Mysterious Resurgence: Starting with the Strange Bus

Chapter 53 The King's Organization's Scheme (Please Subscribe)
The impact of what Li Hui did in the United States was undoubtedly enormous.

Although he and Ghost Painting's Ghost Domain covered a vast area and acted extremely quickly, catching the US authorities off guard, the US authorities quickly reacted, and relevant departments convened a meeting immediately.

The meeting was held in the U.S. capital.

Among the attendees at this meeting, apart from the staff who were ordinary people, everyone else was a ghost tamer with supernatural powers.

In the conference room.

Seven young men and women sat around a square conference table. They looked very different, with distinct Western features, and exuded a cold and eerie aura that made their abnormality immediately apparent.

All seven were ghost tamers and key members of this meeting.

The number of Ghost Riders under the US government is naturally not limited to just a few, but the others are scattered throughout the country and were unable to attend this emergency meeting immediately.

The reason these seven people were able to attend was due to their geographical location; before the meeting, the seven were in the US capital.

At this moment, all seven people's eyes were focused on the projection screen in front of the conference room, carefully examining the content on the screen.

The projection screen showed a photograph taken by a satellite.

The scene depicts a hazy, gray world split in two. Within this illusory world, two figures, a man and a woman, emerge. The woman's red dress is as vibrant as blood, while the man's figure is blurry, and his gender can only be barely discerned.

Standing to the left front of the projection screen was a middle-aged man in a black suit, with blond hair and blue eyes, and a serious expression; he was the person in charge of this meeting.

The middle-aged man first glanced at the people sitting at the conference table.

He then said, "I suppose you've all heard some rumors and know the general content of this meeting, right?"

Although it was a question, the middle-aged man's tone conveyed certainty.

The United States is a country that values ​​'freedom'. Although the seven Ghost Masters present are officially under the command of the government, they all have more or less the shadow of other forces behind the scenes.

According to the middle-aged man, more than half of the seven people had secretly joined the 'King's Organization,' and the rest were associated with paranormal clubs.

But this did not prevent the group from attending the emergency meeting organized by the authorities.

Because in the United States, anyone with a certain status has a complex web of backing, and even the president of the country... is no exception.

"I do know some rumors, but time is of the essence, and I don't have much information. I only know that this meeting is related to the S-class paranormal event, Ghost Painting."

A man sitting near the front of the conference table openly admitted that he had obtained the information from other sources.

This is already an open secret, and there's nothing to hide.

The man's voice sounded very hoarse and low, like two pieces of rotten wood rubbing against each other, making the listener feel very uncomfortable.

"Indeed."

"We don't know much either."

Upon hearing this, the other six ghost tamers also chimed in, gesturing for the middle-aged man to explain the main points of the meeting.

"In that case, let me explain the general course of events to everyone."

The middle-aged man pointed to the image on the projection screen and said, "The cause of this matter originated in China, across the ocean."

"Not long ago, the Ghost Painting suddenly broke out in Dahai City, China. The Ghost Painting's ghost domain covered the entire Dahai City. This is a good thing in itself. The Ghost Painting incident has been wandering around our Western countries for so long. Now it's China's turn to have a headache."

"However, not long after the ghost painting covered Dahai City, its supernatural power seemed to have been partially controlled by someone, namely the blurry figure in the painting. As you can see, the supernatural power he displayed was exactly the same as that of the ghost painting, and he was even confronting the ghost painting."

Hear this.

Before the middle-aged man could speak further, a female ghost tamer sitting at the conference table couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"How can this be!"

"We haven't encountered the Ghost Painting before, but how could its supernatural power be controlled by a living person? Even the kings of the King's Organization couldn't do it, could that person be stronger than the king?"

In the current Western paranormal community, the kings of the King Organization are recognized as top ghost controllers. If even they can't do it, how could that Chinese man do it?
Doesn't this mean that Western ghost tamers are inferior to Chinese ghost tamers? How could she, who always believed that the West was superior to the East, tolerate this?
“Alright, Wenlisa, quiet down, let Congressman Wither finish his explanation first.” At this moment, another woman sitting at the end of the conference table spoke up.

Seemingly somewhat dissatisfied with the behavior of the 'Winlisa' she mentioned earlier, the woman spoke in a rather harsh tone, as if a superior were reprimanding a subordinate.

As the woman finished speaking, the conference room fell silent. Although Wen Lisha still looked indignant, she didn't dare to refute her.

This shows that the woman's status and abilities far surpass hers.

After a while.

The middle-aged man standing in front of the conference table began his explanation again.

"What's infuriating is that after the mysterious man from China harnessed the supernatural power of the ghost painting, he not only didn't choose to get rid of it, but instead led it into our country."

As the man finished speaking, the image on the projection screen changed, becoming a different photograph.

