296: Chapter 295 I Have a Heavenly Secret

As the Black Flame Slash shot out, the world roared, and the bank building collapsed, turning into ruins.

Even the road outside the bank was covered in deep, crisscrossing Slash marks. Grass and mud from the green belt flew everywhere, and a large tree directly opposite was reduced to fragments, scattered all over the ground.

The Debt-Collecting Ghost, which had been standing in front of Chu Xuan, had its body pierced by the slashes, and Black Flames rose up, burning it clean away.

[ You have killed the Debt-Collecting Ghost. There are 8750 points of spirituality essence remaining in this body's flesh and blood; 3500 points have been fed back to you. ]

[ Current spirituality value: 3919 ]

[ You have obtained a rule fragment x1 ]

[ Current rule fragments: 8 ]

Receiving the System's reward notification, Chu Xuan murmured, "As expected." In reality, killing this S-rank Specter had indeed yielded a rule fragment, just like in the past.

[ Your health points have permanently increased by 100. Current health points: 1400 ]

Chu Xuan was slightly surprised. Unlike in the dream, he had actually gained an extra 100 health points. This was quite good; his survivability had improved slightly.

Following this, Chu Xuan's expression shifted. Amidst the dust, the Debt-Collecting Ghost had disappeared, leaving behind only a broken porcelain bowl emitting a soft white light.

Chu Xuan stepped forward to pick it up, and information immediately appeared before his eyes.

[ You have obtained a special item ]

[ Name: Debt-Collecting Bowl ]

[ Description: This item possesses some of the characteristics of the Debt-Collecting Ghost. By holding this, you can forcibly demand "wealth" from a target. During the debt collection process, the target cannot refuse and cannot attack you in any form; otherwise, they will lose 50% - 120% of their total health points. ]

[ Note 1: When you demand wealth from a target, they must actually possess that wealth, otherwise it is considered an invalid debt collection. Wealth includes, but is not limited to, money, spirituality value, etc. ]

[ Note 2: When you select a target for debt collection, it is forcibly effective within 12 levels. ]

[ Note 3: Can be used three times a day. After exceeding the limit, every use will cause you to lose 10% of your total health points. ]

[ Hint: This is an obsession originating from the original body of the Debt-Collecting Ghost. Debts incurred must be repaid... ]

Good stuff!

Chu Xuan's eyes flashed as he scanned the item's information. This white porcelain bowl was practically a weakened version of the Debt-Collecting Ghost.

[ Do you wish to consume 100 spirituality value for authentication? ]

— Yes.

This was similar to a rule-based item, so he naturally had to keep it with him. Chu Xuan didn't begrudge the 100 spirituality points, chose to authenticate it immediately, and then put it back into his Exclusive Space.

The harvest from killing the Debt-Collecting Ghost was significant, but Chu Xuan did not relax.

Because a greater crisis was yet to come. In the previous dream, at about 8 o'clock, a nuclear explosion would occur here.

And now, it was 7:07.

Less than an hour remained until the nuclear explosion.

"At my current speed, running on foot, let alone an hour, half an hour would be enough to run out of the capital. However, this Revelation clearly also possesses similar calculation capabilities."

Chu Xuan pondered.

"In the previous dream, every time I responded differently, the Debt-Collecting Ghost appeared earlier to varying degrees. It seems my every move might be being spied upon or calculated by the other party using some kind of power..."

"That this national-level strategic weapon could be invoked by them and detonated in such a special location means the relevant defense Systems have completely failed. From this, I suspect that many high-level officials have been infiltrated or are under control."

"Even if I leave the capital now, I might be able to dodge it once, but I can't dodge it every time. The other party could even change the nuclear missile's target based on my movement trajectory."

"An intercontinental missile is launched, with a speed of dozens of Mach; by the time I detect the danger, it will already be too late..."

"The enemy is in the dark, and I am in the light. Finding Revelation in a short time is probably impossible. The fact that they can carry out a nuclear explosion here means they are likely not in this area..."

"The most critical point! If I flee now, wouldn't that implicitly confirm my identity as an S-rank Specter? The other party can borrow the power of the state apparatus to deal with me, and I have to hide and dodge, avoiding their edge?"

