Chapter 26: The True Escape
The call was hung up.
Jiang Liuli exhaled a puff of smoke.
She adjusted her mood and looked towards the Ghost Domain ahead that enveloped several street blocks.
Gloomy and eerie.
But she was not afraid at all. She flicked the cigarette in her hand, took a deep drag, and casually tossed it to the ground.
Smoke seeped out from between her teeth and drifted upwards.
She took a body bag from inside the bus and walked towards that Ghost Domain.
Looking withered and disheveled, but under the support of her neat, capable, and handsome International Police uniform, she appeared heroic and very dashing.
She walked towards the Ghost Domain without looking back.
Inside the Ghost Domain.
The survivors were rapidly moving away from the Ghost Domain.
Lin Qian sensed it very clearly.
Ahead, Liu Yi was enveloped by a chilling coldness.
Her skin was losing color, and the blood flowing from her ears was gradually turning dark red.
She had used supernatural powers for too long, and the Fierce Ghost was starting to become restless and revive.
Behind them, the eerie footsteps were still continuing.
And footsteps had also appeared around them.
Those were Ghost Slaves; the Ghost Slaves were surrounding them.
Lin Qian stared at Liu Yi’s back; running further would be pointless.
Her body was about to turn into a corpse.
“Stop.”
Lin Qian slowly stopped.
Liu Yi was stunned and hesitated for a moment before stopping as well.
“What do you mean?”
She looked at Lin Qian in confusion.
Lin Qian didn’t speak; a eerie eye in his eye socket turned slightly.
“How about we make another transaction?”
Lin Qian thought for a moment and suddenly spoke up.
“What transaction?”
Liu Yi didn’t understand why, at this point, she was still thinking about making a transaction.
“The ghost you detained earlier belongs to a member of my club. Its Fierce Ghost revived, so by rights, the ghost should belong to my club.”
“But since you detained it, I can’t very well ask you for it.”
“However, since it’s my club’s ghost, you should return it to its rightful owner.”
“Like this: I’ll stay behind and hold off this ghost for you. After you leave the Ghost Domain, send that ghost back to Black Eight Club.”
“What do you think?”
Lin Qian looked at Liu Yi, waiting for her response.
She wouldn’t have much time to think; as they stopped, the footsteps around them approached in an instant.
They could even see the faintly visible, staggering Ghost Slaves approaching, and behind them, the Source Ghost that had always been following them.
That terrifying Fierce Ghost.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll go back on my word?”
Liu Yi didn’t care what would happen if she stayed behind or if she would die.
That wasn’t important; that ghost was essentially after him.
If not for the previous transaction with her, and upon discovering that he had always been targeted by the Fierce Ghost, she would have unhesitatingly abandoned him.
Of course, she also knew he had legs.
A mutual destruction would ultimately be a lose-lose, even a outcome where both died.
“You can try; maybe there’ll be a surprise.”
Liu Yi stared at Lin Qian, unable to read his expression.
“Alright, I agree.” This matter was all gain and no loss for her.
With him staying behind, she had a 100% chance of withdrawing.
That ghost’s target wasn’t her; it wouldn’t chase her just because she left, moving the Ghost Domain with her.
“What’s your name?” Liu Yi slowly backed away, looking at Lin Qian who was controlling Zhang Baihui’s body.
This Ghost Controller knew he couldn’t escape but stayed to minimize his club’s losses, which was enough to earn her a bit of respect.
“That doesn’t matter.”
With a ripping sound, the Ghost Eye on Zhang Baihui’s face eerily retracted into her flesh.
Immediately after, a pair of pale white hands suddenly tore open Zhang Baihui’s stomach.
Blood mixed with intestines fell to the ground.
A white mask appeared before the slowly retreating Liu Yi’s eyes; the mask had two heterochromatic eyeless pupils.
The bloody scene made Liu Yi’s pupils contract.
“Is this your true form?”
Lin Qian cracked his neck and pulled his legs out from Zhang Baihui’s corpse.
With a thud, the corpse fell to the ground.
Lin Qian glanced at the fallen corpse, “Sorry, I want to live, so this is the only way.”
The moment he left the living body and fully appeared in the Ghost Domain.
The surrounding darkness suddenly intensified.
Immediately after, a eerie woman instantly appeared in the darkness.
Liu Yi’s pupils trembled; without any hesitation, she turned and ran, “I’ll honor the transaction!”
