Chapter 67: The Elder Who Does Not Dare to Meet His Gaze

After a search, after confirming some places that Fang Shiming often visits in the Friends Circle.

After spending a whole day, Zhang Hao finally arrived at the hidden Safety Room outside the top floor of the Friends Circle.

This Safety Room looks almost indistinguishable from a normal wall.

Moreover, because the corridor is tiled, the gap of the Safety Room's door blends perfectly with the tile joints, making it completely invisible.

If it weren't for Zhang Hao discovering it on the surveillance while investigating the data.

Fang Shiming walks through this corridor far more often than any other corridor, and he also spends a longer time on it.

He truly could not have guessed that there was a Safety Room here.

After all, Jiang Shangbai has three ghosts on him, and each ghost can use its Ghost Power only once.

Zhang Hao could not use Jiang Shangbai's Ghost Domain just to search for an uncertain Safety Room.

He opened the Safety Room, and inside it was dim.

Zhang Hao walked in slowly; during this time he deliberately kept the lights off to prevent anyone from coming, making the whole room exceedingly quiet.

Entering, although it was very dark, Zhang Hao's gaze was hardly affected; the surrounding darkness had almost no effect on him.

Inside the Safety Room was a space resembling an office.

Not far ahead, under an office desk, lay a Golden Box.

The box was small, only slightly larger than a typical phone, its color a striking gold because it was made of gold.

Only gold can block all Ghost Power; this is common knowledge within the Ley Line Circle.

The box was welded shut, leaving not a single gap.

Zhang Hao took out a small knife and cut a slit around the box; the long‑sealed golden box was finally opened.

Upon opening.

The dim office instantly grew somewhat chilly, and the air was filled with a faint putrid smell, as if something had rotted.

Inside the box was a pair of scissors.

The scissors were old‑fashioned, not modern, but of the Republic Era style.

It was unclear whether the item had been buried in mud for a long time; black stains clung to it, indistinguishable between rust and some forbidden contamination.

Most bizarrely, the scissors' handle was wrapped in dense coils of black hair, some hair roots even still attached to the scalp.

The rotting stench seemed to emanate from here—"Ghost Scissors!"

Zhang Hao found a special glove on the desk, seemingly woven from golden thread, put it on, and then lifted the Ghost Scissors.

This body was only a temporary derivative; if Zhang Hao himself were present, he could directly pick up the Ghost Scissors.

But since this body emerged from a Photo, it's safer to be cautious; getting cursed would be troublesome.

After taking the Ghost Scissors and confirming them with the Ghost Power on them, Zhang Hao resealed them back into the Golden Box and slipped it into his clothing pocket.

Having done all this, Zhang Hao no longer intended to stay in the Ping'an Building and had someone send him straight back to Headquarters.

Of course, before returning to Headquarters, he deliberately went back to the area shrouded by the Ghost Envoy Incident, tossed the Golden Box into the Ghost Domain, and only then proceeded to Headquarters.

After another half day, Headquarters finally began to take action.

In the afternoon, a conference room at Headquarters was bustling with many people.

Some sat upright and proper, appearing normal, but in fact their bodies were stiff, their breath icy, lifeless, indistinguishable from a corpse.

Someone was playing with a paper frog; when Zhang Hao closely examined the paper frog and looked at the person, he stared for a while but ultimately did nothing.

Someone was touching up makeup, but the pigments in the compact were vivid in a strange way, and beneath the heavy perfume lingered a faint corpse odor.

Someone lay there playing a phone; while both hands held the phone, another small hand emerged from an unseen palm, tapping the screen.

Time passed bit by bit.

In fact the meeting could have started normally, but some disputes delayed it.

Outside the meeting venue, Yang Jian seemed to have quarreled with a Ghost Tamer from the Friends Circle.

Someone came looking for Zhang Hao—actually Jiang Shangbai—to have him mediate.

But this Jiang Shangbai was not the same as before; facing a dispute meaningless to him, Zhang Hao naturally had no intention to act.

