Mysterious Revival

Yang Jian carried the painting shrouded in a white cloth down the stairs.

Actually, holding this object in his hand was a risk, as it was a truly supernatural item. To some extent, it wasn't much different from a real haunted painting. In the past incident of Hungry Ghosts in Dachang City, it was a fourth-stage ghost.

However, the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box was still present, and with the experience from last time, Yang Jian was bold due to his skill.

Even with gloves on, his hands grasping the old carved wooden frame could still feel the rough and chilling sensation coming from it.

The Ghost Eye had become silent at this moment, and Yang Jian's Ghost Domain was completely suppressed.

There was no possibility of using it anymore.

He could only walk and carry the painting away, heading to He Tianxiong's Villa No. 8 in the suburbs.

That villa was special, built at great expense by He Tianxiong. The walls and floor were covered with gold foil, and inside there was a separate small safe house. If used to store the painting, there was no need to worry about the haunted painting affecting the outside world for a short time.

Soon.

Yang Jian left the residential area, but when he reached the intersection, he stopped, his face showing a moment of hesitation.

When he came, he had appeared here directly using the Ghost Domain, but now to leave... it was a bit inconvenient.

He needed a vehicle.

Walking would be too time-consuming, and he guessed that a taxi wouldn't be able to accommodate such a large painting.

If it had been before, a phone call to headquarters would have surely resulted in a car picking him up, but now he had fallen out with headquarters, almost equivalent to resigning. Of course, calling headquarters now would certainly meet his request, but he didn't want others to know too much about this action of his, nor did he want to lose face over something so trivial.

"There's nothing that money can't solve, if there is, then it's just not enough money," Yang Jian eyed a small truck parked across the street.

The truck driver was smoking in the driver's cab while workers were unloading behind.

Yang Jian planned to go over and offer money to have the driver make a trip.

However, just as he was about to move, a man in a suit, sweating profusely, hurried from a building across the street towards him.

The man was running and shouting, "Yang Jian, Mister Yang, please wait a moment."

The suited man dashed across the road as if he was risking his life. If it hadn't been for a car that managed to swerve and brake in time, he might have been hit and killed by now.

"A stranger? He knows me and is coming for me," Yang Jian's expression shifted, but he simply stood in place watching the stranger.

"It can't be something good, risking his life to see me probably means he wants me to do something for him."

He immediately formed such a conjecture in his mind.

Yang Jian was self-aware. He was neither a big star nor a well-known businessman; no one would rush towards him recklessly upon seeing him.

"Mister Yang, thank goodness, I am fortunate enough to have met you. Hello, hello..."

The man in the suit was very excited and enthusiastic. When facing Yang Jian, he was extremely respectful, even to the point of being somewhat servile.

"I don't know you, and I'm very busy right now, and not in a good mood. If you're here to find me, you'd better stay far away from me," Yang Jian glared at him, his attitude cold and even quite nasty.

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But the man in the suit did not get angry at all and still spoke respectfully, "Mister Yang, please do not misunderstand, I am not here to disturb you but to help you. Just now, I saw Mister Yang waiting by the roadside, apparently in need of a vehicle to transport some dangerous items."

"This trivial matter, if Mister Yang does not mind, please leave it to me."

Yang Jian did not refuse, still with a hostile attitude; "Since you want to suck up, then hurry up and bring the car over."

For him, it didn't even count as help; he just didn't want to waste time.

"Alright, please wait a moment, Mister Yang." The man in the suit, still unoffended, seemed excited instead and quickly picked up his phone to make a call.

Soon, a small luxury RV drove out from an underground garage opposite them, then crossed the road without regard for the rules, and stopped right in front of Yang Jian.

"Have you been watching me for a while?" Yang Jian glanced over.

"Please get in the car, Mister Yang." The man in the suit said with a pleasing smile.

Yang Jian did not refuse and got in the car with the ghost painting, "As an exchange, tell me your purpose for seeking me during this ride. No matter the outcome, you only have this much time."

After saying this, he reported an address.

"Mister Yang is very straightforward. It's indeed an honor to deal with someone like Mister Yang."

