Mysterious Revival-Chapter 825 - 792 The Oil Lamp

Yang Jian's decision seemed to have taken the others by surprise again.

Yang Xiaohua, Cai Yu, Wang Shan, and the rest thought he wanted to tear up the letter again, after which the messengers on the third floor would suffer the bad luck as well.

But unexpectedly, he appeared to be considering delivering the letter instead.

No.

It should be said that he wanted to see for himself the address to which the letter was to be delivered.

An address appearing twice in succession seemed to have something odd about it.

But that place was not supposed to provoke curiosity, as the probability of encountering danger when delivering to the address was quite high.

"So, do you plan to join us in delivering the letter?" Li Yi, still somewhat uncertain, asked as he saw Yang Jian put away the letter.

Yang Jian said: "I have already delivered a red letter when I was on the second floor. That red letter had a great impact on the outside world. I'm not sure whether the impact was caused by the letter itself or whether something was bound to happen regardless. This letter might help me understand the real truth behind the post office more clearly."

"Moreover, I am not here to deliver letters, but to reach the fifth floor of the postal service. If things seem off, I will immediately return to the post office and tear up the letter."

He didn't hide anything but openly shared his thoughts.

Because there was no need to hide his real intentions, after all, whatever he did, they would not be able to intervene.

"How many letters have you torn up?" Li Yi was taken aback for a moment before he inquired further.

"Does it matter?" Yang Jian asked.

Coldly, the man named Guo You said: "Of course it matters. Tearing up one or two letters is still manageable, but if you tear up three letters, you can't tear up any more. Because after the third letter, the repercussions won't just be a ghost attack once; it'll be countless ghost attacks until the messenger dies."

"Is there a precedent?" Yang Jian asked.

Li Yi explained: "There is a precedent. When I was moving up from the first floor to the second, I heard an old messenger say that a messenger from the fifth floor, for some reason, decided to tear up his letter on what was almost his last delivery. It was the fourth letter he tore up, and as a result, the entire post office was haunted, affecting even the other floors."

"After the incident calmed down, that fifth floor messenger disappeared. No one saw him again. He didn't manage to leave the post office's control; most likely, he was killed by the ghosts, even his corpse vanished."

"So tearing up the fourth letter not only risks your own life but also likely endangers the messengers on the other floors. Although the Ghost Post Office is strange, it is also a safe haven. It's much calmer than other haunted places, and as long as no taboos are violated, the Ghost Post Office can even provide protection."

"But once the Ghost Post Office is out of balance, many messengers will be implicated, dying unforeseen deaths."

Yang Jian laughed and said: "After all this talk, aren't you just worried I'll get you all killed?"

"Even if you wanted to kill us, you would have to be capable enough to survive tearing up the fourth letter."

Guo You said frostily: "Usually, a messenger tearing up the first letter is already a near-death experience. Only those special messengers who have stolen supernatural powers can live to tear up the second letter. As for the third, even fifth floor messengers may not withstand it. If you're seeking death, then go ahead by yourself."

"Guo You, mind your language," Li Yi cautioned, turning back to him.

"We're all messengers of the third floor. We see each other all the time. Plus, this delivery task is special; we should unite and strive to get through this challenge together. If this letter is successfully delivered, we will proceed to the fourth floor. Isn't that exactly what you had planned?"

"I find these messengers from the first and second floors unreliable. They've just arrived on the third floor and haven't even delivered a third-floor letter yet, but they're already intercepting our third letter. To me, such behavior isn't much different from courting death," Guo You said.

He just looked down on these messengers from the lower floors.

Completely clueless, he had no idea just how dreadful the third-floor messenger's third letter was.

Countless third-floor messengers had died because of this third letter.

"You sure are long-winded. Even I can hardly resist the urge to kill you now," Li Yang said, glaring at him with a malicious air.

Having tamed two ghosts, his growth was met with an increasing dispassion in human emotions.

Guo You retorted sharply, "Why don't you try and see if you can kill me? Do you think I survived up to this point in the post office merely by luck?"

He was not afraid in the slightest.

"Captain, should we kill a third-floor messenger to set an example? So as to prevent any blind fools from affecting us whenever we climb up a level," suggested Li Yang.

