Yang Jian sized up this Wang Yue.
He wasn't old, not even thirty, and though his mismatched gangster-like attire, complemented by a cigar and a scarf, seemed off-key, he exuded a sense of maturity and stability.
It was evident that Wang Yue had also dealt with his fair share of supernatural incidents.
His temperament and intellect had been honed through life-and-death experiences.
Looking at the struggling woman hanging from the street lamp, who was gradually running out of breath, he couldn't help but frown.
"What's the matter? Didn't you also want to kill her just now? I've done you a favor, saved you a bullet—that should be a good thing, right? Or are you blaming me?" Wang Yue noticed Yang Jian's gaze and immediately spoke up.
Yang Jian said, "No, it's just that something occurred to me."
"The death of Yan Li and his family of three bears a striking resemblance to this; they were hanged and left to die. Their bodies were left in the villa for two or three days, already crawling with maggots... Did you do this?"
Wang Yue's eyes flitted upon realizing his mistake.
He had overlooked such a detail.
In life, Yan Li and Yang Jian were partners, jointly dealing with supernatural events and had cooperated with each other; they might even be considered friends.
Without a response, Yang Jian's eyes hardened, "So, it was you who did it. That's really ruthless—eliminating witnesses, not leaving a single survivor."
Wang Yue's face shifted colors, then he said, "I had no choice, someone forced me to do it, it wasn't my intention. If you're looking for trouble, you should go after Zhao Kaiming. He's the one who made me do it, I didn't know about it at first."
"But you still did it, didn't you?" Yang Jian let out a cold smile. "You want to push all the responsibility onto Zhao Kaiming. Can you honestly say that Zhao Kaiming didn't promise you any benefits for agreeing to do this?"
"That's a different matter. I was also played by Zhao Kaiming. He wanted to use my intermediary position to get rid of Yan Li, hoping to cast suspicion on Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club and make you and Wang Xiaoqiang fight to the death. Right before the supernatural event broke out, he approached me and wanted me to join forces with Wang Xiaoqiang against you."
"Unfortunately, things got interrupted. But now, Zhao Kaiming should be dead, and I have no reason to work for him anymore. If you get me out of here, I can help you deal with Wang Xiaoqiang."
Yang Jian said, "Don't you think you're being too naive? You took care of Yan Li and agreed to target me; now you want me to save you?"
"Saving me wouldn't be bad for you—the people from Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club will be after you soon. Without help, you are likely to die at Wang Xiaoqiang's hands. Although many of their ghost controllers have died because of you, there's still one particularly formidable opponent, a man named Ye Feng, who commands two ghosts. Your chances against him aren't great."
"So, 'aren't great' means they also aren't one hundred percent sure of taking me down. That's why Zhao Kaiming sought collaboration with you, to have all of you work together to eliminate me?" Yang Jian's eyes narrowed, a hint of alarm in them.
Zhao Kaiming was diabolically cunning indeed, concocting such a venomous scheme.
"Correct, that was the plan. But now there's been a change. I have no intention of helping Wang Xiaoqiang. If you just get me out of here, I can help you instead," Wang Yue puffed at his cigar and said earnestly, "After dealing with Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club and with Zhao Kaiming's death, the next detective will definitely be you. Then, you will be the one calling the shots in Dachang City."
"That would be beneficial for you, after all, it's a win-win situation."
Yang Jian said, "I'm afraid it's win-win for you too, isn't it? Surviving, getting rid of their manipulation, and dissolving any hostility I have against you."
"Mutual benefit is key for people like us, staying alive is what matters; everything else is insignificant."
Wang Yue said, "Moreover, what supernatural event doesn't have casualties? Hundreds die here today, dozens there tomorrow; death occurs globally every moment. It's true I killed Yan Li and his family, but for you, it makes no difference."
"Zhao Kaiming wanted me to kill just to drag me into this mess. Now that it's out in the open, a simple nod from you, and everything stops here."
Yang Jian at this point opened the car door and stepped out, "What if I don't feel like it?"
Wang Yue was taken aback, and then deeply furrowed his brows.
