The older man said, "Young Master Fan, this was a real miscalculation. I didn't expect this dilapidated factory to be so flimsy. It was blown down by a few shots from a heavy machine gun."
The young man said, "Uncle Qian, what do we do now? We thought we could sneak up on Boss Lin and Bo Hai while they were trading, but now they're all definitely dead inside. It's a pity the goods were buried in there too. We got nothing and came all this way for nothing."
Uncle Qian sighed and said, "What can we do? We should go back quickly. This military jeep was transferred from the army without your father's knowledge. It needs complete procedures and transfer orders to enter and leave. If it cannot be returned in time, even your father cannot bear the responsibility when the military region investigates."
Young Master Fan said dejectedly, "If I had known it would be like this, I would have borrowed a light machine gun. I thought the heavy machine gun would have more firepower, but it turned out to be too powerful."
“Let’s go, Young Master Fan,” Uncle Qian advised. “This is a dangerous place, and it would be troublesome if someone saw this military vehicle.” The two walked to either side of the military jeep, opened the doors, and got in. The vehicle started with a hum, carrying Uncle Qian and Young Master Fan as it sped away into the distance.
Ling Yun pulled his head back and whispered what he had just heard from Su Bingyan and her brother. He knew nothing about the inner workings of these gangs, but his photographic memory allowed him to relay what Uncle Qian and Young Master Fan had said without any error.
Su Binglong's face turned ashen after hearing this: "I didn't expect even Young Master Fan would want to get involved. Where did this guy get the information that he actually managed to get a military jeep from his father? Heh heh, using military weapons to double-cross someone, how could he even think of that?"
Seeing Ling Yun's questioning gaze, Su Bingyan explained, "Young Master Fan's father is the deputy commander of the Third Military Region, holding a high position and great power. Therefore, Young Master Fan has a wide influence in both the legitimate and underworld circles in Beijing and Hebei, and wields considerable power. Apart from the military, ordinary local governments can't control him at all. However, Boss Lin and Bo Hai's drug deal is very secretive, and it was quite accidental that we were able to obtain the information. I wonder how Young Master Fan knew about this?"
“I think someone deliberately leaked it to him, with the aim of dragging him into this mess,” Su Binglong said with a gloomy face. “With Young Master Fan’s incompetence, he will cause trouble for his father sooner or later.”
Ling Yun glanced at Su Binglong in surprise. He hadn't expected Su Binglong to have some insight into things. He wasn't a complete naive fool. After all, he had managed to make it in the underworld for so many years. He was no ordinary person.
"It's a pity he acted so recklessly. Not only did he almost beat us to death, but he also lost that batch of goods. We ended up with nothing and all our hard work was for nothing," Su Bingyan said in a low voice, feeling dejected.
"You're lucky to be alive, little sister. Remember this: in this world, as long as you're alive, there's hope." Su Binglong smiled calmly, showing a remarkable composure, which slightly changed Ling Yun's impression of him. This person, if he could just overcome his recklessness, would definitely be a talent.
"They've driven away. You should leave now!" Ling Yun suddenly said.
Su Binglong and Su Bingyan were taken aback, exchanging surprised glances, not understanding why Ling Yun suddenly wanted them to leave. Su Bingyan asked curiously, "What happened, Ling Yun? Didn't Young Master Fan and the others leave?"
"There's no time to explain, but it's dangerous now. You don't need to stay and help me; besides, you wouldn't be able to help anyway," Ling Yun said urgently. "Go! Get out of here, the farther the better."
Su Binglong and Su Bingyan exchanged a glance. Both were quick-witted and had sharp reflexes, and they clearly realized that Ling Yun wasn't joking; there was genuine danger. Having witnessed Ling Yun's formidable skills and having just been rescued by him from the factory, they had unconsciously developed a sense of trust in him.
