Hearing this, Zhang Jie did not hesitate at all.
He hurried forward and, after great effort, carried the limp Hu Yong—who was groaning in pain—into the detention room.
After Hu Yong was properly settled, Chu Xuan turned around and faced Ikumi.
A slow smile appeared on his face.
In this gloomy and eerie environment, that smile looked especially unsettling.
Then, his thin lips parted slightly, and he spoke a sentence that instantly left everyone present dumbfounded, their minds going completely blank.
"Kill him."
These three simple words were like a bolt of thunder, exploding in everyone's ears.
Everyone froze in place.
Their faces were filled with disbelief, as if they could not believe what they had just heard.
"Ha?!"
Someone let out an instinctive cry, breaking the brief silence.
Yet after that sound, the detention room fell back into a deathly stillness.
Everyone waited, wanting to see how this absurd scene would unfold.
Ikumi's eyes widened, filled with disbelief and rage.
After a moment of silence, she exploded like a lit powder keg and began shouting at Chu Xuan.
"Baka! Are you sick in the head?! Is humiliating me like this fun to you?!"
"Our team was only careless for a moment!"
"Why are you acting so smug and petty? Baka!"
She struggled violently, but with handcuffs on, she had no real chance of breaking free.
Using all her strength, she continued to curse.
"This is not how you torture prisoners!"
"Other teams, even if they capture a psychic-type controller, just kill them cleanly and quickly!"
"You keep changing methods just to torment people like this. You will be punished for it!"
"You will die a miserable death!"
Her voice became sharp with emotion, echoing back and forth against the police station walls.
Every word carried her accusation against the absurd situation before her.
Chu Xuan, however, seemed not to hear her at all.
His cold, sculpted face showed no reaction.
He simply stared quietly at Ikumi.
Only after she calmed down a little did he finally speak, his tone so calm it sent chills down one's spine.
"Do you know the crimes your ancestors committed in the past?"
Beneath Chu Xuan's calm exterior, a faint trace of anger surfaced.
"That is what truly deserves divine punishment and retribution."
"If I were to borrow your ancestors' methods and use them on you,"
"I believe the one you would hate then would not be just me."
After hearing this explanation, Ikumi's body trembled.
She no longer dared to say anything.
Her eyes turned hollow and empty.
Seeing that Ikumi had fallen silent, Chu Xuan slightly turned his body and faced everyone else.
He began to explain things in a calm and orderly manner.
"The final two Ghostface killers will be born from the East Sea Team."
"Their objective is to kill members of an opposing reincarnation team."
"Only by doing so can they be recognized as true Ghostface killers."
"This is the critical turning point we are currently facing."
His voice was not loud, yet it reached everyone clearly.
As they listened, everyone felt their hearts shake, as if struck by an electric current.
Then, without any hurry, Chu Xuan picked up a Ghostface mask.
He slowly walked over to Ikumi.
With gentle movements that allowed no resistance, he placed the mask onto her face.
After that, he looked toward Zhang Jie and gave a slight nod.
Zhang Jie immediately understood and stepped forward.
He supported the extremely weak Ikumi, helping her barely stand upright.
Meanwhile, Hu Yong on the floor was already terrified out of his mind.
His pants were soaked.
A sharp stench of urine spread through the room.
As death loomed right in front of him, his instinct to survive drove him to struggle with everything he had.
He desperately tried to get up, flailing his arms wildly, attempting to push away Ikumi as she stepped closer and closer.
His mouth moved incoherently as he screamed and cursed, making one final, desperate struggle.
"Damn it… damn you all! Are you even human?! You're letting this woman kill me?! You'll lose points too! Don't do this! Don't do this! I won't let you off even if I become a ghost! Aaaah! Please! Please! We're all rookies! Why are you veterans listening to just one word from him?!"
Seeing this, Chu Xuan's eyes turned ice-cold.
His figure blurred, and he lashed out with a kick.
The kick landed perfectly on Hu Yong's chin.
A light cracking sound rang out.
Hu Yong's head snapped backward, his eyes rolled up, and he instantly lost consciousness.
His body went limp and collapsed onto the floor, completely unable to resist anymore.
"Do it," Chu Xuan's voice echoed once more in the silent police station.
Ikumi trembled from head to toe, her eyes filled with fear and despair.
She opened her mouth as if she wanted to beg for mercy, but under Chu Xuan's cold, star-like gaze, she swallowed her words.
Gritting her teeth, she nodded slowly.
She tightened her grip on the dagger and began to move forward step by step, her body stiff and mechanical.
The moment the sharp blade touched Hu Yong's body, Ikumi squeezed her eyes shut.
Her hand suddenly exerted force, and the dagger plunged viciously into Hu Yong's abdomen.
"AAAAH—"
Hu Yong jolted awake from the pain and let out a heart-rending scream.
The sound was so miserable it made everyone's scalp go numb, echoing through the police station for a long time.
Everyone stared at the scene in silence, their hearts clenched as if gripped by an invisible hand.
Even breathing became difficult.
Only when Hu Yong's screams gradually weakened did everyone snap back to reality.
In panic, they all raised their Reincarnation Wristwatches.
On the display, the return mission that had once read Capture the Ghostface Killer had changed.
It now clearly showed [9/10].
For a brief moment, the police station fell into complete silence.
They stared at the wristwatch screens, emotions churning inside them.
There was relief that the mission had finally progressed.
But there was also heaviness and oppression brought on by the brutal, bloody scene they had just witnessed.
****
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