"I want to know! I want to know! Tell me, quick!" Xiaoman said anxiously.

Chen Chuan said, "According to the record, your brother died in a gang conflict ten days ago. You received and confirmed this news on the second day, but on the third day, you discovered your brother was alive again? Is that correct?"

Xiaoman nodded.

Chen Chuan said, "On that third day, where did you find your brother?"

"At home," Xiaoman said.

Chen Chuan grunted in acknowledgment. He looked at Xiaoman and asked, "In that case, your brother’s body... did anyone from his gang ever bring it back?"

Xiaoman’s hands began to tremble.

Chen Chuan nodded. "I see. They didn’t. Your brother’s body was never returned. So, the person you’ve been seeing wasn’t your brother. It’s always been that thing you just saw." He glanced at the wardrobe across from them, and at the mannequin inside.

Xiaoman screamed, "Impossible! That’s impossible! That’s my brother! I can tell..."

’Chen Chuan had actually seen something similar before, like the puppet that had taken the place of Director Lei’s son. But this was fundamentally different. That one worked by confounding a person’s mental perception, whereas this one was a true weird tale made manifest.’

’But the love both of them felt for their family was one and the same.’

He said slowly, "Because your brother never came home, you couldn’t believe he was really dead. You held on to the hope that he would come back alive someday. And then... ’he’ appeared. ’He’ took your brother’s place."

"But ’he’ isn’t real, after all. Your brother’s body might still be out there. Perhaps you should try to find out what happened to it, instead of clinging to a fake."

Tears streamed down Xiaoman’s face. He looked up at him and asked, "Big Brother, is what you’re saying really true?"

Chen Chuan said seriously, "Xiaoman, you’re a smart kid. You know I’m not wrong."

Xiaoman was suddenly at a loss. But after a moment, he roughly wiped the tears and snot from his face, looked up, and asked, "Then, Big Brother, what should I do? About... this..." He pointed toward the wardrobe.

Chen Chuan said, "You just need to bury it. This is a weird tale. For now, you’re all fine, but if this thing sticks around, everyone will eventually die because of it. That includes you, though you would probably be the last."

Xiaoman shivered, suddenly tense. "But... but I already buried it before, didn’t I..."

"That’s because you still saw it as your brother. You didn’t truly want it to leave you. So even though you buried it, it remained by your side."

Chen Chuan looked at him and said, "But now you know the truth. You’ve confirmed that it’s not your brother. Only by burying it with your own hands can you eliminate this weird tale. No one else can do it. It can’t be dealt with any other way."

Xiaoman puffed out his frail chest. "If that’s how it is, I’ll do it." He ran over, pulled the mannequin out, and began to drag it laboriously toward the backyard.

’Chen Chuan didn’t offer to help. This phenomenon was triggered by Xiaoman, so only Xiaoman could resolve it. He couldn’t interfere.’

’In truth, if Xiaoman had also died, there was a chance the weird tale would have been resolved on its own. If no one had intervened, it’s hard to say if it would have eventually come to that.’

’But that wasn’t a good solution. Since the weird tale was playing the role of Xiaoman’s brother, if Xiaoman were to actually die, it was entirely possible that would trigger an even bigger problem.’

’Besides, this mannequin wouldn’t have just appeared here for no reason. Xiaoman had never seen it before, which meant his brother must have brought it home.’

’So why did he bring it home?’

’He recalled the mannequin’s appearance and a possibility occurred to him, but there was no point in pursuing it now.’

He waited a while longer. With the sound of a shovel digging in the backyard, the signs of dematerialization on his Second Self began to fade.

’He dealt with weird tales to provoke the Mutated Organization, but he had to consider the type of phenomenon. This kind couldn’t be captured. Furthermore, its effect on the outside world wasn’t very strong yet—otherwise, the people outside would be dead by now—so he didn’t dwell on it.’

After a long while, Xiaoman emerged, covered in dirt. He seemed much calmer. He said to Chen Chuan, "Big Brother, I’ve buried it. Is everything okay now?"

