Leaving the City

"Driver, could you please take us to Xiao'an County?" Yang Jian, as always, was reluctant to use his own abilities and chose to take a taxi.

Upon hearing this, the taxi driver quickly replied, "It's so far? No, no, if I take you there I'll definitely come back empty and lose money. You should take another taxi."

Yang Jian said, "Add more money, ten thousand."

"Get in," the taxi driver replied immediately.

"Why did you give one of your spots to Zhang Lei without hesitation? Is he that important?" Huang Ziya asked in the car, still thinking about what had just happened.

Yang Jian looked at the city outside the car window. "This is my decision, you shouldn't ask any more questions."

"Fine, I won't ask then." Huang Ziya pouted and said, "By the way, what about Xiong Wenwen? Hmm? I haven't seen him. You value this kid a lot; having him around would be a huge help to our overall improvement."

"He was taken away by Li Jun, he's probably dead by now," Yang Jian said after thinking for a moment.

Huang Ziya asked in surprise, "Li Jun dares to snatch someone from your hands?"

Yang Jian glanced at her; "It wasn't Li Jun, it was Xiong Wenwen's mother who rejected me, but was persuaded by Li Jun, so she joined Li Jun's team. I just came from Xiong Wenwen's house."

"Did her mother regret it?" Huang Ziya asked.

"Certainly."

Yang Jian said, "Li Jun and I have different ideologies. I'm just trying to survive, while he risks his life for Headquarters, solving all sorts of difficult problems. So, Xiong Wenwen will die very quickly if she follows him. Her mother will regret it sooner or later, but I didn't expect her to regret it so soon."

"It's a pity. I wish his mother had chosen to let Xiong Wenwen stay with you back then," Huang Ziya sighed.

"What's there to regret? Following me doesn't guarantee 100% safety," Yang Jian.

While the two were talking, the taxi driver was acting suspiciously. He kept glancing back in the rearview mirror, his gaze fixed on Huang Ziya. He seemed to be attracted to her, and a look of amazement appeared in his eyes. This almost caused him to rear-end the car several times.

"Driver, have you never seen such a beautiful woman like me before? But if you drive like this, my captain will be very unhappy, so please concentrate. After all, I don't want any trouble on the road." Huang Ziya turned her head and said with a smile.

It looks like a reminder, but it's actually a warning.

"Ahem, sorry, sorry." The taxi driver blushed and hurriedly apologized.

"Captain, what are you staring at out the window for? You've been doing that since just now. Am I not as attractive as those houses outside?" Huang Ziya asked again.

Yang Jian frowned and said, "Something's starting to feel off in this city. It was like this this morning, and now the feeling is getting stronger."

"Really? I didn't feel anything, the weather was just a bit gloomy, but that's normal in the middle of winter," Huang Ziya said.

"Look carefully at the leftmost window on the thirteenth floor of that building ahead." Yang Jian's gaze suddenly sharpened.

Huang Ziya curiously went over and looked up at the building in front of her.

It was a very ordinary commercial building.

On the thirteenth floor of that building, several windows were open, but in the leftmost open window, there was a person standing vaguely. At first, Huang Ziya thought it was because her eyesight was bad and she couldn't see clearly, but when the taxi kept driving forward and another person appeared in the window next door, her eyes suddenly narrowed.

Although they were only separated by a window, Huang Ziya could see clearly that a person in a suit and black-rimmed glasses was standing by the window next door, holding a cup of coffee and gazing into the distance.

The person standing by the leftmost window that Yang Jian pointed to was still blurry and unclear. His facial features were indistinguishable, but he could be vaguely identified as a woman by his build and the color of his clothes.

Moreover, the woman stood motionless in front of the window, as if frozen, while the room behind her was dark and gloomy.

At first glance, the window on the wall looked like an old picture frame, and the woman was the person in the frame.

"Yes, it's a ghost drawing." Huang Ziya covered her mouth, almost crying out.

Yang Jian leaned against the car door, propping his head up as he looked at the scene. "It shouldn't be wrong. It's another painting, and the thing in the painting has already stepped out. This means that thing is invading reality."

"How could this happen? Hasn't Headquarters been sending people to handle this?" Huang Ziya asked in a low voice, her whole body tense.

S-class paranormal events are also known in the community as unsolvable.

Those Ghost Tamer up in this will have a hard time surviving, let alone resolving the incident.

As a newcomer, Huang Ziya would never dare to get involved in this kind of thing, even if you killed her.

"If it were that easy to handle, that foreign team wouldn't have been wiped out." Yang Jian's eyes flickered slightly as he thought of the corpses scattered all over the building in the Ghost Painting world.

The ghostly footsteps lingering on the wooden stairs, the ghost Blocking Door in the room—these ghosts are suspected to be remnants left behind by those Ghost Tamer after their deaths.

These things are enough to prove what happened in the ghost painting back then.

"So this time, we appeared to be going to find Feng Quan and Tong Qian, but actually we were sneaking away?" Huang Ziya whispered guiltily.

She thought she was a really smart captain.

They even came up with such a good excuse.

Yang Jian glanced at him and said, "You're so good at talking. I've put in a lot of effort here this time. I was the one who handled the training base issue, and I was the one who got Wang Xiaoming out of trouble during that operation. I even dealt with several paintings for free afterward. Isn't it fair that they should contribute this time?"

