Chapter 144: Cruel Reality
He had a vague sense that the incident in Huanggang Village was far from over, and the ensuing consequences seemed to be affecting him.
Yet he was still in the dark, without any forewarning whatsoever.
“Yan Li definitely did not simply die from the Evil Ghost’s revival; even if he were to die, he certainly wouldn’t have died this quickly,” Yang Jian thought as he drove, his mind starting to ponder.
He felt that Yan Li had at least half a month left before the Evil Ghost’s revival.
But now, the time of the Evil Ghost’s revival had been moved up.
In other words, Yan Li had used the power of the Evil Ghost.
Knowing that he was on the verge of revival, yet still using the power of the Evil Ghost, there could be only one possibility.
He had encountered other ghost controllers.
Or perhaps someone deliberately provoked him into using the power of the Evil Ghost, forcing him to die from its revival.
“First, go to his house to inform his family to evacuate, then investigate Yan Li’s cause of death. If it’s a normal death due to the Evil Ghost’s revival then all is well, but if not… then as Yan Li said, someone is coming for me,” Yang Jian’s expression became grave.
In the eyes of Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club, Yan Li was their guide.
His death was a dangerous signal for Yang Jian.
The car entered a residential area.
Yan Li was very thorough in protecting his family; to avoid involving them in his affairs, he even rarely visited his wife and children here.
Even on the brink of death, he hesitated to make that last phone call, out of this concern.
“This is the place.”
Yang Jian stopped his car, looking at the villa in front of him.
The courtyard gate was open, the main door was firmly locked, the yard was covered with fallen leaves scattered about, indicating that no one had taken care of it for several days. Moreover, there was not a single sound coming from inside.
“I remember Yan Li has a wife and two lively kids, a boy and a girl. Could it be that they’ve already moved out?” he wondered.
A twinge of doubt crossed his mind, but as he walked into the yard and approached the front door ready to knock, his movements suddenly froze.
Through the crack of the door, a faint and indistinct smell drifted out from inside the villa.
This was… the stench of a decaying corpse.
Having dealt with paranormal incidents numerous times, Yang Jian was very familiar with this odor.
“Something’s wrong,”
he realized the severity of the situation almost immediately.
He took a look and then took out his Gold baton, smashing the nearby glass and forcibly breaking into the villa.
All the lights inside were off, and the air, due to a lack of circulation, was murky and stale; the stench of decaying flesh was even more pungent, to the point of inducing nausea.
Yang Jian had to cover his nose.
“The windows were deliberately locked from the inside, and the power supply was turned off,”
he noted as he tried to switch on the lights.
However, after flicking the switch, there was no response from the lights. Looking at the windows, not only were all of them tightly closed, the curtains were also drawn… With this setup, even during daylight, the interior was completely dark.
Yang Jian opened all the curtains and windows to let the sunlight in and the air circulate, attempting to dissipate the foul stench.
But it was to no avail.
The source of the stench was inside the house; simply airing out some of the smell was hopeless.
“Someone has definitely died here, and the body is still inside the house. Otherwise, the smell wouldn’t be so intense,”
he thought to himself, a bad premonition wells up in his heart.
With this ominous feeling, Yang Jian moved towards the living room of the villa.
The scene before him immediately caused his pupils to shrink.
From the exquisite crystal chandelier in the living room hung three bodies: an adult woman and two children. They had been dead for several days, their bodies already in the throes of decay.
With the windows open, the air circulating…
It was without a doubt.
These were Yan Li’s family members: his wife and two children.
Just ten days ago, Yang Jian had been here.
At that time, Yan Li’s wife was with their two vivacious children, living carefree and contentedly, with all the pain and agony borne by Yan Li alone.
But now… Becoming a ghost controller, even having to maintain his family in the face of death from the Evil Ghost’s revival, Yan Li’s family had collapsed without his knowledge, to the extent that before his death, Yan Li was still worried about their safety, asking Yang Jian to inform them to leave Dachang City.
Little did he know, Yan Li’s family had long been dead.
“Looking at the state of decay, Yan Li’s wife and children must’ve been dead for at least five days, and Yan Li had reached his limit and started the Evil Ghost’s revival yesterday. This means someone killed his family first, then found him and forced him to die from the Evil Ghost’s revival. This was a prepared plan, to eradicate Yan Li and his entire family,”
Yang Jian sat down on the couch, staring at the three bodies hanging from the chandelier in front of him.
