Chapter 83

Huanggang Village?

Yang Jian's gaze flickered as he followed the road into the village, taking in the rural scenery.

The entire Huanggang Village had a half-new, half-old feel to it.

The houses in the front were newly built rural villas, which looked very comfortable, but the houses at the back of the village were very old. Not only were there mud houses, but there were even wooden houses from over a hundred years ago. Some of these wooden houses were inhabited by the elderly, while others were abandoned, with broken windows and half-open doors, their insides dark and sunless, exuding an eerie atmosphere.

However, this was not surprising.

Every village was like this, but the thought of a real ghost existing here made people very uneasy.

"Hey, Liu Xiaoyu?"

Yang Jian decided to ask for a situation update and dialed the satellite phone.

"Yang Jian, your call is timely. There were some things I didn't get to tell you last time. It's about the new detective in Dachang City, Zhao Kaiming. His mental assessment has some issues, and he's likely to be difficult to work with. You should be cautious. If necessary, avoid conflict with him, as you will be comrades-in-arms in the future."

Liu Xiaoyu was holding a file about Zhao Kaiming.

"You're telling me this too late. Zhao Kaiming has already been disrespectful to me, and I can't afford to be his comrade. I'm currently in a place called Huanggang Village on the outskirts of Dachang City. It's said that there have been supernatural incidents here. Do you have any files on this place?"

"I'll try my best to help, but I don't have the authority. I can only ask a colleague to look for them."

"Who has that authority?"

Liu Xiaoyu replied, "Of course, you do. Once you become an international detective, you will have the right to access files, not just for other supernatural incidents but also for other detectives' files."

"Then try your best to find them. If you find anything, send it to me immediately. Also, after this incident, I want to join the international detective force. Can you arrange it?"

Although joining the international detective force to solve supernatural incidents is dangerous, if he can manage to control a second ghost and delay the awakening of a powerful ghost, he can consider joining.

The authority and convenience of being a detective are significant.

It's worth the effort.

Liu Xiaoyu, hearing that Yang Jian wanted to join the international detective force, was somewhat excited. "If you agree, I can quickly arrange for personnel to meet you, conduct a short training session, and a mental assessment, and then you can start. It should take about a week."

"Very good, but I want to replace Zhao Kaiming and become the head of Dachang City."

"That, I can't do. It depends on the higher-ups' arrangements."

Yang Jian said, "What if there are no international detectives in Dachang City?"

"If there are no international detectives in Dachang City, a local person would be given priority," Liu Xiaoyu said, but then she realized something and exclaimed, "Don't do anything rash. I don't know what conflict you have with Zhao Kaiming, but this isn't a reason for a personal feud. We need to focus on the bigger picture."

"Don't worry, I will focus on the bigger picture. Remember to help me with the files. Solving supernatural incidents is your responsibility too. I'm doing this for free, so you need to assist me."

"You're right. I'll do my best to assist you. Solving supernatural incidents is our top priority," Liu Xiaoyu nodded.

"Very good. Talk to you later. And... don't call me unless it's necessary. I've already entered Huanggang Village and might encounter a ghost at any moment." Yang Jian hung up immediately.

Liu Xiaoyu frowned and immediately reported the situation to Captain Zhao Jianguo.

Zhao Jianguo laughed, "What's the problem? Once Yang Jian passes the assessment and becomes a detective, we can transfer Zhao Kaiming. Having Yang Jian in charge of Dachang City would be better, after all, he's a local. Your main task now is to assist him in solving the supernatural incident in Huanggang Village. I'll get the files."

"If he can solve two supernatural incidents alone, giving him some special treatment isn't a big deal."

Hearing this, Liu Xiaoyu felt relieved.

"Surviving is the key. If you can't survive, nothing else matters."

Yang Jian looked at the satellite phone in his hand, and the tragic scene of Zhou Zheng's death flashed in his mind.

Would this be his fate in the future?

He entered the village.

He saw Zhang Han, Ye Jun, and a few other members of the Xiaqiang Club standing there, looking somewhat serious, as if they had discovered something. Even his arrival didn't catch their attention; they just glanced at him casually.

Yang Jian looked at them.

His eyes narrowed.

He saw a house with its door open, and flower wreaths lined the sides. A group of villagers in mourning clothes were kneeling in front of a red-lacquered coffin, burning paper money and weeping.

