Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 38: Weakness And Ignorance

"I haven't had any visions of that specifically. Given my current Spiritual Energy, I could only foresee one event: choosing the right direction at a fork in the road. At that moment, when faced with two potential routes, I witnessed two very different scenarios.

"In one, there was a safe and correct path, where both Zhao Hao and I managed to escape successfully, evading the Specter that controlled the dream realm. In contrast, the other path presented a much darker future where countless wards lined the corridor, all their doors firmly shut, with an overwhelmingly terrifying presence of Specters emanating from each one.

"A few doors were ajar, revealing a grim fate where both Zhao Hao and I were captured and ultimately met our end at the hands of the 'doctor.' From these visions, I gathered that there must be at least dozens of Specters within the Green Mountain Mental Hospital."

"Dozens of Specters?!" Li Wenhao couldn't hide his shock, his voice rising significantly. "Mr. Fang, are you absolutely certain?"

Fang Xiu simply nodded. "I trust my instincts. They haven't misled me so far."

However, Shen Lingxue couldn't contain her disbelief and scoffed openly, "Fang Xiu, are you even aware of the gravity of your statement? Globally, we have witnessed numerous Specter incidents, yet there has never been a case where a single Specter Zone housed dozens of Specters!

"Usually, a Specter Zone is home to a singular Specter, which forms the basis of that zone. While there have been instances where other Specters have wandered into a zone or zones merging together, having dozens of Specters congregating in one place, as you've described, is simply preposterous.

"Specters are not social beings like humans; they struggle to coexist peacefully. Consequently, if your vision was accurate, those entities are likely not Specters but Specter slaves. These beings, often humans or animals controlled by Specters after their demise, are numerous but generally lack strength. It's quite possible that in your fear and unfamiliarity with Specters, you confused these Specter slaves for actual Specters."

Fang Xiu remained undeterred, responding calmly, "I understand that it might be difficult to grasp what I'm conveying. Your role is to just report the information as I provide it, truthfully."

Having visited global Specter forums, Fang Xiu was well-acquainted with the concept of Specter slaves, which reinforced his certainty that the beings in the wards were genuine Specters.

Nonetheless, he chose not to engage further with Shen Lingxue, avoiding excessive explanation. It could expose his lie about his foresight abilities. Considering her obstinate nature, it would be difficult to reason with her.

He firmly believed that as long as the report was honest, the superior authorities would discern the truth.

Shen Lingxue couldn't hold back a mocking smile as she retorted, "Oh, at my level, you say? Just how many Specter incidents have you, a greenhorn psychic, actually encountered? Do you think your mere assertion that they are Specters makes it so? I don't think you've ever seen a Specter slave in reality, have you?"

Unfazed, Fang Xiu leisurely sipped his tea before replying, "Weakness and ignorance are not barriers to survival, but arrogance is."

As the atmosphere in the room grew increasingly strained, Li Wenhao felt the urgency to intervene, trying to steer the conversation to safer grounds.

"Mr. Fang, correct me if I'm wrong, but up until yesterday, you were just an ordinary person, weren't you? Despite that, you seem quite familiar with terms like Specter Zone and psychic, as evident from our discussion. May I ask how did you get such extensive knowledge about Specters and the psychic realm? Was this information also obtained through your foresight abilities?"

"The Global Specter forum." Fang Xiu said calmly.

"Yes, it was your future self who told me about it."

Li Wenhao found this hard to believe. "My future self?"

He reeled in his shock and said, "Mr. Fang, having the power to see the future is very important to the Investigation Bureau. We would like you to come to the bureau with us today."

"Hmm." Fang Xiu set the teacup down and stood up to walk to the door.

An hour later.

Fang Xiu arrived at the Investigation Bureau.

The bureau was situated in a hidden underground facility.

But surprisingly, there were quite a few Specters in there. These Specters aimlessly wandered around the bureau, and nobody seemed to be aware of their presence.

Seeing this made Fang Xiu even more convinced that other psychics couldn't see the Specters openly walking around in public; only he could see them. Otherwise, the bureau responsible for managing Specter situations wouldn't have so many free-roaming Specters.

Soon, he was guided to sit in the waiting area, while Shen Lingxue and Li Wenhao went to brief the head of the bureau.

In the bureau chief's office.

Wang Dehai was seated in his office chair, enjoying tea while hearing the two's update.

However, as their briefing continued, Wang Dehai's tea was now forgotten, and his previously tranquil face grew increasingly astounded.

"Are you certain he saw the future?" Wang Dehai asked with a hint of disbelief.

Li Wenhao confirmed with a serious tone: "Yes, Fang Xiu truly predicted that we would locate him, and he even knew our names and some details."

Shen Lingxue also confirmed by nodding.

Both chose not to bring up the incident with the love letter and the pink obsession.

After thinking about it, Wang Dehai asked, "Besides the two of you, does anyone else know about his ability to foresee the future?"

"Zhao Hao, who escaped the Specter Zone with Fang Xiu, is aware of it too," one of them mentioned.

"Hmm, whether this is true, let's keep it classified for now. Ask Zhao Hao to maintain secrecy as well. The potential of being able to see into the future is a serious matter. If verified, no details should leak out at any cost. Got it?"

"Understood!"

"What about the lottery numbers?"

"Here."

Li Wenhao promptly handed over a piece of paper with the lottery winning numbers noted down to Wang Dehai.

After scrutinizing it briefly, Wang Dehai remarked, "Correctly predicting the lottery numbers doesn't definitively prove foresight abilities. It's plausible that Fang Xiu arranged for individuals at the lottery event to manipulate the outcome. Li Wenhao, attend to this urgently. Assign two reliable individuals to conduct the draw tonight, ensuring the results are entirely random."

"Yes, Director Wang." Li Wenhao hastened to manage the lottery situation.

Then, Wang Dehai addressed Shen Lingxue.

"Lingxue, as an experienced psychic, what is your opinion on Fang Xiu's credibility?"

Although dissatisfied with Fang Xiu's demeanor, Shen Lingxue responded honestly, "I can't be certain. Even though Fang Xiu omitted one number initially, he remained exceedingly composed, displaying no traces of fear. If he's faking it, he's a master of controlling his emotions. Furthermore, he lacks a motive to mislead us. Predicting the future is unlike other abilities; deceit can be uncovered easily. He might trick us once, but repeating it is unlikely. Yet, I feel that Fang Xiu might not be truthful."

"Oh? What leads you to think so?"

"A woman's intuition."

Wang Dehai was at a loss for word.

He sipped his tea and said, "The truth can't be fabricated, and falsehoods cannot transform into reality. Everything will come to light when the lottery takes place tonight. It's unfortunate that he is just a budding psychic with limited spiritual energy; otherwise, we could perform more varied tests. By the way, did he also mention the presence of numerous Specters at the Green Mountain Mental Hospital?"

"