Mysterious Awakening-Chapter 598: The Ghost of Jang Shangbai

Ping'an Tower is suspected to be under attack by a revived ghoul, Jang Shangbai cannot hold out and needs support!

After the red Ghost Domain covered almost half of the urban area, all ghost masters involved began to feel anxious. They dared not wander around, nor did they dare to loiter on the deserted streets. Instead, they sought a relatively safe location nearby and chose to wait quietly.

To wait for the situation to change and to avoid being attacked by the ghoul.

After all, no one knew in what manner Yang Jian's ghost would appear after his death, nor in what manner it would attack them.

So the best course of action was to wait quietly, reducing the likelihood of being targeted by ghosts.

However, at this time, everyone with a GPS-enabled phone received a text message needing support.

"What? The bunch in the WeChat group got attacked by ghouls? Jang Shangbai is about to give in, and we're supposed to help them? Are you kidding me, doesn't their circle have a lot of ghost masters, how could they possibly need our support?" Guo Fan was still staying inside a villa, not venturing out.

After the Ghost Domain spread, he knew it was dangerous outside, so staying put was actually the safest option.

Zong Shan, who was nearby, made the same choice, but his brows furrowed after receiving this message: "This is not as simple as it seems. What place is Ping'an Tower? The head office for the friends' circle: President Fang Shiming, Manager He Tianxiong, Captain Jang Shangbai, Supervisor Liu Dong, Wu Yun... Together, they make a top-notch ghost master team. Before the captain's plan is fully formed, this power could practically dominate locally, they could even disregard the headquarters."

"Now they need support, what does that mean?"

Guo Fan's eyes widened, realizing, "Are they done for?"

"Heh, if they haven't met their end, they're pretty close. Anyway, they've taken a big fall this time, and..." Zong Shan hesitated, then added with a tone of uncertainty, "And Yang Jian might not be dead."

"Not dead? That's impossible. The headquarters has already announced his death, and the ghouls have revived... Wait, that's not right." Guo Fan's brows knitted: "Is Yang Jian's ghoul revival a ruse?"

"I'm not sure, it's just a guess based on what's happened to the people in the WeChat group," Zong Shan said.

Based merely on a text message needing support, he deduced so much. It had to be said that he indeed had the potential to become a top ghost master, very sharp about the ongoing events.

As Zong Shan spoke he looked out at the red-hued world: "But if, as you said, this ghoul revival event was really staged by Yang Jian, that would be terrifying. A Ghost Domain of such a large scale is on par with the Hungry Ghost incident, the Ghost Painting incident, all S-level supernatural events."

Guo Fan's breathing also became heavy. He had always looked down on Yang Jian, only later did he have to admit that the guy had some ability, but if Yang Jian was as Zong Shan said...

Yang Jian was indeed frightening.

"So what you're saying is, we're not going to provide support?" At the end, he asked another question.

Zong Shan shook his head: "Better go take a look. If Yang Jian is not dead, we won't be in any danger. He's not an irrational person, nor is he a ghost master whose psyche has collapsed. The likelihood that he would turn on us is not high. Of course, if my guess is wrong and Yang Jian has indeed become a ghoul, then going to support the WeChat group is also in our own interest."

"Sticking to self-preservation and seeking refuge at this critical moment is simply asking for trouble. I can't bet my life on that."

With that, he stood up from the sofa, ready to head to Ping'an Tower.

"What if Yang Jian isn't dead?" Guo Fan followed suit.

"If Yang Jian isn't dead, then it's a spectacle for us. The friends' circle isn't from the headquarters, so if they die, they die. Ghost masters die all the time these days. Whether Jang Shangbai survives depends on Yang Jian, and if the headquarters seeks accountability, it will fall on Yang Jian, not us spectators," Zong Shan said with an indifferent expression.

Guo Fan nodded in agreement, finding the reasoning sound.

They weren't the only ones who thought this way.

Cao Yang, too, was sitting on a bench on a certain street within the Ghost Domain, pondering after seeing the SOS message.

"Interesting, even the guys in the friends' circle have such a day, letting the headquarters send out an SOS for them. This is unprecedented. Yang Jian is suspected to be not dead? Otherwise, the location of the ghoul attack is too coincidental. The Ghost Domain covers such a large area, yet no other place suffered an attack, except for Ping'an Tower."

He chuckled as he quickly made his way to Ping'an Tower.

No need to sit here on guard for the abnormal anymore; if ghosts had already appeared in Ping'an Tower, other places were likely safe.

"Does Jang Shangbai need support?" Elsewhere, Li Jun glanced at the text message and, without further thought, immediately headed towards the incident location.

In addition to them, Su Fan, Leuk San, Li Leping, Wang Jiang, Zhang Lei, and others who received the message also decided to head to Ping'an Tower to check things out.

