Mysterious Revival

"We must act quickly, as many things are set to happen after tonight."

Yang Jian had left the neighborhood where the incident occurred, and was now driving with Li Yao toward the residence of someone named He Tianxiong. The emergence of the ghost drawings made him feel the urgency of the situation.

"Indeed, the incidents are too coincidental. We had barely taken action when this happened. If all goes as expected, you'll soon receive a call from your operator, and I guess by tomorrow morning, you'll need to report back to headquarters. It's very likely that dealing with the WeChat group issue will be exposed too," Li Yao said, having calmed down after the earlier scare, as she analyzed the situation, "Once things play out this way, you'll be put in a reactive position."

"I'm aware of that." Yang Jian's face was expressionless, "After dealing with this He Tianxiong, that should be about it. We can take our time with the other key members."

Li Yao remained silent, still replaying the earlier scene in her mind.

Why did that person get stuck in the painting?

Being at the scene, could she be targeted by the ghost drawings too?

And in such a big city, now that the ghost drawings have appeared, where could their source be?

She felt uneasy, and even a sense of inexplicable chill. The glittering lights of the bustling metropolis outside offered her no sense of security or warmth, and even made her want to flee the city.

The precedent set by Dachang City was there for all to see, and she couldn't afford to be dragged into supernatural events.

Sure enough.

Not long after they continued driving, Yang Jian's satellite-positioned phone rang.

"Hello, Yang Jian, it's me, Liu Xiaoyu."

Yang Jian answered the phone, "Speak, what's the matter."

"Suspicions of ghost drawings have arisen in the downtown area. I'm letting you know so you can plan to stay at the Ping'an Hotel and not return to Dachang City. We might need your help here," Liu Xiaoyu said hesitantly, with an almost pleading tone.

"I'm not too keen on getting involved in this."

Yang Jian replied bluntly, "I've already taken great risk dealing with the Ghost Envoy incident. Continuously engaging in supernatural events like this, even for a ghost handler of my level, is unsustainable. Death is inevitable eventually. Do you think I have it easy living? Or do you just want me to die faster?"

"That's..."

Liu Xiaoyu didn't know how to respond and could only muster a tough explanation, "But after all, you joined headquarters, and there are some things only you can handle."

"I'm responsible for Dachang City. If there's a problem there, I'll naturally step up. But the issue is that this is someone else's city to manage. Isn't that also a rule set by headquarters?" Yang Jian countered.

"Sorry." There was a pause on the phone from Liu Xiaoyu.

"Five days, I'll stay here for five more days. After that, regardless of the situation, I'll return to Dachang City. If the ghost drawing incident breaks out within these five days, I'll lend a hand. If there's no progress after five days, I'll leave. This isn't said to you but to Vice Minister Cao. He should understand my stance," Yang Jian stated.

"I have other things to attend to, so let's leave it at that for now."

Their conversation was brief, and they soon disconnected.

At this moment.

Inside the communication room.

Shen Liang opened the door and walked into Liu Xiaoyu's office, asking, "What did Yang Jian say?"

Liu Xiaoyu hurriedly stood up and said, "Commander Shen, Yang Jian said he will only stay here for five days, then he'll return to Dachang City."

"Five days?" Shen Liang was startled.

"Yang Jian was very firm, and I couldn't persuade him," Liu Xiaoyu hurriedly added.

But Shen Liang laughed, "I thought he would leave tomorrow. I'm surprised he's willing to stay for five more days. That's beyond my expectations. Given Yang Jian's character, asking him to stay three more days last time already upset him. This time, he's much more generous. It seems he doesn't want to see things get out of control either."

"Is five days enough time?" Liu Xiaoyu wondered.

"It's enough. If it can be resolved, it'll be resolved in these few days. Don't underestimate the capabilities of headquarters in this city," Shen Liang said, "Continue with your work. I'm going to see the reports from the others, to find out exactly how many ghost handlers we can call upon if the situation erupts."

After seeing Shen Liang leave, Liu Xiaoyu murmured to herself.

From what she knew of Yang Jian, he surely wasn't staying in the city for the ghost drawings. He must have other matters to settle first. After all, he was the least willing to be involved in supernatural events without good reason.

About half an hour later.

Li Yao's vehicle stopped in a high-end villa community on the outskirts of the city.

"This community's villa number eight is one of He Tianxiong's places. According to his habits, there's a good chance he's here at this time. I hope we're not making a trip in vain. But if you need efficiency, isn't using the Ghost Domain more convenient? You could search the entire city directly," Li Yao remarked as they arrived.

Yang Jian looked at her and said, "Do you think I'm the only one in this big city with a Ghost Domain? Apart from headquarters' Jang Shangbai, Li Jun, and others, that guy from the WeChat group named Fang Shiming is also suspected of having a Ghost Domain. And there are other ghost handlers in the city. At least on the drive here, I could faintly sense several different directions from where anomalies were emanating."

"After all, this is the safest city in the country. Many people come here looking for refuge, so the waters here run deep," he added.

"That makes sense," Li Yao said, suddenly realizing the complexity.

"Wait for me here," Yang Jian said without further elaboration and stepped out of the car towards the community.

He did not use the ghosts' powers, as he had yet to even confirm whether the person was in the community. It was clear that conserving resources where possible was essential.

In Yang Jian's balanced state, there's no such thing as perfect equilibrium. Sooner or later, the day would come when the revival of one ghost surpassed the suppression of others, leading to an imbalance and the risk of a fierce ghost rising again.

However, this was a far longer span of survival than when he first harnessed the power of the Ghost Eye.

