Chapter 75: Conspiring with Ghosts, the Second Ghost Painting Operation

When everyone was surprised by Wei Jing's appearance.

In Dajing City, inside a villa.

Two men sat at the table, each holding a cup of coffee.

"Jiang Shangbai, speak. What is your purpose in finding me?"

On the sofa, a bespectacled man who looked especially refined said.

But the truly eerie thing was not him; behind him stood two grotesque, terrifying silhouettes.

If not for those two behind him, this refined man would have no right to negotiate with Jiang Shangbai.

"Wang Chaling, I know your purpose, so there are matters to discuss with you."

Jiang Shangbai slowly opened his mouth, a strange smile appearing on his cold face.

"Purpose?" Wang Chaling's expression did not change as he stared at the other.

"My purpose is to become Captain Position. So? As the current leader of the Friends Circle, seeking a Captain Position, do you still need to ask someone for help?"

Wang Chaling was unfazed by Jiang Shangbai's strange smile.

Because Jiang Shangbai was the sole survivor of the Red and White Double Evil Event and the Ghost Envoy Incident, the Headquarters officials were generally aware.

Surviving in front of such a dangerous Fierce Ghost, with one's own near Fierce Ghost revival and body eroded by Ghost Erosion, is understandable.

No one despises him for his Fierce Ghost revival; rather, Jiang Shangbai's survival of that Supernatural Incident greatly boosted the Friends Circle's reputation.

Although the former leader of the Friends Circle, Fang Shiming, died while "saving" Jiang Shangbai.

Yet precisely because of that, Jiang Shangbai's ability to survive the Ghostly Servant's Ghost Domain against the Red and White Double Evil appears all the more formidable.

After all, even the second‑ranked Ghost Tamer in Asia died; if one's strength is insufficient, not to mention Fang Shiming's support, whether one could hold out until then is questionable.

"My purpose is not that, of course," Jiang Shangbai shook his head.

"You should also know my situation; the Ghost Erosion is severe, and I need to find a solution."

Wang Chaling looked at Jiang Shangbai, his expression unmoved, and spoke calmly, like a merchant.

"Do you expect me to help you find a way to stop the Fierce Ghost revival? What benefit could you offer me to act?"

Jiang Shangbai heard this, gave no reply, and instead tapped his fingers lightly on the table while watching Wang Chaling.

"What do you mean?" Wang Chaling frowned.

"I want a ghost," Jiang Shangbai said coldly.

Upon hearing that, Wang Chaling's gaze flickered, his look at Jiang Shangbai ambiguous.

"That ghost is locked in the Headquarters' Basement, specifically used to seal Fierce Ghosts; its danger is great, and it is essentially impossible to release."

Jiang Shangbai continued, causing a slight change on Wang Chaling's face.

"What do you mean?" Wang Chaling, unable to fathom Jiang Shangbai's thoughts, asked tentatively.

"You intend to forcefully break into Headquarters and steal that ghost?"

Seeing that Jiang Shangbai still hadn't spoken, Wang Chaling became a bit impatient.

"Cooperating with me is meaningless, right? I could never go stealing a ghost with you."

"This matter offers me no benefit; it would instead affect my standing at Headquarters."

"I will not take part; I'll consider today's matter as never having heard of it."

Wang Chaling said that and rose to leave.

However, at that moment, Jiang Shangbai spoke again, causing him to halt his departure.

"If I successfully steal that ghost from Headquarters, the Headquarters' defensive measures will certainly intensify."

"Moreover, once a Captain is appointed, it is possible that a Captain will be assigned to guard that place."

Jiang Shangbai said this, his pallid face showing a cold, eerie smile.

"According to recent information, Li Jun and his group successfully escaped from the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting."

Wang Chaling stared at Jiang Shangbai, his face grim, but gave no reply.

"I don't know whether you know this, so I'll share it with you for free."

Jiang Shangbai's tone was hushed; as he spoke, the air in the house grew cold and oppressive, like a malevolent ghost tempting the hearts of others.

"I heard that not only Li Jun emerged, but also a person named Wei Jing."

