Die, Replay, Repeat

"What?!" Shen Lingxue and others were immediately filled with horror.

"Are you sure there's been no mistake in what you've sensed?"

"I don't make mistakes with my senses."

"Fang Xiu, if what you're saying is true, then this Specter must be around Class-B. We're not equipped to deal with that. The smartest move is to inform the Investigation Bureau and hold out for backup," Shen Lingxue advised with seriousness.

Fang Xiu gave her a look. "How many psychics are on staff at the Bureau? A mere ten, or at most twenty? And how many of them are just beginners? Considering how stretched they are, handling all the Specter happenings in Greenvine City, how soon do you really think help will get here?"

"But even if help isn't on the way right now, we should head back. I'm not about to let you put yourself in danger!"

Upon hearing this, the clueless Liu Shuai sneakily looked from one to the other, even nudging Zhao Hao to say, "Don't you think there's something odd about these two? Shen Lingxue seems to be concerned about Fang Xiu beyond the usual."

Zhao Hao, privy to what was really going on, stayed silent, just giving an eye roll.

Of course, Fang Xiu wasn't going to listen to Shen Lingxue. Despite the power of the Specters in Blackwater, he was confident in his grip on the situation.

When it came to facing a Specter, if it was a type with such an overwhelming power that Fang Xiu'd have no chance even if he could try over and over again, like his wife, he'd choose a tactical withdrawal. Otherwise, he was prepared to battle to the end.

Having been killed twice already by the Specter of Blackwater, he was determined to settle the score this time.

"Zhao Hao, take Liu Shuai and stay back. Shen Lingxue and I need to have a word in private."

"Got it, Xiu."

Zhao Hao answered, pulling Liu Shuai away with him.

Liu Shuai's face broke into a knowing 'I told you so' grin, convinced of his hunch about their hidden romance.

With the two of them gone, Fang Xiu shared in a steady tone, "There's no need to alert our superiors; I've predicted what will happen."

Shen Lingxue's face showed her astonishment. "What do you mean 'what will happen'?"

"The kind of victory where we deal with the Blackwater trouble once and for all."

"That so?" Shen Lingxue questioned, her mind going back to how Fang Xiu had done in the test before joining them.

Fang Xiu was never one to shy away from a fight with a Specter, even at the risk of his own life.

"When have my predictions ever missed the mark?"

"True, they haven't, but..."

"No 'buts.' Life is valuable; do you really think I'd throw mine away without good reason?"

Her thoughts echoed Shen Lingxue's image of Fang Xiu as someone who stayed level-headed in crisis, not someone to act on a whim, always thinking his plans through before he made a move.contemporary romance

Even as someone experienced with psychic stuff, she sometimes felt like her mental toughness wasn't quite up to Fang Xiu's level.

Just then, Shen Lingxue's quick glance caught a massive drum of gasoline. A lightbulb went off in her head, and she burst out, "You didn't get that gasoline to burn down the village, did you?"

Fang Xiu gave a small nod, his tone even as he confirmed, "Yes, Blackwater shouldn't exist anymore."

With that, Fang Xiu didn't wait for Shen Lingxue to make up her mind, he just turned and walked off.

"Hey, you—"

Shen Lingxue started to say something but stopped. Mostly because Fang Xiu's moves were consistently too unexpected.

This was her first encounter with a psychic tackling a Specter situation quite like this—If the Specter was hiding in the water, then drain the water. If the village was overrun with Specter Slaves, then burn the place down. These strategies were, no doubt, startling to Shen Lingxue.

Somewhere else, in a hidden part of the forest by Blackwater…

The pair, a man and a woman who were previously in windbreakers, were now down on their knees on the ground, their faces expressionless, eyes dull.

Where they had once looked human, they now seemed more like two dolls being manipulated.

Standing before them was a captivating lady in a mink coat, with a deep wine-red dress beneath.

The dress in wine-red trailed to the ground, yet it was split high up the side, flashing a pale, smooth leg from time to time.

The woman in the dress watched the two kneeling people thoughtfully.

"I put a lot of work into planting agents in the Special Operations Squad with you two dolls, hoping I could get them to off Shen Lingxue and the rest in the confusion. But that Fang Xiu just let the squad go back. Did he do it by accident? Or did he smell a something wrong? Either way, Fang Xiu's no simple guy. If he's got the bronze candlestick, that probably means he's killed Lin Ziyang. Being a rookie psychic, yet he could take down Lin Ziyang, there's got to be some trick with him."

While talking, the woman in the dress let out a sigh, "Geez, my luck's pretty bad. I figured I could finish, but now I've got to hang around in these woods who knows how much longer. Why can't Fang Xiu and his crew just roll over?"

She posed the question to the pair on their knees, but they were as still as statues, offering no answer.

"Now I'm getting really ticked off; come here and help me cool down."

"Yes, Master," they responded mechanically, and then the woman got up, heading towards the lady in the wine-red dress.

CRASH!

The woman actually dropped to the ground, supporting herself on hands and knees, her back flat like a bench, creating a sort of human chair.

The woman in the red dress carefully adjusted the material over her hips, fitting the dress perfectly to her form, then lightly took a seat on the human bench.

Settled in, she allowed one smooth, perfectly shaped leg to show, sliding out from the high cut of her dress like a sculpted piece of ivory.

Just then, the man previously kneeling started to shift. He raised his head and began to crawl toward her, resembling someone moving through a dog door.

The clock swiftly turned to nine in the evening.

Fang Xiu and his group were concealed at the edge of Blackwater, shrouded by the darkness.

He had opted not to make a move in daylight to stay unseen, choosing instead the night, betting on the villagers being asleep in their houses.

Mountain life doesn’t offer much for nighttime fun, leading folks to go to bed early and wake with the sun. By nine, the streets were pretty much deserted.

"We should split up and cover the village in gasoline," Fang Xiu directed.

"Got it, Xiu."

Zhao Hao and the rest took two gasoline drums each and stealthily started their task.

Fang Xiu was right there with them, dousing the area in gas.

_'This Specter loved a show, doesn't it? It's about to witness a spectacular fire.'_

An hour later, at ten o'clock, they had sprinkled gasoline around every home in Blackwater. The mountain chill was a blessing— the gasoline would stay put without evaporating too fast.

"Shen Lingxue, set it on fire."

done.co