Chu Xuan's eyes flashed with coldness. He put down his phone, dismissing the idea of posting about the impending nuclear explosion on the official forum.

Doing so would do more harm than good and would only alert the enemy.

As a thought crossed his mind, a figure appeared in Chu Xuan's mind.

Just then, police sirens wailed, and a large number of armed personnel arrived, assembling outside the bank. A young man caught sight of Chu Xuan amidst the dissipating dust and, after hesitating, was the first to step forward.

"Hello, Leader, I am..."

Chu Xuan waved his hand to interrupt him: "No need to say it. I know you are Tan Yuming, an intern Inspector from District 1. I know your cousin, Tan Ziming. My name is Chu Xuan. I just resolved a Specter incident here; I'll leave the follow-up to you."

Tan Yuming's mouth, which was still open, didn't close. He thought, 'Aren't these the lines I was supposed to say? How did you finish saying them all?'

Besides, this is the first time we've met, right? How do you know everything?

After being stunned for a moment, Tan Yuming quickly reacted and hurriedly said: "So you are Chu Xuan! I've heard so much about you! My cousin often mentions you, saying you are an incredible figure. We spoke on the phone early this morning; should I call him now and have him come see you?"

While speaking, Tan Yuming had already taken out his phone. When dialing, he looked at Chu Xuan with an inquiring look, actually wanting to confirm Chu Xuan's identity.

Seeing that Chu Xuan did not stop him, Tan Yuming's vigilance lessened slightly.

The number was dialed quickly, but only after saying an opening line, Chu Xuan heard Tan Ziming's voice from inside and reached out to grab the phone.

"Tan Ziming, I am Chu Xuan. Use all your energy to help me find Lin Jie's location in the shortest possible time! Lin Jie is one of the people I brought out of St. Lianna Hospital early this morning..."

Chu Xuan quickly listed Lin Jie's characteristics and finally added: "Remember, you must be fast. Help me get this done, and I can help you kill someone!"

After he finished speaking, an excited voice immediately rang out from the receiver: "Boss Chu, consider it done!"

Returning the phone to Tan Yuming, the latter finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming Chu Xuan's identity.

"Sorry, Leader, I was a bit offensive just now." Tan Yuming smiled apologetically.

Chu Xuan nodded slightly without speaking.

Before this, he hadn't planned to contact Lin Jie, who was very likely the Child of the World, worrying that his presence might bring life-and-death crises to the other party, leading to unfavorable consequences.

But now, Chu Xuan knew that the future situation was not optimistic; even someone as strong as Tang Zheng was only struggling bitterly.

Seeking stability was the greatest risk; since that was the case, he might as well be aggressive!

Finding Lin Jie's location was actually not difficult, but Chu Xuan understood that once he took action, Revelation would likely have some foresight, which might create a crisis for Lin Jie.

It was even highly possible that a situation similar to the Debt-Collecting Ghost arriving early would occur, and the nuclear explosion in the capital might also occur earlier due to his different actions.

Therefore, the key lay in speed.

"You have Revelation, I have the Heavenly Secret..."

Chu Xuan's murderous intent vanished from his eyes, and Slash after Slash condensed within his body once again.

Not long after, less than a minute, Tan Ziming called back and informed him of Lin Jie's exact location.

Upon learning this, Chu Xuan immediately pulled away.

A cloud of dust rose on the scene, with his figure flashing in and out, and he soon disappeared from everyone's sight.

"This speed... I'm afraid it's more than two hundred kilometers per hour, right? Is this the magic of a Transcendent?"

One of the law enforcement officers showed a look of longing, then looked at Tan Yuming and chuckled: "Brother Tan, you are all Transcendents, why didn't you take the opportunity to curry favor just now? If you have the chance to be carried by such a big shot, you'd be riding the coattails to success!"

"You think I don't want to?" Tan Yuming withdrew his gaze and murmured softly: "After all, we are people from two different worlds. Without the corresponding foundation, even if I try to curry favor, not everyone is qualified. Why should I bother with these things and bring myself unnecessary trouble?"