Familiar shadows once again covered the entire room.
Ace and King of Spades emerged from the shadows.
"Sir," Ace and King of Spades respectfully knelt on the ground.
Fang Xiu's gaze did not waver, and in a calm and indifferent tone, he repeated what he had said before, "I remember telling you not to come to me unless I summon you. Did you forget?"
With a thud, the two prostrated before him, their forehead pressed firmly on the floor.
"Every word you said is engraved in our hearts. We came this time because we have an important matter to report," they said, trembling.
"How dare you bother me with something so unimportant?"
Ace and King of Spades were stunned._ 'So unimportant? How did he know what we were going to say?'_
"Sir, you already know?" Ace of Spades asked tentatively.
Fang Xiu hummed, standing with his hands behind his back. He said, "Although Yan Changshou doesn't know my identity, he poses a threat to me. You killing his subordinates serves as a small warning, and I felt pleased."
Upon hearing this, Ace and King of Spades were instantly shocked. They were amazed at Fang Xiu's mysterious methods. They had come to take credit for getting the information, but Fang Xiu already knew everything they were going to say and in such detail.
"Indeed, nothing escapes you, sir," Ace of Spades said with fervor, a stark contrast to his previous anger.
Fang Xiu made no response to it. Instead, he asked indifferently, "How is the plan progressing?"
Ace of Spades hesitated slightly, "Which plan are you referring to, sir?"
Fang Xiu's mind stirred. It seemed the Pokers were involved in many secret activities, with several plans in motion.
He glanced at the two with a profound look, "Which plan do you think is important enough for me to ask about? Naturally, the plan regarding the training at headquarters. Think before you speak. Don't make me ask twice."
The two were instantly alarmed and quickly replied, "Yes, sir! We understand. The plan is progressing steadily, please rest assured."
They were not surprised that Fang Xiu knew about the plan. After all, he was one of the higher-ups in the Pokers; nothing in the organization would be hidden from him. It would only be strange If he didn't know about it.
Fang Xiu snorted coldly, "Steadily progressing? I'm using this training as a cover to infiltrate the Investigation Bureau headquarters. Yan Changshou failed this time, but when I reached headquarters, who knows what trouble he might cause. Is this what you call steady progress?"
"Well…"
Ace and King of Spades exchanged a glance and saw the troubled look in each other's eyes.
"Sir, should we reveal your identity to Yan Changshou?" Ace of Spades asked.
"Fools! Does he deserve to know my identity? He is just a pawn for the organization."
Ace and King of Spades were even more troubled.
Yan Changshou is a destabilizing factor," Fang Xiu said coldly. "It seems we need to get him replaced."
The faces of the two Spades changed drastically.
"Sir, we must not," said Ace of Spades, the more outspoken one. "Yan Changshou is a crucial part of the plan. Only his domain, the Specter Gate, can transport the Specters prepared by the organization to headquarters without anyone noticing. If we replace him, no one else could complete this part of the job."
Fang Xiu's mind whirled._ 'Specter Gate? The Specters prepared by the Pokers?'_
His words revealed a lot of critical information. It seemed that the ability of a fourth-tier psychic was "domains."
At the first tier, psychics showed their initial abilities; at the second tier, their abilities advanced; at the third tier, their abilities totally awakened; and at the fourth tier, they had their own domains.
Fang Xiu was sure Yan Changshou was a fourth-tier psychic, not a fifth-tier. His reason was simple: Ace of Spades' attitude. Although he showed some fear towards Yan Changshou, it wasn't true fear. So Fang Xiu speculated that they were of the same level, with only a little difference.
As Fang Xiu pondered, the room fell silent. King of Spades, being more perceptive, saw Fang Xiu's enigmatic expression and suddenly had an idea. His eyes lit up.
"I was short-sighted, sir. I almost forgot you can summon Specters from the Other Side. With you infiltrating headquarters, we don't need Yan Changshou at all."
King of Spades' reminder made Ace of Spades' eyes light up too. "Right! That's why you want to replace Yan Changshou. With you in action, we don't need to rely on him."
Fang Xiu was slightly taken aback, but he kept a calm and approving expression. "You're smarter than I thought."
Receiving praise from Fang Xiu, Ace and King of Spades were overjoyed. King of Spades, now emboldened, continued to reveal more information.
"Sir, this move is a masterstroke. Yan Changshou is a greedy man who wants to use the Pokers to eliminate his rivals and take the Chief Captain's position. Although he says he will support the Pokers and the Specterization of the masses if he becomes Chief Captain, I believe his ambition for power is too great, and he will cause trouble in the future. His Specterization process must have gotten out of control, forcing him to cooperate with us, or he wouldn't have done so. He's a ticking time bomb; it's better to eliminate him early, as you said."
Fang Xiu looked approvingly at King of Spades, satisfied with the amount of secrets he revealed. Seeing he had earned Fang Xiu's approval, King of Spades was overjoyed.
Now, both sides were happy, making it a win-win situation.
Seeing King of Spades stealing the spotlight, Ace of Spades felt a surge of jealousy. He quickly spoke up, "Sir, I'll go back and tell other pokers to eliminate Yan Changshou as soon as possible. The moment he dared to send people to assassinate you, he was marked for death."
Ace of Spades thought he was flattering Fang Xiu well, but he noticed Fang Xiu's face turn cold.
Go back and contact the organization? If Joker found out and discovered that Fang Xiu wasn't part of the organization, his identity would be exposed again.
Seeing Fang Xiu's cold expression, Ace of Spades felt a jolt of fear. _"Oh no, I've messed up again."_
Even though he didn't know what he said wrong, he thought bowing and admitting his mistake was the safest move.
"Sir, I'm so sorry. That was a bad idea."
Fang Xiu's gaze turned icy as he looked at Ace of Spades, his voice cold, "And why is that?"
Ace of Spades began to tremble.
"I'm sorry…sir, I do not know."
"Hmph!"
The sound of Fang Xiu's disdain was like a thunderbolt exploding in Ace of Spades' ear.
"Your mistake is your lack of ambition!" Fang Xiu said, seemingly disappointed. "I thought you two had potential and wanted to give you important roles. But even if I favor you, you need to have achievements and strength to command respect from others. I've given you enough hints. You've really let me down. I gave you a chance, but you've wasted it!"
Ace of Spades was now petrified, only able to keep prostrating. As for the "hint" Fang Xiu mentioned, he was too dim-witted to figure it out.
King of Spades was bitterly frustrated, almost ready to curse at him. He felt that Ace of Spades' poor flattery had dragged him down. He had managed to earn a bit of Fang Xiu's favor, but Ace of Spades had wasted it all. He felt exhausted.
At the same time, King of Spades' mind raced.