Mastermind Behind The Scenes

"That's my safe. It contains the private money I hid without my wife's knowledge. Now it's all gone—it was taken by a ghost," the man said, his voice filled with heartache and fear. Adam and his colleague exchanged shocked glances.

At first, I thought we were dealing with a mentally ill person, but now it seems there's an actual ghost. First a lizard man, and now a ghost? Can people still enjoy life in this world?

The next moment, Adam snatched the man's phone. "What's the password?" he asked.

"Uh…" The man was stunned by Adam's sudden action.

"Tell me, what's the password?"

"197865."

"I'll return your phone later. Brother Jimmy, take his statement—don't miss any details," Adam instructed before sprinting away with the phone.

As he ran, Adam tried calling his boss, Daniel. The first and second calls went unanswered, but on the third attempt, Daniel finally picked up.

"What is it, Adam? I'm in an important meeting," Daniel's voice came through, slightly impatient.

"Boss, I have a critical situation to report," Adam said, catching his breath.

"Did you find any traces of the lizard man?"

"No, but I found a ghost," Adam replied.

"Come to the fifth-floor meeting room immediately," Daniel ordered.

Adam hurried to the fifth floor, completely forgetting about the elevator. By the time he arrived, he was gasping for air.

In front of the meeting room stood two men in suits who clearly weren't police officers. Adam remembered the rumors he had overheard at the station—apparently, the lizard man incident had alarmed the ten elders, prompting an investigation team to be dispatched from Kyoto overnight. Judging by their presence, the rumors were likely true.

Without hesitation, Adam rushed toward the meeting room. The two men opened the door for him, allowing him inside.

Inside, almost all the senior officials of the Riverton City Police Department were present—the director, two deputy directors, Daniel, and even a few government officials.

As Adam entered, a man in his 30s, wearing a sleek suit and black-framed glasses, exuded an aura of authority. He glanced at the police director, Arthur, who quickly introduced Adam.

"This is Adam, an officer in our bureau and Daniel's apprentice. He participated in both lizard man cases and has firsthand knowledge," Arthur explained.

The man nodded, permitting Adam to stay.

"Adam, tell us about this ghost," Daniel prompted.

Adam quickly held up the man's phone. "I have a video here."

"Put it on the big screen," Arthur ordered.

As the video played, the room fell silent, and all eyes were glued to the screen. Though there was no sound, the footage left everyone visibly shaken. Thanks to their experience with the lizard man, they quickly accepted the possibility of ghosts.

"Emily," the man with black-framed glasses spoke calmly.

A female government clerk stepped forward and extended her hand toward Adam. "May I have the phone?"

Caught off guard, Adam handed her his own phone by mistake.

"Not this one," she said, smiling slightly. Adam awkwardly retrieved his phone and handed her the correct one.

"The password is 1—" Adam began, but the woman interrupted.

"No need." She expertly unlocked the phone and opened the video, reviewing it carefully.

After about ten minutes, she looked at the man in glasses and said, "Team leader, this appears to be an authentic surveillance video."

The team leader nodded before turning to Daniel. "Captain Daniel, as the most experienced investigator here, what's your take on ghosts?"

Daniel frowned thoughtfully before replying, "I don't think it's a ghost in the traditional sense. It has a physical presence, as shown by its interaction with objects in the video. In my opinion, this is another case similar to the lizard man—ordinary people gaining extraordinary abilities for unknown reasons."

His analysis was met with agreement from most people in the room, including the team leader.

The man in glasses jotted down notes in his notebook, which already contained detailed records:

[001: Lizard Man]

Real Identity: Alex, a researcher suspected of being from Brightpath Biopharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

Appearance: Two meters tall, humanoid with lizard-like features.

Abilities: Enhanced strength, speed, and reflexes beyond human limits; can scale smooth walls; likely possesses regenerative capabilities.

Threat Level: Dangerous.

[002: Ghost]

Real Identity: Unknown.

Appearance: Unknown.

Abilities: Invisibility, virtualization, and the ability to make objects invisible.

Threat Level: Dangerous.

Meanwhile, Ethan observed Gina, who was calmly wiping a table in a tavern. A faint smile appeared on his lips, though he seemed slightly disappointed. This woman, despite having extraordinary abilities from the potions he gave her, appeared too obedient and unassuming to stir up the kind of emotional chaos he desired.

Ethan had granted Gina three combined potions—invisibility, virtualization, and perspective—because he deemed them too weak individually. However, their use drained physical strength rapidly, limiting her ability to sustain them.

As Ethan pondered, his emotional value balance, which had recently surged to over 20,000 points, continued to intrigue him. Whether it was Alex's actions or Gina's newfound abilities causing the disruption, he didn't bother to investigate.