Mysterious Revival-Chapter 677 - 644: Bizarre Porcelain

"Captain Zang, the situation here has been confirmed..."

In the lobby of the first floor of Shangtong Tower, a staff member was reporting the situation through a walkie-talkie.

Several special operatives in suits waited nearby, surrounding a safe that seemingly contained something particularly valuable.

After communicating with Zang Hua, the staff member received confirmation.

"You may go up, but this private encounter is your own initiative--we take no responsibility for any consequences," the staff member said with utmost seriousness.

"Thank you for your trouble, much appreciated," the leader replied, bowing deeply.

The top floor of the building.

Zang Hua put down the walkie-talkie; "Yang Jian, the identities of the people downstairs have been confirmed."

"Who are they?" Yang Jian asked while eating his breakfast.

"They are staff from the Ghost Exorcist Headquarters in Japan. The team is led by someone named Wang Xin," Zang Hua explained. "I've met him before on a job; he's quite a unique individual."

Wang Xin?

Yang Jian thought of a man he had dealt with before, someone named Wang Ye.

The names were almost alike. This must be a pseudonym he took for convenience while operating here, of course, with the added benefit of keeping things confidential.

"Have you had interactions with staff from other headquarters before?" Zang Hua inquired.

"Not much interaction, just a brief meeting," replied Yang Jian.

Zang Hua said, "In Japan, their headquarters is also known as the Exorcism Club. Though the name is different, the nature is the same. They haven't implemented a captain plan and still divide responsibilities by person in charge. They've also had an S-class supernatural event that remains unsolved."

"I heard they suffered significant losses, losing more than one team. Their coming here with gifts might not be without an intention of asking for your help, so please consider it carefully. If necessary, you can refuse to meet with them."

"I've read the Ghost Temple incident file; information revealed is scant, and the danger level is high. I have no intention of getting involved in such a supernatural event, especially not to help others."

Yang Jian continued, "I agreed to meet them merely to dispel their hopes, to prevent them from targeting me in the future."

Zang Hua nodded, seeing the reason in his words.

It was a common issue for headquarters from different countries to try and recruit ghost exorcists from each other. It was an open secret that none tried to prevent, an unspoken endorsement.

After all, powerful countries had the advantage in this area, able to offer better terms, naturally they wouldn't forbid it.

"President Yang, do you need me and Jiang Yan to step out for a bit?" Zhang Liqin approached and whispered.

Yang Jian gestured slightly: "Go to the safety room next door for a while. Wait for my call before coming out. The upcoming matter is likely to be tedious and doesn't concern you; it's best not to show your faces."

"Don't worry, we'll make sure to keep out of sight," Jiang Yan said repeatedly, pulling Zhang Liqin into the adjoining safety room.

This safety room was left by the previous CEO of the company, now seemingly a lucky find for Yang Jian.

Not long after.

A team of strangers in black suits appeared on this floor.

The leader was a man in his forties, not tall and somewhat skinny, with a shiny bald head and deep wrinkles on his face that initially conveyed an air of authority and fierceness. However, upon reaching the entrance of Yang Jian's office, this man immediately assumed a warm and excited demeanor, his face breaking into a smile.

"This must be the esteemed Yang Jian, known as Ghost Eye. Hello, it's a great honor to meet you today, Captain Yang."

Upon entering, Wang Xin bowed deeply.

Not just him, but the seven or eight subordinates in suits behind him also bowed in unison.

Their orderly manners conveyed a sense of high regard, overwhelming for someone from the lower ranks of society, easily satisfying a great vanity.

Yang Jian sat on the sofa, sipping soy milk from his coffee cup through a straw, and raised his eyelids slightly, "Recently, I killed a man named Wang Ye. Do you know him?"

A stiff smile froze on Wang Xin's face.

He naturally knew about it. Commander Wang Ye was a wise man in their organization, someone he himself admired. He was incredulous when he received the news of Wang Ye's death days ago. It was only later that he realized Wang Ye had been killed by a ghost exorcist with the code name Ghost Eye.

"Wang Ye was the leader of the second group in our club. He must have offended you in some way, and I hope that Captain Yang will not let his personal mistake give you the wrong impression of us. We came today with great sincerity to pay you a visit, and also to apologize for the incident involving Wang Ye," Wang Xin said.

Yang Jian replied, "You waited in Dachang City, hoping for my return to apologize for a dead man? That sort of thing might fool a three-year-old child. I don't have a good impression of your country—certain endearing females exempted. So it's best if you keep it brief."

"I wouldn't want accidents to happen here, leading to a few more deaths. After all, too many deaths can easily attract ghosts."

He lowered his head and continued sipping his soy milk.

Upon hearing this, Wang Xin tensely stiffened up, a cold sweat forming on his forehead.

