Chapter 53: Mutual Schemes

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Chapter 53: Hidden Agendas
He Nian nudged Duan Ming, "What do you make of this?"
"How the hell can I tell anything right now? We'll just have to play it by ear."
Duan Ming replied irritably, brazenly finding an empty seat and sitting down.
Among the other three people, two of them seemed to know each other well. They first pulled the remaining person aside for a brief whispered conversation before walking over.
One of them appeared to be the leader. He smiled kindly and extended his hand to Duan Ming, "Since we're going to be in the same boat for the coming days, let's introduce ourselves first. My name is Chou Yu. I've participated in three Ghost Realm missions, currently at the Fierce Ghost rank, with a ghost qi value of 126."
The person beside him followed immediately, "My name is Ji Xian. I've always followed Brother Chou Yu. My strength is slightly inferior, Fierce Ghost rank, 104."
Duan Ming's pupils shrank imperceptibly.
Both of these men were veterans who had experienced three Ghost Realm missions, and their ghost qi values had both broken through one hundred to reach the Fierce Ghost rank. They were definitely considered top-tier among ordinary people.
It seemed that none of the people selected to participate in this assessment were mediocre.
He also extended his hand friendly with a smile, "Duan Ming, ghost qi value 26. This is He Nian, ghost qi value 65."
He Nian nodded.
The light in the eyes of the man named Ji Xian visibly faded, but Chou Yu's expression remained unchanged, a gentle smile still lingering at the corners of his mouth, "Since you were chosen, the two of you must surely have extraordinary traits. If I guessed correctly, you must have obtained ghost item rewards, right?"
"Heh, spot on!" Duan Ming widened his eyes exaggeratedly. "May I ask how the heck you figured that out?"
As he spoke, he pulled out the consecrated folding stool, and the dazzling white light immediately forced the two men to cover their eyes.
Chou Yu chuckled dryly, "Ah, this ghost item weapon is good, very good. At a critical moment, it will definitely catch the opponent off guard. Duan Ming, we'll all be counting on you then."
"Easy enough, easy enough." Duan Ming put away the folding stool, and the classroom instantly returned to normal.
After adapting for a moment, Chou Yu pointed to two other empty seats not far away, "Well then, we can only help each other out after getting familiar with one another. The two of us will go sit over there first."
"Alright."
The two turned around and started whispering to each other.
Ji Xian: "Boss Chou Yu, one mute, one big guy, one fool. I feel like not a single one of them is going to be useful."
Chou Yu's eyes turned gloomy, completely devoid of the sunny demeanor from just a moment ago. "Hmph, let's wait and see. Maybe the situation isn't that bad. I always have a feeling this Duan Ming isn't as simple as he looks. If it really comes down to an irresolvable situation, we'll use the old rule and push them out."
"Got it."
Meanwhile, a small meeting was also being held on Duan Ming's side.
He Nian: "Duan Ming, that didn't sound like you just now. Why did you spill all your trump cards?"
Duan Ming: "But I didn't spill yours."
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"How did you know I'd still have trump cards? I didn't say anything."
Duan Ming cast a sidelong glance at him, "Did you think I don't understand you, or that you don't understand yourself? Can 65 points of ghost qi make you this fearless? Come on, you might fool others, but can you fool me?"
"Besides, that's not the point..."
He cast his gaze toward the last person who had been brought over. This person hadn't uttered a single word from beginning to end, except that his eyes were filled with thick terror, occasionally opening his mouth to make babbling noises.
He Nian frowned, "Is he a mute?"
Duan Ming: "It seems so for now. Chou Yu saw that you and I knew each other and approached him first to recruit him, but seeing that communication was impossible, he simply abandoned him."
"With teammates like that, I have to keep my guard up in advance. Showing weakness is never wrong. I'll be fine, I'm just worried they might stab you in the back."
He Nian felt a lingering fear, secretly casting a wary glance before instantly withdrawing it, and then pointed at the mute.
"Then what about him?"
Duan Ming shook his head, "That Chou Yu lacks discernment. He missed out on a contracted ghost spirit."
