"Captain Jiang!"
"Master!"
Two voices suddenly came from outside the hall.
One was Xu Nan's, and the other...
Jiang Lin had never heard it before.
He walked out of the lounge and into the main hall.
He saw two figures, one large and one small.
The smaller one was naturally Xu Nan, wearing a light yellow vest and black pants.
It looked like something people practiced martial arts in the human world.
As for the larger figure...
A hint of confusion appeared in Jiang Lin's eyes.
It was a figure with a full figure, a slender waist, and long legs.
Her features were bright and beautiful, with her long hair half-tied behind her. The blue qipao was slit up to her thigh, accentuating her curves and exuding a unique charm along with her sexiness.
Seeing Jiang Lin emerge,
She pounced directly into Jiang Lin's arms.
With a sweet, coquettish voice, she cooed, "Master—"
However, before she could pounce, Jiang Lin shifted his position.
The woman immediately missed.
But she wasn't discouraged and pounced again.
After five attempts, all of which missed,
She couldn't help but pout her rosy lips in dejection.
Xu Nan stood to the side, smiling.
Jiang Lin looked at the woman, his eyes filled with thought.
"Machine Ball?"
The only ones who called him master were Seven-Colored Egg and Machine Ball.
But he knew Seven-Colored Egg's aura.
Only Machine Ball had no aura at all.
Upon hearing this, the woman's eyes lit up, and she prepared to pounce again.
"Yes, Master!"
Jiang Lin pressed a hand to her head, feeling a little helpless. "Stop."
"Oh."
Machine Ball took two steps back but remained restless.
Sometimes she placed her hands under her chest, showcasing her ample bosom.
Sometimes she put her hands behind her head, showing off her sculpted figure, which she had specially created.
One pose per second.
Jiang Lin: "..."
He looked at Xu Nan. "When did this happen?"
Xu Nan also looked amused. "It's been acting mysteriously these past few weeks. It suddenly became like this a couple of days ago."
"Master, are you surprised? Are you delighted?"
Machine Ball eagerly chimed in from the side, her bright face filled with anticipation (*❦w❦).
Her little mouth chattered away, revealing everything.
"I specifically went to learn from the ghost artifact masters in the West Hall before they left."
"I investigated, and the highest data points led to me being like this."
As she spoke, she struck another alluring pose.
The slit in her qipao opened slightly, revealing her smooth, fair thigh.
Jiang Lin couldn't help but fall silent for a moment. "...How did you investigate?"
Machine Ball thought for a moment and said confidently and cheerfully:
"It was the ghost artifact masters from the West Hall, and the novels from the Ghost Market."
"First, it's the face, long hair, a curvy figure, and the voice~"
She synthesized various data points before finally settling on her current appearance.
Jiang Lin couldn't help but press his forehead.
He always felt that Machine Ball's evolutionary path was heading in strange directions.
While feeling helpless, he also found it somewhat amusing.
It seemed that during his vacation, the Eighteen Halls had also been significantly affected.
He reached out and grabbed a small iron ball flying around the hall, asking, "What is this for?"
Machine Ball smiled and explained, "Its function is similar to paper effigies; it can synchronize my vision."
"It's also because of this that I was the first to discover Master's return."
Then she rushed back and notified Xu Nan.
"Mm."
Jiang Lin responded faintly, indicating he understood.
Opening his hand, the wing devices on both sides of the small iron ball flapped again, and it flew into the air.
At this moment, Xu Nan, who had been watching from the side, suddenly spoke.
"Captain Jiang, are you going out again after returning this time?"
He said this with a serious expression and a look of inquiry in his eyes.
Had the mission for [Spirit] ended?
Was its influence still present?
Would he continue his vacation?
These were the answers Xu Nan wanted to know when he returned.
As if sensing what he was thinking, Jiang Lin shook his head and said faintly,
"I have some things to attend to, so I won't be taking a vacation for now."
Just a moment ago, before Xu Nan and the others had returned,
He had already notified the members of the Eighteenth Team to return to work as usual starting tomorrow.
Xu Nan's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
It was as if he saw the old Captain Jiang again.
Coincidentally, he had some cultivation issues these past few days that he needed to consult Captain Jiang about.
"Welcome back, Master~"
Machine Ball, happy, wanted to pounce again.
But Jiang Lin's hand stopped her forehead again.
"Master~"
Machine Ball extended her hands, persistently.
Jiang Lin: "..."
...
The next day.
The Eighteenth Hall, which had been quiet for about a month, became lively again.
Seeing the team members flying into the hall one by one and standing in formation.
Many treasures and Niu Xiaoguo at the entrance couldn't help but get excited.
The two ghosts were dressed neatly, holding their weapons, and standing at attention.
Heads held high, chests puffed out, filled with pride and honor within.
They had said long ago that their Hall Master was just on vacation.
After today, it was expected that many little ghosts would start to feel envious.
...
Inside the Eighteenth Hall,
All over a hundred team members were present.
Before this, Jiang Lin had also reviewed the recent performance of the Eighteenth Team.
There had indeed been a decline, but it was within expectations.
He stood at the front of the formation, his gaze sweeping over each team member.
Unconsciously, an aura of authority spread.
The hall fell silent.
Jiang Lin slowly said, "Recently, the performance of the Eighteenth Hall has declined."
Upon hearing this, the bodies of over a hundred team members tensed.
Some were worried, while others showed excitement.
The old Captain Jiang seemed to have returned!
No one spoke in the hall, and Jiang Lin continued,
"The decline in performance is also partly related to my approach. Therefore, I will not hold anyone accountable for the performance in the past three months."
"However, after this, I will randomly check the work status of each team member."
Finally, he paused and glanced in the direction of the training grounds in the courtyard.
During this period, he had not assigned mandatory training tasks, and very few ghost officers had come for training.
"As for the training grounds, it's the same as what I said last time.
Those who are willing to train can continue to come, and there is no compulsion for those who do not."
"But now I will add one more rule: those who rank last in performance each month must stay for daily training.
Until their performance is no longer at the bottom next month."
As he finished speaking, many ghosts instinctively gasped.
Suddenly, they felt pressure and urgency.
It was fine to come for daily training, but to come for daily training because they were at the bottom...
That would be too embarrassing.
After three months, the old Captain Jiang had returned.
But he also seemed a little different.
...
After Jiang Lin finished discussing the official matters one by one, he suddenly remembered something.
He took out a round, flat object from his storage bag.
"During my vacation, I discovered something interesting."
"I'll share it with you all as well."
...