CH 80

In that instant, only the sound of breathing could be heard in the dark corridor.

Everyone stared at the map spread out across the ground. Even with the dim lighting, they could clearly see the lines drawn across the paper.The small black hand was frightened by this suddenly dignified atmosphere. It shrank under Ye Jia’s collar, trying to turn itself into an accessory.“Two…..doors?” Ye Jia murmured.He pressed his hand on the map, making the map rustle slightly under his palm. The sound was particularly abrupt in the deadly silent corridor.Ye Jia seemed to have suddenly realised something. He suddenly raised his head, his eyes bright:“…….Evacuate.”Wei Yuechu who was standing next to him was slightly taken aback, “What?”Ye Jia immediately jumped up and said with haste, “Hurry, contact the Bureau immediately. Get them to evacuate all the residents of M City as soon as possible!”The first door was only a part of the process.It was used to prepare.It released Mother’s children out of the game and the low-levelled fierce ghosts were used as a distraction to attract humanity’s attention while the high-levelled fierce ghosts were tasked with preparing for Mother’s return to the real world.The second door was her real objective.------And this door covered almost the entire M City.They didn’t know to what extent Mother had progressed in her plans and they also didn’t know when this door would open.As long as this door opens, all living beings in M City will most certainly…..Be reduced to living sacrifices..Inside the Bureau.“Evacuate?!” Wu Su exclaimed loudly.Chen Qingye and the others nodded with certainty. Every one of them had solemn expressions. It was clearly not a joke.Wu Su frowned and asked incredulously, “T-the entire city?”Chen Qingye took a deep breath, “Yes.”He glanced at Blast behind him. Although the other had a look of impatience, he rolled his eyes in frustration and obediently turned around and slammed the door shut.The office immediately fell silent.Chen Qingyue took out the map from his backpack and spread it open on the table. He briefly described the ‘second door’.The more he listened, the uglier Wu Su’s expression became.After taking in everything, he raised his head to look at the people before him and slowly asked:“Does Ace know about this?”“Of course.” Chen Qingye nodded as he rolled up the map and placed it back into his backpack, “He was the one who discovered this.”“…..I see.” Wu Su’s expression turned serious. He raised his head and looked at the three people before him, “I’ll report to the people above and see what we can do.”The three turned and walked out. Before they even left the office, Wu Su had already picked up his phone.The door to the office closed behind them, blocking Wu Su’s voice.The three exchanged a look with each other.Chen Qingye habitually pushed up his glasses and asked, “What now?”Wei Yuechu let out a deep sigh, “We can only wait.”“Ah, jeez! Wait for what?” Blast knitted his brows and messed up his hair in frustration, “Didn’t you say that that Mother thing will come out of that door? Why can’t we just destroy those points on the map?”Wei Yuechu’s voice was stern, “No.”Blast continued arguing, “Why not? Just because Ace said so?”Chen Qingye raised his hand and placed his hand on Blast’s shoulder, “Be patient. There are still many things we haven’t figured out yet. If we act rashly, it may be counterproductive.”At this moment, Wei Yuechu asked, “Do you know how many people there are in M City?”Blast was stunned. He clearly wasn’t expecting the other party to ask him a question like that, “D-don’t know.”Wei Yuechu looked at Blast and said each word with emphasis, “Twenty million.”Blast was stunned for a moment, “So wh…..”He then saw her eyes darken. She asked slowly, “What if you made the wrong decision? What if your method was counterproductive? Will you be able to take responsibility for the twenty million lives that were lost?”“……..” Blast gritted his teeth and the muscles on his face tensed. He didn’t answer.It was silent for a moment.“And…..” Chen Qingye narrowed his eyes in thought.The other two both looked at him.Chen Qingye looked around them. After confirming that there was no one else apart from them in the corridor, he said softly:“This is also Ace testing them out.”“What?!” Blast was shocked.

