Die, Replay, Repeat

The next day, the entire headquarters was electrified with excitement.

When a psychic came back alive after handling a Specter incident, it was always a big deal, but Fang Xiu’s latest trick with the fortune bags? That was on a whole new level. 

The Chief Commander and Foreseer himself had whipped out these “fortune bags,”— the mere concept was enough to make people talk. 

He wasn’t just any leader—he was the one everyone watched. Now, with psychics returning from their missions buzzing about the success of these little bags, “fortune bag” was officially the hottest topic in headquarters.

Word spread like wildfire. People swapped stories in the halls, each psychic eager to share how the fortune bag had come through in the clutch.

“Man, Mr. Fang is unreal! Yesterday on my mission, we ran into a Specter that could possess people. It actually wormed its way into our team, walked with us for hours, and tried to lure us deeper into the Specter Domain. I panicked, then remembered the fortune bag Mr. Fang gave me. When I opened it, there was a note with the name of our possessed teammate. Thanks to that, we restrained it just in time and dealt with the Specter.”

“That’s nothing! Yesterday, I faced off with a memory-warping Specter. It added a new teammate to our squad out of thin air. There were supposed to be six of us, but suddenly, we were seven, and no one could figure out who the extra person was. The Specter had hacked our memories like it was nothing. Then I thought of the fortune bag. When I opened it, the note inside had all the info on our fake ‘teammate.’ Boom—problem solved.”

“I’m telling you, Mr. Fang is something else. I never thought fighting Specters could be this simple. Yesterday, I was dealing with this Specter that just wouldn’t go down, no matter what. It was like it was invincible. I pulled out the fortune bag, and it said to smash all the mirrors in the room. I figured, ‘What the heck, I’ve got nothing to lose.’ So I went to town on the mirrors, and suddenly the Specter’s real form appeared. Turns out it was hiding in the mirrors, and we’d been fighting its illusions the whole time!”

“I knew it—putting the Foreseer in charge was the best decision ever.”

“Pfft, you’re so full of it! I remember in the meeting, you didn’t even raise your hand voting for him. In fact, didn’t you say something like ‘young and inexperienced, probably unreliable’?”

“Lies! Mr. Fang is a legend—I’d never say that about him!”

These behind-the-scenes conversations only grew louder and bolder with each day.

Over the next few days, Fang Xiu’s reputation as a visionary continued to soar. 

It wasn’t just about the fortune bags anymore. Occasionally, he’d even pull out a map of Shangjing, circling locations where Specters would soon appear. 

Every spot he pointed to ended up crawling with Specters. Teams would sweep in to evacuate civilians and set up ambushes, and each time, his predictions hit the mark.

Within a week, the whole place was singing Fang Xiu’s praises. They even gave his fortune bags a new name: “Future Bags.” 

The hype went from rumor to legend, with people whispering that a Future Bag from Mr. Fang could save people from death, let people see the future, and even change one's destiny.

Before long, people believed that with a Future Bag, even a Class-S Specter couldn’t touch them. 

Those who had received a bag, even after using it, couldn’t bear to throw it away. They treated it like a family treasure, some even hanging it around their necks as a charm. 

It was like flashing a luxury brand or a fat gold chain—but way more impressive. 

Everywhere they went, they drew stares of awe and envy.

They’d proudly say, “What I’m wearing isn’t just a fortune bag—it’s my future!”

…

CHIEF COMMANDER’S OFFICE

Li Xiaoru sauntered in, grinning shamelessly. “Hey… Xiu, don’t worry, I’m not here to beg for help breaking through the fifth tier. Not at all. I just, you know… wondered if I could get one of those famous fortune bags?”

Before Fang Xiu could respond, Xiao Chuxia stepped forward. She had a smirk on her face as she pulled out a fortune bag from her pocket, like a seasoned salesperson. “Thank you. That’ll be one thousand Spiritual Coins.”

“One thousand? Are you serious? That’s daylight robbery!” Li Xiaoru’s eyes nearly popped out of his head.

Xiao Chuxia’s grin widened. “Exactly. You catch on quick.”

“You…!”

“Oh, come on! What, one of the five captains of headquarters can’t scrape together a measly thousand Spiritual Coins?” Xiao Chuxia teased, her eyes gleaming with mischief.

Grumbling under his breath, Li Xiaoru finally caved, reluctantly handing over the coins to buy the fortune bag.

Just as the banter wound down, the Director stepped into the room. His gaze settled on Fang Xiu with a look of clear admiration,.

“Fang Xiu, your work has been phenomenal. In a single week, you’ve helped resolve dozens of Specter incidents, saving almost ten thousand lives. The injury rate among our psychics has dropped significantly, too. I had a feeling you were the right choice for Chief Commander, but now there’s no doubt about it.”

Fang Xiu accepted the praise calmly, showing the same composure with which he’d previously endured skepticism and doubt. 

Praise and criticism were equally trivial to him—his attention was always on his ultimate purpose.

Now that his reputation had been firmly established, it was time to move forward with the next phase of his plan.

He couldn’t keep leaning on his foresight forever. Shangjing was more stable now, and the Specters that had escaped in the last major outbreak were mostly dealt with. It was time to shift his focus to the bigger mission ahead.

“Sir,” Fang Xiu said evenly, “it’s time.”

The Director paused, a flicker of surprise crossing his face. “Time for what, exactly?”

Fang Xiu met his gaze, his voice steady. “Time to reveal THE truth to the public.”

The Director’s expression turned grave. “You sure about that?”

He didn’t challenge or question Fang Xiu’s judgment. Fang Xiu’s abilities and foresight had become legendary at headquarters; if he had made up his mind, it was bound to be well-reasoned.

“Yes.” Fang Xiu’s voice was resolute. “Fang Moli had it right. Hiding the truth only lets rumors spiral out of control. It’s better for headquarters to get ahead of this and make an official statement. Sooner or later, the public will find out—Specter invasions are only getting more frequent. If things continue on this path, we’ll be dealing with even stronger Specters and the emergence of fifth-tier psychics. The stakes are escalating, and the scale of future battles will be unimaginable. The truth has to come out eventually.”

A shadow passed over the Director’s face, and he gave a solemn nod. He understood all too well that the coming conflict was inevitable.

“I support your decision,” he said, “but we’ll need to go through the United Bureaus. This decision is bigger than just us; it’s time we gave the world some answers.”

Fang Xiu nodded. As Chief Commander, he was already familiar with the United Bureaus. It was a global organization that officially coordinated with the Investigation Bureaus of various nations, a collective effort to manage Specter threats worldwide.

However, in practice, the true authority lay with the major powers.

Within the United Bureaus, a country’s standing depended on two things: its strength as a nation and the power of its psychics.

“Alright, then,” Fang Xiu said, “let’s notify the United Bureaus and make it official.”

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