Consciousness Returns

It was around 8 PM.

Ding ding!

A text message was sent from Headquarters, and all Ghost Tamer with satellite-positioned mobile phones within the city received the message. Moreover, the message was mandatory, and there was no possibility of refusal.

"Hmm? Yang Jian has been involved in some unknown supernatural event and is suspected of being dead. The location of the incident is..."

At that moment, Zhang Lei, who was still staying at the Ping An Hotel, took out his phone and glanced at it. His expression immediately changed, revealing an incredulous shock.

Did Ghost Eye Yang Jian really die so inexplicably?

You must be kidding.

After repeatedly reviewing the text message, Zhang Lei finally confirmed that it was indeed sent from Headquarters, and not a prank message he had suddenly received, and that the incident had occurred on a street near the Ping An Hotel.

Then, he suddenly ran to the window and looked outside.

Zhang Lei had already sensed something unknown approaching the hotel, but then it disappeared for some unknown reason.

"It's true. The area near the scene has been sealed off. The ghost that invaded the hotel must have been an unknown spirit." Zhang Lei fell silent, feeling a strange chill run down his spine.

Did such a top-tier Ghost Tamer at the captain level just die like that? Just before noon, Yang Jian and I were discussing forming a team in the hall. If Xiong Wenwen hadn't dragged me to his house for lunch, the team formation would probably have been finalized already.

How long has it been, and the person is already gone?

That was Yang Jian, a formidable figure who had resolved Starvation Ghost Incident and encountered Ghost Messengers. He also possessed life-saving items like ghost candles and substitute dolls. What kind of incident could have killed him so silently?

Beyond the shock, there was even more disbelief.

But the message had already been sent, and he wasn't the only one who received it.

Chen Yi was searching for traces of the ghost painting somewhere in the city, also received this text message. After seeing the content, he frowned immediately. "What? Yang Jian is dead?"

He stopped and looked up at the scene of the accident, his expression growing increasingly solemn.

What kind of supernatural event could possibly kill that guy?

Although it is common for Ghost Tamer to die in supernatural events, Chen Yi was well aware of Yang Jian's survival skills.

"To lose a captain at this critical juncture." Chen Yi's worries deepened once again.

Inside another villa in a residential complex.

Guo Fan and Zhong Shan received this text message. They had just finished their patrol but hadn't found the ghost painting, so they were now back at their lodgings to rest.

"Did you see the text message? Yang Jian is dead."

Guo Fan's eyes widened in surprise. "Haha, this guy died even before me. It seems Ghost Eye Yang Jian wasn't as powerful as I thought. I knew that guy's arrogant and domineering attitude would lead to his downfall sooner or later. Besides, with his death, the captain's position is vacant. Zhong Shan, we have a chance."

Zhong Shan smoked a cigarette while looking at his phone's text messages. He put down his phone and said, "Don't be so happy yet. It's just a suspected death, not a real death. Remember Tong Qian who disappeared at the Caesar Hotel? She was missing for a week, but she still survived."

"This is information from Headquarters. Do you think Headquarters would issue such a statement if they were uncertain? This so-called doubt is just keeping a sliver of hope. Actually, everyone knows the truth." Guo Fan smiled lightly, in a good mood.

"That makes sense, but his life or death isn't really our concern. Although Yang Jian refused our invitation, he hasn't become our enemy, so there's no need to be so happy." Zhong Shan shook his head slightly and said, "Besides, at this crucial moment, the death of a captain is a bad thing, don't you think?"

"Less people mean more danger should the Ghost Painting Incident break out."

Guo Fan said indifferently, "That's a matter for later, I can't control it. Anyway, I'm happy he's dead."

Another place.

Outside the scene of the incident, Li Jun also received this text message. He looked down at his phone and said, "Is Yang Jian dead? What a pity."

I couldn't help but sigh, feeling a deep sense of regret for this person's death.

I remember the first time I met Yang Jian was when I accompanied Professor Wang to Huanggang Village in Dachang City to retrieve the ghost coffin. At that time, Yang Jian and another person Zhang Han were among the few survivors.

Almost half a year has passed in the blink of an eye. The unremarkable Ghost Tamer from back then has become a pivotal figure in Headquarters. But unexpectedly, after the meeting in the morning, we received news of his death in the afternoon.

"So, the Ghost Domain events here were caused by the resurgence of Yang Jian's vengeful spirit after his death?" Li Jun looked at the street that had disappeared in the distance, his mood worsening.

The death of a Ghost Tamer and the addition of another supernatural event have only worsened the already dire situation.

