I have a ghost diary

A videotape that guarantees death within seven days of viewing; a haunted house where there is no chance of survival once you enter; a slit-mouthed woman wandering the streets at night; a monster that parasitizes human bodies and blends into human society...

"Humans see ghosts as ghosts, but what do ghosts see as external gods?"

……

This is probably a story about an Outer God disguised as a human, who acts as the behind-the-scenes boss while collecting power, and at the same time making friends and falling in love.

Note: This is a story about the behind-the-scenes boss of an infinite flow urban fantasy. If you don't like it, please don't read it. Please be gentle with your criticism.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Research Institute No. 21

Is this a ghost?!

Watching the flyer disappear from his hand, Chu Jiang instinctively took several steps back, his right palm even starting to bleed.

Ever since he learned that ghosts exist, Chu Jiang now associates anything unscientific with ghosts.

The disappearance of the flyers at this moment seems to be exactly the same as the disappearance of the two note slips of paper from Ghost Diary before.

Wait a minute, that blonde nun who gave me the flyer, could she be a ghost?

That's a huge joke! Seeing two... no, three ghosts on the same day. They were: Slender Man, the Ghost Tree, and the Ghost Nun.

As for this Holy Word Cult, could it really be some mysterious church with supernatural powers? And their god, could it be that he actually exists...?

Chu Jiang felt a chill run down his spine just thinking about it. What on earth is wrong with this world?

First ghosts appeared, and now even gods have come out.

If given the chance, Chu Jiang really wanted to have a good talk with the slovenly middle-aged man and the young man in the suit from yesterday. These special individuals with official status must know a lot about the truth of this world.

After Chu Jiang stood there dumbfounded for a long time, nothing happened. The disappearance of the flyers did not attract any ghosts or monsters, nor did it cause him any harm.

Worried that it might be some kind of curse, Chu Jiang even went home for a special trip. But his family was sleeping soundly, and nothing had happened.

Therefore, Chu Jiang could only continue his journey away from home with doubts.

On the way, Chu Jiang kept analyzing the words on the flyer. It was a pity that he didn't memorize the English at all, otherwise he could have found someone to translate it later.

Chu Jiang has already analyzed everything that needs to be analyzed regarding the Chinese text on the front of the flyer, so there's nothing more to say.

But this back view... it feels like someone's trying to seduce me?

Forget it, I don't want to think about it anymore. Even if a real female ghost came, I wouldn't be able to handle it.

......

Since the flyer given by the nun was problematic, Chu Jiang had no choice but to go to the police station.

But he wasn't in a hurry; he'd talk about it after breakfast.

Just as dawn was breaking, Chu Jiang arrived at the station in the city center, where there were already quite a few passengers waiting for their trains early in the morning.

Chu Jiang arrived at the steamed bun stall at the station entrance and casually ordered a few things.

But to his surprise, as soon as he sat down, an older man next to him came over with a fried dough stick in his mouth and sat down opposite him in a very familiar manner.

Although the uncle had changed his floral shirt, Chu Jiang still recognized him at a glance. This was the uncle who took their statements yesterday.

"Let me introduce myself. My name is Li Buhuo, and I am an employee of Research Institute No. 21."

"A research institute??" This was somewhat unexpected for Chu Jiang. "Shouldn't it be a paranormal incident handling center; or a paranormal phenomenon research and defense bureau; or something like the XX Security Department or XX Security Bureau?"

Fortunately, the two of them were sitting at the table in the very corner; otherwise, people might have suspected that Chu Jiang and his companion had escaped from a mental hospital.

Li Bu Huo smiled and said, "Is this something that can be discussed openly?"

"Even names like the Ministry of State Security or the State Security Bureau can easily lead to other people having excessive associations. It's better to call it the Research Institute. It sounds like a scientific research organization, so even if it investigates some strange things, it seems normal."

Chu Jiang nodded, casually taking the soy milk and fried dough sticks that the stall owner had just handed him. "So, what's the full name of your research institute? How many are there in total?"

"Special Events Research Institute No. 21 is just one department. We have a deep cooperative relationship with the police and also have identification provided by the police, which makes it easier for us to do things."

"Of course, we don't handle general illegal and criminal activities, nor do we have the energy to deal with them. We only handle paranormal events that occur within our jurisdiction."

"Then why is it called number 21?" Chu Jiang asked, still confused as he ate.

"How would I know? I didn't choose the name. Maybe it just sounds like we have more people."

"Enough with the small talk. Judging from how you've packed your things, are you planning to hitch a ride away from this city?" Li Bu Huo asked.

I was just passing by; I was actually thinking of looking for you guys...

Of course, Chu Jiang still answered seriously on the surface: "Yes."

After he finished speaking, he gave a brief explanation of the problems that had happened to him.

This includes "accidentally" gaining supernatural powers at school, the exploitation of one's body by these powers, and finally, worries about one's family.

Li Bu Huo nodded repeatedly, "You're a good child."

Chu Jiang remained silent. "I'm an adult."

Li Bu Huo chuckled, "I'm a little surprised. Why didn't you say so when we were taking your statement yesterday? Even at the police station, you could have talked to me privately."

"Before experiencing sleep paralysis, I had no idea that supernatural forces were so terrifying."

Li Bu Huo nodded repeatedly, "It's good that you can understand. I've seen many people who gained supernatural powers due to various accidents; they went astray for various reasons, and most of them died tragically."

