Chapter 32

Yang Jian tormented the unscrupulous merchant for over an hour.

He almost drove the dog merchant to the brink of collapse.

Finally, he returned to the mobile phone repair shop and took out the phone that had been stuffed into the merchant's head.

Holding the merchant by the collar, Yang Jian said coldly, "You must have done this kind of phone-switching trick many times. Who knows how much money you've swindled from others. Let me tell you, I can do business with you like a normal person, but I can also be ten times more evil than you, making you regret it. I'll be passing by here often. If I see you doing this again, next time I won't just stuff a phone into your head."

"Big, big brother, I won't dare to do it again, I won't dare to," the merchant was terrified, trembling as he spoke.

"People like you, who have no conscience for the sake of money, are very arrogant when they're not caught. You even accused me of selling fake goods. Do you think an apology will be enough when you fall into my hands? That would be too cheap for you. The cost of deceiving others is so low, no wonder there are so many unscrupulous merchants. Today, I'll make you pay to avoid disaster and learn a lesson. Be careful next time, or your life might be at risk."

Yang Jian gave him a serious warning and then left.

Of course, he also had an extra 100,000 yuan in his hand. He had squeezed every last bit out of the merchant. Any more, and the merchant probably wouldn't have been able to pay, given that he had already taken out online loans.

Although his methods were dishonorable,

it didn't matter anymore.

He would be the evil one himself, since he had already become a being that was neither human nor ghost. He wouldn't live long if he couldn't find that ghost.

"Before I die, I need to earn enough money for my mother to live on. It doesn't matter if my methods are despicable. What should my mother do if I die? Her health isn't good either..." Yang Jian lowered his head, a sad expression on his face.

"It's a pity there are no rewards for supernatural events in the country. Otherwise, I could take the risk and earn a few million or even tens of millions of dollars."

He wandered aimlessly on the street, looking for opportunities to make money.

Finally, he stopped in front of a utility pole.

The pole was covered with all kinds of advertisements.

"High reward for a child, 2 million yuan."

"Wu Jiajia, you bitch, how dare you cheat on me, I'll kill your whole family."

"Nothing to do, just want to post an ad."

"What to do if a man can't get it up?"

Yang Jian turned around and suddenly saw a half-torn advertisement.

It read: "High reward for a master to perform rituals, exorcise evil... 1 million yuan if effective."

Below was a phone number and an address.

Yang Jian hesitated for a moment: "Should I try it?"

It could be a scam, but it could also be a real case where a boss had encountered a supernatural event and was looking for a master to solve it. Otherwise, the reward wouldn't be so high.

"After all, it's over a million yuan. If I can really earn it, it would be half the money I need to leave for my mother to live on." Yang Jian thought for a moment and decided to go there first to see if it was real before calling.

If it was a scam, he wouldn't waste his time.

He immediately hailed a taxi and headed to the address on the ad.

On a bustling main road, surrounded by residential complexes and a large shopping mall, there were many people.

The address was for this mall.

Yang Jian paid the taxi driver and got out, looking around the mall.

There was a police cordon outside that hadn't been removed yet, indicating that something had happened recently. The mall was deserted, with no customers and most of the lights off, suggesting it was out of business.

Yang Jian walked over and saw several job advertisements at the entrance, offering salaries of 6,000 yuan per month with room and board.

"From the surface, it does look like something happened, but I don't know if it's a supernatural event."

Without much thought, he entered the mall.

As soon as he went in, his expression changed slightly.

A faint, peculiar odor wafted through the air, very light but distinct. He had smelled it a few days ago at school.

This was... the smell of a decaying corpse.

His eyes flickered as he looked deeper into the mall.

Except for the lit area near the entrance, the rest of the mall was dark and gloomy, making it feel oppressive.

He had a vague feeling that something was watching him from the dark depths of the mall.

"Tap, tap, tap!"

Suddenly, crisp footsteps echoed in the darkness ahead, reverberating through the empty mall.

A dark figure approached from a distance, gradually coming closer.

Yang Jian tensed up, holding his breath. Was that... a ghost?

It got closer and closer.

Coming straight toward him without hesitation.

"Sorry, the mall is closed for renovation these days. If you want to buy something, you can go to the small supermarket up ahead."

A thin young man in a security uniform emerged from the darkness.

"Huh? Why are you staring at me like that?" The young security guard looked at Yang Jian with confusion.

"..." Yang Jian paused and said, "Brother, where were you just now?"

"I went to the bathroom. What's the problem?" The young security guard asked.

"Why didn't you turn on the lights in the bathroom?"

The young security guard said, "Electricity is expensive, and the boss doesn't allow it. If you have nothing to do, please leave quickly. The mall is not in business. If someone comes in, it will cause me trouble. Last time, a child came in, and I almost lost my job after searching for a long time."

Yang Jian said, "I'm not here to buy anything. I'm here to find your boss."

"The boss is not here today," the young security guard said.

"When will he be back?" Yang Jian asked.

"The boss is on a business trip and will be back in two days," the young security guard said. "Why are you asking so much? Are you here to cause trouble?"

Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "No, I'm here to apply for a job."

Apply for a job?

The young security guard looked at Yang Jian and said, "Do you know that there was a missing person case in this mall? Someone disappeared and hasn't been found."

"I didn't know before, but I know now," Yang Jian said.

"Are you still brave enough to apply?"

"Why wouldn't I be with such a high salary? It's just a missing person, not a ghost," Yang Jian said.

The young security guard said, "Follow me, I'll take you to Sister Li, who is in charge of hiring."

Yang Jian followed him.

In a small shop in the mall, four or five employees were sitting on sofas, some watching TV, some playing on their phones, all looking bored.

"Sister Li, someone is here to apply for a job," the young security guard said.

A middle-aged woman in a work uniform looked up and smiled, "The mall will be reopening soon, and we are currently short of staff. The hiring requirements are quite relaxed, with no educational or experience requirements. The salary is 6,000 yuan per month, with room and board. However, the working hours are a bit long. If there are no issues, when can you start?"

Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, "Today."

"The probationary period is three days. We have positions for reception, procurement, cashier, security... all of which are open."

Sister Li mentioned some requirements and working hours.

Yang Jian wasn't paying much attention. He had a different intention. He wasn't there for a job but to meet the boss and earn a fee.

"I don't have much work experience, so I'll apply for the security position. By the way, I saw someone posting an advertisement outside, saying the boss is hiring a master or a Taoist to exorcise evil and perform rituals. Is that true?"

Sister Li's smile faded, "Yes, that's true, but it's not related to you. As a new employee, introduce yourself first, so everyone can get to know you."

She seemed to be deliberately avoiding the topic.

Yang Jian felt that there was indeed something wrong with this mall.