The Effect of the Curse

At this very moment.

Liu Xiaoyu's personal communications room was already full of people, all of whom were several very influential leaders from Headquarters, with Cao Yanhua, the Deputy Minister, leading the group.

All their eyes were fixed on the screen on the communications console.

The screen displayed a bloody scene: a headless corpse lying on the ground, and half of Yang Jian's pale, ashen face.

The image came from the camera on Yang Jian's satellite-guided mobile phone, so its authenticity is beyond doubt.

Although Liu Xiaoyu had already told them the truth through tears, everyone fell silent when they actually saw this scene.

Yang Jian is dead?

The infamous "Ghost Eye Yang Jian" in the paranormal community died on an ordinary street in the city. His body was dismembered, and his head was split in two, a gruesome sight.

Moreover, Yang Jian didn't die because he was involved in a supernatural event; he was killed by people in his social circle.

Previously, many people reported that an entire street near the Ping An Hotel had disappeared. Li Jun rushed over to investigate and guessed that it had been caught up in some kind of Ghost Domain. Now it seems that this was caused by the resurgence of a vengeful ghost after Yang Jian's death.

"This is terrible."

After a moment of silence, many people had only one thought in their minds.

It wasn't just the death of one person that caused the problem; rather, it was a series of chain reactions that left this group of people dumbfounded, unsure of how to handle it.

Once news of Ghost Eye Yang Jian's death spreads, how many Ghost Tamer will resign at this critical juncture? Even if they don't resign, who will dare to stay? If there's a large-scale personnel shake-up, what will happen to the Ghost Painting Incident? Can it still be resolved smoothly?

Besides, the vengeful spirit of Yang Jian has shown signs of resurrection after his death; otherwise, the streets wouldn't have disappeared. And once he fully resurrects, what level of supernatural event will that be?

I guess it should be A-class from the start.

In other words, a considerable number of people will need to be spared to deal with Yang Jian's ghost.

"What do we do now, Deputy Minister? Yang Jian is dead." Shen Liang's face also showed some shock.

Although he wasn't sure, he still felt a chill run down his spine when he saw Yang Jian's body with his own eyes.

He knew very well that Yang Jian possessed life-saving items like a substitute doll and a ghost candle, so he would normally be fine. However, he died without even having the chance to light the ghost candle. The red candle lay next to the corpse, soaked in blood, extremely conspicuous.

Cao Yanhua's face was terribly gloomy; he had never felt so bad in his entire life.

Anger and shame nearly overwhelmed his reason.

He clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging, and at that moment he even had an urge to kill.

"Make a call, contact Jiang Shangbai, and ask if it was them who did it on WeChat Moments." Cao Yanhua forcibly suppressed all his anger and said coldly through gritted teeth.

What?

Was Yang Jian killed by people in his WeChat Moments?

Cao Yanhua's words left many people who were unaware of the situation stunned, while those who knew about it beforehand remained calm.

"I'll contact them right now." One of the people in charge immediately started making calls.

Despite the high probability of suspicion, Cao Yanhua remained rational and wanted to confirm the fact.

Soon.

The top-floor conference room of Ping An Building.

Jiang Shangbai, who had been sitting there in the meeting without leaving, had his phone ring.

Jiang Shangbai took out his phone and looked at it, then hesitated for a moment.

"Was that a call from Headquarters? If so, they're probably here to demand an explanation. Looks like Boss Fang succeeded; Yang Jian is most likely dead." Someone sneered.

Some people immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

With Yang Jian dead, many people in his circle of friends can rest easy now, unlike Zhang Jian, Manager Fei, and He Tianxiong, who disappeared or died in a daze.

"How am I supposed to answer this call?" Jiang Shangbai fell silent.

Yang Jian died, but he didn't seem happy; instead, he felt the situation was serious.

It was true that Yang Jian wanted to take action against WeChat Moments, but what happened after Yang Jian was eliminated? The trouble didn't decrease. It's estimated that WeChat Moments will face measures from Headquarters next.

"We told Cao Yanhua that we killed Yang Jian; that was our response on social media."

At this moment, the elevator doors opened, and Fang Shiming appeared before everyone. He looked unwell, with cold sweat still clinging to his forehead, as if he had just experienced something extremely dangerous, yet his expression remained calm.