To tell the truth, dealing with an exorcist of such caliber was extremely risky, exacerbated by the unfavorable impression left by Wang Ye.

"I would never dare deceive Captain Yang; I really am here to apologize. The item in this box is meant as an apology gift, and I hope Captain Yang would accept it." Wang Xin did not dare to continue with flattering words for fear of provoking the opposite reaction; he gestured to his subordinate.

Immediately.

A safe was placed on the coffee table.

"We've checked it before; there are no explosives, nor does it contain any metal. We confirmed there's no danger," said Zang Hua in a suppressed voice from the side.

The security at Shangtong Tower was staffed entirely by special personnel. What looked like an ordinary building was actually very high-security. Even several nearby office buildings were host to their action teams, ready to deploy at any moment in coordination with Yang Jian to deal with all sorts of bizarre cases.

Yang Jian put down his coffee cup, "Open it up and let's have a look."

"Then I will be so bold." Wang Xin bowed again, then pulled out a mobile phone and made a call.

Yang Jian couldn't make out what was being said on the phone, but it was probably some sort of code. Soon after Wang Xin hung up, he entered the newly received password onto the safe, and then opened the box.

"It really is quite secure," he shook his head slightly.

Keeping the item and password separate means that even if the item is lost, it cannot be opened. But this only prevents ordinary people; for a Ghost Slave-handler, this object amounts to a freebie, devoid of any protective value.

"Captain Yang, please take a look."

Wang Xin turned the box around, revealing its contents to Yang Jian.

In it was a piece of porcelain.

The porcelain bore an odd color—black and red intermingled, creating a dark and strange appearance. Moreover, the shape of the porcelain was peculiar: it depicted a person with an open mouth, reaching towards the sky, a sinister and agonizing expression on its face, as if it was begging for help or under immense torture and unable to escape.

"A piece of porcelain?" Yang Jian's eyes flickered as the ghost eye on his forehead slowly opened.

A vision covered in red appeared in his mind.

The ghost eye spied on the porcelain.

The view through the ghost eye differed from that of ordinary people. Yang Jian could filter out certain see-through objects, like walls, coffee tables, floors, but there were things that couldn't be filtered out, like gold and fierce ghosts.

Through the ghost eye, Yang Jian saw a cold, dark aura lingering around the porcelain, which formed a figure identical to that of the porcelain figure.

The peculiar little figure's eyes in the porcelain were moving, its eerie gaze locked onto Yang Jian, eyes locked with each other.

"It's not a ghost, but it's very odd... as if it captures a portion of a ghost's supernatural power and uses a special method to contain it, similar to a Ghost Slave but leaning more towards an artificial supernatural object," Yang Jian thought to himself, making his analyses and guesses.

"It's in the same category as Ghost Candles and substitute dolls, a product of the lab, presumably mass-producible but can only be used once."

"What is this thing?" Speculation aside, Yang Jian still needed to inquire.

"Captain Yang, you may call it 'Ghost Porcelain.'" Wang Xin said with a smile, "It is the greatest research achievement of our club to date. As of now, only a few Ghost Slave-handlers in our club possess it. It's an extremely precious item, worth at least a billion on the market."

Yang Jian's expression remained calm, "I don't doubt that this thing is really worth a billion. I want to know what specific use it has, given it's an artificially made supernatural object, it must have some particularity."

"Yes, Captain Yang, you've likely encountered similar items before. I won't beat around the bush here—it can help Ghost Slave-handlers resist ghost attacks and protect their lives," said Wang Xin.

"A protective artifact? Like Ghost Candles?" Yang Jian asked.

"It's quite different from Ghost Candles," Wang Xin responded.

Yang Jian said, "To be honest, I'm not very confident in this item, so the best method is to put it to the test. You have thirty seconds to prepare. Once the thirty seconds are up, I will immediately order a ghost to attack you, to see if this piece of porcelain in your hands can protect your life."

"If it can't, then I would ask you to die. If it succeeds, then I'll consider the gift accepted."

"What?" Wang Xin's eyes suddenly widened in surprise.

Yang Jian remained silent, but glanced at the time, "You have twenty seconds left."

"Such a precious item shouldn't be wasted on an ordinary person like me. Only someone of Captain Yang's caliber is worthy of using it," Wang Xin immediately said, his tone filled with panic.

"Ten seconds left," Yang Jian didn't respond, but behind him, a black headless figure had already stood up slowly.

As soon as the Headless Ghost Shadow appeared, even in broad daylight, the surrounding light dimmed at once, and at the same time, a chilling aura had begun to spread.

"He isn't joking; this man is serious."

Wang Xin was breaking out in a cold sweat. He felt that the person in front of him might be insane. They had been talking nicely before, but now he wanted to use Wang Xin's life to test the authenticity of the porcelain.

