Mysterious Revival

This place was a suburb far from the city.

A seemingly newly built asphalt road ran down alongside the highway, all the way to the distant mountains, and nestled among those mountains was an institute resembling a base.

On the map, this place was marked as Ping'an Technology Research Base, registered as a legitimate research company.

In reality, this was merely a cover.

The weather today seemed to be rather poor, with the sky a dull overcast and a drizzle falling, turning the winter climate damp and cold—such weather rarely encouraged people to venture outside unless there was something important to do.

But just a moment ago.

On the deserted oil-slicked road, where not a single vehicle or pedestrian was in sight, suddenly there appeared a figure.

This person, alone, trudged through the persistent drizzle, seemingly determined to follow this road to its end.

Yet the figure on the road did not linger too long.

Within a blink, the figure vanished, leaving the road empty once more as if the presence before was nothing more than an illusion, never having appeared at all.

"Right here?"

Yang Jian now stood before the entrance to what was known as Ping'an Science Research Base. He slightly lifted his gaze to look inside, where numerous secrets were revealed under the scrutiny of a strange red line of sight.

But there were even more areas that could not be probed.

"I'll send you in first."

Yang Jian's gaze shifted, and he found a rather concealed spot that would not be easily discovered.

The next moment, a dark-skinned child flashed by his side and disappeared in the blink of an eye. When it reappeared, it was already standing in front of a window in a large building inside, curiously looking around as if searching for something of interest,

"Stay there and don't move."

He gave an order to the Ghost Child, instructing it to lay low and not show itself unless absolutely necessary.

Yang Jian then closed his Ghost Eye, causing the Ghost Domain that covered the area to disappear.

He thus appeared out of thin air before the eyes of the living, also showing up on nearby surveillance.

Without hesitation, he strode towards the interior of the research base.

The security personnel noticed Yang Jian's direct intrusion. They did not intervene but felt a sense of dread, promptly confirming his identity through the recognition system and then reporting it up the chain.

"Ghost Eye Yang Jian has arrived..."

The message spread.

Some people in the research base were stirred.

Before Yang Jian reached the first building, a person waiting for him had already appeared at the entrance.

It was a middle-aged man dressed in a black suit, with a cold face, dark skin, a pair of hollow and numb eyes, and a rigid body as if he were devoid of breath—a veritable corpse standing at the dim doorway. He seemed to lift his head slightly in anticipation of Yang Jian's arrival.

Ghost Envoy Wei Jing?

This must be his new code name, an anomaly among the Ghost Handlers. He didn't seem to control any ghosts because... he himself had become a ghost.

That strangely familiar Ghost Rope hung casually from the belt around Wei Jing's waist.

The old straw rope and the modern suit looked out of place with each other, yet the now reawakened terrifying Ghost Rope made no movement, perhaps suppressed by Wei Jing.

"I thought I would be received by Li Jun. It seems he's been busy since becoming captain, no longer acting as Wang Xiaoming's bodyguard. Have they switched to you now?" Yang Jian's eyes moved away from the darkened Ghost Rope as he spoke.

Wang Xiaoming was still treated very well.

For his safety, headquarters had actually arranged a Ghost Handler with a Ghost Domain for him.

The previous Li Jun, and now Wei Jing, were both able to utilize a Ghost Domain, a rarer type of Ghost Handler that could greatly increase a team's survival rate when included within.

"Ghost Eye... Yang Jian?"

Wei Jing's hollow and numb eyes moved slightly, his voice was cold and carried a weird rasp that living people couldn't produce.

"We have seen each other many times, but today seems to be the first time we truly meet. As a Ghost Handler, you are too dangerous. If you keep fooling around like this without restraint, there won't be a good outcome."

He was warning.

And he expressed dissatisfaction with what Yang Jian had been doing recently—this was Wei Jing's personal view and opinion.

Yang Jian said, "The real Ghost Envoy is still trapped in the Ghost Painting, yet you managed to break free from the Ghost Envoy event... Such anomalies are rare. Who knows if you are really Wei Jing, or perhaps a ghost that escaped from the Ghost Envoy. So, in terms of danger, you rank higher than me."