Chen Qingye pushed up his glasses, “I noticed back at the capital that Ace hadn’t chosen to directly negotiate with the high-level authorities at the Bureau during the day but had opted to break in at night instead. Moreover, there was the box containing the eyeballs which had the old Bureau’s logo engraved…...Ace’s suspicion probably started very early on.”“But…..” Chen Qingye paused for a moment before continuing, “All the evidence we have points to the Bureau before it was reorganised. We’re still not absolutely certain that the current Bureau is involved….”Wei Yuechu's face showed a look of surprise.“So you’re saying that the request to evacuate all the residents of M City is firstly, because we alone will not be able to do it and secondly, Ace is also using this as an opportunity to test the Bureau and see if they are actually involved?”Chen Qingye nodded, “I’m afraid so.”Blast, “………”He turned to look at Chen Qingye who was standing on his left and then at Wei Yuechu who was standing on his right.-----Your minds are all so complicated..While the three of them went to contact the Bureau, Ye Jia stayed behind in the basement.He bent down and put down the small black hand, “Go and see if there are any malice like the one from the cemetery here.”The small black hand trembled.Although it was a fierce ghost, the malice that could corrode it away made it instinctively feel fearful.Although reluctant, the small black hand slowly sank down into the ground.Ye Jia stood in the cold and damp basement, waiting quietly.Two minutes later, the small black hurried back to Ye Jia’s shoulder as if it was escaping from something, “T-there is.”Ye Jia didn’t look surprised. His eyes scanned across the dried corpses and then lowly made a sound of acknowledgement.After saying that, he turned and walked out of the building.The autumn sun fell onto his head. Although it was still bright, it had lost the scorching heat unique to summer. Despite the sun reaching him, it couldn’t dispel the cold dampness from his body.Ye Jia’s eyes fell onto Ji Xuan who stood not far away.The man stood quietly outside the building, his tall and slender building glowing golden from the sun’s rays. He had his eyes slightly lowered, as if he was waiting for something.Seemingly sensing the other party’s gaze, he raised his eyes and looked over at Ye Jia. Those scarlet eyes of his shone brightly under the light.Ye Jia walked over.Ji Xuan, “It’s over?”Ye Jia didn’t have any particular expressions on his face. He just gave a light ‘en’.Ji Xuan raised his hand, creating a scarlet opening in the air. The next second, a cup of milk tea appeared and fell into the palm of his hand.“Here.” He held out the milk tea.Ye Jia was stunned.Before he could react, the cup of warm milk tea had already been stuffed into his hand. The cup that still carried warmth warmed up his palm and that heat slowly spread through his body.“Gege doesn’t like it?” Ji Xuan asked as he blinked a few times.Ye Jia paused and looked down to receive the straw from the other person, “Thanks.”The two slowly walked down the street.Ji Xuan had his hands tucked in his pockets as he looked ahead at the empty street with his scarlet eyes slightly narrowed:“What now?”Ye Jia took a sip of the milk tea, “We wait.”He silently walked on but suddenly came to a stop and turned to look back at Ji Xuan. The amber-coloured eyes staring fixedly at the man who was slightly taller than him reflected their appearance, “….Hey.”Ji Xuan also stopped and asked, “Hm?”Ye Jia’s grip around the milk tea tightened slightly but his expression was still very calm, as if nothing would make him panic:“Aren’t you worried?”“Worried about what?”Ye Jia narrowed his eyes. A dark look swirled around in the depths of his eyes, “Isn’t Mother’s blood connected to yours? When she’s weakened, you’re also weakened. If that is the case…...what if the humans win?”What if Mother died?Ji Xuan’s thin lips curled up slightly. His voice was slightly husky, with a hint of intimacy and ambiguity:“Gege, are you worried about me?”He had asked this question many times before.But Ye Jia had never directly answered him.But Ye Jia didn’t seem to be disturbed by his attitude this time. He looked seriously at Ji Xuan and suddenly nodded:“Yes.”This time, it was Ji Xuan’s turn to be stunned.He stared at the young man before him, seemingly unable to believe his ears.“No matter what has happened between us in the past, we are on the same side now.” Ye Jia didn’t avoid his eyes and continued, “I would naturally be worried about you in this case.”