Some were there for the excitement, to watch the show; some truly intended to offer support; others wanted to meet up with the rest to stick together for self-preservation and to discuss how to deal with the day's events, after all, there was strength in numbers at a time like this.

Although everyone had different ideas, they all had one direction in common.

Meanwhile.

Inside the headquarters' conference room.

The person who sent out the text message was none other than Wang Xiaoming.

He sat motionless in his chair, his weary eyes faintly looking at the information flashing on the computer screen next to him, though that information was incomplete, appearing to have been interfered with.

"Professor Wang, although you are in charge of this incident today, I want to ask, why only now are you sending out a request for help? Earlier, Jang Shangbai had already sent out a distress signal."

The conference room wasn't crowded, with only a few people present. The speaker was Shen Liang, who, despite his friendly appearance, cast a suspicious gaze.

He suspected Wang Xiaoming was deliberately delaying, trying to get the people from the friend circle annihilated in this supernatural event.

"There are things that need confirmation, some information needs to be gathered."

Wang Xiaoming said calmly, "Letting the friend circle's people face the first wave of the fierce ghost's attack is a very cost-effective deal. Alive, they're worth less to me than a computer at headquarters; waste should serve the purpose of waste."

Shen Liang was shocked; he could hear that Wang Xiaoming was very dissatisfied with the friend circle.

But hadn't Wang Xiaoming accepted support from the friend circle before, conducting research on supernatural events in their lab?

How had that friendship turned sour so suddenly?

Was it because he had been shortchanged in his salary by the friend circle, or they didn't pay overtime?

"But this could lead to accidents, right? The death of a ghost-controller is not a good thing," another team leader reminded.

"When necessary, I will have Wei Jing make a trip; Old Qin and the Coffin Nail can't be moved for now," Wang Xiaoming said slowly. "Handling supernatural events, you can't play all your aces in one breath, that only leads to a messier loss."

Wei Jing?

Shen Liang felt a chill in his heart.

This was a very familiar name; if he remembered correctly, he was a ghost-controller from the same batch as Feng Quan, a veteran with old qualifications. Most from that group were already dead, and Wei Jing was no exception. He seemed to have nearly died from the rebirth of a fierce ghost and had to enter a Ghost Coffin.

And then his body had been seen during the last Ghost Envoy incident at the base...

Before he could think it through.

The light in the conference room suddenly dimmed, everything around seemed to be eroded by darkness, and a layer of invisible red light was retreating rapidly.

In the deepest part of that darkness, a figure slowly walked out.

The man's face was blackened, resembling that of a dead person, his body emanated a chilling coldness, and he approached with especially stiff movements, as if he was a marionette. Particularly, his eyes were numb, lifeless, yet they emitted a bizarre, eerie gleam.

What was even more disconcerting was the old, coarse hemp rope held in Wei Jing's hand, seemingly the kind used for hanging the dead.

"He's actually still alive?" Shen Liang's eyes widened in disbelief, a nameless dread creeping into his heart, and he subconsciously took a step back.

He felt an inexplicable fear towards this Wei Jing.

"Yang Jian… not dead," Wei Jing spoke, his voice scratchy and odd, which was quite disconcerting.

"I know. The only reason someone would survive an attack of that magnitude is if they had moved the Eight-Tone Music Box,"

Wang Xiaoming's expression remained calm, not at all surprised by Wei Jing's conclusion.

"What? You knew Yang Jian was still alive? Then why did you still ask your circle of friends to fend off the ghost's attack?" The group leader who had just spoken stood up in shock.

Wang Xiaoming glanced at him, "Does it matter whether Yang Jian is dead or alive? Sometimes, there are no boundaries between ghosts and humans; at times, humans can even be more dangerous than ghosts."

The group leader was at a loss for words; he understood the meaning behind Wang Xiaoming's words and could not find any reason to argue.

All of this happening outside had nothing to do with Jang Shangbai, who was at the top floor of Ping'an Tower at the moment.

When he suspected that Yang Jian was still alive, he indeed sent out a distress signal, but now he was ignoring the device, even the satellite-positioned phone was cast aside, not worth his attention. At this moment, even if headquarters agreed to rescue him, the chances of survival until then were exceedingly slim.

Yet, he thought sending out the signal was better than not having sent one at all. Maybe, just maybe, he could be saved because of it?

However, the harsh reality offered no hope.

The massive black shadow swaying between floors was now taking strides, closing in on him rapidly, step by step.

"The shadow is the ghost. If I can block that thing, I should be fine," Jang Shangbai silently thought. He didn't place his hope in the Ghost Shroud he wore.

True, the Ghost Shroud could protect against the attack of fierce ghosts, but it wasn't absolute.

Otherwise, how did the person who previously wielded the Ghost Shroud die?

Right then, Jang Shangbai lifted both feet at the same time, a feat that would be impossible for a normal person, but it bizarrely occurred on his body as though some strange force was lifting him off the ground, and after his feet were raised.

