Chapter 61: The Haunted Videocassette and a New Threat

Captain Liang and her team members remained utterly bewildered.

They were completely oblivious to everything that had transpired the previous night.

“Miss Zi, what exactly happened?”

Captain Liang’s brows furrowed deeply.

She quickly rose from her seat, her voice laced with both concern and confusion.

Upon seeing their innocent expressions, Zi Yanran’s anger instantly flared.

She strode purposefully towards the video recorder in the corner, each step punctuated by the sharp *clack* of her heels against the floor.

The sound echoed gratingly in the silent room, inexplicably heightening the tension for Captain Liang and the others, as an unsettling premonition began to gnaw at their hearts.

Zi Yanran reached the recorder and, without hesitation, pulled out the videocassette.

She clutched the tape tightly, for it was the undeniable proof of the horror she had endured last night.

“Do you have any idea? This very videotape! It contained a malevolent ghost that crawled out of the television last night, intent on harming me!”

Zi Yanran’s voice trembled with fury. It wasn’t that she lacked composure; any ordinary person would find it impossible to remain calm after such an ordeal.

To the ears of a common person, such a declaration would likely only elicit mockery.

However, Captain Liang was different. She was an ability user and a practitioner of arcane arts.

She instantly grasped the gravity of Zi Yanran’s words, her expression turning solemn.

‘This… how could such a thing happen? Damn it, after all our planning, I never expected them to resort to such a tactic. This must be a form of Japanese spiritual summoning or ghost manipulation. But why did I sense nothing?’

Captain Liang muttered to herself, her emotions a mix of anger and confusion. She was furious at the enemy’s cunning and bewildered by her own complete lack of awareness.

Zi Yanran was about to retort or offer an explanation when, at that very moment, a clear and melodious voice suddenly resounded.

“Because the female ghost used this videocassette as a medium to project her spiritual body.”

As the words faded, a figure slowly emerged from within the room.

With silver hair like a waterfall and shimmering golden eyes, it was Bai Mengqi.

Her sudden appearance startled Captain Liang and her team.

They were utterly perplexed, unable to comprehend how a second person could exist in Zi Yanran’s room, despite their stringent security measures.

“You?”

The Ability Bureau agents stared warily at the mysterious young woman before them, their innate abilities unconsciously stirring.

“Don’t be alarmed, she is Bai Mengqi, my personal bodyguard,” Zi Yanran quickly explained, attempting to defuse the tense atmosphere.

Upon hearing Zi Yanran’s explanation, Captain Liang and the others breathed a sigh of relief, though the vigilance in their eyes had not entirely dissipated.

“So that’s it. You’re the young female powerhouse mentioned by the Jiangcheng City Ability Bureau. You truly are quite young.”

Captain Liang regained her composure and proactively greeted Bai Mengqi, seeking to bridge the distance between them.

“Ability Bureau Headquarters, Liang Qiuyu. Miss Bai, it’s a pleasure to meet you for the first time.” She politely extended her hand, hoping to resolve the misunderstanding.

However, Bai Mengqi did not return the gesture, a hint of displeasure still lingering on her face.

As Zi Yanran’s partner, the incident of the previous night had caused her to question the competence of Captain Liang and her team.

“I believe we should set pleasantries aside for now. I simply want to ask you, do you understand the consequences of this incident? If I hadn’t been protecting her closely, President Zi would have undoubtedly perished last night. I now somewhat question your capabilities.”

Bai Mengqi’s words were cold and direct, devoid of any politeness.

At her statement, the atmosphere instantly grew incredibly awkward, and Liang Qiuyu’s expression also became uncomfortable. Yet, she offered no defense.

She knew that a mistake was a mistake, and no excuse could alter that fact.

“Miss Bai, Miss Zi, I sincerely apologize for our security lapse. However, Miss Bai, could you please explain exactly how they managed this?”

Liang Qiuyu offered a sincere apology and requested Bai Mengqi to explain the enemy’s methods.

Seeing the other party’s sincere attitude in admitting their mistake, Bai Mengqi did not dwell on the matter further.

After all, she still needed these people to protect Zi Yanran.

Thus, she took the videocassette from Zi Yanran’s hand, reinserted it into the recorder, and began searching for the footage related to the female ghost.

Soon, the screen displayed the harrowing scene from the previous night: the female ghost slowly crawling out of a dry well, her face distorted and eyes crimson, as if intent on devouring everything in her path.

She slowly approached the camera, appearing as though she might pierce the screen and enter the real world.

Of course, the female ghost could not crawl out of the television today.

Even so, Liang Qiuyu still felt a palpable wave of malevolent energy emanating from the television.

“I understand now! The opponent’s medium wasn’t the videocassette itself, but the film within it! That’s why I didn’t detect it earlier!” Liang Qiuyu exclaimed, a sudden realization dawning upon her.

Her face was etched with self-reproach; they had been careless.

She had never imagined the enemy would be so cunning as to hide the medium within the film itself.

“Damn it! What a insidious trick! I can’t believe they hid it so deeply! We were too careless! It seems from now on, if anything seems amiss, we must eliminate it without hesitation!” Liang Qiuyu declared, standing up angrily and speaking with gravitas.

Bai Mengqi watched Liang Qiuyu’s reaction, a wave of speechlessness washing over her.

Truthfully, even she had not anticipated the enemy would use such a method to attack Zi Yanran.

But since the incident had occurred, a solution had to be found.

“This cannot be entirely blamed on you. This place is, after all, their home turf, making their methods truly difficult to guard against. I suggest we find President Zi a different hotel,” Bai Mengqi analyzed calmly.