"My credentials, quickly, give me my credentials."

At that moment, without hesitation, but with a touch of terror, he shouted.

His subordinate hurriedly rummaged through the briefcase in hand, quickly finding a piece of Wang Xin's credentials. His name on that document was not Wang Xin but Hasegawa Nobu.

"Hurry up."

Wang Xin was immensely anxious and snatched the credentials from his subordinate as soon as he saw them.

"Time's up," Yang Jian's voice was cold. He had meant half a minute, and he wouldn't grant a second of leniency.

The Ghost Shadow moved.

It was as if a vicious ghost was in action, rapidly approaching Wang Xin.

The light around dimmed, and the dark shadow in front of him obscured his vision, the chilling breath seeped beneath his skin, making one shiver uncontrollably.

Wang Xin ignored the swiftly encroaching Ghost Shadow, grabbed the credentials, and immediately took the porcelain from the safe, then placed it on top of the credentials.

He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief as the process was completed.

"A medium?"

Yang Jian's gaze shifted slightly.

To function, supernatural items required a medium; they couldn't just work out of thin air. For example, the 'life-exchange doll' needed a drop of your blood on it before it could take your place in death. The Ghost Scissors required your photograph and name as a medium. Similarly, the Ghost Cleaver required the footprints or handprints of a living person to be triggered.

Wang Xin's behavior just now seemed to be fulfilling a condition, actively triggering the medium.

Yang Jian's Ghost Eye saw it.

The credentials underneath the Ghost Porcelain were being infected by a strange energy at that moment, and they began to move slowly.

It was as if something was controlling the credentials.

In the end, Wang Xin's credentials unbelievably vanished from beneath the porcelain piece. Though the porcelain showed no openings, the credentials ended up inside in an inexplicable way, thoroughly permeated by the supernatural power sealed within.

Yang Jian observed, but the attack did not cease.

The Headless Ghost Shadow grasped Wang Xin's arm with a gentle tug.

Ghost Shadows could disassemble living humans' bodies and construct new ones, a terrifying type of malignant spirit. Even a light pull could effortlessly dislocate a living person's limb.

This content is taken from freeweɓnovel.cѳm.

However, this assault by the Ghost Shadow proved ineffective.

Wang Xin's face turned pale, his arm seemed numb, yet it remained attached to his body, not violently torn off.

"Captain Yang, mind the extent of force; after all, he's from the overseas headquarters. Unjustly killing him here would be somewhat indefensible," Zang Hua, who was watching the scene, hurriedly cautioned.

It was acceptable to take action, but a reason was needed; otherwise, it would be hard to explain to the headquarters.

Yang Jian did not respond. At this moment, he was somewhat intrigued. Wang Xin, as an ordinary person, had managed to resist the attack of the Headless Ghost Shadow with the help of this supernatural item.

Although it was just a probing attack, it was still quite an achievement.

"Let's see where your limit is."

Without speaking, Yang Jian watched as the Headless Ghost Shadow began to invade Wang Xin's body.

Wang Xin's eyes widened in horror as he realized the parts of his body losing sensation were rapidly increasing, as if control of his body was being plundered by the malevolent spirit.

As the invasion intensified, Wang Xin's previously unresponsive arm started to show movement.

The dark, Ghost Shadow-covered arm began to twist and deform.

At the same time, the grotesque porcelain figurine on the table also began to change, with fine cracks starting to spread along one of its arms.

"Crack, crack."

Wang Xin's arm was twisted and broken, making the sound of snapping bone, while the arm of the porcelain figurine on the table also continued to crumble, the cracks widening.

Even though his arm was visibly contorted, Wang Xin felt no pain, just watching his limb deform and his body lose control.

"It can defend against a malevolent spirit's attack to a certain extent, that's indeed impressive." Yang Jian found this supernatural item somewhat surprising.

It was much more useful than a Ghost Candle.

Ghost Candles had to be kept in use ceaselessly, and would be consumed when ghosts were nearby. Although they held immense value, their rate of consumption was severe. There was a risk the Ghost Candle could be depleted prematurely during a critical moment. However, this item would only be consumed when attacked by a ghost and wouldn't change otherwise.

"Damn it, enough! Release the team leader immediately, or I'll not be polite to you," one of the subordinates, fiercely loyal, summoned great courage to stand up for Wang Xin who was being tormented, drawing his pistol on Yang Jian.

Without even glancing at him, Yang Jian's focus remained on observing the sinister porcelain figurine.

"Stand down. It's not your place to speak here. All of this is Captain Yang's test for me," Wang Xin could still speak, and he immediately rebuked his subordinate.

Though he feared dying there, he couldn't jeopardize the mission before his death.