Although he was wary of this Wei Jing, he wasn't afraid.

Because Yang Jian didn't believe this Wei Jing could perfectly suppress other ghosts like the real Ghost Envoy could.

"Follow me."

Without speaking further, Wei Jing turned with a stiff gait and headed inside the building.

Yang Jian's gaze shifted, having already thoroughly understood the architecture here. Apart from many areas that remained unsearchable, a map of this place already existed in his mind.

Therefore, he didn't hesitate and followed Wei Jing directly.

There were no elevators in this research base building, as if to deliberately avoid interference from supernatural events, or perhaps to avoid complicating the structure of the building further, with a desire to keep it as streamlined as possible. As a result, floors were accessed solely by stairs.

The staircases were spacious and well-lit, not narrow, allowing for large numbers of people to evacuate in a short time without clogging the stairs.

Wei Jing led Yang Jian to the stairs heading down to the basement.

"Professor Wang is waiting for you in the lab on the fifth basement floor. The plan regarding the Eight-Tone Music Box curse has been prepared and is just waiting for your arrival," he said on the way, seemingly to prevent any misunderstanding.

Yang Jian looked at Wei Jing's back and asked, "How long can you maintain this state? Without truly controlling a real Ghost Envoy, there must be some kind of flaw. You can't exist like this forever."

"That's my business. You shouldn't ask," replied Wei Jing, his chilling voice echoing in the stairwell, expressing a strong aversion to Yang Jian's probing.

"Since you don't want to talk about that topic, let's drop it." Yang Jian barely lifted his head to look above.

His Ghost Domain couldn't infiltrate downward, meaning that every level had a barrier that could block the intrusion of supernatural powers, as well as the Ghost Domain itself.

The only way up and down was the stairs.

But there were several doors on the stairs of each floor, and once these doors were closed, each level could be sealed off individually, like a giant Gold box, locking in ghosts and other uncontrollable dreadful supernatural entities within, preventing them from spreading outside.

"Wang Xiaoming is waiting for me in the fifth-floor lab," Yang Jian thought to himself. "There are only five floors underground. It looks like he's got some ideas. He's preparing for the event that my vengeful ghost resurrects after my death, and also targeting me, creating an opportunity to perfectly suppress me, even to take me down."

The appearance of Wei Jing was a dangerous signal.

Yet, he had no choice but to come.

For the moment Yang Jian appeared at the Ping'an Technology Research Base, it meant he had no other way to deal with the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box except to find Wang Xiaoming.

And Wang Xiaoming had coincidentally made the arrangements, waiting for his arrival.

Soon.

Wei Jing and Yang Jian arrived at the lab on the fifth floor.

After pushing open three layers of sealed doors, and behind several layers of special glass walls, he saw several lab workers and one of them was Wang Xiaoming.

"Yang Jian has arrived," Wang Xiaoming said, turning slightly to look this way.

Dr. Chen at his side advised, "Please be extra careful this time. If things get out of control, the consequences will be unimaginable. It's not just about Yang Jian; there are other unidentified factors. You've done the research and should know that ghosts in supernatural events are much more complex than we imagine. We still know too little."

"It's okay. You and the others can temporarily evacuate this floor. Leave the rest to me," Wang Xiaoming said calmly.

"Since you've thought it through, then I won't say much."

Dr. Chen nodded and had the other assistants put down their work and leave with him.

Yang Jian walked over. He glanced at Dr. Chen and the others hastily departing, then his gaze shifted to Wang Xiaoming and he asked directly, "What's your plan for solving the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box? I want to hear the truth. Don't try to brush me off. I don't have much time."

Wang Xiaoming began, "The last couple of days, I took something from the body of Guo Fan, a spirit tablet. It is a very special thing, as touching it transfers the consciousness of the person into the tablet, while the ghost from inside the tablet replaces them. So, I'm going to use this method to transfer your consciousness."

"The specific execution plan is this: you need to first transfer your consciousness into the spirit tablet, then let another consciousness from the tablet replace you. The curse from the Eight-Tone Music Box should not enter the spirit tablet with you."