This photo was also taken by satellite, but the background has been changed from Dahai City in China to a city in the United States.

Above the city floats a hazy, illusory world, its size astonishing, encompassing almost the entire sky above the city.

As you can see in the projected photo, something is falling down towards the city in that gray, ghostly realm, but none of the people present could make out what it was.

The man continued, "That despicable Chinese man actually appeared in the skies above California City. I don't know what he did to attract the ghost painting here."

The scene changes.

The content on the projection screen changed again. The ghost realm belonging to Li Hui disappeared from the picture, and was replaced by a larger, dark ghost realm, which belonged to Gui Hua and enveloped the entire city.

"And that wasn't the end of it. In a very short time afterward, that despicable man reappeared in the skies above several cities in our country."

The middle-aged man continued, "We learned from the people in those cities that what fell from that ghostly realm were oil paintings. Those paintings might be related to ghost paintings and are the key to attracting ghosts. We're not sure if the ghost paintings will also appear in those cities later..."

"Damn it, people like him shouldn't be alive."

After listening to the middle-aged man's explanation, one of the male demon tamers spoke indignantly, then changed the subject and asked:
"So, Representative Wither, what exactly is the purpose of this emergency meeting? It can't be about us dealing with the ghost painting incident, can it?"

"Although I would love to do that, unfortunately, I'm afraid we are not capable of imprisoning Ghost Painting with just a few of us."

Hearing his words, the others echoed, "That's right, that's right! Even David Osborn failed in the Ghost Painting incident, and everyone was wiped out. You have to know that he is a top ghost tamer who can control three vengeful ghosts, and his team members are not weak either!"

"..."

For a while.

The meeting room was filled with loud noise.

Wen Lisha went even further and said it bluntly.

“Congressman Wither, you’re not from the paranormal world, so you probably don’t know how terrifying the ghost painting is. There’s no way I could face it; there’s absolutely no chance of winning. It’s practically sending me to my death!”

While the others weren't as explicit, they conveyed a similar message: they couldn't possibly handle the ghost painting incident, nor did they have the ability to do so.

Even worse, some men stared at the middle-aged man in front of the conference room with unfriendly expressions, their bodies radiating a chilling aura, as if to say, "If you send me to my death, I'll send you to your death first."

For them, their own lives and interests are paramount!
They don't have a superior-subordinate relationship with the authorities, but rather a cooperative one. They handle paranormal events for the authorities, and the authorities pay them accordingly.

"Please don't misunderstand."

Seeing that the atmosphere in the meeting room was a bit off, the middle-aged man quickly spoke up to explain:

"I didn't mean for everyone to deal with the ghost painting incident. I still want everyone to help cooperate with the official staff to evacuate the people in the city."

"Those who have seen or come into contact with the oil paintings will remain in those cities, but other ordinary people will need to be completely evacuated. However, this may lead to some supernatural dangers, so everyone's cooperation is needed."

"Not only you, but other Ghost Tamers who were unable to attend the meeting will also be notified. Everyone will participate in this operation, and everyone will receive appropriate compensation afterward."

Hear this.

The crowd fell silent, seemingly deep in thought.

After a moment, one of the ghost tamers spoke up: "Participating in the operation is fine, but our own safety is our top priority. If the situation gets out of control, I will retreat immediately."

"no problem!"

The middle-aged man readily agreed.

As for the people who had come into contact with the oil paintings, no one asked what would happen if they weren't evacuated, and the middle-aged man didn't seem inclined to answer either, as if they had been universally forgotten.

"In that case, could Representative Wither tell us exactly which cities are involved?" the woman sitting at the end of the conference table asked.

"of course."

The middle-aged man began, "Within our country, a total of six cities are involved. Besides California City, which was mentioned at the beginning, there are also New York City, San Francisco..."

As the man continued to recite place names, the photos on the projection screen changed continuously, transforming into corresponding city images.

Then, just as the middle-aged man was announcing the name of the fourth city, and the scene switched to that city, a demon tamer sitting in the middle of the conference table suddenly stopped the presentation and signaled the staff member projecting the images to zoom in on the photo of that city.

As the image was zoomed in, the scene inside became clearer.

It was clear that it was a city in a continent, and on the outskirts of that city, there was a manor.

The rusty manor gate looked dilapidated and on the verge of collapse, but the few pale letters on it spelled out the name of the manor: Horror Manor.

Various crops, such as corn, grapes, and tomatoes, are planted on the land near the manor. However, the crops grow in strange ways. For example, the corn stalks are withered and yellow, like a thin arm standing in the soil. The grapevines have fallen leaves, and the old vines look like a shriveled and twisted corpse.

