Die, Replay, Repeat

<!--$--><!--/$--><!--$-->

At the headquarters, in Fang Xiu's office, the air was tense.

"What? You say these are Spiritual Gadgets? Are you sure?" The Director stared in shock at the antiques on the desk.

Fang Xiu nodded calmly. "Yes, that's right. These antiques will, in time, transform into Spiritual Gadgets in the future."

Even the Director, normally skeptical, found himself believing when Fang Xiu talked about "the future." A rare smile appeared on his usually composed face.

"Wonderful. God bless Huaxia! These antiques can transform into Spiritual Gadgets? This is truly incredible news." The Director's mind raced with possibilities, imagining a future where every psychic in Huaxia carried a Spiritual Gadget.

Fang Xiu held up a hand, warning, "Don't get too excited just yet. For an antique to become a Spiritual Gadget, it needs exposure to Specter energy. But, just like becoming a psychic is a matter of chance, not everyone who survives a Specter event will gain psychic abilities."

He continued, "However, if we regularly expose these antiques to Specter events, with the help of psychics protecting them, they will eventually transform. I call this plan the 'Spirit Nurturing Project.' We can assign trusted psychics to carry these antiques on missions, allowing them to grow into Spiritual Gadgets."

Fang Xiu couldn't help but think of Yang Ming. Given the power of his abilities, Yang Ming seemed like the ideal candidate for this project.

After all, the Specter Bell had transformed into a Spiritual Gadget after just one day under his care.

The Director nodded thoughtfully, seeing the potential in Fang Xiu's idea.

"Then our first step will be to aggressively acquire all the antiques that have fallen into civilian hands. We'll bring in everything—museum pieces, rare collections, and most importantly, the antiques scattered overseas!"

The Director's eyes flashed with determination.

"Also, foreign merchants took many of our antiques before, some of which are important in history. As you said, these items must contain immense spiritual power. The more famous they are, the greater the spiritual energy they carry. Once they become Spiritual Gadgets, their power will multiply exponentially. We must recover every single one."

After a moment's reflection, the Director paused.

"Fang Xiu, perhaps we should delay your nationwide psychic plan for now. If you go against the United Bureaus and reveal the truth, it will offend other countries. That will make it much harder to recover these antiques."

Fang Xiu raised an eyebrow. "Then how do you plan to retrieve them?"

The Director thought for a moment. "The initial plan is to buy them back, but we can't pay too much. If we offer a high price, other countries might catch on. It's better to send people to pose as patriotic merchants and buy them in batches. A little cost now will be worth it. When the truth comes out, other countries will regret it."

Fang Xiu shook his head, unimpressed. "Buy back our own things?"

He smiled slightly. "The times have changed. This is the age of Specters and psychics. Our approach to dealing with other countries needs to change too."

The Director frowned. "You're about to meet with the United Bureaus, right? What are you planning to do there?"

Fang Xiu's expression grew serious. "I'll attend the meeting and settle this matter once and for all."

The Director's face grew anxious. "Fang Xiu, what exactly are you planning? The world is facing an invasion from Specters. Now is not the time for internal conflict. If—"

"Internal conflict?" Fang Xiu interrupted calmly. "Don't worry. As long as the deterrent is strong enough, the world won't descend into chaos."

The Director opened his mouth to argue, but Fang Xiu cut him off with a final, confident statement.

"I've already seen the future. The choices I make are the best solutions from countless possible futures. There's no need for doubt."

The Director fell silent, unable to speak. Arguing with Fang Xiu about the future? Please. He was smarter than that.

Soon, the day for the United Bureaus' conference arrived.

This meeting, organized by the United Bureaus, brought together the Chief Commanders of each country's Investigation Bureau to discuss how to handle the global Specter invasion.

Although such conferences were not uncommon, this was Fang Xiu's first time attending one.

The conference took place at the global headquarters of the United Bureaus.

Given the special nature of the meeting and the important people in attendance, there were no journalists present.

In fact, most attendees weren't even wearing formal suits. Nearly everyone in the room was a psychic, and you could never expect psychics to conform to normal standards of dress.

The venue was packed. A massive conference table stood at the front of the room, where more than ten people were seated.

The remaining hundred or so attendees filled the seats below the stage.

It was clear that those seated below were mostly Chief Commanders from smaller countries, some even from the third tier.

The dozen or so people at the top were the Chief Commanders of the more powerful nations, along with a few from countries that weren't as strong overall but had powerful psychics.

To secure a seat at the podium, two factors were considered: a country's overall strength and, more importantly, the power of their domestic psychics. The latter often weighed more heavily.

There were rumors that in some countries, national sovereignty had already shifted. Psychics were becoming the true rulers of these nations.

This wasn't surprising. Powerful psychics were almost god-like compared to regular humans. Particularly those who had reached the fourth tier, whose Domains were nearly invincible against ordinary humans.

No guns or missiles could break through a Domain. This was no longer just a matter of raw strength; Domains were connected to the mysteries of space itself.

No matter how powerful human weapons were, they had never been able to shatter space.

As for the fifth tier, with the power of Spiritual Energy Light, it was even more terrifying.

After Fang Moli reached the fifth tier, the headquarters tested Mindflare's defenses and concluded that no known human weapon could penetrate its barrier.

Of course, nuclear weapons had not been tested yet, so it was still unclear whether Mindflare could withstand a nuclear strike.

From this, it was clear that high-tier psychics were essentially superhumans. And superhumans, no matter how rich or powerful ordinary people were, could never be content to be ruled by them.

When an individual's power was enough to influence the course of wars, they were, in a sense, a crownless king.

Take, for example, a first-tier psychic with illusion-based abilities. They could easily infiltrate a presidential palace and control a country by manipulating the president.

In such an environment, it was common for psychics to become presidents.

At the round table, one person glanced at the empty seat beside him and scoffed.

"The meeting was scheduled for ten o'clock, and it's already half past. The Chief Commander of Huaxia hasn't shown up yet. What an impressive attitude."

He spoke in English, but since everyone wore simultaneous translation devices, there was no language barrier.

Another person, with a sarcastic tone, added, "The time has changed. Huaxia's Investigation Bureau has a fifth-tier powerhouse, the only one in the world at that level. Of course, they're going to have a big ego."

<!--/$-->Notes

Translator's note: So the United Bureaus is basically the UN.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!