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Translator's note: "Huazi" is a colloquial term in Chinese that refers to a popular brand of cigarettes, which is short for "中华" (Zhonghua, literally meaning 'China' in Chinese). Zhonghua is a well-known and high-end cigarette brand in China. The term "华子" is often used informally among smokers to refer to these cigarettes.
Yang Ming was instantly knocked into the air, and his cigarette fell to the ground.
"You damn greenhorns. Show some respect to me!" Ma Xingbang coldly glared at everyone.
"Shit! My Huazi*! That was my last cigarette!" Yang Ming shouted as he walked out of the rubble, unharmed because he had the Corpse Bead.
He was angry. He drew the short knife from his waist and charged straight at Ma Xingbang.
Bai Qi joined the fight too, and soon the three of them were in a fierce battle.
Fang Xiu stayed back, observing the other masks.
Ma Xingbang's Specterization surprised him, as Fang Xiu didn't think Ma Xingbang's mask was real. He thought that, with Zhou Qingfeng's careful planning, he wouldn't let anyone else get the real mask easily.
Besides, Ma Xingbang seemed a bit crazy. Though his strength had increased, it wasn't impressive enough for Fang Xiu. The Genesis mask shouldn't have such limited effects.
Fang Xiu guessed that this was the bad result of wearing the wrong mask.
"Xiu, come help us! This guy is fighting like crazy!" Yang Ming shouted.
Fang Xiu watched the fight—Ma Xingbang was overpowering the two of them. Even so, he didn't step in.
It was easy for him to deal with Ma Xingbang. He just needed to reset the game and kill Ma Xingbang before he could get the mask.
But Fang Xiu didn't plan to kill himself, because not everyone was worth his reset. He was only facing Ma Xingbang, after all, not a big deal.
"You guys keep fighting, I'll look around."
With that, Fang Xiu really started to walk around.
He first went back the way they came, only to find that a transparent barrier, like an air wall, now blocked the entrance. He couldn't leave.
'Sealed off?' Fang Xiu's eyes flickered as he guessed what was happening.
'Zhou Qingfeng's goal is obvious: Yang Ming can't leave without getting the Genesis mask. How does he ensure Yang Ming gets the Genesis mask? Yang Ming is blessed by God, which should help him pick the right mask among thousands. But God doesn't want this world to be Specterized, so there's a chance God won't let Yang Ming choose correctly.'
'Zhou Qingfeng would definitely consider this, too. So, to make sure Yang Ming gets the mask, there's only one possibility—all the masks are real. To be precise, all these thousands of masks are parts of the Genesis mask. Together, they form the true Genesis mask. No matter which one Yang Ming picks, it will be the right one. Zhou Qingfeng wasn't worried about others taking it because there are enough masks for everyone. Now the only question left is how to merge all the masks into one. Maybe we'll know after wearing the mask.'
After figuring everything out, Fang Xiu returned to where the masks were.
At this moment, Yang Ming was struggling. Bai Qi seemed to be seriously injured, lying on the ground with a twisted, painful expression.
Bai Qi's ability had a crushing advantage against enemies of the same level. If he struck first, he could usually kill them instantly. But he had a clear weakness: against opponents with high defense or those who could slow him down, his effectiveness was greatly reduced.
Ma Xingbang's gravity control ability was a perfect counter to Bai Qi. Under heavy pressure, Bai Qi's speed was drastically reduced.
Moreover, Ma Xingbang wasn't weak. Even though he used second-tier abilities, he had many of them, and after Specterizing, his strength grew even more.
So only Yang Ming, with the help of the Corpse Bead, could barely fend off his attacks.
However, the Corpse Bead couldn't last forever. Yang Ming already had corpse spots appearing on his body. If this went on too long, he would turn into a corpse completely. In the heat of battle, he had no time to use the corpse water jar to reverse the process.
Fang Xiu noticed that Yang Ming could hold on for a while longer. So, he walked over to the masks and picked one up, putting it on himself. Just then, suddenly—
With a loud crash, a huge rock fell from above, aiming to crush him. His expression remained unchanged as he casually raised his right hand to block the rock with his flesh and blood.
With a single punch, he shattered the rock into countless pieces that flew in all directions. His body, strengthened by Specter power, was already as tough as steel.
At that moment, Ma Xingbang knocked Yang Ming away and rushed toward Fang Xiu like a ghost.
_'He doesn't want me to touch the masks?'_Fang Xiu's expression remained calm.
With a flick of his right hand, his scalpel appeared. It gleamed silver, heading toward Ma Xingbang's neck like a venomous snake.
Ma Xingbang sneered, not defending at all.
Fang Xiu did the same, ignoring the incoming punch, ready to trade blows.
"Xiu! Careful! This guy copied your ability and can transfer his pain into your body!" Yang Ming shouted.
Fang Xiu didn't move.
In the next second, Fang Xiu's scalpel stabbed into Ma Xingbang's neck, while Ma Xingbang's punch hit Fang Xiu's chest.
Both of them were slightly surprised.
Fang Xiu noticed that the terrifying black energy around Ma Xingbang turned into tiny snakes that wrapped around his arm, blocking the blow.
Ma Xingbang, on the other hand, was shocked that Fang Xiu took his punch without even groaning. He had infused all his pain into that punch, but Fang Xiu showed no sign of feeling it.
The two of them simultaneously retreated, creating some distance between each other.
Fang Xiu observed Ma Xingbang, thinking to himself. The black aura was clearly a power from the Genesis mask, able to turn into living entities that protected him. It would be difficult to land a killing blow.
Ma Xingbang asked, "You can withstand my lifetime of pain? That's impossible! You must have a Specter Gadget protecting you!"
He couldn't believe that someone as young as Fang Xiu could endure his pain.
Ma Xingbang had faced countless hardships to reach the headquarters and become a third-tier psychic. He had survived numerous life-and-death situations in Specter events, suffered severe injuries, been cursed, and had his body corrupted by Specter powers. These pains were enough to drive anyone mad.
Hearing this, Fang Xiu's lips curled into a cruel smile. "You call that pain? Let me show you what real pain is!"
As his smile twisted, a wild and mottled Specter power surged through Fang Xiu's body.
His black short hair turned silver and grew longer.
His right eye filled with a dense network of blood vessels, becoming a glowing red.
A slit tore open in the palm of his left hand, revealing sharp fangs.
A nearly tangible aura of fear emanated from him, spreading like thick fog.
At this moment, Fang Xiu seemed completely changed, more Specter than human.
Ma Xingbang was stunned and blurted out, "You can Specterize without a mask!?"
"Oh? Thanks for the reminder." Fang Xiu reached for a mask nearby—a Ghost Mask.
"Don't even think about it!"
Ma Xingbang had learned from the mask that all of them were real, so he didn't want anyone else to wear one. He quickly extended his right hand and pressed down hard toward Fang Xiu. "Ten times gravity!"
An invisible force of gravity instantly enveloped Fang Xiu.
"Gravity halved!"
Ma Xingbang then halved his own gravity, increasing his speed. He activated his speed ability, becoming a blur.
As he watched, Yang Ming knew things would be bad. He wanted to stop Ma Xingbang but couldn’t keep up with his speed.
"Xiu, watch out!!"
Fang Xiu stood still, his silver hair flowing, and his right eye glowing red. He didn't seem to care about the increased gravity.
As Ma Xingbang closed in, Fang Xiu's left hand, with its sharp fangs, moved to intercept. The two collided with a force that shook the ground.