At this moment, a strange scene unfolded in the shopping mall.
A group of successful adults were lying on the floor at this time, pushing against the ground with their feet, sliding backward like caterpillars, with occasional expressions of unusual pleasure on their faces.
"It really works; those ghosts seem not to see us, they are all standing there motionless," Boss Tang said excitedly.
They had slid from the fifth floor down to the fourth.
They had passed the most dangerous area.
If all went well, they would soon be able to leave this place.
"Manager Li, how come you're sliding so fast? You've made it to the third floor already?" Boss Tang exclaimed after a glance.
Manager Li continued to slide backward, saying, "I wasn't used to it before, but now that I am, I feel I can slide even faster. Maybe your movements aren't standard enough, Boss? Look at how I do it, isn't it smooth and effortless?"
"Wait for me, don't leave me behind," Master Luo said anxiously.
His somewhat overweight body was slow to move and he fell behind.
Yang Jian followed behind, watching them all imitate caterpillars as they slid from the fifth floor down, and couldn't help but laugh.
At this time, no one dared to say his laughter was out of place.
Without Yang Jian's method, they would never have been able to escape so smoothly.
Even if this method of escape was somewhat shameful for adults.
"Hey, Jiang Yan, how are things on your end?" Yang Jian said into the walkie-talkie.
"I—I'm okay here, I'm about to find the old surveillance footage, and soon I'll be able to locate that ghost's real position... The ghost first appeared on the fifth floor, and the first victim was harmed there," Jiang Yan said nervously; "You all aren't leaving me here by myself, are you?"
"I'm getting these idiot teammates out first, then coming back for you. Don't worry, as long as you don't run around, nothing will happen. Keep the communication open, and call me immediately if there's danger," Yang Jian said.
"Okay, okay," Jiang Yan replied, afraid Yang Jian would leave her behind.
She breathed a sigh of relief after hearing his words.
Several official vehicles were parked at the entrance of the mall and isolation belts had been put up, marking out a police cordon.
The entire area was sealed off.
"What's the situation with the mall?"
The man in charge of the case, Liu Jianming, was the precinct's captain. He looked tired and his brow was furrowed as he stared at the now closed mall.
An officer said, "Captain Liu, we received a report earlier saying there was a murderer here, possibly connected to the previous disappearance case in the mall. But according to the neighboring shop owners, about an hour ago, the mall's owner, Tang'an, invited a Feng Shui master to check the place and perform a ritual, intentionally locking down the entire mall...
the current situation inside is still unknown."
Liu Jianming said, "If it really is the work of a killer, then good. Prepare to break the lock and the door to rescue the trapped people."
Immediately, the personnel outside began to take action, forcibly opening the lock of the mall's main gate with their tools.
Soon, the mall's lock was broken.
The doors quickly opened.
As soon as the door opened, a putrid stench of decay hit them, almost making those close enough vomit on the spot.
Captain Liu's expression subtly changed.
Having dealt with various cases over the years and seen many bodies, he recognized the smell instantly.
It was... the stench of a corpse.
"Everyone be careful, don't go in yet," he said.
Captain Liu had a vague feeling that the disappearance case at the mall was not so simple; it's just that during the previous investigation, due to the lack of evidence, the mall could only be temporarily sealed off.
But it wasn't much longer.
That the people outside of the mall were stunned for a moment.
From the dim interior of the mall, they saw a man in a suit lying on the ground, his face showing an excited joy as he slid quickly towards the door like a caterpillar.
What was this operation?
No, it wasn't just one person sliding across the ground .
Following him were the mall's owner Tang'an, Feng Shui Master Luo, and several surviving mall employees, connecting like a human chain, one after another, forming a line that slid from the upper floors of the mall, each of them kicking vigorously, their actions as trained and orderly as if timed.
"Don't approach yet, let them get out of the mall safely before rescuing them, everyone else be careful of sudden situations," Liu instructed.
