Mysterious Awakening

Yang Jian and Wan Delu, among others, maintained a reasonably harmonious atmosphere at the dinner table.

Even though most of the time Wan Delu’s managers and the star-level beauties invited from nearby were finding ways to flatter Yang Jian and suck up to him, they would still occasionally inquire about some key information.

Of course, to Yang Jian, these inquiries seemed no different from making small talk.

It’s just how things are done at a dinner table, and Yang Jian didn’t mind sharing some information with them; after all, to those within the circle, such news was insignificant, only that those outside the circle were still in the dark, oblivious to everything.

Wan Delu showed great interest in buying shares of Yang Jian’s company. Perhaps in the eyes of this businessman, only when there is a financial cooperation can one be considered a partner or a familiar face; superficial interactions could not give him peace of mind.

And the star-level beauty next to him started to fawn over him even more frequently, not even needing Wan Delu’s cues to know what to do.

After truly understanding the horror and fear behind the truth of this world, who could remain calm?

However, while Yang Jian was dining, elsewhere,

At the top floor of Ping’an Tower.

"The general content of the conversation was as follows: Yang Jian’s attitude was very firm, and my public relations efforts failed; he refused to join our circle," Li Yao began, holding a report, "but he didn’t outright reject the idea. He said he might reconsider joining after he becomes the team leader."

"He also issued us a serious warning, saying if anyone from our circle attempts to exploit Gao Zhiqiang’s death, he’s willing to see it through to the end."

"Arrogant, but that’s very much in line with Yang Jian’s personality. The guy is just a stubborn youth. Threats are useless against him, since he became a Ghost Envoy at such a young age. It’s quite normal for him to be so full of himself, having not yet been brought down a peg by the harshness of society," Jang Shangbai said, showing no surprise upon hearing the report.

He nodded slightly, even thinking that the report matched pretty closely what he had anticipated.

"Did you talk to him about the twenty billion?" pondered the middle-aged man in the suit known as President Fei.

Li Yao replied, "I did. Yang Jian’s answer was: ’For people like us, money is no longer of use.’"

"So, he’s another one uninterested in money?" someone scoffed.

"I Have a Plan that will surely make Yang Jian willingly join our circle. Just listen to what I have to say..." the speaker was He Tianxiong, who, as usual, wasn’t the brightest bulb, always eager to offer a plan.

President Fei waved his hand, cutting him off; "Stop thinking about winning over this Yang Jian. He’s not a simpleton; he’s clever and decisive and won’t be easy to deal with. I promised him twenty billion not because I truly wished to ally with him, but to buy us time this month. Right now, with the Ghost Envoy incident and the team leader project at critical junctures, if we can just maintain stability for this period, we can ignore Yang Jian once everything settles down."

"If he had agreed, it would mean that we secured the greatest benefit at the lowest cost. Unfortunately, Yang Jian replied that he would consider joining the circle after becoming the team leader. This means he saw through my intention and didn’t fall for it. Such a young age, and he’s not tempted by twenty billion laid out before him; it’s clear he has a sober mind, with a good sense of what’s important."

Upon hearing this, Jang Shangbai’s face darkened, "So, him bringing up Gao Zhiqiang means he’s threatening us?"

"Not a threat; it’s better viewed as a determination for a fight to the death. By using Gao Zhiqiang as an example, he’s telling us that if we really come to blows, Gao Zhiqiang’s fate will be ours. There’s no such thing as a friendly contest with an easy out. Once lines are crossed, it’s an all-out war," President Fei explained, smiling slightly. "A smart move, not yielding or negotiating. Either our circle and Yang Jian live and let live, or we take each other down."

"You call that smart? I think it’s brainless."

"Isn’t it smart, though? Death by a thousand cuts might seem trivial, but by the time you realize it, you’re already slowly consumed. Rather than resisting after the awakening, it’s better to make your limits clear from the start," President Fei said.

"But I’ve finished probing; now we have two choices regarding Yang Jian. Either we leave him be to become the team leader, adding a new force to the mix, or we take him down before the team leader project begins to deter others, expand our circle’s influence, and prevent Yang Jian from becoming a stumbling block in the future. However, it’s a big deal; after all, he’s a top-tier Ghost Envoy who has dealt with an S-class supernatural event. Moving against him isn’t just talk; it requires a meticulous plan."

"I’ve said my piece, let’s vote with a show of hands. Those in favor of taking down Yang Jian, raise your hands."

With that, President Fei immediately raised his hand.

He saw Yang Jian as a threat, a madman. Rather than waiting for him to grow stronger and flip the table later, it was better to eliminate him now.

Also, Yang Jian’s death would be a guarantee for himself; if Yang Jian truly became uncontrollable later on, the actions he took today would surely not be left out of the reckoning.

"Why didn’t you just say so from the beginning? We still end up following my plan," He Tianxiong raised his hand without hesitation.