Cao Yang, who was still strolling on the street, couldn't help but sneer after receiving the text message: "The move by the WeChat Moments group was actually successful. What a disgusting force. They're useless when it comes to doing serious business, but they're incredibly arrogant when they're bullying their own kind. This kind of force has no reason to exist. Needless to say, this text message from Headquarters was sent to maintain the overall situation and stabilize the situation. They will definitely settle accounts with the WeChat Moments group after this is over."

"Only."

He then shook his head slightly.

It's hard to comment on the Headquarters' choice, since it was the right choice for the sake of the bigger picture. It's just a pity that such a talented person as Yang Jian didn't die in an S-class supernatural event, but instead died at the hands of his circle of friends.

If word gets out, those foreigners will laugh themselves to death.

The news of Yang Jian's suspected death spread rapidly. Not only did the Ghost Tamer in the city receive the news, but within ten minutes, his information was also posted on a special website. It is believed that the entire paranormal community will soon be abuzz with discussion.

In fact, Cao Yanhua had also considered temporarily blocking the news.

However, the news couldn't be completely contained; it was bound to leak out eventually, since people on social media were also involved. So, the only option was to proactively send out the news as quickly as possible to cover up the truth first.

Although Yang Jian's death dealt a heavy blow to the confidence of others, it was still better than the truth being revealed and conflicts erupting.

Meanwhile...

Within the Ghost Domain.

"Ah!"

A terrified and desperate scream rang out, echoing through the empty street.

When Huang Ziya rushed over with Yang Jian's head, all she saw was a corpse that had just died. The corpse's head was completely deformed, as if it had been crushed by a pair of hands, with the outlines of several finger marks still remaining on it.

"We're late again, Captain. Your headless corpse is killing people at an increasingly rapid pace. Before, it took almost three minutes for the second person to die after the first one, but now, it's less than thirty seconds since the first victim. The ordinary people trapped here have already sensed that a ghost is killing people, and they've all hidden themselves in fear."

Huang Ziya's expression was solemn. "But hiding in your Ghost Domain is useless, right? At this rate, everyone on this street will be wiped out in less than an hour."

The headless ghost was becoming increasingly adept at controlling Yang Jian's corpse. Before, it would simply walk over to kill people, but now it could use the Ghost Domain, and it was using Ghost Domain with increasing skill. After each kill, it would immediately disappear and continue searching for the next target.

The headless corpse wasn't actually trying to kill anyone; it was simply searching for its own head.

Because the headless corpse was wearing gloves, it was impossible to remove anyone's head, which led to the horrific scene before us.

The heads of each of the dead were twisted and deformed, as if they had been crushed by the headless corpses.

However, a broken head does not meet the requirements for a headless corpse.

And so, the bizarre corpse became trapped in a vicious cycle: searching for a head, killing people, then searching for a head again, and killing people again.

It will continue until it has killed everyone here.

Once all the people in this Ghost Domain are killed, the headless corpses, unable to find their target, will begin to move, taking these four layers of Ghost Domain with them. They will then drag people from other places into the process, repeating the same thing over and over.

Yang Jian's last remaining Ghost Eye flickered slightly, clearly realizing that things were getting out of control.

"If this continues, I can only wait for your corpse to attack me. Only then will I have a chance. But I can't be sure if I can withstand the attack when your corpse targets me. If I can't, I'm doomed," Huang Ziya said helplessly.

Using yourself as bait to lure a ghost into attacking you is extremely risky.

However, there is no better way.

Movement within the Ghost Domain cannot be restricted.

"Wait," Yang Jian revealed his thoughts.

"You think the same way I do; I also think it's better to wait." Huang Ziya nodded slightly.

It's safer to be prepared to be attacked. If you get attacked while searching for the body, you might really be doomed.

Her abilities were limited; she couldn't fight off ghosts that were too dangerous.

Immediately.

She gave up actively searching and found a relatively open space to wait.

There are two patterns to headless corpse attacks: first, the victim is facing away from the ghost; second, the head is fresh.

The first rule is almost obsolete because in the Ghost Domain, everyone can face away from the ghosts, and headless corpses can be altered at will. Therefore, the second rule is the one that determines the cause of death for headless corpses.

But this pattern of killing is practically indiscriminate killing for ordinary people, with almost no chance of escape.

Unless this person is mentally ill, they wouldn't be interested in a headless ghost.

Huang Ziya also meets this condition, but she is not the best choice because she is Ghost Tamer, and her body is in worse condition than that of an ordinary person. In other words, her body is not very fresh.

That's why, even the headless corpses she approached several times weren't targeted as priority targets.

