35 Chapter 35 (Two in One)
◎ Weird? Are you so poor that you pay your employees with garbage?!◎
Yan Mingyue was quite surprised. The ghost controller's "ghost restriction" thought there was no ghost, so he didn't express his shock directly.
But the way she looked at Ye Ping'an was like a hungry person seeing a big pork elbow.
Ye Pingan caught the weirdo, but he was still in such good condition, as if nothing had happened!
Captain Yan finally understood the extent of the "little damage" mentioned in the data. Even if Ye Ping'an could only catch E-level, and there was no way to directly limit the E-level to crash and turn it into a weird, he could still be stable and provide a considerable period of safety.
Most importantly, Huaxi City's biggest problem right now is a few E-level monsters. They're evading quickly, and the Huaxi City Investigation Bureau, understaffed and still recovering from injuries, is overly busy trying to capture them, resulting in more harm than good.
But this situation is just right for Ye Ping'an to perform.
I have to make up some good reasons and ask Boss Ye to take action without violating the restrictions of the monsters.
Yan Mingyue's gaze was so intense that Ye Ping'an was bewildered. "What's wrong? I'm hungry. There's stew in the cafeteria. Do I still need to take a statement? If not, I'll go home from get off work."
Yan Mingyue said earnestly, "No, no, don't worry. You will definitely get the credit for arresting this... 'tailgating criminal' today. Boss Ye, how are you feeling? Are you tired? Walk slowly and rest early. Or we can take you there. Do you want help washing up?"
Ye Pingan rubbed the goose bumps off his arms, "...That's not necessary."
Are the Huaxi City police so short of results that they even take stalking criminals so seriously?
Ye Ping'an waved his sleeves, leaving no trace of weirdness behind, and went back to sleep calmly.
"She remains calm even when facing a mountain of collapse. That's the true style of a master. Perhaps her willpower is strong enough to enable her to carry high-level monsters in the future."
Captain Yan couldn't help but sigh as he looked at her back.
Yan Mingyue couldn't remain calm at all and turned around to make a phone call.
"Old Li, on behalf of the people of Huaxi, I want to thank you and Captain Hu. Thanks for inviting Boss Ye over for us. He showed off his skills right away and caught a strange creature. Wow, he caught it with his bare hands!"
Old Li's voice rose an octave. "Wait, wait a minute! Just catch the ghost?! Even if it's an E-rank with a physical form, catching it directly will cause serious trouble! Is she okay?"
"It's okay. Boss Ye looks incredibly healthy, able to run and jump, and has gone back to sleep. From what I can see, her strange weapon is probably a glove or something similar. It can directly contact strange things, but it's mainly for control, similar to my [Hanging Rope], but without the same strong lethality."
Yan Mingyue complained, "Why are you still hiding this from me? The information is all written as suspected, making me think that such a great treasure can only play a supporting role in the bureau and have no intention of letting her go out directly on field work. I haven't even had time to give her the strange file of the roundup, and I just mentioned it a few times to remind her to pay attention.
"Luckily, the Half-Body Ghost's other antics were all meant to scare people. The killing pattern must make people turn their heads. With a little experience, it's easy to survive. Otherwise, Boss Ye would have been killed right after arriving. I'm so sorry for her, I don't even have a place to cry."
Yan Mingyue was so shocked that she couldn't tell her subordinates, but once she started talking on the phone, she couldn't stop.
Old Li suddenly understood:
No wonder the reserve investigator who witnessed the scene said he saw the driver pull the [Waving Shadow Puppet], but in the end the shadow puppet was found in a ghost cave. This makes sense for Ye Ping'an's ghost effect.
The only problem is... this weird effect is different from the weirdness in Jiang City before. I don't know where she came from.
But Lao Li didn't intend to delve into it.
Folk ghost fighters have a lot of little secrets, so as long as there are no principled issues, it's fine. If they really want to dig deep, then forget about continuing to cooperate or even getting them into the investigation.
Old Li smiled and said, "Captain Yan, Boss Ye has helped so much since he arrived. You can't treat him unfairly."
"Of course."
Yan Mingyue hung up the phone and went straight to the top-secret area of the bureau.
"Captain, we just summoned other strange creatures to successfully deactivate the Half-Ghost. The last image has been confirmed. It's one of the suspects in the Half-Ghost case that was handed over by the police. We determined at the time that he had become a ghost slave."
