Free Web NovelChapter 106: Chapter 24: Old Man Sun
When Xu Yuan summoned Gao Tian inside the Divine Tree, he never considered the possibility that Gao Tian would refuse.
"You’ve heard of that group of Ghost Hunters called the Spirit Disaster Bureau, right?
"A bunch of stubborn fools, trying to patch up this crumbling world.
"They think they’re saving the world. In reality, everything they do—including their repeated interference with me in the real world—is actually accelerating its demise.
"Of course, I’ve never considered them my opponents. If I really wanted to make a move, I would’ve slaughtered them all in a single day.
Gao Tian thought to himself:
’Then why were you in such a hurry to usher the Ghost Infant and the others away when you heard the Spirit Disaster Bureau was coming?’
Xu Yuan didn’t try to make excuses. Instead, he frankly added an explanation:
"In the entire Spirit Disaster Bureau, there’s only one person I truly fear: that Old Man Sun. Without him holding down the fort, the organization would have long since become a third-rate, insignificant group.
"He’s a terrifying Ghost Hunter who has dealt with numerous S-Level supernatural phenomena. In his youth, he was known as the ’Ghost Emissary.’ Even though he’s old now and semi-retired, he remains the most dangerous person there is.
"I originally planned to launch my plan after he died of old age. But this old bastard has no intention of kicking the bucket. I can’t drag this out any longer. If we wait another ten or twenty years, the supernatural will have fully reawakened, and humanity will be extinct before we have time to implement our plan."
’So that’s why.’
’Xu Yuan’s claim that he could wipe out the entire Spirit Disaster Bureau in a day might not have been a bluff.’
’The leader of the Jialan Society really had that kind of power.’
’The only reason he hadn’t was his fear of a single old Ghost Hunter named "Old Man Sun."’
Xu Yuan sighed deeply again.
Old Man Sun of the Spirit Disaster Bureau, codename ’Ghost Emissary,’ had resolved countless supernatural incidents in his time.
But from Xu Yuan’s perspective, *he* was the true savior. The actions of Old Man Sun and the Spirit Disaster Bureau would only end up destroying all of humanity.
Gao Tian asked:
"What can I do to help the Jialan Society?"
’He wouldn’t actually make me fight Old Man Sun, would he?’
’Xu Yuan couldn’t be *that* crazy, could he?’
Xu Yuan scoffed.
"Old Man Sun’s unit, ’Abyssal Echo,’ is stationed in Shanghai.
"I know that old bastard. He appears cynical, but he’s actually a very responsible man. The mission of his unit, Abyssal Echo, is to protect the coastal cities of Xia Country. As long as Old Man Sun is in Shanghai, he will never allow any major incidents to occur.
"Of course, with so many minor supernatural incidents in Shanghai every day, Old Man Sun can’t possibly handle them all. Most of the time, he just lays low. But when an S-Level ghost descends upon Shanghai, putting the entire city at risk of destruction... that will definitely draw him out."
Then, Xu Yuan laid out his plan for Gao Tian, holding nothing back:
"In Shanghai, a memetic urban legend—the Rainy Woman—has already begun to spread quietly.
"The Spirit Disaster Bureau has a file on the Rainy Woman. They’ve assessed her as B-Level—a certain degree of risk, but something they can put off dealing with for a while.
"Those fools. They have no idea how terrifying this ghost truly is.
"All we need to do is wait. Wait for her to incubate into an S-Level ghost.
"Once the spread reaches a critical level and more than half of Shanghai’s citizens are contaminated by the meme, an S-Level incident will erupt across the city. The Rainy Woman, now completely out of control, will possess a destructive power far beyond the Spirit Disaster Bureau’s capacity to handle.
"At that point, Old Man Sun, who’s been hiding in Shanghai and observing the situation, will have no choice but to act. And he *will* act. He’ll be forced to suppress this S-Level ghost.
"It’s hard to say who would win. In his youth, the ’Ghost Emissary’ was invincible, but he’s eighty years old now. He’s human, not a ghost. His physical condition is declining, just as nature dictates. Even if he manages to contain the Rainy Woman in the end, it will be a pyrrhic victory.
"After such a battle, Old Man Sun will inevitably pay a heavy price. He’ll be completely spent, barely hanging on by a thread."
Xu Yuan had Old Man Sun’s personality pegged perfectly.
What he said next made the hairs on Gao Tian’s neck stand up. ’Old Man Sun was doomed.’
"When Old Man Sun is on the verge of collapse, members of the Jialan Society will swarm Shanghai. And with them will come the Multi-headed Ghost.
"Then, when both Old Man Sun and the Rainy Woman are grievously wounded, the Multi-headed Ghost will devour him in a single bite. Humanity’s strongest Ghost Hunter... what a nourishing meal that will be. I wonder how many ordinary ghosts in the Inner World he would be worth.
"A man as powerful as Old Man Sun... his killing pattern after death would be unimaginably strong, wouldn’t it?"
’Xu Yuan’s scheme was utterly diabolical.’
’No matter how powerful Old Man Sun was, he was still a man in his eighties. If he had to fight two S-Level ghosts—the Rainy Woman and the ’Artist’—one after another, while also fending off an attack from Xu Yuan and the Jialan Society... no matter how strong he was, he would surely fall that day.’
Once this old man—the only person Xu Yuan feared—was dead, there would be no one left to stop the Jialan Society from doing whatever they pleased.