When Manager Li saw the mall doors open and that outside was already filled with case officers, he felt like he had seen a savior, his excitement nearly bringing him to tears, and he slid even faster, faster than a normal person could walk.
Finally, he had made it out alive from that terrible mall.
"It's wonderful, I'm not dead, I survived," Manager Li felt an unprecedented surge of excitement and joy in his life.
"Liu, what, what's going on?" someone asked, dumbfounded by the spectacle.
Liu replied with a complex expression, "Not sure, let's ask about the situation first."
"Don't, don't pull me up, I can still slide, I want to slide a bit further before I get up," Manager Li refused to stand and insisted on sliding past the police line before daring to get up.
Seeing these people successfully escape, Yang Jian's mission was accomplished.
He had earned the money smoothly.
"Yang Jian, now that the mall situation is resolved, with your abilities, if we work together, we'll definitely have a high success rate of capturing that ghost. Want to team up?" After Yang Jian walked out, Yan Li, who had just slid out of the mall, immediately stood up and made the offer.
Team up to capture ghosts?
Yang Jian said, "Isn't living well enough? Why go after ghosts?"
"My main purpose here is to catch a ghost. I estimated that the mall's ghost was at most Terror Level, not too high. If we could successfully capture it..." Yan Li said.
"But my abilities alone are limited; with you included, we'll have a significant chance," Yan Li added.
"What's in it for me?" asked Yang Jian.
Yan Li whispered, "Underground Market, a captured ghost is worth at least a hundred million. Large companies, financial consortia, and even national departments discreetly purchase them. If the level is high, the price increases. We ghost handlers don't live long, you know that. If we succeed in this business, even in death, there will be enough money left for our families."
Yang Jian shook his head, "Money is endless, I don't need to risk capturing ghosts for that hundred million. Besides, I've already earned enough today for my family."
"And if we truly go for the ghost, we'll inevitably need to use the Evil Ghost's power. You know what that means. I also think you've used enough of the Evil Ghost's power today, one more time and... I worry your ghost might break free," he cautioned Yan Li.
"I'm well aware of my situation; it's not a problem to handle this task. And don't you want to know the way for a ghost handler to survive? Are you content to do nothing and wait for death?" Yan Li pressed.
Those words struck a chord in Yang Jian's heart.
"Catching a ghost not only translates to money but can also be exchanged for valuable information. Actually, the method for ghost handlers to survive has been researched and someone in Dachang City has succeeded...
they've lived for over half a year without any issues, and they even used the Evil Ghost's power more than once, it seems like they've found a way to control an Evil Ghost's rebirth," Yan Li hesitated, then shared this piece of information.
Without revealing this, he probably wouldn't be able to persuade Yang Jian.
"Really?" Yang Jian's heart stirred slightly, indeed intrigued.
He recalled the words written on that piece of human skin.
The method to control Evil Ghosts will be revealed in three months.
But under his circumstances, his chances of living another three months were slim.
Therefore, he must master the method to control Evil Ghosts ahead of time, he couldn't wait for the announcement in three months,
He couldn't even wait for a month.
Yang Jian dared not gamble his life on future uncertainties.
Who knows what the future holds, the words on that piece of human skin weren't trustworthy either.
"Think about it carefully, make a decision quickly while the ghost is still here in the mall without any changes. Once the ghost leaves this mall, finding another one that we understand the patterns of and isn't too terrible will be difficult," said Yan Li.
"Give me one minute to think," Yang Jian replied.
He didn't agree or refuse outright; he needed to weigh his options.
However, as he was deliberating, Manager Li came over with a few case officers.
"It's this security guard; he was extorting and blackmailing me inside the mall, I have the transfer records on my phone, it's all the evidence..." Manager Li angrily pointed at Yang Jian and reported the earlier transfer as extortion.
Accusing Yang Jian of extortion.
"Young man, there's a case we need your cooperation in investigating," one of the officers said in an official manner.
"Hmm?" Yang Jian turned to look at Manager Li.
You, a mere caterpillar, want to cause trouble?