Mysterious Revival

"Bang!"

A muffled thump echoed, the sound of a box being forcefully closed.

With that sound reverberating, the terrifying Door Knocking Ghost, which had been wandering for half a year, was finally imprisoned. Regardless of the identity of this old man marked with livor mortis, and no matter how horrifying it was, it ultimately fell into the trap.

The withered arm that was holding up the lid just moments before, had been forcefully severed by Yang Jian wielding the eerie Firewood Knife.

It was uncertain if the ghost, now missing its arm, could continue knocking on doors.

Perhaps from now on the Door Knocking Ghost would become a one-armed ghost.

Of course, the dismemberment by the Firewood Knife was only temporary; perhaps within that box, the ghost had already retrieved its severed arm.

"It seems my previous guess was not at all incorrect. The Firewood Knife can directly contact and dismember ghosts. If I use a handprint, or even a footprint, as a medium, I can inflict damage on ghosts regardless of distance, but then I would suffer a great curse from the Firewood Knife,"

"This curse previously required me to use a slot for suppressing ghosts to offset it. I swung the blade twice, once cutting the blood handprint in the mysterious room of the Caesar Hotel, and once on Fang Shiming's body."

"But this cut is different. I didn't use a medium but allowed the Firewood Knife to directly contact the ghost. The effect is still evident, but what will be the cost?"

Yang Jian looked thoughtfully at the rusty Firewood Knife in his hand.

Nagase had also noticed the strange object in Yang Jian's hand, his eyes showing shock because he saw the ghost's arm being cut off too.

This scene somewhat overturned his imagination.

In supernatural incidents, it was already difficult enough just to survive a ghost's attack, let alone resist, figure out a pattern, and eventually imprison the ghost—which only the most skilled ghost handlers could do.

Yet Yang Jian not only confronted the ghost head-on but also managed to inflict a certain amount of damage on it, forcing the ghost to retreat before a living person.

Incredible.

Unimaginable.

Nagase stood frozen in place, seemingly too overwhelmed by the stimulations of the day, or perhaps like a frog in a well, unable to imagine such a scene could occur.

"What an incredibly powerful man, even ghosts retreat before him."

"I haven't found anything wrong with myself for the time being; it seems quite normal," Yang Jian contemplated for a moment, checking his condition.

After he made that chop, he felt nothing unusual, as if he had simply swayed normally, a stark contrast to the sensations triggered by using a medium.

"Is there no consequence to bear? Or can my current state withstand the cost of using the Firewood Knife at close range? Or perhaps, the latent curse has not yet erupted and needs some time to brew."

He speculated, with dread in his heart.

Because supernatural objects all come with terrifying costs, from the Ghost Mirror, Ghost Cabinet, Eight-Tone Music Box, to even the Ghost Scissors, without exception, this was the case.

"Mister Yang, how are you? Are you alright?"

Nagase noticed that Yang Jian had been pondering for quite some time and, concerned that something might be wrong, couldn't help but remind him.

Yang Jian snapped back to reality, his Ghost Eye closing as the Ghost Domain rapidly dissipated, and then said, "I've locked the ghost in this box. This containment is not very stable and can go out of control at any moment. Inform President Mishima to send someone over to handle it."

He patted the box under his feet, the dull metallic sound echoing back, clearly conveying the solidity of the box.

Now wasn't the time to ponder these matters. Although the Door Knocking Ghost had been confined, this place was not absolutely safe. He needed to transport this object away quickly, lest other supernatural incidents strike. There were at least three differing supernatural incidents remaining within Kobe City.

The Cloth Ripping Ghost in the closet, the source of the Dead Man's Head balloons incident, and Sakai, where the fierce ghost revived.

And that was just the visible threats; who knew how many unseen horrors might be lurking?

"Alright, right away, I'll contact President Mishima."

Nagase wiped the sweat from his forehead, his complexion pale as a corpse's, but his expression was relieved, as if he had just skirted the edge of hell.

Hurriedly grabbing his phone, he began to take charge of contacting Mishima's side.

