Mysterious Revival

At the top floor of Shangtong Tower.

Yang Jian habitually stood before the enormous floor-to-ceiling window of his office, overlooking the modern metropolis below. His eyes flickered as if he were pondering over something.

"If I calculate the time, I have two days left on my deal with the Ghost Cabinet. If I really plan to accept Wang Xin's request and handle the Ghost Door Knocker incident, I can act for no more than one day. That's my protective timeframe."

"There's enough time. If I engage with the supernatural event, results can be seen within an hour or two."

He was still hesitating, after all, such a decision carried great risks. There was a very real possibility that a trip abroad could end in death, never to return.

"President Yang, I've made you a cup of coffee." Zhang Liqin walked in with a coffee cup in hand; she didn't have much to do and was always looking for ways to show her worth, unwilling to seem useless.

Yang Jian slightly snapped back to reality: "What time is it now?"

"It's three in the afternoon," replied Zhang Liqin.

Yang Jian nodded, then turned and walked over to his desk to sit down. After taking a sip of coffee, he said, "Oh, that's right. I almost forgot. When I came to the office today, it seemed like I didn't see Zhang Wei. Where did he go?"

Zhang Wei?

"I'm not too sure about that; I haven't paid much attention to Zhang Wei." Zhang Liqin gently shook her head.

They were not acquainted, so it was normal for her not to pay attention.

Yang Jian thought for a moment, then took out his phone to dial Zhang Wei's number. However, the call didn't go through as the phone was turned off. He checked his live broadcast room and saw that the last broadcast was five days ago, meaning he hadn't been streaming recently.

"Go downstairs and ask Jiang Yan, and Wang Bin, where Zhang Wei has gone. I'll invite him out for dinner tonight."

Zhang Liqin nodded and said, "Okay, I will go ask them."

After a while, she came back, accompanied by a man in his forties. He was Zhang Wei's father, Zhang Xiangu, a famous wealthy businessman in Dachang City.

"Uncle Zhang, what brings you here?" Yang Jian stood up, somewhat surprised.

Zhang Xiangu appeared to be in poor spirits as he said, "I didn't know you had returned. Zhang Liqin went to Wang Bin earlier, and it was Wang Bin who informed me. I need your help with something about Zhang Wei. And you're the only one who can help with this matter. I didn't reach out to you before because I didn't know you were back."

"Is something wrong with Zhang Wei?" Yang Jian frowned.

"No serious problem. He's fine, just under someone's control," Zhang Xiangu said with a grave face.

"Under someone's control?" Yang Jian felt bewildered.

Who would be interested in Zhang Wei nowadays?

"Did you file a police report?"

Zhang Xiangu shook his head slightly, "It's not very effective. There are too many missing persons these days. The police can't find much, and moreover, this matter is related to you."

"Related to me?" Yang Jian was puzzled.

"Do you remember a classmate named Sun Ren?" Zhang Xiangu asked.

"Sun Ren?"

Yang Jian recalled, "I have a vague memory of him. He was a high school classmate of Zhang Wei and me, in the same class. After the incident at school six months ago, only seven of us survived, and Sun Ren was one of them. However, we weren't very close, and we didn't interact much."

Back in school, classmates had their own cliques.

Wang Shanshan, Miao Xiaoshan, and the late Su Lei were part of the circle of goddesses with good study habits and beauty. He, Zhang Wei, and Zhao Lei were bona fide losers, while Sun Ren belonged to a different clique and didn't mingle with them.

"Zhang Wei went to meet with him a few days ago, and then he disappeared. All I can get are videos that show Zhang Wei is still alive," Zhang Xiangu said as he took out a mobile phone. "Sun Ren said if you returned, I should use this phone to contact him. He has something to say to you. I think he wants to reach you through the connection with Zhang Wei. As for the reason, I'm not sure."

"But no matter what, I hope Zhang Wei can return safely. Yang Jian, I hope you can help out. I will agree to any conditions you set."

"There's no need for conditions. This matter is tied to some past issues, and it concerns me. I will take responsibility and see it resolved. Uncle Zhang, you can rest assured, Zhang Wei will definitely return safely in a few days," Yang Jian said.

