I have a ghost diary

"Okay," Chu Jiang said, having learned about the captain's rights and responsibilities. He then asked about other matters, "The captain's position should always be full, right? Now that I'm taking office, who will step down?"

"Yan Wanli," Liu Xuewen said without hesitation.

"Of course, he's not stupid. Although he stepped down from the position voluntarily, he also demanded some benefits from the research institute, which the institute agreed to."

Chu Jiang thought for a moment, "What if he doesn't take the initiative?"

"Then we will first talk to all the team leaders privately. If no one is willing to give up their position, we will proceed with the normal procedure. You will submit your detailed information to us and compete for the position."

"Of course, Yan Wanli has a natural disadvantage in this regard."

Chapter 198 High-End Version and Sealed Artifacts

Speaking of this, Liu Xuewen smiled.

"If, based on the available information, there isn't a captain who is significantly weaker than you, then we should have a friendly spar. If I were you, I would definitely choose Yan Wanli to fight."

"But Yan Wanli... I think he can't beat you, whether it's a life-or-death battle or a friendly spar."

Chu Jiang then realized something, "Rather than be defeated by me again, he might as well be more straightforward, give up his position voluntarily, and even extort some money from you."

Liu Xuewen waved his hand, "It can't be called extortion; it's just a matter of mutual benefit."

"Besides, isn't Fang Tianci the person in charge of Luozhou City? Is he dead?"

Upon hearing this question, the deputy minister frowned slightly. "Fang Tianci had originally planned to come to headquarters to have the second ghost transplanted. Even though the success rate is not high, given his condition, we can't delay any longer."

"But he disappeared on the way here."

"Missing?" Chu Jiang was somewhat surprised. "Did the vengeful spirit awaken before the person even arrived at headquarters?"

Liu Xuewen shook his head. "It doesn't seem like it. He is very clear about his condition and has been suppressing it with a special sealing artifact."

"Logically speaking, they should be able to hold out until they reach headquarters."

"Therefore, we suspect that Fang Tianci has broken away from Research Institute No. 21. He felt that the solution we could provide had too low a chance of survival, so he wanted to find another way."

"Perhaps Fang Tianci has already joined another ghost master organization; perhaps he has prepared a special escape route."

"But all in all, he chose to leave in this way."

“We haven’t received any reports of the Ghost Mouth reviving in any location during this period of time.”

Chu Jiang nodded slightly.

Fang Tianci is a ruthless man. He'd rather die than let this precious ghost within him benefit the research institute. I wonder if he'll survive...

"Next, let's talk about the other rewards."

"At the research institute, you can choose one level-one sealing artifact, two level-two sealing artifacts, two high-end soul-guiding incense sticks, and one oil-paper umbrella."

"The rest are some monetary rewards. Although one hundred million is a bit low, for a Ghost Master of your level, I suppose money isn't that important."

One hundred million... These three words slightly interrupted Chu Jiang's train of thought. Although he was now quite indifferent to money, a large number still made him react to some extent.

However, upon closer reflection, some forces would probably be willing to spend 10 billion to hire someone capable of handling S-level incidents, since money will become increasingly worthless in the future.

"Is that all? I thought there would be level zero sealed items." Chu Jiang made an outrageous demand. "Also, what do you mean by 'high-end version'? Are there high-end versions of the sealed pottery jar and the peace charm?"

"That's all." Liu Xuewen said businesslike as he put his notebook back. "Level 0 sealed artifacts are strategic resources; they can't be given away as rewards."

"As for the high-end version, it's very simple; it's a sealed item that's very close to the original."

“The incense for guiding souls, oil-paper umbrellas, and amulets that we mass-produce all have a prototype.”

"What the prototype is, where it is, how to replicate it... these are all top secrets of the research institute and cannot be disclosed."

"However, it can be noted that in addition to the regular mass-produced version, we have also produced some high-end versions, which are all considered to be level two sealed items."

"These are more effective than the mass-produced version. They were produced after countless failures and are very expensive. We can't possibly equip every city manager with them."

"Finally, there are indeed high-end versions of the pottery jars and amulets, but they can only seal for a longer period of time and cannot be used to assist in combat. If you cannot preserve the ghosts in your possession for long, you might as well sell them to the research institute or entrust them to a paid safekeeping service."

Chu Jiang waved his hand, "No need, I was just asking."

The high-end version is unlikely to be as lackluster as the mass-produced version, so it is relatively worthwhile.

Which sealed items can I choose? Is there a list?

“Yes,” Liu Xuewen had already prepared, and he pushed a laptop next to him in front of Chu Jiang.

"That Ju-on videotape already counts as one spot, so you can only choose one level one item and one level two item."

Chu Jiang shook his head repeatedly, "You're too stingy. Aren't you afraid that I'll end up like Fang Tianci and leave the research institute?"

The vice minister's tone was also helpless, "The research institute can only guarantee that you will not be treated unfairly in terms of benefits in the future."

"After all, we have a very large operation, and we can't afford to be as generous as some folk ghost story organizations when it comes to various expenses."

Chu Jiang agreed and began browsing his laptop. He was just saying it casually; going to other ghost master organizations? He really couldn't find one more reliable than the research institute.

"By the way, I need to see Mr. Xu," Chu Jiang suddenly said, looking up.

