Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 30: The Secret Bureau Investigating the Spooky Happenings

BANG!

The front door swung open.

There, by the door, stood Fang Xiu's wife, looking every bit like the perfect, caring spouse.

"Honey, you're back! Did you eat yet? Want me to make something for you?"

Fang Xiu didn't pay much attention to her, acting like someone super tired after a long day at work. Maybe he was too tired to chat or hang out with family.

He decided to take a warm shower and then head straight to bed.

But while he seemed to be lying down, he was trying hard to understand his special psychic skills. He wanted to be more powerful. If he became stronger, he could find out all the mysteries of the spooky Green Mountain Mental Hospital, get to know more about these creepy Specters, and even deal with the issues he had with his wife.

He stayed up late trying to learn but didn't find out much. Most of what he knew was just stuff Wang Ziteng had told him, which wasn't much at all. Eventually, exhausted and a bit frustrated, Fang Xiu drifted off to sleep.

In Greenvine City, there was a place called the Investigation _Bureau_. Most people had no idea it existed. They didn't know what it did or where it was.

But, among those with psychic skills in Greenvine, this place was important.

Their job? To keep an eye on all the Specters and made sure everyone in Greenvine City stayed safe.

It had a long and fancy name: The Global Specter Incident Joint Investigation and Strategic Defense Attack and Logistics Support Bureau. But everyone just calls it the Investigation Bureau for short.

In a big meeting room at the Bureau, a bunch of people were sitting around a table. There were men and women, some dressed super fancy, some casual, and some even in strange outfits. Even though they looked different, most of them were young, likely in their twenties or thirties.

The oldest guy there was probably in his forties. He was dressed in a sharp black suit and looked like he was in charge.

"Alright, everyone, listen up," he started, "Just a few hours ago, a Specter Zone popped up at Willow Hill. Right now, it's just around the sales office and hasn't grown bigger."

People around the table started talking, some looking worried, some excited.

"These weird Specter things seem to be happening a lot more," one person pointed out.

"Yeah, but isn't that cool? For us, more spooky stuff means we get stronger!" another said with a smirk.

"Hey, be careful what you wish for. Or you might end up in trouble with a Specter!"

"Oh yeah? You trying to scare me?"

"Think I'm afraid of you?"

The older man, watching the arguing crowd, didn't react. He was probably used to it.

This guy, named Wang Dehai, was the boss of the Investigation Bureau. But here's the twist: he didn't have any psychic powers. He was just a regular guy.

Even though Wang Dehai was just a regular guy, he was in charge of a team of people with psychic powers. Most cities did things this way.

Why? Well, a lot of psychics didn't live very long because of the dangers they faced. They were better suited for fighting and using their abilities than running an office. Plus, it wouldn't be smart to use a psychic for boring office stuff.

Besides, Specters, those creepy beings, had a weird effect on psychics. They could make them act strangely or even violently sometimes. So, it didn't make sense for a psychic to be the big boss. Still, there were psychics who were in charge of smaller groups, and they'd work together with the head of the bureau.

"Enough!" Wang Dehai shouted, banging the table so hard it shook. "If anyone else messes up this meeting, they'll get their usual psychic material cut by half next month!"

The room fell silent. All the psychics seemed worried. Even though they had these powers and could easily earn money, they cared a lot about this psychic material.

It wasn't just for funit was an important item for them to stay alive. That was why the Investigation Bureau used it to get so many psychics to work for them. If you wanted a psychic to fight against a Specter, you had to give them something good in return.

With everyone now listening, Wang Dehai calmed down. "Lin, show the video from near Willow Hill."

A woman, looking all official with her gold-rimmed glasses, quickly started the video. It was from the area around Willow Hill. There were no cameras inside Willow Hill because they all got messed up somehow, probably because of some Specter.

The video played, showing a quiet road with trees on both sides.

"Skip ahead," Wang Dehai said.

Lin fast-forwarded the video.

"Stop there."

The video started playing at normal speed again. Suddenly, the air seemed to have shifted, and two guys appeared out of nowhere.

"That's Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao," Wang Dehai pointed out. "They're the ones who got out of Willow Hill after everything that had happened. Fang Xiu's the good-looking one. Zhao Hao's well, he looks a bit lecherous. They both work at the sales office in Willow Hill. Lin, tell us more about them."

Lin opened a folder and started reading. "Fang Xiu, 20 years old, a local in Greenvine City. He's an orphan and graduated from... Zhao Hao is... Actually, there's nothing really special about either of them. Before the Willow Hill incident, they were just regular guys."

Wang Dehai looked around the room. "What do you all think?" he asked.

A young guy in a cool jacket with metal studs spoke up first, "If just anyone can walk out of that creepy Specter Zone, then it's probably not that scary. Maybe it's just a Grade D. Any psychic could deal with that."

Another man, looking professional in his suit and gold-rimmed glasses, didn't agree. "But look at that Fang Xiu guy in the video. He's too calm. Most people who get out of a place like that would be super scared or relieved, but he's acting like nothing happened. Maybe he became a psychic when he was in there."

The guy in the studded jacket laughed, "Even if that was true, and he's a brand-new psychic who survived, then that place is still just a Grade C at most. Any psychic with a bit of experience could handle it."

Someone else joined in, "You can't just guess about a place like that if you haven't been there. Maybe it is dangerous, and those two were just lucky."

"As I was saying," the guy in the studded jacket began, rolling his eyes.

"Enough!" Wang Dehai shouted, eyeing the guy in the studded jacket furiously.

He had a big headache and thought maybe asking this group was a bad idea.

Wang Dehai finally made up his mind and said, "Shen Lingxue and Li Wenhao, you two need to scope out Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao. Figure out if they're now psychics, how strong they are, and if they're still of sound mind. Then, decide if we should ask them to join us. Also, find out just how dangerous that Specter Zone in Willow Hill really is."

"Got it, Director Wang," one said.

"Sure thing," the other added. "