Wang Yanran, good at reading men's thoughts, quickly caught on.
_'Similar to someone's eyes? Could it be a childhood sweetheart? A former girlfriend? Or perhaps his wife?'_
"Do my eyes remind you of someone?" Wang Yanran asked, feigning innocence and curiosity.
"Your eyes... they look so much like my wife's," Fang Xiu replied.
Wang Yanran's heart jumped with joy, believing she had just stepped back from death's door. But before she could fully be happy, Fang Xiu's expression changed dramatically.
He lowered his head and leaned closer to Wang Yanran, revealing a face contorted with hatred and terror.
A suppressed, crazed voice whispered in her ear, "That's why you must die!!"
Hearing that, Wang Yanran was paralyzed with fear, her mind flashing back to her first encounter with a Specter. The sheer, indescribable terror of that experience was enough to drive anyone to despair.
Yet now, she felt that fear again. But she couldn't understand why resembling someone's wife would bring such hatred.
_'As the old saying goes, a night of marriage equals a hundred days of grace. Can't he let go of whatever grudge he held?'_
She concluded bitterly that men were truly no good.
As Fang Xiu raised his scalpel, Wang Yanran's pupils dilated in uncontrollable terror, her thoughts a mess. The scalpel, now a streak of silver light, was inches from her neck. Time, which should have been fleeting, felt agonizingly slow.
Her mind wandered back to her first Specter incident. Back then, she was treated like a princess by men, enjoying free drinks and fruit plates in any lounge, even getting paid for her company. But that life changed overnight when she accidentally wandered into a Specter Zone. Trapped without food or escape, she encountered many men, their negative emotions amplified by fear.
Like a sheep amongst wolves, she was toyed with mercilessly. Yet, she didn't give up. Surviving on scraps from these men, she managed to outlive them all as their strength waned. Eventually, she activated her power and became a psychic. Perhaps her desire to be in control, after being treated like a plaything, awakened her puppeteer abilities.
Wang Yanran often wondered if things might have been different had she not been so vain in college, desiring luxury bags, which ultimately led her down a path that brought her face-to-face with Specters during her night shifts.
Her thoughts were abruptly cut off as a flash of silver light passed. The cold scalpel pierced her fair neck, and warm blood flowed along the blade.
"Enjoy my pain!"
With Fang Xiu's sinister laugh, Wang Yanran's descended into unbearable pain. Moments later, she twitched and died.
Perhaps Fang Xiu was unaware of Wang Yanran's tragic past, but even if he knew, it likely wouldn't have changed his actions. In his view, her suffering was irrelevant to his cause. The reason behind that was simplethose who kill must be prepared to be killed.
After dealing with Wang Yanran, Fang Xiu turned at the sound of movement behind him. Wang Erni's silver hair, which had fallen out, was moving rapidly on the ground like a spider. Surprisingly, it headed straight for Shen Lingxue, who lay in a muddy pit.
In a swift movement, the silver hair attached to Shen Lingxue's black hair, transforming it from black to silver.
As the silver hair took hold, Shen Lingxue, previously unconscious, suddenly opened her eyes. They were filled with confusion, then rage, hatred, and anger.
Her body twisted as she stood up, covered in mud, and a Specter's energy began to emanate from her. The silver hair started to float and dance wildly, signaling the rise of a new host for the hair Specter.
With a ghost-like swiftness, Fang Xiu appeared before Shen Lingxue and slapped her across the face, disrupting whatever transformation was taking place. The intense pain sent her into unconsciousness once again, and she collapsed back into the mud. The silver hair, which had been lively, fell limply.
With a quick motion of his scalpel, Fang Xiu cut the silver hair and then grabbed it. Shen Lingxue's previously long and black hair was now reduced to a buzz cutall that was left uninfected.
Fang Xiu had removed the hair as close to the scalp as possible to avoid any remnants of the Specter power.
The silver hair in Fang Xiu's hand writhed like a live octopus, its strands trying to wrap around his arm, seemingly attempting to climb onto his head.
"You want to parasitize me? As you wish," Fang Xiu said with a smile, pressing the writhing silver hair onto his head.
After feeling an itch on his scalp, Fang Xiu checked his reflection on his phone. His black hair had vanished, replaced by silver ones.
He then sensed an evil Specter power attempting to invade and twist his mind. However, when this power reached his consciousness, he remained unfazed, almost amused.
_'Is this it?'_
Fang Xiu then used his dark, ink-like Spiritual Energy to counteract the silver hair. As his power, filled with pain and endless hatred, surged into the hair, it reacted as if startled, puffing up dramatically. For a moment, Fang Xiu's hair stood this way and that.
However, with a cold snort from Fang Xiu, the silver hair quickly retracted and shortened, adapting snugly to his head. Eventually, it reverted to Fang Xiu's original hairstyle and color.
Having dealt with all his enemies, Fang Xiu sheathed his scalpel at his waist. The terrifying black mist and the howling Specter shadows surrounding him gradually dissipated.
The blood-red light in his right eye faded, revealing clear, distinct pupils. His face, no longer contorted with malice, regained its usual calm demeanor."