Yang Jian was expressionless, neither pleased nor angry: "There's no need to kill a commoner to make an example. After all, this is their last mail delivery task. Let's see if they can live to reach the fourth floor."

As they spoke, changes were taking place on the third floor of the post office.

The nearby walls were shrouded in dimness at some unknown time, and a wooden staircase leading downward just appeared out of thin air.

The letter had been taken, and the exit from the post office appeared once again.

This path was visible to everyone because they were all part of this delivery task.

"The stairs have appeared. We can leave this place now," said Yang Xiaohua.

"Let's get out of this damned place as quickly as possible. No matter how many times I come here, I can never get used to it. The outside world is where we belong," said Liu Mingxin.

But at that moment, the woman wearing a cheongsam and high heels spoke up: "Sir, since this delivery task concerns room number 31 and room number 34, I think it would be better for us to keep the letter. It's not good if such an important item gets lost."

"Do you think we'll be the ones to die first?"

Yang Jian didn't answer her question directly but pointed out the implication in her words.

A letter can't be lost without reason; no one would be careless to that extent. Only the death of a messenger would result in the letter being lost.

"Sorry, I didn't mean that. I just feel that we, the people on the third floor, are a bit more trustworthy," said Leuk Qingqing with a smile, showing no sign of irritation.

"That is not what the trade entailed. Are you suggesting a breach of contract?" Yang Jian glanced at the man called Li Yi.

Li Yi sheepishly smiled, unsure of how to respond.

Technically, since he had already sold the third letter, this delivery task had nothing to do with him anymore. However, unexpectedly, the post office issued a strange requirement, insisting that the messengers from room 34 participate as well.

Thus, things came full circle back to him.

If it really came down to the delivery task, he felt that relying on his three-person team was more reliable.

Of course, Yang Jian probably thought the same.

Yang Jian said, "You don't need to participate in this delivery. I'll be the one to send it. You just have to wait for the delivery to be completed, after all, the delivery address doesn't concern you."

"Do you think this letter will be easy to deliver, and that you can complete it on your own? I'd advise you to abandon such naiveté. Don't be fooled by the clear address and location, thinking you can follow the trail easily. In reality, when you actually get there, you won't even know how you died," said Guo You.

"We're worried you'll flop around and die there, losing the letter in the process, and ultimately dragging us down with you," he added.

"If you don't trust me, I don't mind if you follow to supervise me," Yang Jian said calmly. "Of course, the premise is that you can survive. I've already given you the best advice. Whether you listen or not is up to you."

"It's about time, Li Yang, we should go. As for the deal I made with you before, it still stands. Send me your card number, I'll transfer you thirty million. After all, I'm a man of my word."

Having said that, Yang Jian didn't stay any longer and immediately turned and walked down the dim wooden staircase.

Li Yang didn't understand why the Captain was in such a good mood this time, but he still followed and left.

"Let's go too. The letter has already been taken, and the address has appeared. Everyone knows what to do," Yang Xiaohua's eyes moved, contemplating what Yang Jian had just said.

Yang Jian wanted to deliver the message alone, without the help of these people.

For them, this was a good thing, as they wouldn't have to take the risk themselves.

But the concerns of Li Yi and others were also legitimate. If Yang Jian were to fail and the letter was lost, all the messengers involved in this delivery would be annihilated; survival would be nearly impossible.

While contemplating, Yang Xiaohua walked downstairs.

Wang Shan, however, laughed: "Looks like I'm in for some good luck again."

He was a First Floor Messenger who had made it to the third floor. He wasn't participating in this message delivery; he would just go home and do whatever he normally did, leaving Yang Jian to worry about it. If Yang Jian failed, he would die along with him, but there would be nothing to say, anyway; if he were to deliver it himself and managed to make it to the third floor, he'd likely die too.

If it ended up being successful, he would have made it to the fourth floor and become a Fourth Floor Messenger.

The thought was pretty exciting.

Determined to continue being a slacker, Wang Shan also didn't interfere with the remaining issues and quickly left down the stairs.

The expressions on Cai Yu and Liu Mingxin, however, kept changing. They were seasoned Second Floor Messengers, and this matter was tied to their lives; they couldn't possibly bet their lives on Yang Jian, whatever their reasoning.