Inside villa number eight of the community.

The lavish decoration, shining with opulence, displayed an overtly flamboyant style typical of nouveau riche taste.

Everything here glistened with gold, as if the walls, floor tiles, and furniture were all coated in a layer of gold, a luster that ordinary materials couldn't achieve.

A not-so-large villa that could be described as the epitome of luxury, no one knows why the owner would be willing to squander such a huge sum of money on such a thoughtless endeavor.

To the other owners in the neighborhood, this seemed like a foolish thing to do, but in He Tianxiong's view, he was the smartest for making such a decision.

Such a house may not be able to fend off supernatural incidents, but at certain times, it could provide the most perfect protection for him. The large expenditure of money was worth it because life itself was the most precious.

Today, He Tianxiong was indeed at home.

He had left Ping'an Tower in the afternoon and returned to his place, and at this moment, he was reading a book in his study.

"If you don't understand, you should read more books. Being dumb is not scary; what's scary is not changing yourself."

He Tianxiong sat on a recliner with his legs crossed, flipping through his favorite book, the Thirty-Six Stratagems of warfare. Although he had read it many times before, he read it again every day, gaining new insights each time.

"Woof woof!"

Suddenly.

The peaceful night was broken by the barking of a dog downstairs, the barking urgent as if a stranger was attempting to approach the house.

"Hmm?"

He Tianxiong immediately put down the book, his gaze turning toward the window with suspicion.

He saw his German Shepherd barking towards a dim direction, but looking along that direction, there was nobody in sight; the streetlamp there was quite bright, allowing him to confirm that there were no people around.

"This dog barks for no reason all day long, I'll stew you sooner or later."

He Tianxiong cursed as he sat back on the recliner.

But just after he had sat down for a short while, he abruptly put down the book again.

The barking stopped.

It stopped abruptly, as if the sound was cut off by something forcefully, not because the dog got tired and stopped of its own accord.

"Bang!"

Then, the utterly silent room was filled with the sound of the front door opening. The sound wasn't loud, but with the anti-theft measures installed in his study, he could clearly hear any movement from the living room on the first floor.

"Something's up, damn it."

He Tianxiong's nerves tensed instantly. In such a short time, to silently kill his dog and open his house door were things no normal person could do, even the top foreign spies couldn't accomplish these two things almost simultaneously.

Just as he thought about stepping out of the study to see what was going on, he hesitated.

"Anyone who dares to barge into my house like this is up to no good; it could be someone seeking revenge. Better safe than sorry, better hide for a bit first." As He Tianxiong moved, his eyes flitted, and instead of leaving the study, he headed for another hidden door.

Although he considered himself second to none in the ghost-controller circle, he still chose to act cautiously.

At this moment.

In the brightly lit living room at the center.

Yang Jian stood on the glossy floor tiles, looking at the surrounding gold-encrusted decorative style, his brows furrowing lightly, "Did they add gold during decoration? There's a thin layer of gold leaf on the walls. Although it's a tiny amount, it's blocking my Ghost Domain."

A ghostly eye on his forehead eerily scanned the surroundings. Experience more content on My Virtual Library Empire

His vision was obstructed, unable to see through the walls to cover the whole house, leaving many blind spots.

"However, decorating like this at such an expense isn't very meaningful. It only causes a little trouble for those with a Ghost Domain power, but it's just a little trouble after all."

Yang Jian could confirm that He Tianxiong was inside the house.

He saw signs of activity, so the house wasn't empty.

Just as he was about to head upstairs, a man's voice came from the living room.

"I thought a thief had entered my house, intending to scrape off the walls. Unexpectedly, it's Yang Jian, the Ghost Eye of Dachang City. What brings Mister Yang to my home? You surely didn't take a wrong turn and accidentally enter through the door, did you?"

Yang Jian turned to look, realizing the voice was coming from a loudspeaker inside the room.

"You're much more cautious than I imagined, not only keeping a dog outside but also using gold as a decorative material. It's indeed difficult for most ghost-controllers with a Ghost Domain to enter your house undetected." Yang Jian calmly replied, "You don't need to hide; I know you're here. You can't conceal yourself from me."

"But I also wouldn't dare to carelessly appear within your Ghost Eye's sight, would I? If you erase me with a glance, wouldn't I die a wrongful death?" He Tianxiong's voice was filled with caution, "Let's discuss whatever it is like civilized people. There's no need for such scary visits."

"Do you think the bit of gold you've got is enough to sustain the entire house? Or should I consider dropping something through your roof?" Yang Jian asked flatly.

"No, no."

He Tianxiong's tone suddenly changed, seemingly realizing what Yang Jian was about to do.

As expected.

The next moment, the house began to shake precariously, as if it were about to collapse at any time.

"Wait, wait, don't tear down my house, we can talk it out..." He Tianxiong panicked; he did not want his hard-earned home to be forcibly destroyed by Yang Jian.

Soon.

A figure appeared on the hallway of the third floor, anxiously looking down at Yang Jian in the living room.

With the appearance of He Tianxiong, Yang Jian no longer bothered tearing down the place. The house immediately stopped shaking, and everything quickly returned to calm.

"That's more like it. It's better to come out and face death than to force me to demolish such a house. Who knows, maybe I'll need it later." A smile appeared on Yang Jian's lips, cold and devoid of any emotion.

He Tianxiong's eyes shrank, a chill running through his heart.

As expected, Yang Jian was there to cause trouble; otherwise, Yang Jian wouldn't have specifically come to his house without knowing him.