The researchers took Yan Mingyue to the one-way glass. In the observation room, there was only an old raincoat left, half of which was wet with black and red blood stains.
"We're halfway through testing the new creatures. The cost of using them seems to vary from person to person, and is much lower than we anticipated. Also... after capturing the Half-Ghost, we noticed a problem. Before the Half-Ghost died, its humanoid form showed signs of being attacked by other creatures. The E-rank creatures currently wreaking havoc in Huaxi are likely devouring each other."
"[Night Crying Man], [Half-Body Ghost], [Old Lady Asking for Directions], and a newly discovered suspected E-class, tentatively named [Charcoal Butcher]."
Yan Mingyue rubbed his forehead with a headache. "There's not much correlation between the patterns. What kind of thing will they come up with by devouring each other? Are the old and the young a family of murderous ghosts? It would be best if they collided with each other and froze everything."
But she also knew that it was unlikely that she would be completely lucky.
Yan Mingyue entered the dynamic password, placed it together with the access card in the researcher's hand, and opened the vault door. "Go collect all the E-level strange objects in the bureau, including those currently in use and those that cannot be used temporarily. Also make a list of strange objects that can be applied for from higher-ups."
"Captain? What's this?" The researcher was surprised.
Yan Mingyue sighed, "The [Half-Body Ghost] doesn't count as one of ours, but we need its aggressiveness to separate the other weirds from the dead machine. We can only exchange it for other weirds."
The Huaxi City Investigation Bureau was busy. Ye Ping'an woke up feeling refreshed and strolled to the cafeteria for breakfast.
"She was the one who caught the [Half-Body Ghost] yesterday? Such a hidden talent!"
"I heard they were dragged all the way back as a stalker. When we went to investigate, the lingering weird aura in the alley had made a mess of the ground, with cut marks everywhere, and even passing rats were cut in half. Even so, an E-level weird couldn't escape. The capture effect was almost as good as Captain Yan's rope, but she was fine after using the weird!"
"Either their willpower is ridiculously strong, or the monsters are ridiculously good. No matter which one it is, we in Huaxi have strong support. Now let's see how those monsters can escape!"
"That's not right. Then why are you coming to the cafeteria?"
"Stupid! That's the restriction on the use of other people's tricks, you don't even understand that. Hurry up, go get some food, I need to queue at Boss Ye's window!"
Whispers came from every corner of the cafeteria. The investigators who had deliberately stayed away had heard about last night's results and looked at Ye Ping'an with fiery eyes.
As soon as he entered the door, he was stared at, but Ye Ping'an pretended not to see it and walked into the kitchen without changing his expression.
"How's the preparation going on with the dough and stuffing we talked about yesterday?"
Aunt Wang, the chef, was taking a break this morning. As soon as Ye Ping'an opened his mouth, Aunt Chen came over and said, "Boss Ye! The dough has risen. Does it meet your expectations? The filling has been chopped, and I've mixed half of the filling and just steamed the buns. I'm still waiting for your guidance."
Aunt Chen awkwardly pulled at her apron, looking like a little apprentice waiting for instruction from her master.
Ye Ping'an accepted it calmly, washed his hands, and pinched the dough. "It's a little off. It probably didn't rise well during the second fermentation. Be careful when putting it in the steamer. There's still time to fix it."
"Ah, I'm sorry, Boss Ye, I didn't do well. I'm not smart, please give me some more guidance." Aunt Chen made way and looked at him eagerly.
The kitchen helpers who were not on duty last night were stunned.
"Aunt Chen has always been proud of her craftsmanship. When she heard there was a new hire coming, she said yesterday that she had to be wary of people with connections causing trouble. Why is she surrounding him today? She's even working like a slave for him? And this young boss Ye is so calm, and yet he's so calm?"
The kitchen helper who had been working all night with Aunt Chen was delighted. "Haven't you heard that the master is the one who has achieved success? Boss Ye has excellent skills and doesn't mind giving some pointers. He's a master. If it were you, you'd be eager to do the work too. Aunt Wang, isn't she coming? It's because she really hasn't had the chance, so she had to discuss waiting until the afternoon to take over."
The kitchen helper smacked his lips, savoring the taste. "I've never tasted beef stew as delicious as last night's!"
Ye Ping'an picked out the dishes delivered to the cafeteria that morning.
As soon as I took a basket of eggplants, Aunt Chen rushed over and picked up the basket, "Don't get tired, I'll help you!"