"Li Yi, you're a Third Floor Messenger, what do you plan to do next?" Cai Yu asked.

"What's Yang Jian's background? He seems very peculiar," Li Yi didn't respond but took this opportunity to inquire about Yang Jian.

Cai Yu fell silent for a moment before saying, "Not sure. He came up from the first floor, knows that guy Wang Shan who just left, and only got to the second floor the day before yesterday. But as soon as he arrived, a red letter appeared on the second floor, which Yang Jian refused to deliver. In front of many of us, he tore it up."

"Tore up the red letter? So you guys made it to the next floor thanks to this special letter."

Li Yi frowned and said, "But that's not right. Tearing up the red letter should have resulted in an attack by a fierce ghost; how come there are still so many of you on the second floor?"

"Of course, the fierce ghost attacked all the messengers on the second floor. We originally had close to twenty people together on the second floor, but as soon as Yang Jian arrived, he killed several to seize a room. After the red letter appeared, we had a conflict. Yang Jian wanted to tear up the letter and some of us didn't agree, so a fierce fight broke out, costing us more people," Cai Yu explained.

"Later, after tearing up the red letter and the appearance of the fierce ghost, even more people died. Leaving aside Wang Shan, who came from the first floor, only three of us really survived."

"Out of a dozen or so people, only three survived; now I understand," Li Yi nodded.

"So how was the ghost dealt with in the end?"

Cai Yu hesitated, his face changing subtly: "I don't know the specifics, but I know Yang Jian used living people as bait to lure the fierce ghost's attacks, then collaborated with the guy named Li Yang, and they successfully imprisoned the ghost."

"What, he imprisoned the ghost? Where, in one of the rooms on the second floor?" Guo You asked, slightly shocked.

The Yang Jian downstairs had not only survived the fierce ghost's attack but had also resolved the supernatural incident.

Since when did the messengers on the second floor become so perverted.

"No, he didn't imprison the ghost in a room, but in that Li Yang's body."

Beside him, Liu Mingxin spoke with a touch of terror; "He says this is a way to steal the power of a fierce ghost. It's very risky, but the payoff is great."

"Are you lying to me? Imprisoning a ghost inside a living person's body is suicide. That Li Yang should have died long ago if there was a ghost in him; it's impossible for him to be alive and standing in front of us." Guo You couldn't believe it and couldn't help shouting out loud.

"We also don't know how Yang Jian did it, but that Li Yang just hasn't died and is still well and alive." Cai Yu shook her head: "We didn't witness the process of imprisoning the fierce ghost."

"Right, Yang Xiaohua saw it; she was the live bait at the time. If you want to know more, you can ask her. I have her contact information; you can reach her even if she leaves the post office." Liu Mingxin quickly added.

At this moment, Li Yi fell silent. He believed what these people said.

Because this matter is too absurd. It's such a brazen lie that no one with a brain would dare use it to deceive people.

"Leuk Qingqing, what do you think?" Li Yi looked towards the woman.

"What they said is true. That Yang Jian probably really did imprison a fierce ghost inside someone's body," Leuk Qingqing nodded slightly.

"You actually believe such an absurd thing."

Guo You widened his eyes: "Don't think I'm a frog in a well, ignorant of the world. I'm shocked because that Li Yang is still alive, and that Yang Jian can actually do something like imprisoning a fierce ghost inside a living person's body."

"Both things are impossible to achieve."

Not to mention his disbelief, even some newcomers in the supernatural circle would find it unbelievable, just as initially Yang Jian was shocked when he heard that a spirit messenger extended their life by controlling a second ghost, he felt the same.

"It's very difficult, very difficult, but there's also a possibility of success, only the conditions are extremely stringent, and I don't believe Yang Jian has that ability. If he did, the curses of the Ghost Post Office probably wouldn't matter much to him anymore," Leuk Qingqing said calmly.

"True or false, we'll find out in Dachuan City," Li Yi said.

"Although the letter is in Yang Jian's hands, we still need to go this time. In case he fails, we can take over and continue delivering the letter. We can't bet our lives on someone else."

Guo You nodded: "That's more like it, you shouldn't be thinking about the Settlement Fee all the time, that's too passive."