He had thought his reasoning would persuade Yang Jian; after all, there had been no direct conflict between the two. He couldn't understand why Yang Jian wouldn't agree.
"If you refuse, I have other ways to leave. It'll just cost more, but once I'm out, I will definitely join forces with Wang Xiaoqiang. That's terrible news for you, so I hope you think it through... Besides, if we stir up trouble here, and an accident leads to the revival of a fierce ghost, it won't be good for anyone," Wang Yue said.
Although conflicts between ghost controllers weren't rare, it was uncommon for them to fight to the death.
He didn't want to clash to the end with Zhao Kaiming and that's why he agreed to his terms. He also didn't want a fallout with Yang Jian, hence he sought reconciliation.
If they fought, both would lose.
After all, using the power of fierce ghosts meant draining one's own life, even for Yang Jian, who commanded two ghosts.
"You talk a good game, but the last thing I like to do is talk sense," Yang Jian said.
"You killed Yan Li's family and plotted with Zhao Kaiming against me. If it weren't for the Ghost Door Knocker incident that dragged you in, I would have died without understanding how or why... so..."
"Then what do you want to do?"
Wang Yue grew more cautious; he stopped moving forward and kept a close watch on Yang Jian's ghostly gaze and the thick inky shadow at his feet.
He knew some intelligence about Yang Jian.
About the two ghosts on him, he knew something, but not much.
"Of course, to take this chance and finish you off in one fell swoop, after you're dead, the situation with Wang Xiaoqiang will no longer be of concern. We would be evenly matched if we really went all out, but if you were part of the equation, I'd truly have something to worry about. Besides, I now have an assistant by my side." Yang Jian glanced over at Tong Qian.
Tong Qian's complexion changed, "Although I don't know the situation in Dachang City, he's right, making a fuss at this time is no good. We're still in the Ghost Domain, and that ghost might appear at any moment."
"Are you willing to help or not?" Yang Jian asked.
"If he doesn't die, I won't leave the Ghost Domain."
It was a clear threat using the lives of these survivors as leverage.
"Alright, I'm willing to help you," Tong Qian had no choice but to agree.
Although she was reluctant, she could see clearly that this ghost controller called Wang Yue was a lawless killer.
Yang Jian was cold-blooded, but this guy was even more cruel.
"Very good," Yang Jian nodded.
Now, Wang Yue's face changed.
He had no confidence even in facing Yang Jian alone, let alone facing another criminal policeman.
Without a second thought, he immediately turned and ran.
He had to escape, or else it was certain death.
These two combined posed a greater threat to him than that old ghost. At least the old ghost wouldn't be hellbent on chasing him down, whereas Yang Jian seemed determined to kill him.
"Thinking of leaving now, it's already too late," Yang Jian raised his hand and fired a shot.
At such a close distance, hitting a person was not difficult.
Wang Yue immediately let out a muffled grunt and fell to the ground.
Indeed, this thing was quite effective against ghost controllers.
But to think that a specially made gun could kill a ghost controller, Yang Jian still found it a bit unrealistic.
"Yang Jian," Wang Yue, lying on the ground with a ferocious look, addressed him, "You struck first. If you don't want me to live, then let's die together."
As the scarf around his neck came undone.
An old hemp rope appeared around his neck.
This hemp rope was tied in a dead knot around his entire neck, constricting it tightly, like a sieve.
Normally, with such constriction, one's neck should have snapped, and the person should have died.
But Wang Yue was still very much alive.
People who knew his backstory would call him that.
"Looking , you're not far from a ghostly resurgence. It's perfect, I'll take care of you today, so you don't stir up another paranormal event when you do die," Yang Jian said fearlessly, taking bold strides towards him.
"Naive, think you can do whatever you want just because you're controlling two ghosts?" As Wang Yue spoke, the hemp rope around his neck tightened even more, and the sound of his neck bones cracking could be heard.
In an instant, his face turned red, an agonizing pain surging through him.
Yang Jian abruptly stopped in his tracks.
He felt a cold chill on his neck.