Chapter 1449 - 1416: The New Squad

Evening time.

The top floor of Ning’an Building in Dadong City.

The captain candidates summoned by the headquarters this time have already gathered, but their number is not many. Among them are Li Yang, Tong Qian, Liu Qi, Su Fan, Zhang Lei, Wen Zhong, and an old ghost handler named Lin Long. Initially, there was also Feng Quan, but he is trapped in the old grave of the Ghost Post Office like Wei Jing and unable to escape, so he did not appear.

Seven captain candidates were hastily selected. If given some time, the headquarters could surely discover more captain candidates.

“Lin Long, you’re actually still alive?” Tong Qian fixed her gaze on a young man about twenty-six years old with a dark expression.

“Since Feng Quan isn’t dead, of course, I wouldn’t be willing to die,” Lin Long replied.

Tong Qian said, “I remember the last time we met was during the Hungry Ghost incident in Dachang City, and after that, I never heard from you again.”

“Don’t mention the past. After the Hungry Ghost incident, I fought with Yang Jian and almost got buried alive by him. Later, Li Jun and others mediated, so I was fine. However, as a warning, I had to stay away from Yang Jian. That’s why I’ve been working as a person in charge in a relatively remote city. Thanks to staying away from big cities, I’ve encountered few supernatural events and rarely used supernatural powers, so everything has remained peaceful.”

Lin Long appeared somewhat sentimental, reminiscing those past events vividly, yet now, things have changed. Li Jun is gone, some of his colleagues have died, but newcomer Yang Jian has become an Enforcement Captain, overseeing everyone.

If it weren’t for this call for assembly, he reckoned he would never show up and remain as a person in charge until the day he died.

“I never thought you would survive after a fight with Yang Jian.” Liu Qi looked at him with a hint of admiration.

Everyone knows Yang Jian rarely fights; he usually kills. According to him, once a person offends him, it’s better to kill them today than to let them become a threat in the future.

This is typical persecutory delusion.

Lin Long’s face, already dark, turned even darker: “It was just youthful impulse back then. It’s inevitable to get carried away after gaining supernatural powers, so I made some mistakes. But now isn’t the time to discuss my embarrassing past. Are we the only seven candidates for captain roles this time?”

“I don’t know.”

Zhang Lei, his skin blazing red, emitted a foul foot odor from his body. Occasionally, sparks could be seen spurting from his breath, making it quite astonishing. He shook his head and said, “I was previously substituting for the late Gao Ming as the person in charge, so I’ve paid little attention to the changes in the situation. But I think since the headquarters is already recruiting captain candidates, no one will be missing.”

“There’s a heap of issues in Xiangjiang, several supernatural incidents remain unsolved, but I was still dragged here,” Su Fan said, spreading his hands helplessly.

Li Yang said, “Over at Dachang City, there’s a very dangerous supernatural incident coded Black Umbrella that we haven’t had time to handle due to interference from other matters. But confronting the King Organization is a priority now; other matters have to be set aside temporarily.”

“There’s not much going on at my place either, so I’ve been closely observing shifts in the supernatural circle. Unfortunately, my rank wasn’t high enough to participate. I was eagerly idling at home until now that the headquarters has summoned captain candidates to join the battle. To be honest, I’m quite excited.” Wen Zhong smiled, his happiness revealing a trace of coldness.

His coldness was directed at the King Organization.

“If seven captain candidates form a squad, it’s conservative to match one captain; matching two captains is an exaggeration, but matching one and a half captains should be feasible, meaning the seven of us teaming up could take down one King and additionally a King’s Squad.” Li Yang evaluated their strength, speaking fairly.

Actually, this is under the assumption that the seven captain candidates are not risking everything. If they were to go all out, just Tong Qian alone might be able to take down a King.

“If strength assessment is based on numbers, it’s meaningless. Facing a captain’s attack could lead to casualties within a blink, and we can’t afford to be careless,” Liu Qi said seriously.

“True, we would only know our strength after a confrontation with the other side,” Li Yang nodded, agreeing with Liu Qi’s point.

As they were chatting and getting acquainted, the meeting hall was suddenly enveloped in a glaring light.