“`
He frowned and began to think.
Who could have such a planned intent to kill Yan Li and his family of three and then kill Yan Li himself, and what was the purpose?
Yan Li was already not long for this world, dying at the hands of the vengeful Evil Ghost was just a matter of time, so why couldn’t some people wait?
Was it to rob the box Yan Li held in his hand?
Or had Yan Li offended someone outside, and they were the victims of a vendetta?
Or was it… something else entirely.
But, no matter which way you sliced it, these methods were quite cruel.
“No, cruelty doesn’t mean much to people like us. Those who control Evil Ghosts lose some of their humanity. If it were me, my methods might not be any less harsh,” he mused.
Yang Jian’s gaze shifted slightly, “In the fight of life and death, there is no choice. Now it’s Yan Li, next time it could be me, and my family might be the ones hanging and left to decay.”
So, it was imperative to get to the bottom of this matter. The debt of Yan Li’s family’s murder had to be avenged.
Certain people had to die.
With this thought, Yang Jian’s face turned cold, his body exuding a chilling aura as he promptly stood up and turned to leave the place.
The three rotting corpses continued to dangle from the lamp, gently swaying.
The foul stench spread, gradually creeping outside the house.
He didn’t need to deal with it, as the situation here would soon become known, it wouldn’t be long before someone reported it, and naturally people would come to clean up the bodies and notify their relatives.
“The death of Yan Li’s family must be related to Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club. He had warned me before to be wary of people from the club, saying there was someone in the club who wanted me dead… These two things must be related, so I’ll head to Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club first to clarify things,” he decided.
After leaving the place, Yang Jian immediately drove to the club’s location.
It wasn’t just about avenging Yan Li and his family,
It was also for his own future safety.
Doing nothing might mean it’s too late when the crisis hits.
The method of the killer was obvious: murdering an entire family, ruthless without giving any chance of survival.
Such things should not happen again.
Yang Jian would never allow such an event to happen to himself.
The vehicle sped along, and before long, he arrived at a private estate in Dachang City.
This was the stronghold of the Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club.
Yang Jian had been here before, so he was fairly acquainted with the place.
“Please stop, sir. This is a private club, and we typically don’t allow strangers to enter without a pass,” said a voice.
As soon as he stepped off the car into the grounds, two muscular bodyguards in black clothes stopped Yang Jian.
“The Xiaoqiang Entertainment Club has now started requiring entry cards?” Yang Jian said, “I’m here to see Wang Xiaoqiang. It’d be best if you just let me through. Don’t make it difficult for me, and I won’t make it difficult for you.”
“I’m sorry, but if sir does not have a pass, we won’t allow you to enter,” one of the bodyguards said earnestly.
Yang Jian asked, “No room for negotiation? What if I slip you some cash?”
“We are professionals and must be responsible to our employer. Even if you offer us a bribe, without a pass, we cannot let you enter. If sir attempts to force his way through, we will have to evict you by force. Please understand,” the bodyguard replied, blocking Yang Jian’s way.
“More politeness is pointless, just don’t waste my time, we’re all busy people.”
Yang Jian pulled out his gun and pointed it at the bodyguard in front of him, “Move aside, or I blow your brains out. Your choice.”
“Stay calm, sir, please stay calm,” urged the other bodyguard, attempting to calm Yang Jian down.
The bodyguard with the gun to his head maintained a tense expression but did not exhibit fear or panic, clearly the sign of a professionally trained individual.
Yang Jian said, “From this close, you professional bodyguards won’t try to disarm me, will you? Just don’t force me to act, or both of you will end up dead.”
As he spoke, a sinister black shadow ominously rose behind him.
A Ghost Controller?
The two bodyguards suddenly stiffened, instinctively taking several steps back.
They indeed considered seizing Yang Jian’s gun; after all, he hadn’t even removed the safety.
But with the arrival of this ominous individual, the circumstances changed.
The gun was no longer the deadliest weapon present—that thing was.
“Please come in, sir. President Wang is currently in a meeting,” the bodyguard conceded, no longer daring to block the way and stepping aside.
“Remember my face for next time. If this happens again, I won’t be so amiable,” Yang Jian said, putting away the gun.
Bullets that cost ten thousand apiece—definitely not something to waste carelessly.
And besides, there was no need for conflict with personnel not of immediate concern, not when the threat of force was sufficient.
“`