Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 106: S-tier

Yang Ming, who usually seemed carefree, was actually a third-tier psychic.

Fang Xiu's sudden attack didn't hurt him. Yang Ming stepped back slightly and easily dodged the surgical knife's attack.

"Are you really Fang Xiu?" he asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

The other psychics stood up, looking seriously at Fang Xiu.

Fang Xiu didn't respond but instead activated the Specter power within the surgical knife. A fierce Specter power erupted from Fang Xiu, sending up black mist and the roars of numerous Specters.

He seemed to be surrounded by countless Specters. His black hair suddenly grew longer, turned silver, and his right eye became a crimson blood pupil.

Everyone was shocked, and some unknown psychics shouted, "He's not Fang Xiu! He's a Specter in disguise!"

Then Fang Xiu attacked. He moved like a ghost and attacked Wang Dehai.

Yang Ming, shocked and angry, quickly moved to protect the director.

A blood light burst from Fang Xiu's eye and hit Yang Ming. However, Yang Ming only felt dazed for a moment, it was probably due to the large gap in their Spiritual Energy.

Fang Xiu didn't stop attacking. He fully activated the hair Specter's power. That could damage the Specter's foundation, but he didn't care.

His silver hair spread wildly, turning the entire meeting room into a sea of silver hair.

The other psychics changed their expressions and used their powers to block the hair. Weaker psychics, like Zhao Hao, couldn't stop the hair Specter's move and were pierced by the hair. Stronger ones, like Shen Lingxue, blocked the hair with their unique abilities.

Seeing people get hurt, Yang Ming was enraged. He became serious, his casualness gone, replaced by a heavy killing intent.

Yang Ming had been careless. He didn't know Fang Xiu's hidden abilities, and he needed to protect many people. Then, a burst of Spectral red light came from Yang Ming's feet, and a pair of small, delicate red embroidered shoes appeared on his large feet.

As soon as the shoes appeared, Yang Ming vanished, moving through the silver storm to face Fang Xiu directly.

Fang Xiu squinted at Yang Ming's embroidered shoes, surprised. He didn't expect Yang Ming, a leader with thick eyebrows and big eyes, to use embroidered shoes as his Specter Gadget.

These shoes seemed to have the ability to ignore size and collision. It could move quickly and even teleport. Otherwise, Yang Ming couldn't have moved through the sea of silver hair so quickly to confront him.

Just as Yang Ming was about to act, Fang Xiu quickly raised his scalpel and, to Yang Ming's astonishment, plunged it into his own forehead.

"Agent Fang, you're finally here. Hurry to the meeting room. Director Wang and the others are waiting for you," Su Xekin said to Fang Xiu.

She was again wearing casual clothes and pink slippers, showing her delicate, white toes.

Fang Xiu calmly responded, showing no emotion, as if he hadn't just killed Su Kexin in the first round.

This time, he walked toward the meeting room without attacking her. He had tested and found that the people of the Investigation Bureau were not transformed by Nightmare; this was the real Investigation Bureau.

When he killed these people before, he let the hair Specter absorb their psychics' Spiritual Energy. He had absorbed their power, so he confirmed they were real.

People could be fake, but Spiritual Energy could not. The fact that the hair Specter could absorb their Spiritual Energy meant those were real psychics, not Specters in disguise or a dream.

Of course, this didn't mean all the people in the Investigation Bureau were human, as Fang Xiu hadn't killed everyone. But confirming the Investigation Bureau was real was enough; he could slowly distinguish the rest.

This was Fang Xiu's reason for killing: he had experienced Nightmare's dream and knew it could mimic reality. Since there was no easy way to tell the difference, he used the simplest method to test.

In the meeting room, Yang Ming used a Spiritual Energy lie detector, which Fang Xiu calmly accepted and passed.

Wang Dehai then began the meeting.

"Everyone, you are the biggest force the Bureau can mobilize now. Those who couldn't come are likely trapped in dreams, including Vice-Captain Bai Qi. You are Greenvine City's last hope," said Wang Dehai.

Hearing this, the psychics didn't feel honored but were serious.

One even said, "Director Wang, there's no need for these empty words. To be honest, if Greenvine City weren't sealed by shadows and Nightmare wasn't pulling everyone into dreams, I would've run away. Since I can't escape now, I have no choice but to fight. Just tell us your strategy."

Wang Dehai's expression didn't change, knowing full well the nature of the psychics.

Wang Dehai said truthfully, "Now, Nightmare's Specter Zone has invaded reality, covering the entire Greenvine City. If this situation continues, once Greenvine falls, the surrounding cities will also face disastrous consequences. It could even give rise to a catastrophe sweeping across the country. Therefore, Nightmare has been reclassified as an Grade-S threat, considering its terrifying growth potential and wide impact."

At the mention of "Grade-S," a sense of fear seemed to grip the room. The air became heavy, as if a massive pressure was spreading through the meeting room.

Someone fearfully said, "A Grade-S event! Such events are difficult even for the headquarters to handle. Can we really deal with it with just a few of us?"

Others questioned why reinforcements from the headquarters hadn't arrived yet.

Wang Dehai explained in a serious tone, "The reinforcements from headquarters were attacked by unidentified individuals en route and cannot reach us soon. Plus, Greenvine is entirely covered by shadows, making it difficult for them to enter even if they arrive. In short, we cannot just sit and wait for Nightmare to grow. Once it absorbs the fear of the entire Greenvine City, it will be too late, even for the headquarters to intervene!"

Someone exclaimed, "Damn it! What's going on? Why were the headquarters' people intercepted? Why is Greenvine under a shadow blockade? There must be a conspiracy!"

Yang Ming, with a serious expression, said, "It's the work of Ace of Spades. I've met him and know his ability involves shadows. Sealing Greenvine City and intercepting headquarters personnel is his doing. We have found out tha mmt Ace of Spades is backed by an organization called the Pokers. This organization is extremely secretive, with little information available. What we do know is that every member of the Pokers is formidable. So, we're not only dealing with Nightmare but also need to be wary of the lurking Pokers."

Hearing Yang Ming's words, the psychics' faces darkened even more.

Facing Nightmare was already a desperate situation, and now they also had to deal with the mysterious Pokers organization.

Some psychics even began to wonder why the requirements for joining the Specter were so high, and if they had a chance to join the other side."