At this very moment.

Following the old wooden staircase down to the first floor of the Ghost Post Office, Yang Jian found that the corpse he had seen on the stairs earlier seemed to have vanished without a trace.

But he didn't pay much attention to this matter.

When he reached the post office lobby, ready to leave, he suddenly heard an eerie, weak cough echoing in the hall.

"Cough, cough cough."

Even though it was the only coughing sound, it carried a ghostly resonance as if two people were coughing together. freewёbnoνel.com

"Hmm?"

Immediately following the sound, Yang Jian looked over and saw someone sitting at the front desk in the corner.

It was... Sun Rui.

"Sun Rui? What are you doing here?" Yang Jian appeared somewhat surprised.

He thought that Sun Rui hadn't come to the Ghost Post Office, but unexpectedly, he was lingering on the first floor and, even more surprisingly, he wasn't dead.

"Captain Yang? How's the situation upstairs?" Sun Rui's complexion was terrible, looking like a corpse that had died of illness. He stood up with the support of a cane, limping and staggering in his movements.

"The situation is somewhat complicated. I can only go as far as the third floor for now. To get to the fourth floor, I need to send out a letter," Yang Jian said.

Sun Rui said, "Then that's still smooth sailing. In just a few days, you'll be able to go to the fourth floor. That's pretty fast."

"You haven't answered my earlier question. Why are you staying in this hall?" Yang Jian asked.

Sun Rui said, "I previously conducted some investigations and found some testimonies left by messengers who had died. I discovered some facts and believe that even though each floor of the post office is not connected, the hall is connected. Everyone has to pass through this hall when entering and leaving."

"So the hall of the post office is the most crucial place."

The most crucial place in the hall?

Yang Jian's gaze shifted subtly. He had observed the hall upon his arrival, noting nothing but the old and mottled walls adorned with portraits, besides the counter—there wasn't much else.

"My aim in staying in the hall is to cut off the replenishment of messengers to the Ghost Post Office. Passersby on the first floor enter through the main door and the moment they step in, they're already under the control of the Ghost Post Office. If I can eliminate all newcomers who come to the Ghost Post Office for the first time, then as long as I persist for a while, the operations of the Ghost Post Office will grind to a halt."

"Even if your side fails, the messengers in the Ghost Post Office will become fewer and eventually will be buried forever in this Supernatural Space, completely disappearing from the real world," Sun Rui expressed his thoughts, aiming to undercut and disrupt the operations of the Ghost Post Office.

"That seems impossible though. At night, when the lights go out, there are malevolent spirits wandering in the Ghost Post Office. People will die," Li Yang said urgently.

"You survived last night?" Yang Jian looked at him with a hint of surprise.

Sun Rui nodded: "The night, though perilous, is not certainly fatal. We've been misled by the messengers on the first floor; they know too little and think that going out at night means certain death, which is not the case. Even though there are malevolent spirits wandering in the post office at night, it's exactly when the operations of the Ghost Post Office cease. During this period, many incredible things can happen."

"If you want to find a loophole inside the Ghost Post Office, nighttime is the only opportunity. Coincidentally, on the first night when I was attacked by a malevolent spirit, I found a chance to survive."

Having said that, he took out an old oil lamp from beneath the counter.

The oil in the lamp was black and foul-smelling, not like plant oil, but more like... Corpse Oil.

"Once I light this lamp at night, the malevolent spirits stop attacking me, and I had a very peaceful night last night," Sun Rui explained.

"Similar to a Ghost Candle?" Yang Jian's gaze flickered slightly.

This was nothing but an enhanced version of the Ghost Candle.

Only that the Ghost Candle's burning time is very limited, while this lamp actually helped Sun Rui survive the entire night without light.

And it appeared that the lamp had barely consumed any oil.

Sun Rui said, "No, this is definitely not a Ghost Candle. A Ghost Candle can prevent attacks from malevolent spirits, but the spirits will still fixate on you, lingering around you until the candle burns out."

He also knew about the Ghost Candle and its function.

"This oil lamp is different. Once I light it, I don't encounter any ghosts at all; it seems the ghosts didn't find me. Of course, I didn't see any ghosts either. It's as if I was isolated; the light of the lamp isolated me as well as the ghosts."

