Although this operation by the headquarters was covert, the level of attention it received was extremely high.
If everything went smoothly, of course there would be no problems; however, if the operation encountered any obstruction, the potential impact would be enormous.
After more than three hours without any good news, it had become very clear what that meant.
Perhaps the operation had not failed yet, but the hopes for success were no longer high.
The most concerned about the situation here had to be the headquarters’ operation team.
Arranged by Cao Yanhua, Wang Xiaoming, and others, this operation was now under unprecedented pressure.
This was not an unexpected event but a carefully planned operation, and someone had to take responsibility for it.
Inside the conference room.
A group of people stared at the images transmitted by the drone, all falling into a deep silence.
The weighty silence that lasted for nearly dozens of minutes filled the entire conference room with an almost suffocating atmosphere.
Some looked at Wang Xiaoming, as if hoping to read something from his face, but unfortunately, Wang Xiaoming’s expression remained unusually calm from beginning to end, without a hint of disturbance in his eyes—it was difficult to say whether it was his composure or his psychological resilience that was extraordinarily strong.
The silence was broken by a staff member’s urgent report, "Report, it is confirmed that Li Jun, Leuk San, Ah Hong, Su Fan, and Xu Yiping have all lost contact three minutes ago."
Cao Yanhua, who had been frowning and smoking, trembled slightly in his palms upon hearing this news and swallowed before finally asking after a pause, "What’s the situation on the scene now?"
"No changes at all."
The response from the staff member seemed to extinguish any sliver of hope for good fortune.
"Li Jun and the others have failed in their operation; my work experience tells me that when even the signal is affected, it means the influence of that thing has become terribly frightening. Perhaps they are still alive but it’s very likely they are in too deep... after all, it’s related to the Ghost Painting incident," commented Team Leader Shen Liang, his gaze shifting slightly as he made his judgment.
"I suggest we call off the operation, remove the Ghost Painting, and prevent the loss from growing."
"Zhao Jianguo, what do you think?"
Cao Yanhua did not lose his composure; instead, he turned to look at another person at the conference table.
Zhao Jianguo, who had resigned and had been assigned to a training facility as a receptionist, had lost his job again due to the Ghost Envoy invasion incident. Because of the particular importance of this incident, he was brought in as a consultant.
Although Zhao Jianguo had made mistakes, he had abundant work experience, and headquarters would not likely dismiss his services entirely.
Since resigning, Zhao Jianguo seemed to have adopted a more relaxed demeanor, and given that his previous job had been very leisurely, he spent his days reading newspapers and drinking tea.
Upon being questioned, Zhao Jianguo put down the newspaper in his hand, lifted his head slightly, and smiled, "I think this matter must also be within Professor Wang’s calculations. After all, it is a prepared plan, impossible without having prepared any contingency; worrying about it now, I believe, is a bit too early."
With those words, the focus shifted back to Wang Xiaoming.
Wang Xiaoming did not keep silent at this point and stated directly, "There is an evacuation plan, the key is whether Li Jun will execute it. He has not withdrawn, which means the situation has not deteriorated to an unmanageable extent. Our focus should not be on them but should instead be near the Ghost Domain."
"Why do you say that?" asked Shen Liang.
"Unpredictable factors bring unpredictable dangers. In my eyes, anything that counts as a danger must lie outside the Ghost Domain, not within it," said Wang Xiaoming, before glancing at Zhao Jianguo, "Paying attention to the surroundings is crucial. As long as the entity inside does not spread out, there will be no problem."
"Whether it’s the Ghost Envoy or the Ghost Painting, they can all be dealt with eventually."
His words conveyed confidence as well as concern.
The plan was carefully laid out; the only flaw was the uncertainty brought about by the collision of the two incidents. If this unstable factor spread, the paranormal event could become uncontrollable.
Therefore, this link in the plan was also very important.
"Shen Liang, you’re in charge of the area near the scene, right?" Cao Yanhua asked.
"I’ve sent Zong Shan, Guo Fan, and the local head Chen Yi over. The three of them should have no problem," Shen Liang replied. "Moreover, if an emergency happens, our friends from the circle won’t just sit by and watch; they’re now at Ping’an Tower and can provide support within a minute if needed."
"In addition, there are other spirit-tamers in this city; if we really need to mobilize, they will also rush over immediately."
Although there were only five people in this operation, cooperation was needed from all sides.
If any problems arose, with the power of headquarters, all of Asia’s top spirit-tamers could be summoned together.
