Chaoxia County, Rongmei Rehabilitation Center. The North District was still under lockdown for rectification, while the South District gradually regained its former vitality. However, a rumor spread like wildfire in the South District—Rongmei was a huge superstitious altar, and the number of people who died back then was not just the twelve who were burned to death, but one other person.

In the dead of night, the Rongmei South District was silent. A lake separated the North and South districts, connected by a long bridge. After the incident in the North District, the South District was also greatly affected. Many patients were discharged overnight, while some others, though not discharged, rented houses in Chaoxia County. Currently, only about a third of the wards were occupied at night.

Xiao Lin’s husband was an old patient. He had surgery last month at a top-tier hospital in the city and was transferred to Rongmei for subsequent rehabilitation treatment. When the incident in the North District occurred, Xiao Lin discussed with her husband about finding another hospital. But in the current situation, finding another hospital was very difficult. Furthermore, her husband’s rehabilitation course was nearing its end. Rongmei, in order to stabilize patients, offered many discounts. After much thought, the couple decided to stay in the hospital.

At over one in the morning, Xiao Lin woke up from the cold. She got up to get a blanket and checked on her husband’s condition. The temperature had dropped significantly in the past few days, and she was thinking of going home to get some autumn gear.

This brief period of activity drove away Xiao Lin’s sleepiness. She put on a knitted cardigan and went to the corridor passage to smoke.

The pressure of caring for a patient was too great, and she often needed cigarettes to relieve it.

On the other side of the corridor was the nurses’ station, brightly lit. The corridor and the passage only had emergency night lights on. She leaned wearily against the wall, completely relaxed, smoking, exhaling smoke, and a white mist rose before her eyes, blocking out this difficult reality.

When the white mist dissipated and she raised her hand to bring the cigarette to her lips again, she saw a dark, livid dead face. Her brain instantly crashed. The cigarette slipped from her fingers, and after falling, it rolled out a small spark on the ground.

The white mist completely disappeared. It wasn’t just a face; it was a person. The moment Xiao Lin’s consciousness returned, she was so scared that her legs gave way, unable to make a sound. She scrambled out of the passage, falling heavily in the corridor.

The “dead person” didn’t chase out of the passage. Xiao Lin stared at the dark door, her heart almost jumping out of her chest.

The nurses on duty heard the commotion and came over. Only then could Xiao Lin cry out, pointing her trembling arm at the passage, “There’s a ghost!”

This sentence made the nurses break out in a cold sweat. Such a thing had just happened in the North District; was it the South District’s turn now? The nurses walked towards the passage with trepidation, one of them even afraid to open her eyes.

But when they stepped into the passage, there was only an empty staircase and an extinguished cigarette butt.

Xiao Lin insisted there was someone. The nurses had to notify security. The security guards, having learned their lesson from the North District, dared not be careless and checked the entire building but found nothing suspicious.

However, the rumors couldn’t be stopped. As soon as dawn broke, Xiao Lin completed the discharge procedures for her husband. The commotion in the night had woken up many patients. They gathered around Xiao Lin, asking what had happened.

Xiao Lin told them everything. “I’m not making it up! I was smoking in that passage, and that thing suddenly appeared! Its complexion was definitely not normal! Just because the nurses didn’t find it doesn’t mean it wasn’t there!”

People asked, “What did it look like? What clothes was it wearing?”

Xiao Lin: “A man, wearing something like… like…”

At this moment, a group of security guards rushed over to maintain order. Xiao Lin grabbed one and shouted, “It was wearing this kind of clothes! It was a security guard!”

This caused an uproar. A security guard in the South District scaring a patient’s family member in the middle of the night? How could this be?

The security guards all cried foul. Xiao Lin didn’t bother with them, finished the procedures, and left immediately. Her departure was quick, but the Rongmei South District could no longer be calm. People gathered and talked about this matter. Afterwards, someone else claimed to have seen a person looking like a security guard at night.

Seeing that the dilemma of the North District was about to be replayed in the South District, Rongmei reported to the police again and also reported the situation to the group headquarters.

The Chaoxia County Public Security Bureau found it hard to believe when they received the report. Was this never-ending?

