Ace of Spades

"Tell me your assessment."

"I fought that Shadow Ghost before, and he felt very different. Although shadows covered his entire body and he looked like a supernatural entity, fighting him felt more like fighting a person."

Wang Dehai's expression instantly hardened. "You mean that Shadow Ghost might not be a supernatural entity at all, but a Spirit Tamer with shadow abilities?"

Yang Ming nodded and said gravely, "That Shadow Ghost was powerful, and the Head Ghost was there too. If I hadn't gotten lucky, killed the Head Ghost first, and broken through to the third tier on the spot, I probably wouldn't have stood a chance.

"Honestly, even after reaching the third tier, I wasn't completely confident I could take down the Shadow Ghost. But his behavior was strange. The moment he saw me break through, he vanished into the shadows.

"He acted strangely during the fight too. He seemed to be holding back the whole time. He was clearly powerful, but he mostly let the Head Ghost keep us occupied while he occasionally launched sneak attacks from the sidelines.

"I had this strange feeling that he was waiting for me to reach the third tier, which was why he left immediately afterward. But that's just my guess. It's probably not the case.

"How could a villain in real life act like one in a novel, toying with the protagonist instead of killing them, just waiting for them to break through?

"Oh, and I found this at the scene."

Yang Ming pulled a dark gold metal playing card from his pocket.

The card was somewhat damaged, but the marking on it was still just legible: the Ace of Spades.

"The Ace of Spades? This playing card is made of mindsteel!" Wang Dehai gazed at the card, lost in thought. Countless connections flashed through his mind, and only after a long silence did he say, "If this card belongs to the Shadow Ghost, then this is serious.

"Because it very likely means that the Shadow Ghost isn't a supernatural entity, but a Spirit Tamer-and one backed by a large organization."

"Could Fang Xiu be part of that organization too?" Yang Ming suddenly asked suspiciously.

Wang Dehai shook his head. "No. The ability to predict the future would be incredibly valuable to any organization. No one would be willing to send Fang Xiu undercover.

"Someone with his talent is best kept well behind the lines, predicting the future. And whatever force is behind the Shadow Ghost, they're definitely enemies of the Investigation Bureau. If they're enemies, there's no reason for them to have Fang Xiu call and warn you. Bai Qi's death would have served their interests.

"Yang Ming, your main task now is to track down the Shadow Ghost. If there really is an organization hiding in the shadows, plotting against the Investigation Bureau, the danger they pose could be far greater than that of supernatural entities."

"Understood. I won't let this go. Little Bai nearly died, after all. No matter who's behind this, I'll get to the bottom of it." Fierce killing intent flashed in Yang Ming's eyes.

"By the way, what about Fang Xiu? Should we send someone to protect him? His ability is crucial, after all."

Wang Dehai considered it for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "No. Information about Fang Xiu hasn't leaked yet. Outsiders will only think he's a newly awakened Spirit Tamer with a perception ability. They won't pay him much attention.

"But if we assign him a dedicated guard, he could very well draw the enemy's attention, putting him in greater danger instead.

"Most importantly, that Shadow Ghost is extremely powerful. If he decides to act, who in the entire Green Vine City Investigation Bureau could stop him besides you and Bai Qi? And the two of you can't stay by Fang Xiu's side twenty-four hours a day. Who would handle the supernatural incidents in Green Vine City?

"So we keep everything as normal and treat Fang Xiu like a rookie Spirit Tamer. Don't assign anyone to him. That's the best protection we can give him."

"Darling, I missed you so much."

His wife fluttered around Fang Xiu like a butterfly weaving through flowers.

But Fang Xiu simply sat quietly on the sofa, examining his investigator's ID, his newly issued uniform, and his encrypted phone.

Then he picked up the black briefcase beside him and opened it, revealing the densely packed dark gold coins inside.

There were exactly two hundred, no more and no less.

The coins were dark gold throughout, with exquisite patterns engraved on them. They had a substantial feel and weight, but they weren't large, measuring no bigger than ordinary coins.

These were Spirit Coins made of mindsteel, an extremely precious metal capable of conducting spirituality.

A single Spirit Coin could fetch hundreds of thousands, or even a million, on the black market, and they were often unavailable even at those prices.

That wasn't because a Spirit Coin was actually worth that much money, but because few people were willing to sell them. Most Spirit Tamers saved their Spirit Coins to forge Spirituality Weapons of their own.

After all, no amount of money could buy your life back when facing a supernatural entity. A Spirituality Weapon, however, could increase your combat strength and improve your chances of survival. No amount of money could accomplish that.

Moreover, the minting of Spirit Coins was controlled by Investigation Bureau headquarters. Under normal circumstances, internal demand was met first, and only the surplus reached the outside world. That was why Spirit Coin prices remained so high on the black market.

That made it clear just how valuable these two hundred Spirit Coins were. Only someone like Yang Ming, a team captain, could produce so many at once. An ordinary Spirit Tamer would struggle to scrape them together even if they sold themselves.

Yang Ming's salary was twenty Spirit Coins a month, the highest in the entire Green Vine City Investigation Bureau. However, the bureau also offered additional rewards for resolving supernatural incidents, and those made up the bulk of his earnings. The stronger someone was, the more Spirit Coins they could earn.

Even so, two hundred Spirit Coins was no small sum for Yang Ming.

Fang Xiu actually understood this perfectly well. Although Yang Ming and Bai Qi seemed to be constantly at each other's throats, it wasn't hard to deduce that they were close.

Yang Ming might have accepted his blackmail partly because he didn't want Bai Qi to learn about the drugging, but his greater reason was probably to express his gratitude.

He was thanking Fang Xiu for warning him in advance and preventing Bai Qi's death.

Looking at the Spirit Coins before him, Fang Xiu fell into thought, considering how to use them.

Make armor?

He ruled that option out first. With Death Rollback, he had an extremely high margin for error and little need for armor. Besides, making a full suit of armor with two hundred Spirit Coins was unrealistic.

That left only two options: forging a weapon or selling them.

He could sell the Spirit Coins for money, then add the funds to his Global Supernatural Forum account to obtain more information and learn about supernatural entities and the truth of the world.

As for forging a weapon, he already had the Scalpel, so he didn't have much need for another. But since the Scalpel was a Ghost Artifact and couldn't be openly displayed without care, another weapon was still necessary.

Two hundred Spirit Coins sounded like a lot, but they weren't nearly enough to forge a weapon like a saber or sword. Fortunately, Fang Xiu had no intention of making either.

He found the Scalpel comfortable to use, and given the nature of his pain ability, he didn't need a weapon with tremendous destructive power. He only needed something like the Scalpel: small, sharp, and capable of piercing defenses.

After weighing everything, Fang Xiu decided to use the two hundred Spirit Coins to make a scalpel. First, it suited him. Second, it could conceal the existence of his Ghost Artifact.

If any coins remained, he would exchange them for money to buy information.

As he was thinking, suddenly, knock, knock, knock...

Someone knocked at the door.