As she left, his voice came from the distant darkness.
Lin Qian didn’t care at all.
He shook the blood off his hands and looked up to face the approaching Fierce Ghost.
This ghost’s danger to him was no less than that from He Liansheng and the others.
Even more terrifying.
His methods had no effect on it; he couldn’t even delay it.
Liu Yi had already disappeared; the one controlling the Fierce Ghost had a body beyond ordinary humans.
Her escape speed would only be faster than those athletes.
Very quickly, in just a few seconds, he could no longer hear the footsteps different from the Ghost Slaves, nor see that agile figure.
“Runs pretty fast; perfect for me.”
Lin Qian’s eyes turned; a pair of eerie eyes flickered with supernatural light.
“Attack once, then immediately escape.”
Since the transaction was made, he had to help out.
Terrifying supernatural power descended instantly.
A sound of flesh tearing suddenly rang out from the approaching Fierce Ghost’s body.
Immediately after, several pale white hands reached out, tightly strangling the Fierce Ghost’s neck.
But a terrifying scene occurred: the Fierce Ghost didn’t pause at all and continued walking steadily towards him.
And at that moment, Lin Qian keenly sensed a thick chill behind him.
No need to look back; he knew there was a ghost behind him.
Without any hesitation.
His arm snapped with a crack, bending at a eerie twisted angle as it grabbed directly behind him.
But the next moment, the mask on Lin Qian’s face fell off, revealing a rotten faceless face without features.
The mask hit the ground and bounced; a pale hand eerily appeared, reaching for the mask.
But just as the arm was about to touch the mask, the mask disappeared!
Thud.
The faceless corpse, with its body now covered in dark red blood, fell to the ground.
The body rapidly began to rot, until it turned into a pile of rotten flesh.
The footsteps instantly closed in but suddenly stopped.
That eerie pale arm slowly retracted.
Unknown how much time passed, the footsteps sounded again; in the darkness, the figure retreated and disappeared into the darkness.
Outside the Ghost Domain.
A vehicle escorting survivors to the hotel for isolation and investigation suddenly stopped.
Immediately after, a deranged woman shouted and leaped off the bridge.
Bang.
The woman fell into the cold, deep river water and disappeared in an instant.
The armed personnel who couldn’t stop her in time could only look at the rushing river water and hesitate.
The armed personnel quickly reported the situation here to their superiors.
But no one cared, at least not until the supernatural event was handled.
Survivors who emerged from the Ghost Domain were inherently unstable.
Only after tedious verification would survivors get the chance to sign a confidentiality agreement.
But if any survivor was found to have supernatural elements in their body or contaminated by supernatural forces.
Sorry, to ensure no supernatural event arose from this person, they could only handle it discreetly.
Of course, this was just a small supernatural event; for large ones, it wouldn’t be so troublesome.
No need for verification at all; treat them as normal people directly.
As for why, that involved headquarters’ treasure, Professor Wang Wang Xiao Ming’s research.
The minor incident went unnoticed.
The survivor escort continued, but a gloom settled over everyone’s hearts.
Artificial River, one riverbank.
A figure crawled out from the river.
The young man coughed up several mouthfuls of icy river water, then collapsed weakly on the ground.
“Damn, total loss; the Fierce Ghost revival hit me directly, leaving me with less than two months.”
Lin Qian, who had escaped the Ghost Domain from death’s door, stared at the sky faintly glowing white with a pale face.
Clearly, he had only been in the Ghost Domain for a little over an hour, yet outside it was almost dawn.
Ghost Domains were indeed eerie.
“What a huge loss; the supernatural event erupted too suddenly. I’m so unlucky to get caught right in it.”
Even now, Lin Qian didn’t know what caused this supernatural event.
Was there a Fierce Ghost near the hotel about to revive, and they just happened to run into it?
Or was the ghost coming for a target?
No way to know; he could only wait for the supernatural event to end and for headquarters’ investigation to find out.
Black Eight Club had no channels to learn such things, but Little Strong Club did.
Lin Qian sat up; once this supernatural event ended, he had to ask Wang Xiaoqiang about the investigation results no matter what.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t be satisfied.
After all, he wanted to know if it was because of him.
He shook off the water from his body and walked from the riverbank to the street. Upon reaching the street, he looked back at the ceaselessly flowing river water, his gaze deep; he sighed, “Sorry, I just want to live.”
