Chapter 146: Xiao Tong
After a moment of hesitation, Yang Haoran ultimately decided not to call Wang Yiming.
Not only did he not contact Wang Yiming, he also refrained from contacting any other Night Watchers.
It wasn't that he didn't want a helper; rather, he didn't want to constantly trouble others. Doing so would only accumulate more favors owed, and a debt of gratitude was the hardest to repay.
“Once you've handled the scene, leave quickly. Don't linger here,” Yang Haoran told Chen Ying, then turned to leave.
“Where are you going? ” Chen Ying asked, a puzzled expression on her face.
“I'm going back to get something and will be right back. ”
With that, Yang Haoran left Tianhe Hospital. He had originally intended to acquire some cinnabar today, but given the current situation, he had no choice but to postpone that task. He had to deal with the Skin-Borrowing Ghost first; otherwise, there was no telling how many more innocent lives would be lost.
The Night Watchers' method involves using Spirit Power to deal with ghosts, then sealing them within a Soul-Gathering Bead. At this moment, the Soul-Gathering Bead was embedded in his ring, and Spirit Power coursed through his body. Logically, there shouldn't have been anything he still needed to go back for.
However, what Yang Haoran was going back for had nothing to do with his identity as a Night Watcher, because he was going to retrieve Talismans.
These Talismans, naturally, he had obtained from Zhou Daoshi.
Both Zhou Daoshi and Wang Yiming were Yellow Talisman Masters, but the Talismans drawn by Zhou Daoshi were considerably more potent than Wang Yiming's.
This could be discerned from the spiritual energy emanating from the Talismans each of them drew.
He wanted to deal with the Skin-Borrowing Ghost, but considering his own insufficient strength, he thought about going back to bring all of Zhou Daoshi's remaining Talismans.
Previously, when he knew nothing about the art of Talismans, he hadn't known what kind of Talismans he had received from Zhou Daoshi, or what their functions were. Now, it was different. Regardless, he was now half a Talisman Master. While he couldn't draw Talismans himself, he had a certain understanding of them.
Among Zhou Daoshi's remaining Talismans, there were some specifically for dealing with ghosts.
If he used all these Talismans, combined with the Spirit Power's inherent suppression of ghosts, then as long as no unforeseen circumstances arose, he believed apprehending the Skin-Borrowing Ghost shouldn't be a problem.
Of course, the prerequisite was that he had to be willing to use these Talismans.
Upon returning to the sundry shop, Yang Haoran retrieved a small box from behind the green curtains, then got into his car and drove back towards Tianhe Hospital.
Inside this box were all of Zhou Daoshi's remaining Talismans. Yang Haoran had always guarded these Talismans like treasures. Since returning to Lecheng, he had collected quite a few spirits, but he hadn't brought himself to use a single one of these Talismans.
Of course, the spirits he had encountered during this time were all within his capability to handle, so there had naturally been no need to waste Talismans.
Good steel is used on the blade; the reason Yang Haoran had kept these Talismans treasured was precisely to deal with situations like the one at hand.
Arriving back at Tianhe Hospital, the police had not yet withdrawn. Yang Haoran spotted Chen Ying's figure from a distance.
“Why are you still here? ” Yang Haoran asked, a hint of confusion in his voice, as he approached Chen Ying.
Chen Ying looked exasperated and said, “This is a homicide case; it's not that quick. Besides, you've only been gone for a little while. ”
What Chen Ying said was true. Yang Haoran had indeed only been gone for a short time. This amount of time was far too brief for them, as they were currently handling a case, not shopping at a supermarket where they could leave whenever they pleased.
“Can you contact the director of Tianhe Hospital? Or at least someone in charge? ”
Given the gravity of the situation, Yang Haoran believed that even if the director hadn't arrived, there would certainly be someone in charge from the hospital present. If he wanted to deal with the Skin-Borrowing Ghost here, he would need the hospital's support; otherwise, carrying out the operation would be extremely difficult.
“The director is in the hospital. We met him earlier. Are you asking about him because you plan to act? ” Chen Ying inquired.
Yang Haoran didn't deny it, simply nodding his head.
“The director mentioned earlier that the gentleman he hired this time possessed genuine abilities; otherwise, he wouldn't have paid such a high price to invite him. Yet, even so, that gentleman still met his end. So, I suggest you wait a bit,” Chen Ying advised.
“Wait for the Spirit Police to arrive? ” Yang Haoran asked.
Chen Ying nodded and continued, “After you left earlier, I called Yiming. They've received orders and should be deploying and arranging things now. I'm sure they'll arrive soon. ”
As her voice trailed off, Chen Ying noticed Yang Haoran's attention wasn't on her; instead, he was looking towards the main entrance of Tianhe Hospital.
A flicker of doubt crossed her mind, but she followed his gaze, and her expression immediately brightened. Wang Yiming, dressed in civilian clothes, had appeared in her line of sight.