"You...be careful." Despite knowing how powerful Ling Yun was, Su Bingyan couldn't help but worry. This worry was subtle, much like how she would worry even if Ling Yun was out of sight, even if she knew he was safe. Although Su Bingyan couldn't really see any danger.
"Thank you." Ling Yun simply nodded, his indifferent expression leaving Su Bingyan feeling slightly downcast.
"Take this, Lingyun. It might not be of much use, but at least it can be used for self-defense." Su Binglong pulled the pistol from his waist and placed it in Lingyun's hand, a gesture that warmed the young man's heart.
Su Bingyan gave Ling Yun a deep look, "Ling Yun!" the girl called softly.
"Huh?" The boy looked at her in surprise.
"I'll help you find out about the old demon, and... I hope you can come to my coffee shop every day from now on." Su Bingyan smiled slightly, like a blooming night rose.
……………
Chapter Fifty-Five Possession
Only after Su Bingyun and her brother disappeared into the distance did Ling Yun emerge from behind the platform and quickly head in the direction the military jeep had driven off. His earlier urging of Su Bingyun and her brother to leave wasn't because he had other business to attend to, but because he had noticed something unusual.
The military jeep had traveled less than two hundred meters before stopping by the roadside. Uncle Qian and the machine gunner lay silently on one side of the vehicle, unmarked, but lifeless. Their faces were a deathly gray, devoid of any signs of injury. Their eyes stared blankly upwards at the brilliant night sky.
Young Master Fan stood in front of the car with his eyes closed and head bowed. His hands were strangely crossed, and his body was slowly rotating. Ling Yun noticed that Young Master Fan's feet were not on solid ground, but floating in the air about ten centimeters above the ground.
However, this clearly does not mean that Young Master Fan is still alive. Under the gaze of Ling Yun's psychic eye, an extremely ferocious ghost is slowly sinking into Young Master Fan's body. The ghost has already possessed most of Young Master Fan's body, leaving only a terrifying and ferocious face roaring at Ling Yun in the night sky.
The ghost has reappeared!
The first time Ling Yun saw the ghost was when he accidentally discovered it on Yang Yuqi at the beginning of military training. However, when Ling Yun saw Yang Yuqi again that night, the ghost had miraculously disappeared. Ling Yun searched several times afterward but found no trace of the ghost, so the matter was left unresolved. Since Xia Zhen's memories had been altered by Gu Xiaorou, and the ghost's whereabouts were unknown, Ling Yun never mentioned it to Xia Zhen again.
Afterwards, Ling Yun entered the barrier and specifically inquired about it, but the barrier only gave a vague answer: ghosts are just a concept and a group, not specifically referring to ghosts in the secular sense. Some ghosts are extremely aggressive, while some ghosts are actually just mindless wandering forms. Moreover, the forms, intelligence, and ways of expression of ghosts are also different, and their origins are even more varied. Some may be a collection of strong resentment, while others may be split spiritual entities controlled by humans. Behind ghosts, there are often more complex and strange people and things.
Ling Yun couldn't understand it, so he went to consult Yu Xiujie. But in fact, the answer given by the barrier was Yu Xiujie's own experience of classification, organization, and automatic purification. Naturally, Yu Xiujie's answer couldn't explain anything more clearly than the barrier itself.
In fact, ever since Ling Yun entered the fifth level of the barrier, the simulated reality training, Yu Xiujie stopped actively providing guidance to Ling Yun. Old Master Yu's meaning was simple yet intriguing: "Cultivation depends on oneself, not just on what the teacher teaches you. My role is merely to create the best platform for you. The purpose of a teacher is to resolve doubts, but ultimately it depends on yourself. Too much guidance will only foster your dependence on me. As an ability user, if you cannot be independent, then no matter how strong you are, you will ultimately have weaknesses in your character."
This is similar to how a newborn child knows nothing and knows nothing, so naturally, adults need to raise, help, and teach him to help him grow up quickly. However, when a child reaches adolescence, adults cannot do everything for him as they did for a child, otherwise it will foster dependency and hinder his growth.
