The man continued, "A ferocious ghost that possesses the memories of a living person. Of course, this is incomplete."
A trace of surprise flashed through Yang Jian's eyes.
A ghost that possesses the memories of a living person...
If a ghost were to possess the thoughts of a living person, no longer fear ghostly revival, and use supernatural items freely, then one day, this existence could bring an end to the entire supernatural era.
This caused another possibility to surface in Yang Jian's mind—whether he himself could reach such a level...
But there were more urgent matters to deal with right now. Yang Jian continued asking, "Then, are you my father?"
That person fell silent for a moment, seemingly uncertain of the answer himself.
"Whether a person's memories can define that person's existence, I cannot say for certain either. I have been dead for a very long time. Perhaps you can understand me as an anomaly that possesses your father's memories."
He continued, "But none of that matters now. Someone once told me that the supernatural is always filled with uncertainty. Just treat me as the uncertain factor within this nightmare."
The uncertainty of the supernatural? This was very similar to Wang Xiaoming's theory. During supernatural incidents, unexpected situations always occurred.
"We don't have much time. If you have any questions, you can ask me now. That ghost will return soon."
Yang Jian suddenly thought of that "father" who had been holding a newspaper to block his face.
"You mean, the Yang Xiao I encountered earlier was a ghost?"
The man nodded and said, "That's right. That body is mine, but the head belongs to a ghost. I placed the dog by its side, so it never dared to lower the newspaper. That created the biggest loophole for me."
Yang Jian asked in confusion, "Dog?"
"Yes, you should have seen it too—the big black dog that constantly followed it. It possesses part of this dream's supernatural power. It was through it that I entered this dream."
When Yang Jian heard this, a trace of incredulity flashed through his eyes. A dog had actually participated in a supernatural incident and even successfully controlled this nearly unsolvable supernatural phenomenon. Although it was only a portion, one had to admit this method was simply inconceivable.
Yang Jian immediately reacted: "The ghost never dared to remove the newspaper because it was afraid of being discovered that it wasn't the dog's master. Two supernatural puzzle pieces of the same type—if they collide, one side will inevitably prevail. But that ghost wants to kill me; this is a killing pattern it cannot violate, so it instinctively wants to avoid a collision between the puzzle pieces."
The man forced a stiff smile onto his face.
"Clever. That existence also possesses part of the dream's supernatural power. The first command I gave it was to maul the source ghost of this nightmare to death."
At this point, the man took out a fragment of a mirror.
"But because of your friend's intervention, the Ghost Dream began to spiral out of control. Yet at the same time, this has given us an opportunity."
"Lin Bei? That bald guy?"
The man nodded and continued, "The Ghost Dream has begun invading reality. But because of that great Buddha statue, it became disoriented. That's why it didn't kill you directly—because it couldn't confirm whether the person before its eyes was truly you. Once it made a move, it would expose itself. It could only trap you to death within this nightmare, locking you within a killing pattern that it itself could not violate."
The sky was already brightening at the horizon; they didn't have much time left. Yang Jian looked at the man.
"You just said you gave that dog a command. Can I understand it as meaning that it too, like you, is an anomaly with self-awareness?"
The man nodded. "That's right. That dog's state is much more complete than mine. I'm merely existing through its medium. One could say that it is the true ferocious ghost possessing self-awareness in the true sense."
He continued, "What you need to do now is rip off the newspaper, let the dog see the ghost's face, and have it attack. This dream will overwrite reality under the clash of supernatural forces, but similarly, reality can also affect the dream."
Yang Jian pondered quietly. Combining the man's information, he tried to figure out this nearly unsolvable supernatural phenomenon.
Yang Jian asked, "And then? What will you do?"
The man said, "This ghost has a physical body in reality. I dismembered it into three parts and placed them within Mei Mountain Village. You only need to stay here quietly. I'll take care of what comes next, I—"
"Wait!" Yang Jian suddenly interrupted the man.
"The dream can invade reality, and reality can similarly affect the dream—you mean that if I successfully remove that newspaper and have the dog attack it, you can briefly appear in reality?"