"Mr. Fang, perhaps we can try to stall for time. We don't need to admit it so quickly; it would be good to buy some time," someone suggested.

Fang Shiming said, "Do you think you can keep this news a secret?"

He glanced at everyone. Apart from Jiang Shangbai, there were probably people from Headquarters present. He knew everything that Headquarters did, and Headquarters also knew most of the intelligence information in the circle of friends.

They both knew the truth, so it was impossible to completely hide such a big matter.

Instead of being submissive, it's better to admit it directly and confront it assertively.

Showing weakness at this time would be absolutely foolish.

"Jiang Shangbai, say whatever you want. If Cao Yanhua dares to take any action, tell him that I can take down Yang Jian, Li Jun, Cao Yang, and all the captains under him, turning his Headquarters into an empty shell. If he knows what's good for him, then we'll pretend today's events never happened."

"My WeChat Moments remains the same as before. I'll also lend a hand in this Ghost Painting Incident and, incidentally, help Yang Jian collect his body."

Fang Shiming didn't just stand there being tough; he gave Cao Yanhua a way out.

"Mr. Fang, isn't it a bit inappropriate to say this out loud?" Someone's eyelids twitched, feeling that this was adding fuel to the fire.

Fang Shiming sneered, "Who is Cao Yanhua? Just an ordinary politician. What else can people like him do besides compromise? They're all hesitant and indecisive, wanting to consider the big picture, afraid of losing control of the situation, and unwilling to escalate the losses. If Yang Jian dies, would he be willing to lose a few more captains?"

Even if he had the guts, there's the minister above him, and the minister above him, and so on. It's not up to him to make the decision.

"Do you know why I didn't join Headquarters and preferred to stay in my circle of friends as a company CEO? It's because I've seen through this. In my opinion, Yang Jian was just a freebie this time. I do need to keep an eye on his team members, lest they suddenly retaliate. But they're just a few insignificant little guys who can't accomplish anything big."

"Jiang Shangbai, am I clear enough now?"

"You're the boss, so if you've made your decision, then I have nothing more to say." Jiang Shangbai shook his head slightly and connected with the people at Headquarters.

The call ended a moment later.

Communication ended.

The communications room at Headquarters.

Cao Yanhua asked in a low voice, "What did Jiang Shangbai say?"

The manager who made the call also looked grim. He noticed the phone and said, "We admit it. The WeChat Moments said they killed Yang Jian. That's our explanation to you, Deputy Minister. If you want to take action against WeChat Moments, we're ready. We don't mind taking out a few more of our team leaders, leaving us without anyone to rely on."

"They also said that as long as we treat what happened today as if it never happened, they will do their best to help deal with the Ghost Painting Incident and even collect Yang Jian's body."

Before he could finish speaking, Cao Yanhua's eyes turned red with anger. He kicked Liu Xiaoyu's work chair away. "These bastards are simply going too far! Give me the order to put everyone else aside for now, even the Ghost Painting Incident. Half a day. I'll give them half a day to take down the WeChat Moments."

"Suppress all industries related to WeChat Moments, arrest all those involved, and kill anyone who resists."

"Have Old Qin go to the Ping An Building and bring over the murderer who killed Yang Jian."

This response ignited Cao Yanhua's anger. He couldn't even wait one night and immediately began to deal with the post on WeChat Moments.

"Calm down, Deputy Minister. If we do this now, the situation will completely spiral out of control. If everyone on our WeChat Moments goes down in flames, we might lose a few more captains. We need to prioritize the greater good." Someone's expression changed drastically, and they immediately began to persuade them.

"Yang Jian is already dead. We cannot add more Ghost Tamer to the ranks of those who have died. Such retaliatory actions are wrong."

"The most pressing issues are the Ghost Painting Incident and the resurgence of the vengeful ghost after Yang Jian's death. The WeChat Moments issue needs to be addressed, but not now."

The vast majority of people disagreed with Cao Yanhua's order.

"Do I need to repeat the rules to you? Yang Jian is a manager, and these people on WeChat have taken down one of our managers. Under these circumstances, we absolutely cannot let this go." Cao Yanhua roared, "Calm down my ass! If we don't deal with these people on WeChat, we're finished!"

"This is too serious. We need to inform the minister. Moreover, Deputy Minister, you are too emotional right now. Under these circumstances, we can refuse your orders. I will write a report afterward." Still, no one agreed with his actions.

