Chapter 642: Chapter 639: The Terrifying Child
"The Ghost Child can freely co and go in my Ghost Domain.”
When Yang Jian used his Ghost Domain to travel between locations again, he realized that the Ghost Child he had brought from Wang Shanshan’s side had beco part of it upon entering his Ghost Domain. Not only did it follow closely without falling behind, but it could also move to any place within his domain.
He had experinted along the way.
No matter which level he opened his Ghost Domain to, the Ghost Child could invade it at will.
In other words, Yang Jian’s Ghost Domain was incapable of stopping this thing.
"An incomprehensible eeriness, this Ghost Child has the characteristics of a Hungry Ghost and a Ghost Eye,” Yang Jian glanced at the Ghost Child roaming about within the domain, and his wariness deepened.
If this thing went out of control, he would be the first to be attacked. Opening the Ghost Domain not only failed to block it but would also beco an opportunity for it to get close to him.
"Although I’ve altered its mory, I’m not certain it will work, so I must be cautious no matter what.”
Yang Jian had considered killing it.
But this world was too dangerous. Be it the human skin parchnt, the Ghost Cabinet, the Ghost Mirror, or even the Ghost Infant from the Second Stage, they were all assets to increase his chances of survival. He couldn’t avoid using sothing just because it was dangerous—he would have been dead long ago without these items, not surviving to this point.
Absolute safety didn’t exist. As long as the risk was within a controllable range, Yang Jian was willing to take it.
"Co here.”
Yang Jian gave a command to the Ghost Child. He needed to grasp its behaviors in a short ti and then determine in what situations he should allow it to appear.
In the distance, the Ghost Child that was standing atop a tree in the mountains vanished in the blink of an eye.
The next mont, it appeared by Yang Jian’s side.
Just one look at the Ghost Child with its dark greenish-black skin made one feel afraid, those red eyes without pupils strangely exuded a bizarre ferocity. At this mont, it was tilting its head slightly, looking at Yang Jian as if waiting for the next command, but this seemingly innocent and naive gaze was inexplicably chilling.
However, Yang Jian had no further instructions. He needed to judge what the ghostly thing would do next without his command.
Would it continue standing there foolishly, or would it have so independent ideas?
At this mont, Yang Jian was observing, and he was also watching the ti.
About ten minutes passed.
Without further instructions from Yang Jian, the Ghost Child started looking around rather than staring at him.
About twenty minutes later, the Ghost Child began to move around Yang Jian’s vicinity but didn’t stray too far; its range of activity was roughly within five ters around him.
Finally, after thirty minutes, the Ghost Child no longer seed affected by the previous command. It began reverting to its prior behavior, roaming all over Yang Jian’s Ghost Domain. Sotis it would perch on a branch, staring into the distance, and other tis it ran around the domain seemingly playing on its own.
"Less than thirty minutes of constraint ti, it also proves that the Ghost Child can understand what I say,” Yang Jian noted down this ti.
"Do not leave the area within ten ters of .”
The next mont, he issued another command.
The Ghost Child looked at Yang Jian, then suddenly ran back. Its range of activity was restricted; although it still ran around haphazardly, it did not leave the ten-ter radius around Yang Jian.
"Go stand under that streetlight,” Yang Jian said, pointing toward the distant light.
The streetlight was at least thirty ters away from him. Just before, he had issued a command not to leave a ten-ter radius from himself. In other words, these two commands conflicted with each other, and he wanted to confirm what reaction the Ghost Child would have to the issuing of conflicting commands.
Would it, like a real ghost, experience a crash?
The answer soon beca apparent.
The Ghost Child ignored the previous restriction of staying within ten ters and ran to stand under the streetlight. Moreover, it didn’t run back.
Yang Jian frowned slightly, “The new command overrides the old one. The Ghost Child won’t crash due to command conflict like a real ghost would, so there’s no need to worry about that.”
After so probing, he gained a rough understanding of the Ghost Child.
"The only thing left is to analyze the Ghost Child’s own condition… But before that, there’s sothing else I need to confirm.”
Yang Jian looked over at the Ghost Child not far away and said directly, “Call daddy.”
It wasn’t that he was indulging in a twisted sense of humor, but rather he wanted to see if this thing could actually speak.
The Ghost Child looked at Yang Jian, opened its mouth as if trying to speak, but no sound ca out. The inside of the Ghost Child’s mouth was pitch black; there was no tongue, no throat, and not even teeth. It seed underdeveloped, with many parts of the body not fully ford.
