Su Kun and Geng Zimo, who had both heard that statement, turned their heads like two lost quails, looking slightly up at Xiang Ge.

Xiang Ge immediately felt a bit pressured by their simultaneous stares. However, what pressured him even more was the scene he had just witnessed—Gu Yan had disappeared right before his eyes without leaving a trace. He was certain he hadn’t blinked or missed any detail, nor was it a matter of speed. After all, no human could move faster than light!

Unless… he wasn't human at all!

Boss Xiang felt uncertain for a moment about what kind of character he had summoned with his call to the master.

When the master dealt with his family’s issues, Xiang Ge didn’t watch the entire process but could at least confirm the master was human, an elderly one at that. The master's longevity and vitality came from his practiced techniques and lifestyle.

Xiang Ge initially assumed the master would bring along a fellow practitioner or a trusted friend for assistance. But now it seemed the reality was quite different, at least in terms of species.

Yet, Gu Yan seemed to have an extraordinary relationship with Su Kun, and Su Kun was a good friend of Geng Zimo. After considering everything, Xiang Ge concluded that while Gu Yan was definitely not human, he could be trusted.

Xiang Ge was naturally laid-back and made friends based on mutual affinity or specific admirable traits, regardless of their background or species. However, in the business world, especially given Unic's ties to the entertainment industry, he maintained a more cautious and profit-driven approach.

To Xiang Ge, Gu Yan’s demeanor—firm yet not reckless—and his calm, reliable nature were highly admirable and trustworthy. These qualities matched Xiang Ge’s personal standards for friendship. Furthermore, given the master’s reliance on Gu Yan, it was clear he was highly skilled, which made him a valuable friend from a business perspective as well.

Combining both perspectives, Xiang Ge had already mentally added Gu Yan to his circle of friends. He was always willing to go to great lengths for his friends, and he wouldn't tolerate any mishaps in matters they entrusted to him.

He subtly glanced at Su Kun standing nearby and considered the subtle, not-so-platonic interactions between Su Kun and Gu Yan. Xiang Ge immediately felt a sense of duty to take care of his friend’s “significant other.”

He then looked at Geng Zimo and felt an even greater burden. After all, his own potential “significant other” was also here.

"A friend’s partner" and "a prospective partner" who were best friends… the world was indeed peculiar.=_=

Maintaining a serious expression, Xiang Ge shook his head to clear his thoughts and led the two "quails" into the building where the latest incident had occurred.

When they reached Room D on the fifth floor, the door was open. Inside, there were about six or seven young people who looked like recent hires. They had been discussing something quietly but fell silent as soon as Xiang Ge emerged from the elevator.

Although Xiang Ge wasn’t Unic’s top boss, he was one of the high-ranking executives directly responsible for Unic's development. Due to his age and personality, he interacted more with the employees and didn’t put on airs. However, his authoritative presence made most employees instinctively cautious around him.

Except for the oddball Geng Zimo.

Geng Zimo, who had the audacity to tell his boss "whoever digs the pit must fill it" and had eaten the boss’s cooking without any ill effects, would not fear the boss.

This cheeky attitude intrigued Xiang Ge—Geng Zimo’s appearance, physique, and even his personality were all to Xiang Ge’s liking. Letting him go would be a crime against himself.

So, for the first time in over thirty years of bachelorhood, Xiang Ge felt an urge to bring someone into his life and promptly acted on it. So far, the results were promising.

Nevertheless, he couldn't forget his primary task.

Nodding to the young employees, Xiang Ge stepped into the room. Despite Gu Yan's assurance that the spirit had left, Xiang Ge still instinctively shielded Su Kun and Geng Zimo behind him.

The outer room wasn’t large, and Xiang Ge quickly reached the inner room where the employee lay.

The employee wasn’t entirely unconscious but seemed to have some remaining, albeit chaotic, consciousness. He lay restlessly, muttering incoherently, and occasionally twitching his fingers.

Xiang Ge frowned and looked at a young employee standing by the bed. "How long since you called 120?"

"About five minutes," the employee replied.

"Alright." Xiang Ge nodded, but his frown remained.

While the other employees might not understand, both he and Su Kun knew that taking the employee to the hospital would be futile.

As Gu Yan had explained during dinner, the person suffering from being possessed would likely die because the spirit’s influence caused damage, making the body reject its original soul upon return.

If the soul was strong enough to gradually eliminate the residual effects and readapt to the body, the person could wake up, albeit with some physical and mental issues for a while. However, most souls were too weakened by the ordeal to survive the readjustment, especially if the possessing spirit was particularly malicious.

In such cases, traditional medical intervention could only prolong life temporarily. Yet, unlike Gu Yan, who could only exorcise spirits, the master’s array of charms, potions, and spells could potentially save a life.

Su Kun had been dialing the master's number repeatedly and finally got through after two unsuccessful attempts.

He showed Xiang Ge and Geng Zimo the caller ID, and Xiang Ge signaled towards the balcony.

Nodding, Su Kun took the phone to the balcony, closing the sliding door behind him to ensure privacy.

Unic’s dormitory had much better soundproofing than Su Kun’s old neighborhood, so the employees inside couldn’t hear Su Kun’s conversation.

