On the evening of October 26, 2015, at eight o'clock, Ji Li was jolted awake by the chime of a new email.
He had been waiting for this mission for hours.
As his phone screen lit up, the dim glow reflected off his pale face, showing the surprise in his eyes.
"A task to protect others…"
He set the phone down. The mission was already etched in his mind. Lighting a cigarette, he fell into thought.
*Broad Valley Building shouldn't have any ghosts.*
The voice of his third persona echoed—he seemed to know something about the building.
Ji Li nodded, listening quietly.
*It's a commercial building, filled with all kinds of people. As far as I know, just the small companies there number more than twenty. The workers must be over three hundred! Maybe because of the daytime crowds, we're being sent in at night. The hotel calculated it already—only forty-three remain there now.*
The second persona asked doubtfully, *How do you know that?*
*I once treated an executive from that building.*
Ji Li waved his hand, cutting off their chatter. He grabbed the backpack he had prepared on the chair and strode out of the room.
At the far end of the third floor, he saw a figure standing in the dark, smoking.
If not for the faint glow of the cigarette, the man would have been indistinguishable from the shadows around him.
Ji Li watched silently until the man walked quickly toward him.
Truthfully, Ji Li had never liked Tongguan. Not because of anything Tongguan had done, but because he felt the two of them could never truly be comrades.
Tongguan studied him, then said in a low voice:
"I see death clinging to you, but not from within. You've killed. Many times."
Ji Li's eyes flickered. Thinking he meant mission kills, he replied casually, "Your eyes are sharp."
"You remind me of an old acquaintance I once knew. In the past… have you ever been to Shanghai, Tulip Street No. 77?"
Tongguan's tone was unfathomable. His strong profile revealed nothing of his true feelings.
But Ji Li sensed that the word old acquaintance was far from simple.
He finally lifted his head to meet Tongguan's gaze but did not answer the question. Instead, he replied coldly:
"No wonder you've been watching me since the moment you entered the hotel.
Right now, there are no answers. The only priority is staying alive."
With that, Ji Li turned and walked away.
Tongguan had been observing him from the very beginning, but Ji Li could never read this man's intentions.
That loss of control felt like a bone stuck in his throat.
Tongguan dropped his cigarette butt and crushed it underfoot, staring at Ji Li's retreating figure. Under the shifting light, his expression was dazed.
"Is it him?"
Chang Nian had appeared at his side at some point. Her voice was softer than before, stripped of its earlier harshness.
Pain flickered in Tongguan's eyes. His palm, clasping hers, was slick with sweat.
"I don't know.
When I was seven, I watched as four men in black robes took my parents away. I remember only the blurred figure of the leader.
But the long dark hair, those cold eyes—I'll never forget them.
Ji Li's eyes look so much like his… but…
It's been twenty years. To uncover the truth of my parents' deaths, I came to Shanming City, entered Tianhai Hotel, and became a branch manager.
I thought I was close—especially when I saw Ji Li. But there are too many doubts!"
His shoulders trembled. His whole life had been ruined by those four robed men, yet he still could not find the true culprit.
Now, seeing Ji Li, his heart had shaken.
Those eyes, that indifferent gaze—almost identical to the leader's.
That was why he had shown his hostility so openly.
"But his age doesn't match. And you said the leader's pupils were gray—Ji Li's aren't.
And our trail ended at the cemetery…" Chang Nian's chest ached as she watched Tongguan's torment.
Tongguan exhaled deeply, his body slowly relaxing.
"Just when we found that cemetery, we were dragged into the hotel."
This proved that Tianhai, his parents, the men in black, and Ji Li—these four must be connected somehow.
"We survive first. Stay close to Ji Li. Learn everything about him."
...
"The mission isn't complicated, but the details are vague. We'll only know the real situation once we reach Broad Valley Building."
Inside the van, Ji Li held his phone, scanning the mission details, and addressed the others.
Yu Guo clutched two phones, switching back and forth—unable to let go of his banned livestream, yet also fretting over the upcoming mission—sweat pouring down his forehead.
Fang Shenyan drove, speaking as he kept his eyes on the road:
"I looked up Broad Valley Building online. No paranormal reports. But since the hotel designated it, there must be a ghost. And it'll be vicious—killing forty-three workers within six hours. I'm curious… what method could it use?"
Ji Li nodded, then turned toward Tongguan, who sat calmly in the back.
"What's your take?"
Li Xing's gaze also landed on Tongguan. To him, so-called manager Ji Li had shown him no guidance at all. Better to follow Tongguan, who at least appeared approachable.
Tongguan thought for a moment, then said softly:
"Six hours, forty-three people. Even if we can't protect them, we'll have enough time to figure out a way to survive. This task… isn't hard."
Yu Guo laughed beside him—laughing out of sheer exasperation. Everyone understood what his laughter meant.
Only Ji Li, Tongguan, and Chang Nian kept their faces blank.
Still, Ji Li was eager to see for himself why Tongguan carried himself with such confidence, such arrogance.
"We're here."
With a sharp brake, Fang Shenyan's cold voice cut through. Without so much as a glance at the others, he got out first and walked straight to the entrance of Broad Valley Building.
Broad Valley Building rose seventeen stories high. From the outside, it was plastered with advertising boards that wrapped the whole structure.
Even at ten at night, many windows were still lit.
Ji Li tilted his head back just as a cold raindrop struck his face.
Heavy clouds smothered the sky, plunging the six of them into darkness at the building's front steps.
Ji Li extended his palm, catching the rain, and said quietly:
"It's raining. Time to begin."
You can read Eerie Overseer ahead by 30+ chapters ad-free and for free at htt ps://ravenarchives. com/book/eerie-overseer]. Bulk uploads are a bit tricky, so updates here might be irregular, but they'll keep coming.