"Are you breaking out in a cold sweat on your face?" asked Yang Jian in the taxi.
"No, it's just a bit hot in the car, and it's normal to sweat a bit when it's over thirty degrees outside," said Old Wang, who was driving.
"The noise from your car is getting louder and louder. It doesn't sound like tire noise. Something feels very wrong," Yang Jian said.
"That's just the shock absorber making noise; it's nothing to worry about," Old Wang said.
Yang Jian said, "When you drifted around the corner just now, I thought I heard something suddenly fall off from the back with a bang."
"Really? This car is quite old, so it's normal to lose something when driving too fast, especially after that drift," Old Wang said.
Yang Jian said, "Why are you constantly stepping on the brake?"
At that moment, Old Wang slammed on the brakes, but the car kept speeding up and couldn't stop at all.
"Don't worry, it's nothing. I can handle it. It's just a temporary brake failure, probably damaged by that lad last time."
"..." Yang Jian's expression turned odd, as if to say you're just shirking responsibility.
"What are you doing, making a phone call? You dare to use the phone while driving?"
"Just remembered something, making a quick call to report that I'm safe. Don't be nervous, it's nothing," Old Wang said.
As he spoke, he dialed a number in front of Yang Jian: "Hello, wife? It's me, Old Wang. Nothing much, just picked up a ghost controller to assist with a case, so I might get held up. I'll skip dinner; you and the kids go to sleep first, that's it... Oh yes, there's something I've always wanted to tell you."
He paused for a moment and then said, "Wife, I love you."
After finishing the call, Old Wang put the phone in his pocket, then took his hands off the steering wheel, took out a cigarette, lit it, and gazed through the window with blurred eyes as he blew a ring of smoke deeply.
"The wind today is a bit noisy. The sunset came a little bit earlier than usual. The night view of Dachang City is pretty good, but I don't know if I'll have another chance to appreciate it."
Yang Jian said, "Why are you saying all this, Brother Driver? You should be holding the steering wheel and looking ahead. Don't you know it's very dangerous to drive at such a speed?"
Old Wang flicked the ash from his cigarette, "But the brakes have completely failed. Can't you see my foot playing the piano here? Now there's no point in holding the steering wheel since I can't reduce the speed. In less than a minute, I will have to rush into the river in the city. Do you need a life vest? I've got two here; I bought them when the city flooded."
Yang Jian's face darkened. He had indeed not heard wrong. Old Wang's taxi was going too fast, and something went wrong with the drift.
"I'm not good at swimming; I think I'd better jump out of the car."
"No, jumping out at this speed could be fatal. Trust me, once we plunge into the river, don't panic. After the car sinks, by scientific calculation, the car won't fill with water immediately. Also, don't rush to open the door right away because at that point, the external water pressure will be too high, and you can't open it."
Old Wang said earnestly, "You just need to wait calmly. When water fills the cabin and the pressure inside and outside equalizes, I'll use this window breaker to smash the glass. Then we can get out through the window and you'll be able to float to the surface within ten seconds."
"Okay, okay, I'll trust you one more time." Yang Jian, convinced by his expertise, abandoned the idea of jumping out of the car.
Old Wang turned the steering wheel and drove directly onto the sidewalk, avoiding the pedestrians, and rushing into an artificial river beside them.
Everything went as he had planned: the car plunged into the water, then the engine died, and it started to sink.
But moments later, Old Wang began to grimly laugh: "Man's plans are no match for fate's. It must be my time today. Why did the car flip upside down into the riverbed? Now the windows are stuck in the mud and completely sealed shut, unable to be opened. My window breaker is useless now. If I break the windows at this moment, mud will rush in, and death will come even quicker."
At that moment, Yang Jian, with a very dark expression, sat upside down in the passenger seat.
Water was pouring in from all sides, and they were about to suffocate.
Indeed, he should never have trusted this old driver.
If it weren't for his bravado, he would have been played to death by this old driver today.
"Young man, do you have a girlfriend? Look, this is my lovely daughter. She's in the fourth grade this year, isn't she pretty?" At this point, Old Wang took out a photo with a sorrowful look.
He had completely given up hope and was coming to terms with his impending death.
"Let's not talk about that now. Weren't you the one who has never flipped a car in twenty years of driving, whose wife you even won over?" Yang Jian asked.
"I've never flipped a car, but I've been in an accident. That's where I met my wife—in the hospital. She was a nurse..."
"Alright, alright, that's enough," Yang Jian said.
He patted Old Wang on the shoulder, "In the future, Old Wang, try to drive more carefully, and don't even think about drifting around corners—not for me, but for your nurse wife and lovely daughter."
"No, if there's a next life, I want to be a racing driver. It's been my dream for a lifetime," Old Wang said with conviction.
"This isn't the place to talk about dreams. Let's change the subject," Yang Jian sighed, emitting a red glow that enveloped Old Wang.