Ye Ping'an was happy and relaxed as he only had to talk to do the trivial work without having to do anything with his hands.
The contract was for her to make catfish rolls for other people, and to order them around in circles, which was pretty much it.
Ye Ping'an pinched the bun skin, and with a turn of his hand, fifteen standard folds appeared, and the bun had a big belly and thin skin, making it bulge out.
All the buns are steamed, and the tofu pudding in the pot is taken out of the pot when it is cooked to the right temperature. The two kinds of marinade and white sugar are placed on the window, and a spoonful of seasoning is poured on it. It looks like a bowl of trembling milk pudding, full of fragrance.
Ye Ping'an took a sip and praised his own craftsmanship.
I only cook breakfast for myself at home, but it’s nice to make a big pot of breakfast like this occasionally.
Aunt Chen carried the fried cakes and pot stickers and put them on the window. She looked and saw that almost all the people outside were lined up in front of the newly cleaned window. She was at a loss whether to laugh or cry.
"This group of young people only know how to join in the fun."
The waiter started working. Aunt Chen moved to the newly opened window and scooped up some tofu pudding. "Salty, hot and sour, or with sugar?"
The investigators who had come to watch excitedly suddenly became dispirited. "Aunt Chen, why are you here? Where's Boss Ye?"
"Boss Ye has come all this way, isn't it enough for me to make you a bite to eat? What, do you dislike an old man like me?" Aunt Chen shook the spoon. "Do you want to eat?"
"eat!"
The investigators in the queue behind were still peeking in curiously, while the investigator who had just received the bowl was completely distracted by the food. "There's day lily and pickled mustard greens in the marinade? Such a familiar taste, just like my hometown... no, even better than my hometown!"
Xiao Zhang followed the captain to the cafeteria, where he immediately received a series of resentful glances. "Zhang, I didn't expect the new boss, Mr. Ye, to be such a great cook. I heard they had beef stew last night, but how come we didn't see it? Such delicious beef, aren't you afraid of getting too full by showing it off?"
Xiao Zhang, who couldn't help showing off two bowls of rice last night, smiled awkwardly.
Ye Ping'an directed the kitchen to prepare lunch dishes, and today's work was half done.
It is convenient to have someone to help, and she even started to think about whether she should hire a handyman in the store.
But after clicking on the recruitment app, Ye Pingan calmed down. Experienced laborers were paid well, and with summer vacation approaching and the university town experiencing low traffic, there was no need to hire anyone. Forget it.
Ye Pingan sat in a corner of the cafeteria and continued watching food videos. Seeing Yan Mingyue coming over, she pointed to the window with confidence and said, "Captain Yan, today's breakfast and lunch are in the kitchen. You can inspect them."
Yan Mingyue didn't come here to cook, and when she heard the word "inspection", she paused.
Boss Ye was urging her to confirm yesterday's contribution of [Half-Ghost]. Did he want a weirdo?
Yan Mingyue awkwardly took out her things and said, "Boss Ye helped us a lot yesterday by catching the 'tailgator'. It's just... well... we in Huaxi are poor, and all the things we can use are here. Do you think you can exchange them for your reward? If you don't mind, we can exchange two for one."
She placed all the strange creatures she had retrieved overnight, as well as information on strange creatures that could be applied for or borrowed, on the table.
An E-level monster that has only been used a few times has a weak degree of binding with the person. As long as the willpower can hold on, it can be replaced and used.
Yan Mingyue had no other choice but to shamelessly try to exchange the [Half-Ghost] that should have been given to Ye Ping'an for other strange objects.
Ye Ping'an rubbed his eyes. He was not mistaken. There was still a pile of garbage on the table.
Before coming here, I heard that Huaxi’s economy was not doing well. When we met yesterday, I could see that the police station was in a difficult situation, but I didn’t expect it to be so poor!
She thought Captain Yan's praise of "helping a lot" was a reward for her catching the criminal who was following her.
Not to mention giving out 100,000 yuan at a time for clues to major malicious incidents, a few hundred yuan will do.
As a result, Captain Yan looked very serious and took out only junk.
Broken bowls, broken mirrors, half-lit candles... Ye Ping'an even saw a familiar looking torn cardboard box on the printed materials.
Forget about exchanging two for one, this pile of garbage can't even be sold for ten dollars!
The metal boxes outside look dozens of times more expensive than them.