Of course, under normal circumstances, this would not be done, because gathering all spirit-tamers together also poses a great risk; for the most part, headquarters intentionally distributes them.
"That’s good then, let’s continue to wait," Cao Yanhua said, somewhat impatient but still managing to calm down.
However, at this moment, Yang Jian had already left the scene.
He personally judged that the matter was not so simple to conclude, so he decided to go back and make some preparations, as if the operation turned adverse, others would still have to step in.
He estimated that he would also be involved.
"Paranormal incidents are becoming more difficult to handle; if this continues, even the top spirit-tamers will eventually be annihilated," Yang Jian walked alone on the street, moving away from the area shrouded by the Ghost Domain, his heart filled with worry and unease.
"We must understand the truth as quickly as possible; only then can we find the correct method," he thought.
In his mind, he thought of the Door Knocking Ghost, and the results of his recent investigations.
After dealing with the matters here, he needed to find a way to deal with the Door Knocking Ghost. At the very least, he had to make sure whether there was any important information on the Door Knocking Ghost.
However, just as he was gradually moving away, about to leave.
Suddenly.
Yang Jian stopped in his tracks.
Even though he was leaving, he didn’t let his guard down; his Ghost Eye was still watching over that part of the Ghost Domain.
But now... that gray, foggy piece of the Ghost Domain was rapidly dissipating.
It seemed the time of the Ghost Drawing Ghost Domain had come to an end.
After waiting for nearly half the night, some unknown change had finally occurred.
"Was the plan successful?" Yang Jian turned his head, his gaze shifted slightly. Although he was far away, his Ghost Eye could clearly see everything in the distance.
The Ghost Domain indeed had disappeared.
Just like in Dachang City before, when the Hungry Ghost was detained, the Ghost Domain naturally dissipated as well.
"Was it the Ghost Envoy who dealt with the Ghost Drawing? Or did headquarters detain the Ghost Drawing? Or was it a combined effort?" Yang Jian decided to stop and observe a little longer.
However, what he saw was strange.
The Ghost Drawing’s Ghost Domain had vanished, and so had the Ghost Envoy’s Ghost Domain.
In the distance, everything was empty; there was neither that coffin-like pitch-black Ghost Domain nor that gray, engulfing world.
And at the center of where the incident had occurred.
There were five figures slowly approaching.
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"It’s Li Jun... and that paper effigy, Leuk San, from before."
Yang Jian’s Ghost Eye shifted slightly as it recognized two familiar figures among the five, though he didn’t recognize the others nor knew their names.
"It seems they really were successful; that saves me a lot of trouble," he thought. Although he did not participate, seeing Li Jun and others emerge safely, he breathed a small sigh of relief. After all, too many people were involved in this matter, and he would have had to get involved if it had failed.
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"In that case, I should change my plan and focus on dealing with that ’Friends’ Circle’ instead." Yang Jian did not go up to greet them, as there was no need.
He put his worries aside and prepared to leave.
However, in the next moment, when Yang Jian was about to retract his Ghost Eye, he noticed something. His body shuddered slightly, and with a hint of surprise, he looked towards the five figures slowly approaching in the distance.
Because he saw that both Li Jun and Leuk San, as well as the other three ghost controllers, all had a hollow in their palms.
The area around the hollow was grayish-white, as if a part was missing or as if left by a sharp tool passing through.
The eerie part was that the missing spot on each person was exactly the same size; there were no differences whatsoever.
"Ghost Drawing... those hands in the mist," Yang Jian associated it with a previous bad experience.
He had once inadvertently come across the Ghost Drawing’s Ghost Domain passing through Dachang City and had seen what was suspected to be the presence of a ghost.
Yang Jian still remembered that pair of pale hands in the Ghost Drawing, pierced by a candelabrum.
The wounds seemed to be the same as the ones on Li Jun and his companions.
Yang Jian’s eyes flickered with uncertainty, not fully convinced by his own judgment since the fragmentary information was hard to believe.
He needed to verify.
For that purpose, Yang Jian inconspicuously took out a white candle.
This was a Ghost Candle, different from the red one; this candle had the ability to attract ghosts.
Immediately.
He lit the Ghost Candle.
But in the next moment, all five figures in the distance, moving in unison, immediately stopped in their tracks. Five somewhat stiff heads turned in unison to look towards Yang Jian.
"Damn it."
Yang Jian met their gaze, his pupils contracted, his heart trembled, and he swiftly blew out the Ghost Candle.
These five were no longer human... all of them were ghosts.