Chapter 71: The Civilian Exorcist Squad

Both of them were ghost tamers, not the official kind, but rather members of a private organization dedicated to serving the wealthiest elites and earning enormous profits. The notorious reputation of the Malicious Spirit haunting Xiao Zi was so widespread that even they had heard whispers of it.

According to the intelligence they possessed, this Malicious Spirit wielded considerable power, its presence expertly concealed, yet its highest possible rank was only C-class. On their side, however, was a B-class ghost tamer. Their confidence in being able to eliminate Xiao Zi was substantial.

Nevertheless, to be cautious and avoid accidentally harming any of these affluent guests, they devised a plan.

A few hours later, the banquet commenced as expected. These wealthy people certainly knew how to enjoy themselves; the deck of the ship was lavishly decorated, even the fountain water replaced with champagne. An endless array of delicacies appeared, making the vessel seem nothing at all like a refugee ship.

Xiao Zi, accompanied by Wang Hui, drew the attention of many guests. Numerous people approached them with smiles and greetings, a clear indication that the person Xiao Zi had possessed held an unusual status.

Yet to Xiao Zi’s surprise, not a single person asked about his family.

Soon after, the noblewoman arrived, bringing with her a middle-aged man and a young woman. She addressed Xiao Zi, saying, “This is the owner of Time Jewelry and his daughter. Let your young man take the initiative.”

With a smile, she left.

Feigning indifference, Xiao Zi glanced at the pair, confirming that one was a C-class ghost tamer and the other a D-class. He was about to say something to Wang Hui, only to find Wang Hui had already disappeared from his side.

Looking in the direction Wang Hui had gone, he saw that the young man was already engaging in conversation, and the C-class girl appeared shy and bashful.

An instinctive unease stirred within Xiao Zi.

Leaving aside the oddity of a ghost tamer posing as a business owner, the fact that they were clearly targeting him was suspicious enough.

Yet Xiao Zi was confident in his soul parasitism ability; when he inhabited someone’s soul, his presence was absolutely undetectable.

If these ghost tamers did not know his identity, why would they seek him out?

Suddenly, he realized something crucial: these two ghost tamers were entirely absorbed in conversation with Wang Hui, paying him no mind whatsoever.

Activating his heightened perception, Xiao Zi sensed that nearby ghost tamers were not far away. He could hardly believe they had no plans concerning him.

Turning his gaze back to Wang Hui, he saw that the young man had taken the girl’s hand and was examining her palm, while the girl’s face twitched in disbelief.

“It seems this lad is making progress,” mused Xiao Zi.

A few seconds later, he noticed a D-class ghost tamer approaching him.

He shifted his internal energy, preparing for battle.

But when the D-class ghost tamer reached his side, he spoke words Xiao Zi had never expected.

“Are you Mr. Li? We know you’ve been taken hostage by that strange entity. Hurry up and come with us.”

At these words, everything became clear to Xiao Zi—the foolish ghost tamers had mistaken their target.

Understanding the situation, he took no action, instead feigning terror: “Oh, thank goodness you’ve come! I was scared to death.”

The ghost tamer regarded him with disdain and led him away.

In a secluded corner of the ship's cabin, a B-class ghost tamer, his head wrapped in a silk scarf, was combing his hair with a knife. No one knew why he used a blade instead of a comb, but it made him appear arrogant.

Surrounded by several ghost tamers, all of whom watched Xiao Zi like wolves eyeing a sheep, he finally spoke after a long appraisal.

“Mr. Li, isn’t it?”

His name was Fang Fei. As a child, his parents had been slain by a strange entity, and he had accidentally sealed it, becoming a ghost tamer himself.

He never joined the Bureau of Strange Entity Investigation; instead, he used his considerable power for personal profit.

As the resurgence of the supernatural grew more pronounced, strange entities multiplied. Sensing opportunity, Fang Fei assembled a team of ghost tamers who specialized in extorting wealthy individuals for immense profit.

Their power was so great that even the authorities of the Republic of Appearance could not curb them, allowing them to go unchecked.

When they heard that the Republic of Appearance had unilaterally severed ties with Da Xia, they immediately decided to flee.

After all, if a regular person had become the leader of the Republic, severing relations with Da Xia would be unthinkable. Who benefits most from such a break? Clearly, strange entities.

Thus, they concluded that the new leader of the Republic must have some shady dealings with strange entities. Staying in the country would be suicidal.

So, they boarded the ship with the wealthy refugees.

The panic on Xiao Zi’s face gradually faded, replaced by calm.

“What do you want?” he asked.

Seeing Xiao Zi’s composure, Fang Fei smiled.

As expected of a business tycoon, he thought, to remain so calm and play dumb at a time like this.

“You’ve been held hostage by that strange entity, haven’t you? Here’s the deal: write each of us a check for ten million, and we’ll kill him for you!”

He handed Xiao Zi a tablet showing surveillance footage from the banquet.

On screen, Wang Hui was excitedly chatting with the girl, who appeared utterly bewildered, as if she no longer knew herself.

“Damn, what’s that guy Bai Niao up to?” Fang Fei cursed. Nothing about Wang Hui resembled a strange entity, and Bai Niao hardly seemed like a ghost tamer.

Their original plan had been for Bai Niao, who possessed special abilities, to lock down the Malicious Spirit’s energy on the spot and then extort Mr. Li.

If the Malicious Spirit proved formidable, Fang Fei would intervene directly. But the scene on the screen was nothing like their plan.

Nonetheless, he turned to Xiao Zi. “If you refuse, I’ll have my men walk away immediately. Then…”

He trailed off, a crooked smile on his lips, radiating ill intent.

Xiao Zi, seeing this, grinned—an exaggerated, ferocious smile.

“Does he look like a strange entity to you?” he asked.

“Oh? You’ve seen strange entities? You know what they look like?” Fang Fei, unable to see Xiao Zi’s expression since his head was bowed, was puzzled by the question.

Even Fang Fei himself was beginning to doubt that Wang Hui was a strange entity.

At that moment, Xiao Zi suddenly lifted his head, revealing a pair of scarlet eyes and a terrifying expression. His voice, as chilling as a thousand ghosts wailing, slowly emerged.

“This is what a true strange entity looks like!”