"Unable to speak, yet still trying to do so… Is it because it’s missing pieces of the puzzle?” Yang Jian’s gaze sharpened.
He rembered that the original Hungry Ghost had teeth, as did the other Ghost Infants that had been derived from it, but this thing did not.
"Now, I’m a bit curious to see what kind of change will occur in the Ghost Child after it consus a ghost. Will it be eroded by the consud ghost, just as a living person is when a fierce ghost revives, or will it be able to control the consud ghost? Turning the consud ghost into one of its jigsaw pieces?”
This answer was extrely important.
If it was the forr, the potential of the Ghost Child wasn’t as great as imagined. Although it could provide significant help, the chances for utilization might not be many.
If it was the latter… That would be terrifying.
Yang Jian might be able to raise a Hungry Ghost that would obey his commands.
Soday his nickna, Ghost Eye Yang Jian, could be changed, perhaps to Dachang City’s Foster Dad would be more appropriate.
Raising such a creature, wouldn’t that be like fostering a father? Yang Jian would have to hold onto its coattails in the future.
"If I’m to feed it with a ghost, the first one must be a harmless existence that can be dealt with, to prevent bad luck from befalling if it gets out of control,” he mused.
The number of ghosts he held captive wasn’t many.
So had been subdued by him, so handed over to headquarters, and the most suitable ghost remaining in his possession was just one.
The Ghost Skeleton that was left behind after Wang Xiaoqiang was taken down.
It was among the least dangerous ghosts, Yang Jian guessed, likely a piece of so devoured corpse that had been dismbered and scattered, akin to his own Ghost Hand. Although it was a ghost, the level of danger it posed was quite low.
"That thing, although minimally dangerous, is too singular. It could be directly controlled by a live person in a critical mont, saving soone close to death. Feeding it to the Ghost Child might be a bit of a waste.”
"Or perhaps the Dead Man’s Head I obtained after the scuffle with that circle of friends last ti?”
Yang Jian considered another ghost.
A ghost whisperer left a ghost after his death, a dead man’s head.
However, the ghost was sowhat dangerous, a terrifying head that couldn’t be expelled even by the power of the fifth level in the Ghost Domain. If swallowed by the Ghost Child, it might pose a certain risk of going out of control, but the dead man’s head was very effective. Ghosts targeted by the dead man’s head were suppressed, and the person it focused on was likely to die within a short period.
As for the risk of revival, Yang Jian didn’t know; after all, his knowledge was still quite limited.
The rest, like bloodstained old newspapers, worn embroidered shoes, and the Ghost Shroud, were all items of supernatural significance. To so extent, they were not true ghosts, and Yang Jian didn’t want to experint with these things.
While contemplating, Yang Jian had once again arrived at a villa community on the outskirts of the city.
Villa No. 8, left behind by He Tianxiong, was his temporary residence in Big J City, so there was no need to stay at Ping’an Hotel anymore. After all, Ping’an Hotel was full of headquarters staff, and many things and secrets couldn’t be hidden there—like his appearance today with the Ghost Child, which would be imdiately known to headquarters.
Yang Jian looked around.
The survivors from abroad, including Li Yang, had already left during the day. They must have received headquarters’ arrangents and no longer needed his worry.
However, when he entered the villa, he found the inside brightly lit.
There was a young woman sitting on the living room sofa. She was petite, with twin ponytails, and had a pure and adorable appearance. She was currently eating various snacks and fruits on the table while watching TV.
"Liu Xiaoyu? What are you doing here?” Yang Jian frowned, then looked around.
It seed she was the only one there.
"Yang Jian, you’re finally back. I knew you would be here. I’ve been waiting for you for hours,” Liu Xiaoyu said, hastily putting down the snacks and switching off the TV before standing up from the sofa.
"Just you alone?” Yang Jian asked.
Liu Xiaoyu nodded quickly, “Yes, just . I received a call from that Li Yang and found out that you were staying here after leaving Ping’an Hotel. The deputy minister asked to accompany you for a few days, so I ca over.”
"Accompany for a few days? What do you an?” Yang Jian continued to ask.
Liu Xiaoyu giggled, “It ans wherever you go, I’ll follow. The deputy minister asked to stay close to you for easy contact at any mont.”