From under the shadow where his feet should have been, a pair of dead-like soles suddenly stretched out, covered in corpse spots, eerie and chilling, replacing his feet and landing on the ground.

He now seemed to be standing on stilts, his feet not touching the ground but suspended mid-air, yet he could walk normally.

Because a pair of ghastly feet were taking steps for him.

The ghost he controlled was one without record, a hidden piece of information, unknown to others, but within his circle of friends, many were aware. This ghost was deliberately assigned to Jang Shangbai by someone; code-named: Ghost Stomper.

Also known as the Ghost that Tramples People.

This ghost was very special.

The dead-like soles, when stepping on someone during the process of walking, would undoubtedly result in the death of the living person, even a ghost controller might not be able to withstand a stomp from this ghost.

The most unique aspect was that it could come into contact with real ghosts.

Jang Shangbai once used these dreadful soles to kick away a true ghost during a paranormal incident.

The ghost that was kicked would be in a state of suspension for probably a few seconds, tens of seconds, or even several minutes.

During that time, the ghost would absolutely not take any action, and if coordinated well, one could even directly resolve a troubling supernatural incident.

With the Ghost Domain combined with the Ghost Stomper, and further combined with the Ghost Shroud, Jang Shangbai was confident that he could face any supernatural incident below S-rank. Even if he couldn't resolve it, he definitely wouldn't easily die at the hands of a fierce ghost. Even as a team leader, he could still command the respect of others with the abilities of the three ghosts.

"I just need the Headless Ghost Shadow to come closer. Once I step on it, it will be restricted no matter what, and I definitely won't die at the hands of that shadow," Jang Shangbai thought to himself.

He had seemed somewhat powerless when facing the Ghost Hand, but this Ghost Shadow was different.

The shadow was on the ground; he could step on it and kick it, but the Ghost Hand that had just emerged from his body was different.

His feet couldn't step on it; he could only pray that the Ghost Shroud would hold up.

The Ghost Shadow's speed, reflected on the ground and walls, quickened. It had now approached close to Jang Shangbai, and at this moment, the dark and dense shadow began to extend its arm.

This arm was no longer just a shadow; it rose from the ground and grabbed Jang Shangbai's arm.

Jang Shangbai didn't dodge. His Ghost Domain was suppressed, and he couldn't dodge even if he wanted to. He could only let the Headless Ghost Shadow's hand grab him. But he believed that the Ghost Shroud on his body could block such an attack.

Indeed.

Jang Shangbai felt a cold breath trying to invade his arm through the grabbed spot, attempting to make his entire arm numb. However, the shroud that seemed peeled from a corpse did its job and isolated the invasion, securing his life once again.

While he was being attacked, he also attacked the headless shadow on the ground.

The feet, covered in the mottling of a dead person, lifted, took a step forward, and stepped onto the tall shadow on the ground.

The shadow, as though it had been attacked by some unknown fierce ghost, was irresistible. The black arm that had grabbed Jang Shangbai suddenly let go and fell from mid-air, becoming a shadow on the ground once again. At the same time, the whole Headless Ghost Shadow began to shake, as if struggling or retreating.

The Headless Ghost Shadow's attack was not only fiercely repelled, but the Ghost Shadow was also suppressed.

"Yang Jian's third ghost is not as scary as I imagined..." Jang Shangbai's gaze flickered, regaining some confidence. As he took a breath, he followed the direction of the struggling shadow.

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The tail end of the shadow would definitely lead to where Yang Jian was.

But there was nothing there; the shadow seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, with no one standing there.

But Jang Shangbai's judgment was correct.

Yang Jian was indeed at that location, but he was within the third layer of the Ghost Domain, which Jang Shangbai could not possibly see.

"Jang Shangbai's last ghost has been exposed? I indeed underestimated him a bit. If hit by his Ghost Stomper, the Ghost Shadow would be momentarily uncontrollable, even I can't control it. It's almost like it can completely freeze a ghost," Yang Jian's eyes shifted slightly, focusing on those feet that seemed dead.

He couldn't help but wonder if stepping on the Door Knocking Ghost, Hungry Ghost, and such would lead to direct suppression?

If combined with the Ghost Domain, then it would be even more indefensible.

"A perfect trio of ghosts. The friends' circle must have put thought into promoting him as the team leader. The life-saving Ghost Domain, feet that restrict other ghosts, the Ghost Shroud that blocks attacks from fierce ghosts... If I didn't have control over the Ghost Hand, I indeed would be inferior to him."

He assessed himself. If the Ghost Hand didn't have the ability to suppress the three ghosts, he indeed would be quite inferior to Jang Shangbai.

"However, all you've faced is the Headless Ghost Shadow in normal situations... Can you withstand the next shadow?" Yang Jian's expression remained unchanged, as he continued to unearth even more terrifying abilities of the Ghost Shadow.