"Why not give it a try?"
Lambert was clearly a man of few words and decisive action. Following Xiao's instructions, he lifted the masked figure's hood to reveal a completely featureless, smooth face beneath—startling the other two.
"Th-this isn't human!"
Lin Yao's face twisted with horror as he pulled off all the hoods, finding every figure beneath to be faceless!
Just then, the faceless figure Xiao had pointed out underwent a transformation. A black spider tattoo slowly darkened and emerged, facial features gradually taking shape—identical to the Black Spider's visage. The wounds began healing, and then the "corpse's" eyelids fluttered, as if about to awaken.
"Blow its head off!" Han Xiao's voice was icy.
Lambert immediately shot the faceless one in the head.
Xiao repeated this process, each time identifying the changing faceless one in advance. Li Yalin and Lin Yao were stunned, suppressing their doubts and following Xiao's instructions without question.
Though they didn't know how Xiao had uncovered the Black Spider's secret, it didn't stop them from beginning to trust his judgment.
When the final Faceless One appeared, Xiao ordered, "Don't kill him. Break all his limbs."
Without objection, the trio complied.
The last Faceless One now fully transformed into Black Spider, his eyes snapping open in shock. "How did you know my ability?!"
[Clone Parasitism]—Black Spider's ability!
Periodically, Black Spider could separate a faceless clone—devoid of intelligence. These clones remained active only within range of the original, obeying simple commands before falling dormant.
Each clone represented another life for Black Spider. He could continually reincarnate into the closest surviving clone. As long as a clone existed, he could not die.
This ability is non-aggressive yet supremely resilient—like an indestructible cockroach, making it extremely troublesome. The power has altered the Black Spider's very essence; his physical form no longer binds him. His core has become a stream of psychic energy, dwelling within the clones he creates.
As long as a clone exists, he cannot be physically annihilated!
Black Spider stared in disbelief. He had never revealed this ability to anyone—it was the secret he relied on for survival. How on earth had it been leaked?!
Could it be that his recent heightened activity had led someone to vaguely guess his ability?
Xiao watched the stunned expression on Black Spider's face in the footage and chuckled. If it were some obscure minor boss, he might not even recall them. But in his previous life, Black Spider was notoriously difficult to kill, leaving a lasting impression.
At this stage, Black Spider's mastery of his ability was still rudimentary—the perfect time to deal with him. Xiao could see the immense potential in this ability, but in his previous life, Black Spider had died too soon, never reaching its full, higher-level potential.
You ask how he died?
Though Black Spider's psychic abilities were troublesome, they were far from unbeatable. Crushing his soul into dust on a spiritual level would have ended him completely. But as mentioned earlier, psychic-type psychics were extremely rare on Blue Planet. Players simply couldn't kill Black Spider, so he was listed by Blue Planet players as the "Hardest Boss to Kill in 1.0."
Well, Black Spider thought so too. Then he met Hela, and... that was the end of that.
The abilities of the Psionic class are wildly diverse. Unlike the other four super-powered classes, it requires awakening through a gene serum to change professions, after which one must study the Psionic class's specialized knowledge. Each player only gets one chance to take the gene serum. Failure means that account can never change to the Psionic class. The success rate of awakening depends on the type of serum.
Your hunch was right—this stuff is the legendary pay-to-win item from the game store.
The lowest-success-rate gene serum costs a whopping 398 euros. The highest-success-rate [Supreme Deluxe Perfect Gene Awakening Serum] soars to 4999 euros, yet still only offers an 18% success rate—and doesn't guarantee the awakened ability's potential tier.
60% of players who could afford the game pod would grit their teeth and buy the gene serum to try awakening abilities, making the game company rake in massive profits.
Xiao Han had also gritted his teeth and bought it in his previous life. But with his luck, the outcome was predictable. He concluded that ability-type players were either incredibly lucky or already living fulfilling lives.
Black Spider quickly regained his composure, snarling, "I possess countless clones. Destroying this body won't kill me. But you? Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you'll never know a day of peace. Sooner or later, I'll twist your necks myself!"
Lambert raised his gun to fire, but Xiao urgently stopped him, instructing Li Yalin, "Follow my lead..."
Li Yalin followed Han Xiao's instructions through her earphone, mimicking his demeanor with an air of profound mystery. She remarked coolly, "Countless clones? Don't try to fool me. You can only possess fifty clones at most! There are ten corpses here. You've left the rest hidden away in secret locations across the globe—those clones are your trump cards."
Black Spider's eyes widened in disbelief. While it was understandable that the basic manifestation of his ability had been guessed, the specific details were his deepest secret—no one else could possibly know!
Someone had completely figured out his ability!
Who? Who could it be?!
Could it be... a psychic with mind-reading abilities?
"As long as this clone survives, you cannot be reborn. We can't kill you, but we can imprison you for life!"