Clearly, someone had died in the village, and they were holding a funeral.

Yang Jian looked at the portrait in front of the coffin... it was a man in a suit, with a rather handsome appearance.

"Really, what a bad omen. Why did someone have to die and hold a funeral now? This is just causing trouble for us," Zhang Han, a middle-aged man, said, smoking a cigarette and frowning, clearly in a bad mood.

Seeing a red-lacquered coffin in the village hall with villagers in mourning clothes and weeping was indeed a bad omen.

"Better to burn the coffin just in case. Who knows if the body inside will wander around at night?" someone suggested.

Ye Jun looked at him and said, "Who will burn it? Doing so in front of the villagers will surely anger them. We won't be able to solve the supernatural incident, let alone stay in the village. Besides... if it's just a normal body, it doesn't matter. We've seen plenty of bodies."

"Don't overreact. It's just one death. The dead don't need to be feared; the ghosts in this village are what's truly terrifying."

"However, we know nothing about the current situation in the village. I suggest we investigate. We should ask the villagers if there's anything unusual. With our abilities, even if we encounter a ghost, we won't die immediately. If anything happens, we can all work together to deal with it," someone suggested.

"The village isn't too big or too small. Acting as a group is slow. Let's pair up and investigate first."

"Agreed."

The members of the Xiaqiang Club discussed and decided to investigate together and then act based on the situation.

Yang Jian, not being one of them, was left out.

He looked at the coffin in the hall, took out another phone, and took a photo of the portrait, sending it to Liu Xiaoyu to find out who died, the cause of death, and any suspicious details.

Supernatural incidents aren't without traces.

If the cause of death is unusual, it's likely that a ghost is involved. The method of death can also give clues about the ghost's killing method.

This is crucial.

Yang Jian noticed that, apart from him, none of the other members of the Xiaqiang Club had done this, either because they hadn't thought of it or because they didn't care.

"Let's walk around the village, check the situation, and find a place to stay," he thought to himself.

Immediately,

He carried his luggage and wandered through the village, familiarizing himself with the terrain and roads, and paying attention to any strange places.

"Yang Jian, do you mind if I say a few words?" At that moment, Zhang Han from the Xiaqiang Club broke away from the others and caught up to him.

Yang Jian turned and looked at him, somewhat curious. "Zhang Han? What's up?"

Zhang Han smiled. "You can't solve this supernatural incident alone. How about we work together? I think our chances of success are the highest."

"Why don't you work with the other club members? Why me?"

"I want to work with the most capable person. To be honest, they are a bit less capable than you. I think our chances of success are the highest together," Zhang Han said sincerely.

"It's too early to say. There are only rumors of a supernatural incident here. I can't confirm if there's a real ghost. The ghost might have already left Huanggang Village. If there is a ghost, we can talk about cooperation then."

Zhang Han smiled awkwardly. "That's true."

"Cough, cough."

Just as Yang Jian and Zhang Han were talking, a coughing sound came from behind, very close, almost touching them, and the sound was weak and feeble, as if the person was terminally ill.

"Who's there?"

Zhang Han broke out in a cold sweat and turned around but saw no one.

He only saw an old wooden house in the direction of the sound.

The wooden house was abandoned, with most of the roof tiles collapsed, and half of the door was missing. The inside was dark and damp, not even animals would hide there.

"Am I that unlucky?" Zhang Han muttered.

Yang Jian's gaze flickered, and he walked over, kicking open the door of the wooden house.

"Bang!"

The door, worn out, cracked and fell to the ground, revealing the inside.

Apart from weeds, there was nothing.

"No one?" Yang Jian's expression became serious.

"Is... it a ghost?" Zhang Han asked.

Yang Jian said, "I don't know. I don't sense any danger. It might just be an old person passing by. There are many small paths in the village, so it's normal for someone to pass by. Don't overreact; it will only scare yourself. Don't follow me. If there's really a ghost, come and inform me, and then I'll consider working with you."

He had no intention of dealing with the ghost alone. He was deliberately spreading the news to lure the club members into a trap.

So, he didn't plan to be on the front line.

"Since you say so, I won't insist. Good luck." Zhang Han felt the area was unsafe and hurriedly left.