“This…” Liu Xuewen hesitated for a moment, “I will report it for you. In the end, we may need Mr. Xu’s consent. After all, no one can force him.”

“Okay,” Chu Jiang continued to examine it.

The research institute has a truly impressive collection. After browsing through the pictures and descriptions, Chu Jiang was quite tempted by several of the items.

For example, a substitute scarecrow can help the user withstand a fatal attack.

Its side effect is simply that after using it, one will be harassed by some unknown small ghost for a period of time.

For example, there's a strange white candle. Once lit, you'll never get lost. Even in the realm of powerful ghosts, you'll always find the right direction and won't be disturbed by any illusions.

Its side effect is that the holder has a certain probability of entering a path to the underworld. Those who enter never seem to come out, leaving only an extinguished candle behind.

For example, a yellow paper figure can be bound together with other people's hair, blood, nails, or any other part of their body.

Then, when you attack the paper figure, the damage the paper figure suffers will be simultaneously reflected in that person's body.

Its side effect is that users may suffer the same harm.

It's also worth mentioning that this sealing artifact is effective against demons. However, obtaining the medium from a demon is extremely difficult, almost equivalent to dismembering a part of the demon's body, so this thing seems to be more effective against humans.

As he flipped through the pages, Chu Jiang even spotted something familiar. He exclaimed in surprise, "How come they even have this?"

It was a square metal cube, made of what appeared to be brass, though it had darkened somewhat due to its age. It was slightly larger than a piece of tofu, but it felt quite heavy.

Chapter 199 Expert Ning

This thing is called "Dark Treasure," and it's a popular gambling tool in coastal areas of China, with a history of at least several hundred years.

It appears to be a metal cube on the surface, but there is actually a nested structure inside. If you open the outer top cover, you will find a "Bao Ren" that looks like a die, with the words "Tong Bao" written on each side in red and white.

The game of Hidden Treasure is very complicated. When Chu Jiang was a child, he often ran to watch the adults play Hidden Treasure, but by the time he was about to enter junior high school, the game had gradually disappeared.

"What is this?" Liu Xuewen subconsciously peeked over to take a look before saying, "This? It's something gamblers use. I don't recommend you choose it."

After reading the description, Chu Jiang also felt that the side effects of this thing outweighed its benefits.

The hidden treasure has four sides: In, Out, Dragon, and Tiger. There are five ways to play: Same, Through, Corner, Stick, and Flip.

To use this sealed artifact, one must pay a price: gamble with a demon, who will be the banker.

You can give up many things, such as your hands, your legs, your eyes, your life; even the lives of your family members.

If you win, the gambler in the hidden treasure will help you once, and the extent of the help depends on how much you pay.

But here's the problem: Chu Jiang, a coastal native who had seen the hidden treasure gambling game since childhood, naturally knew how shady it was. Its rules were inherently favorable to the house, so you were bound to lose if you gambled for a long time.

Moreover, a ghost can lose once, twice, or ten times. How many times can you lose?

Chu Jiang immediately dismissed that item and looked at other things.

He mostly looked at level one sealed artifacts, leaving level two ones for later.

Other sealing artifacts often have rather bizarre effects.

For example, there is a special ghost mirror. When you pick it up, it will not reflect your image, but instead show a series of bizarre and fantastical scenes.

Some of these scenes are clear, some are blurry, some are normal, and some are extremely distorted, making it impossible to understand their meaning.

Then comes the crucial part: it will occasionally reveal to you the location of a precious treasure; or a hidden path leading to where you want to go.

If you actually believe in this ghost at this point, then you're doomed. It will kill you in all sorts of ways, and in ways that are not obvious on the surface.

For example, you might see that a very powerful sealed artifact is buried in a certain place, and obtaining it can kill all those who do not submit to you!

So you excitedly ran to dig, only to unearth a terrifying ghost that instantly killed you...

For example, you might see a hidden passage that leads directly to the research institute's storage area for Level 0 sealed artifacts!

However, if you actually dare to act according to the information on the screen, you will almost certainly be killed by the research institute's defense mechanism, and that passage simply does not exist.

So what is its function? It's very simple. Based on the research institute's long-term studies, some of the images displayed on it are suspected—note, suspected—to be real.

However, in general, no one knows the exact location of such a scene, and the ghost mirror won't give you any hints, so this feature is rather useless.

There are many other items, such as a spirit banner, an accordion, a wishing bone, an eyeball, a sniper rifle...

Yes, the sniper rifle. The ghost inside was originally sealed in a longbow, but was later transferred to a sniper rifle, which has terrifying long-range killing power.

However, its recoil is also terrifying.

This recoil not only harms the body, but can even annihilate a person's soul and consciousness in an instant.

................

As Chu Jiang read on, he discovered that there were some sealed items with unclear effects or serious side effects. These were all described vaguely, and some didn't even have pictures.

So he looked up and asked, "Can I actually see those sealed items? Especially the last ones in the catalog."

“This…” The vice minister hesitated for a moment, “I’ll give you a note, and you can ask Expert Chen to take you to see it.”

“Okay.” It just so happened that Chu Jiang had come to headquarters again and wanted to see Chen Yehua as well.

"By the way, before you are officially promoted to captain, you will need to undergo another physical examination and a psychological test. This is a standard procedure that everyone needs to do, so I hope you don't mind."

“No problem,” Chu Jiang didn’t seem to care much about it. He stood up and prepared to leave.