Die, Replay, Repeat

"What!?" Shen Lingxue was horrified. She took her focus off the nearly burnt Specter and turned, aiming her fire at the members of the Special Operations Squad. But she found herself frozen, unable to actually go through with it.

In that split second of her hesitation, the Special Operations Squad pulled their triggers.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Bullets surged out, flames dancing around them, zeroing in on Fang Xiu and his companions. If it had been just a single pistol or only one shooter, maybe Fang Xiu could have dodged. But when up against a team wielding submachine guns, he was left with no alternative but to brace for impact.

He also chose not to use his blood pupil ability, as it was designed to target one person only.

In a matter of moments, Fang Xiu and the others were riddled with bullets, collapsing into puddles of their own blood.

When Fang Xiu opened his eyes again, he found himself back in Blackwater, amidst villagers carrying on with their daily activities.

He then heard Zhao Hao's quivering voice. "Xiu, what's the deal? Have all these people been munching on black sesame seeds from childhood or what?"

"How could any black sesame seeds be that potent? I've noticed some elderly villagers, and their hair is just as black and glossy—no sign of any gray strands," Liu Shuai chimed in.

Fang Xiu pieced together the timeframe he was in—casually walking through Blackwater. Soon enough, the Special Operations Squad would show up. Together they'd drain the river, uncover the hair Specter, and Shen Lingxue would take it on. Ultimately, they'd get shot by their supposed allies.

_'So this hair Specter can manipulate people?'_ Fang Xiu wondered.

He thought back to the headless female corpse that had been under the Specter's control. He never expected that the Specter could manipulate so many people simultaneously—like the entire Special Operations Squad.

_'Why didn't she directly control us? Is it because we're shielded by Spiritual Energy?'_

Fang Xiu felt something was wrong.

_'Is the timing of that couple's arrival a bit too convenient? Who goes to such a remote and barren place for fun?'_

After thinking it over, he decided to take control of the situation.

As time rolled on, circumstances developed until they were once again by the Blackwater River. The Special Operations Squad was in position, but this time, they had company—a man and a woman, both wearing windbreakers.

"What's the deal with kicking us out? You don't own this place. We're just soaking in the view."

"Exactly, this isn't some tourist hotspot, but even if it was, we could just get tickets."

"We're on a specific mission. No one without authorization can come near. Please leave right now," said a member of the Special Operations Squad.

Watching the familiar situation play out, Fang Xiu guided his group forward.

One squad member ran over quickly and saluted. "Agent Fang, Team Ten of the Special Operations Squad at your service."

Fang Xiu nodded but stayed silent. Just then, the man and woman from before walked up. The woman started to question him arrogantly, just like before.

"Are you the one in charge here? Who are you to—"

Studying the man and woman carefully, Fang Xiu didn't notice anything unusual. Still, his philosophy had always been: when in doubt, act.

WHOOSH!

A swish of silver, and the woman's voice abruptly cut off. Even the area seemed to fall silent. Shen Lingxue, the Special Operations Squad—everyone was staring, shocked at Fang Xiu and the woman.

A scalpel was now shoved into the woman's pale neck, held in place by Fang Xiu.

No one saw it coming. Fang Xiu had attacked and killed without any warning. The woman was barely into her question when she was silenced forever.

Ignoring the stunned expressions, Fang Xiu searched the woman's face for any signs or tells. Her expression was mysterious, a blend of disbelief, confusion, and fear.

With a huff, Fang Xiu yanked out the scalpel. A gush of blood erupted from the woman's neck. He was no rookie; he knew to hit a major artery for a quick death.

As the blade came out, the woman gave a muffled groan, her eyes losing focus before she collapsed.

Fang Xiu slightly frowned._ 'Did I act so fast she couldn't react? Or was I mistaken, and she's just a regular person?'_

"Fang Xiu! What the heck just happened?" Shen Lingxue's voice, thick with shock and anger, shattered the silence.

"They seemed off," was all Fang Xiu offered as an explanation.

"He just killed her!" The man who'd been with the woman finally snapped out of it, screaming in terror as he turned to flee.

WHOOSH!contemporary romance

Another quick flash of silver. Now, the man had a hole in his neck as well. He was gone.

By now, Shen Lingxue had already cautiously put some distance between herself and Fang Xiu.

"Fang Xiu, I'm really starting to think you've gone off the deep end with your Spiritual Energy. You owe me an explanation!"

"When I say they seem off, you can bet something's fishy," Fang Xiu replied.

Zhao Hao seemed to catch on and hesitantly asked, "Xiu, did you pick up on something?"

Fang Xiu nodded.

Shen Lingxue looked doubtful, but she had a bunch of questions she couldn't just ask here. After all, Fang Xiu's abilities were top secret.

Fang Xiu wasn't bothered by the doubt. He knew he'd soon go through a reset. Killing the two was just a way to cross them off the list of suspects. They showed up at very suspicious timing, and he wasn't totally sold on the idea that the Specter was controlling the Special Operations Squad.

Sure, there were other ways to check out his suspicions, but killing them was definitely the quickest route. Whether or not the couple was messing with things, offing them now would soon make it clear if the Special Operations Squad was still under someone's control.

Next, Fang Xiu turned to the Special Operations Squad and commanded, "Drop your weapons, now."

The squad leader seemed unsure for a moment but ultimately did as told. Once they were all unarmed, Fang Xiu told them to start pumping out water."

done.co