Upon hearing that, Wang Chaling's pupils contracted sharply, then dilated repeatedly.

Wang Chaling, being one of the pre‑designated Captains, could not possibly be unaware of this news.

Who is Wei Jing? Wang Xiaoming, while researching the Ghost Coffin, used him as a test subject for the Coffin's effect, and he died inside the Ghost Coffin.

The appearance of the Ghostly Servant was also caused by Wei Jing's death, a result of Wang Xiaoming's failed experiment.

"You must have guessed, right?" Jiang Shangbai said with a strange smile.

Wang Chaling listened to Jiang Shangbai's words, fell into silence, and gave no response.

The ghost he seeks is the Starving Ghost; originally his plan was to come over when the Ghost Painting attracted Headquarters' attention.

But he did not expect that the Friends Circle's Jiang Shangbai would find him, and now claims he intends to steal a ghost from Headquarters.

Regardless of whether Jiang Shangbai succeeds.

If he refuses, after Jiang Shangbai steals the ghost, he will have no recourse.

Because, as Jiang Shangbai said, once the place where Headquarters imprisons Fierce Ghosts is stolen, Headquarters will inevitably tighten protection.

And Jiang Shangbai mentioned this just now to warn Wang Chaling.

Once Headquarters strengthens its defenses, Wei Jing, as Headquarters' direct‑line Ghost Tamer, will likely be tasked with protecting that place.

Facing the Ghostly Servant Wei Jing, Wang Chaling lacks a guaranteed victory.

Because the Ghostly Servant's Unsolved Suppression is terrifying, he does not know whether his parents, grandparents, or even great‑grandparents could withstand that suppression.

If stealing the Starving Ghost fails and his own family ends up entering, that would be troublesome.

Thinking of this, Wang Chaling looked at Jiang Shangbai.

At this moment, Wang Chaling also understood Jiang Shangbai's purpose in seeking him, though he didn't know how the other side learned of his plan.

But the target he intends to steal is the Starving Ghost, whose impact on Headquarters would definitely be greater than that of the Newspaper Ghost.

After all, compared with the disappearance of the Starving Ghost at the source of the S-level Paranormal Event, what does the disappearance of a Newspaper Ghost amount to? Moreover, after the Ghostly Servant went out of control, Headquarters had already begun to doubt Zhao Jianguo's identity.

The disappearance of the Starving Ghost and Zhao Jianguo's existence would be Jiang Shangbai's best cover after his action.

But he had no choice, because Jiang Shangbai was about to act.

After pondering for a while, Wang Chaling helplessly nodded and agreed to cooperate.

At least Jiang Shangbai possessed a Ghost Domain and was currently the boss of the Friends Circle; cooperating with him was a good thing for Wang Chaling.

With a Ghost Domain in play, the process of stealing the Fierce Ghost would be more convenient for the two, and the chance of exposure lower.

"Pleasant cooperation; then let's wait until Headquarters enters the Ghost Painting again, and we'll start our operation."

Jiang Shangbai let out a cold laugh.

"After Li Jun of Headquarters left the Ghost Domain of the Ghost Painting, he began looking for personnel for a second participation."

"Headquarters over there is also beginning to evaluate the squad leader; right now no one in the entire Headquarters will focus on us."

Wang Chaling heard this and lightly nodded.

Indeed, that's the case; Headquarters has announced the squad leader candidates, but none have been finalized.

After all, the current squad leader is merely a ranking announcement based on the twelve people with the greatest merit, without actually granting any leader authority.

At this moment, many people, hoping to vie for the squad leader position in the limited remaining time, begin shifting their focus elsewhere.

Whether intentional or not, the defenses on Headquarters' side could be described as utterly hollow.

After all, who could have imagined anyone would try to steal these extremely dangerous, terrifying Fierce Ghosts? "But how can I be sure the ghost you want isn't the same one I'm after?" Wang Chaling, though he agreed, still harbored doubt.

"Rest assured, our purposes will never conflict," Jiang Shangbai said in a cold tone.

"If a conflict arises, then this ghost is yours," with Jiang Shangbai's promise, Wang Chaling felt relieved.