He hadn't expected that not seeing Zhang Wei for a few days meant he had gone to meet up, and now, problems had arisen.

"I'll see if I can get in touch with that guy, Sun Ren," Yang Jian took the mobile phone from Zhang Xiangu's hand. After turning it on, there was only one number stored in it.

He dialed the number.

Soon, the call was answered.

"President Zhang, I have made myself clear, unless Yang Jian comes to the phone, I won't say anything," a deep voice came through the phone, sounding nothing like Sun Ren of before.

Yang Jian spoke directly, "Sun Ren, it's me, Yang Jian. Where is Zhang Wei?"

"Yang Jian? Heh, it's really you. Getting in touch with you wasn't easy at all. Without pulling some strings, I wouldn't even have been able to enter your residential complex. Seems like you have been doing quite well. Zhang Wei is indeed with me, eating well, living well, just that his freedom is somewhat restricted," Sun Ren chuckled, but his emotions seemed a bit abnormal.

"Zhang Wei specifically went to find you to hang out, and this is how you treat your classmate? Do you even know what you're doing?" Yang Jian's voice turned cold.

Sun Ren replied, "Honestly, if I weren't driven to desperation, I wouldn't want to deal with you either. After all, you've been a ghost manipulator for half a year now. I have no idea how dangerous that is, so I had no choice but to bother Zhang Wei. Don't blame me, I need to take some risks to survive better."

"It looks like you've been through some things and know quite a bit, had I known you would turn out like this, you should have died back at school," Yang Jian said.

It seemed that not all of the classmates he had saved back then turned out normal, occasionally there would be one or two scumbags among them.

"It's too late for anything now, Yang Jian. I don't want to waste words with you. I can let Zhang Wei go, since he's not actually my target anyway, but I have a condition," Sun Ren stated.

"Speak," Yang Jian said, his expression calm.

Sun Ren said, "Heh, I need a ghost, a confined ghost."

Yang Jian frowned, as expected, this guy was starting to get involved in the supernatural circle, not targeting Zhang Wei for money, but using Zhang Wei to get to him. It seemed that the Ghost Door Knocker incident had a big impact on him, otherwise, he wouldn't have become interested in supernatural events.

That thing can be terrifying and deadly.

"Does this guy want to become a ghost manipulator on his own initiative? Or has he already become one..."

"You're playing with fire, Sun Ren. You should stop now while you still can, in consideration of our classmateship. That thing is not something you can touch," Yang Jian said gravely.

Sun Ren's voice continued to resound through the phone; "What I want to do is none of your business. Just give me a straight answer. Either agree to my terms, or get ready to collect Zhang Wei's corpse. I'm already down on my luck, so it doesn't matter to me anymore."

"You have indeed changed a lot," Yang Jian discerned madness in Sun Ren's voice.

The guy had gone to an extreme, becoming indifferent to his own life or death, which showed he must have been through a great deal of shock.

"People change, don't they? You're no exception," said Sun Ren.

Yang Jian said in a deep voice, "Fine, I agree to your term, a ghost, right? I'll give you one, but I want to video chat with Zhang Wei."

"You're as straightforward as ever, no problem. Give me a few minutes," Sun Ren said and then hung up the phone.

Yang Jian looked at the disconnected phone and then turned to say, "Uncle Zhang, go to the safe house. There are two golden chests inside, bring one over, and be careful not to break it. It contains an unknown ghost, and also, don't mess with anything inside, it's very dangerous."

"Okay, I'll take care of it right away," Zhang Xiangu took a deep breath and immediately turned to leave.

"Go and tell Zhang Hua to come over, tell him there's work to be done," Yang Jian continued.

Zhang Liqin nodded her head and immediately left the office as well.

An old, rented room in a small city.

Zhang Wei was locked in a small room with its iron door welded shut and windows sealed. The only thing above his head was a dim, yellowing light bulb, casting a hazy glow.

"Zhang Wei, you'll almost be free. I just got in touch with Yang Jian, he has agreed to my demands. Heh, Yang Jian is really a good friend; it was right to catch you after all."

