Ultimate Evolution I Became the Master of the World

Michael's eyes darted around as he cruised into Stormcrest Village, soaking in the sights.

The whole place was a weird mix of old and new.

Up front, you had these brand-new villas that looked super comfy. But as you got deeper into the village, the houses got older. There were mud houses and even wooden ones that looked like they were from a century ago. Some of these old wooden houses had people living in them, mostly old folks. Others were just abandoned, with windows hanging off and doors half-open, looking all creepy and dark.

It had this spooky vibe, but that wasn't too shocking.

What really got to Michael was the thought of a real ghost hanging around.

"Freya?" Michael decided to get some intel and called her up on his satellite phone.

"Michael, perfect timing. I've got some updates on that last case. It's about that new detective, Brayden, from Astoria. His psych eval isn't great, and he might be tough to work with. Try to steer clear of any drama with him since you'll be working together soon," Freya said, flipping through Brayden's file.

"Too late for that," Michael replied. "I'm in a place called Stormcrest Village on the outskirts of Astoria. Heard there's been some paranormal stuff going on here. Got any files on this place?"

"I'll see what I can do, but I don't have the clearance. I'll need to ask a colleague to dig into it for you," Freya said.

"Who's got the clearance?" Michael asked.

Freya answered, "You will. Once you join Interpol, then you can access files on paranormal incidents and other officers."

"Alright, do your best to find it. If you get anything, send it over ASAP. Also, after this case, I want to join Interpol. Can you set that up?" Michael asked.

Joining Interpol and dealing with paranormal stuff was risky, but if he could figure out how to control a second ghost and keep it at bay, it might be worth it.

Freya got excited hearing Michael wanted to join Interpol. "If you're in, I can get someone to contact you right away. After a quick training and psych eval, you could start in about a week."

"Great, but I want to replace Brayden and take over as head of Astoria," Michael said.

"I can't promise that; it's up to the higher-ups," Freya replied.

Michael asked, "What if there's no Interpol officer in Astoria?"

"If that's the case, they'd probably look for local candidates first," Freya said, then quickly added, "But don't do anything crazy. I don't know what's going on between you and Brayden, but it's not worth causing trouble. Keep the bigger picture in mind."

"Don't worry, I got it. Just make sure you help me find those files. I'm doing this for free right now, so I need your support," Michael said.

"You're right. I'll do everything I can to help. Solving this paranormal incident is the top priority," Freya nodded.

"Good, talk to you later. And don't call me unless it's urgent. I'm already in Stormcrest Village and could run into a ghost any minute," Michael said, then hung up.

Freya frowned and immediately reported the situation to Captain Alessio.

Alessio chuckled, "No problem. Once Michael passes the assessment and becomes an officer, we can transfer Brayden to another place. Having Michael in charge of Astoria's security would be better since he's a local. Your main task now is to help him solve the Stormcrest Village paranormal incident. I'll get the specific files."

"If he can handle two paranormal incidents on his own, meeting his demands is reasonable," Alessio said.

Hearing this, Freya felt relieved.

'As long as I survive, everything will be fine. If I don't, nothing else matters,' Michael thought.

Michael looked at the satellite phone in his hand, and the tragic image of Nikolai's death flashed in his mind.

As Michael entered the village, he saw Tom, James, and a few other members of the Enigma Elite Club standing around with serious looks on their faces, like they had found something. They barely noticed him, just giving him a quick glance. Michael's expression turned serious as he took in the scene.

In front of a building with its door wide open, a group of villagers was attending a funeral.

Clearly, someone in the village had died, and they were holding a service.

Michael glanced at the portrait in front of the coffin. It was of a man in a suit.

"This is really bad. Holding a funeral right now just ups the risk for us," said Tom, a middle-aged guy puffing on a cigarette, clearly annoyed.

Seeing a coffin in the main hall as soon as they entered the village was definitely a bad sign.

"That coffin should be burned. Who knows if the corpse inside will start wandering around at night," someone suggested.

James shot him a look and said, "Who's gonna burn it? Talking like that in front of the villagers will definitely piss them off. Forget about solving the paranormal incident; we might not even be able to stay in the village. And if it's just a normal corpse, it doesn't matter at all."

"Don't make a fuss. It's just a dead body. The dead aren't scary; it's the ghost in this village that's terrifying," James added.

"But we still know nothing about what's going on here. I suggest we ask the villagers if there's anything unusual. With our skills, even if we run into a ghost, we won't die immediately. If anything happens, we can all act together and handle it," someone proposed.

"The village is big. Moving as a group would be slow. Let's pair up and investigate first," another suggested.

"Agreed, let's do that," someone else chimed in.

The members of the Enigma Elite Club decided to team up for an initial investigation before taking further action.

Michael wasn't part of their group, so naturally, no one paid attention to him.

Michael looked at the coffin in the mourning hall, took out another phone, and snapped a photo of the portrait. He planned to send it to Freya to find out who the deceased was, the cause of death, and if there were any suspicious circumstances.

After all, paranormal incidents could be traced back to something.

If the cause of death was strange, it was likely due to a ghost. The method of death could also reveal the ghost's way of killing. It was very important.

Michael noticed that, apart from him, none of the Enigma Elite Club members seemed to be doing this. He wasn't sure if they hadn't thought of it or if they felt it didn't matter because they had strength in numbers.

'I'll take a walk around the village, check out the situation, and then find a place to stay,' he thought to himself.

Immediately, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and started walking around the village, familiarizing himself with the layout and roads while keeping an eye out for anything unusual.Têxt © NôvelDrama.Org.

"Michael, mind if I have a word?" Tom from the Enigma Elite Club broke away from the others and caught up to him.

Michael turned, a bit curious, "Tom? What's up?"

Tom smiled, "You clearly can't handle this paranormal incident alone. How about we team up?"

"You're with the club. Why not stick with them? Why come to me?" Michael asked as he walked.

"If I'm going to team up, I want to work with the best. Honestly, they can't compare to you. I think our chances are better if we work together," Tom said sincerely.

Michael replied, "It's too early to talk about this. There's only a rumor of a paranormal incident here. I can't confirm if there's really a ghost. Maybe the ghost has already left Stormcrest Village. Ghosts can move around." "If there's really a ghost, then we can talk about working together," Michael added.

Tom laughed, "Fair enough."

As Michael and Tom were chatting, a weak and feeble cough suddenly came from behind, almost right next to Michael. It sounded like someone gravely ill.

"Who's there?"

Tom broke into a sweat and turned around, but nobody was there.

He only saw an old, dilapidated wooden house in the direction the sound came from.

The house was abandoned, with most of the roof tiles collapsed and half of the door missing. It was dark and damp inside, a place even chickens and stray dogs wouldn't hide in.

"Could we be that unlucky?" Tom muttered.

Michael's eyes flickered. He strode over and kicked the wooden door open.

The door, weakened by age, shattered and fell to the ground, revealing the interior.

Apart from some weeds, it was empty.

"No one?" Michael's face grew serious.

"Is it a ghost?" Tom asked.

Michael replied, "I don't know. Maybe it was just an old man passing by and coughing. There are many paths in this village, so it's normal for someone to pass by. Don't follow me. If there's really a ghost here, then come inform me. Only then will I consider teaming up with you."

He hadn't thought of dealing with the ghost alone. He had deliberately leaked information to get the club members involved, hoping to reap the benefits in the end.

So, Michael didn't plan to be on the front lines.

"Since you put it that way, I won't insist. Good luck," Tom said, feeling the area was unsafe, and hurriedly left.