He looked at the man in front of him and enunciated each word clearly, “Even if your life is threatened, you’ll still stand on our side?”“No.” Ji Xuan suddenly laughed.Those lips that were thin like a blade rose, revealing a cold and chilling smile. His blood-like eyes locked onto the young man standing before him, much like those of a python staring at their prey. The original amicable and pleasant facade had been mercilessly torn apart, revealing the greed and evil belonging to a fierce ghost. His voice was low and hoarse:“I will always stand with my desire.”The man raised the young man’s hand and lightly pressed his cold lips onto the back of the other party’s hand.His scarlet eyes contained strong obsession and possessiveness as it travelled all over Ye Jia:“And you are my desire.”The young man’s eyes were slightly lowered, his amber-coloured eyes hidden under his long eyelashes. In a emotionless and rational manner, he scrutinised the fierce ghost before him.A long time later, Ye Jia’s lips curved to form a smile that didn’t seem quite like a smile.He grabbed the other person’s hand and tightened his grip:“Alright, I’m looking forward to it.”He was never the prey, but the predator at the top of the food chain. Deadly, fierce, and always ready to slit the enemy’s throat and pierce through their chest.“To each their own?” Ji Xuan asked with a low laugh.Ye Jia calmly looked back at him:“To each their own.”After saying that, he released the other person’s hand and continued to walk down the street.Ji Xuan lowered his eyes, his gaze falling onto his hand.The other person’s temperature could still be felt in the palm of his hand. It infiltrated his chest little by little. Like poison that was extremely addictive, he couldn’t stop.The smile on his lips deepened.…...Very good.Finally, there’s progress.Ye Jia finished off the milk tea and threw the empty cup into the bin on the corner of the street. The cup hitting the metal base of the bin made a hollow echo.At this moment, his phone suddenly rang.Ye Jia answered it.“They have agreed.” Wei Yuechu’s breathy voice sounded from the opposite end, “The people at the top have agreed to evacuate the residents of M City.”Ye Jia lowered his eyes in thought, “I see.”Wei Yuechu was stunned, “…...Huh? What?”She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “We have basically presumed that you wanted to test the Bureau out but the people at the top agreed with our request almost immediately. Doesn’t that prove their innocence?”Ye Jia slowly let out a breath, “…..No.”Wei Yuechu was puzzled, “Why?”Ye Jia said, “Emptying a city out is not a trivial matter. Not only will the economy be completely shut down, the people will also be in panic and the surrounding cities will have the bear the risks and consequences.”He asked, “For such a huge decision, do you think they would immediately implement it just because of a request from a subordinate?”“………” Wei Yuechu was silent for a few seconds before answering, “No.”At the very least, people should be sent out to check and see if the information was true and meetings should be held before the decision is made.They wouldn’t reach a decision so quickly.Ye Jia slowly continued with his conjecture, “The current Bureau may not be involved with the current situation, but they definitely know something.”Wei Yuechu couldn’t help but be curious, “Then…..What if the people above didn’t agree to our request?”Ye Jia, “There are two possibilities.”“One, these matters have been deeply buried away with the reorganisation of the Bureau and all those who knew about it have either resigned or died.”Ye Jia paused for a moment and continued:“Or two, they are deeply involved with this matter and may have even planned for the arrival of Mother.”On the opposite end, only Wei Yuechu’s shallow breathing could be heard.A long time later, she slowly exhaled and remarked with a slightly complicated tone, “Oh…..then I guess I’m glad they agreed to our request.”Ye Jia nodded, “Yes. There is still a turning point.”He ended the call, stored away his phone and looked up into the distance.Streets intertwined in the distance as the hustle and bustle of car engines and people talking could be heard. It sounded very lively.----In this city, there was still a turning point..The sky was turning dark.The director of the Bureau slowly trudged back home.The tall man sported an exhausted expression. Although his hair was already turning grey, his body was still well-built. There were dark circles under his eyes. He clearly hadn’t had a good rest in a long time.