With that promise, even if a real conflict later occurred, Wang Chaling could stand on a moral high ground against Jiang Shangbai.

After all, he was still an ordinary person; although a few terrifying abnormal ghosts accompanied him, Wang Chaling's worldview was not as insane as a Ghost Tamer's.

Meanwhile, on the other side.

After Li Jun returned to Headquarters, his condition and Balance were restored with Wang Xiaoming's help.

And the operation against the Ghost Painting officially began after Li Jun's condition recovered.

Dealing with the Ghost Painting, unlike the Ghost Envoy Incident, did not involve many Ghost Tamers.

Because manpower was still needed to handle the successive Ghost Paintings appearing throughout the city, the source painting only required a single team.

This isn't a Ghostly Servant operation; it doesn't require a numerical comparison with ghosts, only the identification of the Ghost Painting's location and its confinement.

Li Jun led the team, whose members were Liu San, a newly minted Ghost Tamer named Li Yang, and Chen Yi, one of the Dajing City officials.

Only four people, which seemed few, but it was for caution; should unimaginable danger arise, the losses wouldn't be catastrophic.

At that time Headquarters would still have a chance to reorganize manpower, so the first operation also served to scout the situation.

"Wait here a moment; I'll go up and find someone," Li Jun and the others arrived at the foot of a residential building.

"Who is it, does it matter?" Liu San asked.

Chen Yi glanced; as one of the city's officials who knew the residences of most Ghost Tamers, he immediately said;

"I recall that this residential area houses families of relatively important figures; it's a focus area, and this building should be Xiong Wenwen's home."

"So it's that brat, Xiong,"

Liu San's pale, sickly face showed a strange smile: "If that brat joins, it would indeed save a lot of time, but don't we already have Han Mo?"

"Although his precognition isn't that strong, he's more stable than that brat, and Han Mo's own strength isn't lacking either."

"That may be so, but his precognition has a major flaw; he only gets vague hints and doesn't know exactly where danger lies," Chen Yi said, shaking his head.

"Last time you mainly dealt with Ghostly Servants; this time we're dealing with the Ghost Painting, and we have no intelligence at all."

"If that brat participates, our operational leeway will definitely be larger."

Hearing that, Liu San nodded; indeed, that makes sense.

Han Mo can only discern that danger exists in that location; what the danger is and when it will appear are impossible to determine.

Chen Yi said, "Moreover, the urban area still needs someone to watch over it; we can't pull everyone into the team, as we must consider contingency plans if our operation fails."

"So Han Mo is the backup, and Xiong Wenwen leads the charge?" Liu San said, "That's rather cruel for a child."

"The world is cruel; we have no choice. When it's time to step up, we must, no one is exempt; Xiong Wenwen's precognition is too important."

Chen Yi said gravely, "If, because he's a child, he can sit out at the most opportune moment, isn't that also a form of cruelty to the others?"

"If we fail this time, Dajing City will certainly become even more dangerous."

"At that point, Han Mo, with self‑preservation ability and some reliable intelligence support, could play a stronger role in Dajing City than Xiong Wenwen."

Chen Yi's words were realistic, but in this dangerous world, without some realism, the crisis from the Fierce Ghosts could never be resolved.

Li Yang, standing nearby, shivered as he listened to the seniors' discussion.

He was still a rookie, who unexpectedly became a Ghost Tamer and joined Headquarters during the Ghost Painting incident.

He hadn't expected that, just after leaving the Ghost Painting incident, he would be drawn into this terrifying operation, with no chance to refuse.

"We're doomed this time," Li Yang's complexion turned slightly pale; although the mission's reward was high, it would probably only serve as a settlement fee.

Chen Yi said, "Keep your concerns to yourselves; the operation must go on."

"I'm not worried about myself; I'm worried about you," Liu San forced a smile onto his gaunt, sallow face.

"Then there's even less to worry about," Chen Yi said.

As for Li Yang, the two weren't particularly concerned about each other's condition; a rookie Ghost Tamer joining an S-level Paranormal Event for the first time would naturally be nervous.