At the Serious Crimes Unit, An Xun was analyzing the photos provided by the East City Sub-bureau.

“The sub-bureau’s forensic doctor made a wrong judgment. Xu Pingqian was a butcher. Just based on knife skills, it’s not impossible for him to be so swift. But we should also consider whether he was facing an animal or a living person.” An Xun’s desk was filled with detailed autopsy photos. The cold white light shone on his face, making his eyes look exceptionally serious.

“Xu Pingqian had to drink to build up courage before ‘committing the crime.’ After the ‘crime,’ he continued to drown his sorrows in alcohol out of fear and remorse, eventually falling into the water and dying. This shows he simply didn’t have the stable psychological quality to leave such a fatal wound on Yong Huihao’s neck.”

An Xun picked up two photos taken from similar angles. On the left was Yong Huihao, and on the right was Luo Manchai. “Captain, the murderer who killed Yong Huihao might be the same person who killed Luo Manchai. The weapons are different, but the force and trajectory are very similar.”

Ji Chenjiao also looked at these photos. The charm found in Yong Huihao’s bedroom had already linked the two cases. Now, the fatal wound indirectly proved again that the murderer might be the same person.

As for Xu Pingqian, because of his well-known conflict with Yong Huihao, he became a tool to erase the real murderer’s crime.

All three of them were tools.

After the Chaoxia County Bureau dispatched police, they heard some gossip but found no substantial clues. They reported the situation to the municipal bureau, and the entire Serious Crimes Unit tensed up.

Investigating Rongmei now was equivalent to investigating the Yu Group. The difficulty was that the previous cases had been confirmed to be planned by Sun Jing and were separated from Rongmei. The Feng Shui stuff could only be used as a clue. Even if it was proven that Rongmei indeed used the fire for superstition, so what? As long as they didn’t tamper with the fire, the Serious Crimes Unit couldn’t do anything to them.

The purpose of the Yu Group closing the North District was obvious: they didn’t want the police to continue investigating. Now, the South District was “haunted” again. Ling Lie stood up, adjusted his collar, “This might be our chance.”

Ji Chenjiao understood his meaning. “Are you going over now?”

Ling Lie nodded. “I’ll go see what kind of ‘ghost’ is causing trouble.”

Ling Lie arrived at Rongmei but didn’t contact the county bureau immediately. He pretended to be a patient’s family member and wandered around the South District. During the day, there were many people in the garden, all discussing the “ghost sighting.”

“The nurses said that Xiao Lin’s mental state was not good, and she had hallucinations. They rushed there immediately and saw nothing.”

“Don’t believe what the nurses say. It’s not just Xiao Lin who said she saw a ghost. Didn’t Zhang’s wife say she saw it too?”

“That ghost was even wearing a security guard uniform. Did a security guard die in this hospital before?”

“Are you guys still staying? I want to get my mom discharged. This hospital is really not peaceful. Is it some mental patient wandering around at night again? I’m not afraid of him scaring people to death, I’m afraid of him killing people! A mental patient who cuts someone doesn’t have to go to jail!”

Ling Lie walked over naturally and joined the conversation. “But isn’t the North District already closed? How can there still be mental patients?”

“Hmph, I can tell you’re new. That North District was only separated this year. The South District used to treat people with problems here too!” The speaker poked his temple. “I heard that after the districts were divided, some people were used to the South District and refused to go to the North District. Although it’s rare, it happens.”

“Yes, yes, I know this too. Also, after the North District closed, some patients who couldn’t be discharged immediately didn’t leave. They were transferred over here, along with their doctors and nurses.”

“The doctors can’t lose their jobs, can they?”

Ling Lie asked again, “Has a security guard ever had an accident here?”

“I don’t know about that; I’m just guessing. Didn’t they say that thing was wearing a security guard uniform? If it’s a real ghost, it must have died here and is lingering. If it’s a person pretending, then… then it must be related to the security guards.”

The words were rough, but the logic was sound. Ling Lie didn’t believe in ghosts, but he believed that any phenomenon had some meaning.

