Chapter 53

In the dimly lit mall, silence reigned.

The sound of the elevator had stopped, and the footsteps that had echoed from all directions had also ceased.

Even the cries for help had vanished.

But the quiet mall was not empty.

A foul stench permeated every inch of space, and pale-faced, rotting people stood on the fifth floor of the mall, blocking the passageways, seemingly preventing anyone from passing through.

These people should have been dead for a long time, but just moments ago, these originally deceased individuals had emerged from various corners of the mall.

To call them people would be a stretch; a more fitting description would be a group of ghosts.

At this moment, Mr. Tang was tense, his eyes closed, too afraid to open them and witness the terrifying scene before him.

He continuously chanted "Amitabha," hoping the Bodhisattva would protect him, that these ghosts would not harm him, and that he would burn more incense and worship the gods after leaving this place.

After a while, Mr. Tang noticed that there was no more movement around him.

He was still alive, unharmed.

The reason he survived was not because of his closed-eyed prayers, but because Yang Jian had saved him.

"Mr. Tang, stop pretending to be dead. Open your eyes. Don't treat what I just said as if it were just wind in your ears. You are only temporarily safe. Whether you can leave here is still uncertain. If you are willing to pay me for my services, I can guarantee that every one of you will leave here alive," Yang Jian said.

Only then did Mr. Tang cautiously open his eyes. He glanced around and was once again frightened when he saw the rotting corpses standing nearby.

"Mr. Tang, what do you see here?" Yang Jian asked, standing beside him.

Seeing Yang Jian, a living person, Mr. Tang felt a sense of relief: "Can you really guarantee that I will leave here alive?"

"Are you doubting my professional skills? Who saved you just now? By the way, don't get up, just stay on the ground; it's safer for now," Yang Jian said.

Yan Li added, "Don't look at his young age; he is an international police officer, in the Asian division, a state-registered official. His words are trustworthy, and no one else can guarantee your survival. You saw the situation just now; the current situation is beyond my capabilities."

"So I suggest you let Yang Jian protect you and leave. Of course, if you are stingy with money, consider my words as if I never said them."

He was doing a good deed, passing the business to Yang Jian, as he himself lacked the ability to handle it.

"How about it? Think about it, but I won't give you much time. I will leave in ten minutes at most," Yang Jian said, checking the time on his phone.

He wouldn't wait until nightfall.

Once it got dark, this place would be pitch black, like entering a ghostly realm, doubling the danger.

Mr. Tang cautiously asked, "Then, how much do you want for your services? Is five million enough?"

After all, the money would be given to Yan Li anyway, and giving it to this young police officer was better, at least he could build a connection and make a friend, as he was an international police officer, a legitimate official.

Although five million was painful, it was nothing compared to his life.

"Good, five million it is," Yang Jian's eyes lit up.

Indeed, scaring Mr. Tang first made it easier to raise the price. If he had approached Mr. Tang directly at the beginning, he wouldn't have believed him, and the price wouldn't have been raised.

"However, payment must be made first, and then the service will be provided. That's my style. If there are no issues, you can start the payment now," Yang Jian said.

"No, no issues," Mr. Tang immediately agreed.

For a mall owner like him, five million was a sum he could easily come up with.

"You, yes, you, don't pretend to be mute. Manager Li, I'm talking to you. Mr. Tang is paying five million for his safety to leave. How much are you willing to pay? Don't think I will take you out for free. If you can't pay, I will leave you here," Yang Jian added.

Manager Li's face changed immediately. He looked at Yang Jian with a pleading expression: "I, I can't pay five million. I only have five hundred thousand... I'm just a manager, I don't have that much money."

"I see greed in your eyes, but I am a good person. You insulted me earlier, but I won't hold a grudge. So, please open your online bank. If it's less than five hundred thousand, I'll take that much. If it's more, I'm sorry, but you will either pay me in full or stay here and wait for rescue."

"I am fair in business and won't make things difficult for you or hold personal grudges. You can rest assured, Manager," Yang Jian said seriously.

"Ah?" Manager Li was stunned.

"Don't waste time. If I don't receive the money, I will take Mr. Tang and leave," Yang Jian said.

"Here, here, I'll give it to you," Manager Li, on the verge of tears, handed his phone to Yang Jian.

Yang Jian opened his online bank and saw the balance, then said, "Manager Li, you are quite wealthy, over one million and eight hundred thousand. You rich people have so much in your bank accounts; I, a poor person, can't understand it. But now it's mine. Please transfer it."

He then returned the phone to Manager Li.

"Scoundrel, a scoundrel, raising the price on the spot, it's outright extortion," Manager Li thought, wanting to curse the security guard but not daring to speak.

But not paying was not an option.

It seemed that all the money he had earned through underhanded means in the mall today would now go to this young security guard.

Money could be earned again, but life, once lost, was gone forever.

In the end, he paid the money.

After receiving the payment, Yang Jian turned his attention to Master Luo. He walked over to the trembling Master Luo and said, "Master, today we owe a lot to you. Your idea of locking the doors was truly excellent, not only killing a few of your disciples but also many mall staff."

"Even you almost didn't escape. It's rare to see someone so determined to bring about their own death."

"Because of your brilliant door-locking operation, I decide to give you special treatment..."

Yang Jian gave a thumbs up to Master Luo.

If it weren't for his door-locking ritual, none of this would have happened, and everyone could have left without so many deaths.

"I, I..." Master Luo's face was very strange, a mix of fear and anger.

After a long pause, he finally said, "I only have three million, that's all I have. The rest is in a safe at home. I'll give it all to you, just take me out of here. I was wrong, I apologize, okay?"

"Master, what are you saying? Am I the kind of person who is swayed by money? Mr. Tang paid five million, and you, a feng shui master, must have considerable wealth. Let's make it eight million for good luck. I'll take you out of here. If you don't have the money, you can use items as collateral," Yang Jian said.

Master Luo, trembling, finally transferred over three million, along with a watch, a jade pendant, a luxury car key, and other odd items, barely managing to make up the amount.

"Over ten million now, I am a despicable rich person," Yang Jian looked at the balance notification on his phone, feeling a bit surprised.

If he hadn't become a ghost tamer, it would take him decades, even a lifetime, to earn this much money through studying and working.

But as a ghost tamer, he had earned so much in just one day.

No wonder foreign ghost tamers operate as mercenaries, taking on bounties, as this high-risk, high-reward method is indeed very attractive.

"Little brother, when will you take us out of here?" Mr. Tang asked, a bit anxious.

Yang Jian put away his phone and said, "Right now."

He walked into the storage room and took the key to the main door from Ms. Li's corpse.

"Follow me, but remember, don't stand up, stay on your back."

"How do we walk on our backs?" Manager Li asked.

Yang Jian said, "Have you seen a caterpillar? It's similar, but in reverse, like backstroke. It's easy."

"What? You want us to slide on our backs like children? You are definitely playing with us. Why can you walk normally without any issues?" Manager Li said, a bit embarrassed.

Yang Jian replied, "I am an international police officer with the ability to deal with ghosts. Do you have that ability? If you find it embarrassing, that's fine, but if you stand up and die, I won't be responsible."

"..."

Manager Li was silent for a moment, then quickly pushed himself along the ground with his feet, moving like a caterpillar.

"Is this it?"

"Yes, exactly. Your movements are very standard, fast and steady. Great job," Yang Jian nodded.