What he now wants to do is guide Headquarters to retrieve the Ghost Painting, then have his true self attempt to command the Ghost Painting, while he himself tries to steal out the Newspaper Ghost.

As time slowly passed, an elderly man who entered caught Jiang Shangbai's attention.

From the nameplate on the table it could be seen that the elder's surname was Qin, called Qin Lao.

Seeming to sense Jiang Shangbai's gaze, the elder looked at him, revealing a thought‑provoking expression.

"He discovered me?"

Zhang Hao's mind instinctively raised that thought; he turned his head as if to avoid, daring not to meet the elder's gaze.

Seeing Zhang Hao turn his head, the elder's gaze did not linger on him but shifted to the person who had just entered nearby—Yang Jian.

Yang Jian entered the conference room, met Zhang Hao's gaze briefly, saw that 'Jiang Shangbai' had no hostile intent, and took his seat.

With everyone present, the meeting quickly began.

Cao Yanhua gradually explained the origins and development of the Ghost Envoy Incident and the Red-White Double Evil Event.

He spoke about the Killing Rule of the Ghost Envoy and some peculiarities of the Ghost Coffin.

Then, from the initial situation of the Hong Bai Shuang Sha, he discussed the abilities possessed by the Ghost Bride and the Funeral Clothes Ghost respectively.

The others remained silent, listening quietly.

For top Ghost Tamers, they share a common trait: they place great importance on gathering information and intelligence.

Because in handling Supernatural Incidents, any detail or mistake can decide life or death.

Thus they are all very diligent.

After all, no one can be sure who will be assigned to handle the Ghost Envoy Incident next.

If anyone wants to act arrogant, pretentious, or disdainful of listening, sorry, those kinds have long since died and could never attend this meeting alive.

When the others heard that this Ghostly Servant possessed the Mindless Suppression ability against other ghosts, their faces instantly turned black.

"What kind of joke is that? Directly suppress other ghosts and turn the Ghost Tamer into an ordinary person? That's way too bullying."

But what made faces turn even darker was still to come: both the Red and White Double Evil and the Ghostly Servant have the Restart ability.

Upon hearing this, many people slapped the table and rose, clearly intending to leave.

Of course, they didn't truly want to leave; they just wanted to show their resistance to participating in this Supernatural Incident.

However, that resistance, once the Red and White Double Evil's Summon Ghost Technique and the continuously overlapping cries were mentioned, made the Ghost Tamer unable to communicate verbally, and the resistance could no longer be suppressed.

"To be honest, hearing this I really don't want to take part in this Supernatural Incident; I'd rather keep sleeping."

Before the data finished, fear and anxiety had already spread across the conference table.

Unsolved Suppression, isolated Certain Death, Ghost Summoning killing, overlapping cries, and Restart.

These conditions alone are enough to slaughter a group of Ghost Tamers.

That's assuming we know the pattern; without that, there's truly no chance at all, and even in death one wouldn't know why they died.

"Deputy Minister, do you know how many ghosts the current code‑named Ghostly Servant possesses? How many can the Red and White Double Evil summon?" someone asked seriously.

Wang Xiaoming replied, "The Ghostly Servant's Suppression Quantity is unknown, but it won't be less than six."

"The Red and White Double Evil's summon count should be unlimited, but the exact number of Fierce Ghosts that can be summoned within the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain is uncertain."

"How can you be unclear? Didn't you all participate in this incident before?" another asked, surprised.

"Because during the participation some people died, more than one, and the number of ghosts changed; making an accurate estimate very difficult," Wang Xiaoming said, shaking his head.

"Hehe, this isn't a Supernatural Incident; it's a suicide mission—who goes, dies," someone said with a wry smile.

"Moreover, an individual doesn't even have a chance to die; you have to go as a team, and if the team is wiped out again, the danger inside will keep growing."