The most nervous people now were Rongmei’s security team. The county bureau had interrogated them one by one as soon as they arrived, confirming no uniforms were missing and it seemed no security guard had mental problems.

Ling Lie said, “Is the troublemaker really a security guard?”

A captain from the county bureau was stunned. “But the ‘ghost sighters’ all said they saw the person wearing a security guard uniform.”

Ling Lie pondered for a moment, then randomly pointed to a security guard and went to find the patient’s family member who “saw the ghost.”

“Look, was the person wearing this kind of clothes?” Ling Lie asked.

The family member looked worried, glanced at the security guard twice, and then looked away. “I, I don’t know, I can’t remember clearly.”

“Then how did you know it was a security guard?”

“Isn’t that what Xiao Lin said? She was the first to see it. Later, I also saw someone in uniform. If not a security guard, what else could it be?”

The security guard complained, “Big sister, aren’t you harming us by saying that!”

Seeing that the two sides were about to argue, Ling Lie smiled and comforted the family member a few words, then went to smoke with the security guard in the passage.

“Brother, how long have you been working here?”

“Five or six years,” the security guard, a middle-aged man with a local accent, said. “I really don’t know what’s going on. One thing after another happened this year.”

Ling Lie said, “I heard them say that a security guard had an accident here before?”

The security guard’s eyes widened. “Who said that? There’s no such thing.”

“The patients and their families said so.”

“They’re talking nonsense! I’ve been working here for so long, don’t I know? Before this year, nothing ever happened. We security guards are looked down upon elsewhere, but the benefits here are really good. They even give free treatment if we get sick. I know what they say; it’s all fake!”

“Oh? What do they say?”

“What else but that some security guard had a conflict with the hospital and was fired, or a security guard had a conflict with a patient, lost his job, and then died somehow, and is lingering here, refusing to leave. It’s common for security guards to be bullied outside, but I am a security guard at Rongmei myself, don’t I know? No one died, and no one was fired because of a conflict!”

Ling Lie verified this with the security captain. In all the years since Rongmei was established, there had been no accidents at the security post.

Then why did everyone say they saw a security guard?

Because of the uniform.

In panic, it’s hard to see a person’s face and clothes clearly, but one can form a general concept of the uniform. And at Rongmei, those who wear uniforms are security guards. The first witness, Xiao Lin, insisted it was a security guard. Subsequent witnesses, having a preconceived notion, also believed they saw a security guard when they saw someone in uniform.

But there are many others who wear uniforms: urban management officers, police…

A clue flashed in Ling Lie’s mind. Twelve people died in the fire, but according to the rules of building a superstitious altar on the island, an odd number of victims was required. He and Ji Chenjiao had already discussed whether there was another victim.

And now, a “ghost” in a uniform had appeared.

Ling Lie went to the South District management office and requested the current patient and medical staff allocation records. The management office was reluctant, but the “haunting” was becoming more and more bizarre. Not only did the county bureau come, but the municipal bureau also came, so they had to comply.

Consistent with what he heard from the patients, there were indeed about ten patients who were supposed to move to the North District but stayed in the South District for their own special reasons. And after the North District was temporarily closed, more than twenty patients moved over, along with their doctors and nurses.

On the list of medical staff, Ling Lie saw a familiar name, Zhuo Suyi. This person was Luo Manchai’s doctor, a citizen of Country A. It was his existence that linked the Luo Manchai case with the Rongmei case. But after investigation, he seemed to have no problems.

Luo Manchai’s case had not been solved yet. Ling Lie planned to see Zhuo Suyi again; perhaps it would be beneficial to the investigation of both sides. But when Ling Lie proposed to see Zhuo Suyi, the management staff said that Dr. Zhuo was on leave for an overseas conference starting today.

Ling Lie’s overly sensitive nerves caught a hint of something wrong. A business trip at this exact time?

Shen Qi received Ling Lie’s call and said cheerfully, “Brother, what’s up?”

Ling Lie said, “I’ll send you a person’s information right away. Check his whereabouts, both online and in reality, the more the better.”

Shen Qi: “Yes, sir!”

A low-key business car parked in the Yurong Tangge Villa area. A woman in a smoky gray professional suit got out of the car, wearing sunglasses, and walked directly into a private elevator.

