Mysterious Awakening

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Yang Jian felt that headquarters was still being too cautious. Although many of the objects stored here had potential dangers and terrors, if properly utilized, they could provide ghost handlers with hope for survival.

Instead of worrying about losing control and being sealed here, it would be better to actively make use of them.

He had come into contact with the Ghost Mirror, Ghost Cabinet, and even the Ghost Rope and human skin paper. These dangerous items had brought him a lot of trouble and peril, but they also allowed him to survive up to this point.

If it weren’t for these supernatural items, Yang Jian would have died long ago.

However, headquarters seemed to have come to its senses now and decided to utilize these things, and Yang Jian seemed to have become the first beneficiary.

Of course, Yang Jian was well aware that Cao Yanhua’s initiative to allow him access to these things must have other motives. As for what those were, he didn’t care. As long as he could obtain some objects that could save his life, that was all that mattered. After all, only by staying alive did anything have meaning. If he died, everything would be in vain.

"Aren’t you afraid that one day someone will come and loot everything all at once if you put all the stuff together?" Suddenly, Yang Jian, who had been walking forward, asked.

Cao Yanhua countered, "With your ability, unimpeded, how many doors could you open and how many items could you take in the shortest time possible? With the response time of headquarters, within ten minutes this place would be completely sealed off, no one would be able to get out, including ghost handlers with access to the Ghost Domain."

Headquarters had deliberately placed each supernatural item in a separate room. If someone invaded this place and wanted to take the items inside, they would have to open one door at a time, taking one item at a time, which would be too inefficient. It would be good if they could take one item in five minutes.

By the time the intruder succeeded, headquarters would most likely have apprehended them.

Indeed, these security concerns were not for Yang Jian to worry about; there were people who considered these matters more comprehensively than he did.

"What is that?" Yang Jian pointed at a gold box inside a room.

He couldn’t see exactly what was inside it.

Cao Yanhua glanced over, "If I remember correctly, that room contains the Corpse Wrapping Cloth employed for wrapping corpses. However, it can be used on ghosts to completely suppress their movements. So far, there have been no failures, but it requires a bit of time."

"Something like the Ghost Rope?"

Yang Jian pondered for a moment, "But it seems rather underwhelming. Wrapping a powerful ghost takes time, but a ghost will not give you that time. While you are wrapping a ghost with the Corpse Wrapping Cloth, it’s likely already killed you several times over, wait... it seems there are some ghosts that don’t move much."

Suddenly, he remembered the tall, rotting corpse in Caesar Hotel in Z City.

That ghost held a rusty firewood knife, able to kill by stepping into a footprint, but its flaw was that it needed to stand still.

If he could wrap that corpse with the Corpse Wrapping Cloth in that time, might it be easily apprehended?

"I’ll continue to look around," Yang Jian thought to himself, but he did not choose the Corpse Wrapping Cloth.

There were few opportunities to use this item, and it was not even comparable to the Ghost Rope. Its only advantage was that it could exert absolute suppression, immobilizing any formidable ghost it wrapped.

Cao Yanhua said, "It doesn’t matter. There’s plenty of time for you to browse around here today, but only for today. This is an exception I’m making for you and also a reward from headquarters. So, you need to seize this opportunity. Should you miss this chance, there won’t be another one, and some items you might never be able to see again afterward."

In the face of Yang Jian, a meritorious servant, he was willing to spend some time and patience, having Wang Xiaoming and Old Qin accompany him.

Usually, they were very busy people who did not have the time to wander around aimlessly with just Yang Jian.

However, even the best treatment is fought for; no one gives special care without reason.

The Ghost Camera, Eight-Tone Music Box, Corpse Wrapping Cloth, human skin lantern, Corpse Banner... Yang Jian encountered many bizarre items. Although he was not interested in most of them, they broadened his horizons, letting him discover many inconceivable things and contributing to his growth.

Besides that, Yang Jian deeply felt the profound heritage of headquarters.

For a ghost handler, owning one supernatural item was already quite remarkable, but there were so many gathered here. He had to admit, the power of headquarters was indeed great, not something one or two inflated ghost handlers could contend with.

The reason headquarters usually seemed timid was probably just in the interest of the bigger picture.

If they really needed to deal with one or two disobedient ghost handlers, Yang Jian believed that headquarters could do it quite easily without relying on others. Merely relying on these eerie items stored here, most top ghost handlers would not be able to withstand it, because some items indeed were quite terrifying.

"This is..." Yang Jian’s gaze suddenly shifted, and he stopped in front of a small room’s door.

Through the glass window, he saw a door standing in the room inside.

It was an old wooden door.

The door was single-winged, painted red, and what caught the eye was the door was wrapped in chains. The chains were custom-made, forged from gold. It seemed that the people from headquarters did not wish for this door to be opened.

Yang Jian took notice of this door because its paint and style slightly resembled that of... the Ghost Cabinet.

"This is an extremely dangerous item."

Cao Yanhua immediately came over and said solemnly, "It’s named the Ghost Gate in the archives. Though it’s just a wooden door, fierce ghosts come out when it’s opened. The other side seems to be connected to a terrifying Ghost Domain. To confine it originally cost many lives. Hence, for safety concerns, it’s forbidden to apply for its use."

