Ultimate Evolution I Became the Master of the World
Chapter 57 The First Collaboration

"Let me make it clear beforehand, working with you is fine, but if things get hairy or out of control, I'm outta there. Don't hold it against me if I bail on the team," Michael said as he walked back into the mall. Ethan nodded, "That's fair. We're here to catch this ghost, but if things go south, everyone needs to look out for themselves. Ghosts are tricky, even the best Ghost Handlers can't always bag a high-level one." "Classifying ghosts by level is a joke. I've been burned by that before," Ethan added.

"Hearing you said that, I feel a bit better," Michael nodded.

He had a Ghost Realm, and it wouldn't take him more than three seconds to get out of the mall. Plus, his Ghost Realm could fend off attacks from other ghosts.

Even the knocking ghost couldn't hold him, so the ghosts in this mall shouldn't be scarier than that one.

Michael had this ace up his sleeve, which was why he agreed to team up with Ethan.

"But if we do catch the ghost, how are we splitting the loot?" Michael asked. "Let's get that straight now."

"Money split evenly, and we share the intel," Ethan said. "You helped me earlier, so I won't let you take a hit." "Sounds good," Michael nodded.

"By the way, I got another question. Is being an Interpol agent a big deal?" he suddenly asked.

Ethan looked surprised, "You don't know?"

"I'm new to this, haven't had time to learn everything. If you don't know, no biggie. I'll ask the operator later," Michael said.

Ethan said, "I've met Nikolai before, so I know a bit. In terms of rank, an Interpol agent is like a police captain, but they have a lot of power because they report directly to a special department. More importantly, with the rise in paranormal incidents lately, countries are really short on people to handle these events. So Ghost Handlers are super valuable everywhere."

He added, "Especially here. Take Nikolai from Astoria, for example. With one call, he can mobilize the whole city's police force and, if needed, even request military backup and use big weapons. The city's finance department even has a special fund just for Interpol operations in the city."

Michael was shocked, "That's wild."

Ehan said, "The rank isn't high, but the power is huge. Makes me kinda jealous. But with great power comes great responsibility. Keeping a city's security and handling its paranormal incidents is tough."

Then he shook his head, "Ghost Handlers who use a lot of ghost power will die from ghost resurgence. It's a problem with no solution."

"Interpol agents are basically risking their lives to keep the peace. While I envy their power, I'm not that noble, so I never thought about joining," Ethan added.

"Is there only one agent per city?" Michael frowned.

Putting aside the Ghost Baby incident, he had run into at least three paranormal events himself.

Ethan said, "Because of the shortage of people, think about how big the world is and how many cities there are. Having one Ghost Handler is already pretty good. People like us die every few months, not to mention those who die in paranormal incidents."

"And not all Ghost Handlers become Interpol agents. Most people, like me, prefer to act freely after becoming Ghost Handlers. Whether it's making money from paranormal events or using this ability for personal gain, it's better than becoming an agent, running around to keep order and eventually dying from ghost resurgence," Ethan explained.

"So you're saying, since we're gonna die anyway, why not use this ability to make money and enjoy life while we can? National affairs aren't our problem," Michael said. "That's right," Ethan said.

Michael's eyes flickered, "But that's assuming we can't replace a way to survive. If someone figures out how to stop ghost resurgence, countries will be the first to know. The agents will benefit the most. After all, improving their survival rate is a top priority for any country. Meanwhile, free Ghost Handlers might miss out on the chance to survive because they won't get the info in time."

Ethan was stunned. He didn't expect Michael to think so far ahead.

Most Ghost Handlers chose his path, living a bit longer and enjoying life for a while.

"You said someone has already stopped ghost resurgence. Where do you think that person's intel came from?" Michael asked.

"What are you getting at?" Ethan asked.

Michael said calmly, "Countries must have already poured tons of money into researching and analyzing ghosts. Even if they can't completely solve the ghost problem, they must have found ways to control them. The research must have made some progress, but the methods are probably flawed, unstable, and risky. That's why they haven't gone public with it yet."