The light was golden yellow, emitting an indescribable scorching sensation.

When the anomaly disappeared, Yang Jian appeared before everyone. He first scanned the room, then slightly frowned, “Xiong Wenwen doesn’t seem to be here? Li Yang, what’s going on?”

“Xiong Wenwen is timid and is hiding at home, reluctant to come. Moreover, his mother, Chen Shumei, is somewhat opposed to this matter. Neither Tong Qian nor I could forcibly break into someone else’s home to take him away. I think, Captain, you would need to go personally,” Li Yang said, a bit helplessly.

Yang Jian thought for a moment and said, “But for now, we don’t urgently need Xiong Wenwen; let’s leave this matter aside.

Then his eyes swept over the others.

“Yang Jian.”

“Captain Yang.”

Liu Qi, Su Fan, Zhang Lei, and others stood up to greet him.

Yang Jian said, “We’re all familiar; there’s no need for such formalities. Let’s sit down and talk. I believe everyone is clear about this headquarters’ call, so I won’t explain further. The seven of you captain candidates currently form a squad, with Li Yang as the squad leader. This squad will take on the responsibilities of one captain, as for the specific task arrangements, I haven’t figured it out yet. If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to speak now.”

He spoke straightforwardly, without beating around the bush, getting straight to the point.

“I have no objections,” Tong Qian said.

“I have no objections either.”

Su Fan glanced at Li Yang but said little. He was much more experienced than Li Yang. During the Ghost Painting incident, he was already a prominent ghost handler at the headquarters, while Li Yang was just an ordinary person caught up in the event. It’s surprising that in just one year, Li Yang has already surpassed him.

Indeed, the world is unpredictable.

“Who the squad leader is doesn’t matter; I have no objections,” Wen Zhong said.

Yang Jian said, “Since there are no objections, let’s settle it like this. Additionally, as you’re participating in this battle as candidate captains, you’ll certainly be taking on a significant risk. So, I’ll prepare some supplies for each of you: two substitute dolls per person and three red Ghost Candles.”

With that, he took out some of the supplies he had previously taken from headquarters and distributed them.

“In the past, headquarters was always stingy with the Ghost Candles, let alone the substitute dolls; you had to apply for them or exchange them with merit. This time, Captain Yang is really generous, giving away such important resources without hesitation,” Su Fan said with a smile.

Yang Jian said, “I’ve nearly emptied the headquarters’ inventory this time. After distribution, there won’t be much left. Right now, people are more important than resources. If we lose this fight, then no amount of resources would matter. Considering that you will be acting collectively, I think equipping each of you with two substitute dolls and three Ghost Candles should be enough; more likely won’t be necessary.”

“That’s true. Seven people combined, that’s fourteen substitute dolls and twenty-one Ghost Candles, definitely enough,” Wen Zhong nodded.

“Before you are assigned tasks, it’s best for you to interact with each other, familiarize yourselves with each other’s supernatural powers, and cooperate as much as possible. A King-level ghost tamer is not simple. I’m not sure if you’re aware of the previous intel. In the battle last night, Li Jun and Ah Hong died, Cao Yang was severely injured and had to withdraw. If there hadn’t been previous preparations, Li Leping and Lin Bei might have died at the Xiangjiang Wharf. Although the other side also lost three Kings and several ghost tamer squads, this happened despite our prior preparations.”

“If it came to a real fight, we’d be at a disadvantage.”

Yang Jian said earnestly, giving them his best advice.

“Understood, if the captains had the advantage, us candidate captains wouldn’t be brought in,” Lin Long said with a grim face.

“I feel like I recognize you from somewhere. Haven’t we met before?” Yang Jian looked at Lin Long, finding him familiar, but couldn’t recall immediately, as he had too many memories in his mind that were slow to search through.

Lin Long said, “After the Hungry Ghost incident in Dachang City, we fought once; you nearly buried me alive… Though you let me go afterward, you warned me to stay far away and never to meet again, so I was reassigned to a more remote city as a person in charge.”

Discussing this past in front of so many people felt uncomfortable for him, but it had to be addressed, otherwise, it would always bother him internally.