"Since we're just waiting to be attacked, there's no need to waste the ghost candle." She blew out the ghost candle, not wanting to waste this precious resource.

However, choosing to wait is a very cruel option for others.

During this period, some people will be killed by headless corpses; they have no hope of survival, the only difference being how quickly they die.

The unlucky ones will be targeted and killed by ghosts first, while the lucky ones will be targeted later.

As time goes by little by little.

Terrified screams echoed intermittently along the street.

Sometimes, about ten seconds after the first scream, the second scream will be heard in front of it.

The location seems to be constantly changing.

Huang Ziya's eyelids twitched as she listened, and she felt a deep unease. Although she hadn't witnessed what happened in those places, she could already imagine the desperate and terrifying scene.

However, her abilities were limited, and she couldn't stop it all.

Yang Jian couldn't stop it all, because all he had left was his head, and besides retaining consciousness to survive, he only had one Ghost Eye left.

What can a Ghost Eye do?

Within his own Ghost Domain, he could do nothing but control the changes in Ghost Domain extent, an ability that was of no use in the current situation.

A moment later.

Huang Ziya saw people running out of the building in terror, screaming and shouting, as if they had witnessed a horrific scene and were emotionally distraught.

Some people were screaming for help, their voices filled with misery and tears.

Ordinary people are too vulnerable when facing ghosts; they have absolutely no chance of fighting back.

But even this brutal process eventually comes to an end.

Although Huang Ziya was not the first target, after a while, as fewer and fewer people ran and fled the streets, the headless corpse covered in blood finally appeared behind her.

This appearance was silent and sudden, appearing out of nowhere without any warning whatsoever.

"They've arrived."

Huang Ziya saw the reflection of a headless corpse at her feet, and a strong smell of blood wafted from behind her. She wondered how many heads the ghost controlling the corpse had tried to take during this time.

The headless corpse was covered in blood, and its gloved hands were dripping with still-warm blood.

At that moment, those hands reached out towards Huang Ziya's head again.

Huang Ziya knew she was being attacked, as she had been on guard, but the attack came too quickly. She felt a pair of cold, bloody hands grab her head the moment she tried to move.

Then, a terrifying force came, attempting to forcibly rip his head off his neck.

In just a few seconds, Huang Ziya would be like the previous victims, her head shattered, lying on the ground as a cold corpse.

However, unlike others, she is Ghost Tamer.

Huang Ziya controlled a ghost.

The instant the corpse's hand touched her from behind, her thick, black hair, draped over her shoulders, spontaneously wrapped around the headless corpse's arm.

Moreover, the black hair gradually spread out, as if it were about to engulf those arms.

This bizarre resistance immediately freed Huang Ziya from the near-crushing head. She then hurriedly turned around and placed the prepared head of Yang Jian on the corpse's neck.

The head, split in two, managed to maintain a somewhat intact shape and was successfully placed on the shelf.

Huang Ziya had to hold Yang Jian's head, afraid that he would fall down again if she let go.

Otherwise, all that work would have been for nothing.

This situation had been anticipated, so we were intentionally trying to avoid it.

"Can it be pieced back together?" Huang Ziya looked at Yang Jian, whose head had been restored, feeling uneasy and lacking confidence.

Yang Jian's head, now resting on his neck, remained lifeless. The gruesome gash on his forehead was still visible, a horrifying sight. His deathly gray eyes stared blankly ahead, devoid of any sign of life. This was especially striking given his nearly drained, cold corpse.

So now Yang Jian is no different from a ghost.

The only difference might be that he still possesses self-awareness.

Under Huang Ziya's tense observation and watchful gaze, she noticed that the wound on Yang Jian's neck was gradually disappearing, seemingly reconnecting with his severed neck.

However, the wound did not completely disappear, leaving a red mark.

Although the headless ghost's instincts allow it to control corpses to kill, it can also piece together corpses, even Yang Jian's incomplete head.

However, the headless ghost figure was incomplete.

Although the wound on the neck gradually healed and half of the head was successfully pieced together from the corpse, the other half of the head remained motionless, with that gruesome gash still visible.

The other half of his head is where Yang Jian's consciousness resides.

"There's been a mistake." Yang Jian had already realized the problem, and he felt a sense of foreboding.

"Yang Jian, hurry, I can't hold on much longer," Huang Ziya said urgently.

At this moment, her thick black hair had grown longer and longer, covering almost half of Yang Jian's body. But what was even more terrifying was that Huang Ziya's body had also been swallowed up by nearly half of her body.