The man didn't know what Yang Jian wanted to do, but he still replied, "That's right. With supernatural puzzle pieces of the same type, I can achieve this."
Yang Jian lowered his head and continued, "That is to say, at that time, those three parts of the ghost you dismembered can similarly be drawn into the dream..."
Clues and details slowly pieced together in Yang Jian's mind like puzzle pieces, and an unimaginable scheme was slowly forming in his mind.
Raising his head to look at the man, Yang Jian said, "You said before that because of Lin Bei and that dog, the ghost itself cannot distinguish reality from illusion. So even after completely invading reality, the ghost will be unable to tell..."
Speaking to this point, Yang Jian fell silent. His mind was now frantically analyzing this chaotically entangled nightmare.
The man waited quietly by the side, not opening his mouth to interrupt Yang Jian's train of thought.
After a moment, Yang Jian spoke:
"And in this dream, ghosts can be killed. Bringing the ghost's physical body from reality into the dream means physical attacks can take effect. And it just so happens that dog is an anomaly with self-awareness..."
Yang Jian paused for a moment, seemingly considering his next step. He continued, "Pull the ghost into the dream. You are responsible for ordering that dog to devour the three dismembered parts of the ghost from reality, allowing it to perfectly control this dream."
Yang Jian spat out his plan in one breath.
After hearing this, the man's eyes were filled with shock. This was a plan he had never conceived of. Even in the supernatural circle of his time, it was unheard of.
Yang Jian wanted to use the dream's own rules to 'kill' the ghost itself—an astonishing plan that perfectly exploited the ghost's own killing patterns.
Of course, ghosts cannot be killed. Even if Yang Jian's plan worked and the ghost's body was completely destroyed here, it still wouldn't end this dream.
But that dog itself was a ferocious ghost with self-awareness. It wouldn't undergo ghostly revival. If the dog were allowed to control this dream, it would be equivalent to indirectly 'killing' this ghost. The dog would obey Yang Xiao's commands, and this nightmare would thus end.
The shock in the man's eyes could not subside for a long time. He looked at Yang Jian and said, "You are truly clever. Much cleverer than anyone I have ever known."
The man composed his emotions and said, "Although your plan is indeed astonishing, when facing the Ghost Dream, the operation I have been planning for over a decade is more reliable. I believe..."
"Shut up."
Yang Jian coldly interrupted the man. He continued, "You also know it's a plan from over a decade ago. Dead people should be buried properly in the ground, not crawl out after death to cause trouble for me."
Staring into the man's eyes, Yang Jian said in a deep voice:
"I remember you just said that the supernatural is always filled with uncertainty. Don't even mention that you're currently just a ghost with my father's memories—even if my father were truly standing before me, I wouldn't execute a plan from over a decade ago. To put it even more plainly: when facing the supernatural, I don't believe anyone except myself."
The man was stunned for a moment, then revealed an expression of gratification:
"Old Qin always hoped I would die early. Several times I even made a move against him. Only now do I understand his intentions. A person like you should resolve more supernatural incidents. There are still many things waiting for you to do. You are destined for greater heights."
The man sighed, as if lamenting some ideal he once had.
"After it ends, I'll help you control that dog. When a person dies, they must leave something behind. That dog is the greatest achievement of my life."
"Yang Jian. A name chosen a very long time ago."
The man suddenly said something completely unrelated, then stood up and walked toward the door.
"Wait." Yang Jian called out to him.
"Who is Zhang Xianguang? Why have I heard this name at headquarters?"
In the follow-up investigation files for the Dajing City out-of-control incident, Yang Jian had seen the name Zhang Xianguang several times. But at the time, he had been busy dealing with the Hurricane incident, so this matter had been cast to the back of his mind.
"Him? An old acquaintance. Both enemy and friend to me. He used to be a teacher. As for why he uses that name, consider it a bit of my bad taste."
After speaking, the man gently closed the door, leaving Yang Jian alone sitting by the bed, quietly thinking.
Yang Jian still had many questions he hadn't had time to ask, but when facing the supernatural, he had no choice. It had always been this way.
Being able to reach this step was already enough for Yang Jian.