Chen Chuan said, "Yes, it’s done. Xiaoman, you did well."

Xiaoman said, "Big Brother, thank you."

Chen Chuan patted his small shoulder. "You’re very brave, Xiaoman. Let’s go out. We’ll tell them it’s been taken care of."

"Okay!"

Brother Chong and the others had been waiting outside with Old Qi for over an hour, but there was no sound from within. The short man kept muttering, "Is this really going to work?"

Old Qi couldn’t help but feel apprehensive, but he put on a confident face. It wasn’t a complete act, though; after all, Chen Chuan was one of Wuyi’s students, and Old Qi had seen his skills with his own eyes. ’Everything should be fine,’ he thought.

"The door’s opening!" the short man shouted.

Chen Chuan emerged with Xiaoman, standing just behind the boy. He glanced at Old Qi and gave a slight nod. Old Qi let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Xiaoman walked up to Brother Chong and said apologetically, "Uncle Chong, Brother Ding, and Aunt Hua, I’m sorry, everyone."

The short man said, "Ah, Xiaoman, don’t say that. Your brother took good care of us when he was around. We understand how you feel. It’s just..."

Xiaoman wiped his nose. "Brother Ding, the big brother already told me. That... wasn’t my brother. I won’t cause any more trouble for everyone."

Chen Chuan said, "The anomaly has been resolved. You can wait a few days to confirm before paying the commission."

"That’s not necessary."

Brother Chong said seriously, "Xiaoman came out with you. That’s all the proof we need. We trust you."

Old Qi stepped forward at the right moment. "Well then, everyone, shall we proceed as we just discussed?"

Brother Chong said, "As we should." He turned to the short man. "Xiaoding, give them the rest of the payment."

Xiaoding mumbled something under his breath and pulled a thick wad of cash from the back of his waistband, handing it over. Per Old Qi’s request, they had gathered cash this time to avoid using the platform, ensuring there would be no transactional data.

Old Qi took the money and counted it. After confirming the amount was correct, he seemed to remember something and added a reminder:

"Remember, don’t even try to get back the money you sent to the commission platform. You won’t get a refund. It’ll just mean trouble for you, and possibly for me as well. We’re off."

Chen Chuan nodded to the group, then gave a slight nod to Xiaoman, and left with Old Qi. A moment later, they got into a car and headed back the way they came.

Chen Chuan then took out a small notebook and a pen. He thought for a moment, then wrote down the words "Repository of Familial Affection." It was a habit of his to record the weird tales he encountered and organize them into files, just like Cheng Zitong.

Old Qi was overjoyed. The pay wasn’t much this time, but it was proof of Chen Chuan’s skills, meaning they could take on more commissions in the future. He said, "Brother Chen, how about a seventy-thirty split? You take seventy."

"Let’s just split it fifty-fifty," Chen Chuan said.

’The fee was important, but in the grand scheme of things, being able to use a weird tale was more valuable than money. After all, if provoking the Mutated Organization with these phenomena meant he could save on medication costs, it would more than make up for the commission.’

Old Qi thought for a moment, then said seriously, "I won’t lie to you, Brother Chen, I’m really strapped for cash right now, so I’ll be shameless and accept. I’ll owe you one, and I’ll find a way to pay you back... So, where to now?"

Chen Chuan said, "It’s getting late. I’m heading back to the academy."

"Okay, I’ll give you a ride back."

Less than half an hour after they left, an armored SUV slowly drove up and stopped at the entrance to the shantytown.

A man in the car, dressed in an iridescent suit with his hair standing on end, asked, "Is this the place?"

"That’s right. This is the location from the commission."

"What a dump. Da Chen, go take care of it, and be quick. I want to get back in time for dinner."

"Yes."

The car door opened, and a man with a sinister expression, wearing a baseball cap, stepped out. He held a knife in his hand and started walking toward the house where Xiaoman lived.

...

...