Among the crops stood numerous scarecrows, dressed in human clothes and wearing straw hats, tied to cross-shaped wooden frames, swaying gently in the wind. There were many of them, at least a hundred, surrounding the estate.

"It's that person's manor!"

"A king who recently joined the King's Organization at the invitation of other kings is known in the paranormal community as the 'Terror Manor Owner'!"

The ghost tamer in the middle of the conference table spoke, his words full of admiration and respect, recognizing the owner of the manor.

"really!"

"I've heard of him too. He's very strong and has recruited many ghost tamers as his subordinates."

Another person spoke up, indicating that they had also heard of the manor owner, but then they asked with a hint of doubt:

"Why didn't the manor owner teach that mysterious Chinese man a lesson when he appeared in the sky above the city?"

"Perhaps the manor owner is out on business, otherwise he would definitely make that despicable Chinese man pay a heavy price in blood!"

I can tell.

The man sitting in the middle of the conference table had great confidence in the manor owner he mentioned, believing that if the manor owner had been present, he would definitely have been able to kill Li Hui.

However, what he didn't know was...

Meanwhile, a meeting was also taking place in that terrifying manor, albeit via video conference. The meeting was initiated by a man codenamed 'The Terrifying Manor Owner,' and the other participants were several other kings.

Through video.

Among these people, there are noblewomen with wrinkled faces, resembling corpses in burial, and missionaries with an eerie aura, dressed in special clothing.

There was a painter who looked as down on his luck as a vagrant, and a cowboy wearing a cowboy hat and carrying a rickety old hunting rifle...

"We must find a way to hunt down that Chinese man. He is hiding a great secret and can control the supernatural power of ghost paintings. It is worth the risk for us. Moreover, if the few of us join forces, there is no one in the supernatural world that we cannot kill."

The one speaking was the manor owner.

This was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his fifties. He appeared somewhat old, and when he spoke, his mouth opened and closed, revealing a set of yellowish teeth.

Not long ago.

Li Hui arrived above the city where he lived, and was startled by the falling paper dust, thinking that the ghost painting incident had occurred.

He quickly realized something was wrong, because among the ashes were other items—strange oil paintings imbued with supernatural power. One of these paintings drifted into his manor.

The manor owner reacted quickly, choosing not to touch the painting himself, but instead having one of his men take it away from the area.

As it turned out, his choice was correct.

He quickly obtained information from the King's organization, learned the cause and effect, and also learned that someone had controlled the supernatural power of the ghost painting.

He has lived in the United States for many years.

Even though the manor owner had never personally confronted the Ghost Painting, he knew the terror of that S-class supernatural event. Therefore, he was very interested in the mysterious person who could control the Ghost Painting's supernatural power, and even wanted to hunt him down to obtain his secrets.

Therefore, he immediately convened the King's Council.

However, due to some personal issues the pianist had recently encountered, the meeting could not be held in that conscious space, and with time being tight and no time to meet in person, a video conference was ultimately held.

Not all kings participated in this meeting; a small number of kings were unable to attend due to their own reasons or practical circumstances, while the rest chose to participate.

"If that's the case, then why didn't you take action to stop that person when they were already in the sky above your city?"

The one who raised the question was the king, codenamed 'Missionary'.

Upon hearing this, the manor owner's expression shifted slightly, and he said without any hesitation, "That person controlled the supernatural power of the Ghost Painting. The range and intensity of the Ghost Domain are astonishing. I don't have the confidence to kill him alone."

“Even if I defeat him, I cannot keep him here. In their Chinese language, that would easily alert the enemy, so I chose to endure.”

This is a very good reason.

Even the other kings couldn't find fault with it.

"The secret to controlling the Ghost Painting is indeed worth our effort. If we can obtain the method to control the Ghost Painting, that would be the best outcome. Even if we don't obtain the method in the end, eliminating one of China's top Ghost Masters would already be a worthwhile outcome for us."

The king, codenamed 'The Painter,' was the first to step forward and express his support for the plantation owner.

It's not hard to tell from his code name that his abilities are related to painting. And among the many supernatural phenomena related to painting, which one can compare to Ghost Painting, the source of an S-class supernatural event?

"Indeed, I agree."

Following closely behind was the king, who wore a cowboy hat and carried a worn-out hunting rifle.

Then the wrinkled noblewoman, who looked like a corpse in burial, also gave her perverse approval, and the other kings followed suit.

In the end, only the missionaries remained silent.

After thinking for a moment.

Finally, on the other end of the video call, the missionary in special attire nodded in agreement, and then spoke:
"That's good too. Eliminating one of China's top ghost tamers will greatly benefit our future ghost ship landing plan."

His words revealed a terrifying message.

At this point in time, the Ghost Ship Project was already beginning to take shape.

"Then let's find a way to confirm the identity of that Chinese man, and then a few of us will work together to hunt him down."