"To be honest, my coming here was more of a personal decision."

“Although you are now under close observation, this matter is not my responsibility; it should be handled by Xu Bing.”

"Xu Bing is the kid who was with me yesterday. I'm no longer the person in charge of Luoxi City; he is."

"I'm just mentoring that newcomer and handing over my work to him before I'm officially transferred out of the city."

"Unexpectedly, in just the last few days, such a big thing happened at Luoxi No. 7 Middle School. Yesterday, I thought I was going to die in the line of duty."

Li Bu Huo smiled as he spoke.

"Is there only one person in charge for each city?" Chu Jiang asked.

"Otherwise what? Some cities can't even get enough manpower, after all, we're a bunch of short-lived people." Li Bu Huo's expression turned somewhat gloomy as he said this.

This sent a chill down Chu Jiang's spine. In his mind, Li Bu Huo was an official, and if even they died young, wouldn't he die even sooner?

“Let’s not talk about that,” Li Bu Huo’s gloomy expression vanished. “So many people died at school yesterday, but you remained calm, so I admire you.”

"If the opportunity arises, I would like to invite you to join our research institute. Of course, I get a commission for recruiting new members, and I won't lie to you about that."

Chu Jiang didn't give an answer immediately, but continued to listen. He believed that the other party wasn't there for the reward of a few kills.

Seeing that the other party did not refuse, Li Bu Huo continued, "You don't need to rush to make a decision. I'm just giving you an option."

"I can also give you a special website address. You can register an account by entering the referral code I give you."

Chapter Twenty-Four: The Ghost Master

"This website was established by the research institute headquarters. It contains a lot of valuable information about the paranormal community and also serves as an internal communication website for us."

"Ordinary tourists cannot access this website; they must have the appropriate permissions."

"When you first register an account, you have level 4 access, which means you're an unofficial staff member, like a temporary worker."

"Temporary workers receive no wages or benefits, but they can take on work from us, the official managers, in exchange for special bonuses."

"At the same time, temporary workers can also obtain some basic information and materials from the website, such as a newcomer's manual. I recommend you read this manual, it should resolve many of your doubts."

"The following four levels of permissions, 3, 2, 1, and 0, are related to one's position within the research institute, but I cannot disclose that information."

Chu Jiang nodded. It made perfect sense, and there was nothing wrong with registering a temporary worker account himself.

Although there's no fixed salary or anything, there's no responsibility either.

"I know that the secrets you just confided in me were mainly because you wanted to find a way to resolve your own hidden dangers."

"But to be honest, there is no fundamental solution in the world right now. You can find the details in the manual."

"All I can say is that I recommend you join the research institute. Once you become a full-time employee, there are some benefits."

Chu Jiang nodded again. It was similar to what he had thought. You reap what you sow, and this research institute wasn't a charity.

Li Bu Huo pondered for a moment, "There's nothing else to say, after all, I can't reveal anything before you join."

"I can only advise you to keep a low profile and not abuse your abilities."

"On the one hand, the more you use it, the faster you die; on the other hand, being too high-profile will attract attention from all sides, and there are even dark organizations in the public that specialize in hunting down [ghost masters]."

"A Ghost Master?" Chu Jiang looked puzzled.

"Yes, Ghost Masters, that's what people like us are, that's the official statement from the research institute."

“There are records of sorcerers in ancient my country. For example, the Tang Dynasty book ‘Chaoye Qianzai’ says: ‘When Wei Shuren of the Tang Dynasty buried his father Wei Zhen, who was called the King of Feng, after the burial, the burial official bribed the sorcerer Yong Wenzhi.’”

"This is about a minor official in charge of funerals who bribed a sorcerer named Yong Wenzhi."

"Of course, I don't know whether ancient and modern ghost masters are the same thing, I'm just rambling on. If you're interested, you can talk to the professors at the research institute later."

At this point, Li Bu Huo smiled and said, "Of course, besides the official terminology, the common people have also invented a bunch of names, such as exorcist, ghost tamer, demon exorcist, spirit exorcist, and all sorts of other nonsense."

"Oh, by the way, they don't call them 'ghost masters' abroad. They usually use terms like 'Ghost Hunter,' which translates directly to 'ghost hunter' or 'ghost hunter.'"

"To be honest, I find it quite laughable. We are all pitiful people who are possessed and tormented by evil spirits, with pitifully short lifespans, yet we still have the nerve to call ourselves ghost hunters."

His tone was not without self-deprecation.

These words intensified Chu Jiang's sense of foreboding. "Uncle, how long can someone in my condition typically live?"

Li Bu Huo glanced at Chu Jiang's expression. "If you stop using the power of vengeful spirits, I think two or three years should be fine, right? After all, you were only possessed by a ghost yesterday."

"Of course, it's hard to say for sure. I can only give a rough estimate. After all, we don't know how strong the ghost inside you is. The stronger the ghost, the faster it will awaken, and the faster you will die."

Chu Jiang's face darkened; the Bloodhand Ghost didn't seem to be a weak ghost...

"Alright, is there anything else you want to say?" Li Bu Huo had almost finished eating his breakfast when he spoke.

"I still have many questions..."

Before Chu Jiang could finish speaking, Li Bu Huo waved his hand and said, "Look at the manual. I generally won't answer questions that aren't in the manual."