Suddenly,

Yang Jian sheathed the rust-covered Firewood Knife and stood up, his expression cold as he scanned around. It seemed as though, after the Ghost Domain receded, there was a suspicious gaze lurking nearby, secretly peering at him.

This feeling was not intense, just an instinct, a sixth sense.

Barely perceptible, he could not be certain.

"Is it an illusion? Or is there still some unknown paranormal event nearby?" Yang Jian furrowed his brow, subconsciously touching the back of his hand.

Should he activate his ghost eye again to confirm the situation?

He hesitated.

However, just at that moment, a car came speeding down the street nearby, recklessly weaving through traffic without any concern for hitting pedestrians.

"It should be someone arranged by President Mishima," Nagase said at that point, putting down his phone and gesturing, "Over here, we're over here!"

"Hide."

Yang Jian glanced at the Ghost Child nearby and commanded it to hide. He did not want too many people to know about this thing.

Although Nagase had seen it, hearing about something from someone else and seeing it with one's own eyes were two different matters.

Soon, the vehicle came to a stop.

There weren't many people, only three.

The one leading was a brawny bald man, followed by a gaunt man who was skin and bones, and a somewhat familiar fellow—the one, if not mistaken, was named Tianye, right, the guy Yang Jian had almost killed with chopsticks in the little tavern at the airport.

"It's Yamazaki," Nagase said with a change of expression upon seeing the strong bald man at the front, showing great concern.

"Who is he?" Yang Jian casually asked.

"He's one of our country's top spirit manipulators, roughly equivalent to the rank of a team leader in your country, and he's also one of the people deemed qualified to be recognized as a 'Jade,' holding a very high status," Nagase explained in a low voice.

"But he is a very tough and domineering person, so he's extremely dangerous, and even President Mishima can't interfere with his actions."

"Who is the other one? That skinny guy," Yang Jian asked, glancing over.

That kind of skeletal thinness was obviously not normal, and it must have been the influence of a Ghost Shadow, but the bald man named Yamazaki looked just like an ordinary person, showing no signs of abnormality. However, his aura was indeed oddly unsettling, indicating he was one of the more well-off spirit manipulators.

"I'm not sure. I don't have much contact with people like Yamazaki. I apologize for disappointing Mister Yang," Nagase said apologetically.

At that moment, the three people who had gotten out of the car approached, and the one named Yamazaki grinned, greeting, "Mister Yang, I'm honored to meet you. You have done very well this time. President Mishima made a very correct choice in asking you to handle this matter. You've worked hard, so from now on, please leave the rest to us three, and Mister Yang can go back and enjoy the care of Miss Keiko."

With that, his gaze lingered on the box at Yang Jian's feet.

The real ghost was locked inside it.

The danger was gone, and the timing was very clever this time around. He believed no one would arrive quicker than himself for a short while.

After all, getting close to Kobe City meant death before, and only special people had the qualification to enter here.

At this point, Nagase swiftly translated Yamazaki's words, practically synchronizing them so that Yang Jian could quickly grasp the implications.

After listening, Yang Jian's expression slightly changed, "I have no problem with you taking over. Kobe City is right here, and if you want to save people, you should have time. After all, there are still many survivors in this city, but this thing won't work."

He pointed at his feet.

"My item. This was agreed upon with President Mishima beforehand."

"Mister Yang might have misunderstood. Everything here belongs to Exorcism Club, including that box. I hope Mister Yang won't make things difficult for me. After all, we hold great respect for Mister Yang, and you have not been shortchanged a penny for your payment. Even with Miss Keiko, Mister Yang can take her if you wish," replied Yamazaki genially, still with a smile.

"But important items that were not part of the agreement cannot be taken away without reason."

Although the bald man named Yamazaki spoke politely and even with a smile, his eyes conveyed a dangerous warning, like a menacing gang member threatening an ordinary person.

His words were fine, but the tone was off.

"I'm not one to beat around the bush, and I'm not really good at being diplomatic. I haven't been beaten down by society since school, and I have a bad temper. So, you can call me Mister Yang with a smile, but I can only scold you coldly, calling you a bastard," Yang Jian said with an icy and abrupt tone.