The elevator went up, and the doors opened to an extremely spacious hall.

“Nasheng” greeted at the door, “Boss Yu, you’ve arrived.”

Yu Qin never had a good face for “Nasheng.” In her eyes, this “four-in-one” with mixed blood from who knows how many countries was just a dog raised by “Grey Peacock,” and “Grey Peacock” was a dog raised by that mysterious “Black Peacock.”

For “Grey Peacock,” she at least had some superficial respect. For “Nasheng,” she couldn’t be bothered to give a glance.

“‘Grey Peacock’?” Yu Qin said coldly. “He’s not going to stand me up after we agreed to meet, is he?”

“Nasheng,” a tall, dark-skinned, and robust man, now acted like a butler, making tea at the bar. “How could that be? Boss Yu, please be patient. Mr. ‘Grey Peacock’ will be here shortly.”

As soon as the words fell, “Grey Peacock” returned to the living room from the basement and greeted gentlemanly, “President Yu, please sit.”

Yu Qin came today with the intention of holding him accountable, unable to put on a polite face. She spoke with a sting, “‘Grey Peacock,’ I thought ‘Floating Light’ and our Yu Group have always had a mutually beneficial relationship, but you don’t seem to think so?”

Bo Lingxue took the tea from “Nasheng.” “Is there anything about ‘Floating Light’ that displeases you?”

A visible gloom shot out from Yu Qin’s eyes. “That day at Yongge, did you bring that police officer to my banquet?”

Bo Lingxue took a sip of tea and said calmly, “You’re talking about that matter.”

Yu Qin: “Give me an explanation. You clearly know Rongmei is facing a dilemma, and the Serious Crimes Unit is biting onto Rongmei. You’re still making trouble for me?”

“You misunderstood. The day I brought Officer Ji to your banquet, it wasn’t directed at you. Think about it, aren’t we in the same boat? Why would I make trouble for you?”

Yu Qin looked at Bo Lingxue with suspicion.

“But you have your considerations, and I have my concerns. You still remember the Kang Wanbin case a while ago, right? Officer Ji was already targeting me then. Meeting at Yongge, I could tell he was very curious about my appearance there. If I didn’t proactively offer ‘benefits,’ do you think he would have let me go?”

Yu Qin was still half-believing and half-doubting.

“If the Serious Crimes Unit investigated me, wouldn’t it be more troublesome than now?” Bo Lingxue poured tea for Yu Qin. “President Yu, you are a smart person. You should be able to figure out the stakes.”

Yu Qin didn’t drink the tea, remained silent for half a minute, and temporarily let the matter go. In fact, she came to find “Grey Peacock” today for a more important matter.

When she first saw “Floating Light’s” intention to swallow the Yu Group, and even more large enterprises, she went against the grain and decided to actively join “Floating Light,” almost getting to meet the leader of “Floating Light.”

To her “surrender,” “Grey Peacock” refused many times, politely saying that “Floating Light” was just a knife for the Yu Group, to be used by the Yu Group. She only needed to command “Floating Light” to do things and give corresponding remuneration.

She understood it wasn’t like that at all. After years of mutually beneficial coexistence, the Yu Group was completely tied to “Floating Light,” inseparable. She had to enter the interior of “Floating Light” to complete the counter-kill against “Floating Light.”

After several attempts, “Grey Peacock” finally gave her two assassination tasks: one to kill the vegetable market owner Yong Huihao, and the other to kill the popular female star Luo Manchai. “Grey Peacock” didn’t say who wanted their lives, but just like the Yu Group hiring “Floating Light” for assassinations, the Yu Group wouldn’t reveal who the hirer was either.

Her people carried out the assassinations as required, secretly investigating who the “buyer” might be, but found nothing. She never expected that she might have killed these two for Yu Qianming.

At the hospital, the moment the door opened, she saw the charm that had fallen on the floor. Before Yu Yesheng could pick it up, she was sure it was very similar to the charm “Grey Peacock” gave her. She gave the charm to the killer she raised and, as per “Grey Peacock’s” request, placed it next to the bodies of Yong Huihao and Luo Manchai. But why would a similar charm appear in Yu Yesheng’s hands!