Black Spider's face finally twisted in horror. He lunged to bite through his own tongue, but Lambert acted first, dislocating his jaw.
Black Spider, unable to die, glared at Li Yalin with a mix of terror and rage.
"Finally scared, huh?" Li Yalin saw the shock on Black Spider's face and knew Xiao had been right all along.
The trio exchanged glances, a shared thought forming in their minds.
Who exactly was Xiao Han?
Why did Bureau 13 classify his identity as top secret?
How did he possess such classified intelligence?...
Reinforcements arrived swiftly, strapping Black Spider into a restraint suit before loading him into a vehicle.
Meanwhile, Xiao, far away at headquarters, received the mission completion notification.
[E-Rank Mission [Black Spider] completed. You have gained 5000 EXP.]
[Hidden Requirement: "Capture Black Spider" completed. Select special reward: 40,000 EXP / Mind Stabilizer.]
The Mind Stabilizer enhanced mental resistance, granting immunity to certain psychic and mental attacks. It was a mechanical device designed specifically against magical civilizations.
With no psychic or magic-based professions on Blue Planet and few psychic ability users, the Mind Stabilizer had limited utility. Xiao naturally chose the more practical 40,000 EXP.
Hela? He wouldn't be facing her anytime soon.
[You have gained 40,000 EXP.]
"Not bad," Han Xiao thought with satisfaction....
The trio returned to the Secret Operations Department. As soon as they entered, Li Yalin rushed over, her large eyes sparkling with curiosity. "How did you figure out Black Spider's ability?"
Han Xiao gave a mysterious smile. "Give me a million, and I'll tell you."
Li Yalin's spirits instantly deflated.
"By the way, what are you planning to do with Black Spider?"
Lin Yao scratched his head. "I heard the higher-ups plan to send him to Bell Island Prison. He'll be forced to wear a restraint suit 24/7, kept alive only through liquid food tubes. He'll be unable to die even if he wants to."
Bell of Doom Prison—a supermax facility jointly established by the Six Nations. Isolated offshore with no escape route, it held only the most vicious criminals: super-criminals, warlords of the Wanderers, powerful figures and leaders of underground factions.
Once on the island, it was like the bell tolling for one's life—permanent loss of freedom. Death was the only way out. That was the meaning behind the name Bell of Doom.
Xiao was satisfied with this resolution. Black Spider's abilities were indeed troublesome. If such an undead madman targeted him, future complications would multiply.
The first operation had succeeded flawlessly. The team had developed a hint of camaraderie. After exchanging farewells, they prepared to return to their respective homes.
Just then, Feng Jun approached, his face bearing a look of resignation.
"Internal Affairs wants you for a review."
Noticing his grim expression, Han Xiao asked, "Wasn't my joining the Bureau already approved?"
"Internal Affairs requested a secondary review. Well, it's within their authority, and higher-ups have no grounds to object. Besides, you know your past background is sensitive."
Feng Jun lowered his voice. "There are two factions regarding you. The Intelligence Department, Logistics Department, and other conservative groups favor friendly cooperation with you. But the hawk led by Internal Affairs don't see it that way. They might try to hold you back."
Xiao understood. Wherever there are people, there are politics.
...
Upon arriving at Internal Affairs, after having his height and weight checked, Xiao was led into an interrogation room for a private review with an Internal Affairs investigator.
"Name."
"Xiao Han."
"Gender."
"Female."
The investigator's forehead veins bulged, but he decided to swallow his irritation.
"Age."
"Thirty... Oh, no, thirty-one."
The investigator slammed the table and barked, "Cooperate!"
Xiao replied nonchalantly, "Skip the gender and age questions—you don't care about those anyway. Why not jump straight to the background check?"
The investigator snorted angrily. "Continue. Family relations."
"I'm an orphan. No relatives."
"Place of birth?"
"Mount Buzhou."
"Bullshit!"
"Nonsense! We can't find any record of your birth!"
Turns out dropping a joke in another world leaves no one to pick up the punchline.
Xiao clicked his tongue. "Ask your superiors."
The higher-ups wouldn't dare reveal his classified intel to ordinary members. This review was just a formality—Internal Affairs merely wanted to warn him, or rather, irritate him.
The reviewer followed instructions from his earpiece, dropping the matter. Swallowing his anger, he began the psychological assessment.
The psychological questions described scenarios for Xiao to choose responses to. He answered randomly. The reviewer sealed the file for submission to higher-ups, concluding the review.
The examiner suddenly remarked coldly, "Internal Affairs is watching you constantly. Don't give us any grounds to act."
"So you're saying you can't touch me right now?" Xiao raised an eyebrow, patted the examiner's butt as he turned, and departed cheerfully.
The examiner's face instantly turned ashen. Veins bulged in the palm gripping the file, knuckles cracking audibly.