Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 722 New Ability (Please Subscribe)

"Hahaha, as expected, you're just like your sister said—afraid of ghosts like they're the plague. Come on, after all you've been through, you're practically a seasoned veteran. Haven't you realized this is just a shell purely made of energy?" Lin Junzhao laughed heartily before coldly mocking Pei Yan.

Pei Yan rolled his eyes, complaining silently that it all stemmed from his childhood trauma of watching these celestial beings fight. Still, he didn't dare to voice it, instead focusing on the dazed Li Songtao in front of him. He curiously reached out a finger to poke him, only to be surprised when Li Songtao mirrored his action by extending a finger to touch his own. Switching from fear to curiosity, Pei Yan made several gestures, observing that Li Songtao could imitate most of them, although his reactions were slow and his movements awkward.

"Uh, how was this thing created? Why does it look like Li Songtao?" Pei Yan mumbled to himself as he circled the energy body.

"Don't ask how it was created just yet. First, tell me how you feel after absorbing this fragment," Lin Junzhao's voice echoed in Pei Yan's mind.

Pei Yan sat back in his seat, lit a cigarette, and watched Li Songtao across from him, imitating his smoking motions despite having nothing to smoke. With a smile, he said, "The fragment is indeed modified by the Candle Dragon, just as he said. I can't sense the name of the new ability after absorbing it, but I can use its power, like suddenly having a Jiezhi Space I can control at will."

Saying this, Pei Yan snapped his fingers, and his figure vanished from the room, along with the unseen Li Songtao.

In the parallel space, Pei Yan curiously surveyed this new world. Looking up, he saw that the sky was not a murky gray like other Jiezhi Spaces but displayed a clear scene depicting the room he was just in. Manipulating with his mind, Pei Yan reached towards the sky, and the scene drew closer. Stretching his hand into the image, he could clearly see through the camera left in the room, a hand suddenly emerging from the void, waving and playing rock-paper-scissors. Once he withdrew his hand, the room returned to how it was.

It seems this was the ability Li Songtao used against me before. Overjoyed, Pei Yan wondered aloud, "But why can't I perceive the traits of this power?"

"This ability is the mirror of the rarest treasures," said Lin Junzhao, an expert in the Origin Fragments he had split off.

"A mirror? That's not right!" Pei Yan was initially stunned, then blurted out a name from his memory, "I once met an ability user whose power was a mirror, but her ability was different!"

Qi Youting was a captive during his first battle with the divine desires at Captain Hu Wenjun's house during Spring Festival. Since she was merely bewitched and had committed no crimes, after investigations and her acknowledgment, she was recruited into the investigation office. Her ability was also a mirror, and it was thanks to her that the plot against the Secret Prison by the divine desires was uncovered, making a lasting impression on Pei Yan.

Just then, Lin Junzhao's disdainful voice interrupted his thoughts, "Are you an idiot? Didn't your instructor tell you it's normal for multiple people to have the same ability, and each might develop different usages based on personal intuition and talent? Besides, mirrors aren't singular; this one is a one-way mirror."

"Oh, I see, the kind where you can't see in from outside, but can see out from inside! Fascinating—truly fascinating! That a mirror can develop such powers! But then, Ye Jiumu's camera can also cause time to pause and slow; why can't I detect its trait? Was it erased by the Candle Dragon?" Pei Yan said, filled with wonder after Lin Junzhao's chiding.

"Probably. Firstly, to adapt those without the Origin Seed like Li Songtao to use this ability; secondly, to prevent Li Zhen from developing deeper usage schemes for it, which would make it tricky to deal with him when the time comes. With its traits erased, this ability's ceiling is limited. It's such a shame for such a good power, and even now, I can't restore its traits," Lin Junzhao lamented.

Pei Yan nodded and consoled him, "This is good enough; I like this ability a lot." Then he turned to look at the ghost-like energy body of Li Songtao and asked, puzzled, "But what's the deal with him? Where did he come from, and why does he look like Li Songtao?"

"Ah, mirrors have always been ambivalent by nature. You've surely heard plenty of supernatural stories related to them."

Hearing this, Pei Yan shivered and said tremulously, "Are you saying he really is a ghost left behind by an energy body? No way—during the day, my checks confirmed his soul had completely dispersed."

"While calling him a ghost isn't entirely incorrect, I think 'replica of Li Songtao' is more appropriate."

"A replica?"

"Exactly, a replica. Li Songtao himself might not have realized its birth. It should have originated from the ability residing in him; over time, its use produced this entity. For others, it might not have reacted the same, but Li Songtao's heavy resentment left this copy while using an ability as sentient as a mirror."

Intrigued, Lin Junzhao chuckled, "This is what they call a fool's luck. You've stumbled upon quite the windfall. Originally, fueled by Li Songtao's resentment, this energy body would have been extremely hostile. Had you taken it over directly, you might have faced a formidable specter. But as the Candle Dragon extracted its consciousness from the Origin Fragment, that resentment left with it, leaving behind a harmless energy body, which is now all yours to enjoy. Hehehe, what delights me most is that while this resentment doesn't harm us, when the Candle Dragon finally returns to its original consciousness, the resentment will likely bother it for quite some time. Consider it Li Songtao's revenge."

While Lin Junzhao gloated, Pei Yan walked around Li Songtao's form, nodding in approval, "That's good news, but this guy seems goofy and useless. I can't just leave him in this space causing trouble."

"Fool, now that you control this ability, you're his master. As for how to use him..." Lin Junzhao paused here, fully stoking Pei Yan's curiosity, causing him to beg persistently, before finally promising, "Leave it to me."