Die, Replay, Repeat

Shen Lingxue found herself reconsidering her impressions of Fang Xiu.

_'Can he actually be like a character from a legend, seeming cold on the outside but actually really nice? Is it possible that beneath his aloof demeanor, there's a truly caring heart that looks out for people?'_

After a short pause, Shen Lingxue asked him a few more questions, which Fang Xiu answered honestly. The answers took her by surprise.

_'Could this be the hero who genuinely cares about our hurting world and has descended to Earth? If the lie detector isn't malfunctioning, then this Fang Xiu is truly an angel among humans. There isn't anyone else on the entire psychic team as good and kind as he is.'_

"The last question, can you actually predict the future?"

Fang Xiu looked at Shen Lingxue calmly, saying quietly, "I have traveled many times between the future and the past. I've seen things end and begin again, living through countless possibilities. For me, the future is just something I can watch and change if I want to."

Shen Lingxue peeked at the silent lie detector. Deep down she felt that Fang Xiu was telling the truth, but she still had to moan, "Why can't you just tell me straight up if you can see the future? Why make it so dramatic?"

After venting her frustration, Shen Lingxue packed up the lie detector and stood up, her mood visibly shifting. If she was chilly toward him before, now she was keeping him at arm's length. It looked like she really didn't want to be close to Fang Xiu.

That's just how people are. When they met someone who seemed to be more giving and nicer than them, they'd assume those people were just pretending, hiding behind a facade. And when they found out those people were genuine, they instinctively distanced themselves. The brightness of such kind-hearted people only served to highlight the darkness within themselves.

That was how Shen Lingxue was feeling now. At first, she didn't like Fang Xiu's aloof cold attitude at all. But after the test, she realized he was really nice and kind. She knew that hating such a nice person would make her look bad.

Her ego stopped her from acting all nice and agreeable now when she had been so haughty before. So, she naturally pushed back and wanted to keep her distance.

"You passed the test. Come with me to meet Director Wang," Shen Lingxue announced, turning around and walking away.

Before long, they arrived at Wang Dehai's office, where Shen Lingxue placed the test results on his desk.

"He passed the test."

Wang Dehai grabbed the paper, briefly assessed Fang Xiu, and then smiled. "So you're Fang Xiu, huh? Let me introduce myself. I'm Wang Dehai, the current head of the Greenvine City Investigation Bureau. Please, have a seat."

As he spoke, he began to skim through the report, making small talk to learn more about Fang Xiu.

But suddenly, Wang Dehai stopped mid-sentence, looking like he froze in place for a moment.

"You—"

His eyes widened in surprise, staring in disbelief at the paper in front of him. Reaching for his glasses, he carefully reread the report multiple times, struggling to believe what he was seeing.

The report was flawless, so flawless that it appeared almost impossible for anyone, even someone with an entirely clear conscience, to have answered so perfectly.

Wang Dehai's gaze instinctively shifted toward Sheng Lingxue, as if asking her a silent question.

Shen Lingxue simply gave a nod, her face remaining stoic.

Trying to hide his amazement, Wang Dehai took a deep breath before saying, "Mr. Fang, based on this report alone, even if you can't actually see the future, I'd like to extend an invitation for you to join our Investigation Bureau."

Fang Xiu replied calmly, "No need to rush. We can discuss it after they announce the lottery results."

He wasn't planning on joining the Investigation Bureau right away, as that wouldn't really serve a purpose. His aim was to join as a future seer, so he could bargain for a better deal later on.

Right then, Shen Lingxue unexpectedly interjected, "Director Wang, I used the lie detector to confirm if Fang Xiu's talent was indeed predicting the future."

Wang Dehai immediately perked up, asking, "And what was the result?"

"He passed the test."

At the confirmation, Wang Dehai's eyes narrowed a little, but he didn't accept it as fact right away. He knew that the lie detector wasn't foolproof.

Indeed, the device could tell if someone was lying, sounding an alert when a person's thoughts didn't match their words. But if someone was under hypnosis and truly thought, deep down, that they have the ability to predict the future, then the Spiritual Energy lie detector would mark it as the truth.

This was precisely why Wang Dehai remained skeptical.

Soon after, they began chatting more relaxedly. Even though the report seemed perfect, as the chief of the Investigation Bureau, Wang Dehai obviously had his unique ways of judging people.

Fang Xiu really wasn't a fan of this informal conversation. In his eyes, it was a waste of time. All he wished for at the moment was to gain more power and exact retribution to every Specter in the world.

Luckily, their casual talk was soon interrupted when the office door swung open violently. A young man in a uniform stormed in, clearly panicked.

Wang Dehai's face tightened at once. "How many times have I told you not to be so reckless at work, you—"

But the young man cut him off, nearly shouting, "Director Wang, it's an emergency! The vice-captain, he... he's dead!"

"What?" Wang Dehai shot up from his seat, a look of sheer disbelief on his face.

"How could he be dead? Bai Qi wasn't just a strong asset in our Investigation Bureau, but he was also the top psychic in all of Greenvine City. This can't be happening! Hurry, give me all the details!"

The news of Vice-Captain Bai Qi’s death sent Wang Dehai into a frenzy. Bai Qi was his ace in the hole, and losing him could throw Greenvine City into chaos.

"Earlier today, Captain Yang and Vice-Captain Bai split up to follow a lead on a top-level Specter. But somehow, the vice-captain got to the Specter first, in an abandoned building on the outskirts of Qingbei Town.

He didn't wait for Captain Yang and confronted the Specter alone. Everyone thought Vice-Captain Bai could handle it with his skills, but nobody expected that another Specter was lying in wait in that building and caught him off guard…" The young man's voice trailed off, his face turning pale.

"What! A second Specter!?" Wang Dehai exploded, hurling a folder across the room in his anger.

"What on earth is your intel team doing? How did you all fail to detect another Specter in Qingbei Town beforehand?”

Tears welled up in the young man’s eyes as he stammered, "Director Wang, we scoured Qingbei Town during our citywide sweep, and we didn't find any trace of that Specter then. It's like it just appeared out of nowhere!"

Wang Dehai took a deep breath, fighting to keep his fury at bay, "Where's Yang Ming?"

He was fully aware that allowing his anger to cloud his judgment at this critical moment could prove disastrous. The unexpected ambush and Bai Qi's death highlighted the formidable strength of the Specters involved. If not addressed swiftly and effectively, Qingbei Town would descend into chaos, potentially posing a threat to Greenvine City itself.

"Captain Yang is already on his way to Qingbei Town after receiving the news."

"Get a car ready, now! Everyone who's available, head to Qingbei Town ASAP. Contact the leaders of the various local psychic groups too, ask them to send reinforcements. Anyone who assists in resolving this crisis will receive a reward from the Bureau: 3000 spiritual coins and ten spirit incenses!" Wang Dehai exclaimed, his voice filled with urgency.

"