"The rules of two supernatural items will most likely clash; therefore, all you need to do next is wait for a period of time. After the curse from the Eight-Tone Music Box has erupted, I will bring your consciousness back to your body, thereby avoiding the curse from killing you."

He gave a brief explanation.

"Is that all?" Yang Jian's gaze swept across, and he quickly noticed a coffin in a partition, as well as the spirit tablet in front of it.

The coffin had no lid, and was pitch black inside, but he recognized it—it was a Ghost Coffin used to incubate Ghost Envoys.

"So what are you doing with the Ghost Coffin here?"

Wang Xiaoming explained, "Considering the possibility of a fierce ghost reviving while you are unconscious, your body will lie inside the Ghost Coffin. Utilizing the Ghost Coffin to suppress the ghost within your body is a precautionary measure. You should understand my approach."

"What if the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box transfers with my consciousness?" Yang Jian asked coldly.

"I'm sorry, but there's a high likelihood that you'll die; after all, everything carries a risk, especially when it involves a curse from a supernatural incident," Yang Jian bluntly stated, seemingly with no intent to withhold any information.

He asked further, "So, at that time, will my body be taken over by another consciousness? To you, it doesn't matter whether I live or die."

Wang Xiaoming nodded and said, "In principle, yes. You are an anomaly among spirit manipulators, and it would be too costly to sacrifice a top spirit manipulator because of the curse. I need to be fully prepared, and it's for the greater good. Whether you understand or not, I will proceed this way. If you object, there's still time to back out."

His tone was calm, but there was an unusual cruelty and indifference in his voice.

This was to maximize Yang Jian's value.

"Who occupies the spiritual position now?" Yang Jian asked without haste or anger.

Wang Xiaoming answered, "Previously, it was a ghost, now it's Guo Fan,"

"So, in this plan, either Guo Fan or I will survive, and the other will suffer the curse and die?" asked Yang Jian.

"Isn't that fair? He's betting his life and his spiritual position against the curse of the Eight-Tone Music Box engaging in a bet to see whether the curse will transfer to him or remain with you."

Wang Xiaoming revealed an indifferent smile.

"If the curse is stripped away, I will have Guo Fan die in your place. Otherwise, you will die, and your body will be taken over by Guo Fan."

Yang Jian replied with a cold smile, "That's very in keeping with your style, to so directly disclose your plan. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you right now? Do you really think having Wei Jing with you can stop me? I could take him down in ten seconds."

This time he was fully prepared, ready to unleash his full power. No spirit manipulator would be able to stand against him, not even Old Qin might survive.

Wang Xiaoming nodded and said, "I don't doubt you can do it, but it won't change the outcome. Even if Wei Jing and I both die here, you'll still carry out the plan as I've described. So what's the point in killing me and Wei Jing here? Just to blow off some steam?"

"Don't forget, you'll have to go on living after you survive. Killing me and Wei Jing, you'll probably be globally wanted, forced to flee everywhere. Such a price just to blow off steam doesn't seem wise."

Yang Jian's gaze flickered slightly as he observed him.

He was not surprised by Wang Xiaoming's almost cruel plan. Still, he believed that it couldn't be so straightforward since the plan very likely originated from the human skin manuscript. Therefore, there had to be an invisible trap within it.

A trap unseen to him.

Perhaps even Wang Xiaoming couldn't see the trap, but it was already there.

The trap would only become evident at the moment the plan was executed.

By then, it would be too late.

Following the plan, Yang Jian's consciousness would enter the spiritual position, and his body would be taken over by Guo Fan, which would truly leave him no control over his own fate.

"Will the trading rules of the Ghost Cabinet come into play at this time?" Suddenly, Yang Jian thought of this particular item.

To resist the invisible trap, he would have to rely on the seven-day trading rule of the Ghost Cabinet.

"You have time to consider, but it won't be much. You'll decide when to implement the plan, and of course, refusing is also an option," Wang Xiaoming said, not rushing, willing to wait a little while.

That time wouldn't be long, as the curse from the Eight-Tone Music Box continued, and the breakout period would probably be within the next twenty-four hours.