Die, Replay, Repeat

Fang Xiu and his group soon arrived at the Corpse Lake.

The gray, misty surface of the lake radiated a chilling, oppressive energy that seeped into their very bones.

Li Xiaoru and the others stared at the lake as though peering into an abyss. The sight made their skin crawl, their hearts pounding with unease.

Before long, Wei Xin, the Zombie, appeared. His expression was grim, his thoughts unreadable.

He fixed his gaze on Fang Xiu and asked in a grave tone, "How do you know the way to the Corpse Lake?"

Fang Xiu met his stare with calm indifference. After a pause, he replied flatly, "You want to know? Ten thousand Spirit Money bills."

Wei Xin's pupils shrank sharply as shock rippled through his mind.

It wasn't the seemingly outrageous demand that unsettled him—charging ten thousand for a single answer was bold but not implausible.

What truly disturbed him was that Fang Xiu even knew about Spirit Money.

More unsettling still was the precision of his demand—exactly ten thousand Spirit Money bills, which happened to be the exact amount Wei Xin had on him.

This meant that Fang Xiu somehow knew how much Spirit Money he carried.

'How is this possible? Is it his ability? A terrifying coincidence?' Wei Xin couldn't suppress his shock.

"This is impossible!" he yelled, "How do you know about Spirit Money? No one who enters the Land Between ever leaves, so no information from here could reach the outside world! How could a newcomer like you possibly know such secrets? Unless…”

A horrifying realization struck him. His stiff, zombie-like face contorted in disbelief. "Unless you've been here before—and you found a way to leave! Do you know how to escape the Land Between?"

His voice trembled with urgency as he stared at Fang Xiu, desperate for answers.

But Fang Xiu remained calm, his tone steady. "Ten thousand."

Wei Xin's unease deepened. Fang Xiu's repeated demand confirmed what he already suspected—Fang Xiu absolutely knew the exact amount he carried.

After a moment of hesitation, Wei Xin made a decision.

He handed over the ten thousand Spirit Money bills.

He wasn't overly concerned about being cheated, as the Land Between operated under strict rules. Violating a transaction would result in eternal rejection by the Land Between—no one, living or dead, would trade with the offender again.

Wei Xin was confident Fang Xiu understood these rules. Anyone aware of Spirit Money would surely know the consequences of dishonesty.

"Here," Wei Xin said reluctantly, handing over the bills. His stiff face twisted slightly in frustration. "Ten thousand Spirit Money, in exchange for answers to all my questions."

To ensure he got his money's worth, he deliberately included a condition—all questions.

After handing over the money, he added coldly, "Since you know so much, you must also know the rules of the Land Between. If you violate this deal or lie, you'll become an outcast. No one will ever trade with you again."

Fang Xiu nodded, unbothered by the warning. Wei Xin's remarks only served to confirm more about how the Land Between operated.

It seemed true that once someone entered, escape was impossible. If escape were an option, Wei Xin wouldn't have remained trapped for two years.

Fang Xiu also found the rules governing fair trade intriguing. He recalled his earlier encounter with the Ferryman, when the boat had sunk halfway across because the Spirit Money they used was "unclean." That had clearly violated the Land Between's rules.

Fang Xiu began answering Wei Xin's questions, starting with the simplest one.

"My name is Fang Xiu," he said plainly.

Wei Xin mulled over the name but came up blank. He concluded that Fang Xiu must have risen to prominence in recent years—a relatively new figure among psychics.

But Wei Xin didn't care about Fang Xiu's name. What truly concerned him was how this newcomer knew so many secrets about the Land Between.

"And as for how I know all these secrets…" Fang Xiu continued.

He paused, letting tension build. Then, in the same calm, steady tone, he said:

"It's simple—because you told me everything."

Wei Xin froze in place, his mind reeling. A second later, his face twisted with rage.

"You dare toy with me?! Do you realize this is a violation of our deal?" he shouted angrily.

"Believe what you want," Fang Xiu replied calmly. His expression was tranquil, unbothered by the outburst. He knew he had not broken the rules—everything he said was the truth.

Wei Xin hesitated. He glanced at Fang Xiu's composed demeanor and began to doubt his own conclusion.

Logically, they didn't know each other. If they had no prior connection, there was no reason for Fang Xiu to deceive him.

Furthermore, Fang Xiu's knowledge of the Land Between indicated he was clearly aware of its rules. If Fang Xiu understood the consequences of breaking a deal, he wouldn't risk violating it.