Yang Jian thought for a mont and understood Cao Yanhua’s consideration. Tomorrow was the deadline given by Wang Xiaoming for his response. Cao Yanhua was worried about not being able to find soone in ti and causing a delay, so he had Liu Xiaoyu co directly.
"I suppose there’s also an elent of surveillance, isn’t there? Cao Yanhua wants to know what I’ve been up to recently? He doesn’t trust . But you’ve got guts, daring to co here alone to keep an eye on . You should know it’s not safe around . One carelessness could be fatal.”
Liu Xiaoyu made a helpless expression and retorted, “What can I do? Soone has to do this job. I’m your contact person. Now that you’re suspended, I’m on leave too, so I’m the most suitable choice.”
"There are plenty of staff at headquarters, definitely no shortage of people. The only reason they sent you is probably that they think we have a good relationship. If it were soone else, they might mysteriously disappear the next day. Outsiders might not know, but don’t you know? Because of the friend circle incident, I’ve already had a falling out with Cao Yanhua,” Yang Jian said.
"That’s all in the past, don’t dwell on it. Besides, I cried for you for half a day, and I didn’t bla you, did I?” Liu Xiaoyu said.
Yang Jian did not respond to her but suddenly sensed sothing and shouted, “Co here.”
Liu Xiaoyu was startled and then pouted, “What are you being so fierce for? I’m coming, I’m coming.”
"I’m not calling you.” Yang Jian’s gaze turned cold. “I’m calling the thing behind you.”
"What?”
Liu Xiaoyu instinctively looked back and her pupils suddenly constricted. Her heart seed to stop beating at that mont, as she saw a child of about six years old standing behind her, eerily watching her. The most bizarre aspect was the child’s dark blue-black skin, which made him look like a dead person, and his blood-red eyes without any pupils exuded a terrifying ferocity.
As if he wanted to devour her alive.
However, in the next mont,
The Ghost Child gave up on Liu Xiaoyu. It ran across the floor barefooted, its movents swift like a shadow flashing by, and quickly hid behind Yang Jian like a scaredy-cat.
"Is this… a Ghost Infant?”
Liu Xiaoyu’s heart was racing, and her body felt as if it had frozen, her eyes filled with unmistakable terror.
She had seen the Hungry Ghost’s files because she had created them, so she was very clear about the image of the Hungry Ghost. She even had specific illustrations for the changes in each stage of the Ghost Infant.
To compile the Hungry Ghost’s files, Liu Xiaoyu had even suffered from insomnia and nightmares for a whole week.
"You were almost attacked by it,” Yang Jian said seriously as he looked at her.
Just now, the Ghost Child had co behind Liu Xiaoyu without any orders from him, and after observing her for a bit, he even sensed its intention to attack.
This intent to attack was becoming stronger as ti passed.
If Yang Jian hadn’t called out in ti, the Ghost Infant might have really pounced on her.
"The Ghost Infants of the Second Stage will attack anyone they see or co into contact with. To so extent, Ghost Children are also affected by this rule—they will attack living people they see… But it seems the blood-stained newspaper has modified its mory and had so effect,”
"It will hide if seen by living people.”
Yang Jian glanced at the Ghost Child hiding behind him.
Because the blood-stained newspaper written to modify its mory had stated:
First, obey the orders of Yang Jian and Wang Shanshan completely.
Second, the Ghost Child is forbidden to kill without the orders of Yang Jian and Wang Shanshan.
Third, it is forbidden to appear arbitrarily in crowds.
So, the Ghost Child avoided people because of the existence of the third command, but the second command had a flaw; it forbade killing but didn’t forbid harming.
In other words, once you are seen by the Ghost Child and you are unaware, it will attack you from a position outside of your field of vision.
Thinking back to sothing Wang Shanshan had ntioned, about the Ghost Child running out five days earlier and returning with a few human fingers in its mouth,
Yang Jian believed the Hungry Ghost’s instincts were still present, and even if it didn’t kill, it would still harm people.
But to what extent it would harm, Yang Jian couldn’t determine, as people could also die quickly from serious injuries.
Therefore, to prevent the Ghost Child from killing completely seed an impossible task; it could only be continuously constrained.
Any indulgence might lead to this creature attacking living people nearby.
"I must issue another order forbidding the Ghost Child from approaching living people, and considering that orders can be overwritten, this command needs frequent updating. I have to repeat it whenever there’s an opportunity; I cannot let this Ghost Child go out of control,” Yang Jian thought to himself.
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