"It seems this is a very special supernatural object," Yang Jian remarked. "Much more valuable than a Ghost Candle. How did you find it?"

"When walking around at night, I accidentally tripped over it and almost fell, then I picked it up," Sun Rui said. "But I am certain that this oil lamp wasn't here during the day."

"It feels like someone deliberately placed it here."

Suddenly, he added his own speculation to the conversation.

"Do you think that such a precious supernatural object was deliberately given to you by someone?" Yang Jian asked.

"Otherwise, all this would be too coincidental. Moreover, we are not the first batch of messengers to enter the Ghost Post Office. If this lamp had always existed, then other messengers would have taken it long ago," Sun Rui reasoned.

Yang Jian thought there was some sense in that.

But this speculation also seemed a bit far-fetched.

Li Yang from the side said, "Captain, about the sound of high heels walking last night, it's still uncertain whether it was a human or a ghost. If Sun Rui's speculation holds true, then there must be something active in the Ghost Post Office at night, and it might not be just ghosts."

"Are you saying that this place is busier at night than during the day?" Yang Jian pondered.

What he pondered was not this, but the purpose of Sun Rui and the timing of the lamp's appearance.

It was clear that someone intended to help Sun Rui.

And what Sun Rui intended to do was to kill the newcomers to the Ghost Post Office and interrupt its operations.

If the person giving the lamp was helping Sun Rui, it was equivalent to telling himself that someone inside the Ghost Post Office hoped for its operations to cease, wishing for this place to be destroyed.

Only that some reasons prevented that person from acting personally.

Of course, this was a conspiracy theory, and coincidental factors cannot be excluded.

But between the two, Yang Jian leaned more towards the former.

Because in supernatural events, there are no coincidences, only inevitabilities.

Just like ghosts killing people, it's definitely not a coincidence, but rather you inadvertently triggered the ghost's murderous rules without knowing it yourself.

"Captain, look, look over here," suddenly, Li Yang exclaimed, apparently having discovered something.

Yang Jian and Sun Rui snapped back to reality.

"What's wrong?"

"Captain, doesn't that painting look familiar?" Li Yang pointed to a portrait of an unfamiliar figure on the mottled old wall.

The painting depicted a woman in white clothes, with long hair and delicate features.

The woman resembled the malevolent spirit that came after ripping up the letters on the second floor.

Yang Jian realized the connection instantly, and his expression became complex.

This was not a coincidence either, but a connection.

The ghost and the woman in the painting were the same person.

"Was she a messenger who died inside the post office? And after death, she was revived as a malevolent spirit and controlled by the Ghost Post Office, becoming a tool against other messengers," Yang Jian instinctively speculated.

Death doesn't turn people into ghosts, at most they may become Ghost Slaves. Ghost Slaves are corpses that move by the power of Supernatural Power, not truly ghosts. Only those who control ghosts can become ghosts upon their death, because these controllers have ghosts within them to begin with.

A ghost simply occupies your body, continuing to act in your likeness after you're gone.

"But why hang up portraits of people, and furthermore, the style of clothing on the woman in the painting does not seem modern. It looks like something from the eighties or nineties, which means the vengeful ghost we came across yesterday has been dead for at least two to three decades."

Two to three decades ago, a messenger became a ghost controller, then died for unknown reasons inside the post office. The resurgent vengeful ghost was then controlled by the post office... until yesterday when I tore up the red letter, prompting the post office to release the vengeful ghost once again.

A train of thought formed in Yang Jian's mind.

While contemplating, he took another look at the other portraits.

There were at least a dozen of them here, men and women, old people and children - each oil painting represented a person.

As to whether these individuals are still alive, that remains unknown.

One thing he could affirm was that the subjects of these paintings had definitely come into contact with the Ghost Post Office at some point.

"Wait a second, oil paintings..."

All of a sudden, something clicked in Yang Jian's mind, sending a chill of eerie apprehension through him.

The style of these paintings was eerily similar to that of the terrifying S-level paranormal event, Ghost Paintings.

The same style of portraits, the same artistic method, similarly representing the spirits within.

Right away.

