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Translator's note: Does Lin Ziyang have bipolar disorder or something? He was too irritable.
Ed note: Being eaten alive by hundreds of specters must be a grueling experience. Thankfully, we're not Fang Xiu.
Fang Xiu calmly stared at him, as if he was watching a clown.
"Don't you dare look at me like that!" Lin Ziyang roared madly. "I'm going to torture you to death, grind you up in a meat grinder, and then feed you to stray cats and dogs!"
As he spoke, Lin Ziyang actually took out a crumpled certificate from his pocket. A big red certificate, with the words "Kind-hearted Person" written on it.
"See this? I kill people and feed them to dogs. Those people even gave me this sh*t, thinking I was feeding the dogs because I'm nice! Are you scared? Tell me, are you scared?!"
Lin Ziyang's eyes were increasingly bloodshot, and his eyeballs seemed about to burst.
Keeping his cool, Fang Xiu said, "So you're just another messed-up guy tainted by Specter energy. Who would've thought such weak Specter power could turn you into a rabid dog? How sad is that?"
"You—!" Lin Ziyang instantly became furious.
In this warehouse, he had murdered a lot of people, but no one had ever acted like Fang Xiu, who didn't seem scared at all.
It was like Fang Xiu made Lin Ziyang feel like he was the one tied up.
Usually, his victims would be shaking all over, with cold sweat pouring down, even begging to be set free, saying, "I'll do anything. Just let me go."
Hearing voices filled with fear and hopelessness intoxicated him.
Lin Ziyang was close to losing his sanity, his Spiritual Energy turning him incredibly violent and insane. Hurting others was the only thing that could satisfy him. Feeding on people's fear was the best part.
But now, he felt neither fear nor respect from Fang Xiu, only mockery, and it drove him close to the edge.
"I'll make you wish you were dead! Let's see how tough you talk when you're all battered and barely breathing!"
In a frenzy, Lin Ziyang went to the nearby table full of torture devices and started to select some tools. He grabbed a needle but thought it was too small, then a branding iron but still wasn't satisfied. He wanted the worst tool to give Fang Xiu a lesson.
"You're seriously slow at picking a tool," Fang Xiu said, his calm voice echoing in the empty warehouse.
"Argh!" Lin Ziyang screamed, slamming his hands on the metal table. Tools flew everywhere.
Fang Xiu's calm had completely provoked him.
Quickly, Lin Ziyang picked up a pair of pliers off the ground and menacingly walked toward Fang Xiu.
"You sharp-tongued kid, I'm going to pull out each and every one of your teeth! The upper ones will be thrown to the ceiling, and the lower ones will be buried in the ground!"
With a twisted grin, he kept waving the pliers in front of Fang Xiu, as if hoping to see fear on Fang Xiu's face to satisfy his perverse desires.
However, he was destined for disappointment. Fang Xiu's face remained as calm as an ancient statue.
Just as Lin Ziyang was about to lose his temper completely, Fang Xiu spoke. His voice was tranquil, devoid of any emotion, "Which way of death would you prefer?"
"What did you say?" Lin Ziyang was taken aback.
"Do you want each of your bones to be crushed by a hammer, or be beaten into a pulp with every punch? Or perhaps death by slow dismemberment? Tell me, how would you like to die? I'll do my best to accommodate you," Fang Xiu said.
At this moment, Fang Xiu, as calm as an enlightened monk, was unfazed. Yet his words sent chills down the spine.
Fang Xiu's words slowly wiped away the manic grin on Lin Ziyang's face.
He stared at Fang Xiu with bloodshot eyes, wordlessly overwhelmed by fear.
"Having trouble deciding?"
A faint smile curled at the corners of Fang Xiu's mouth, his tone as casual as if he were helping an old friend choose what to have for dinner.
"Well then, out of respect for the fact that you're Wang Ziteng's cousin, I'll offer you a final act of mercy. I'll choose for you," Fang Xiu said.
Without a pause, he added, "Let's go with dismemberment. I happen to have a scalpel. I'll slice the flesh off your body, piece by piece. But… I'm not a pro, so you might not last long enough to taste the real pain of it."
At this point, Lin Ziyang's gaze toward Fang Xiu changed, filled with incredulity. He was confused—Fang Xiu was the one tied to the chair, like a piece of meat on a chopping board. Even so, he remained so composed, and his tone even tinged with subtle confidence.
It was as if Lin Ziyang were the one tied up.
This deeply irritated him.
"Aaaargh!" Lin Ziyang screamed, his hands grabbing his hair frantically. His once-neat hairstyle was ruined, and he even yanked out a few strands, bloodied at the roots.
"Madman! You're the madman! Do you not see the situation? I'm the one in control of life and death here! And you dare ask me how I wish to die? If you think I'm bluffing, you should know that you could become dog food right this second. You're just another thing for me to show off," Lin Ziyang told Fang Xiu, staring hard at him to find even a tiny bit of fear.
But he was bound to be disappointed.
Fang Xiu's face didn't betray any signs of fear. He just looked unwaveringly calm. "You've got it wrong. Your life's been in my hands all along."
"What are you even saying? Look around, man! Get a grip!" Lin Ziyang yelled, sounding frantic.
Ignoring him, Fang Xiu turned his head to the side and directed his gaze toward a Specter hanging around nearby. This Specter was humanoid but with green skin, pointy things on its head, and razor-sharp black claws.
"So, you're just floating around here? You hungry for some human or what?"
Lin Ziyang was spooked. "Who are you talking to?"
"A Specter. You really can't see it? It's right next to me."
Lin Ziyang stared at the empty air next to Fang Xiu.__
'Am I losing it, or has Fang Xiu gone crazy?'
Before Lin Ziyang could even finish thinking, something shocking happened. The air next to Fang Xiu became distorted, and this green Specter with razor-sharp claws appeared out of nowhere.
"Where did this Specter come from?!" Lin Ziyang turned pale from fear.
"Not just one," Fang Xiu replied, smirking a bit. He looked around the whole warehouse. "Come on out, all of you."
As he said that, a bone-chilling scene unfolded. Five or six freaky Specters popped up out of nowhere, their eyes all shiny like they wanted to kill, making weird growling noises.
"No, no, no! What's going on, Fang Xiu? Make them go away!" Lin Ziyang started freaking out.
"Dinner time, puppies," Fang Xiu said, like it was no big deal.
…
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Someone was knocking on the door. Memories of the Specters cruelly dismembering him flooded Fang Xiu's mind. Now it was Lin Ziyang's turn to get a taste.
Fang Xiu stood up slowly, each step echoing as he walked toward the door.
Soon, Fang Xiu stood by the door.
At the moment, there was just a door between him and Lin Ziyang. Fang Xiu was inside the room, and Lin Ziyang was outside now, peeking inside through the peephole, his eyes bloodshot.
Lin Ziyang was on the other side, getting excited. He just had to wait for Fang Xiu to look through the door's peephole.
Just as Fang Xiu was going to take a peek, his sleeve moved, and there was a quick flash of silver.
The scalpel appeared in his hand.
In just a heartbeat, the scalpel flew straight into that peephole in the door.
An ear-splitting scream filled the room.
The scalpel pierced the hole easily and stabbed Lin Ziyang's eyeball.
Lin Ziyang was instantly blinded in one eye. However, he was a powerful guy, and losing just one eye wasn't enough to incapacitate him completely.