At that moment, a haggard-looking young man with an unpleasant face came over with a mobile phone in hand.

Sun Ren patted the iron door and said, "I told you your Gun Trembling Technique was fake, fake, and you're still practicing it? Come over quickly, Yang Jian wants to video chat with you."

In the room, Zhang Wei stood there, calm and collected, twisting into strange poses.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Wei immediately stopped his movements, kept his mouth shut, and wordlessly walked over.

Sun Ren said, "Just wait a moment, I'll get in touch with him…"

But before he could finish, Zhang Wei suddenly leaned forward and spat at Sun Ren's face, a thick gob of phlegm hitting him squarely, then immediately flipped him the middle finger: "Damn you, Sun Ren, daring to deceive me; I'll spit you to death with my phlegm."

Sun Ren wiped his face, feeling as if a bucket of water had been poured on him, "Where'd you get all that saliva from?"

"Saved it up for half an hour, just for this moment," Zhang Wei said with a cold laugh.

"You really are very patient."

Sun Ren stared at him intently, then connected the video call and pointed the camera at his face, "You have a maximum of two minutes to talk."

As the video connected, Yang Jian's image came through.

"Yo, Brother Tui, had your meal?" Zhang Wei immediately greeted him.

Yang Jian said, "How did you fall into Sun Ren's hands? Where's your tool? Why didn't you just shoot this guy?"

"Don't even mention it, I fell for this bastard's trick."

Zhang Wei cursed, "He invited me to dinner, drugged my drink, and by the time I woke up it was like this. I still don't know what's going on, and my ass still hurts."

"That's probably the outcome of meeting up in person, I guess."

Yang Jian said, "I just had a talk with Sun Ren, and he will let you go. Your dad is waiting at home for you. Don't run around for no reason in the future. If you want to meet with someone, have them come to Dachang City. This is my turf, what I say goes. I can't control what happens elsewhere."

"Makes sense. Poor my female fans, haven't been live streaming for several days now. They must have thrown themselves into someone else's arms by now. There was even an actress who tipped me last time. I'll arrange to meet her in Dachang City next time," Zhang Wei lamented, with no realization that he was in captivity.

"Oh right, I left a gift for you in the computer room, inside your computer. Be careful not to let Jiang Yan find it. She often goes through your computer," Zhang Wei added with a wicked chuckle.

"..." Yang Jian didn't know what to say.

"There aren't many people as remarkable as you these days."

"Enough, are you two chatting here?" Sun Ren immediately took the phone away, then looked at Yang Jian, "That's it. I'll send the address, and after you deliver the item, I'll come to pick it up. Don't pull any stunts, or else I'll kill Zhang Wei."

"Don't worry, I won't play games. I'm too busy on my end to waste time on you. Consider the captive ghost a gift from me. But next time we meet, you better be careful," Yang Jian said calmly.

Sun Ren smiled, "We'll talk about that when we meet next."

After saying that, he hung up the video call.

"That's pretty much the situation, Zang Hua. Arrange for someone on your end to help me take a trip," Yang Jian said, expressionless as he put down the phone.

Zang Hua, who hadn't been there long, pondered, "No problem, I'll head back right away to pull up Sun Ren's files, then track his location. I can get it done within a day."

"No need. Complete the transaction with him first, and once you've confirmed Zhang Wei's safe return, then issue a wanted order. Once you find Sun Ren's people, kill them immediately. Don't try to capture them. He's involved in supernatural events and is a dangerous person, not a simple offender anymore," Yang Jian looked at him and said.

"You understand what I mean, right?"

"Okay, I know what to do," Zang Hua said, having no objections to Yang Jian's arrangements.

Involvement in such matters indeed required serious attention.

"Good, go check out this Sun Ren. I'm leaving the matter in your hands. As for the item, President Zhang will deliver it shortly. I hope to hear news of Sun Ren's death in a few days," Yang Jian said.

Zang Hua nodded gravely.

This was his first assignment. If he didn't handle it well, it would be tough for him to stay in the company.

In a certain small city.

