Die, Replay, Repeat

Chapter 98: Hair Specter Effect

"I'm not sure," said the staff member. "After Bai Qi went to sleep yesterday, he hasn't woken up. We've tried calling him, but he won't wake up. We don't know when he entered the dream realm!"

Wang Dehai's expression turned grim immediately. According to Fang Xiu's speculation, Nightmare was cunning, only pulling someone into the dream realm when it felt strong enough to confront them.

Now that Bai Qi was in the dream realm, Fang Xiu wondered if that meant Nightmare had grown strong enough to handle Bai Qi.

"Where is Bai Qi now? Take me to him," Wang Dehai said. Then, he quickly turned to Fang Xiu and said, "You see how serious the situation is, Fang Xiu. Please don't let personal grudges interfere with the bigger picture."

With that, Wang Dehai hurried off with the staff member.

Fang Xiu watched them go, deep in thought. Bai Qi had been pulled into the dream, and he might soon be the next one.

Bai Qi was far stronger than Fang Xiu, yet Nightmare chose him first. Therefore, it was almost certain that there was something on Fang Xiu that Nightmare feared, probably the power of pain.

_'Right, since I can't take the scalpel into the dream, it must be the power of pain that Nightmare feared.'_

Fang Xiu also stood up and left. He had to erase the Bright Club before Nightmare. Bai Qi was trapped; he doubted the Bright Club's people could make much difference. They would only become fodder for Nightmare.

Before he took off, he took the two thousand spiritual coins the Bright Club had sent with him. He accepted their apology, but he still needed to deal with them.

It seemed like Fang Xiu had an advantage, having eliminated two members of the Bright Club and gotten a Specter Gadget. But in reality, he had been killed twice because of the Bright Club, once by Lin Ziyang and once by Wang Yanran. This was a grudge he had to settle.

At night, Greenvine City was quiet, with almost no one on the streets.

Normally, this would be the time when the nightlife started. But with the fear of the Nightmare, and even though the Investigation Bureau tried to keep it a secret, many people felt that something was wrong.

They didn't immediately think of Specters but were afraid of the rumors of an unknown virus, a virus that made people fall into a sleep they couldn't wake up from. Because of these rumors, many people left the city, while others, who were skeptical, stayed but were too scared to go outside.

In this strange silence, a person wearing a black hood appeared on the empty streets. The streetlight stretched his shadow long across the ground.

It was Fang Xiu.

He stopped in front of a buildingthe headquarters of the Bright Club.

The Bright Club was wealthy, owning the entire building. Currently, the building was dark except for a few lit floors.

At the entrance stood two security guards, tall and robust, clearly not ordinary men. They were mercenaries hired by the Bright Club.

Since psychics were rare and often unconventional, the security work was entrusted to those strong and experienced mercenaries.

Ignoring the two mercenaries, Fang Xiu walked straight toward the building and was soon intercepted.

"Sir, this is private property. Please do not enter."

SWOOSH!

Following a glint of silver light, a fine line of blood appeared on the necks of the guards, followed by excruciating pain engulfing their bodies.

They fell to the ground, motionless. Fang Xiu didn't stop and entered the building.

Inside, dozens of mercenaries were patrolling.

They worked in teams of three, rotating to ensure no corner was breached.

The team closest to the entrance included Paul, John, and Daisy. They were foreign mercenaries, each with combat experience from serving special military forces.

Suddenly, John, walking at the rear, drew his knife and stabbed it fiercely into Paul's heart.

Paul, their team leader, groaned and fell instantly.

Daisy, the only woman on the team, turned around in alert and witnessed the scene. She was shocked, raising her gun at John. "John! What are you doing? Why did you kill him?"

John looked panicked, arguing, "It wasn't me!"

"Not you? You're gonna deny it with the bloody knife in your hand?" Daisy said as she had her gun's safety off, ready to shoot.

John, increasingly panicked, insisted, "It's not me, my body got out of control!"

While explaining, he didn't stop his movements, raising the knife and lunging at Daisy.

Daisy, a veteran mercenary, didn't hesitate and pulled the trigger.

John was shot in the head and fell into a pool of blood.

Daisy was about to report the situation when she heard a noise behind her. She turned to see their leader Paul standing up, his chest still bleeding.

Daisy was relieved, "Paul, you're alive?"

"Daisy, why did you kill John?" Paul asked.

Then, he started shooting, and Daisy fell into the pool of blood.

Suddenly, Paul's radio crackled to life. "Paul, what's happening there? Why are there gunshots?"

Paul replied stiffly, "Daisy suddenly went mad. She killed John and attacked me. I need backup."

Soon, two nearby squads rushed over, finding Paul covered in blood, and John and Daisy lying in a pool of their own.

"Paul, you"

Before they could finish, Paul opened fire without hesitation, killing several people caught off guard.

The remaining mercenaries reacted quickly, returning fire.

Paul was riddled with bullets and fell to the ground.

The survivors, both shocked and enraged, called for more backup while approaching Paul, John, and Daisy's bodies.

"All three are dead, sir."

"Damn it, what happened here?"

Suddenly, the three presumed dead bodies started moving. Their skin began to fall off, but instead of flesh and blood underneath, there was hairthick, black strands. This hair was dense and glossy, obviously very healthy.

"Argh! What the hell is that?"

The three people, now made of black hair, attacked the mercenaries with frenzy, impervious to bullets.

In just moments, they slaughtered the remaining mercenaries.

After all were dead, countless silver strands emerged from the corner, slithering like snakes into the corpses. Soon, the bodies rose, their skin peeling off to reveal dark, glossy hair underneath.

Fang Xiu stepped out from the corner, observing the scene with interest and satisfaction.

The Specter Slaves gathered around him, kneeling on one knee as if paying homage to their emperor."