The evidence all pointed to one unsettling conclusion—Fang Xiu was telling the truth.

Despite Wei Xin's reluctance to accept it, it seemed that he had indeed, in some way, "told" Fang Xiu everything.

Wei Xin's stiff face darkened as a new possibility occurred to him. His voice turned grim.

"You… you can read minds, can't you?"

It was the only explanation he could come up with. Fang Xiu must have some kind of psychic ability that allowed him to pry into Wei Xin's thoughts. That would explain how this so-called newcomer knew so many secrets.

"Damn it! He played me! I wasted ten thousand bills for nothing!" Wei Xin cursed bitterly.

Fang Xiu remained unfazed. "That's another question. I'll answer it for another ten thousand."

Wei Xin's expression turned even darker. He didn't bother responding to Fang Xiu's blatant provocation.

In his mind, there was no need to ask further—he was certain Fang Xiu had mind-reading abilities.

Fang Xiu continued speaking, his tone steady as ever.

"And as for your final question—how to leave the Land Between? The answer is simple: I don't know."

Wei Xin's face turned pitch black with fury. "How dare you treat me like a fool! Are you messing with me?"

"Correct. I am messing with you," Fang Xiu replied coolly. "Also, thank you for your valuable information about the Land Between… and for the ten thousand bills."

"YOU BASTARD!" Wei Xin erupted, his voice filled with rage. He pointed a trembling finger at Fang Xiu. "Listen, boy! You'd better not set foot in Whitestone Village! If you dare come, I'll—"

SHHHK!

A flash of silver streaked through the night, slicing through the air with deadly precision.

Before Wei Xin could finish his threat, the silver blade pierced his neck, cutting off his words entirely.

CRACK!

Wei Xin's body broke apart, collapsing into a pile of shredded paper. What remained was not flesh, but a paper effigy, torn and crumpled on the ground.

From the scraps of the paper figure, Wei Xin's enraged voice echoed:

"You dare! How dare you attack me! You'll regret this—you're dead, do you hear me? You're dea—"

CRUNCH!

Fang Xiu stomped his foot down on the paper effigy, grinding it into the dirt. He twisted his heel as if squashing a bug, silencing Wei Xin's voice entirely.

…

Yang Ming scratched his head, staring at the mess of paper beneath Fang Xiu's foot. His curiosity got the better of him.

"That was crazy. So this Wei Xin guy turned out to be a paper effigy the whole time? He even wore burial clothes. Xiu, what's the deal with him? Is he alive or dead?"

"Alive," Fang Xiu answered with certainty.

He paused, then added, "The Specter Train isn't unique to Shangjing. No one knows how many years it's been running or how many passengers it has dragged into the Land Between."

Li Xiaoru suddenly seemed to realize something. Her expression turned serious.

"Xiu, this Wei Xin… he might be one of the very first psychics. Maybe even from before the headquarters was established.

"Think about it. The Specter invasion began ten years ago, right? At first, it spread quietly, creating all those creepy urban legends. That's when the first batch of folk psychics emerged.

"At the time, the government didn't take the Specter threat seriously. But as the situation worsened, nations worldwide started creating their own Investigation Bureaus. Huaxia followed suit and recruited those psychics to form the headquarters we know today.

"Most of those early psychics either died or disappeared. Hardly any of them are still around.

"Now that I think about it… could the ones who disappeared have ended up in the Land Between?"

Fang Xiu nodded. "That's likely the case."

…

Yang Ming frowned, a worried look on his face. "Xiu, Wei Xin said once you enter the Land Between, there's no way out. Does that mean we're stuck here too? Damn it, I only brought one pack of cigarettes this time!"

He sighed, looking genuinely distraught—not about being trapped in this strange, horrifying world, but about his dwindling cigarette supply.

Fang Xiu stared into the distance. His tone was cold and resolute.

"They can't leave. That only applies to them. It doesn't apply to me."

Just then, a sudden shout interrupted the conversation. "Look! Over there—on the lake!"

It was Xiao Chuxia, pointing toward the water. Her voice was trembling with a mix of fear and excitement.

Everyone turned to look.

In the middle of the lake, amidst the eerie mist, a small boat was slowly gliding toward them.

Its outline was faint in the dim light, but it was unmistakable—a lone boat cutting across the still, gray waters of the Corpse Lake.

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