“Now I remember, so it was you. Sorry, I didn’t recognize you for a moment.” Yang Jian felt a moment of realization, remembering Lin Long, though it didn’t leave much of an impression as he had been in too many fights.

“Everything from before is in the past. I overreacted back then, so here I apologize to you. If we make it through this alive, I’ll treat you to a meal.”

Then Yang Jian took the initiative to apologize to Lin Long.

This wasn’t about personal grudges; right now, a major battle was imminent, and the team needed to be united. As the Enforcement Captain, he had to resolve this friction to prevent any unhappiness within the group.

Faced with Yang Jian’s apology, a surprised expression appeared on Lin Long’s grim face, and he felt somewhat flattered. He waved his hand repeatedly, “It’s all in the past. I don’t mind; if I did, I wouldn’t have brought it up. While I used to have opinions about you, Yang Jian, after knowing what you’ve done, I really admire you. If it weren’t for you hunting down the King, declaring war, and rallying the captains to counterattack, we’d probably all be done for by now.”

“No one wants the situation, which has been stabilized with difficulty, to be disrupted by an overseas organization. Honestly, I don’t want to deal with all this mess either, but for the safety of my friends and family, I must stand up. If supernatural events were to spiral out of control completely, it wouldn’t be good for anyone, and everyone would be affected,” Yang Jian said in a calm tone.

“That’s right, this is not just for headquarters, but for ourselves too,” Liu Qi immediately replied.

At this point, there’s no need to talk about lofty ideals. Everyone was well aware that the existence of the King Organization already threatened the life of every ghost tamer in the country; if they didn’t unite to fight back, they would be purged by the King organization afterward.

After all, the captains and candidate captains are well-known in the supernatural circle; once targeted, no one could escape.

“Alright, take a break for now. I have other matters to arrange. Li Yang, until there are tasks for your squad, stay here on standby anytime,” Yang Jian said.

Li Yang replied, “No problem, Captain, rest assured, we won’t act rashly.”

Yang Jian nodded, then left.

Once Yang Jian was gone, the seven-person squad began to talk amongst themselves again, starting to understand each other’s supernatural powers.

After all, the records in the files are never complete; as candidate captains, they naturally would have hidden something.

But now that everyone has become teammates and is going to fight side by side, there’s no need to hide it anymore. They must reveal some of their trump cards so that they can work together to fight against the King.

Tong Qian was very open, directly revealing her new mastery of Ghost Makeup and her ability to coordinate with Ghost Face.

“When necessary, I’ll draw a third face and fight fiercely with the opponent. Usually, I’ll draw two faces, having sixty percent of the supernatural power of two captains, along with the cries and laughter of the Ghost Face, and with this supernatural ring that can hide oneself, I hope not to disappoint you all.”

This kind of trump card revealed drew a great deal of amazement from others.

Unexpectedly, within their team, there was such a powerful figure. Such capabilities qualify one to become a captain.

“With the frozen Ghost Face, sixty percent of the supernatural power of Ghost Makeup, a supernatural ring that prevents discovery with two or more people… Tong Qian, it’s truly a shame you’re not replacing a captain,” Su Fan’s tone revealed a sense of envy.

Tong Qian shook her head and said, “I’m still far from becoming a captain. My body is still very fragile; otherwise, Yang Jian wouldn’t have given me the life-saving supernatural ring.”

He had weaknesses, and they were quite apparent; unless this was compensated for, he would never become a captain, at most just a captain candidate.

At this time, Li Yang also briefly explained his abilities: “I’m relatively simple, currently taming three ghosts in a balanced state, and my supernatural weapon is this old hook.”

With two people sharing first, Liu Qi, Su Fan, Zhang Lei, and others also revealed their respective information.

The more they knew, the more confident they became. Indeed, everyone was very strong. Assembling such a squad, taking down a King wouldn’t be an issue.

Of course, the seven-person squad did have a weakness, which was that their Ghost Domain wasn’t strong enough.

But this shortcoming was compensated for by Su Fan, who possessed sensing abilities that could avoid danger, plus everyone had red Ghost Candles and substitute dolls, along with their respective supernatural disturbances, and Li Yang’s Ghost Gate made offensive and defensive strategies viable.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by novlove.com

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