After much deliberation, Sun Ren quickly sent an address over. Although he knew that it might lead to retaliation from Yang Jian, he couldn't worry about that now.

Having done all this, he turned off his phone and threw it away, then tiredly threw himself onto the bed.

He was undergoing a terrifying torment. Sun Ren had tried to enter the supernatural circle to find a solution, but since he wasn't a ghost master, no one cared, and he never managed to contact those truly inside the circle.

He had thought about asking Yang Jian for help.

But he nearly lost his life there... After that, he had a change of heart.

People still have to rely on themselves.

Sun Ren slightly raised his hand. Several fingers were missing from his hand, as if something had bit them off alive.

As he was lost in his wild thoughts, he began to drift off to sleep, drowsy and half-conscious.

However, just as he was about to fall asleep, the door to his room eerily opened on its own without any wind, with a creaking sound.

A ghastly pale figure seemed to walk in from outside the door.

It was a cold, pale corpse, and judging from its physique, it appeared to be the body of a woman. The corpse seemed to appear out of thin air, with no warning at all.

The female corpse came to the side of Sun Ren's bed, then collapsed heavily next to him, her frigid, stiff arm landing on Sun Ren's body.

Sun Ren felt like he was suffocating, overwhelmed by a chilling cold. He could even feel the dead person's hair tangled between his fingers, the sensation was crystal clear.

Suddenly,

he opened his eyes, sitting up in a fright from his bed.

There was only him in the brightly lit room, nothing pressing down on him, no hazy pale corpse, no hair entwined around his hand—everything seemed like it had been a nightmare.

But then, Sun Ren glanced at the previously locked door, and his heart turned cold.

All five or six door locks were broken, and the door was ajar, as if something had just walked into his room.

The female corpse was not a nightmare.

"Damn it, it's happening again, it's getting closer to me... Just now, I clearly felt that hand pressing on my body, before it was just standing at the head of my bed," Sun Ren's palms trembled as he recalled the terrifying incident from before.

It was during one of his sleeps when he vaguely opened his eyes and saw a ghastly pale female corpse standing at the head of his bed, staring at him eerily, a sight that had left him completely horrified.

But in the next blink, the female corpse vanished.

He suspected it was a hallucination, but the nightmare persisted. In order to prove that his experiences weren't dreams, he even installed cameras.

The result was despairing. His camera hadn't captured any ghosts, but it did record his room door being opened on its own at certain times, as if at that moment the ghost had already walked into his room, just invisible.

After watching the video, Sun Ren understood that he was being watched by a ghost.

It was like the incident he had experienced back in No. 7 Middle School, except this time it was a different ghost, no longer an old man but a female corpse.

Since then, he dared not sleep anymore, because every time he woke up, the female corpse would come.

Getting closer each time.

This time it had already appeared next to his pillow... If this continued, Sun Ren felt certain he would be doomed.

Becoming a ghost controller and driving that ghost away was the only way for Sun Ren to survive.

He dared not sleep any longer.

Sun Ren hastily got up and went to the bathroom to wash his face, to calm himself down,

"Sun Ren, did you have another nightmare? Tell me, was the female corpse pretty? Did she have a good figure? If you don't want her, let me have her. I can handle it," Zhang Wei immediately asked as Sun Ren passed by another room.

In the few days he had been locked up, Sun Ren had somewhat relaxed around Zhang Wei and roughly explained his situation,

"Shut up, Zhang Wei."

Sun Ren, just awakened in fright, was in a terrible mood and ignored Zhang Wei as he left on his own.

"I can handle it, I really can..." Zhang Wei continued to shout.

Sun Ren felt this mockery from Zhang Wei was deadly, stirring in him an urge to kill.

"I almost forgot just now, I should talk to Brother Tui about this. Maybe he's interested," Zhang Wei began to ponder.

"Wait, Sun Ren, don't go. I just thought of something. According to Brother Tui's rules, we've got to give code names to paranormal incidents. I've just come up with one for you, let's call it 'Sleep Paralysis.' How about that? I'm really envious of you, always encountering female ghosts instead of some monsters like what Brother Tui and I get."