonight. Now I've given him my conditions and the time, so consider this a concession."

"If he refuses or tries to fool me, Cao Yanhua, then you can leave this matter alone. This is my bottom line; don't put me in a difficult position."

Cao Yanhua said, "I will put pressure on them. It's just a supernatural item; it wouldn't be right not to give it to them. Let's leave things as they are for now. You can go back now, and I'll let you know as soon as I have any news."

"No, that's still one thing. I have something else to discuss with you, Deputy Minister." Yang Jian pushed the document in his hand forward at this moment.

"As you wish, I can give up on this captain, but..."

Cao Yanhua was slightly surprised. Last time, he had tried to persuade Yang Jian, but Yang Jian did not intend to give up becoming the captain. How come he suddenly had an epiphany this time?

"State your conditions. I can meet them as long as they're not unreasonable."

Without the slightest hesitation, he prepared his explanation on this matter.

If Yang Jian is willing to make room for someone, it would be a good thing for Headquarters.

After all, there were too many uncertainties after Yang Jian became the captain, and many people were really worried. After all, everyone had seen what he had done, especially his dealing with Wang Xiaoming's younger brother, Wang Xiaoqiang, which was a thorn in their side. But Yang Jian's achievements were undeniable and could not be erased. It would be difficult to convince the masses if he did not become the captain, so the only way to persuade them was through an exchange.

"We need to discuss this carefully." A smile appeared on Yang Jian's lips.

His smile was cold, but also cunning.

Cao Yanhua composed herself and realized that Yang Jian was becoming increasingly difficult to deal with. He didn't seem like a high school student at all; his apparent recklessness and impulsiveness were just a convenient disguise.

Regardless, Yang Jian has a high level of integrity and never deceives people, especially when it comes to handling paranormal events, where he is exceptionally capable.

Otherwise, Cao Yanhua wouldn't have been so tolerant of Yang Jian.

People are not afraid of having flaws, but they are afraid of having no strengths.

"I will retain the right to form a team and appoint the next person in charge of Dachang City, plus my withdrawal from the Ghost Painting Incident, as well as a supernatural object and three ghost candles," Yang Jian stated his demands.

Cao Yanhua immediately said, "Forming a team must be the right of the team leader, otherwise who will be able to control you in the future? However, I can give you no more than six slots to form a small team. But you can recommend the next person in charge, and Headquarters will consider it. You cannot withdraw from the Ghost Painting Incident. In addition, you can choose one of the supernatural items or the three ghost candles."

This almost cut Yang Jian's demands in half.

"If that's the case, then I'll also have the right to refuse missions from Headquarters in the future. We can't expect someone who isn't the captain to do the captain's job," Yang Jian added.

"Okay, as long as you're in charge of the area around Dachang City, you can refuse any missions, but not in special circumstances." Cao Yanhua thought this was acceptable.

Yang Jian asked, "What would constitute a special circumstance?"

Cao Yanhua said, "A-class and S-class paranormal events are special cases."

"Sure, but I won't be a priority participant," Yang Jian said casually.

"That's going too far," Cao Yanhua said.

Yang Jian, "If I were the first to get involved in everything, how long could I possibly live?"

"Okay, I promise you," Cao Yanhua said.

Yang Jian shrugged and said, "Since that's the case, let's write a contract. Otherwise, there's no proof, and I'll suffer a huge loss if they deny it later."

Cao Yanhua didn't speak, she just stared at him.

Yang Jian remained calm and unmoved.

He knew that the reason he could make so many demands this time was not because of a team leader position, but because he had a conflict with his circle of friends, Cao Yanhua did not want to continue fighting with them.

Therefore, the best outcome would be for Yang Jian to give up becoming the team leader, with some other compensation provided through his social circle, including compensation and guarantees.

In this way, both parties can accept it.

But no matter what, Yang Jian had a hint of taking advantage of the situation.

However, forced by circumstances, Cao Yanhua had no choice but to bite the bullet and agree.

He believed that if this contract was signed, Yang Jian would truly be out of control.

"Let's deal with this for now. Yang Jian's problem isn't serious; at least he's relatively easy to communicate with," Cao Yanhua thought to himself.

Compared to the current situation, Yang Jian's personal problems are insignificant.