In the car, there was another man in a suit, in his thirties, waiting; he was friendly and respectful, smiling as he spoke.

"My name is Wang Ye. I am temporarily in charge of hosting Mister Yang; I hope Mister Yang won't mind the simplicity of the car's interior."

Apart from this person called Wang Ye, there were also two accompanying beauties in the RV, one mature and sexy, the other youthful and cute. These two women greeted Yang Jian very politely upon seeing him, looking like specially trained PR women or social butterflies.

After seating himself, Yang Jian placed the ghost painting beside him, and the two women naturally leaned in close.

"Do you think we are still interested in women? Don't use these tactics. Just speak frankly if you have something to say. Of course, if you want to waste time, that's fine too. I'll get off the car once we reach the destination, and the loss will be yours."

He glanced at the two women without care, instead looking at the man in front of him with a warning gaze.

The man called Wang Ye smiled, "Mister Yang, please don't misunderstand, they are just here to make the journey less tedious. After all, we must pay great attention to hosting someone of Mister Yang's stature."

Yang Jian just calmly showed him his phone, "Drive according to this navigation route."

"Of course, there's no problem. Mister Yang is willing to trust us, and we are very happy to serve as Mister Yang's driver for this trip. It is the shortest driving route; the previous route was the same," Wang Ye said with a nod.

"I haven't finished yet. Take one wrong turn, and I'll kill you," Yang Jian said, eyes cold as he stared at him.

Wang Ye's smile stiffened slightly. He had indeed planned to take a detour earlier, but this warning instantly snuffed out that idea.

The time for conversation shrank.

Wang Ye's expression changed, and he immediately spoke up, "It's normal for Mister Yang to be cautious about us; after all, this is our first meeting with strangers. Actually, I am a department head at headquarters, just not from Asia. The sudden contact with Mister Yang today is actually due to Mister Yang's recent experiences; I heard there has been quite a conflict in Mister Yang's circle of friends."

"Headquarters of other regional spirit manipulators?" Yang Jian's expression shifted.

He knew that many countries in the world had established this department. Big J City was actually the Asian headquarters, and there were also the American and European headquarters. Still, they usually only shared information and communications; in fact, they each managed their own affairs.

"The friends' circle is no more; your information is outdated," Yang Jian said coldly, "So your purpose is to try to get me to switch sides?"

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Wang Ye hurriedly shook his head, "No, no, no, it's not about switching sides, but about establishing some cooperative relations with Mister Yang."

"It's pretty much the same thing."

Yang Jian said, "But your instincts are still quite sharp, it seems you've had your eye on me for more than just a day."

"Mister Yang's talents do indeed warrant serious attention, and it's also quite difficult to meet with Mister Yang in person, so I may have been a bit abrupt today," said Wang Ye.

Yang Jian replied, "I'm not interested in your cooperation either. You should look for someone else, and let's end today's conversation here."

He cut off the topic, having no desire to discuss any sort of cooperation with this Wang Ye.

Let alone the fact that he was currently suffering from the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box, even without it, he was tired of dealing with these powers. Just dealing with one headquarters here gave him a headache, not to mention that other powers would likely be even worse. If he survived this, his first choice would be to create his own power base.

Joining other forces meant forever being a subordinate.

"Mister Yang's disinterest in cooperation is understandable, but there might be some things you'd be interested in knowing," said Wang Ye.

While speaking, Wang Ye gestured towards the painting, "I have a piece of intelligence on the Ghost Painting Incident in my hands, originating from Europe. It's classified information that hasn't been shared with the public."

"The files on the Ghost Painting?" Yang Jian's expression became interested.

He had suspected before that the Ghost Painting Incident initially occurred in Europe, where many people died. However, after losing an elite team of ghost manipulators, the incident was temporarily brought under control.

Although the Ghost Painting was not completely confined, its influence was temporarily eliminated as a result.

The ability to do this must have been due to possessing some secrets of the Ghost Painting. The archives shared from the headquarters were just some ordinary stuff, fine for a glance but utterly worthless for reference.

"What are your terms?" Yang Jian asked calmly.

