Chapter 81 The Company's Assets

The name Tanya, which Nightglow thought about day and night, was a constant presence in his mind as he eagerly hoped to complete the task as soon as possible. He had already wasted enough time on this mission. Although the allotted time for the assignment had long since expired, there was still a way to make amends. As long as Tanya vanished entirely from the human world, the result would be considered acceptable within the boundaries of the rules. The process had never been of primary importance; only the outcome mattered.

It was not uncommon for unforeseen forces to complicate matters and drastically increase the difficulty of a task. All things were in constant motion, and unexpected changes were to be anticipated. No one truly expected a mission to unfold rigidly according to plan.

According to Wang Jinkai, he knew that Tanya's death was unnatural—deliberately orchestrated by someone. When Nightglow heard this, he managed to remain calm. In truth, he had always been aware of the dark powers lurking behind the scenes in Mang City, including those who purposefully killed innocent people, transforming them into supernatural beings for others to exploit in their terrifying adventures.

Such things could scarcely be concealed from those who cared to look, especially since their actions were brazen—they even dared to broadcast the content of "Terrifying Adventure" live. With such overwhelming publicity, Nightglow could hardly avoid hearing about it; anyone meant to know of this thrilling event soon did.

Yet, it was interesting to note that people from different walks of life received different information. The hosts of the event targeted their advertisements with surgical precision, based on who needed what most. The organizers’ investigative abilities were beyond imagination—flyers always found their way into the hands of those most in need.

For instance, someone on the brink of bankruptcy who desperately needed money would receive a flyer about participating, not just one about viewing times.

The company’s capacity to gather real-time information on so many people was impressive, yet terrifying, as it meant they had no privacy at all.

Nightglow counted himself among their loyal viewers, for watching the show broadened his knowledge of the supernatural—things that could not be learned from books.

To cater to the audience’s fickle tastes, the organizers constantly devised new and varied forms of supernatural events. Any kind of ghostly phenomenon one could imagine, they could produce.

According to what Nightglow knew, "Terrifying Adventure" had originally chosen Tanya as a one-time feature, planning to turn her into a zombie. However, an unexpected event forced a change in plan, leading to a spirit-summoning ritual instead.

He only discovered after the fact that the subject of the event's poster was his current target.

The depths of the "Terrifying Adventure" production team’s operations were beyond fathoming, so much so that Nightglow couldn’t be bothered to intervene, letting them run wild as they created new material. After all, he was insignificant and powerless to change anything, and these matters were not in his jurisdiction.

Hearing from Wang Jinkai that Tanya’s transformation into a ghost was no accident but a deliberate act, Nightglow was nearly driven to smash his phone in anger. Finally, he understood why the task was proving far more difficult than expected—there were hidden players at work.

Once the matter concerned himself, Nightglow’s spirits instantly rallied, and a sense of justice awakened within him. He would never forgive those orchestrating things from the shadows, while the staff organizing "Terrifying Adventure" were automatically dismissed from his mind.

When Nightglow wanted to ask more, Wang Jinkai abruptly ended the call after leaving him an address, giving him no chance to press further. To uncover who had been hindering him, Nightglow could only follow Wang Jinkai’s instructions.

As for Wang Jinkai’s talk of seeing the light and turning over a new leaf, Nightglow ignored it. Did he really think repentance alone would bring forgiveness? Nightglow didn’t believe it for a moment; only matters involving the exchange of interests could possibly bring about such a change.

As things turned out, Nightglow’s efforts were in vain—a fool’s errand. Worse yet, he unwittingly provoked a group of particularly troublesome-looking individuals. Judging by their uniforms of black with gold trim, they were clearly employees from "Terrifying Adventure" tasked with handling supernatural incidents.

The possibility of imposters was slim—it would have been suicide. Their brazen display of organizational attire made it clear they did not fear their existence being known.

“Hey, have you seen any property belonging to our company?” asked the man opposite, sporting a Mohawk and sunglasses, and looking almost human. He stood with his hands in his pockets, utterly at ease, not worried about being attacked.

His confidence was well-founded. No one in Mang City’s domain would dare attack a member of the company for no reason. This was the source of his arrogance—he simply didn’t regard the temporary staff of the underworld as worth his attention.

“Hmph, so arrogant! One day, someone will rise from this city reeking of vice and wipe out the evil that is the ‘Terrifying Adventure’ company.”

Liu Lingling curled her lip in disdain. She was not afraid of the company’s power, but since she had no personal interests at stake, she had no inclination to stand up as a champion of justice. If the company ever infringed upon her interests, she would surely repay them in kind!

Compared to the deeds of "Terrifying Adventure," she could be considered almost virtuous. She hunted only to satisfy her own basic needs, always choosing her targets carefully, never indiscriminately killing the innocent.

After all, wasting food was shameful!

The "Terrifying Game" company, on the other hand, selected suitable targets purely for profit, which was far more serious than her own actions. There was nothing wrong with seeking greater spiritual fulfillment once basic needs were met.

What was wrong was their method. Liu Lingling envied their audacity but could only criticize the company from a moral high ground. If she truly wished to imitate their reckless ways, she would have become a complete turncoat long ago.

Nightglow shrank his neck, mentally encouraging Liu Lingling’s noble aspirations, but unwilling to act on them himself. He still hoped to live a while longer—dying young was hardly an appealing prospect.

“That’s how they always are. It’s not worth getting worked up over people who earn a dead-end wage. They’re just bullies relying on the company’s strength; without it, they wouldn’t last a day,” Nightglow whispered in Liu Lingling’s ear, afraid she might lose control and clash with this scum. If things escalated, there would be no turning back—they would be silenced, their very bones ground to dust.

No evidence would be left for the enemy.