"Whether it's the increase in the Ghostly Servant's suppression quantity or the rise in Fierce Ghosts the Red and White Double Evil can control, both are unsolvable, and there will be even less to play with in the future."

"This is pointless to discuss; they can't be contained, they restart, the two ghosts now seem to be each other's puzzle pieces, they can still grow—there's no way to handle this. If we actually act, indeed it's who goes, dies."

"Although the death toll isn't high yet, this matter truly qualifies as an S-Class Supernatural Incident. To be honest, relying only on us to handle it seems unlikely."

"I don't want anything right now, just want to go home and sleep," indeed, as the news kept coming out, the horror made everyone increasingly uneasy, and a wave of passive, escapist feeling spread across the conference table.

No one dares to face such a Supernatural Incident.

Even those qualified as candidates for the Team Leader Plan aren't allowed.

If it can't be done, it can't be done; it's not enough to shout a few "Go! Fight!" and rush in. Without a feasible plan, charging ahead guarantees death.

"Quiet down."

Cao Yanhua patted the table at this moment: "I know this incident is difficult, which is why we need to discuss it."

"Therefore, I beg everyone to produce a plan; as long as Headquarters can bear it, any cost is worthwhile."

He believes that the Ghost Tamers attending today each hold some secrets, hidden deep normally, but now Headquarters must apply pressure to make them reveal them.

Hearing that, Wang Xiaoming looked at Zhang Hao.

Since everyone already feels hopeless, let's use this chance to spill all the information, lest later, when someone finally musters courage, it gets snuffed out again.

"Jiang Shangbai, you are the only Ghost Tamer confirmed to have survived this incident and contacted Headquarters; tell us how many summonable Fierce Ghosts are inside."

Hearing that, Zhang Hao nodded; he didn't mind revealing some information about himself.

The more desperate one appears, the more likely Headquarters will attract the ghost painting.

"Based on my assessment, the Ghostly Servant's suppression quantity is still indeterminate."

"However, at least twelve Ghost Tamers died inside, each of whom had mastered at least two ghosts."

When Zhang Hao finished speaking, everyone looked at each other.

Twelve Ghost Tamers each mastering at least two ghosts, that is to say.

Once inside the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain, you must face not only the Red and White Double Evil and the Ghostly Servant, but also twelve Ghost Tamers each commanding at least two ghosts?

The conference room fell silent and oppressive; everyone remained mute.

This time, they didn't even complain.

Because they sensed Headquarters' determination and realized the seriousness of this incident, if it remains unresolved, everyone will likely suffer.

The Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain lies on the outskirts of Dajing City.

If it roams into the city, the Ghost Domain will shroud an area, the situation will spread, and the Supernatural Incident will be exposed early.

When the Red and White Double Evil summon ghosts in Dajing City, the city will turn into a Ghost City.

Ghost Tamers entering will die one by one, and Fierce Ghosts passing through will become fodder for the Supernatural Incident.

However, this oppression soon made people restless.

"I'm not going; whoever wants to die, go. If they insist I go, I'll resign."

Soon, a Ghost Tamer who couldn't bear the pressure stood up, stating their stance.

"Don't act rashly!" Cao Yanhua said soothingly.

"We're only discussing plans right now."

"Anyway, as long as it doesn't involve me." The person acted like a street thug, with an attitude of 'whoever puts pressure on me, I'll do it for them.'

"If you don't want to think, you can stay silent; we're not forcing you."

Han Mo stood up, glared at the person and said,

"You don't want to go, yet you cause a ruckus here—what does that even mean?"

As Han Mo stood, Zhang Hao turned his gaze toward the other side.

That guy, indeed, didn't die.

"A Ghost Tamer with strong self‑preservation?" Zhang Hao muttered to himself.

So far, this is the only one whose main body can still escape when facing him; Zhang Hao has only seen such a case.

Even Fang Shiming, after battling him for a while, managed to escape, but Zhang Hao caused a Fierce Ghost to revive and die; he just didn't obtain the corpse.

