Chapter 114: Chapter 114: Transformation of the Drama Robe (Happy New Year)
Su Tingting stood at attention with a determined attitude, "I obey the organization’s arrangements."
Under Fang Guoyi’s influence, Su Tingting’s political awareness had risen rapidly; she volunteered to stay and assist with the aftermath of the supernatural event.
After such a long struggle, Yang Xiao, Beibei, and Da Xiong were all exhausted. After briefly describing the situation, they returned home, promising Fang Guoyi to submit a detailed report of the mission the next day.
The incident had resulted in the sacrifice of 16 people, including Captain Yan Junyang, making it a rare major accident that was taken very seriously by the authorities.
As the night deepened and they returned to the office to park the car, the three of them chatted for a while. Beibei and Da Xiong each went home, and Yang Xiao returned to his office to rest alone.
Upon pushing the door open, a folding bed had been added in the corner of his small office; no need to ask, it must have been Ms. Wen who had ordered it delivered.
There was also a cardboard box on the desk, filled with instant noodles and instant hot pot—with a colorful sticky note attached: "Self-service breakfast available at 6 A.M. on the first floor, don’t forget to bring your access card."
"Ms. Wen is really nice."
After satisfying his hunger and washing up, Yang Xiao lay down to rest, but as soon as he closed his eyes, he saw Zhao’s face and Captain Yan Junyang’s body bursting apart like a watermelon.
Both men were captain-level figures, with brains and skills—and certainly remarkable Resentful Eyes—yet, such people had died just like that.
If it weren’t for the Nether Garment, he and people like Beibei would have been killed by the ghosts carrying the Ghost Lanterns.
According to Master Yan Zhen, the Nether Garment was just the beginning, and in the future, he would encounter the entanglements of other Resentful Eyes possessed by that mysterious powerhouse, which was the most terrifying prospect.
Having roughly sorted out his thoughts, Yang Xiao’s most important tasks at the moment were two-fold. First, to determine the former owner of the Nether Garment—to know one’s enemies and oneself; for this, he had no choice but to place his hopes on Director Nalan and Mr. Yan Zhen, representing the provincial office.
Second, the basic training mentioned by Director Nalan; although he had managed to resolve a few supernatural incidents by sheer luck, he was essentially a novice and needed systematic training and learning.
Beibei’s skills, Yu Shu’s marksmanship, and Da Xiong’s adept control of technical equipment—he had to learn all these. As a captain, he had to be able to stand on his own.
As these thoughts raced through his mind, an overwhelming drowsiness came over him and Yang Xiao fell asleep. With the Ghost Lantern issue resolved, he slept particularly well that night, dreamlessly.
Yang Xiao slept until he woke up naturally. When he opened his eyes, it was only 6:50 A.M. Though he was reluctant to get up, thinking about the free self-service breakfast made him quickly wash and take the elevator to the first-floor hall.
There was a special cafeteria with a communal food pickup area, but the dining areas were separated.
Yang Xiao’s black card could unlock the doors to a row of compartments on the right side of the cafeteria, each a small private room that could seat no more than four people, offering excellent privacy. Once the door was closed, the world instantly quieted down, indicating soundproofing had been installed.
The breakfast was lavish, far surpassing the fast-food hotels where Yang Xiao had stayed. There were both Chinese and Western options, and there seemed to be no notion of a light breakfast; Yang Xiao even spotted dishes like stewed chicken legs, Coca-Cola chicken wings, and braised fish.
"Please give me an extra stewed chicken leg, thank you," Yang Xiao passed his plate forward. Here, the dishes were served by staff and not self-serve, somewhat like a university cafeteria.
The server glanced at the black card on Yang Xiao’s chest, scooped up a chicken leg with a ladle, the thick sauce coating the leg and releasing an enticing aroma.
Seeing that Yang Xiao hadn’t moved, the server looked at him inquiringly. Yang Xiao smiled awkwardly, "Um...if it’s not too much trouble, could I have another one, please?"
"Scoop—"
"Scoop—"
"Scoop—"
Three more chicken legs appeared on Yang Xiao’s plate.
"If that’s not enough, come back for more."
A hearty breakfast marked the start of a wonderful day. After indulging in some post-meal fruit and two glasses of yogurt, Yang Xiao returned to the office full of energy.
At 8 A.M. sharp, with his hair a mess, Zhuge Zhijie entered the office punctually. Upon seeing Yang Xiao, his eyes lit up, "Captain, I heard you went on a mission yesterday with Ms. Bei and Da Xiong?"
"Ah, yes."
"That’s so like the captain! Just by pointing your finger, the ghost exploded on the spot. Such a formidable presence!" Zhuge Zhijie exclaimed.
Yang Xiao: "??? What nonsense is that, who told you?"
"Xi Menxiu told me secretly, and he even told me not to tell anyone else," Zhuge Zhijie said mysteriously.
Not long after, Xi Menxiu entered, and when faced with Yang Xiao’s questioning, he defended himself with a sense of injustice, "I didn’t say it. I heard it from Yu Shu. Yu Shu said that the captain faced danger fearlessly, with a smirk emerging on your face—7 parts taunting, 2 parts disdain, and 1 part aloofness—and then you charged in and punched the ghost to explosion."
Soon enough, Yu Shu was cornered by Yang Xiao at the office door, first denying her own responsibility, then writing down Da Xiong’s name on a card.
Da Xiong cried foul: "Although I was there, Captain, I didn’t see anything. It was all what Ms. Bei said after the fact. Ms. Bei said that when you went up there, you gave the ghost child a punch, and then the ghost child exploded."
Ms. Bei defended herself, "I didn’t say that. I clearly said that when the captain went up there, with one punch, the ghost child vanished!"
Hearing all this raised Yang Xiao’s blood pressure; rumors were terrible indeed. He realized what had happened; everyone had exaggerated a bit, and in the end, the story had turned into him facing the ghost with a smirk, contempt, and aloofness, then pointing a finger lightly, and the ghost, terrified by his powerful presence, exploded and died.