His subordinate had acted impulsively, but this reprimand sobered him up, his face turning instantly pale. He quickly tucked the pistol away, no longer daring to draw it.

Yang Jian spoke at this moment, "Indeed, this is a fine item. It can completely withstand the attacks from my Ghost Shadow, no problem. An ordinary person holding this thing could easily survive an ordinary supernatural event, but what I want to know is, if this porcelain were to be damaged, would you also be harmed?"

Having said that, he picked up a fruit knife from the food cart and chopped at the arm of the porcelain figurine.

The porcelain figurine, already riddled with cracks at this point, immediately lost an arm when Yang Jian hacked off a piece.

And at the same time, Wang Xin's arm also shattered like the porcelain, breaking into pieces, but this shattering maintained a relative integrity under the influence of the Headless Ghost Shadow. If not for the Ghost Shadow, his arm would have completely vanished.

"My guess was very correct. If the porcelain is destroyed, the connected person also suffers corresponding damage. Rather than calling it a protective artifact for the ghost controller, it's more like an unusual curse," Yang Jian said. "But it can be used in certain dangerous situations, at least adding an extra layer of protection."

"The only thing I want to know is whether this kind of unusual protection is temporary or permanent?"

If it's permanent, that would be dangerous. From then on, one's life would be tied to this porcelain. Moreover, this porcelain isn't the real source. The real source should be a ghost, and that ghost should be under the control of the headquarters in Japan.

If it's temporary, then it's highly useful.

"All you need to do is remove the medium to break this state," Wang Xin said, enduring his fear and anxiety.

"Is that so?"

Yang Jian's eyes flickered. He took off his gloves and reached out with his hand.

The blackened Ghost Hand forcefully extracted Wang Xin's identification from inside the porcelain.

As the medium disappeared, the protective effect of the Ghost Porcelain also ceased.

The next moment, Wang Xin's arm was easily removed by the Ghost Shadow, as if disassembling a plastic figure.

"That's enough."

Yang Jian put on his gloves as the Ghost Shadow swiftly retracted.

Wang Xin's arm fell to the ground, shattered into several chunks of flesh, with no blood flowing out, just like broken porcelain.

"Without the Ghost Shadow to join them together, his arm can't be restored. Such an injury is permanent," Yang Jian confirmed yet another piece of information,

although the method was somewhat cruel.

He believed that using Wang Xin's arm to clarify all this information was well worth it.

Zang Hua saw this but offered no opinion; he merely wanted Yang Jian not to kill Wang Xin and the others here. As for such probes and harm, he wouldn't care, and nobody would make a fuss over the loss of an arm.

Because such a minor matter simply wasn't worth mentioning.

"Alright, I'll accept the item. I accept your apology. You can go now," Yang Jian stood up, stowing the damaged Ghost Porcelain away.

Though incomplete, it could still be used next time.

Only now did Wang Xin recover from the shadow of death. Hearing Yang Jian starting to send people away, he naturally did not want to leave just like that. Ignoring the distress of what just transpired, he gritted his teeth and said, "There's a supernatural file I still hope Team Leader Yang would take a look at."

With that, he signaled with his hand.

Immediately, one of his subordinates took out a folder, hurriedly opened it, and placed it on the table.

"I only accept your apologies, and as for supernatural incidents, I'm not interested right now..." Yang Jian said with an indifferent expression.

But he hadn't finished speaking when his gaze sharpened upon seeing the photograph on the file's documents.

The file was written in Chinese, with the first page bearing an event code: Ghost Door Knocker.

The accompanying picture showed a terrifying old man in a long robe, his face marred with livor mortis, his eyes dim as if dead.

He recognized the photo; it was taken through a glass window, likely from a forum post he had seen before. He had thought that post had been deleted but didn't expect these materials to have been dug out.

This was the Ghost Door Knocker incident.

"Team Leader Yang has encountered this supernatural event before and successfully survived. I believe Team Leader Yang is not unfamiliar with it," Wang Xin said.

"Where is this ghost now?" Yang Jian asked directly.

He had previously thought about looking for the Door Knocking Ghost, but the timing was wrong, and he had his own issues, so he didn't dare to actively touch the subject, even knowing that the old man had some secrets in his pocket. After all, staying alive was most important.

"Kobe City," Wang Xin immediately replied.

Yang Jian smiled faintly, his smile cold, lacking any emotion, "So that ghost went to your place. No wonder you're so anxious. Last time, Wang Ye also said he wanted my help to take care of a supernatural incident of grade A. Now it seems it must be the Ghost Door Knocker incident."

"Couldn't the ghost controllers at your headquarters handle it? You actually had to go to great lengths to seek my help."

He didn't believe the Ghost Door Knocker incident could threaten them.

The only possibility was that the supernatural event had escalated... and the old man had become more terrifying than when he had first encountered him.