Li Yang's participation in this paranormal event was mainly because the other side was wielding a special ghost.

Door-Blocking Ghost—once this ghost blocks the door, it can prevent Fierce Ghosts from entering or exiting.

In certain dangerous moments, Li Yang's ghost might help them gain a sliver of hope.

At this point, Li Jun found Chen Shumei and briefly explained the operation and its specifics.

Only the crucial details were kept undisclosed.

"Another mission?"

Chen Shumei's mature, beautiful face instantly showed a look of worry: "Captain Li, Xiong Wenwen is still just a child—can't we assign someone else to the mission? There was a man named Yang Jian who came to me before; isn't he suitable? And that Chief Jiang also seems very capable."

She doesn't know many people; the only ones she has truly dealt with are Yang Jian and Jiang Shangbai, and she can hardly name anyone else.

"Their situation is somewhat complicated; this time, Yang Jian is heavily restrained and cannot take part."

Li Jun said seriously, "As for Jiang Shangbai, his current condition also prevents him from taking part in the Supernatural Incident; if nothing unexpected happens, he may not live much longer."

The Headquarters hasn't appointed a captain slot for this very reason.

Jiang Shangbai ranks among the top twelve in the Headquarters and is one of the captains, but his condition is poor and he can hardly participate in the Supernatural Incident.

The Headquarters cannot give the captain position to someone who is about to undergo Fierce Ghost revival and cannot face Fierce Ghosts.

"How could this happen?" Chen Shumei exclaimed, covering her mouth in surprise.

Not only her, but Xiong Wenwen beside her also widened their eyes, finding it unbelievable.

Xiong Wenwen is more familiar with Jiang Shangbai, after all, people from Ping'an Xiaoqu work in the Ping'an Building of the Friends Circle.

When dealing with Spirit Child Xiong Wenwen, the Friends Circle naturally chose to befriend them.

Li Jun said, "That's the reality, so I hope the madam will agree to let me take Xiong Wenwen away."

"It is no longer a personal matter; it concerns the safety of this city."

"I can assure you, madam, that in this operation I will take good care of Xiong Wenwen; they will be well protected, but at the crucial moment we will need Xiong Wenwen's ability."

"I... I need to think it over," Chen Shumei said, her gaze flickering slightly; she didn't know how to respond to Li Jun.

"Fine, I'll give the madam ten minutes; I'll wait outside the door," Li Jun drank the steaming tea on the coffee table in one gulp, then rose and left the room.

Ten minutes? Chen Shumei was stunned; that deliberation time was far too short—she had hoped for three to five days.

"It seems this time is even more urgent than the last," she sighed helplessly, then glanced again at Xiong Wenwen beside her.

"Mom, Li Jun came to the door this time, so the mission can't be declined."

Chen Shumei, a bit flustered and at a loss, said, "What should we do? If you go, it'll be very dangerous; I don't want you to have an accident."

Xiong Wenwen scratched their head: "Since there's no other way, we have to go... judging by Li Jun's demeanor just now, he certainly can't be persuaded."

"Then if danger arises and they can't protect you, what will you say?" Chen Shumei asked.

Xiong Wenwen also didn't know what to say; they were bearing pressure that shouldn't be borne at this age.

"If it really doesn't work, then at that time you can call Yang Jian and Han Mo to rescue me; their strength is quite good."

"Moreover, Han Mo seems to have some special abilities; perhaps he can help me."

Xiong Wenwen remembered that at the Caesar Grand Hotel, Han Mo had helped them fend off a Fierce Ghost revival.

In this matter, they might also encounter a Fierce Ghost revival, and will need to seek Han Mo's help to resist the revival and its corruption.

"What if... they can't..." Chen Shumei worried.

"Don't worry, I think they can," Xiong Wenwen said.

Xiong Wenwen has been mastering this ghost in their body for a long time; the ghost inside has severely corroded them, and under its influence...

Even without using Ghost Power, they have an uncanny premonition, like a sixth sense, and Xiong Wenwen has tested it, finding their intuition extremely accurate.

They believe that by then those two people should be able to devise a way to help them.

(End of chapter)