With Fang Xiu's current skill set—utilizing only 5% of his psychic energy, equipped with the scalpel and the bronze candlestick, the blood pupil, along with his ability to inflict pain—mundane Grade D missions had ceased to hold any allure for him.
Plus, since he had hired some assassins, he was now in desperate need of cash.
There were extra rewards for handling Specter problems at the Psychic Investigation Bureau. Dealing with a Grade D Specter netted you 10 spiritual coins, a Grade C with 100 spiritual coins, and a Grade B with 1000 spiritual coins. It only went up from there.
Fang Xiu had a special deal. He had asked for it, and Wang Dehai agreed, so he got double the reward. So, if he handled a Grade C Specter problem, he'd get 200 spiritual coins. He could then assassinate someone else from Bright Club.
He thought that if he kept making money, he could one day buy the life of the leader of the Bright. And if he had 5,000 spiritual coins, he'd probably be stronger than that leader anyway.
"Before you go on your mission, the Bureau is giving you a partner to handle the small jobs, like Shen Lingxue's partner Li Wenhao you've met. Every official psychic gets paired with a regular agent," Wang Dehai suddenly said.
'A partner?'
Fang Xiu didn't refuse. Having someone handling small stuff would be great. Seeing Fang Xiu didn't mind, Wang Dehai picked up his office phone and called someone.
"Kexin, get to my office," he said.
Fang Xiu could hear the sounds of chairs moving from the phone. It sounded like someone had just stood up.
"Ah, okay, okay, sir, coming right over," a soft, slightly pained female voice said.
After hanging up, Wang Dehai said, "Kexin might seem a bit all over the place, but she is very dedicated when it comes to work. She graduated from a prestigious university and does a great job here at the Bureau."
Wang Dehai started to say more, but Fang Xiu stopped him.
"As long as she's not in the way, that's all I need," he said.
A bit later, Fang Xiu heard quick footsteps coming closer. They slowed down just before getting to the office, followed by the sound of someone adjusting their clothing and a faint pep talk.
"Come on, Kexin, you can do it!"
"Even if psychics are tough, if you put in effort, you'll get noticed. Keep going!"
She took a deep breath.
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
Someone was knocking on the door.
"Come in."
With a creak, the office door swung open, and a small young woman with pale skin and dainty features stepped in.
She stood about 160 cm tall and wore a business suit that was a bit too big, making her already tiny size seem even smaller. Her large black pupils stared straight ahead, and her mouth held a somewhat stiff, nervous smile.
She was obviously trying to seem professional, but her eyes clearly showed she was inexperienced.
In short, she was a tiny woman in every way except for her large eyes.
"Hello, Director Wang," she said respectfully, while her eyes quickly glanced over at Fang Xiu.
Wang Dehai nodded and introduced her. "Kexin, meet Fang Xiu. You'll be working with him from now on."
The young woman quickly turned to Fang Xiu, bent over in a 90-degree bow, and nervously but politely said, "Hi, Mr. Fang. My name is Su Kexin, and my badge number is 1327."
Before she could say anything else, Fang Xiu was already on his feet, looking at her without much expression. "Skip the pointless details. Just send me your phone number later. Unless I contact you first, don't call me unless it's something important."
"Huh?" Su Kexin looked up, her large eyes showing a mix of confusion and hurt.
Fang Xiu didn't bother giving her more attention and started walking toward the door.
"Your acting," he mumbled as he walked past her, "isn't too bad. But cut it out next time."
He left the room, not caring about the surprised look on Su Kexin's face.
After he was gone, Su Kexin held back her hurt feelings and softly asked, "Director Wang, does he not like me?"
Wang Dehai consoled her, "Kexin, don't worry about it. Psychics are just hard to get along with. You'll have to get used to it."
Su Kexin pushed aside her sad feelings, clenched her small fist, and declared, "I'll definitely do my best!"
Not long after he stepped out, Fang Xiu got a text from Su Kexin. It had her phone number, her name, and a brief message.
"Mr. Fang, maybe you have some misunderstandings about me, but it's okay. One day, I'll prove myself to you with my job skills. Please take care of me going forward."
After saving her number in his phone, Fang Xiu paid it no further attention.
Even though Su Kexin seemed to fit the mold of a naive and innocent young lady on the surface, Fang Xiu wasn't buying it. He believed Su Kexin was way smarter than she was letting on.
First off, Su Kexin had graduated from a prestigious university and had special training at the Investigation Bureau. She was no rookie. Even if it was her first time working with a psychic, she shouldn't be excessively nervous.
Next, as a partner, she should have some understanding of psychics and their heightened senses. But she still chose to give herself a pep talk right outside the door, which seemed more like it was meant for someone to hear.
It wasn't out of the question that Su Kexin really had that personality, but it didn't make a difference to Fang Xiu. All he wanted in a partner was for them not to act independently and become a hindrance.
The next day, a black SUV rolled out of the Investigation Bureau, heading straight for the hilly Blackwater area. At the wheel was Shen Lingxue, and riding along were Fang Xiu, Zhao Hao, and a plump man.
Today, Shen Lingxue ditched her work clothes and wore a sporty white outfit, highlighting her already slim and attractive figure. If it weren't for her somewhat aloof expression, she could easily pass for a youthful and athletic girl.
Fang Xiu and the others were also dressed casually.
Inside the car, the plump man started introducing himself. He assumed the role of a senior agent and said to Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao, "You guys are Fang Xiu and Zhao Hao, right? Nice to meet you. Just to introduce myself, my last name is Liu, and my first name is Shuai, just the single character that means 'handsome'. I've been around the Investigation Bureau for a bit, so you can just call me 'Handsome'."