Chapter 22

Liu Xiaoyu immediately regretted losing her temper.

In the control room, a middle-aged man in uniform with a stern face immediately walked over and tapped the table in front of her: "Liu Xiaoyu, control your emotions. This is a special moment; don't bring your personal feelings into your work."

"Captain, but this guy clearly knows the situation and refuses to talk..." Liu Xiaoyu said.

"During special events, most people's mental states will be affected. You need to be understanding, tolerant, and even comforting. This is why most operators are women. If you can't handle this job, you can choose to resign," the middle-aged captain said firmly.

"Yes, Captain," Liu Xiaoyu said, lowering her head.

"Reflect on this and don't let it happen again. I'll take over this case, and you can observe," the middle-aged captain said.

"Hello, I'm Captain Zhao Jianguo, Liu Xiaoyu's superior. I apologize for Liu Xiaoyu's behavior; she is not mature enough in handling situations. I have already criticized her. However, I hope that you can remain firm in important matters and cooperate with our international police for the relevant investigation. If there are no issues, we can continue our conversation."

Zhao Jianguo's tone was steady, giving a sense of trust.

A captain?

On the bus, Yang Jian held his phone, his gaze flickering. This should be the highest-level personnel he could currently attract.

"I will tell you everything about Zhou Zheng, word for word, but in return, I want to know some things I should know," Yang Jian said. "Liu Xiaoyu's level is too low; she can't make decisions. That's why I didn't want to talk to her."

His voice was young, and although his methods were a bit naive, he was very smart.

Zhao Jianguo's expression changed, and he picked up a pencil to write down a note.

Name: Zhang Wei (to be confirmed)

Age: Twenty (estimated)

Personality: Although his methods are somewhat naive, he has a level of alertness and intelligence far beyond his peers.

"Alright, since you know about Zhou Zheng, you should also know about supernatural events. I can tell you some things, but please give me a brief overview of Zhou Zheng's situation," Zhao Jianguo said.

"Already said, Zhou Zheng is dead. He died around 8:30 PM last night at the fifth floor of Dachang City's Seventh High School, in the hallway. The cause of death... a vengeful ghost revived, and the ghost baby escaped," Yang Jian replied.

His words were concise, without any beating around the bush.

Zhao Jianguo was silent for a moment and continued, "So, the high school encountered a supernatural event that night?"

The ghost tamer died due to the revival of a vengeful ghost, which definitely involved the power of a vengeful ghost.

And the usual reason for using the power of a vengeful ghost is only one: an emergency special event.

"Yes," Yang Jian said.

"Can you elaborate?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

"Sure, at the time, I and the other students were in evening self-study..." Yang Jian began to recount the events of the previous day.

Zhao Jianguo gestured to Liu Xiaoyu: "Prepare a new vengeful ghost file."

Liu Xiaoyu quickly took notes, not using a computer but writing by hand.

"Ghost realm... the door-knocking sound that kills, the ghost in the stairwell and toilet, the door-knocking sound over the phone..." As each event was recorded, Zhao Jianguo's expression grew increasingly serious.

Yang Jian said, "That's the general sequence of events. Do you have any other questions, Detective?"

"It seems this young man still has some reservations and doesn't fully trust us, but that's understandable. Young people should be cautious and vigilant, but I still hope you will continue to cooperate with our investigation," Zhao Jianguo said.

"Can you tell me how you escaped the ghost realm? Once you're in, it's not easy to get out," Zhao Jianguo asked.

"Before I answer your question, can I ask one first?" Yang Jian said.

"Sure," Zhao Jianguo thought for a moment and said.

"What exactly are ghosts?" Yang Jian asked.

Zhao Jianguo said, "Laboratories around the world have conducted experiments. Some believe that 'ghosts' are just a special form of energy, like dark matter or some special particles, a form of existence that science has yet to study. Because people don't understand it, they can't analyze it, so they call it a 'ghost,' just like how ancient people saw wind, rain, and lightning as divine phenomena, which are actually normal natural phenomena."

"I want the truth."

Yang Jian said seriously, "I have another important piece of information about the old man that I haven't mentioned yet. I think we should exchange information."

Zhao Jianguo tapped the table and pondered for a moment, "Current scientific experiments cannot analyze the existence of 'ghosts.' Although scientists speculate that it might be a form of energy related to the soul, the mainstream view still leans towards idealism."

"What do you mean?" Yang Jian asked.

"Ghosts are ghosts, as the name suggests. Science might have been defeated, and materialism should be rewritten," Zhao Jianguo said.

Yang Jian's expression was particularly serious. He hoped that ghosts were just a form of unknown energy.

But unfortunately, that's not the case.

So, there really are ghosts.

"Can we continue our previous conversation?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

Yang Jian said, "The reason I could leave the ghost realm is simple: I became a ghost tamer."

"Indeed," Zhao Jianguo's gaze sharpened.

He had already guessed when Yang Jian left the ghost realm that he must have become a ghost tamer to escape.

"Do you have any more information about the old man that you're hiding?" Zhao Jianguo asked.

Yang Jian said, "I want to know more about vengeful ghosts."

Zhao Jianguo said, "Sure, I'll give you a special website where you can find relevant information. This website is jointly built by governments around the world and is highly confidential, accessible only to special personnel. You can log in using Zhou Zheng's identity information. I'll send you the process later."

"Alright."

Yang Jian said, "Since that's the case, I won't hide anything. The old man used the door-knocking sound to locate his victims and then killed them. The root of this is related to a post by a netizen called 'Lightning King.' You can investigate from there, but be careful with the door-knocking sound. It's a curse, and anyone who hears it will be targeted by the old man."

He then provided more details about 'Lightning King' and the forum's address.

"Alright, I've recorded it, and we'll send people to investigate."

Zhao Jianguo said, "Please keep Zhou Zheng's phone for now. This phone is specially designed to resist the influence of vengeful ghosts and can maintain its battery for a year. Unless in a particularly severe situation, it can always stay connected even during other supernatural events."

"Is that so? Thank you."

Yang Jian said, "But I've said everything I need to. I think we should end it here for now. We can contact each other later."

"Alright, your dedicated operator will be Liu Xiaoyu. I apologize on her behalf for the earlier incident," Zhao Jianguo said.

"It's fine, I have a bad temper," Yang Jian said and hung up the phone.

"Captain, Zhou Zheng's phone should be recovered. It contains a lot of important information and shouldn't be in someone else's possession according to the rules," Liu Xiaoyu said.

Zhao Jianguo tapped the table and said, "The situation is different now. This person has become a ghost tamer and should be treated specially. I see great potential in him and think he should be recruited into the international police, preferably under our Asian division. Liu Xiaoyu, this is your next task. You must closely follow him. Zhou Zheng, who was responsible for Dachang City's security, has already sacrificed himself. Dachang City is now without a new police officer, and the security situation is severe. Since he is a local, it would be best if he could take charge of Dachang City's security."

"But he just became a ghost tamer, can he handle it?" Liu Xiaoyu was surprised. "He hasn't been trained yet."

"I know, but he can start as a temporary worker. If necessary, he can be trained on the job. However, before he becomes a police officer, Dachang City should arrange for someone else to take over. I will report this. By the way, how is the file you were recording?"

"It's completed. After organizing, it can be archived. What's the code name?" Liu Xiaoyu looked at the dense handwriting.

"Code name: Door-Knocking Ghost. Terror level: A, Catastrophic."

Zhao Jianguo added, "When the archive room reviews it, say that I suggested it."

"Alright," Liu Xiaoyu was surprised.

A catastrophic-level vengeful ghost, another one for Asia.