Chapter 4: Smoke Ghost
Uncle Police did not make things difficult for Zhang Qian, but just invited him into an office.
“Next, a specialist will talk to you. I hope you perform well.” The police officer who brought him nodded toward the mirror on one side, the red light on his wireless earpiece flashed, as if he received some kind of order, then he got up and left the room.
Moments later, a disheveled man wearing a brown leather coat walked in, with somewhat messy stubble on his chin and tousled hair, looking about thirty or forty years old.
He sat down across from Zhang Qian, leaned on the sofa, and shook the ashes from his cigarette with a trembling hand, “Cough cough, relax, my name is Li Yan, I just want to chat with you.”
“You’re not police, right?” Zhang Qian looked at Li Yan, who was out of place with the surroundings, “Are you an official cultivator?”
Li Yan smiled and opened a folder, “Cultivator? Strange name.”
“In general, we call ourselves Ghost Controllers, and you have already become one of us.”
Then Li Yan put the cigarette in his mouth and turned the folder toward Zhang Qian, “Not long ago, inexplicable strangeness descended upon our world. They can easily take human lives, but none of human means work against them.”
He took a puff of smoke and continued, “We thought this was the end of human civilization, until a few lucky ones survived supernatural events and unexpectedly gained control over parts of Fierce Ghosts’ bodies.”
“We call such people Ghost Controllers. Ghost Controllers gain the strength to fight Fierce Ghosts by controlling Fierce Ghosts, but they also bear a huge price.”
As he spoke, Li Yan pulled open his shirt, revealing a skeletal chest wrapped in a layer of sallow skin over his ribs, rising and falling like a bellows with his breathing.
“Due to the corrosion of Fierce Ghosts, Ghost Controllers are all short-lived. Unfortunately, from the moment you gain this power, your lifespan is not long either. In this limited time, what do you want to do?”
Zhang Qian looked at Li Yan and seriously corrected him, “Sorry, I cultivate immortality. I feel I should be quite long-lived.”
“Haha, alright, immortal cultivator.” Li Yan regarded Zhang Qian as one of those chuunibyou teenagers, “Then, can you share your future plans? Like using your ability to make some money or get some beauties?”
“I’m not interested in those things.” Zhang Qian thought for a moment, “I just want to be an ordinary cultivator and protect my family. That’s enough.”
“Hmm, is that so.” Li Yan stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and extended his right hand to Zhang Qian, “Smoke Ghost Li Yan, nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you.” Zhang Qian also stood up and shook his hand, but felt something scorch his palm.
Zhang Qian was startled, shook off his hand, and upon lifting it, found no wound. Even running true qi through it revealed no clues.
He looked at Li Yan in confusion, “What did you do?”
“Sorry.” Li Yan apologized sincerely, “These are extraordinary times requiring extraordinary measures. Many people with ulterior motives have caused a lot of harm to headquarters, so the current screening is quite strict.”
“?”
Before Zhang Qian could ask, everything around him shattered like a phantom, and Li Yan’s voice sounded in his ear again, “Thank you for resolving this supernatural event. I have other tasks. Let’s meet again when there’s a chance.”
“Bang——”
The illusion shattered, and Zhang Qian realized he had never left the operating room. From the wall clock, less than a minute had passed, “Very strong… Ghost Controller…”
“Hello, Comrade Zhang Qian, my name is Li Jun.” A man in a suit led a medical team through the door, “Mr. Li Yan asked me to bring you something.”
Zhang Qian helped lift Director Liu onto the stretcher, “Mm, please.”
Upon receiving the reply, Li Jun moved a black leather box onto the table. When opened, it revealed a gleaming golden small box.
“This thing…” Under the light, the box shone dazzlingly. Zhang Qian asked uncertainly, “It’s not made of gold, is it?”
“Yes.” Li Jun nodded, “Mr. Li Yan said he couldn’t thank you in person, so he asked me to pass on this box for imprisoning Fierce Ghosts.”
“Does it have to be gold to imprison Fierce Ghosts?” Zhang Qian said as he pulled a Ghost Hand from his pocket, causing the room temperature to drop several degrees instantly, “I feel it’s quite obedient now.”
Li Jun’s pupils shrank. He had never met someone who casually pinched a Fierce Ghost. He cautiously reminded, “Fierce Ghosts have many uncertain factors. As far as current research goes, gold is the only substance that can isolate them, so it’s safer to put it in the box.”
Zhang Qian pressed the Ghost Hand into the box, closed the lid and fastened it, “Like this?”
Li Jun breathed a sigh of relief, “Yes, please don’t spread the word about gold’s effect for now.”
“So does that make me an insider?”
“Of course. Mr. Li Yan thinks very highly of you. If you want to join the official side, you can skip the evaluation.”
“No thanks, I don’t like the feeling of being controlled.”
“No problem. We are willing to maintain a good cooperative relationship with you.” As he spoke, Li Jun took a bank card from his pocket, “This is your reward for resolving the supernatural event, a total of one million. If you’re willing to hand over the Ghost to the official side, we can add another billion to the card.”
“So generous…” Zhang Qian was somewhat surprised but still politely declined, “I want to study it myself first.”
“No problem. Here’s a special phone prepared for you. You can contact us anytime with any requests.” Li Jun took out a mobile phone and also a small note, “This is an anonymous website open to Ghost Controllers. You can look up various information there, but it’s best not to expose your real identity.”
“That’s about it. I need to go back to report, so I won’t disturb you.” Li Jun gave Zhang Qian a standard military salute, “Here, on behalf of the 476 survivors you saved, I thank you for your efforts.”
Zhang Qian was made at a loss by his solemn demeanor, “Uh, no need to thank?”
……
In a room at a certain guesthouse.
“…That’s the whole process of my meeting with Zhang Qian.” Li Jun recounted the morning’s events and asked curiously, “Professor Wang, why do you value this newcomer so much?”
Professor Wang Xiaoming is one of the top scientists in the country, and the leading figure in the supernatural field. The pattern that gold can isolate Fierce Ghosts was discovered by Professor Wang. In a certain sense, his status is higher than the leader of Ghost Controller Headquarters. It was truly rare for him to care so much about a newcomer.
“Don’t you trust Li Yan’s judgment?” Professor Wang read Li Yan’s evaluation, “Clearly a mental patient, but after becoming a Ghost Controller, he’s calmer than ordinary people.”
“Moreover, just after becoming a Ghost Controller, he resolved a supernatural event affecting thousands. Such potential is rare.”
Professor Wang put away the information and summarized, “He’s a very valuable research subject.”