He raised his hand and unlocked the door to his place with his fingerprint.The director stepped inside.But before he could take more than a few steps, he suddenly came to a stop.The room before him was pitch black.But for some reason, the director felt as if he was being watched. A chill instantly ran through his body, causing him to instinctively shiver.He immediately reached towards his waist, pulled out a gun and pointed it at the darkness before him.“Bang!”The door closed behind him.The director couldn’t help but tremble. His back was tense as he tightened his grip around the gun and pointed it firmly at the darkness ahead:“Who is it? Come out!”Although he sounded very imposing, he was feeling extremely fearful inside.Ever since the ghost doors opened, he had ensured that his mansion was firmly protected using all sorts of seals, making it difficult for anything to get in without leaving any traces behind. This was really…..rather terrifying.The lamp on the table was slowly turned on by a slender and pale hand. The light gradually dispelled away some of the darkness in the room.On a single-person sofa by the table sat a young man. Only half of his face was illuminated by the light, the golden glow accentuating his graceful profile: “Good evening.”“Who are you?” The director’s voice was tense. He slowly stepped back, trying to keep a safe distance from the other party.The young man before him smiled, “It doesn’t matter who I am.”He stood up and unhurriedly walked closer. His slender figure was intertwined in the darkness and light, bringing about a pressure that made it difficult for one to breath:“As for what’s important, you should already know.”Ten minutes later.The director sat tied up on the sofa. His face was pale and fine beads of sweat fell from his forehead as his eyes remained fixed on the young man’s blurred figure before him.He had exhausted everything trick he had but regardless of whether he used threats or tried to make a deal, he wasn’t able to stop the other party’s actions.And even after so long, there hadn’t been any movements outside. Waiting for rescue clearly wasn’t an option for him.His face was illuminated by the light but the other party constantly remained hidden in the darkness. This kind of situation where he is at a disadvantage made him feel extremely anxious but he was after all someone who had encountered all sorts of wind and rain so he was able to prevent those emotions from showing on his face.He asked calmly:“So what do you want to know?”“More than thirty years ago,” the young man’s indifferent voice sounded, ‘why was the Bureau reorganised?”The director’s pupils instantly constricted.He didn’t expect the other party’s first question to hit one of his sore spots.He gritted his teeth, his breathing becoming slightly faster.The young man looked down at him from above and asked again:“M City. Why did it turn into a door?”Cold sweat poured out from his forehead. Large beads of sweat slowly trickled down his cheeks, falling onto his collar.The other party slowly bent down. His voice was cold, much like an icy blade:“…..Qi Rou’s body. Where is it?”The director was shocked, as if he had seen a ghost. He stared at the figure before him, his voice so hoarse one could hardly hear his original voice.“W-who are you….?”The next second, there was a ‘click’ and the lights in the room turned on.The slender young man stood before him without any concealment, his amber-coloured eyes looking down at him containing no hint of anger or joy. His pale and thin lips rose slightly, to form a faint smile:“My name is Ye Jia.”The director’s expression instantly turned ashen. His pale lips trembled slightly as he stared at the young man before him with wide eyes.Ye Jia smiled, “Looks like you have indeed heard of this name.”The director’s voice was as small as a mosquito:“You are…..her son.”He was originally prepared to go against the man before him until the end but the moment he came to know of the man’s identity, his entire body seemed to have lost it’s strength. He lowly muttered to himself:“…...What ill-fate.”Ye Jia calmly looked down at him, waiting quietly.A long time later, the director finally pulled himself out from his thoughts. He raised his eyes and looked at the young man before him, his voice extremely weak:“Alright. I’ll tell you everything.”The hands hanging by Ye Jia’s side clenched slightly.