Ye Ping'an's smile disappeared with a snap.
She pointed at the table in disbelief. "You said you want to exchange your reward for this? Nothing else?"
"We saved these with great difficulty. We really don't have many left. At most we can add one more clean candle." Yan Mingyue felt embarrassed and guilty.
The cost of driving a monster varies. Few of the monsters she summoned can compare to Ye Ping'an's in terms of cost-effectiveness.
No wonder Boss Ye looked down on it and wanted the [Half-Ghost] more.
Clean candle?
Ye Ping'an remembered it as the scented candle that Lao Li had used. Even if it was a custom-made one, it wouldn't cost much.
Ye Ping'an felt a chill in his heart and hurried to confirm, "Wait, are my wages returned?"
She only earned 10,000 yuan a day! Would she also want to exchange it for rags to pay off her debts?
Damn it, I never thought the police could do such a thing!
Yan Mingyue felt even more guilty. "Boss Ye came to support us at this time and saved us from danger. We are all very grateful for this help. I will definitely not owe you any reward, but..."
The strange object is priceless, and Yan Mingyue has no authority to use it to pay for anything.
She gritted her teeth and pointed at the information. "We really need yesterday's 'tailgating criminal'. After this support is over, we can report you for merit and maybe get another one as a reward. I heard that Jiang City gives 100,000 yuan at a time, but we can only give 50,000 yuan at the moment, and the additional amount needs to be approved. Gratitude cannot be measured by money, and I also know that Boss Ye doesn't think much of this money, but please be sure to accept it-"
Ye Pingan:?
Did the police officer have a brain problem from working overtime? Who would not care about money?
Having said that, Huaxi City must have suffered from tailgating criminals for a long time, but they can actually give 50,000 yuan for catching a tailgating criminal!
Ye Ping'an's smile returned. "Look at what Captain Yan said. Am I such a difficult person?"
Who would trade for something when they can get money? Using a car to pay off a debt is troublesome enough, let alone this garbage.
Ye Ping'an quickly pushed aside the pile of broken boxes on the table and pushed them towards Yan Mingyue.
Holding her hand tightly, Ye Pingan said reluctantly, "Since you need these, take them back. Money is fine too - when will you transfer the money? My bank account is xxxxxx."
Yan Mingyue was stunned. When she saw the sincere and bright smile, her eyes gradually became moist.
Money cannot buy the life of the ghost fighter, ghosts are much more important than money.
Whether it is the official anti-evil master or the anti-evil master from the folk or evil cult organizations, they will never be short of money.
She understood that Ye Ping'an just saw the predicament of Huaxi City and didn't want to make things difficult for her.
How could Mr. Li next door say that she is such a good person and loves money?!
Yan Mingyue was so touched, "Take the money, send it now!"
Xiao Zhang received the captain's signal and walked around with a whiteboard with some other strange information written on it.
In order to avoid affecting Ye Ping'an's restrictions on strange creatures, they all changed their appearances, and at first glance they looked like a few mentally ill criminals.
Ye Ping'an's phone vibrated, the money had arrived, and her smile became more genuine.
Noticing Xiao Zhang coming over, Ye Pingan presumably made way for the police force, thinking it was time for a case meeting. "I should go home. I'll make soup tonight, so remember to come to the cafeteria for dinner."
The canteen was still processing various materials according to instructions. Ye Ping'an strolled out and drove to Huaxi City Vegetable Market to visit the local food.
With nothing to do, I feel relaxed. After eating and drinking, I go back to the cafeteria and the day's work comes to an end.
Before leaving home that night, Yan Mingyue specifically approached her and asked, "Boss Ye, are you going on the field trip with us?"
Ye Ping'an brought out a gas stove and a small aluminum-sealed basin. "I know you'll be hungry after your night shift. Here, stewed pork belly and chicken with a handful of vermicelli is enough for you to take with you on the road."
The contract doesn't say that the cook has to go on field missions, so who wants to work overtime and stay up late with the police force?
Captain Yan came in empty-handed and left with the food.
Yan Mingyue: ...?
Ye Ping'an was unwilling, and Captain Yan did not force him.
I caught a monster on the first day, so my efficiency was already quite high. It's normal to take a break.
Captain Yan reminded Ye Ping'an to be careful at night and sent him to the hotel entrance before leaving.
As night fell, cries drifted from the dark corners of Huaxi City.