Wang Ye said, "How about a Level A supernatural incident? Of course, we could offer more. Gold, assets, or even beautiful women—we can provide you with any of them."

Yang Jian shook his head with a smile, "Too presumptuous. A file's worth a supernatural event? Do you think I'm young and gullible or that I have a problem with my brain? The headquarters is already dealing with the Ghost Painting Incident, and it's likely to be resolved smoothly. Once it's settled, your information will be worthless."

"Besides, you might even be thinking about selling the same goods to two different groups. One copy for me, one for Cao Yanhua, profiting from both sides. As for gold, assets, beautiful women—do you think they're that valuable? A Level A supernatural incident could destroy a whole city. How much is a city worth? Not to mention the long-term impact such an incident could bring to a country."

"I thought you were smart enough to have something useful to say, but it turns out you're just another fool."

He found it amusing at that moment.

Did all these forces think they were clever, or did they take ghost manipulators for fools, thinking they could keep them in line with small benefits?

However, Yang Jian was more inclined to believe that it was a matter of old attitudes not changing.

The people in power were still using the same outdated practices on the ghost manipulators, not realizing that these methods were no longer effective.

Wang Ye's face showed some embarrassment, but he continued, "Mister Yang has a point, but we could try to negotiate..."

"No need. You have a problem with your brain. I don't want to make any deals with someone with a problem with their brain. Information isn't important to me, go and trade with someone who's interested," Yang Jian said decisively.

With the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box and the weird Firewood Knife, to a certain extent, he now had the resources to resist a Level S supernatural event.

The information wasn't that important to him.

Wang Ye wanted to say something else, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Yang Jian cut him off.

"You can shut up now. Say one more word, and I'll kill you right here," Yang Jian's gaze hardened, and the Ghost Shadow behind him now eerily stood up like a living person.

The light inside the car was dim, the atmosphere cold.

Wang Ye shivered, his face showing a hint of terror, and he dared not speak anymore.

He did not doubt that if he spoke again, he would die a bizarre death right there in the car.

This Yang Jian was more dangerous than he had imagined.

What followed.

The inside of the car became very quiet, the atmosphere even a bit oppressive.

Under the threat of Yang Jian, Wang Ye dared not speak, and even the two beauties who had actively leaned in were tense, their smiles forced, their eyes betraying an undisguised terror.

After all, there stood a ghost right in front of them.

A headless black shadow.

The vehicle drove smoothly on the road, following the route given by Yang Jian's navigation, and soon stopped in front of a villa complex on the outskirts.

"You know your place."

Yang Jian simply opened the door, got out of the car with the Ghost Painting, and the eerily standing human-shaped shadow gradually receded back under his feet, turning into a dense black shadow.

"Mister Yang, as an apology for this encounter, I'll give you this file for free, hoping it can clear up the misunderstanding," Wang Ye gritted his teeth, ran down with a file in hand, and nervously handed it over.

"You wouldn't give it before, and now you're offering it for free?"

Yang Jian put down the Ghost Painting, took the file without even a glance, and sneered as he directly took out a lighter and burned it to ashes.

"Can you trust something that's free? Be careful on your way back."

After saying this, he picked up the Ghost Painting and left without looking back.

Wang Ye looked at the ashes on the ground, and after Yang Jian walked far away, he dared to lift his head and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead,

Not daring to stay any longer, he hurried back to the car.

"Team leader, the minister did not approve the gift of the file," said a young man in a suit from the passenger seat.

Wang Ye sat down, closed his eyes to calm his emotions, "Yang Jian has the potential to become a 'Jade', but their headquarters do not value him. The file I just gave away was only a copy, containing some errors, but he did not accept it or even look at it. Such caution truly befits a man who has resolved a Level S supernatural event."

"I underestimated him, so I paid the price for my rashness. I just hope this does not affect the headquarters."

"Team leader, do you mean..." but before he could finish his question.

Suddenly, two ice-cold, bluish, eerie hands appeared around Wang Ye's neck as if they were a vicious curse that could not be shaken off.

The next instant, his neck twisted, and he collapsed inside the car, eyes open, breathless.