As people grow up, they can only rely on themselves to grow stronger. This applies to ordinary people as well as those with special abilities.
Ling Yun only truly understood this principle after undergoing the first stage of training within the simulated barrier. Without relying on himself, he would be forever trapped in the alien world, unable to escape. In reality, he would never wake up, becoming a complete vegetable. Furthermore, after training within the simulated barrier, ghosts were no longer mysterious or terrifying to him.
It's just unknown whether the ghost possessing Young Master Fan is the same ghost that possessed Yang Yuqi that day. The speed of possession is much faster than that day. Ling Yun even watched as the ghost completely disappeared into Young Master Fan's body, which had actually lost its life force.
Young Master Fan stopped spinning, his head, which had been bowing to Ling Yun, suddenly snapped up. His eyes snapped open, the pupils completely gone, leaving only the eerie whites of his eyes, emitting a strange, faint green light. Two emerald green fangs, emitting a ghostly blue light, grew from his suddenly blood-red lips, gleaming with a chilling glint in the starlight of the night.
His face slowly underwent a grotesque transformation until it no longer resembled a normal human. His ears seemed to be stretched long and pointed by an invisible force, his cheekbones protruded high, his eyes became narrow and elongated with the corners slanted upwards, his nose collapsed, leaving only two dark, hollow nostrils, and his blood-red lips almost reached his ears. Except for two sharp fangs, almost all his teeth became as sharp as saw teeth. His long, blood-red tongue occasionally popped out from a cavity dripping with disgusting saliva, and upon closer inspection, one could see that it was covered with sharp, hair-like barbs.
Young Master Fan slowly raised his crossed hands. His five fingers were almost twice as long, and several centimeters long, dark black claws grew from the tips of his fingers, with the tips of the claws gleaming with a green light.
"Why don't you run away?" A hollow voice, as if from hell, roared from Young Master Fan's mouth.
“First, you’ve already discovered us, so all you need to do is let those two ordinary people leave, and I can stay; second, I don’t want to run away either, because I still have some things I want to ask you.” Facing the strange Young Master Fan, Ling Yun suddenly took another step forward.
"Are you a superhuman?" Young Master Fan said sinisterly.
"Yes." Ling Yun didn't deny it. "I've seen you before. You originally wanted to possess a girl, but why did you disappear? Now that you've possessed Young Master Fan, what is your purpose?"
Young Master Fan raised his sharp claws: "You'll know when you're dead." A whooshing sound filled the air, and in an instant, Young Master Fan's claws had become a blur, with countless emerald green claw marks attacking Ling Yun head-on.
With a flash of silver light, Ling Yun's telekinetic power instantly formed an invisible yet sturdy barrier, blocking all the claw marks. A strong crackling sound rang out in the air as the claw marks, blocked by the telekinetic power, flew off at an angle and struck a military jeep on the side, leaving several deep claw marks on the hard metal body.
Young Master Fan glided to Ling Yun, who was gradually retreating to absorb the force of the claw marks, and his sharp claws slashed fiercely at Ling Yun's chest. After being possessed by a ghost, Young Master Fan seemed to be unaffected by gravity, and his way of moving was completely different from that of a normal person. It was as if he was standing on two invisible wheels, gliding and turning in the low air at an extremely fast speed.
Before the claws even touched Ling Yun's body, several thin green lines shot out simultaneously. The green lines flashed across the night sky and disappeared without a trace.
Ling Yun's pupils contracted, and his body suddenly lit up. Several fist-sized fireballs appeared on his head and shoulders. As soon as the fireballs appeared, green lines appeared strangely in the air and plunged into the fireballs, making a sizzling burning sound.
The claws were five centimeters from Ling Yun's chest when they could no longer advance. Under the powerful mental field, the claws, as hard as steel, were beginning to deform slightly.