The next moment, the two disappeared from the bottom of the river and reappeared on the nearby sidewalk.
Old Wang fell to the ground, staring at his surroundings with a face full of shock and confusion.
Wasn't he at the bottom of the river just now? How did he suddenly reappear on the sidewalk?
Right, that young man.
He looked around but Yang Jian's figure had already disappeared, vanishing into thin air like a ghost.
Yang Jian returned to the Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club he was at before.
The place had been completely sealed off, with investigators processing the crime scene and gathering various pieces of evidence of Wang Xiaoqiang's crimes.
"Yang Jian, the ghost-controller, how are things? Has Wang Xiaoqiang been successfully apprehended?" the bureau chief who saw Yang Jian hurried over and asked.
Yang Jian said, "The matter with Wang Xiaoqiang has been resolved. I shot him dead myself. I've already reported the situation at the site of the car accident. There's no need to look for the body; you wouldn't be able to handle the corpses of people like him. I've seen to his disposal."
"That's excellent news," the chief sighed in relief, excitedly shaking Yang Jian's hand with great enthusiasm.
If Wang Xiaoqiang had really escaped, he would have been responsible for the blunder.
"Yang Jian, you've come at the right time. Have you noticed that the sky is becoming odd, growing darker and darker, and it's not even night yet?" Sun Yi said as he walked over.
"I've noticed. If I'm not mistaken, it's very likely the brewing of a supernatural event... and judging from the current situation, this event seems to be affecting a rather extensive area," Yang Jian said with a grave nod.
If the supernatural event were to erupt, it would be more severe than the event at Huanggang Village.
The event at Huanggang Village only affected one village, but what's happening now is affecting an entire city.
"I've just received the latest news that Dachang City has been locked down. An emergency meeting is being convened above; the situation is more serious than we thought. Yang Jian, how about a temporary truce? Fighting amongst ourselves will only lead to a quicker death," said Zhao Kaiming, leaning on his cane and limping over.
He knew as soon as Wang Xiaoqiang was dealt with, either he or Ye Feng would be Yang Jian's next target.
This sudden supernatural event was an excellent opportunity for a temporary truce.
Yang Jian squinted at Zhao Kaiming, "You certainly know how to choose your moment. Are you scared because Wang Xiaoqiang is dead?"
Zhao Kaiming's offer of a truce wasn't because of the imminent supernatural event but because he was intimidated by Wang Xiaoqiang's death, spawning wariness in his heart.
"This could be a large-scale supernatural event; such events rarely happen in our country. Once it happens, it isn't just about a few dozen or a hundred casualties; an entire city could be doomed. You must have people you need to take care of, relatives, friends? Instead of wasting energy fighting those above, you might as well take care of your own first. I am very sincere," Zhao Kaiming said.
Just as Yang Jian was about to speak, his satellite locator phone rang.
"Hold on, I'm taking a call."
"Hello, who is this?"
Liu Xiaoyu's voice came through the phone, "Yang Jian, a very special supernatural event is happening in Dachang City, and the situation is extremely critical. From now on, we need to maintain 24-hour communication to stay in touch and exchange information at all times."
"There's no need to be on call all the time, I doubt you can handle it," Yang Jian replied.
Liu Xiaoyu then continued, "Also, Professor Wang hasn't managed to leave Dachang City in time for some reason and is now unable to get out. The city is currently in a state of isolation; nobody can enter from the outside, and no one can leave from the inside. Until our support arrives, we're hoping you can ensure Professor Wang's safety."
"He absolutely cannot die in this supernatural event."
Yang Jian said, "What does that have to do with me? I'm only responsible for dealing with supernatural events, not protecting people. If you're looking for someone to protect Wang Xiaoming, you should hire a bodyguard, not come to me."
"There's a reward for this mission," Liu Xiaoyu said.
"I'm not interested in money," Yang Jian replied.
"If you take on this task, you'll have the authority to mobilize all the gold reserves of the major banks in Dachang City. It doesn't matter to those above whether you use it for public or private purposes, as long as Professor Wang survives," Liu Xiaoyu said.
Yang Jian immediately asked, "Where is Wang Xiaoming now?"
"I will inform you of the specifics from my end. I hope you're mentally prepared," Liu Xiaoyu replied.
At that moment, Yang Jian turned to look at Zhao Kaiming beside him, then said, "Some are alive yet already dead, others are dead but their spirit lives on. Wang Xiaoqiang was right, smiles dissolve old resentments, and laughter erases grievances. We should indeed make a temporary truce in face of a catastrophe, for internal strife would only lead to mutual destruction."
"I hope we have the chance to cooperate in the future." He extended his hand.
"It's fine you've agreed to a temporary truce,"
Zhao Kaiming didn't shake hands; he didn't want Yang Jian to dislocate another one of his arms. He had also received the mission to protect Professor Wang.
It was a crisis and an opportunity.
To continue fighting internally would truly be unwise.