"I agree with taking down Yang Jian; he’s too much of a nuisance. This guy has already taken care of Gao Zhiqiang, which has greatly affected our future plans. We need to make a statement," another person raised their hand.

Soon, at the conference table, more than half of the ten or so attendees gradually raised their hands.

A few others were still hesitating and thinking.

"Jang Shangbai, what, you don’t agree?" At this moment, He Tianxiong glanced to the side, noticing that Jang Shangbai hadn’t raised his hand.

Jiang Shangbai spoke calmly, "I’ll tell you the truth," he began, "Yang Jian’s existence is just one among the many ghost handlers. Even if we take him down, there will be a second and a third Yang Jian to follow. It’s impossible for us to control the entire situation. Even headquarters can’t control everything. I’m not against taking down Yang Jian, but it’s meaningless."

"It’s like starting a fight for no reason. It only results in loss and doesn’t bring any real change."

"The purpose of Yang Jian becoming team leader is for Cao Yanhua to use him as a stumbling block against our circle of friends. Right now, the threat from Yang Jian isn’t significant, but he already has his own influence. You saw it at the meeting—Zong Shan, Feng Quan, Li Jun, and even Cao Yang support him. Once he becomes team leader, just by taking that position, others will flock to him, forming a powerful force. We indeed can’t control the grand scheme of things, but we must ensure that our circle remains the top ghost handler force in Asia before the team leader plan concludes."

"The advantage will eventually translate to survival rate, allowing us to live better in this dreadful world." President Fei said, "Jiang Shangbai, do you think this reason is sufficient?"

"Since that’s the case, I have no objections," Jiang Shangbai said.

This was a decision made by the circle of friends. Although he had some doubts, he could not interfere with such a major decision.

Yet he was still worried about whether they could successfully take down Yang Jian. Discover more stories at

That guy was currently the only one at headquarters who had survived two S-ranked supernatural events. Could someone like that really be as simple as he appeared on the surface?

Soon, the majority ruled, and they reached a conclusion regarding the handling of Yang Jian.

In the conference room, Li Yao was shocked by such a decision, but she remained composed on the outside.

"Have these people already decided to take down Yang Jian before the team leader plan starts?"

She felt at that moment that Yang Jian’s worries were justified. He had prepared her in advance to take preemptive action at the slightest sign of trouble.

"Since a decision has been made, then who will make the move?" Jiang Shangbai asked at this point.

"This matter requires secrecy and swift resolution. You can’t do it. The first to die in a face-to-face meeting will likely not be Yang Jian, but you. With Ghost Eye Yang Jian’s reputation at stake, we must take it seriously. I think President Fang himself should take action to ensure absolute certainty," President Fei spoke up.

At this moment, everyone looked towards the head of the conference table.

A man dressed in casual clothes and with a somewhat lazy demeanor was resting a foot on the chair, reclining with ease.

He was Fang Shiming, a top-ranking practitioner within the circle of friends and one of the earliest ghost handlers. Although he seemed to be in his thirties, his experience was even greater than Feng Quan’s, and in addition, he was personally in charge of a city.

"Oh, have we reached a conclusion already?" Everyone looked at him in silence for a moment before Fang Shiming finally slowly put his leg down and glanced at the group with a lackluster interest.

"President Fang, if you find this plan troublesome and disagree, we can consider changing the plan," President Fei said.

Fang Shiming glanced at him and replied, "No need to provoke me. Taking down a ghost handler doesn’t make a difference to me. The world isn’t ready to accept our kind yet. Yang Jian is indeed a bit too conspicuous. Since you’ve all agreed, let’s just take him down."

In his words, taking down Yang Jian seemed as trivial as getting rid of an ordinary person.

"We need an opportunity that doesn’t let Yang Jian die an obscure death; otherwise, headquarters will be suspicious of us," President Fei said.

He Tianxiong said, "I Have a Plan that could lure him back to Dachang City and assassinate him halfway."

Fang Shiming paid no attention to him and simply stated, "Let him die in the next supernatural event. Dead men tell no tales, and no one will know it was I who took out Yang Jian."

"It requires an opportunity."

"It won’t be too long. The talisman and Ghost Envoy incidents are a chance. Wang Xiaoming isn’t sure he can resolve both S-ranked supernatural events, and one is bound to get out of control. We just need a bit of guidance to drag Yang Jian into it," Fang Shiming spoke slowly.

"I’ll prepare the plan," President Fei said.

Fang Shiming warned, "If any errors occur this time, you’d better disappear."

"Understood," President Fei’s forehead beaded with cold sweat.

The person he feared most in this place was Fang Shiming. Despite his appearance of always being half-asleep, he could nearly control the entire circle of friends.

"I must hurry and inform Yang Jian of this news," Li Yao thought, anxious beyond measure.

She hadn’t expected that they would take Yang Jian so seriously. To take him down, they were engaging the top ghost handler in the circle of friends and even creating a plan for him to die in the next supernatural incident.