"But as more paranormal incidents happen and things get worse, even those half-baked methods will have to be shared," Michael added.

Ethan was quiet for a moment before saying, "I was just a plumber before all this, so I don't know much about national affairs. If we pull this off, I can introduce you to a special club where I get my info."

"What kind of club?" Michael asked.

"A club only Ghost Handlers can join. The membership is small, but they have a lot of influence and connections. They know way more than I do."

"Really? Then I definitely need to check it out if I get the chance," Michael said.

Talking with peers definitely had its perks.

While they were chatting, they had already reached the second floor of the mall and were heading towards the third.

They were walking slowly, being cautious of their surroundings.

"Those people seem to have disappeared again," Michael said, looking up. The ghosts on the fifth floor were gone again.

Not a single corpse was left on the ground.

"Have they hidden again?" Ethan wondered.

Michael reminded him, "Don't turn your back on any ghost. The ones in this mall attack from behind, swapping their heads with others'. You should have seen this on the fifth floor. The people who had their heads swapped keep their memories and don't realize they've been swapped."

He added, "But if the ghost wants to, they can turn into ghosts at any time."

"You figured this out earlier? Why didn't you warn me before and let me slide out with them?" Ethan asked, surprised.

Michael said, "It's not that I didn't trust your abilities, I didn't trust those people. You can never fully know their intentions. They not only get themselves killed but also others."

"I was just preventing any accidents. Moreover, they were sliding on the ground like caterpillars, fast and steady, and they were happy about it."

Ethan was speechless for a moment, "Alright, I admit your approach was correct."

"That's good. Jane, are you there? If you're not dead, answer me," Michael suddenly said into his satellite phone.

Jane's tense and angry voice crackled through, "I'm not dead yet. I can see you coming in. Hurry up and get me. I just saw Nico's body move, and I feel something's off."

"Where's the ghost? Where did it first show up?" Michael asked.

"I checked the surveillance earlier. The ghost first appeared in a clothing store on the fifth floor. It was a blurry figure, couldn't see it clearly. The figure entered a mannequin. I'll send you the picture," Jane said.

"Send it to my other phone. This one can't receive pictures," Michael said.

"Got it," Jane replied.

Soon, his smartphone buzzed with a picture.

"Is this the ghost's original form?" Ethan leaned over to take a look.

"Did you bring the tools?" Michael asked.

Ethan pulled out a solid gold box from his pocket, about the size of a makeup case but heavy and solid, tightly sealed.

"The ghost is big and you brought such a small box?" Michael asked, puzzled.

Ethan said, "Gold prices are high lately. This custom box cost me over two million dollars. I spent all my earnings on it."

"I get it, but this box isn't even big enough for ashes. How will you fit a ghost in it?" Michael asked.

"Although it's small, it can still fit if we squeeze it in. The ghost is just a shadow, right? Maybe it doesn't have a physical form, so the box size won't matter," Ethan said.

"We have no choice. We're here, so we might as well try." Michael didn't have many options and could only hope this attempt to contain the ghost would succeed. They reached the fifth floor.

He recognized the clothing store.

Behind the glass door were a bunch of mannequins, all missing arms or legs.

He had found it eerie during his first patrol.

It seemed his intuition was correct.

The real ghost was inside.

They put away their casual attitudes, and immediately became serious.

The store in front of them was pitch black.

The door wasn't locked, it could be opened with a pull.

But knowing the real ghost was hiding there, Michael's palms were already sweating.

Strictly speaking, it was his first formal confrontation with a ghost.

The Ghost Baby incident wasn't the same; that was just a rescue and escape mission with no significant pressure. This time was different, he was taking the initiative. However, just as Michael and Ethan were about to proceed, something eerie happened.

The heavy glass door of the clothing store opened slowly on its own, without any force.

Michael was stunned.

Could the ghost know they were coming?