"What? You're saying there's a civilian S-Tier Ghost Tamer in Tianhai City?"
In Xiadu City, inside the Ghost Tamer Headquarters, the Deputy Minister's office.
The Deputy Minister, Lu Pingchuan, with thick eyebrows and a square face, slammed his palm on the desk.
"Zhong Qing, this is no joke. Are you sure about this?"
Ever since the resurgence of Malevolent Ghosts, the Ghost Tamer Headquarters had begun classifying the strength levels of Ghost Tamers as well.
An S-Tier Ghost Tamer was someone capable of handling S-Tier Paranormal Incidents—an immensely powerful individual. They were also referred to as "Guardians," meaning they could guard an entire region.
"I can't be certain," Zhong Qing admitted honestly. "Judging from his performance, his combat level should be around A-Tier. But considering the mystery surrounding him and the fact that he seems to be controlling more than four Malevolent Ghosts, I speculated he could be S-Tier."
"Four Malevolent Ghosts?" Lu Pingchuan's eyes widened. "If it's really as you say, then he does qualify for that title. Aside from a few top-tier individuals, even squad captains can only handle up to three Malevolent Ghosts."
After a moment of thought, he suddenly asked, "Zhong Qing, can you contact this mysterious Ghost Tamer now?"
"No," Zhong Qing shook his head. "I only know that he seems to care about one of my new team members, Chen Ruoqing. He saved her once."
"Oh?" Lu Pingchuan raised an eyebrow. "Immediately upgrade Chen Ruoqing's clearance and benefits. Judging by his actions, this man doesn't seem hostile toward our Xia Country's official Ghost Tamer organization. We must seize this opportunity."
"Understood!" Zhong Qing saluted. With Malevolent Ghosts growing more rampant, recruiting someone like that would be a huge asset.
Just as he turned to leave, Lu Pingchuan suddenly stopped him.
"Wait!"
"Minister Lu?"
"Create a Ghost Tamer file for this mysterious powerhouse…"
Lu Pingchuan thought for a moment. "Rank: Quasi-S-Tier. Codename: Gentleman."
A top hat, a trench coat, and a blood-stained mask—it all gave the impression of an old-fashioned Western gentleman.
Zhong Qing thought it over and agreed the codename was quite fitting.
"Yes, sir!"
…
In the Happiness Community, Chen Xuan sat on the sofa and dialed Zhu Pengcheng's number.
"Hello, Mr. Chen? You're back already?" Zhu Pengcheng answered almost instantly, as if he had been waiting by the phone.
"Yeah. Once the job was done, I came back," Chen Xuan said casually.
"What? That fast?" Zhu Pengcheng exclaimed, mentally upgrading his estimation of Chen Xuan once again.
He'd heard from Zhou Tie, the man who had put out the commission, that a previous team had spent two whole days on it—and still didn't finish the job.
But Chen Xuan? He had been gone only a few hours.
Realizing this, Zhu Pengcheng felt more certain than ever that he'd bet on the right person.
"What, you think it's a bad thing I finished quickly?" Chen Xuan asked.
"No, no, not at all. I'm just shocked," Zhu Pengcheng quickly explained. "Mr. Chen, I'll contact Zhou Tie right away and send someone to retrieve the gold."
"Alright."
Chen Xuan recalled that Zhou Tie wasn't based in Tianhai City but did business in the southern metropolis, Modu.
Five hundred million yuan's worth of gold would be about 500 kilograms at current market prices.
It wasn't an enormous amount, but it was enough for Chen Xuan to consider building a gold-plated safehouse.
Not for himself—but for his little sister.
If they ever encountered a powerful supernatural threat and he couldn't protect her, she could hide there safely.
Of course, that was something to consider later. First, he needed to secure the gold.
But before Chen Xuan could act, his phone rang again—it was Zhu Pengcheng calling back.
As soon as he answered, a flustered voice came through the line.
"M-Mr. Chen, about Zhou Tie…"
"Hmm?" Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Something went wrong?"
"Yes—yes, it did," Zhu Pengcheng wiped the sweat from his brow. "Zhou Tie says that while the incident was resolved, too many people died and the fallout was huge. He claims the real estate project can't be sold anymore… So… he can only pay half the reward."
Instantly, the atmosphere on Chen Xuan's end went cold, as if a chill seeped through the receiver.
A moment later, Chen Xuan's voice came through, devoid of any emotion.
"He's trying to short me?"
"No, he said he'd pay the other half in property—he's offering the entire Dayu Villa. He claims it's worth over a billion yuan, so we'd actually be profiting."
"Hmph." Chen Xuan snorted coldly. "A worthless villa that can't be sold, and he dares to talk about value?"
He had already suspected trouble when returning from Tianhai City.
With so many casualties, it would be impossible to keep it quiet. Selling property would now require serious PR work.
Sensing Chen Xuan's displeasure, Zhu Pengcheng quickly apologized. "I'm sorry, Mr. Chen. I didn't handle this well. I'll contact him right away…"
"No need," Chen Xuan interrupted. "This isn't your fault. You don't need to apologize."
"Then… about the deal…"
"The deal continues. Have someone collect the half-gold and the villa. Also, in the next couple of days, gather everything you can on Zhou Tie."
"Collect information?" Zhu Pengcheng's heart skipped a beat. "Mr. Chen, you mean…"
"If he wants to save half the gold, then he'll have to pay for the rest with his life."
With that, Chen Xuan hung up.
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