Chapter 172: Chapter 172: Ghost Candle’s Flame
Tong Qian was ready for a desperate struggle.
She realized that it was very difficult for her to leave this place, and in her heart, she had already thought of buying some time for these survivors, wondering if they could be lucky enough to wait for rescue to arrive.
But Yang Jian’s sudden appearance gave her a sense of surprise and suspicion.
“Are you… the Ghost Eye Detective, Yang Jian?” Tong Qian looked at the man in the corner holding a candle, with a fierce ghost eye visible on his forehead.
“Have you seen my file?” Yang Jian didn’t find it strange.
Detective files are shared, and every detective is entitled to access other detectives’ files, with the purpose of understanding and checking on each other.
Tong Qian said, “I saw the files of several ghost controllers from Dachang City on the way here, including yours, because you are the only ghost controller who has survived the Ghost Door Knocker incident so far. Did you come to support us?”
“I can’t say it was to provide support; someone agreed to my terms and let me come here to save people. I suppose that foolish detective who rushed into the Ghost Domain is you.”
Yang Jian said, “I saw what happened earlier. Originally, I didn’t want to show myself. It would have been convenient for me to let all of you die in the Ghost Domain and report back to Zhao Jianguo afterward. I believe no one would be able to prove that I stood by without helping. But your action just now seemed familiar, and I thought it would be better to lend you a hand.”
Tong Qian’s self-sacrificing behavior reminded him of Zhou Zheng.
It was only then that Yang Jian was willing to show up and help her.
“How could you think like that?” Tong Qian said, somewhat angrily.
“Why can’t I think like that?”
Yang Jian said calmly, as he walked over step by step, holding the candle: “Supernatural incidents cannot be resolved by individual heroics. Anyone involved could die, including me. I can ensure not to harm people, but I can’t guarantee to save them. I admit that your actions just now were noble and great, and you are a heroine.”
“But what about after that?”
“You will die, they will die, and there will be one more female ghost here. That’s the worst outcome.”
“Dealing with supernatural incidents is inherently a matter of risking life, and becoming a detective means being ready to sacrifice oneself at any time,” Tong Qian said.
Yang Jian said, “Telling me this is useless; you have to tell it to that thing.”
He pointed at the old man knocking on the door outside.
“Knock, knock-knock~!”
The knocking continued, and the survivors kept dying.
At this rate, everyone here would soon be dead, including Tong Qian.
If it were a group facing the Ghost Door Knocker, there would be randomness to it, randomly selecting someone to die, but the likelihood of a ghost controller being selected would be very low.
“Enough, don’t talk anymore. Hurry up and save people. If this goes on, everyone left will die. We can talk after we get out of here,” Tong Qian said with a look of panic on her face.
“Saving people is not about standing by the door with a smile; it’s about relationships. Watch and learn carefully how I do it,” Yang Jian said as he strode forward and spoke.
Tong Qian’s face turned dark.
This guy actually said she was pandering with a smile.
But Yang Jian’s words left her a bit puzzled.
Relationships?
What did he mean by that?
“Grandpa, it’s me, one of your own, stop knocking. Give me some face, let these people go,” Yang Jian said as he held the Ghost Candle in his hand and walked up to the glass door.
The flame of the Ghost Candle emitted a pale green light.
It shrouded the area about three meters around him.
As the candlelight approached the old man, the stiff, emaciated palm ceased its knocking, and the rigid body slowly receded.
The ghost was repelled by the light of the candle.
“This works?”
Tong Qian’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Was this ghost Yang Jian’s deceased grandfather? Did he really use relationships to keep the ghost from harming them?
No, that’s not right.
It was the candle.
Tong Qian’s gaze returned to the blood-red candle.
The eerie light of the candle flickered in the darkness, as if reflecting the shadows of numerous Evil Ghosts.
“Professor Bruce Pi’s item proved to be quite effective, even pushing back the Door Knocking Ghost, but the candle is burning faster now,” Yang Jian observed, holding the Ghost Candle in his hand.
When he had first lit the Ghost Candle, it seemed like it would never burn out, not even flickering, but now.
He saw the candle clearly burning down, and the closer it got to the old man, the faster it burned.
“One minute, I’m only giving you one minute to leave this place, that’s my limit. It’s up to you to save as many people as possible,” Yang Jian turned back and said, “The door is over there, where I first appeared. Many things within the Ghost Domain have changed; what you see with your eyes might not be real.”
“I understand.”
Tong Qian seized this moment of safety and immediately shouted, “Anyone who wants to live, follow me, the exit is here.”
However, among the survivors, not a few had suffered mental collapses, and it was uncertain how much of Tong Qian’s words they could take in, or how many would follow her instructions.
But all of this, Yang Jian ignored.
He watched the old man standing outside the candlelight, within the shadows, with a grave expression.
It was the second time he had seen this old man.
And yet, seeing him again still sent chills down his spine, but towards this ghost, Yang Jian harbored a deep animosity, even hatred.
It had killed too many of his classmates, and nearly killed him as well.
“Just how exactly can I trap you, you old thing?” Yang Jian muttered to himself.
“No matter, there will be plenty of opportunities later. With the knowledge of the Ghost Domain, I won’t die by your hand as long as I stay alert. Moreover, you are a double-edged sword to me; there will be times when I need you.”
“Time’s almost up, old man, goodbye.”
He glanced at his phone; it had already been a minute and several seconds.
He was overtime.
Without hesitation, he held the Ghost Candle and turned to leave.
As he turned away, the candlelight receded.
The old man walked over again.
“Don’t cower here, hurry, get up and leave with me.”
“Stop crying, it’s too late if we don’t go now.”
“What are you doing lying on the ground? Get up quickly.”
Tong Qian felt an intense urgency in her heart.
As terror struck, these city-dwellers revealed their poor mental fortitude: either breaking down and screaming or curling up in a corner, trembling, some even collapsing on the ground in fright.
“Yang Jian, wait, just wait a bit longer, some people haven’t caught up,” she cried out urgently when she saw Yang Jian lift the candle, ready to leave.
“No problem, I’ll wait for you guys outside,” Yang Jian readily agreed.
Tong Qian felt both angry and anxious.
If he left, the others would lose their way again in the Ghost Domain, and surely they would die.
“Are you planning to stay here with them?” Yang Jian asked again.
Tong Qian urged several times, and only two or three people barely stood up, but it was impossible to take care of everyone.
Watching the green candle flame getting farther and farther away, it seemed Yang Jian wouldn’t stay a moment longer for these survivors.
Once he left, not only the remaining survivors but also she herself would die here.
“If you don’t go now, you’re all going to die. Make your choice,” Tong Qian yelled angrily, then turned and left, quickly taking a few survivors with her.
As the people departed.
The light of the candle moved further away.
Darkness once again swept over, enveloping the area.
The knocking sound echoed through the shop again; the cries and screams gradually becoming sparse until they vanished completely, leaving a deathly stillness behind.
At last, the knocking sounds disappeared, too.
The old man enveloped in darkness outside also turned and slowly walked away.
However, the Ghost Domain was still present.