“…”

  Staring at the other party’s cocky, self-assured expression, Ron actually bought it a little.

  “Don’t resist.”

  With that, Ron placed his gloved hand—covered by a human-skin glove—on John’s shoulder.

  A bone-chilling cold washed over John in an instant, wrapping around his entire body, as if something was prying and peering into his very being.

  But the Ghost Mask hidden on John was completely invisible to him.

  Ron pulled his hand back soon after, and his trust was finally solidified.

  It wasn’t that he was overconfident in his own strength. If this man really was sent by the Ghost River Sect to deliver a message, he’d most likely be a lowly goon like a Ghost Servant. There was no way they’d send a high-rank Vengeful Spirit—they couldn’t risk losing such a powerful entity.

  “Trust between people… just shattered like that. What a letdown, a total letdown.”

  John shook his head, his eyes brimming with mock dismay.

  “Cut the crap.”

  Ron shot him a glance. “It’s too late for anything else anyway. You’re the only one who was there, so you’re coming with me to file the report.”

  “Really?”

  John’s eyes lit up, instantly perking up.

  Did this mean he’d get to meet even stronger Spirit Wardens?

  The next morning,

  John stumbled out of Ron’s office, yawning his head off.

  He’d thought they’d be on a video call with all the high-ranking Spirit Wardens. Turns out it was just a goddamn written report.

  To make it worse, Ron could barely operate a computer. So John had been stuck typing away at the keyboard all night long—total, unadulterated misery.

  “Boss John, you look wiped out. What’s up?”

  William asked when he saw John’s haggard face.

  “You have no idea.”

  John glanced at him. “Ran into some ghosts last night.”

  “For real?”

  “Hell yeah. And not just one.”

  John yawned again. “A female ghost, a water ghost, and a freaking vampire.”

  “Huh? Vampires count as ghosts?”

  William’s curiosity was piqued at once.

  Vampires were more like monsters, not the Vengeful Spirits plaguing their world these days.

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Of course they do.”

  John nodded, then his expression shifted as he glanced out the classroom door.

  “Speak of the devil—there he goes.”

  Right as he spoke, Ron walked right past the window of Spirit Warden Class Two.

  “…”

  William’s mouth twitched. So the “vampire” was Teacher Ron this entire time.

  “He damn near drained me dry last night.”

  John shook his head, then plopped his head down on his desk and passed out.

  But he’d barely drifted off when a voice whispered in his ear.

  “Boss John… Boss John…”

  “Hmm?”

  John frowned, seeing the four-member gang led by Yang Quan standing beside his desk.

  “What do you want?”

  “Uh… we finished our argumentative essays. Can we… not read them out loud in front of the whole class?”

  Yang Quan asked cautiously. It was way too humiliating to stand up and read their garbage in public.

  “Finished, huh?”

  John glanced at them, snatched the papers, and scanned them quickly.

  “Hold on—are you sure this is 800 words?!”

  “Cross our hearts! It’s standard exam paper, marked with the 800-word line.”

  “Standard my ass!”

  John’s forehead was lined with veins. “Every single sentence is its own paragraph, just to pad the space—”

  “Uh… it makes our structure look clear and logical!”

  “I can let that slide!”

  John forced a smile, then snapped. “But every single word ends with an exclamation mark. Those things alone take up hundreds of characters. Does that make any sense?!”

  “Uh… it’s to express our intense, heartfelt emotions!”

  “Get out of here!”

  John shot the four of them a glare. “Rewrite them. 2,000 words each. Pull any more cheap tricks, and I’ll add more.”

  Their faces fell instantly.

  This guy was a straight-up sadistic demon.

  William, standing nearby, clamped down on a laugh, though his eyes glinted with sympathy.

  The four bullies who ran amok in class had been tamed completely by John on their first day.

  “One more thing—if I catch you plagiarizing from the internet, the word count doubles.”

  “…”

  The four boys staggered, shooting John a bitter, resentful glare.

  By afternoon,

  John had just stepped out of the gymnasium when someone called his name.

  “John!”

  Ron waved him over.

  “Teacher Ron, what’s up?”

  John tensed, wary. “Don’t tell me you need me to file another report!”

  “Of course not.”

  Ron scratched the tip of his nose. “Interested in a trip to Peace River?”

  John turned on his heel without hesitation.

  No way in hell!

  The horrors he’d seen at Peace River yesterday were seared into his brain.

  “I’m not sending you to your death!”

  Ron hurried to explain. “You’re the only witness, the only one with firsthand experience. I’ll be going with you too.”

  “Just the two of us?”

  John raised an eyebrow.

  “Teacher Ron, let’s be real—your chance of getting killed is 100%. I really don’t want to attend your funeral.”

  “…”

  Ron’s mouth twitched. Did he have to be this blunt?

  “There will be others with us.”

  “Who?”

  “Spirit Wardens from the provincial office. Stronger than me.”

  “Hmm.”

  John thought for a second, then asked straight out: “Is there pay?”

  “Ten vials of high-concentration nutrient solution.”

  “Fifty.”

  “Done.”

  “Huh?”

  John blinked at how quickly Ron agreed. He immediately felt like he’d gotten ripped off.

  “Wait, since when are you this generous?”

  “The provincial office is covering the bill. Not me.”

  Ron shrugged, acting like it was no big deal.

  “This must be Student John, right?”

  At that moment, a man and a woman walked over from a distance.

  Both were around thirty, ordinary-looking, but carried an unmistakable, otherworldly aura.

  John froze, staring at them—he’d already guessed who they were.

  “I’m Yu Xian, from the Provincial Paranormal Affairs Department.”

  “Jiang Ziyan.”

  The two introduced themselves.

  Yu Xian smiled warmly. “We’ll be counting on you to come with us this time, John.”

  John nodded, laying down his rule right away.

  “First things first—I’m not stepping foot in the river.”

  He had the Ghost Mask protecting him, but he had zero desire to be surrounded by floating severed heads ever again.

  “Agreed.”

  Yu Xian chuckled. “We’re only on reconnaissance, to gather intel on Peace River. If the situation is as dangerous as you described, the official department will send in top-tier operatives to deal with it.”

  If John’s intel was exaggerated and the Ghost River wasn’t as deadly as it seemed, the two of them could handle it on the spot.

  “Let’s grab something to eat first,” Yu Xian said. “We’ll head over at midnight.”

  According to John, the Ghost River only transformed after midnight. That was why the authorities had never realized Peace River was a paranormal hotspot.

  “No. We’re going now.”

  John shook his head firmly, his voice sharp and decisive.

  “I’m afraid you’ll all get wiped out before I even blink.”