At that time, her mind was actually in chaos, and she could only pretend to be calm. She also noticed one thing: when she saw the charm, Ling Lie saw it too!

She didn’t immediately look for “Grey Peacock,” feeling she might have fallen into a trap. After checking, she found that the charm was likely a disaster-blocking charm from a foreign country, coming in pairs.

Then the truth of “Floating Light” asking her to kill Luo and Yong gradually became clear. It was that long-ill, undying Yu Qianming, who use superstition to prolong his life, found living people to trade lives with!

She didn’t believe ghosts and gods could save the terminally ill Yu Qianming, but she couldn’t tolerate being played like this!

“Who was the buyer for Luo Manchai and Yong Huihao?” Yu Qin’s face darkened, completely losing her feminine gentleness.

Bo Lingxue said, “President Yu, you know the rules of ‘Floating Light’.”

Yu Qin sneered, “It’s Yu Qianming.”

Bo Lingxue didn’t speak.

Yu Qin stood up, looking down on Bo Lingxue from above. “‘Grey Peacock,’ you are destroying the trust we have built over a long time.”

Bo Lingxue also stood up. “President Yu, you were the one who asked me for a mission. I don’t need to state your purpose. Please put yourself in my shoes. If I were you, would I dare to give you other missions? This is the most suitable one. It can both appease Chairman Yu, and your actual interests are not harmed.”

Yu Qin tightened her ten fingers and sneered, “‘Floating Light’ reaps the benefits, taking the opportunity to swallow the Yu Group.”

Bo Lingxue sighed. “President Yu, ‘Floating Light’ has no interest in individual enterprises. How can there be talk of swallowing? In the final analysis, the situation today is caused by your insistence on entering the power core of ‘Floating Light’.”

Yu Qin was furious, but her face became even calmer. “Then let me tell you one more thing. The police have noticed the charm. How will you deal with it?”

Bo Lingxue smiled. “Dealing with the police, isn’t ‘Floating Light’ professional enough?”

Yu Qin left. “Nasheng” saw her to the garage. When he returned, there was a new guest in the living room—Jaco Xu Jiajia.

“Mr. ‘Grey Peacock,’ I heard you upstairs just now saying the situation today is all due to Yu Qin. But why do I feel that you were guiding her to think and act this way?” Xu Jiajia’s hair had been cut short, close to his scalp. His features were still those of a foreigner, but his skin color had returned to natural, with no trace of an internet celebrity streamer.

Bo Lingxue said, “Thanks to you for giving me inspiration.”

Xu Jiajia’s eyes widened. “This has to do with me?”

Bo Lingxue smiled without answering.

Xu Jiajia didn’t press further. “Mr. ‘Grey Peacock,’ thank you for helping me complete my revenge. I came back this time to be at your disposal.”

When everyone had left and night fell on this villa hidden in the green sea, Bo Lingxue stood by the window, looking at himself in the black crystal. He was briefly lost in thought, feeling that the face reflected on the window was another face.

A face most familiar to him. He had plundered that person’s life.

Many times, he couldn’t separate himself from the owner of this face. He seemed to have really become him. But he would never become him.

Ling Lie stayed in Chaoxia County. Around midnight, Ji Chenjiao called, saying Shen Qi had found that Zhuo Suyi hadn’t gone abroad for an event at all but had simply disappeared.

Ling Lie pretended to be a patient and checked into Building No. 5 of the South District. This building housed patients who hadn’t moved to the North District initially and those who later moved from the North District.

At two in the morning, the patient in the next bed began to toss and turn constantly, saying he was scared, that that thing was about to appear again. Ling Lie quietly left the ward and hid in the shadows of the passage.

The passage had stairs going up and down, with only the middle wall providing cover. Looking down, the shadows were heavy, like a staircase leading straight to hell.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Ling Lie heard a very faint sound of footsteps. He moved his eyes and looked to the right, seeing a shadow appear on the wall below.

The inpatient department was as quiet as a deserted tomb in the latter half of the night. The shadow on the wall grew larger and larger, finally stopping at the top of this section of stairs, separated from Ling Lie only by the wall at the corner.