Shen Liang remained silent, his eyes slightly narrowed, clearly understanding why this scene was unfolding.

They simply didn't want Yang Jian's death to affect others.

Everyone wants to cut their losses.

And at the doorway.

With her eyes red from crying, Liu Xiaoyu was stunned when she saw the scene of arguing inside.

It seems that Yang Jian's death is no longer that important.

At the same time

On a street bathed in red light, a headless corpse lay silently on the cold ground. A head, severed in two by something, lay nearby, blood flowing continuously from the severed neck, soaking everything around it in a pool of blood.

As time passed, the blood flowing from the corpse decreased, and the surrounding pool of blood gradually congealed, leaving only coldness and death.

No one dared to approach the corpse.

Passersby, upon discovering the incident, simply moved away in alarm, though a few did manage to call the police.

But they wouldn't notice that the corpse was clutching an old wooden music box in its hand.

The music box was partially opened, revealing a completely dark interior. Nothing could be seen inside, but it exuded an indescribable sense of unease, as if it were out of place in this world, belonging to some obsolete old object.

Ding, ding ding

A clear, ethereal sound echoed faintly in the surroundings, as if a child with a beautiful voice was singing beside you. At first glance, the individual notes of this sound were pleasant and melodious, but when these notes were combined to form a piece of music, they gave people an indescribable sense of eeriness and emptiness, making them feel desperate and terrified.

Strangely, although the people around fled in terror after discovering the body, no one heard the sound. Perhaps the sound was too faint for them to notice, or perhaps the eerie note wasn't playing for them.

But regardless, the music coming from the music box is real.

The only listener was the headless corpse lying in a pool of blood before him.

This scene was both eerie and terrifying.

However, as time passed, the consciousness of a living person, which had been dormant in darkness and should have disappeared, gradually returned to the cold corpse, as if a spirit was being drawn back from hell by the sound of the bells in the music box.

No one noticed that on Yang Jian's head, which was split in two, a pair of lifeless eyes gradually regained a little luster.

The lost consciousness is returning.

The heaviness, exhaustion, and coldness—all the feelings one experiences before death—begin to dissipate.

A thought and consciousness belonging to Yang Jian gradually awakened, and the faint music became increasingly clear.

At that moment, Yang Jian was certain that he had heard it.

He heard the sound of a music box echoing in his mind. This sound seemed to possess some incredible power, waking him from the deep sleep of death, just like a normal person being woken up by an alarm clock.

"I'm alive?"

He didn't know how much time had passed, but at some point, Yang Jian's consciousness completely returned, and he was able to think normally again. Moreover, his thoughts were clearer and more thorough than ever before.

Free from physical factors such as pain, fatigue, cold, and hunger, his mind reached the best state of his life.

He was more clear-headed than ever before.

However, this state is highly illogical, because Yang Jian's head has not only left his body, but has also split in two. Under such circumstances, consciousness is impossible to exist, and he should have died long ago.

But Yang Jian now clearly understands that he is still alive.

Although his physical condition was no longer sufficient to sustain his life, some terrible curse kept his consciousness alive.

"Was it the curse of the music box that kept me alive? It seems my previous choice was correct, even though I admit there was an element of gambling involved, but it seems I gambled right." Yang Jian thought very clearly.

They gave up the substitute doll, gave up lighting the ghost candle, and staked their lives on this music box.

This requires considerable courage.

Because Yang Jian didn't understand this thing either, he had no idea about its true function and ability, so he was uncertain.

But the outcome was relatively good; he was still alive and hadn't been killed.

"But the current situation seems quite bad."

He discovered that although he was "alive," he could not see anything clearly; it was pitch black, and his eyes seemed to be dead, having lost the ability to see.

The ability to see has been lost.

I think I can hear something nearby.

A strange ringtone formed a short piece of music that kept echoing and repeating endlessly, seemingly without ever stopping.

To be more precise, the sound didn't just seem to echo in my ears; it was more like it appeared directly in my mind.

It accompanies consciousness.

It's like inserting a strange piece of background music into the middle of a movie; it feels very abrupt.

"But now doesn't seem like the time for me to worry about that. The strange attacks seem to have stopped. I should be thinking about how to recover." Yang Jian's clear mind told him that the crisis was not over yet.