"Do you want to fight?" the man glared at Han Mo, and a few more people stood up beside him, all opposed to taking part in this Supernatural Incident.

"Don't rely on your numbers; if it comes to real fighting, you'll die a terrible death." A few Ghost Tamers also stood up beside Han Mo.

Both sides glared at each other, and the conference room grew cold and eerie because of their dispute.

The atmosphere was heated, giving a strong sense that a full‑blown fight could break out at any moment.

But to the others, the matter seemed to have nothing to do with them at all.

"Enough, stop the fuss and sit down,"

Just as the stalemate seemed unbreakable, suddenly Qin Lao, his face covered in age spots, tapped his cane, producing an aged voice.

His words had barely finished.

The people who had stood up all sat down almost simultaneously with a rustling sound.

Their bodies moved almost reflexively, without even their own awareness.

Seeing this, Zhang Hao's emotionless eyes flickered a few times, and he involuntarily lowered his head.

That guy was truly terrifying; he instantly controlled eight or nine Ghost Tamers.

Even Zhang Hao, accompanied by the Dry Corpse Bride, could not directly control eight or nine Ghost Tamers.

Now, at most they can, when facing a weak Ghost Tamer alone, forcibly summon the ghost inside the opponent's body.

If the opponent is stronger, the Fierce Ghost inside their body must revive before Ghost Summoning can have effect.

Yet Qin Lao's single sentence affected nine Ghost Tamers of considerable strength.

"Let's continue the meeting; the dispute ends here. Give this old man some face," Qin Lao added slowly.

Everyone fell silent, as if even the ghosts within their bodies had settled down.

"The Ghost's rules and Ghost's Killing method have been clarified; I trust you all will not disappoint me,"

Cao Yanhua spoke in time, pulling the conference room's chilly silence back.

With Qin Lao's intimidation, everyone finally began discussing how to resolve the Supernatural Incident.

"To resolve the Ghostly Servant, we must avoid entering the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain," a plain‑looking person, whose face Zhang Hao found hard to remember, stood up.

"Therefore, to imprison it we must act from the outside; only then can we stop the Ghostly Servant's continual Restart,"

"Actually, from my earlier observations and some data analysis, this isn't a single ghost; precisely, it's a Ghost Domain, and a Ghost Domain is a ghost,"

"To resolve the Ghostly Servant, we must imprison this entire Ghost Domain. Have the others at Headquarters dealt with similar Supernatural Incidents? Those with experience, please share,"

"As for the Red and White Double Evil, they are also currently within the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain; if we can imprison the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain together with them, they will naturally be resolved,"

His words made many people look at him in surprise.

They had never seen this person before, so they were quite surprised—who was he? Why was he here.

"My name is Li Leping," he said calmly, as if accustomed to such Gaze.

"A fine conclusion," Wang Xiaoming said expressionlessly at that moment.

"At present, the only one confirmed to freely enter and exit the Ghost Domain is Fang Shiming of the Friends Circle, but he revived from death the day before yesterday,"

When Fang Shiming was mentioned, everyone looked at Zhang Hao.

They all knew why Fang Shiming died—it was to save Jiang Shangbai.

"I do have a suggestion,"

Seeing the discussion turn to the Ghostly Servant and feeling everyone's Gaze, Zhang Hao rose slowly.

"First, regarding this Ghost Domain, I believe our current abilities cannot solve it; resolution requires external force,"

"Li Leping was right just now; the Ghostly Servant is like a Ghost Domain—there's no way to kill them within a Ghost Domain,"

"Although the Red and White Double Evil lack a Ghost Domain, they possess the ability to Restart, and also wield the terrifying Ghost Summoning; the Ghostly Servant may already be controlled by the Red and White Double Evil's Ghost Summoning,"

The former is true, but the latter—controlling the Ghostly Servant—is merely Zhang Hao's lie.

What he wants is to further dispel these people's notion of entering the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain.

(End of Chapter)