As if to prove Cao Yanhua’s words,

Yang Jian saw the old wooden door inside that room shaking violently. The doorknob was being twisted by something, as if there was something behind the door trying to open it and come out.

But the chains wrapped around the door were preventing it from opening, although it still occasionally cracked open due to the violent shaking.

Behind the narrow door gap was darkness and coldness, emitting a deep eeriness.

"Don’t worry, the ghosts will only come out if the door is fully opened. If it’s only a crack or halfway opened, the ghosts won’t come out, so even though it seems noisy at times, it’s actually very safe." Cao Yanhua said, "After seeing so much, have you decided what you want to take?"

"Continuing to look further isn’t very meaningful, because everything beyond this Ghost Gate is extremely dangerous. The potential uses are far outweighed by the risks they bring, and I believe you wouldn’t be too interested."

Feeling that it was about time, he wanted Yang Jian to make a decision.

If he took one item, that would be his personal reward.

If he took two items, it would mean Yang Jian had given up his position as team leader.

If he took three items, it would prove Yang Jian was willing to go through with the trade with Wang Xiaoming.

It was a free choice.

The headquarters had no intention of forcing anything, which also aligned with the proposition Wang Xiaoming had previously suggested, to offer substantial benefits.

Cao Yanhua had also raised the stakes to the maximum, allowing Yang Jian to freely choose from the numerous sealed paranormal artifacts. There was nothing more valuable than this, and if this couldn’t satisfy Yang Jian, then he had nothing more to say.

But when compared to securing a top ghost handler, none of these seemed to matter much.

"You have to give me some time to think it over, right? How about we stop here for today, and I’ll give you a response in a few days?" Yang Jian considered for a moment and then proposed.

When in doubt, think it over for a few days.

Cao Yanhua was slightly stunned, seemingly not expecting Yang Jian to delay his decision for a few days as his temperament would usually have led to an immediate decision.

"That’s fine, but you can’t come here personally next time. Once you’ve made your choice, I will arrange for someone to deliver the items to you."

"I don’t mind, but if you want me to give up the race for team leader, you’ll need to exchange something from headquarters," Yang Jian’s gaze flickered.

"What is it?"

Yang Jian stared intently at Cao Yanhua and said, "I want my Coffin Nail back. Back in Dachang City, I gave the Hungry Ghost to the headquarters, and I gave them the Coffin Nail as well. If the headquarters intends to deal with the Hungry Ghost, I must reclaim the Coffin Nail; it absolutely cannot fall into the hands of Jang Shangbai. This guy seems brainless, wishful thinking, believing that the Coffin Nail can resolve the Ghost Envoy issue, but his real purpose isn’t the Ghost Envoy at all, it’s for the Coffin Nail."

"Once the Coffin Nail lands in the hands of someone within the circle of friends, I’m really worried they will take me down."

"So, is that why you’re opposed to Jang Shangbai’s plan?" Cao Yanhua asked.

"Isn’t a matter concerning my life and death reason enough?" Yang Jian replied.

Cao Yanhua pondered and said, "If you’ve thought of this, so have I, which is why I’ve never agreed to Jang Shangbai’s plan. If it really comes down to choosing an executor for the plan, I would only pick Li Jun, not him. However, I can understand why you want the Coffin Nail back, since it was you who found it."

"But you’ve said before, the Hungry Ghost must not be disturbed, and reclaiming the Coffin Nail would carry certain risks."

Yang Jian replied, "The risk is for you to consider, not my business. The risks I’ve taken to fight for the team leader position are not small either. Surely you can’t expect me to just give up because of one word? Of course, headquarters can also decline, I don’t really care."

"You do have a point," Cao Yanhua nodded, not opposing Yang Jian’s perspective.

"Let’s put that aside for the moment as it requires some thought. What about the trade with Professor Wang, how are you considering that?"

With that, he abruptly shifted the conversation to the final topic.

The human skin paper?

Yang Jian’s expression became somewhat grave.

In his hands, this thing was a potential danger as well. However, at critical moments, the human skin paper could save one’s life.

And he also had the Ghost Cabinet in his possession. If these two items could complement each other, it would greatly aid his survival.

"I refuse," Yang Jian thought for a moment and decided that it was not yet time to let go of the item.

"Is that so? That’s a pity," Cao Yanhua lamented.

As expected, Yang Jian was not easy to negotiate with.

Wang Xiaoming, however, seemed to have anticipated this outcome and held up a finger, saying, "One Ghost Candle, let me have contact with it for half an hour. I don’t need to take possession of it, but I do need to understand what it really is."

Yang Jian looked at him closely.

What was this Wang Xiaoming scheming?

Dealing with someone so intelligent always meant guarding against being outmaneuvered.

"The red one?"

Yang Jian hesitated for a moment, but still felt the trade could proceed. Since he had already decided not to trade it away, there was no need to guard the secret so fiercely. Moreover, this secret was not so secret to Wang Xiaoming.

Given this, it would be better to satisfy his curiosity and gain some advantage in the process.

"Of course," Wang Xiaoming replied.

"Fine, half an hour it is," Yang Jian nodded in agreement.