A king spoke in a chilling tone, his words immediately deciding someone's life or death.

"The person came from Dahai City. I remember there was a ghost tamer there named Ye Zhen, who was known as the number one ghost tamer in Asia. Could it be him?"

"no!"

The manor owner said, "I have reviewed the detailed information on the development of the situation. Ye Zhen has been in Dahai City the whole time and has never left, so that mysterious man is someone else."

"Whether it's him or not is not important."

Simon, codenamed 'Cowboy,' continued, 'How dare he claim to be the number one ghost tamer in Asia? He's courting death. We'll take care of him too!'

"Don't you know who he is...?"

The painter in the video frowned and then said, "Judging from his style of doing things, he can be described as arrogant and conceited. Such a person cannot hide for long."

"The moment his identity is exposed will be his death day!"

"Agree."

"Agree."

"..."

The King's video conference concluded amidst cheers of "Agreed."

.........

Li Hui, far away on the other side of the ocean, had no idea that he had become the 'prey' in the eyes of several kings.

They're just waiting for his identity to come to light, then the King's Organization will hunt him down.

But even if he knew, he wouldn't care.

The roles of prey and hunter are not static. In the end, it's hard to say who the real hunter will be and who will be the hunted.

At this moment, Li Hui was preparing to log in.

After crossing the vast ocean, the outline of a city within China came into view.

It was a coastal city that looked very special because it was an archipelago city made up of islands of all sizes connected together.

I can tell.

The city has a highly developed fishing and animal husbandry industry. Many fishing boats float on the sea. Some of them have already left the port and are sailing on the sea, while others are still docked in the port, secured by dark iron chains.

Judging from the buildings and facilities on the island, this city is clearly not as prosperous as the Dahai City that Ye Zhen 'occupies'; the two are far inferior.

Ashes drifted in the air, and the hazy, illusory world moved rapidly toward the city. Li Hui's figure was hidden deep within this dark world, illuminating the scene within the city.

Judging from the billboards on city buildings.

This should be a city called 'Little Boat City'.

This was a very unfamiliar city name. Li Hui remembered that Xiaozhou City was not among the many cities that appeared in the original work. Obviously, this was a third- or fourth-tier city, which could not be compared with the big cities that appeared in the original work.

Just as Li Hui was about to land.

Xiaozhou City.

On the top floor of a 100-meter-tall building in the city center.

As if sensing something, Xu Qiuyu, the person in charge of the city, immediately changed his expression, stood up, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of his office, and looked into the distance.

What came into Xu Qiuyu's view was a gray world, frighteningly vast, stretching from west to south in an almost endless gray zone, like a death dividing line that separated the entire city.

"That's... the Ghost Realm?"

As a ghost tamer, Xu Qiuyu immediately realized the meaning behind the gray world.

But it is precisely because we understand.

He felt despair, his eyes filled with terror, and his body even trembled slightly from the intense fear.

The area covered by the ghostly domain that was spreading in this direction was simply too large. Judging from the appearance, it could easily cover the entire Xiaozhou City. And the supernatural entity that could possess such a large ghostly domain was definitely not something that the person in charge of a third-tier city like him could handle.

Think of this.

With trembling hands, Xu Qiuyu took out the satellite positioning phone issued by the Ghost Rider headquarters.

Then I dialed the operator's number.

Soon, the call was answered.

Before the person on the other end of the phone could respond, Xu Qiuyu spoke first: "This is Xu Qiuyu. I need to request backup. A major paranormal event has occurred in Xiaozhou City!"

"The specific abilities of the vengeful spirit are unknown, but it has demonstrated an extremely large ghost domain that can easily cover a city. The shape of the ghost domain is a hazy gray world!"

As the ghostly domain rapidly spread towards this area, the environment suddenly darkened, and a rain of paper ash began to fall from the sky, a hazy, swirling mist.

Having witnessed this, Xu Qiuyu added it to his description of the sudden paranormal event, and then continued:

"The code name for this paranormal event is unknown, but its danger level is directly defined as S-level!"

"Destruction level!"

"Is it on record?"

"It has been recorded."

The operator's voice came through the phone: "Be careful, I'll go report to Captain Zhao right away!"

The call didn't end. Then, a series of hurried footsteps and shouts of "Captain Zhao" came from the other end of the line.

However, Xu Qiuyu proactively pressed the hang-up button and then walked out of the office.

At this moment, he was already resigned to his fate. It was an S-level supernatural event; once the vengeful ghost targeted him, he would have absolutely no chance of survival.

As for whether that hazy, illusory world could be man-made, Xu Qiuyu didn't even consider that possibility.

in his cognition.

It is impossible for a living person to control such powerful supernatural forces!

(End of this chapter)