Leaving behind these inexplicable words, Lin Qian disappeared into the street.
To survive, he could do many things.
Even if it meant crossing his own bottom line.
Besides, the survivors being able to leave the Ghost Domain alive was essentially because of him.
If not for them taking the survivors out of the Ghost Domain, if not for them confronting the Fierce Ghost once, those survivors might have died long ago.
For that, he had even lost a member.
Now he only hoped Liu Yi would keep her promise and send Wu Xun’s Fierce Ghost back to him, minimizing his losses.
Of course, he wasn’t holding out much hope.
Liu Yi’s promise only represented her personally, not headquarters.
Liu Yi’s satellite positioning mobile phone had been in call status from beginning to end.
So, their conversation was crystal clear to headquarters.
Now it depended on whether cooperating with Liu Yi to send out the survivors, then staying behind to cover her escape, could make headquarters turn a blind eye.
After all, what they transacted was a ghost.
Ghosts had immense value.
Outside the Ghost Domain.
On the street, Liu Yi, who had escaped the Ghost Domain, was talking with Zhao Jianguo.
“Captain, this ghost is one I detained; I have the right to handle it myself.”
“Moreover, this ghost was originally a member’s Fierce Ghost after revival.”
“His strength is more terrifying than mine; if not for that ghost targeting him, he could have detained it himself.”
“Plus, he helped the survivors leave the Ghost Domain and even bought me time at the end.”
Liu Yi argued logically, with facts and order.
“I know all that, but per regulations, all Fierce Ghosts detained by International Police must be turned over to headquarters.”
“You must understand, that’s a ghost. How can you guarantee that after he gets the Fierce Ghost, it won’t cause a supernatural event?”
“Black Eight Club, a civilian club; the president just changed, only five members, now down to two losses directly.”
“A club with only three Ghost Controllers getting a ghost would just sell it.”
“Selling Fierce Ghosts is absolutely prohibited!”
Hearing Zhao Jianguo’s words, Liu Yi faltered, “That’s just your guess!”
Though she knew the captain was right.
What could a civilian organization do with a Fierce Ghost?
Whatever they did would be illegal.
Attempt to control the Fierce Ghost?
That was possible, but it was suicidal!
Moreover, attempting to control a Fierce Ghost once or twice was one thing, but doing it multiple times changed the nature.
That was illegal experimentation.
“What else could they do with a Fierce Ghost? Not sell it, then control it?”
“Letting ordinary people control it—if the ordinary person dies, they’re breaking the law too!”
Zhao Jianguo’s tone was stern.
“But… they lost two members, and it was because of…”
Liu Yi fell silent.
“Enough, drop it. I’ve already arranged for someone to come receive the Fierce Ghost.”
“This matter ends here.”
Zhao Jianguo directly classified the matter forcefully.
Some things, headquarters could do, but Liu Yi could not.
Returning the ghost to Black Eight Club made sense emotionally and logically.
But it couldn’t be Liu Yi delivering it.
Liu Yi delivering it would be a violation; headquarters doing it would not.
“I understand, Captain.”
Hearing Liu Yi’s cold words, Zhao Jianguo sighed, “Liu Yi, some things aren’t that simple. What you do and what I do are different situations; think it over yourself.”
Hearing this, Liu Yi’s pupils shifted slightly.
But she said nothing.
Liu Yi looked at the eerie Ghost Domain; how many died in this supernatural event?
She didn’t know; she could only wait for the event to end and headquarters to tally the numbers.
As one of the participants in this supernatural event, after headquarters’ statistics, that string of cold numbers would be in the file placed before her.
Club, villa.
Lin Qian pushed open the door and walked in.
Three gazes instantly fell on him.
“P-President, y-you’re alright?!”
The three stood up, incredulously looking at Lin Qian.
Lin Qian glanced at the three, “I’m fine; are you disappointed?”
The three felt a chill in their hearts and quickly waved their hands.
“How could we? We’re thrilled; how could we be disappointed?”
The three swallowed, looking at Lin Qian uneasily.
They knew a supernatural event had occurred where Lin Qian was, but didn’t know the details.
Lin Qian withdrew his gaze from them, ignoring their obvious thoughts.
He went straight upstairs, “Have Chu He come find me.”
With that, he disappeared onto the second floor.
The three didn’t even dare breathe, only daring to exhale after the footsteps and door-closing sounds rang out.