Given the unusual nature of the situation, it was crucial to avoid causing unnecessary panic among the employees if any details were leaked.

***

"Master! Help! It’s an emergency!" Su Kun blurted as soon as he stepped onto the balcony. "Are you done with catching your fellow disciples?"

"...What kind of question is that?" the master grumbled. "It sounds like I have a bunch of troublesome juniors waiting to be caught!"

Su Kun quickly corrected himself, "Sorry, slip of the tongue. Master, where are you right now? How fast can you get to H City?"

"I’m in Min City, just finished searching the whole place without finding Qing Yuan. I’m about to head to your city, but it’s daytime, and I don’t want to attract attention. I was planning to wait until dark to release Pomegranate. Why, can’t the expressionless kid handle it?"

"No, it’s not that!" Su Kun scratched his head and quickly explained, "It is indeed a possession case, but Gu Yan thinks the spirit is quite troublesome, and he’s already gone after it. The urgent matter is about the person who was possessed. It’s a matter of life and death. I don’t think he’ll last long. I remember you have those charms that make you invisible. This is no time to be stingy. Slap a dozen on your red bird and no one will see it!"

The master interjected, "Wait, wait, wait! What possessed person? Isn’t he dead already? And if Pomegranate hears you calling it a red bird, your butt is in trouble, kid!"

Su Kun twitched his lips but ignored the potential bird-related retribution. "It’s not the guy from the news. This is a new case. We just found him unconscious in the dorm. He’s currently semi-conscious, muttering nonsense. The ambulance will be here soon, but the hospital won’t help much. You need to get here fast. I’ll text you the hospital name later, so head there directly."

"Alright, meet you at the hospital! These charms are precious, you know!" the master sighed theatrically before hanging up.

Inside, the young employees’ curiosity about Su Kun's call faded quickly as Xiang Ge refocused their attention. "Were you all together?"

"Yes," one employee answered. "We were working overtime in the morning and went out for lunch together. We planned to grab some things from the dorm before heading back to the office, but Zhang Yi said he felt unsteady and dizzy after we left the restaurant. We wanted to take him to Xinjie Hospital, but he said it was too much hassle with the queues and thought he just needed a rest."

Another employee chimed in, "I’ve had similar symptoms before from lack of sleep. We didn’t think it was serious and brought him back to the dorm."

"And how long before you realized something was wrong?" Geng Zimo asked.

"About half an hour… then we spent a few minutes trying to open the door," the employee replied. "When we entered, he was collapsed on the floor, unresponsive. We didn’t dare move him, but after Xiao Liu called you, he suddenly came to. He tried to get up but was too weak. We put him on the bed, and he’s been semi-conscious since."

Xiang Ge nodded thoughtfully. "How did you open the door? It can’t be forced open from outside."

The employee coughed and scratched his nose.

"Add a thin, rigid card, like a cafeteria card, and it’s doable," Geng Zimo added helpfully.

Xiang Ge: "..."

Geng Zimo shrugged. "I do it when I forget my keys. Insert the card at the lock, jiggle it a bit, and push the door."

Xiang Ge: "..." That sounds way too suspicious…=_=

Well, he’d have to get the door fixed. This security flaw was unacceptable!

Shaking off these thoughts, Xiang Ge considered the employee’s earlier words: According to Gu Yan, Zhang Yi hadn’t been fully possessed downstairs because he still had his own consciousness. From his return to the dorm until they forced the door, only half an hour had passed. Since then, he’d been unconscious and disoriented.

This meant the spirit had controlled his body for at most half an hour, much shorter than Zhao Tianqi’s hour-long possession.

Therefore, Zhang Yi’s body should be less affected by the spirit. With hospital support, he might have a chance to recover.

This optimistic thought eased Xiang Ge’s frown slightly.

Just then, the balcony door slid open, and Su Kun walked in, pointing outside. "The ambulance is here."

The sirens grew louder, stopping below. Xiang Ge led everyone to help the medics move Zhang Yi onto a stretcher and into the ambulance.

"You all head back to the office. I’ll go to the hospital." Xiang Ge waved off the other employees, signaling Su Kun and Geng Zimo to join him in the ambulance.

Su Kun quickly typed the hospital name into his phone and sent it to the master. Then he leaned against the ambulance wall, watching Zhang Yi on the stretcher.

Despite emergency treatment, Zhang Yi remained semi-conscious. He lay there, pale and lifeless, muttering incoherently. His breathing was erratic, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, and occasionally Su Kun feared he’d stop altogether. His body alternated between tense and limp, with his hand occasionally twitching.

Watching him, Su Kun felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen this scene in a dream… familiar yet different.

Confused, Su Kun stared at Zhang Yi, trying to grasp that fleeting feeling, desperately recalling a scene from either a dream, memory, or imagination…

Unfortunately, the harder he tried to remember, the more elusive it became.

This frustrating feeling of missing something important made Su Kun anxious, like there was something crucial he had forgotten…

Or maybe he was just too young, and everything was a faint, hard-to-capture shadow in his mind, making it impossible to distinguish dream from reality.