Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 105: Better Idea

Fang Xiu remained calm and continued walking forward.

As he blinked, more and more amusement park rides began to appear out of nowhere on the empty street. There were merry-go-rounds, bumper cars, and roller coasters. It felt like an amusement park scene was loading into reality.

So far, the scene was still incomplete and a bit unreal.

Fang Xiu guessed that this was the Nightmare's Specter Zone gradually invading reality from a dream. It hadn't completely taken over yet, but as fear increased, the whole Greenvine would soon be engulfed in this dreamlike state.

He walked straight through the amusement park, ignoring the strange surroundings, and headed directly to the Investigation Bureau. He needed to get there quickly because the reality was changing, and he might get lost if he delayed.

Soon, he passed by a merry-go-round and noticed a little girl in a white dress who hadn't been there before.

The girl was partly visible, smiling innocently and laughing happily.

"Come dance with me!" she invited Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu stopped and looked at her calmly. With a flick of his hand, a scalpel tied with silver hair flew straight out.

WHOOSH!

The scalpel went through the girl's body like it was air.

Fang Xiu retrieved the scalpel and smiled at the girl. "When you fully come to reality, I will dance with you properly." Then he walked away without looking back.

The amusement park was empty, only the girl's happy laughter filled the space.

As Fang Xiu moved forward, more weird things appeared. There were faint whispering sounds on the empty streets, shadowy figures moving in the dark corners, and the sound of footsteps following him.

The once-busy buildings disappeared, replaced by eerie graveyards. But all this seemed incomplete, and Fang Xiu moved freely without being attacked.

He saw many panicked people, some walking aimlessly, some driving recklessly, and others worshipping the blood-red eyes in the sky. Most were hiding in their homes, trembling.

As the scene changed faster, Fang Xiu used his silver hair like Spiderman's webs, swinging through the sky between buildings.

The sky was still somewhat recognizable, so he could tell where to go.

Soon, Fang Xiu reached the Investigation Bureau.

Inside, the atmosphere was tense and panicked, and there were fewer staff members than usual.

Su Kexin was anxiously waiting at the entrance. She wasn't wearing her work clothes, but casual attire instead. Her hair was a bit messy, and she even wore pink ladies' slippers, showing her delicate, pale toes.

When she saw Fang Xiu, she was overjoyed and hurried over to him. "Agent Fang, you're finally here. Hurry to the meeting room. Director Wang and the others are waiting for you."

Fang Xiu calmly looked at Su Kexin and said, "Come with me."

He then took her to a quiet corner where no one was around.

Su Kexin stood against the wall, looking confusedly at Fang Xiu, unsure of what he intended to do. As he inched closer, she became flustered and stepped backwards. With her body against the wall, she was trapped and had nowhere to go.

"Agent Fang, is there something you need? Director Wang is waiting for you," Su Kexin said, looking down and avoiding his gaze.

She was nervous because it seemed like Fang Xiu was going to pin her against the wall. She even wondered if Fang Xiu didn't like uniforms, as he seemed more interested in her now that she was in casual clothes and slippers.

"Look up," Fang Xiu said calmly.

Su Kexin instinctively looked up, meeting his calm, still gaze. She nervously bit her lip, unsure of what to say next.

"It seems that the naked eye can't tell," Fang Xiu suddenly said, confusing Su Kexin.

Before she could react, a flash of silver light appeared, and a scalpel was embedded in her neck. Her expression turned to one of disbelief, fear, and confusion.

Her pupils dilated and blood spilled from her mouth. Soon, she breathed her last breath and slumped to the ground, blood gushing from her neck.

"Was she real and not part of the dream?" Fang Xiu murmured, wiping the bloody scalpel on Su Kexin's clothes before heading to the meeting room. "I need more information. Maybe more tests."

Upon entering the meeting room, Fang Xiu caught the attention of everyone inside. He looked around and saw familiar faces like Wang Dehai, Yang Ming, Shen Lingxue, Zhao Hao, and other psychics he didn't recognize.

Among those present were members of the Investigation Bureau and some civilian psychics. Given the severe situation, it was clear that the Investigation Bureau had mobilized all available forces.

When Wang Dehai saw Fang Xiu arrive, he subtly signaled Yang Ming.

Yang Ming approached Fang Xiu, holding a Spiritual Energy lie detector in his hand. "Fang Xiu, you're finally here. What were you doing before? Why are you so late?"

"I was delayed by something on the way," Fang Xiu replied calmly, then looked at the Spiritual Energy lie detector in Yang Ming's hand. "What's the meaning of this?"

Yang Ming explained, "Fang Xiu, you've experienced Nightmare's dreamscapes. You should know that anything in a dream can be fake. Now, Nightmare has undergone some mutation, and the dreamscapes have turned into the Specter Zone, beginning to invade reality. Although the invasion isn't complete yet, we have to be cautious. Everyone here has been tested with the lie detector to verify their true identity. Now it's your turn."

"That makes sense," said Fang Xiu calmly. "But, I have a better method."

"What is it?" asked Yang Ming.

In a flash, a silver light streaked through the air as a sharp scalpel flew straight towards Yang Ming's neck."