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Translator's note: I'm 10% sure Shen Lingxue is a projection of someone the author hated in real life. Otherwise, he wouldn't have held so much hatred towards her, at least not with what we've seen about Shen Lingxue.
Fang Xiu calmly looked at the furious Shen Lingxue and said softly, "You deaf or something? So you didn't hear what I said before?"
Shen Lingxue, still angry, replied, "You did say something, but you weren't clear. How was I supposed to know whether you meant Specter or Specter Slave?"
"Stop it, Agent Shen," Li Wenhao quickly tried to intervene, but Shen Lingxue pushed him away. The force was so strong that Li Wenhao hit the wall, grimacing in pain.
Shen Lingxue pressed on aggressively, "Fang Xiu! You knew I didn't believe you back then. Why didn't you try to convince me?"
Suddenly, Fang Xiu slapped her, leaving a bright red mark on Shen Lingxue's delicate face.
Shocked at first, she quickly became enraged and was about to react when she was hit with another slap.
Completely losing her temper, Shen Lingxue tried to fight back, but a strong hand gripped her slender neck tightly. The force threw her against the wall, knocking off her wig and revealing a buzz cut.
Indifferent, Fang Xiu spoke in a calm voice, "Miss Shen, don't get me wrong. Just because I'm always talking nicely to you doesn't mean I'm a pushover."
Shen Lingxue struggled but couldn't free herself from Fang Xiu's grip.
Lying on the ground, Li Wenhao panicked and apologized to Fang Xiu, "Mr. Fang, please don't be angry. Agent Shen didn't mean it. She's just worried because her only brother lives in Xiyuan community."
Hearing this, Fang Xiu smiled and whispered in Shen Lingxue's ear, "Actually, I already knew what would happen in Xiyuan. But I didn't say anything. If I had told you earlier, your brother wouldn't have been trapped in a dream, but many others would have been. What would you have chosen, being as 'kind' as you are?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Lingxue's anger blazed. Her hand shot up, and a bright, hot flame appeared, instantly raising the temperature in the room.
But the next moment, with a flash of silver light, a sharp scalpel pierced through Shen Lingxue's delicate hand, pinning it to the wall. The flames extinguished, and she twisted in pain, her body convulsing.
"Ahh!" A muffled scream filled the room.
Fang Xiu looked at Shen Lingxue's beautiful, twisted face in pain and thought she looked even more beautiful in this state.
"Stop! Please stop!" Li Wenhao, seeing his secret crush hurt, rushed forward with bloodshot eyes, but Fang Xiu simply kicked him away.
After that kick, Li Wenhao spat out blood, wracked with severe pain, unable to stand up.
Meanwhile, Shen Lingxue's face had turned purple from lack of oxygen, clearly on the brink of death.
"Don't kill her! She didn't mean it!" Li Wenhao pleaded anxiously. "She's just been unstable since returning from Blackwater. Her Spiritual Energy grew too fast and, with a bit of provocation, got out of control!"
"Oh, so now everything in the bureau happens due to losing control of Spiritual Energy? In my view, Spiritual Energy going awry is like alcohol—it amplifies but doesn't create from nothing. Just like if you harbor a desire to kill, you might not dare to act on it until you're drunk.
"But someone without murderous intent won't kill, no matter how much they drink. If Shen Lingxue didn't have these thoughts, even if she lost control, she wouldn't have confronted me. But don't worry, I won't kill her. Simply killing her would mean she'd never realize her mistakes. I'll make her wish she was dead."
"What are you going to do?" Li Wenhao panicked, his imagination running wild at the mention of a fate worse than death. He struggled to get up, ignoring his injuries.
But as he tried to rise, Fang Xiu's right eye glowed crimson. Li Wenhao collapsed immediately, his eyes rolling back as he spat out blood and fainted.
Then, Fang Xiu turned to Shen Lingxue, who was close to suffocating, and said calmly, "Look into my eyes."
Suddenly, the crimson glow intensified. Specter's Spiritual Energy surged through Shen Lingxue's eyes, penetrating her soul.
"From today, you will worship me as a god!"
As his words fell, Shen Lingxue's eyes gradually lost their luster, as if her soul had been extracted, leaving only endless pain.
THUD!
Shen Lingxue's delicate body fell heavily to the ground.
Fang Xiu created a torturous illusion for Shen Lingxue. In this illusion, everything she did was wrong, leading to endless criticism and condemnation.
She was completely negated, leading to self-doubt. Since she was so arrogant to think others were always in the wrong, Fang Xiu crafted a world where she alone always made mistakes.
In this illusion, her brother also appeared, placing her in a dilemma. If she chose to save her brother, countless ordinary people would die as a result. Her brother wouldn't be grateful but would blame her for causing so many deaths.
If she chose to sacrifice her brother for the greater good, his spirit would haunt her daily, questioning why she didn't save him.
Every choice was wrong.
The most tormenting punishment is not physical but mental. Dealing with someone as arrogant as Shen Lingxue required breaking down her pride, trampling and shattering her self-righteous dignity.
Previously, Fang Xiu couldn't use his Blood Pupil to this extent, but now his awakened Spiritual Energy had reached 10%, significantly enhancing his power. The Blood Pupil, a second-tier ability, needed substantial backing to unleash its full potential.
Shen Lingxue was particularly vulnerable at this moment, her Spiritual Energy somewhat out of control and her mind at its weakest, making it easy for Fang Xiu to invade and leave an indelible mark on her psyche.
In the illusion, Shen Lingxue was alone in an endless darkness, with a spotlight seemingly fixed above her head. No matter how she moved, the spotlight stayed locked on her, illuminating a narrow area around her, like a prison of light from which she couldn't escape.
Overwhelmed with pain, Shen Lingxue couldn't focus on anything else as the agony engulfed her like a tidal wave. And then, in the distance, another spotlight flickered on.