Chapter 101: Chapter 97: The Last Hunt Before Departure!
After leaving the base, Wu Liang didn’t go home immediately.
He still had a pressing matter to attend to—feeding time!
The Puppet Ghost still had a restriction of mimicking for no more than 24 hours, something Wu Liang wouldn’t forget.
Usually, this little guy ate just like the other minions, mainly because the other Fierce Ghost minions had upgraded after feasting in the official evidence room earlier.
So this guy is probably just one step away from upgrading!
If he could eat some Fierce Ghost essence or Supernatural Objects, the Puppet Ghost would definitely upgrade!
Wu Liang had a hunch that this upgrade might extend or even completely eliminate the 24-hour limitation!
Otherwise, he really couldn’t think of how else this guy’s upgrade would manifest.
"Boss, really?"
Outside the base, the Puppet Ghost’s tattered puppet body crawled out of Wu Liang’s pocket, climbed onto his shoulder, and excitedly said.
It never expected to receive such treatment!
The boss specifically went to get food for it!
The other Fierce Ghost minions watched this guy’s jubilation, ultimately holding back from mentioning the buffet they boasted about in its absence.
Forget it, let it enjoy its moment of happiness.
"Of course, let’s head to... the Old City District!"
The Ghost Compendium quickly flipped, clearly marking all currently known and existing Fierce Ghosts in Chengyang City.
One must say that the officials were quite efficient; the nearest Fierce Ghost was at least an hour’s drive away.
Most of the Fierce Ghosts in the city had indeed been cleared out.
Wu Liang hailed a taxi by the roadside, and while looking at the information on the Ghost Compendium, he contacted the official investigators for information about this area.
[Ghost Taxi: Disaster Calendar Year 05, July 10, at Lingshan Wood Factory in Chengyang City’s New District, first discovered by Wang Xx.]
"Shadow, the situation at Lingshan Wood Factory has been recorded by the officials; a ghost’s presence is confirmed there. It belongs to a stable-type Fierce Ghost, and solo handling is not recommended."
The official investigator reported the situation at Lingshan Wood Factory over the phone.
By stable-type, they meant the ghost, unlike sudden supernatural events, wouldn’t actively harm people. It lingered in one spot like an Earth-bound Spirit in a haunted house; as long as you didn’t enter, there was no issue.
The Fierce Ghost was found to consistently appear at the back door of Lingshan Wood Factory after midnight, with a white taxi parked not far down the lane.
Anyone boarding alone results in the Ghost Taxi driving into the mountains, with the passenger never returning.
But with more than one person on board, the Fierce Ghost and the entire vehicle would disappear upon starting, only to reappear at the same time the next night.
"Interesting, so does that mean this Fierce Ghost requires solo handling? Then why do you advise against me going alone?" Wu Liang curiously asked the investigator.
If two or more people caused the Fierce Ghost to disappear, didn’t that mean one must board alone to exorcise it?
The voice on the other end of the phone apologized, "Shadow, it’s too risky for an Awakened to handle supernatural events alone. Without team support, things can easily go wrong, and besides..."
The investigator’s tone turned peculiar, "And, it’s really stable. So stable that even if no one boards, it disappears on its own and appears again the next day."
"The day we discovered it, we left someone to guard the road after midnight, warning the public not to get on, and since then, there have been no more victims."
This statement surprised Wu Liang.
He truly hadn’t expected that simply leaving someone there to stop people from boarding would suffice.
This Fierce Ghost was so easy-going? As a taxi driver, having people stop your passengers every night, yet you tolerate it?
On second thought, there were only a few official Awakened in Chengyang City. They had to be prepared for any supernatural event outbreak, losing any would be a huge loss.
Instead of risking sending a solo Awakened on the taxi, it was better to have an investigator stop people from boarding.
With the confirmed details, Wu Liang hung up and watched the scenery by the roadside zoom by. He started to anticipate this Ghost Taxi.
After all, its weakness was truly hilarious—
[Weakness: Refuse any conversation from the Ghost Taxi after boarding, within ten minutes of getting off, it becomes abnormally weak, allowing one to harm its essence]
So, taxi drivers engaging in conversation was a rule now?
Even ghost drivers would start talking; and if ignored, they would get upset?
"Hey, what brings you to Lingshan Wood Factory in the middle of the night? I heard it’s pretty eerie over there at night!"
While lost in thought, the nearby taxi driver started chatting with Wu Liang.
After all, picking up a passenger late at night and driving without a word was too dull. The driver needed to relax a bit.
"Heh, I’m going there to find a taxi," Wu Liang responded vaguely to the driver.
Indeed, every driver would get people chatting.
About an hour later, the car reached its destination. Watching the desolate and eerily quiet Lingshan Wood Factory, Wu Liang got off.
"Hey! Want me to wait a few minutes here? You won’t find a cab back to the city at this hour!" the driver leaned out the window to offer.
"No need to trouble you; there’ll be a taxi to take me back, I promise." Wu Liang responded with a mysterious smile.
Then he walked towards the path behind Lingshan Wood Factory without a backward glance.
A few minutes into his walk, Wu Liang spotted a white taxi parked by the roadside from afar.
Next to the taxi was a simple tent with a light on, indicating someone was inside.
Wu Liang first observed the taxi from a distance; there was nothing visibly odd about it. When he approached the tent, a man in official attire quickly emerged.
Seeing someone intending to taxi, he promptly shouted to stop them, "Hey! Brother over there! I’m an official investigator! This taxi is under investigation and cannot take passengers. Please find another ride!"
This guy must be the official set here to prevent passengers from getting on.
Yet Wu Liang steadily approached, making the investigator frown in frustration.
"Damn, why do I always run into these stubborn types? I have to explain for ages each time!"
He also stepped closer to say something to Wu Liang but then thought he seemed familiar.
A moment later, with a look of realization, the investigator said, "Hey! You’re the Awakened from our department! Bro, I’ve seen you on the news!"
Truth be told, Wu Liang didn’t expect to be recognized; he planned to explain his identity.
But on second thought, during that Dongri Grand Hotel news broadcast tonight, the Puppet Ghost had indeed transformed into Wu Ming and put on quite a show for the city.
So Wu Ming’s image as an official Awakened was likely remembered by most people.
"Yeah, I’m here to deal with this thing."
With that said, Wu Liang didn’t wait for the investigator’s response, quickly opened the taxi door, and slipped inside.
This action left the investigator alarmed.
"Hey hey hey! Don’t sit alone! One person..."
Before the words finished, the white taxi roared to life and sped off, leaving the bewildered investigator and his lonely tent.
"Sitting alone... will lead to trouble..." the investigator muttered, standing dazed.
Moments later, he snapped back to reality, hurriedly calling his superior to report an Awakened who had boarded!
Little did he know that the one panicking in the backseat was not Wu Liang, but the Ghost Driver!
"Where... are you heading?"
The Ghost Driver rasped, preparing to twist around and scare the passenger when...
It found that there wasn’t a single human sitting there.
But a line of unfamiliar Fierce Ghosts...