Besides Wang Yiming, another person accompanied him. This individual was young, even younger than Wang Yiming.
“They're here! I didn't expect them so soon! ” Chen Ying exclaimed, her face alight with surprise, clearly unexpected that Wang Yiming and his companion would arrive so quickly.
Yang Haoran spotting Wang Yiming earlier than Chen Ying was no coincidence. It was because he had sensed the approach of two power fluctuations. He just hadn't been certain that Wang Yiming would be among the arrivals, and this kind of sensory perception of power was something Chen Ying did not possess.
Wang Yiming approached Yang Haoran, first offering Chen Ying a smile—a unique greeting reserved for his girlfriend—before turning to Yang Haoran with a chuckle.
“Brother Yang, long time no see. ”
“Heh, not as long as you make it sound,” Yang Haoran replied with a smile.
The person was still the same, his smile still as amiable and approachable as ever, yet Wang Yiming couldn't shake the feeling that Yang Haoran's smile had changed somewhat, as if something had been added to it.
What had been added?
After some thought, he finally understood what was truly present in Yang Haoran's smile.
More stories.
“Only you two came? ” Yang Haoran asked, glancing at Wang Yiming and then at the young man beside him.
Yang Haoran hadn't met this young man before. The youth who had appeared with Wang Yiming during the Yangjiawan incident was not this person.
“We don't yet understand the target's strength, so the organization sent just the two of us as the vanguard. But with you here, I don't think it'll be much of a problem,” Wang Yiming said, a faint smile creasing his usually stern face.
Yang Haoran gave a wry smile and shook his head, “You think too highly of me. ”
“You're too modest, Brother Yang. I know your strength. First, let me introduce you: this is Xiao Tong. ”
Wang Yiming introduced the young Spirit Police officer beside him to Yang Haoran.
“Hello, Brother Yang. Please take care of me in the future,” the Spirit Police officer said with a smile, his attitude very polite.
“No, no, you're too kind. How could I possibly take care of you? It's I who need your care,” Yang Haoran responded with equal politeness, leaving a good impression on the young man named Xiao Tong.
Neither side wasted any more time. With Wang Yiming leading the way, it was a smooth path forward, and Yang Haoran effortlessly followed him into the inpatient building.
According to Wang Yiming, the higher-ups had already notified the hospital administration. As long as they didn't harm the hospitalized patients, they were free to do whatever they pleased.
However, upon hearing Wang Yiming's words, Yang Haoran felt no joy. Instead, a sense of worry arose within him.
The patients in this inpatient building had not been evacuated. Aside from the floor where Guo Yu had been, which was cleared out at the time, all other floors were still operating normally.
It wasn't that the hospital administration didn't want to evacuate the entire building; it was simply not as straightforward as it sounded. If the entire inpatient building were to be emptied, where would all the patients be relocated?
Moreover, even if a relocation site was found and the patients successfully transferred to other hospitals, how would they explain this to the public? The Skin-Borrowing Ghost incident at Tianhe Hospital had recently caused a huge stir. If the hospital were to take such a measure, wouldn't it implicitly confirm that the rumors were true? Who would dare seek treatment at Tianhe Hospital in the future?
With the patients not evacuated, it would significantly impact Yang Haoran and their subsequent actions, potentially even preventing the operation from proceeding smoothly.
The reason was simple: the Skin-Borrowing Ghost wouldn't be foolish enough to stay in one place, waiting for trouble to find it.
Although it was broad daylight and sunlight greatly affected ghosts, the inpatient building was enormous. Even if the Skin-Borrowing Ghost didn't leave the building, it could simply shuttle back and forth between floors, effectively exhausting Yang Haoran and his two companions to death.
If the Skin-Borrowing Ghost were to move to a floor with patients, things would become extremely troublesome.
Yang Haoran voiced his concerns to Wang Yiming. To his surprise, Wang Yiming's reaction was remarkably calm, showing no hint of worry.
“Don't worry, Brother Yang. The organization had already considered the problem you're concerned about, which is why they sent Xiao Tong with me. ”
Wang Yiming's words made Yang Haoran instinctively turn his gaze to Xiao Tong.
From Wang Yiming's tone, it seemed this young man, who appeared even younger than Wang Yiming, possessed the ability to resolve this difficult problem.
Seeing Yang Haoran look at him, Xiao Tong merely smiled at Yang Haoran, offering no explanation. This, however, only intensified Yang Haoran's curiosity.
Because, in his view, accomplishing this would be quite difficult. Yet, this Xiao Tong, whose power fluctuations weren't even as strong as Wang Yiming's, was remarkably confident about it.
He was very curious how Xiao Tong would handle it. At the same time, he felt that the Talismans he had brought this time might not be needed.
Of course, he also hoped these Talismans wouldn't be put to use.
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