"You want this thing? Come take it with your life. I don't mind solving a few members of Exorcism Club here while I take care of the Door Knocking Ghost."

"I've even dared to kill our country's head team leader; do you think I care about you?"

Listening to Yang Jian's words, Nagase felt the tension he had just calmed flare up again. He looked at Yang Jian, his mouth moving slightly. If he translated these words, both parties could very well start fighting.

But he had no choice; he braced himself and translated nonetheless.

After all, Yamazaki wasn't a fool. He could probably guess what was being said from the tone of voice.

As expected, as soon as the words were out.

Yamazaki's face stiffened, and his smile began to fade, followed by a sinister gaze fixed on Yang Jian, seemingly enraged by his remark.

"You bastard, how dare you speak to Mister Yamazaki like that?" Tianye, standing nearby, immediately bellowed with fury.

"A man whose life isn't even in his own hands has no right to speak, so shut up or I'll make you disappear from this world," Yang Jian glanced over with zero tolerance for this person called Tianye.

He had already spared him once last time for the sake of the Exorcism Club's face.

But face could only be given once, giving it twice only devalued it.

If it really came to blows, Yang Jian wouldn't hesitate to send this guy packing.

Though Tianye was arrogant, he wasn't foolish; he felt the chilly stare of each ghost eye on Yang Jian watching him, as if something terrifying would happen the next moment.

At this moment, he dared not speak out, even with Yamazaki backing him up.

But after this brief intimidation, Tianye felt his conduct was too humiliating and undignified, and he became annoyed and angry, thinking of stepping forward to prove he wasn't afraid.

However, Yamazaki extended an arm, stopping Tianye in his tracks.

Yamazaki, though fierce in appearance, wasn't reckless, "Don't be rash, the other party is Yang Jian, known as 'Ghost Eyes,' and your attitude will only come across as even more disrespectful."

Tianye said nothing but wore an ugly look as he glanced at Yang Jian before retreating a few steps.

"He's a dangerous fellow," Yamazaki said, squinting slightly while sizing up Yang Jian.

He too felt the dangerous aura emanating from Yang Jian.

However, that wasn't the point; the point was that this guy had acted twice, attracting the Door Knocking Ghost two times. Although it was contained the second time, the combat against the ghosts was definitely real.

To be in such good shape after two encounters, with no injuries or signs of ghost resurgence, was indeed extraordinary.

According to Yamazaki's plan, he intended to kick Yang Jian while he was down, to take advantage of Yang Jian's weakened state, to retrieve the box containing the ghost from his possession, and then to claim credit for resolving the paranormal event himself.

As for Yang Jian.

Yamazaki had no plans to start a conflict, hoping he would just take the payment and leave without being a hindrance.

However, he hadn't expected such an assertive and even arrogant attitude from Yang Jian.

"He isn't just bluffing, he's really prepared to act. Though there's a chance he's feigning strength, it's very small, his condition is too good," Yamazaki assessed the situation, realizing his plan was likely to fail and thus not wanting to let things deteriorate further.

Yang Jian grew impatient, "If you don't want to come to blows with me, then just go back to wherever you came from and don't get in my way. My tolerance for you is limited, and maybe the next moment I'm in a bad mood I'll wipe you all out. Then I'll just tell President Mishima you died in a paranormal incident; who would know anyway?"

At that moment, Yamazaki laughed, a cold, chilling, unsettling laugh as he looked at the box at Yang Jian's feet, seemingly making a decision.

"Mister Yang, please calm down, we don't have such deep animosity between us, do we?"

"Since Mister Yang has plans, we can only follow Mister Yang's wishes."

"Moreover, we are here just to do a job, not to bear any malice towards you, Mister Yang. Let's pretend that earlier incident never happened and avoid any strange misunderstandings. Right now, I still need to assess the situation in this city, so let's end today's matter here, and we shall take our leave."

He chose to compromise and retreat.

After apologizing and excusing themselves, this person called Yamazaki led the other two back to their car, then they took another road towards the city center.

"What a disgusting guy, trying to reap the benefits without the work, not even considering whether he's got the ability," Yang Jian watched coldly as they left without making a move.

