Chapter 1942: Chapter 1100: The Third Ghost (2)
At the crucial moment, Takagi Reina rushed to Yang Xiao, grabbed his remaining right arm, and pulled him forward.
But the situation was urgent, and Yang Xiao’s weight was far greater than hers. Her tugging only helped Yang Xiao roll a few more meters forward, while Takagi Reina lost her balance and nearly fell.
Just when Takagi Reina thought death was imminent, nothing happened. The scene was unusually calm.
Instead, Yang Xiao, who lost an arm, stood up first.
There was fear in his eyes, but it wasn’t enough to make him lose his composure.
"Don’t be afraid, that thing is gone." Yang Xiao promptly reassured Takagi Reina after standing up.
But Takagi Reina wasn’t buying it. After catching her breath, she got up and ran.
Within a few breaths, Yang Xiao couldn’t see Takagi Reina’s figure anymore.
Yang Xiao didn’t chase her. He knew he wouldn’t catch up, and he guessed Takagi Reina was worried he might deceive her and leave her as a Substitute Death.
However, Yang Xiao truly didn’t deceive her because he could no longer smell that paint odor. The Ghost... had left.
At this moment, his severed arm was about ten meters away. Yang Xiao walked over, took a look at his left arm, and the bizarre sight made him gasp.
No wound, no blood. The skin where his remaining arm was severed was very smooth, making it seem like he never had that half arm.
But the half arm on the ground was completely different. The fracture was highly decayed and emitted a foul stench.
This scene reminded him of Suzuki Takashi’s corpse. Now it was clear, Suzuki Takashi was killed by this Ghost.
Because he smelled the paint, Yang Xiao temporarily named this Ghost the Paint Ghost, which was the third Ghost they had confirmed so far.
The first two were Water Ghost and Half Ghost.
Not long after, rustling footsteps came from the bushes behind, and soon, three figures emerged.
"Mr. Chu, how are you?" Xiao Lin Zhengyan was the first to run towards Yang Xiao.
Seeing Yang Xiao missing half an arm, Yamamoto Chunai’s eyes turned red instantly, and tears began to fall.
It was certainly Takagi Reina leading the way for the two, but she didn’t dare to approach Yang Xiao rashly. Instead, she watched cautiously from the side, ensuring it was a person, not some misleading thing.
Coming back to rescue Yang Xiao was a last resort. Besides the difficulty of the mission itself, she had also provoked Yandeta Chiyoda and Watanabe Gou. To escape alive, she couldn’t leave Yang Xiao.
Yang Xiao forced himself to stay calm. He couldn’t panic, couldn’t be afraid or complain, or the morale would collapse.
"It’s nothing, you don’t have to worry. Once out, all injuries can be restored." Yang Xiao spoke with the same calmness, slightly moving his severed arm, "This Ghost is quite merciful, it doesn’t hurt at all."
Seeing that Yang Xiao still had the mood to joke, Xiao Lin Zhengyan was amazed by him.
This is what a great person is, embodying leadership where one’s demeanor doesn’t change even when faced with a crisis.
Upon hearing this, Takagi Reina let down her guard, knowing this was indeed Mr. Chu Xi; a Ghost couldn’t fake such audacity.
After confirming there were no other clues at the scene, the four immediately retreated. They walked for a full two kilometers before stopping to rest.
Takagi Reina inspected the remaining half of Yang Xiao’s left arm. Fortunately, there were no signs of decay or poisoning.
"Luckily you reacted quickly; if you were even slightly slower, you’d end up like Suzuki Takashi." Takagi Reina said with a hint of relief.
Thinking about it, Yang Xiao felt bitter inside. He was indeed slow; if he had left quickly when he first smelled the paint, he could’ve avoided the Ghost’s attack.
But hindsight was meaningless, he was better off than Suzuki Takashi, who died without leaving any clues.
Based on his experience and judgment from Suzuki Takashi’s death scene, Yang Xiao analyzed the Paint Ghost.
First, the Ghost’s way of killing. Before an attack, the Ghost needs to gradually approach the victim, during which the victim can smell the paint odor emanating from the Ghost.
This smell doesn’t change with the wind direction, only with the Ghost’s proximity.
Next is the activity range of the Ghost, initially judged to be centered around Youjian Mountain Tunnel, within a certain radius.
The Paint Ghost first struck at Shirahata Station, killing veteran player Suzuki Takashi. Shirahata Station is very close to Youjian Mountain Tunnel, along with Old Valley Town Station, positioned to the north and south sides of Youjian Mountain Tunnel, also being the closest stations to the tunnel on the Renyuan Line.
Initially, Yang Xiao suspected the Ghost was within Shirahata Station, but today’s event completely shattered their illusions; nearing Youjian Mountain Tunnel was dangerous.
Only now did they understand the warnings from the mysterious individuals about staying away from Youjian Mountain Tunnel.
Despite this ordeal, Yang Xiao’s state was hardly affected; he even comforted Yamamoto Chunai, saying it was lucky the arm broke, not a leg, which would’ve been troublesome.
This time, they gained significantly, testing the Paint Ghost’s method of killing, holding great importance for the team, or else they wouldn’t know how many might die.
Another important issue was the attitude of those mysterious persons towards them.
Now, it seemed those mysterious individuals didn’t trust them much, almost leaving them to be killed by the Ghost Train supernatural event.
Yet, Yang Xiao had an idea; they must achieve some results, such as independently uncovering key information, like this time probing the Ghost’s killing tactic.
Only by letting the mysterious persons see their value and the ability to resolve the supernatural event might they share the information they possess and provide resources fully supporting them in handling the supernatural event.
This mission was different from any before; they encountered special personnel in the Nightmare World for the first time.
This was a threat, but also an opportunity, depending on how they controlled it.
For now, relying solely on them to break the situation seemed unlikely, they had to leverage this.
In the afternoon, Yang Xiao and the others returned to the Detective Agency as scheduled, unsurprisingly attracting everyone’s attention due to Yang Xiao’s arm.
"What happened to you?" Kato Shinjiro slightly furrowed his brow.
Facing Yang Xiao’s dire condition, Yandeta Chiyoda had a gleam of schadenfreude in her eyes but did not mock, while Watanabe Gou feigned a few consoling words.
Yang Xiao knew their schemes well enough; seeing him, they knew he had been attacked but survived, meaning he likely possessed key information.
Mocking or offending him now, if he withheld the truth, could lead to a significant loss.
Being patient brings peace, stepping back opens broad horizons; if they knew more about Yang Xiao’s toughness and Takagi Reina’s support, Yandeta Chiyoda wouldn’t have provocatively confronted him, as she had plenty of sinister tactics.
Yang Xiao didn’t intend to clash with Yandeta Chiyoda yet; aware this mission wasn’t doable on his own, he clearly explained the Paint Ghost experience to everyone.
Yandeta Chiyoda, Kato Shinjiro, Watanabe Gou were competent; without Yang Xiao’s aid, within minutes, they uncovered the Ghost’s killing method and the range of activity.
"Though it’s not nice to say, Mr. Chu Xi was lucky, otherwise anyone else here might have ended up like Suzuki Takashi." Kato Shinjiro highly praised Yang Xiao.
"This time, we all owe you a debt, Mr. Chu." Kato Shinjiro nodded gentlemanly, "Thank you."