Ling Lie didn’t move, and the shadow didn’t move either. From this angle, it could already see Ling Lie’s shadow cast on the opposite wall. Ling Lie also looked at his own shadow, ready to pursue immediately if the other party tried to escape downwards.

But after more than ten seconds, the shadow actually took a step forward.

Suddenly, half a pale and greenish face peeked out from the side of the wall, fear surging in its eyes. The shadow carved out the contours of his bones on his face, looking like a skeleton with skin and flesh attached at first glance.

Ling Lie met his gaze. If someone else stood in Ling Lie’s position, they would probably have been scared out of their wits. But Ling Lie’s eyes reflected the cold light of the emergency lamp, the look of a hunter who has finally waited for his prey.

After a moment of stunned silence, the person let out a low, hoarse, strange cry from his throat and turned to run downstairs. Ling Lie leaped out, catching the person before he could finish running down a flight of stairs.

“Ah—ah—” The person struggled like a madman, crashing into Ling Lie without any order. Although his punching and kicking skills were non-existent, he was tall and strong. Ling Lie, as always, only used thirty percent of his strength against civilians. During the struggle, Ling Lie’s temple hit the wall, and he let out a muffled groan.

Taking advantage of Ling Lie’s head spinning, the person got up and ran. Ling Lie smelled blood, and the fierceness in his bones was aroused. He jumped up and delivered a flying kick. The person slammed hard against the wall and immediately fainted.

The security guards and police from the county bureau rushed over, and the medical staff also arrived. A doctor said, “Isn’t this Zhan Jun?”

Ling Lie’s forehead was bleeding, and he pressed it with gauze. “Is he your patient?”

The doctor nodded. “Transferred from the North District a while ago. You should go treat your wound. I’ll check who his attending doctor is.”

Before the doctor could check, a nurse on the side said worriedly, “I, I know. It’s Dr. Zhuo.”

Ling Lie immediately narrowed his eyes. Yesterday he learned of Zhuo Suyi’s disappearance and felt something was wrong. As expected, the “haunting” was done by his patient.

Zhan Jun was pushed into the treatment room and hadn’t woken up yet.

The nurse wanted to apply medicine for Ling Lie, and the doctor also wanted him to have a head check, but he refused both, taking a bottle of iodophor to disinfect himself. After wiping a few times, he picked up his phone, wanting to call Ji Chenjiao. But just as he was about to dial, he remembered it was past three in the morning. Xiao Ji was so busy during the day, with only a few hours of sleep at night. He decided against it.

After treating his forehead wound, his mood calmed down. He went to the treatment room and stared at Zhan Jun on the bed. Now, he was very clear why everyone said the “ghost” was a security guard. As he had deduced, the “ghost” was wearing a uniform very similar to a security guard’s uniform. It was a police uniform, to be precise, an outdated police uniform.

Why would Zhan Jun wear a police uniform? Was he a former police officer?

But he had just chatted with the nurse in charge of Zhan Jun. Zhan Jun was not a police officer, and his job had nothing to do with the police. He was a 36-year-old PE teacher at a primary school in Xiarong City. Because of his strict teaching style, he had been complained about by parents a few times, developed psychological problems, started self-harming, and was unable to face students.

Three months ago, he was sent by the school for treatment. Initially, his attending doctor was an old professor. Later, the old professor was rehired by the university, and his attending doctor was changed to Zhuo Suyi.

The nurse said Zhan Jun hadn’t shown any abnormalities recently. Since she took over, Zhan Jun hadn’t been very talkative. His hometown was in the countryside, he was divorced with no children, and his treatment fees were paid by the school. Occasionally, colleagues came to see him. Everyone felt he was quite pitiful.

Ling Lie leaned against the wall and thought for a while. He felt he should still tell Ji Chenjiao his thoughts at this moment, in case he forgot the next day. He was too lazy to type and sent a voice message, thinking the notification sound in the middle of the night could be ignored, and Ji Chenjiao would definitely not wake up.

But a minute later, his phone suddenly rang. It was a video call from Ji Chenjiao.