Feng Ju staggered through the deep alley, his dress shoes continuously stepping into the puddles, soaking his pants with splashed dirty water.

The blue and white patrol car was parked not far ahead. His hand paused on the car door handle for a second, then inexplicably turned his head back to look. The alley only had plastic bags swirling in the wind.

A psychological shadow had indeed formed.

Feng Ju irritably tugged at the corner of his mouth and forcefully opened the car door.

As the key slid into the lock, the engine roared to life, and Feng Ju floored the accelerator.

The tires skidded on the slippery road for half a second before screeching forward.

In the rearview mirror, the shadows at the alley entrance seemed to writhe, or perhaps there was nothing at all.

Three kilometers later, he sharply turned the steering wheel, bringing the patrol car to an abrupt halt in a narrow alley, the screeching brakes scaring off the crows on the wires.

"Madman..."

Feng Ju’s hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, the force so great that it distorted the wheel.

"His sister is a monster who killed her father!"

His roar echoed inside the confined car cabin, a mix of anger and fear in his voice,

"How could he... how could he... invite her for a late-night snack?"

Feng Ju felt a suffocating sorrow enveloping him like a tidal wave.

The daughter is a monster, the son a madman, what has happened to this family?

Is there not a single normal person among them?

Feng Ju’s mind was a chaotic mess, with terrifying thoughts intertwined.

The family had just had a reunion dinner, how did it turn into what seemed like a nightmare now?

Suddenly, he froze in place as if struck by lightning.

A terrifying suspicion surfaced in his mind:

"The person who saved me... could it be..."

Feng Ju shivered as he lit a cigarette, but it tasted like nothing. The burning tobacco flickered like his short-circuited thoughts.

Some overlooked details suddenly resurfaced in his mind — the son’s recent inexplicable composure, ruthlessness, and madness...

Feng Ju’s breathing grew increasingly rapid, his eyes wide open.

[334:32:11]

[334:32:10]

[334:32:09]

.....

"So..."

His voice was so faint that even he could barely hear it,

"It’s not insane..."

"It’s changed..."

"Just like Yuhuai?!!"

The more Feng Ju thought, the more his horror grew, his lips pressed onto the cigarette butt went numb.

So, at tonight’s reunion dinner, at a table, only two were alive, and now just one remains.

And it’s not me!!!

The burning cigarette ash fell and scorched his finger, yet Feng Ju seemed entirely oblivious.

This matter can’t be thought about any further.

Some secrets aren’t much weight on a scale, but once weighed, they become insurmountable.

The horrifying introspect!

Feng Ju was now engulfed in this sensation; even though he was "dead," thinking back still enveloped him with a paralyzing chill.

"Did the obedient girl kill me from behind to destroy the storage card?"

"Then... what’s the reason behind the son secretly saving me?"

Feng Ju clenched his teeth tightly, his heart rate escalating from 1 beat per 10 seconds to 1 beat per 5 seconds.

His heart pounded like a drum.

Recalling the scene of the obedient girl killing him, Feng Ju felt terror and anger;

But when envisioning the son saving his life, Feng Ju felt even more terrified and... bewildered.

"The son watched as his sister killed me, then revived me. What was his purpose?"

Feng Ju could not discern the son’s motives for doing so, could it be for filial piety?

Feng Ju, with all his lifelong Detective Power, still couldn’t fathom the son’s thoughts.

"No no no, perhaps I’m too paranoid, I’ve overthought, these are all my subjective assumptions without any evidence."

Feng Ju shook his head vigorously, trying to rid himself of these terrifying associations.

This was undoubtedly Feng Ju’s first career instance in nearly 30 years, emphasizing evidence to such an extent.

Just then, the phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket.

The message on the screen instantly froze his blood:

[Dear Father:

Dear Father, why the rush to leave, it’d be so heart-wrenching for the sister not to see you, believe me, meeting with her sooner to mend differences would be better.]

Feng Ju’s fingers trembled uncontrollably as he clenched the phone.

After quite a while, he tossed the phone aside, rubbing his face hard, his expression showing a sinister trace no one would believe.

He didn’t reply to the son’s text, nor did he return home; instead, he drove back to the Patrol Office.

The monsters were at home; the Patrol Office was safest.

......

Feng Mu sat in a small diner, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the tea cup that had long gone cold.

The clock in the store emitted a dull "tick," after the minute hand made a full circle, he sighed lightly.

"In the end... none of them came!"

A trace of disappointment seeped into Feng Mu’s heart, the love he held for his father and sister felt misplaced.

However, Feng Mu quickly adjusted his mindset.

He ultimately held great love for his family, he wasn’t in a hurry.

"A family connected by blood, no one can sever, I believe Destiny will eventually reunite us."

Feng Mu stood up to leave, the three smiling faces on the table were his best wishes for his family.

"What garbage drawing is this, so ugly!"

A greasy rag slapped onto the table with a smack, and the store owner cursed as he wiped it all off.

.....

Inside the Blood Rose Bar, the lighting was dim and ambiguous, the noisy music and the scent of alcohol mixed, permeating a sense of indulgence.

Yet, in the private compartment buried deep within, the atmosphere was oppressively different.

Ma Bin sat on the compartment’s sofa, his eyes flickering, holding a tightly gripped sheepskin scroll.

After hesitating for a moment, he slowly stood up, handing the sheepskin scroll to Li Shang seated opposite.

Li Shang extended his hand to receive the scroll, his fingertips stroking the edge of the scroll, the surface of the leather reflecting an eerie sheen—not a glow stemming from ordinary tanning processes, but more like a patina from soaking in corpse oil repeatedly.

As he unfolded the scroll, a decaying scent seeped forth, the runes depicted with reddish-brown bloodstains twisted and writhed in his vision, as though alive.

His memory was exceptionally good, and in an instant, he recognized them; these symbols were almost identical to those at the altar marked with blood in the abandoned warehouse at the 47th academy.

"It seems Zheng Hang communicated with the Evil Sacrifice using the ritual on this sheepskin scroll, thus transforming into a bizarre monster."

He looked up at Ma Bin, their gazes locking for a moment.

Chang Erbing sneered off to the side:

"Ma Bin, you hid that thing for so long, now you bring it out?"

Ma Bin gave a dry chuckle, his fingers uneasily rubbing the glass, the water droplets on the surface sliding down like cold sweat.

Li Shang gestured with a hand, choosing not to pursue the issue further and instead asked:

"The matter is significant, the special agent has been keeping an eye on [Mask], if there’s anything else you know, it’s best to get it all clear with me this time."

Ma Bin downed his liquor, sighed deeply, and confessed:

"...It wasn’t intentional to conceal, I also realized today after seeing the live broadcast, maybe Boss Zheng was clearly aware of what Zheng Hang did back then.

Boss Zheng captured students throughout the city, perhaps not just to find the culprit, but maybe also to find new sacrifices for Zheng Hang.

Just unlucky that in the end, those students were saved by Captain Li."