Bella had zero interest in taking this call. She waved dismissively. "You answer it. Tell him to drop dead!"
Sakura Dragon picked up the phone, and before Max could say a word, she chirped sweetly, "Drop dead!"
Within two minutes, the phone rang again. This time she just hung up!
Max, however, seemed to have lost his mind, calling repeatedly—once every three minutes, then again every five minutes.
Unable to stand the harassment any longer, Bella reluctantly answered.
"Mr. Max, you've disrupted my sleep. Unless you give me a damn good reason, you're in serious trouble!" she said irritably.
"Boss, Boss, you're the most beautiful woman in the world, hehe..."
"Stop. No flattery. We don't have an employment relationship anymore—we barely know each other. Don't try to butter me up."
"I've always deeply respected you..."
"Cut the crap! Weren't you just calling me a heartless boss the other day? If you've got something to say, say it!" she urged impatiently.
Max hesitated for a few seconds. "Um, Boss, do you know how to eliminate a ghost trapped in a videotape?"
Discussing ghosts with me in the middle of the night? And a ghost inhabiting a videotape, no less?
Bella didn't think too deeply about it. "A ghost using a videotape as a medium? Surround it with salt, pour holy water on it, then burn it. This is basic stuff—how can you not know this?"
Max's voice carried a tremor. "I... I followed those steps, but it didn't work. I just saw a white shadow..."
Bella scratched her head. "The holy water must not be strong enough. Try this—use a Great Septagram Prohibition Circle. The videotape can't run away anyway. You have the diagram, right? Draw it, then replace its previous host medium and completely seal the ghost."
"That... that didn't work either. The videotape reacted violently and the floor cracked open."
Max wasn't telling the complete truth. The floor had actually split into a massive crack over ten meters (thirty feet) long and more than a meter (three feet) deep—with no external force whatsoever. It had just spontaneously torn open!
He was still reeling from it.
Bella's interest was piqued. This ghost was quite formidable—and clearly not a Western spirit.
"Sounds like a Japanese vengeful spirit. Let me think... Try this: buy a Kṣitigarbha Sutra and recite it for seven days straight. That should be effective."
The trembling in Max's voice was now uncontrollable. "There's a Japanese monk here who seems to be reciting the Kṣitigarbha Sutra, and then... then he coughed up a huge mouthful of blood..."
Holy shit! Bella was genuinely shocked. This ghost's resentment was that powerful? Even a professional monk reciting sutras couldn't handle it? If she'd told Max to recite it himself, he'd probably die even faster.
"What about the talismans I sold you?"
"I've used almost all of them. They work, but not very well."
Bella's expression turned serious. "When Heather left, she had me prepare something life-saving for you. It's under your car's back seat. Go get it."
Max rushed out of the Yashida estate's villa, tore apart the back seat, and pulled out a thin scripture booklet.
"This is a hand-copied Diamond Sutra I wrote. The Diamond Sutra is known as the King of Ten Thousand Buddhas, the Mother of All Sutras—it can suppress any demon or ghost."
Through the phone, Bella could practically see Max's delighted expression. But she quickly added, "Of course, that depends on who's reciting it. You definitely can't do it. Open to the first page, put the phone on speaker, and I'll recite it."
Max was swamped right now!
Inside the villa, Shingen Yashida and the other exorcists, along with the bodyguards, were all watching him with hope. They had no choice—everyone else was useless.
With money, you could still find some genuine experts in this world, but experts came in varying grades.
The Southeast Asian voodoo master had demanded a million dollars just to fly to Japan, before even attempting anything.
The result? After a single round, he was convulsing on the floor like he was having a seizure.
Two priests recited scripture for ages with zero effect.
The old monk from Tōdai-ji recited Buddhist sutras, and this time there was a reaction—everyone felt the eerie chill in the air, lights flickering. But he only lasted three seconds before coughing up blood and retreating in defeat.
After that, it was basically all Max's show.
One moment the floor split open into a deep trench, the next moment thunder and lightning crashed across the sky. Most frequently, the white-clothed female ghost from the videotape would try to crawl out.
Shingen Yashida didn't understand the occult, but he understood people.
Right now, he felt this American was more reliable than those Japanese monks and Southeast Asian voodoo masters. Say what you will, the guy had lasted several rounds and even forced out the white-clothed ghost's form. That was real skill.
"Mr. Max! I'll pay more! Another million on top of the original amount!"
Max's legs were shaking uncontrollably. Exorcism definitely paid better than selling fake goods, but this was terrifying!
He knew his own limitations—this case was far beyond his abilities. Without all the items Bella had given him, he'd be worse than those monks and voodoo masters.
Money was great, but what good was it if you weren't alive to spend it? Still, he didn't dare back out. He was afraid this Japanese tycoon's bodyguards might actually shoot him if he tried to leave.
So he had no choice but to grit his teeth and push forward.
Following Bella's instructions, he retrieved the hand-copied Diamond Sutra. It was thin, just a few pages.
Right now, he was nothing but a tool—he had no ability to contribute personally. Everything depended on Bella remotely battling this videotape ghost.
A pitch-black videotape sat on the floor. It had mysteriously appeared on Shingen Yashida's office desk just one day ago.
Next to it was a notebook that had belonged to a woman. According to Shingen Yashida, this notebook had been used by his ex-girlfriend, Asakawa Reiko, during her lifetime. Now corrupted by the vengeful spirit, it also needed to be destroyed.
A hundred miles away, Bella still sensed her hand-copied scripture through Max as her conduit.
Without any preparation, she cleared her throat and began reciting.
The opening verse of the Diamond Sutra was composed by Empress Wu Zetian herself. No one since had been able to add or modify even a single character because the verse was already perfect.
Now, Bella began reciting it softly.
Her feminine voice combined with the scripture and her own psychic mastery. Just from the opening alone, it carried an aura of imperial authority.
No questions about your grievances, no concern for your identity—first, you'll be suppressed!
Her enunciation was crystal clear, her words seemingly imbued with power. Several monks with deep classical Chinese education, including Shingen Yashida, could all understand.
"Supreme and most profound subtle Dharma,
Difficult to encounter even in millions of kalpas.
Now that I have seen and heard it, I shall uphold it,
And vow to comprehend the Tathāgata's true meaning..."