"Boss, could you weld this shut for me? Just seal it up, a rough job is fine," Yang Jian asked.
He had parked his car in front of an aluminum alloy doors and windows shop that was still open and had the owner weld the gold box shut.
As the boss welded, with the gold foil melting, to his shock, scarlet bloodstains emerged.
"What's this? It's bleeding?" exclaimed the boss.
"It's chicken blood, used for warding off evil," Yang Jian casually concocted a lie.
"I see," the boss replied.
Not asking any further, as long as he was getting paid, it was all that mattered to the boss.
"Indeed, if not sealed, the ghost's power would seep through... Fortunately, I have the Ghost Blood left by Yan Li to suppress it, but such suppression seems temporary. Once the fresh blood has drained, this ghost will definitely try to break out again. Only by welding the breach can I solve the problem once and for all," Yang Jian thought to himself.
Being cautious, he immediately had the box welded shut.
If he had delayed even slightly, he might have lost the ghost for nothing.
After paying, he retrieved the box and returned to his car.
"What is this thing? It seems so important, looks like it's gold..." inquired Jiang Yan, curious.
"Don't ask about things you shouldn't. This is very important to me," Yang Jian said.
Jiang Yan was a smart woman, and seeing how serious Yang Jian was, she wisely chose not to ask any more questions.
Soon, the car entered a residential area.
"Come on in, don't be shy. This is a studio apartment I rent, I usually live here alone. You're welcome to stay for a few days if you'd like," Jiang Yan offered.
"I won't be staying long, I will leave in a few days... Also, keep my matters confidential, it's in your best interest," Yang Jian said earnestly.
He was mostly worried about Jiang Yan leaking information about the gold box.
For now, that was the most precious thing.
"I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself at home," Yang Jian said.
"?" Jiang Yan was stunned.
Shouldn't that line be mine?
"Can I borrow your car then? I need to run out and get some things. I haven't had dinner yet," Jiang Yan said.
"Take it. I'm a bit hungry too. Just bring me back an egg fried rice; that'll be enough," Yang Jian responded.
"Okay, take your time with the shower. I'll be back soon," Jiang Yan giggled, taking the car keys and leaving.
Watching the woman leave, Yang Jian pondered for a moment and felt that her presence could be beneficial for the time being, and he had confirmed she wasn't a ghost.
Having someone to take care of his daily life would give him some peace of mind.
Of course, as an unspoken trade-off, he would look after Jiang Yan's safety, at least during the time they were staying together.
"Right, if gold can restrain ghosts, then the demand for gold would rise internationally, and the price would continue to climb... Yan Li had mentioned the sharp rise in gold prices. With over ten million in cash on hand that I don't need to use immediately, I could try my hand at trading gold. I'm not looking to make a fortune, just a million or two would be nice," he thought.
"Hmm, I can ask Jiang Yan about this later. She's an accountant; she should know about financial matters."
As he took his shower, Yang Jian looked at the welded-shut gold box before him and began to consider his next steps and plans.
"Yan Li arranging a buyer might take some time, but he mentioned a club that only ghost masters can join. It's necessary to inquire further about that."
"The situation with international ghost masters seems to be more complex than I thought... Following suppressing the resurrection of malevolent ghosts as a primary goal, the secondary purpose is to ascertain my stance and identity,"
"Am I to be an independent ghost master, join some kind of club, or willingly answer the call to become an international ghost master?"
Yang Jian's gaze flickered; "This decision is critical, but the actual choice will depend on understanding the respective risks and benefits, and only by comparing them can I make the right decision."
After thinking for a while,
he called the Asia division.
The operator was still Liu Xiaoyu.
"Hello, is this Yang Jian?" Liu Xiaoyu's voice was slightly awkward, seeming to be eating something.
"It's me," Yang Jian said.
"I've received your action report today. The team from Dachang City said you encountered a paranormal event at Furen Shopping Mall.... How are things now?"
While flipping through the incident reports, Liu Xiaoyu said, "Is there a new ghost?"
"Your information is quite swift; it took less than two hours to receive the news," Yang Jian replied.
"I haven't joined the headquarters yet, so I can't have an opinion on that. I've already resolved that paranormal event, so there's no need for you to worry. The main reason I called you is to understand what exactly an international ghost tamer is?"
After thinking for a moment, Liu Xiaoyu said, "From what I know, a ghost tamer is mainly responsible for handling a city's paranormal event management."