"As a team leader, how can you gain people's trust without participating in a few S-class incidents? In my opinion, Cao Yang, Li Lepeng, Liu San, and the others won't escape next time. If I hadn't gotten rid of Jiang Shangbai, he would definitely have been a special target this time as well."

Therefore, he was completely confident and didn't feel guilty at all when he slipped away this time.

"That makes sense." Huang Ziya smiled and narrowed her eyes. "So I benefited from this?"

"It's not like you're getting special treatment. This kind of thing wouldn't fall on the shoulders of newcomers like you no matter what. Headquarters isn't that stupid; they'll definitely send top talent to handle it," Yang Jian said, shaking his head slightly.

"Wait, I need to make a phone call."

Suddenly, he thought of something and immediately picked up his phone to make a call.

Yang Jian needs to contact Miao Xiaoshan.

At this very moment.

Miao Xiaoshan was playing Dou Dizhu (a card game) with her roommates Liu Zi and Sun Yujia in their dorm room to pass the time. They had to take a break from classes because of what happened last time, so they were quite relaxed lately. They had originally planned to play badminton today, but they gave up because of the bad weather.

"Beep beep beep."

Just then, Miao Xiaoshan's phone rang.

"It's Yang Jian! Look, Yang Jian is calling!"

Liu Zi, who was standing nearby, spotted the incoming call notification immediately. She exclaimed in surprise, dropped the playing cards in her hand, and excitedly picked up her phone.

"Quickly, tell Yang Jian that Sun Yujia and I want to invite him to dinner, and also, we'd like to invite him on a trip around the city."

Miao Xiaoshan took the phone and frowned slightly. "Yang Jian usually doesn't call me. He told me that last time. This call must be about something important. Let's not talk about dinner."

"It all depends on the opportunity. If the opportunity is right, you can speak up," Liu Zi said.

"Yang Jian saved me last time, so I should thank him." Sun Yujia said somewhat embarrassedly, "But Miao Xiaoshan, don't misunderstand, I just wanted to express my gratitude, that's all."

Miao Xiaoshan shushed her. "I've answered the phone."

Immediately, Yang Jian's voice came through the phone. "It's me, Yang Jian."

"Yes, I know," Miao Xiaoshan replied softly. "Yang Jian, is there something you need to say on the phone at this hour?"

"There is something I need to take care of."

Yang Jian said, "I don't want anything to happen to you, so I suggest you leave the school in the next couple of days. Whether you ask for leave or take a leave of absence, leave this city first. You can go back to Dachang City or visit relatives. In short, don't stay at the school. Come back after some things are over."

He believes that the ghosts in the painting have begun to invade the corners of the city, meaning that from now on, any place in the city could be in danger.

Even if Yang Jian has dealt with the painting at the school, there's no guarantee that ghosts from other ghost paintings won't appear here.

"Is it that serious?" Miao Xiaoshan was somewhat shocked.

"I'm not sure. Maybe it's not as serious as I think, but I'm just taking precautions. Also, I'm leaving today, so I might not be able to get there immediately if something happens on your end. Oh, and remember to keep that candle safe; it could be a lifesaver in case of danger," Yang Jian said.

Miao Xiaoshan nodded and said, "Okay, I understand. I'll pack my things in the next couple of days and ask for leave."

"Okay, that's all for now." Yang Jian said and immediately hung up the phone.

"What did Yang Jian say?" Liu Zi asked, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Miao Xiaoshan said somewhat uneasily, "Yang Jian asked me to leave the school, leave this city, and go somewhere else for a while. He's afraid there's danger here, and now he's leaving too."

"What? What are you still standing here for? Hurry up and pack your things and leave!" Liu Zi jumped out of bed in fright and immediately started looking for her phone to contact her family.

This is extremely important inside information.

"Shouldn't we ask for leave first? It wouldn't be right to just leave like this," Sun Yujia said somewhat nervously.

"Leave first and then ask for leave. Anyway, we don't have classes now, so it's okay," Liu Zi said.

Miao Xiaoshan nodded. "That makes sense, but have you decided where to go?"

Liu Zi immediately said, "I've thought it through. My family bought a villa in a nearby city, and it's usually empty. We can go there..."

"We'll stay there for a while. Miao Xiaoshan, don't go back to your hometown. Come with me too, so we can look after each other."

She felt that she had to drag Miao Xiaoshan along with her no matter what, otherwise she wouldn't feel at ease.

Who could blame Miao Xiaoshan for having such a powerful figure standing behind her?

"I didn't realize you were so concerned about others. I thought it was a girl's voice just now, right? Is she your girlfriend, Captain?" Huang Ziya asked with a smile in the car.

"No, he's just an ordinary friend," Yang Jian said.

"I don't believe it. Would an ordinary friend be worth you caring about this much?" Huang Ziya said.

Yang Jian said, "Since you like asking so many questions, why don't you get off the carriage now? Why bother coming with me?"

"Captain, since you don't like me asking questions, then I won't." Huang Ziya smoothed her thick hair down her cheek and then fiddled with the cheap crystal necklace around her neck.

The taxi driver was a little confused by what the two were saying, because there were some things he couldn't understand at all, so he could only concentrate on driving.

As the vehicle left the city, Yang Jian's unease gradually disappeared.

At the same time, the twitching eyelids began to return to normal.

"The area is surprisingly large." Yang Jian looked at the map, from the Ping An Hotel in the city center to the suburban highway, and only then did that strange feeling completely disappear.

This shows that the influence of the ghost paintings was beyond imagination.

Because this city is much larger than Dachang City.