Then, all of Shanghai would become nourishment for Xu Yuan’s Divine Tree.
His so-called plan to save the world could proceed that much more smoothly.
Although Gao Tian had never met Old Man Sun, he couldn’t help but feel a growing concern for the man’s fate.
On the surface, however, he remained impassive. After all, his current identity was that of a powered individual transformed by the Divine Tree. His allegiance was supposed to be with the Jialan Society.
He looked at Xu Yuan, a hint of admiration in his expression.
"How can my abilities contribute to this operation?"
Xu Yuan said:
"I need your Memory Ghost ability to alter the Spirit Disaster Bureau investigators’ assessment of the Rainy Woman. Make them believe it’s a containable situation.
"The longer the Rainy Woman spreads in secret, the greater her influence will become, and the more terrifying the eventual outbreak will be. If Old Man Sun finds out about her as soon as she manifests in Shanghai, he’ll just wipe her out in one go, and the rest of our plan will be impossible.
"As for the specific details of implementation, I’ll contact you in the group chat later.
"Besides, while Old Man Sun is a perfect all-rounder, his beloved wife died when he was young. Her death is his lifelong sorrow. His mental resistance has a tiny, tiny weak spot. During the final battle, after he suppresses the Rainy Woman, his body and will shall be at their absolute lowest. If you use your power to influence him then—tell him his late wife is waiting for him at home—even a single second of distraction will create the opening for the Multi-headed Ghost’s feast."
Today, Xu Yuan had made good on all his promises.
The Divine Tree, the Jialan Society, the future of humanity, and the Ghost Country.
The Rainy Woman had only just begun to spread, so Xu Yuan wasn’t in a hurry to play his spare piece, the Memory Ghost. Shanghai still had some time left in peace.
Or perhaps, its last moments of peace.
But what Gao Tian was actually thinking was, ’The second I walk out that door, I’m finding Old Man Sun and telling him every single one of your secrets.’
’Are you kidding me? This Jialan Society bunch, these "powered individuals," see themselves as ghosts. They don’t consider living people their kin at all.’
’In their plan to deal with Old Man Sun, they completely disregard how many people in Shanghai will die from the Rainy Woman’s spread. The key to Xu Yuan’s plan to kill Old Man Sun is that Old Man Sun cares about human life, whereas Xu Yuan himself couldn’t care less.’
’That was Xu Yuan’s greatest advantage, not any disparity in their strength.’
Just as Gao Tian prepared to leave the room, Xu Yuan spoke from behind him, his voice laced with an eerie smile.
"Where are you off to, Memory Ghost?"
Gao Tian instinctively sensed trouble.
"Since the plan won’t start for a while, I’ll head back to the real world. Let’s keep in touch."
Xu Yuan:
"Ah, I’m afraid that won’t do.
"Now that you know something so important... what if you return to the real world, fall into the hands of the Spirit Disaster Bureau, and leak the secret?"
Gao Tian had learned far too many of the Jialan Society’s core secrets during his visit to the Divine Tree. It seemed its leader wasn’t keen on letting him go.
Gao Tian stopped in his tracks. His hand, hidden in his pocket, was already gripping a black card.
"I have plenty of ways to save my own skin. How could I possibly let myself be caught by the Spirit Disaster Bureau?
"You’re underestimating me."
He added,
"Or have you been holding a grudge this whole time because I captured your subordinate? Did you plan from the moment we started negotiating to find any excuse to imprison me here?
"I wouldn’t have thought the great leader of the Jialan Society would be one to play such petty word games. How disappointing."
’Inwardly, he was already preparing for the worst.’
’If Xu Yuan tried to force him to stay in the Inner World, Gao Tian would activate the black card instantly. He would escape, even at the risk of making an enemy of Xu Yuan.’
’But this was Xu Yuan’s stronghold. How could a man like him not have a way to keep someone here?’
’In the worst-case scenario, he would have to activate his Ghost Luck and take a gamble.’
Silence hung in the air for a moment. Then, Xu Yuan’s oppressive voice broke it:
"You do have a point.
"You may return to the real world. But before you leave, you must swear a blood oath before the Fallen Evil Buddha. You must guarantee that you will not reveal what you’ve learned today to any third party, either directly or indirectly.
"An oath sworn before the Fallen Evil Buddha must be honored even by ghosts. If you so much as *think* about breaking it, you’ll instantly turn into a small bronze Buddha and be teleported right back here to the Divine Tree.
"What do you say?"
Ghostly fire burned deep within Xu Yuan’s eyes. Gao Tian couldn’t tell if it was an illusion, but the face, already missing a chunk of flesh, seemed to be fixed in a smile-that-wasn’t-a-smile as it stared at him.
’He could leave, yes, but only after swearing an oath before a grotesque, giant Buddha of crisscrossing flesh and blood.’
’That Buddha was another Supernatural Artifact, with a very bizarre effect. If he swore that oath, Gao Tian would be rendered completely mute on the subject. Even knowing all the secrets of the Divine Tree and Xu Yuan’s plan, he wouldn’t be able to utter a single word about it after returning to Shanghai.’
’And if he refused, Xu Yuan would never let him leave. Old Man Sun was his mortal enemy. Xu Yuan would not allow the slightest flaw or variable to jeopardize his plan to kill the old man.’
