Mysterious Awakening

Rain immediately regretted her outburst.

In the call center, a stern-faced middle-aged man in uniform immediately walked over and tapped the table in front of her. “Rain,” he said firmly, “control your emotions. This is a critical moment, do not let your personal feelings affect your work.”

“But, Captain, this person clearly knows what’s going on but refuses to speak,” Rain protested.

“During extraordinary events, most people’s mental state will falter. You need to be understanding, patient, and even comforting. That’s why most call operators are women. If you can’t handle this job, you can choose to resign,” the middle-aged captain responded without hesitation.

“Yes, Captain,” Rain responded, bowing her head.

“Reflect on your actions. Do not let it happen again. I’ll take over this call and you learn from it,” the captain instructed.

“Hello, this is Captain Build, Rain’s superior from Interpol. I would like to apologize for her immature behavior earlier. I have already reprimanded her. However, we hope that you can maintain your composure during this significant event and cooperate with our investigation. If there are no issues, we can continue our conversation.” Build spoke in a calm and reassuring manner.

Captain, huh?

On the bus, Miles, phone in hand, shifted his gaze slightly. This must be the highest ranking person he could attract at the moment.

“I will tell you everything about Right, leaving nothing out, but in return, I would like to know some things I should be aware of,” Miles stated. “The reason I didn’t want to talk to Rain earlier is because she’s too junior and doesn’t have the authority to make decisions.”

A young voice, although slightly naive in his methods, he was remarkably astute.

Build’s expression shifted subtly as he picked up a pencil and wrote down a sentence.

Name: William (TBC)

Age: Approximately 20

Personality: Though his methods are somewhat naive, he is more cautious and clever than his peers.

“Okay, I can share some information with you if you know about Right. Now, could you please briefly describe Right’s situation?” Build requested.

“As I’ve said before, Right is dead,” Miles responded briefly, without any beating around the bush.

Build paused for a moment.

The ‘ghost tamer’ was killed due to the resurrection of a vengeful ghost; he must have invoked the ghost’s power.

Usually, the only reason to invoke a ghost’s power is due to an urgent and special event.

“That’s right,” Miles confirmed.

“Can you explain a bit more?” Build asked.

“Sure.” Miles then began recounting the events of the previous day.

Build gestured to Rain on the side, “Prepare to establish a new vengeful ghost file.”

Rain quickly took notes, opting for pen and paper rather than a computer.

“Ghost domain, the ghost in the staircase bathroom, an old ghost that can murder through door-knocking sounds,” as each piece of information was jotted down, Build’s expression grew increasingly serious.

“That’s the gist of what happened,” Miles stated. “Do you have any more questions, sir?”

“It seems that our young friend here is still withholding information from us, showing a lack of complete trust. However, that’s understandable. It’s good for a young person to have a sense of caution and vigilance. But I still hope that you will continue to cooperate with our investigation,” Build said. “Can you tell me how you managed to escape from the ghost domain? It’s not a place one can easily leave.”

“Before I answer your question, could I ask one of my own?” Miles requested.

“Of course,” Build agreed after a moment of thought.

“What exactly are ghosts?” Miles asked.

Build answered, “Various labs around the world have conducted experiments. Some believe that ‘ghosts’ are merely a special form of energy, like dark matter or a unique type of particle, an existence yet to be explored by science. Due to our lack of understanding, we impulsively label these phenomena as ‘ghosts’, just as ancient people would attribute wind, rain, thunder, and lightning to gods when they are simply natural occurrences.”

“I want the truth.” Miles replied seriously, “I have yet to mention an important piece of information about the old man. I think it would be worthwhile for us to exchange some intelligence.”

Build tapped the table thoughtfully, “The current scientific experiments are still unable to analyze the existence of ‘ghosts’. Although some scientists speculate that they might be a manifestation of energy related to the soul, the mainstream view still leans towards idealism.”

“What do you mean?” Miles asked.

Miles’s expression was unusually serious. He dearly hoped that the so-called ghosts were merely an unknown energy transformation. But sadly, that was not the case. There really were ghosts.

“Can we get back to our previous topic?” Build asked.

Miles replied, “The reason I was able to leave the ghost domain is simple. I became a ghost tamer.”

“As expected,” Build said, his gaze sharpening.

He had guessed as much when he learned that Miles had left the ghost domain. Without becoming a ghost tamer, how could one possibly escape?

“Do you have any more information about the old man that you’ve been withholding?” Build asked.

Miles said, “I want to know more about the vengeful ghosts in exchange.”

“Understood.”

Miles: “In that case, I won’t hold anything back. The old man could locate others through the sound of knocking through various mediums like phones or the internet and then kill them by knocking in person. The root of this issue is related to a post made by a netizen. You can investigate from there, but be careful of the knocking sound. It’s a curse. Anyone who hears it will be visited by the old man.”

He then repeated the details of the information and the address of the forum.

“Alright, I’ve recorded it, and we’ll send someone to investigate later,” Build confirmed.

“Please hold on to Right’s phone for the time being. It was specially made to resist the influence of the vengeful ghost’s power, and its battery can last up to a year. Unless the situation is particularly severe, the phone should maintain its communication even if you encounter other paranormal events,” Build instructed.

“Is that so? Thank you,” Miles responded, “However, I’ve said everything I intended to. Let’s leave it at this for now, and we can contact each other later.”

“Okay, your dedicated operator from now on will be Rain. I apologize on her behalf for the previous incident,” Build said.

“No problem, it’s just my temper,” Miles said before hanging up the call.

“Captain, we should retrieve Right’s phone. It should contain a lot of important information, and by the rules, it shouldn’t be possessed by anyone else,” Rain suggested from the side.

Build tapped the table, “The situation has changed. This man has become a ghost tamer, and he deserves special treatment. I think he has great potential. Rain, your next task is to keep close tabs on him.”

“He’s only just become a ghost tamer, will that be okay?” Rain asked with surprise, “He hasn’t undergone any training.”

“I know, he can start as a temporary worker, right? And if that doesn’t work out, on-the-job training is also an option. I’ll report this matter up the chain. By the way, how are the records you were in charge of going?” Build asked.

“I’ve completed the recording. It can be archived after being sorted out. What’s the code name?” Rain asked, looking at the densely packed manuscript.

“Code name: Knocking Ghost. Terror level directly defined as A, Disaster class level,” Build said. He then added, “When the archives department reviews it, just say it was my suggestion.”

“Understood,” Rain responded, taken aback.

Another disaster-level vengeful ghost had appeared in Asia.