If this continues, her entire body will disappear into that eerie black hair.

This is a vengeful ghost resurrecting.

Huang Ziya, who only controlled one ghost, dared not use the ghost's abilities recklessly, especially during this stalemate, as it was most likely to stimulate the ghost to awaken and kill the living person it was parasitizing.

Although Yang Jian didn't hear it, he could see the anxiety on Huang Ziya's face, as well as the eerie black hair that almost swallowed them both.

Given his experience, how could he possibly be unaware of the current situation?

However, Yang Jian's current condition is really bad, and he must control his body if he wants to stop everything in front of him.

How can I help my body recover?

With a calm mind racing, Yang Jian realized that he could still only move one of his Ghost Eye.

But if you can't even open the Ghost Domain with just one eye, how could you possibly control your own body?

He couldn't piece together half a head; his body was still being controlled by the instincts of a headless ghost.

"We have no choice but to give it a try."

Seeing Huang Ziya's condition, Yang Jian knew he was running out of time; all he could do with his Ghost Eye was change the location of the Ghost Domain.

By altering the location of the Ghost Domain, Yang Jian should be able to return his half-head to his body. Since it involves four layers of Ghost Domain, what seems impossible is actually achievable.

He didn't know if the vehicle would be able to resume its function after being sent back, so he could only say he'd give it a try.

The Ghost Eye's gaze fell upon the headless corpse.

The surrounding Ghost Domain was distorted, like a piece of paper being folded up.

But this change was imperceptible to others; only Yang Jian could sense the changes taking place around him.

"It will take some time," Yang Jian thought to himself.

He can only guide the direction of the Ghost Domain, not change it immediately, so the effect cannot be seen immediately.

Fortunately, the area covered by the Ghost Domain was not large when Yang Jian was killed; otherwise, it would have taken even longer.

"Yang Jian, what should we do now?" Huang Ziya was even more anxious, feeling like she was in a bind.

Once she retracts her demonic power, her head will be crushed; if the situation remains unresolved, she will die from the resurrection of the vengeful spirit.

This is a choice where either way leads to certain death.

The only solution is for Yang Jian to recover and end all of this.

Although the operation went smoothly, Yang Jian encountered a problem. Half of his head was reattached, but the other half failed to reattach, leaving him unable to control his body.

Yang Jian wanted to tell her to hold on a little longer, but he couldn't bring himself to say it, nor could he offer her any further hints. The only thing she could rely on was Huang Ziya's own judgment.

She could try to break free and escape, or she could choose to continue to resist, risking the resurrection of the vengeful ghost to keep the headless corpse for a while longer.

More and more thick black hair was hanging down Huang Ziya's head, covering most of her body. She felt like she was losing her balance and couldn't stand up straight.

Something seemed to be pulling at her from within her thick, black hair, trying to draw her in completely.

Once she got caught up in it, Huang Ziya felt she would never be able to get out.

"Is there no chance left?" She looked at Yang Jian, who was still motionless, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

At this point, even if Yang Jian came back to life, what difference would it make? She would still die from the resurgence of the vengeful ghost, because she discovered that she could no longer control the ghost within her body.

The thick hair gradually began to erode Huang Ziya.

Her body began to sink, her feet felt bound by hair, and the source of that strange hair was pulling her into it.

Soon.

Huang Ziya's body was half-hidden in her thick black hair. She was struggling, her hands clutching the cold, stiff corpse in front of her, a glimmer of hope still lingering in her desperate eyes.

If Yang Jian can recover, perhaps I still have a chance.

This hope did not come from delusion, but from trust in Yang Jian, a trust that arose during the previous Ghost Messenger incident.

"Yang, Yang Jian." Huang Ziya tried to call out, but in just a short while, only her head and a pair of arms remained outside; the rest of her body had disappeared.

Deep within the surrounding black hair, the pulling force seemed to increase.

This force even surpassed the headless corpse's hands, causing Huang Ziya to scream as a layer of flesh was torn open on her face. She was freed from the headless corpse's control and buried in the black hair, almost completely obliterated.

But she is still alive.

He's not dead yet.

The only exposed hand began to grip the corpse tightly, but this did not last long.

In just a moment, Huang Ziya could no longer hold on.

She let go of his hand.

Like a drowning person, his hands instinctively grabbed wildly.

Just as Huang Ziya's hands were about to be completely pulled into the depths of that strange clump of hair behind her, a cold hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, which was about to disappear.

Yang Jian's corpse, with only half a head remaining, began to move.

This is an action that the headless ghost could not possibly perform.

The only answer is that Yang Jian's consciousness has returned.