But he then heard the other party say, “But…..before that, I want to take you to meet someone.”The director smiled bitterly, “Don’t worry, I won’t run.”Ye Jia looked firmly at him and then bent down. A cold light flashed at the tip of his finger and the ropes binding the man fell off.The director stood up and let out a deep sigh, “…..Let’s go.”.At the Bureau headquarters.The elevator slowly descended. The numbers of the screen changed from -4 to -5.Ye Jia’s eyes narrowed slightly.He was after all also an employee of the Bureau and had been here before during his business trips. Although it couldn’t be said that he knew the structure of the headquarters well, he still had a basic understanding of it. But….He had never known that there was an underground fifth floor here.This floor didn’t even appear on the elevator buttons. They could only access it after the director scanned his eyes and fingerprints.The elevator door opened before him.Not far away was a thick metal wall that looked particularly solemn and cold and next to it was a high-tech door that was securely locked.The director hesitantly glanced at Ji Xuan who followed behind Ye Jia.Ye Jia noticed his doubts and said:“Don’t worry. He can be trusted.”The director sighed and gritted his teeth, “Alright.”He took out a card and swiped it in one of the card scanners. After scanning his eyes and fingerprints, the heavy door before them slowly opened.Ye Jia was a little stunned.In the distance was a cold and desolate corridor and surrounding it were metal bars. It looked almost like…...a gigantic prison.“Let’s go.” The director entered first.At this moment, alarms suddenly went off above them. A red light lit up, indicating that danger was nearby.The director was surprised, “What’s going on?”An image suddenly appeared on the dark screen before him ---- A S-Level alert.Scenes from the surveillance camera outside the building suddenly appeared. From a distance, dark clouds were charging closer and ferocious and terrifying beings appeared, rushing towards the building.Based on the presence, there must be at least three S-Level fierce ghosts there.Ye Jia knitted his brows. His expression turned solemn.Why?If these were fierce ghosts sent out by Mother, how did they know that they were here?Ji Xuan raised his scarlet eyes and looked above him, “I’m afraid…..we lured them here.”Ye Jia was taken aback.Ji Xuan hooked up the corner of his lips:“Blood connection, remember that?”One should know that there is a very mysterious link between the Mother and her direct descendant.And now, she was feeling anxious.His scarlet eyes darkened. He turned and walked back towards the elevator: “You two can go first.”Ye Jia, “…….En.”“I will definitely be back unharmed, don’t worry.” As the elevator doors closed, Ji Xuan smiled, “After all, gege has agreed to my pursuit, no?”Ye Jia, “??”When did I agree???But before he could say anything, the elevator before him had already closed.The director was waiting for him ahead.Ye Jia slowly took in a deep breath and turned around and walked over:“…..Let’s go.”The two entered the depths of this floor one behind the other. Only the sound of footsteps could be heard in this empty corridor.There was a huge transparent wall at the end of the corridor and soon following were black metal bars as well as another layer of protection.Behind the layer of protection, a particularly horrific human-like figure could be seen.Half the body took on the appearance of an old and wrinkly human. As if they were several hundred years old, the skin looked like a fruit that has had all the moisture in it sucked out and his eyes were murky. The other half of the body however was a bright scarlet ball of flesh with countless blue and purple veins protruding out from it, beating a steady rhythm. It was so huge, it almost filled half the confinement room.The director took off his glasses and cleaned off the fog from the lenses:“This…...was the director of the Paranormal Investigation and Management Bureau thirty years ago.”He put his glasses back on: “Qi Shengze.”Ye Jia was stunned, “…...Qi?”“Yes.”The director nodded. After some time, he added awkwardly:‘….In terms of blood relation, he can be considered your maternal grandfather.”