Liang Qiuyu nodded in agreement at her words.

Thus, the group prepared to depart from the seemingly secure hotel in a grand procession.

The hotel manager and Matsushita Shinichi of the Matsushita Group rushed over as soon as they received the news.

They watched Zi Yanran and her entourage preparing to leave, their hearts filled with doubt and unease.

“Miss Zi, what’s wrong? Why the sudden change of residence?” Matsushita Shinichi asked courteously, attempting to discern something from Zi Yanran’s expression.

Zi Yanran cast a cryptic smile at Matsushita Shinichi and replied, “Mr. Matsushita, something very unpleasant happened to me last night, so I no longer trust this hotel’s security. We will find our own accommodation, so there’s no need for your Matsushita Group to trouble yourselves.”

With that, Zi Yanran, led by her bodyguards, left the hotel lobby.

She left behind a bewildered hotel manager and a somber Matsushita Shinichi.

“Impossible! Our hotel has implemented the highest level of security measures! How could anyone still slip through?” the hotel manager murmured to himself, unable to accept the fact.

After all, their hotel security guards were also ability users. How could the enemy have succeeded so easily?

Matsushita Shinichi looked at the hotel manager’s reaction, already having his own answer.

He sighed helplessly, muttering to himself, ‘Ah, Father, I hope you know when to retreat! Don’t continue to act so stubbornly! Otherwise, things might spiral out of control!’

With that, Matsushita Shinichi also gave chase, wanting to personally explain and apologize to Zi Yanran, hoping to salvage some losses.

Meanwhile, the situation on Matsushita Suguru’s side was even worse.

The sound of a cup shattering echoed through the office.

Matsushita Suguru stood furiously before his desk, his face contorted with rage and indignation.

“Useless! All of you are useless! You can’t even handle this simple matter, yet you claimed it was foolproof! That woman Ogawa Kyoko is going to ruin my grand plans! The other party will surely use this incident against us! By then, we’ll have no leverage at the negotiating table!” Matsushita Suguru roared, his eyes seemingly spitting fire.

Matsuda, who had taken away the miko’s corpse yesterday, stood before Matsushita Suguru.

He hung his head in silence, knowing he bore responsibility for the mission’s failure.

However, recalling that his junior sister had paid with her life for this and was now being insulted so, his heart, too, filled with anger.

“Mr. Matsushita, please be more respectful! My junior sister has already sacrificed her life for this! Isn’t that enough?” Matsuda finally couldn’t hold back, retorting with a voice full of pain and fury.

The words were like a bucket of cold water doused over Matsushita Suguru, instantly bringing him to his senses.

He realized his words had been too harsh, for the brother and sister duo had powerful forces behind them that he could not afford to offend.

“Ah! My apologies, Matsuda-kun! I was simply too anxious. This is, after all, a request from the Cabinet,” Matsushita Suguru quickly apologized.

Matsuda took a deep breath after hearing this, then got to the point: “This matter won’t end here. They shouldn’t be fully aware of it yet. As long as it’s not out in the open, there’s still an opportunity to create another ‘accident.’ You must try to stall for time.”

Matsushita Suguru nodded in understanding. “Understood. I will personally meet with Zi Yanran today and try to delay the signing of the contract. But you must find a way; according to our agreement, if Zi Yanran isn’t dealt with, we will ultimately have no choice but to sign the contract!”

Matsuda nodded and said, “I’ll go back and make arrangements immediately. This is our territory; I refuse to believe we can’t handle one Zi Yanran!”

With that, Matsuda turned and left the office, his heart filled with murderous intent.

The current plan had failed, and he absolutely had to find a way to salvage the situation.

Otherwise, he would not only face punishment from his sect but also endure the wrath of the Matsushita Group and the Cabinet.

Meanwhile, Zi Yanran and her group had already left the hotel and were searching for a new place to stay.

Captain Liang and Bai Mengqi were both exceptionally vigilant, knowing that the enemy would not give up so easily.

They had to remain constantly alert to ensure Zi Yanran’s safety.

“President Zi, what should we do next?” a bodyguard asked, her voice filled with worry and unease.

Zi Yanran glanced at her and said, “First, let’s find a safe place to settle down, then we’ll figure out how to handle the unfolding situation.”

Soon, after a thorough search by Liang Qiuyu and her team, they checked into another high-end hotel.

This time, Liang Qiuyu and her team meticulously swept the premises, and Bai Mengqi then conducted her own inspection.

If the opponent still managed to exploit a loophole after all this, even Bai Mengqi would be unable to fault them.

Not long after Zi Yanran and her group settled in, Matsushita Shinichi’s call came.

“Miss Zi, my father has decided to meet you. Please come to the Matsushita Group headquarters.”

Matsushita Shinichi was currently at the entrance of Zi Yanran’s new residence. She knew that her father’s next wave of tactics was imminent.

However, she was largely unaware of these specific actions; her father had instructed her only to be responsible for entertaining Zi Yanran and her group.

This way, even if matters came to light later, Matsushita Shinichi would not be implicated.

Upon receiving the call, Zi Yanran immediately went downstairs.

When she saw Matsushita Shinichi, her demeanor was far from as pleasant as before.

“Mr. Matsushita, I’ve prepared a little gift for your Matsushita Group.” Zi Yanran, with a peculiar smile, handed Matsushita Shinichi a bag.

Matsushita Shinichi, full of doubt, opened it. Seeing only an ordinary videocassette, he was utterly bewildered.