The crying sound was getting closer and farther, and the investigators tracking it were startled. "It's the Night Cryer! Be careful, and remember to say 'I've never seen it before' before approaching it. We'll try to follow the clues and find its true form tonight."
"Dad, Mom... woo woo woo..."
The voice was vague and childish, whimpering, yet there was a strong sense of dissonance. Listening carefully, every word was exactly the same, from the tone to the sound, as if a recording doll was mechanically repeating itself.
Some of the crying sounds came from under the eaves, and some from at the intersection.
The crying sound drifted across the alley opposite the Investigation Bureau, passed through the messy area where the police cordon was set up, and rang out in the parking lot downstairs of the hotel.
“Wuwu… Wuwu…”
In the shadows downstairs of the hotel, a child over one year old appeared out of nowhere. He was missing a leg and was crawling forward slowly, curled up and crying with his hands covering his face.
The receptionist couldn't bear it and went out to ask, "Whose child are you?"
The young child covered his face with his hands and his shoulders kept shaking.
"Dad, Mom, woo woo..."
"I'll take you to find your mother, don't cry."
The receptionist looked at it lovingly, step by step, getting closer. She picked up the child and coaxed him in a confused voice, "Mommy is here, don't cry, don't cry."
"Mom, woo woo..." The child raised his head, his dark eyes showing through the gaps between his fingers, without a single tear.
It was clearly chuckling and making fake crying sounds.
The child was lying on the receptionist's shoulder. The receptionist was pale and walked stiffly towards the hotel building.
The faint sound of crying drifted in the air. In the parking lot, the lights of a van closest to the hotel flashed slightly, and its tires turned silently.
The receptionist was walking across the parking lot holding the child when, with a bang, a car appeared from the side and the front of the van lightly hit them.
The receptionist stumbled, and the child she was holding was thrown out and fell on the car window.
The crying stopped abruptly.
The child used his hands and feet to climb down, but seemed to be stuck by the black window glass. He struggled hard and could only lift his limbs a little bit. Countless hands grabbed it in the darkness.
"Woo...Ah——!" It covered its face, stared at the van with its empty eyes, and let out shrill cries and screams, but was completely swallowed up by the darkness that silently surged from the van.
In the shadows where cries were heard from all over Huaxi City, the figures of the children disappeared at the same time.
The investigators, following the sound of the cries, carefully stepped past the shadows. Where the sound came from, there was no one, only a single bloody handprint, the size of a child's palm.
The searching team scratched their heads, "Strange, they didn't attack us today and just ran away like that?"
Downstairs of the hotel, the children in the car seemed to be copied and pasted, with almost identical shadows of children covering their faces appearing one after another around them, grabbing them like tug-of-war and pulling them apart bit by bit.
The van window seemed to have turned into a swamp, swallowing up the dark shadow of the child who jumped out.
But Tun De was not able to escape fast enough, and most of the shadow disappeared. The child who was stuck managed to climb out of the car window and disappeared into the darkness.
“Beep, beep, beep—”
The alarm of a car being hit by a vehicle blasted across the parking lot.
Ye Pingan heard the noise even while taking a shower, "Whose car horn is so loud?"
When he walked out of the bathroom, the alarm outside had stopped. Ye Ping'an opened the curtains and glanced at the room, his eyes suddenly frozen.
The car that had vacated the parking space downstairs looked particularly familiar. Ye Pingan was furious, "??? My car!"
Ye Ping'an rushed downstairs in a hurry, but the thief had been scared away by the car alarm.
"Did you see the thief?" Ye Ping'an looked at the receptionist standing next to him.
The receptionist shook her head, looking confused. It was obvious that she was sleepy during the night shift and was woken up by the noise.
"H-Hayaun. I'll show you the surveillance footage."
However, there was only a snowflake in the surveillance video.
The receptionist was horrified. "When did it break? I'm sorry, I didn't notice it. I'll notify maintenance right away. To compensate you, I'll provide free parking, refund all parking fees you've paid, and upgrade your room. Is that okay with you?"
"...Okay. Fix your surveillance cameras as soon as possible." Ye Ping'an went out and walked around the car, but couldn't find any traces of the lock being picked. "Luckily, the car wasn't scratched. You're pretty fast."
Ye Ping'an drove the car and parked it back in the parking space a few meters away.
I had just returned to my upgraded deluxe room and was lying down when my phone vibrated and a window popped up.
"Hmm? The robot mop's camera alarm?"
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