Chapter 8: Headquarters' Response

"I think we should immediately notify the person in charge of Dachangshi and have him protect Professor Wang!"

Immediately, someone proposed the idea, and his proposal was also agreed upon by others.

"Exactly! Zhao Kaoming and that Yang Jian are both in Dachangshi, and there are also some civilian Ghost Masters; together they should be able to protect Professor Wang and hold out until our rescue."

"Then what about Dachangshi?"

Someone quietly raised a question.

Suddenly the scene fell silent, with everyone looking at each other.

Everyone present was well aware of the terror of an S-rank paranormal phenomenon; the ghost painting incident not long ago was still fresh in their minds, so actually most people held a pessimistic attitude toward Dachangshi.

"Ah… have the Public Security Bureau of Dachangshi issue an announcement for emergency evacuation; let the citizens stay at home and wait as long as possible for the paranormal incident to end."

Cao Yanhua let out a long sigh and spoke somewhat painfully!

He naturally knows that getting involved in a paranormal incident isn't something you can survive just by hiding, but there's only so much he can do.

Soon the meeting ended, and everyone went about their respective duties.

At that moment, Chen Shoushan and Yang Jian in the taxi heading to Dachangshi clearly noticed something was off.

Yang Jian's face was a little embarrassed, after all, a paranormal incident had occurred on his own turf and he had dragged others into it.

Chen Shoushan, meanwhile, had a headache. "It's over—I've gotten myself involved in a Hungry Ghost incident." As you know, a Hungry Ghost can be considered an early-game boss; if it weren't for Yang Jian's protagonist aura successfully sealing the Hungry Ghost, the entire Dachangshi would surely have no survivors left.

Beep beep beep!

At that moment, Yang Jian's satellite phone suddenly rang, and he answered it right in front of Chen Shoushan without any intention of avoiding him.

"Yang Jian! Where are you now?"

A soft, sweet voice came from the other end of the line.

"Just say what you want!"

Yang Jian spoke coldly, showing no pity or tenderness.

The person on the other end seemed to have been snapped at before continuing to speak.

"Dachangshi has suddenly experienced a suspected S-rank paranormal incident, and Professor Wang is trapped in Dachangshi!"

"None of my business—now Zhao Kaoming is the person in charge of Dachangshi; if you have anything, go find him!"

Yang Jian isn't stupid either—this is an S-rank paranormal incident; one slip and he could die here!

"Yang Jian!! You're supposed to be an International Criminal Police officer—can't you have a sense of responsibility? You…"

Before Liu Xiao Yu could finish speaking, Zhao Jianguo beside her snatched the conversation away.

"Yang Jian, I'm Zhao Jianguo. The paranormal situation in Dachangshi is no small matter, and Professor Wang is of utmost importance, so I implore you here for the sake of the nation's safety—please prioritize the bigger picture."

Zhao Jianguo's voice came through the phone, his tone very sincere.

Beside him, Chen Shoushan also heard Zhao Jianguo's words—truly the sort of thing a leader would say, opening with the high-sounding 'national safety' while lowering his posture to give Yang Jian an easy out; despite his high position, his willingness to stoop shows he's quite scheming.

At least it's clear that now is the time to need Yang Jian, not like Liu Xiao Yu, who can't tell the difference between big and small Wang.

Sure enough, after hearing Zhao Jianguo's words, Yang Jian could no longer pretend to be crazy or foolish.

"I declare beforehand that I have the right to refuse any suicide mission!"

"Good! The specific arrangements will be made by Professor Wang; just follow his instructions when the time comes."

Upon realizing Yang Jian had agreed, Zhao Jianguo let out a sigh of relief and hastily replied.

After the two finished talking, Liu Xiao Yu, feeling somewhat indignant, asked Zhao Jianguo.

"Captain, this Yang Jian is really over the top—he has zero sense of duty as an International Criminal Police officer!"

Zhao Jianguo furrowed his brows, looking at Liu Xiao Yu, who was still chattering away beside him.

"As an operator, you should be calming the emotions of the Ghost Master, not arguing with him! If he doesn't go handle the paranormal incident, are you supposed to go instead?"

"I… I… sorry."

Liu Xiao Yu was momentarily at a loss for words, but seeing Zhao Jianguo's tightly furrowed brows, she still lowered her head and apologized.

"I know some Ghost Masters are indeed difficult to get along with, but for the sake of the nation's safety—what's a little hardship? Okay, get back to work!"

Having said that, Zhao Jianguo turned and left, leaving behind an Liu Xiao Yu who was fired up like she'd been injected with chicken blood.

Meanwhile, not long after Yang Jian hung up, Wang Xiaoming's phone came through.

"Yang Jian, do you have time now? I need you to come over to the Little Strong Club; the situation is urgent."

Wang Xiaoming's calm voice came from the other end, and after speaking he added another sentence.

"By the way, is Chen Shoushan still with you? You two should come together!"

"Got it, I'll ask him."

After hanging up, Yang Jian looked at Chen Shoushan; his conversation with Wang Xiaoming hadn't avoided him at all.

"Go ahead! I definitely don't want to break ties with Professor Wang!"

Chen Shoushan didn't refuse either; he just laughed and made a joke.

"Without the Ghost Territory, I definitely couldn't get out of the Hungry Ghost's Ghost Realm; might as well team up with Yang Jian and the others—after all, there's no downside."

Thus the two set off in a taxi toward the Little Strong Club, and while on the road they heard Dachangshi's sudden broadcast.

"Fellow citizens, due to a group of lawbreakers attacking Dachangshi's chemical plant, causing a chemical agent leak and hiding within Dachangshi, the city has declared emergency martial law—everyone must return home and not go out arbitrarily, lest they encounter the lawbreakers! At the same time, all outbound roads are closed to prevent the lawbreakers from fleeing! Repeat once more! Fellow citizens…"

Obviously, the leaders of Dachangshi have stepped forward; although the reason is rather forced, it still helps stabilize and evacuate, at least being more persuasive than directly saying ghosts are killing people.

One can see that at a nearby intersection, public security officers are already directing the crowd.

After hearing the broadcast, the taxi driver felt uneasy; he kind of wanted to go home, since his household only has his wife and daughter—what would he do if danger struck?

"Gentlemen! Sorry, I'm not taking this fare—sorry."

Chen Shoushan didn't give him a hard time either; he just pulled out a hundred-dollar bill and handed it to the driver. As for why it's a hundred, it's because all the bills in Chen Shoushan's wallet are hundreds, with no small change.

"That's right—at a time like this, one should be with one's family."

Yang Jian nodded in understanding at Chen Shoushan's words; after all, ordinary people caught up in a paranormal incident have a very low survival rate, let alone an incident that could envelop the entire Dachangshi—even he, who has tamed two ghosts, dares not guarantee he'll make it out alive, let alone an ordinary taxi driver.

(End of chapter)