Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 189

"Xiu! Your face is on fire!" Yang Ming shouted.

But Fang Xiu didn't react. He could feel the terrifying power of the black fire, but it didn't hurt him.

Gradually, the black fire burned more fiercely, covering all the masks completely. Eventually, the masks melted away, turning into many faces made of black fire. The Specter faces were strange, but all looked scary, grinning widely.

Staring at the faces, Yang Ming felt a chill run down his spine, his hair standing on end.

The next second, the flames surged. Thousands of Specter faces made of black fire seemed to be drawn to Fang Xiu and rushed toward him.

It was a terrifying sight. The masks lined up and stuck to Fang Xiu's face one by one.

In an instant, the terrifying black flames burned even more fiercely. It covered Fang Xiu completely.

Wrapped in the black flames, Fang Xiu began to slowly rise into the air. The powerful force and terrifying flames burst out together.

Yang Ming and Bai Qi were instantly blown away, hitting the walls hard.

Yang Ming and Bai Qi watched in horror. The intense heat waves scorched them, and they realized their Spiritual Energy was burning away quickly.

The black fire used Spiritual Energy as fuel.

Without Spiritual Energy, a psychic was like a gun without bullets, useless.

Just as their Spiritual Energy was about to be drained, the scene changed again. The black sea of fire surged toward Fang Xiu's face.

Moments later, the black sea of fire disappeared, forming a Specter face on Fang Xiu's face.

This Specter face looked indescribably evil, almost alive. No matter from which angle they looked, it seemed to be staring right at them, grinning.

Just one glance made Yang Ming and Bai Qi feel a shock in their hearts, their Spiritual Energy almost losing control.

"We just looked at it and almost lost control of our Spiritual Energy. And Fang Xiu is wearing the mask…"

Yang Ming and Bai Qi couldn't imagine the rest; their faces were serious. They worried that if Fang Xiu turned into a Specter, he would become their enemy.

Just as they were worrying, the Specter face disappeared, revealing Fang Xiu's calm expression. He slowly descended from mid-air.

At this moment, he had fully possessed the Genesis mask, and he didn't need to kill others to do so.

Fang Xiu realized he had accidentally solved the puzzle. The challenge had another solution: passing without killing anyone—by having one person wear the masks of the others.

Four people came in, each with a mask. To win the Genesis, one had to remove the others' eligibility.

It seemed like this could only be done by killing, but in reality, if one person wore all four masks, they would take away the others' eligibility. This solution wasn't really a loophole because, normally, no one could wear four masks at once.

"Xiu? Are you okay?" Yang Ming gripped his short knife, staring at Fang Xiu, trying to see if he was still the same person he knew.

Seeing their worried faces, Fang Xiu calmly said, "I told you, I've seen the future."

Yang Ming was first stunned, then overjoyed. He clearly remembered Fang Xiu's words from before.

Fang Xiu had asked to keep the Genesis mask, saying he had seen the future. Now, it seemed he hadn't lied.

"Great, Xiu! I knew you'd be fine," Yang Ming said happily.

Fang Xiu didn't respond but looked calmly at the short knife in Yang Ming's hand.

Yang Ming noticed it and blushed. He quickly hid his hand behind his back, trying to act casual.

He then tried to change the subject, asking, "By the way, was that black fire Specter face the Genesis mask? Where did it go?"

Fang Xiu nodded, "Yes, that was the true form of the Genesis mask. I have put it away."

He didn't explain further. Actually, the Genesis mask had merged with his mind.

It was a very special Specter Gadget. It seemed to have no physical form, merging with the mind and continuously releasing Specter power, polluting the user's mind and body. It would slowly and steadily turn the user into a Specter. If the mask's power was used, this process would speed up greatly.

If Yang Ming had gotten the mask, he would inevitably have been Specterized. But for Fang Xiu, it was different. His mind was already twisted and had been trained many times, so he wasn't afraid of the Genesis mask's pollution.

In fact, the crazy, chaotic, indescribable whispers of Taotie constantly echoed in his mind, polluting the Genesis mask in return. It remained to be seen whether Fang Xiu would be Specterized or if he would completely assimilate the Genesis mask.

As for his body being polluted, Fang Xiu wasn't worried. He had the perfect physique to control Specters and Taotie's Mouth, so the Genesis mask's pollution would only serve as nourishment for his body.

Fang Xiu felt he was now on a unique path. He was different from traditional psychics and from those completely Specterized. It was as if he was a perfect blend of both, controlling the powers of both psychic and Specter with his own will.

Thinking about this, Fang Xiu suddenly felt something was off. This "unique" path he was on was very similar to what Zhou Qingfeng had described: _"With the human spirit, control the body of a Specter."_

Fang Xiu suddenly realized that the so-called perfect Specterization might be the path he was on. If this was true, then all his previous assumptions needed to be reconsidered.

Perhaps Zhou Qingfeng was not looking for Yang Ming but for him. After all, usually, a transmigrator had a higher chance of being the chosen one.

_"So, did I ruin Zhou Qingfeng's plan, or was it exactly what he wanted? Or maybe it's Yang Ming's ability saving him, pushing all the troubles onto me?"_

Fang Xiu still couldn't be sure. But he was certain he was caught in the struggle between Zhou Qingfeng and Yang Ming.

At that moment, there was a loud rumble.

The entire mental hospital suddenly shook violently, like an earthquake. The surroundings began to blur, becoming vague and unreal.

Yang Ming's face changed instantly, "What's going on?"

Fang Xiu calmly looked around and said, "The Genesis mask is the core of this Specter Zone. Once it is taken away, the mental hospital loses its support and will return to the Other Side."

"Then we need to get out of here quickly!"

Yang Ming hurried to help the heavily injured Bai Qi. At this point, Bai Qi looked quite miserable, with many broken bones and blood constantly oozing out.

Fang Xiu found it a bit strange; almost every time they fought, Bai Qi ended up injured. He vaguely guessed it might have something to do with Yang Ming.

It seemed that ever since he knew Bai Qi, the man was either injured or on his way to getting injured.

"