Chapter 43

Because Master Luo was performing a ritual, the entire mall was closed, including the emergency exits.

It was truly unknown how this young man named Yan Li appeared in the mall; he had not been seen during the previous patrol.

Could he have been there all along?

Was the person he had sensed in the mall over the past two days him?

Yang Jian sized up this man named Yan Li, his mind racing with thoughts.

But... how to explain the already decaying corpse, which he had also not found during the previous patrol?

Moreover, the cut on the corpse’s neck was clean and flat, a wound that could only be made by a milling machine in a factory. Strangely, no blood had flowed from the corpse.

Mr. Tang, Manager Li, and Master Luo and his group watched Yan Li, who walked as if nothing was wrong, with some fear.

Murderer? Lunatic? Or monster?

All sorts of thoughts sprang to their minds.

Yan Li extended his hand toward Mr. Tang, but Mr. Tang took a few steps back and did not shake his hand, instead asking in fear, "Who are you? What do you want?"

"I came here to discuss a business deal with you, Mr. Tang. I just don’t know if you are interested," he said, retracting his hand with a smile.

"What kind of business?"

Yan Li said, "If I’m not mistaken, there’s a ghost hiding in your mall. All the people who have gone missing were killed by that ghost. And right now, that ghost is still hiding somewhere in the mall, watching us. I can help you solve this problem, but as a reward, I want five million."

Mr. Tang understood; this man was here to extort him.

He had already invited a master, so why would he need this unknown person?

Before he could speak, Master Luo sneered, "Young man, what school are you from? Do you know the rules? And you look to be in your early twenties. Do you really understand feng shui and the Eight Trigrams? I suspect you’re just a half-trained novice. I will handle Mr. Tang’s problem today, so if you know what’s good for you, you’ll leave right now."

"Or I’ll have the security guards remove you."

Yan Li mocked, "You ignorant charlatan, talking about feng shui? You can fool the nouveau riche, but your feng shui is useless here because there really is a ghost. If that ghost comes out, will your peach wood sword or your paper talismans do any good? Even if you bring the Buddha from the temple, it won’t help."

"And I warn you, watch your attitude, or I’ll rip out your heart and stuff it in your mouth."

The man who had been smiling suddenly changed his expression, becoming sinister and cold, and grabbed Master Luo, lifting him up with surprising strength.

His sinister tone left no doubt that he would do what he said.

Master Luo broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes filled with panic, and he felt an instinctive fear of this man.

This man was like the most vicious murderer in prison, cold-blooded and violent.

No, even the most vicious murderer was not as terrifying as him.

"This man is definitely a ghost master," Yang Jian thought, seeing his terrifying demeanor, which confirmed that he had been tormented by a ghost inside his body.

When a ghost resides in a person’s body, the person is constantly influenced by the ghost.

This change happens gradually.

Yang Jian had already sensed this change.

"Security, security, quickly, subdue this man and make him release Master Luo," Manager Li said, his face changing.

Liu Qiang hesitated but then went over.

"What’s wrong with you, security guard? Why aren’t you helping? Do you want to lose your job? Get over here now."

Seeing that Yang Jian was not moving, Manager Li pointed at him and shouted angrily.

Yang Jian said, "I was fired by you, so I’m no longer a security guard. I’ll return this uniform later, which means I’m no longer under your command. You’ll have to handle this on your own."

"And don’t go around pointing and yelling. Even though you’re the manager, I don’t mind giving you a beating if you push me too far."

"Damn it," Manager Li’s face turned green with anger.

Are security guards all so bold now? He had just fired him, and now he was defying him.

Mr. Tang said, "Young man, I’m the owner of this mall. If you’re willing to help, you’re still part of the company, and I’ll give you a raise. What do you think?"

"I think this job is a bit dangerous, so it’s better to find another one. I appreciate your offer, Mr. Tang."

Mr. Tang felt a pang of frustration. He did not blame Yang Jian but gave Manager Li a strange look.

This manager is an idiot; I’ll replace him later.

The mall already has trouble hiring people, and you just fired two strong young security guards when we needed them. Now they’re on strike and won’t help. Why don’t you step up if you’re so capable?

"Call the police," Mr. Tang said, suppressing his anger.

Behind him, Ms. Li quickly realized and started to call the police.

"Sir, please calm down..." Liu Qiang approached, not daring to provoke this strange young man.

After all, he was just getting paid and didn’t want to risk his life.

"I’m very calm. If I weren’t, you’d all be dead by now," Yan Li said, a cold smile on his lips. He slowly put the pale-faced Master Luo down and pushed him to the ground.

"Mr. Tang, the police have been called," Ms. Li said softly.

Mr. Tang nodded, "Don’t act rashly. Let’s keep this man under control for now."

Looking at the decaying corpse, this man named Yan Li was likely the murderer, and he was probably responsible for the previous disappearances in the mall.

"Mr. Tang, let’s continue our previous discussion. Five million, I’ll catch the ghost and get your mall back to normal. What do you think?" Yan Li said.

"You’re asking too much," Mr. Tang said, his face serious.

"Compared to the value of your mall, my price is very reasonable," Yan Li said, grinning.

"If you lower it, I’ll consider it," Mr. Tang said, stalling for time. He believed Yan Li was the murderer and had already called the police, waiting for them to arrive.

Yang Jian watched Yan Li and Mr. Tang haggle, shaking his head.

Yan Li was too rash.

Although supernatural events occur frequently around the world, most people still don’t believe in them.

Demanding five million upfront, anyone would refuse.

Only when Mr. Tang truly sees the ghost and understands its terror will the deal be easier to make.

Yang Jian had some experience from his previous deal with Wang Bin.

But just as the atmosphere became tense,

Suddenly,

The sound of the lights turning off echoed.

The entire mall became dark.

A power outage?

Everyone was stunned.

"Something’s wrong," Yan Li’s face changed, and he suddenly looked up at the fifth floor of the mall.

In the dim light, a figure was faintly visible standing by the glass railing on the fifth floor, seemingly watching them.

And that figure... seemed to have no head.

"Finally, it’s showing itself," Yan Li said, a hint of madness in his eyes.

Without hesitation, he ignored the others and ran up the stairs.

"Hmm?" Yang Jian squinted, also noticing the figure on the fifth floor, but then he frowned.

Because the smell of decay was still on the first floor.

Is the ghost upstairs or downstairs?

"Ahh!" Suddenly, an employee screamed, pointing in a certain direction on the first floor.

This female employee, Wei Xiaohong, was a cashier in her mid-twenties.

"What’s going on? It’s just a power outage, no need to scream," Manager Li scolded. "Take advantage of the situation to leave before the murderer escapes. The police will handle it."

"No, no, that... the corpse that was thrown down earlier, it’s... gone," Wei Xiaohong stammered, pointing to where the corpse had been.

Looking over, there was nothing there.

The corpse had truly disappeared.

Seeing this, everyone’s eyes widened, and they felt a chill run down their spines.

But the smell of decay was still in the air, and it seemed to be getting stronger.