"You're asking about the benefits, aren't you?"
Liu Xiaoyu said, "The benefits for international ghost tamers vary across the country. In the Asia division, apart from the official benefits, there are also subsidies. A single paranormal event is... one million. The starting rate was two hundred thousand, but one million is the latest subsidy standard. Additionally, there's the right to make use of one hundred kilograms of Gold.
If you successfully detain and contain a ghost, in addition to being credited with a merit, the headquarters will reward ten million and increase the Gold allocation. The details of free housing and family care are local matters, so I won't go into that with you here."
"What about information?"
Yang Jian said, "Phantoms are appearing all over the world; don't tell me that the countries haven't researched and analyzed the existence of ghosts."
"That aspect is still in the experimental phase, I don't know too much, but what can be confirmed is that once any research results emerge, you will be among the first to know."
Indeed, the guess was correct; countries are researching this matter, but haven't made any breakthroughs and are still trying..... or perhaps they have had results, but haven't disclosed them.
However, the benefits of becoming an international ghost tamer are indeed good, although the money isn't a lot, it is enough to secure one's future.
Most importantly, the power and status of an international ghost tamer are very high.
"If I were to become an international ghost tamer, can you tell me about the duties and responsibilities?" Yang Jian asked.
Liu Xiaoyu replied, "If you are considering becoming an international ghost tamer, I can arrange for someone to meet with you and let you know everything you want to know. However, to become an official international ghost tamer, you must go through systematic training and a mental evaluation, which isn't easy."
"Especially the mental evaluation part is very important. I've asked you several times about your mental state because most of the time, those who control phantoms are subtly influenced by them. This influence is irreversible. Some people are so severely affected that they become mentally disturbed, breakdown, or even show tendencies towards self-destructive behavior."
"There are also individuals who can't handle the high mental stress and consequently develop mental disintegration, start to give up on themselves, and become complete lunatics."
"Are you suggesting that most ghost tamers are mentally unstable?" Yang Jian furrowed his brows.
Liu Xiaoyu replied, "No, you can't consider them abnormal. Perhaps in their eyes, we are the abnormal ones. They are just influenced by the phantoms. You can understand that, right? They themselves don't know they would turn out this way."
"Furthermore, the chat records between you and me will be sent to a specialized analyst for evaluation of your mental state. What can be affirmed is that your mental condition is very good, you're minimally influenced by the phantoms. That's why I hope you become a ghost tamer, to serve the country."
"Allow me to think about it. That's all for today's discussion, I'll contact you next time if there's anything," Yang Jian said.
After Yang Jian finished asking, he hung up the phone.
When Liu Xiaoyu heard Yang Jian hang up,
she stopped taking notes and frowned.
"Liu Xiaoyu, how is it going with Yang Jian? He has potential, don't give up on him. Keep close. It hasn't been long since he became a ghost tamer, and he's already successfully resolved a paranormal event. I've read the report; it's very good. He managed to contain a restricted-level ghost within half an hour.
Even experienced ghost tamers can't pull that off,"
"Although it's because of his cooperation with that ghost tamer named Yan Li, his contribution can't be denied," Captain Zhao Jianguo stated in a serious tone, walking over.
He held several photos in his hand, all captured by surveillance cameras, one of which showed Yang Jian welding that Gold box.
"Captain, he has already been in contact with other ghost tamers, and he might already be having doubts in his mind. It might not be easy for him to join the ghost tamers smoothly," Liu Xiaoyu said.
"But he doesn't dislike the ghost tamers, does he? After all, his life was saved by Zhou Zheng. He has a good impression of the ghost tamers. I can feel it. If it were someone else, they might outright curse or even want to strangle the call handler through the phone line. That frightened the call handler so much that the communication was immediately cut off," Zhao Jianguo chuckled.
Liu Xiaoyu said, "The captain makes a good point. I will secure Yang Jian and get him to join the international ghost tamers."
"Be mindful of the limits, particularly his mental state. The mental pressure of becoming a ghost tamer is immense, and when one learns they are close to death, it's easy to take the wrong path. You can't coerce Yang Jian with grand principles; you should start with a mutually beneficial cooperation. Things are fine as they are."
"He's not a ghost tamer but solved a paranormal event for the headquarters. If he doesn't pose a threat, this cooperative relationship can continue until he's willing to join the headquarters," Zhao Jianguo added.