It wasn't that he didn't dare, but the situation hadn't escalated to the point where action was necessary.

A fallout wouldn't be good for anyone.

Yet one's stance had to be firm, for to step back would be to lose.

"Lucky there was no fight, otherwise it would've been a big hassle."

Nagase sighed with relief and thought to himself, "But if they really had fought, the chances of Yamazaki losing might have been higher."

Reluctantly admitting it, but after witnessing Yang Jian's abilities, he believed in him even more.

After they drove into Kobe City.

Inside the car, Yamazaki's face looked particularly grim. Although he had chosen to back down, it didn't mean he had swallowed his pride; especially since Yang Jian had insulted him as a 'dog,' which had really gotten under his skin. He feared he might have actually lost control and started a fight if he stayed there any longer.

So reason told him that he had to leave.

Otherwise, the situation would spiral out of control.

"Yang Jian didn't pay too steep a price to contend with the fierce ghost, this isn't a good opportunity, Mister Nagase made the right choice," the scrawny man who was driving said.

"I know, within the Exorcism Club, both I and Yang Jian were rated as having the potential to become 'Jade', but there is only one Jade, and I'm not yet ready to shatter here," Nagase replied, his eyes closed and his figure seemingly shrouded in darkness, somber to the point of being terrifying.

"Mister Nagase is also not certain he can handle that Yang Jian?" Tianye asked in surprise.

"No, he's just hired help. If I went up against him, the end result would be two pieces of jade both shattered; even if not shattered, they'd already have developed fractures. That's why it has to stop here. My concession doesn't put me at a disadvantage, after all, it was just a probe, no loss if it can't succeed," Nagase explained, his expression gradually returning to calm, but still fierce looking.

"Since we can't fulfill our purpose this time, we can't let this operation yield nothing. After all, I do care about face, so let's just resolve a random supernatural event and go back... Stop the car, let's start investigating from here."

Soon, the group stopped at the crossroad where Yang Jian had lit the Ghost Candle before.

Three people got out of the car intending to observe something.

But quickly they noticed something abnormal.

It was a person, someone walking on the road with their back turned, looking as though they were about to leave on another street, vanish into some corner of the city.

"Stop." The man named Tianye shouted loudly.

Nagase frowned but did not stop Tianye's reckless action, considering the most dangerous ghost to be with Yang Jian at the moment. Even if there were some remnants, he believed he could handle them.

This shout was intended for the living because only they turn their heads when they hear sounds; the dead or ghosts wouldn't bother with Tianye.

However, the next moment.

The person ahead stopped, then whirled around violently.

It was a half-decayed dead man's head with a pair of eerily pale eyes, the corners of the mouth slightly upturned as if about to split open or as though it was about to speak.

The almost hesitating appearance of this half-decayed dead man's head was even more spine-chilling.

A ghost?

At that moment, the three of them were startled. This was too coincidental.

They had just gotten out of the car when they encountered a malevolent ghost wandering in the city.

"Let's just conclude this matter with it," the emaciated man suggested.

However, before Nagase could speak, Tianye simply collapsed to the ground with a thud.

A head severed from its neck rolled on the ground and rolled towards the figure ahead, Tianye's eyes wide open on the head, but consciousness was gone, with no signs of life.

The ferocious ghost turned its head back, and instantly killed a ghost master.

Yet the attack did not cease.

The ghost's gray-white eyes shifted, as if focusing on a new target or refocusing.

"This is bad."

Nagase was horrified, feeling an immense crisis welling up from within, as if he himself was about to be slain by this ferocious ghost.

The ghost was looking at him.

Once targeted, Nagase thought he might die as Tianye did, unknown and helplessly against the ferocious ghost's attack.

Run!

Without hesitation, he felt he had come across something terrible, turned around, and fled without another word.

But as Nagase turned, he froze in his tracks.

There was also a person standing on the street behind him, similarly with their back turned to him, but then that person seemed to notice something and began to turn around to look this way, the neck also sporting a half-decayed head of a dead man.

The person ahead and the one behind seemed to be identical, with no discernible difference.