The next moment, mist came out of the briefcase that Vernon had carried with him, and Ghosty realized how Vernon had done it.
Of course, he had taken note of the briefcase, but he had thought that it contained something that Vernon was willing to offer Ghosty for his help.
He hadn't expected that a person was in there.
When the mist turned into Nick, Ghosty became shocked for several reasons.
The first and biggest reason was that he had not heard of any Extractor having the ability to change the form of their body to this degree.
There were abilities that could add something to someone's body.
There were also abilities that could transform a part of the body into a weapon or something similar.
However, Ghosty had never heard of an ability that could turn someone's body into something completely different.
Even more important was the fact that it was a gas.
Even when somebody could change part of their body, the new part was always hard.
Metal, chitin, rock, and so on.
Ghosty had heard of one guy that could turn his arm into magma, but the shape of the arm was still preserved.
But turning one's entire body into mist?!
That was mind-boggling!
Of course, Nick had shown this ability to a couple of people before, but none of them had been as surprised as Ghosty, the one who knew the most about most things in Crimson City.
That was because Ghosty realized how truly strange that ability was.
Experienced Extractors like Aria or Vernon had come into contact with hundreds of Extractors and their abilities, and they had long since gotten used to the strangeness of abilities.
There were some really crazy abilities out there.
And that was exactly the reason why they were not very surprised about Nick's ability.
It was just one amongst many.
But Ghosty knew better.
As far as he knew, this was the first case of a human being able to mimic the properties of a Force Specter!
This was extraordinary!
The second reason why Ghosty was surprised was the fact that Nick managed to get in here without being noticed.
Yes, he was inside the briefcase, shielding him from view, but Ghosty was very good at being able to sense Zephyx.
Surprisingly, the briefcase did not give off any Zephyx until Nick appeared, which was strange.
Force Specters gave off more Zephyx than normal Specters or Extractors at a baseline.
That was because their bodies were mostly liquid or gaseous.
It was more difficult for them to keep their Zephyx contained inside their bodies due to their loose properties.
In his fog state, Nick was mimicking the properties of a Force Specter.
So, how had Ghosty not been able to sense him so far?
In that state, he should have given off a considerable amount of Zephyx.
Additionally, the briefcase didn't show any signs of being tampered with.
It was just a normal briefcase.
Ghosty didn't know how Nick had managed to contain all his Zephyx inside of his body while in his fog state.
Of course, the last reason why Ghosty was surprised was the fact that Vernon was betting on Nick.
First of all, as far as Ghosty knew, Nick was a Peak Veteran.
That was not somebody who could infiltrate Anatomy.
Second, Nick wasn't even part of Kugelblitz.
Why would Kugelblitz bet their survival on some random Peak Veteran that didn't even work for them?
This sounded completely bizarre!
If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't believe it.
Kugelblitz really had to be out of options if that was what they came up with.
But on the other hand, Nick managed to get in here without being noticed.
He managed to enter Ghosty's office in secret.
That was nothing to scoff at.
Vernon chuckled. "I knew that I needed to prove the feasibility of this plan. If I just told you what our plan was, you would have thought me to be crazy."
"That's unusual," Ghosty said.
Nick nodded. "Hello, Ghosty," he said.
The two of them talked to each other occasionally, and Ghosty wasn't someone who put a lot of importance on politeness.
"Fancy seeing you here, Nick," Ghosty said. "I was under the impression this would be a meeting between two people."
Vernon chuckled. "I knew that I needed to prove the feasibility of this plan. If I just told you what our plan was, you would have thought me to be crazy."
Ghosty looked between Vernon and Nick. "Understandable."
Ghosty quickly regained his composure and looked back at Vernon. "But I still don't know why you are here."
"He was the one that wanted to meet you," Vernon said. "I'm just here to deliver him."
"Oh?" Ghosty uttered as he glanced at Nick in interest.
At that moment, Nick furrowed his brows.
If he wanted to succeed, he knew that he needed all the help, and he also knew that Ghosty would want a show of sincerity before he even considered helping Nick.
"I have signed a Death Pact with Vernon," Nick said.
Ghosty was not really surprised.
This was about Kugelblitz's survival.
Naturally, Vernon wouldn't take any chances.
"The terms are that I have to do everything in my power to weaken Anatomy enough to give Kugelblitz a fighting chance," Nick said.
"I'm confident that I can infiltrate Anatomy, but I'm not sure how I can cause enough damage to it."
"That is why I need your help."
"Ghosty's Lab produces almost all the equipment the Manufacturers use, and there must be some way to take advantage of that," Nick said.
A gleam appeared in Ghosty's eyes. "Do you realize what you're suggesting?" he asked.
Nick nodded wordlessly.
Ghosty remained silent for a while.
"Why should I help you?" he asked.
This was the riskiest moment.
If Nick didn't show sincerity, he knew that everything would be over.
"I'm willing to trust you. Kugelblitz is willing to trust you. I am certain that Anatomy will not trust you."
Ghosty could tell that Nick was about to say something very interesting.
"As proof of my trust, I will tell you something that only one other person inside this city knows."
"I have the ability of the Null."