Although the prompt function could not take effect on living people, it still worked on ghost spirits, even if they had already possessed a human body.
Under his gaze, an inconspicuous tattoo on the mute's throat began to reveal information.
[Mute Ghost]
[Name: Ding Cong]
[Rank: Dread Ghost Rank]
[Ghost Qi: 35468]
[Target Information: He was mute during his lifetime, which caused him to be alienated by almost everyone from childhood to adulthood, a fact he deeply resented. After death, he became a ghost spirit. Being able to communicate normally with people through ghost qi made him exceptionally happy, and he lived an ordinary life in the Ghost Realm until he met Zeng Yanliang, who was also a mute. Resonating over shared experiences, he became his contracted ghost spirit.]
[Prompt: Not only can he communicate with people through ghost qi, but he can also communicate with people on behalf of others.]
Good grief, he was even at the Dread Ghost rank.
Duan Ming gave He Nian an unnoticeable look. Years of tacit understanding made the latter instantly comprehend and walk away.
Duan Ming smiled as he approached the mute Zeng Yanliang, whispering, "I think we can talk."
"Aba aba aba..."
"Alright, cut the act. There's nobody else here. You have a Dread Ghost rank contracted ghost spirit, and you're still going to be scared like this? If there's really something you want to express, just have your family member relay it to me."
In an instant, the terror in Zeng Yanliang's eyes vanished completely, replaced by deep astonishment. Then, a voice sounded from his throat.
"How did you know?"
Duan Ming: "How I know doesn't matter. What matters is that our goals are the same, aren't they?"
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Zeng Yanliang calmed down completely, a flash of wisdom crossing his eyes. "Since you already know I have a Dread Ghost rank ghost spirit accompanying me, do you think I still need to cooperate with you?"
Duan Ming shook his head, slightly raised his chin toward Chou Yu and the other guy over there, and smiled, "You do. Didn't you approach them in the beginning too? It's just that they didn't seem to meet your teammate standards. It looks like they abandoned you, but in reality, you abandoned them."
"Or rather, let me make another bold guess."
"Having a Dread Ghost rank contracted ghost spirit, as long as you don't court death, there shouldn't be much problem steadily completing this assessment mission. But you seem to still need help. Perhaps you are plotting something huge..."
"You want to figure out the story behind Fengxian High School?"
Zeng Yanliang instantly lost his composure, his eyes filled with shock. But he quickly reined in his emotions, even managing a faint smile as he extended his hand.
"It seems I've found it now."
Duan Ming returned the smile, "Happy cooperation!"
"Happy cooperation!"
With the cooperation agreed upon, Duan Ming turned to leave, but stopped after taking two steps.
"Oh right, I still want to say one thing. In my view, physical defects are indeed an injustice of fate, but that shouldn't become a reason for you to close yourself off. I won't lecture you on grand principles like when one door closes, another opens, but I believe you've already found a path suited for yourself."
"I believe that in the vast Ghost Realm, there is always a way to treat you. If you need it, I'll help you too."
"I've said my piece, I'm heading out."
Hearing this, Zeng Yanliang bit his lip for a long time before uttering a very soft "Mn."
Whether he said it himself or his contracted ghost spirit uttered it on his behalf remained unknown.
Just then, a pleasant musical bell began to ring across the campus. Before long, bizarre-looking figures began carrying schoolbags into the classroom, every single one of them casting curious gazes at the five newly arrived living students.
The five of them had already taken their respective seats. Except for Duan Ming and Zeng Yanliang whose expressions remained unchanged, He Nian's face turned pale white, and even the initially imposing Chou Yu duo could not help but break out in cold sweat.
Jokes aside, an entire classroom of ghost spirits, every single one at least at the Fierce Ghost rank—it truly lived up to its B-grade difficulty.
At that moment, Duan Ming suddenly heard a cold voice ring out from behind him...
"Hey, get lost. This is my seat."
Looking back, he saw a group of five ghost students with dyed multi-colored hair, hands in their pockets, looking down on them with towering arrogance.
Duan Ming frowned.
"Why aren't you guys bald?"
(End of Chapter)
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