He followed the trail of these paintings along the wall in search of something.

Yang Jian tried to find any gaps where the paintings might be, attempting to determine if these Ghost Paintings originated here.

Unfortunately, he found none.

The portrait paintings here showed no signs of being removed.

He also attempted to take down one of the paintings but failed.

The paintings appeared to be embedded in the wall, immovable, as if they were integrated with the entire Ghost Post Office.

"Am I being overly suspicious?"

Yang Jian let out a sigh in his heart, wondering if he was being paranoid, unconsciously linking different paranormal incidents together.

Even the thirty-five rooms of the Ghost Post Office could be connected to the paranormal bus with thirty-six seats, or even to the terrifying corridors of the Caesar Hotel.

"Captain, there's no problem with the portraits, right?" Li Yang came over and asked.

Yang Jian replied, "This matter remains a mystery for now. Just keep an eye on it. To uncover the truth, you'd have to go to the fifth floor of the post office and inquire with the oldest of the messengers there."

"Now we need to take a trip to Dachuan City. That address is special. It's come up twice, and I want to see it for myself."

"Yang Jian, you're still here? You haven't left the Ghost Post Office yet?"

At that moment, Yang Xiaohua had come down the stairs. She was curious to see Yang Jian and Li Yang still lingering in the hall.

"It's been confirmed that the hall is the common area for all floors," Sun Rui said with his eyes narrowed, revealing an odd smile. "Is this a messenger from the second floor or the third?"

"It was the second floor before, now it's from the third," Yang Jian replied calmly.

Sun Rui said, "Captain Yang, how about I take her down for you?"

"What?" Yang Xiaohua instinctively took several steps back.

She felt a strong sense of crisis with this person's gaze on her, as though a menacing ghost had appeared right behind her like the time she was used as bait.

Yang Jian said, "There's no need. Killing her serves no purpose, and this time, the letter she was supposed to deliver is in my hands."

"Then we'll let her off. But her appearance makes things even more interesting. If I stay here long enough, I might not only catch messengers from the second and third floors but perhaps even those from the fourth and fifth," Sun Rui said.

Yang Jian explained, "There are no messengers left on the first and second floors; I've cleared them out. There are messengers on the third floor who deliver a letter every three months. On the fourth floor, it's every six months, and on the fifth, a letter yearly. The chances of running into a third-floor messenger are high, but very slim for the fourth and fifth."

"Moreover, I have reason to believe that the messengers from the fifth floor are not just simple messengers, but definitely ghost controllers. If you truly encounter them, you better be careful. Don't take them lightly."

"Also, your oil lamp has limited fuel; it can't burn indefinitely. So if one day you can't hold on any longer, it's best that you leave this place. I'll take care of the rest."

Sun Rui said, "Captain Yang, I know you're powerful, but I have my own business to attend to. Once this Ghost Post Office loses control, as the person responsible, I'll have nowhere to run here in Dahan City, so it's better to tackle the risk now rather than later."

"You still have to survive first," Yang Jian retorted.

"Don't worry, I won't die that easily," Sun Rui asserted.

Yang Jian said, "If you know your limits, that's best. I won't say more. My mission is about to begin. I'll borrow your private aircraft; I need to go to Dachuan City."

"Dachuan City, huh? I remember the person in charge there is called... Li Leping."

Sun Rui recalled a name and shared, "But I've never met that person. I've heard he is now at the Captain Level, maybe someone you know, Captain Yang."

"Li Leping? I've heard the name, but I haven't met the individual," Yang Jian remembered, but he couldn't recall ever encountering this person.

A complete stranger, yet the name felt familiar, which was quite odd.

"No matter, I'll get to know him when I get there. If he's from headquarters, it should be easy to deal with properly. At least we can interact normally," Yang Jian stated.

"Good luck on your journey, Captain Yang. I'll be here waiting for your good news," said Sun Rui.

Yang Jian nodded, "You too, take care."

After finishing, he and Li Yang left the Ghost Post Office.

Yang Xiaohua's expression changed. She hesitated for a moment before carefully making her way out.

If not for Yang Jian's words, she might have been killed right there by that man.

What was the background of these three people? They all seemed more domineering than the next.

Definitely not new recruits to the post office.