This Sunday, I had intended to spend quality time cementing my relationship with Xiao Xuan, but those two utterly ruined it. I spent the entire day feeling glum after returning home, only drifting into a deep sleep under the dim moonlight, where I vaguely revisited that pitch-black night in my dreams.

The next day back at the precinct, my eyes were so swollen that Xiao Cuo almost started belting out the national anthem, a performance I promptly halted with a well-aimed, powerful kick to his shin.

It was Xiao Xuan who showed genuine concern, quietly brewing me a cup of light tea before softly asking, “Have you seen a psychiatrist? Are you alright?”

She had already suspected something since I hadn't contacted her yesterday.

I quietly squeezed her hand. “I’m doing just fine. Just had the rotten luck to run into people I shouldn't have.”

Zhang Jiewei materialized out of nowhere and asked, “You didn’t run into Fatty Old Demon, did you?”

Fatty Old Demon was Wang Mingxue’s nickname, a moniker universally known, if rarely spoken aloud, in the Anyang City police force. Yet, no one would ever betray who used it behind his back, proving just how highly regarded he was.

Hearing him say "Fatty Old Demon" made me feel immensely better, stirring an impulse to immediately regard him as a confidant.

Xiao Xuan chimed in, “It really was him. Aren't there several mental health specialists at the precinct? Why would you bother seeking him out?”

I feigned a world-weary air. “What’s fated will happen, whether avoided or not. The seas can turn into mulberry fields; life’s surprises are truly endless.”

Seeing that I still had the energy to spin fanciful tales, Xiao Xuan knew the problem wasn’t dire, so she chided playfully, “Enough with the banter. Tell me the results already.”

I gave her a look of disdain. “Your buddy’s clean. No illness.”

Xiao Xuan was delighted, but Zhang Jiewei looked thoroughly unconvinced.

“What’s wrong with you? Aren’t you happy I’m not sick?” I snapped at him.

Zhang Jiewei remained entirely unmoved, replying calmly, “But how do you explain those incidents? Setting aside the emails, is Li Yalian truly not dead?”

“Are you saying you’d rather I be unstable than have Li Yalian alive?” I’d been harboring unspoken grievances against Zhang Jiewei lately, and this was the perfect pressure release for my prolonged frustration; suddenly, it all poured out like a devil’s bounty.

“I just want to solve the case quickly, and your current state is highly suspicious.” Zhang Jiewei, who wouldn't bat an eye at a dismembered corpse, was clearly immune to my emotional outburst.

Xiao Xuan and Xiao Cuo tried to mediate. I gritted out, “You don’t need to discuss this with me. Report directly to Lord Jiang. You can have the team leader position.” I never wanted the team leader role anyway. Being chewed out by Lord Jiang above and harassed by Zhang Jiewei below, this rotten assignment was the perfect thing to push onto him so I could go back to spending carefree days tailing people and running errands with Xiao Xuan.

Zhang Jiewei remained placid. “I already reported this to him.”

“You, you…” I truly wanted to point at his nose and curse him out, but how could one yell at a person devoid of any discernible human emotion? Wouldn't that be like screaming at a cold stone? Wouldn't that make me the real freak?

I’m not a freak, I told myself internally, but the blood surging through my veins roared, making me feel dizzy. The image of Li Yalian flashed before my eyes; she beckoned to me, and ethereal emails flew from her hands.

“You need to trust yourself, just as he trusts you,” Zhang Jiewei said before departing lightly. His words seemed to hang suspended in the air, taking me a long time to process.

Lord Jiang trusts me? On what grounds?

Because I’m handsome?

I dared not explore that thought further.

Just then, a flash of vibrant color appeared. If Xiao Xuan hadn't been standing in front of me, I would have assumed it was her, as everyone else in the Special Investigations Office had bushy beards.

Scanning the office, Gao Jianning’s attire immediately snagged my attention.

Gao Jianning stood there in a crisp uniform and gleaming black leather shoes, much like us, but his face was conspicuously polished, shining brightly. His sparse beard had vanished completely, and around his neck, he wore a silk cravat of purple-gold, making him look exactly like a golden snub-nosed monkey from the zoo.

This guy, usually a computer slob who never bothered with his appearance, was now dolled up like a male model. A little rouge and powder, and he could easily make a living in Thailand. Looks like the world was going insane, which suited me fine since my own mind was close to snapping.

My gaze startled the snub-nosed monkey. He grinned at me, "Bro, now you finally notice that with just a little effort, I could claim the title of precinct's second most handsome, right?” Gao Jianning concluded with a shamelessly gentlemanly gesture.

I had to admit, we shared some common genetic material. Judging purely by looks, he could indeed stand shoulder-to-shoulder with this young master. But I had no interest in wasting breath on him. Even if he transformed into a devastatingly attractive demon, I’d still remember him running around naked as a child.

“Stop the lip service. I have a task for you now,” I said with utmost seriousness.

Gao Jianning gave me a look that said, I’m not falling for that, and plopped into a chair, instantly transforming from a golden snub-nosed monkey back into the familiar mountain ape, only missing the part where he’d prop his feet up on the desk.

Since he wasn’t buying it, I couldn’t force him. After all, my supposed team leader title was just a casual designation from Lord Jiang—no official documents, no formal announcement meeting—it was essentially a temp gig. Furthermore, what I needed him to do concerned official business that was also deeply personal. So, I leaned in and said in a conciliatory tone, “Those few anonymous emails on my computer have vanished without a trace. You absolutely have to figure out what happened.”

Gao Jianning’s eyes instantly flashed with sharp light—a necessary trait, I supposed, for a passionate Hongke warrior. He immediately shifted from mountain ape to an all-capable Hongke soldier, looking as if he were charging into battle.

“This scoundrel is too arrogant! Knowing that the Invincible Master Dongfang is here, he dares to challenge me repeatedly. It seems I must make a firm decision…” Gao Jianning began, but Xiao Cuo popped up from behind the desk to interject, “You’re not going to castrate yourself, are you?”

Gao Jianning brought his hand down in a chop and barked, “Since you won’t use it anyway, why not cut it off and offer it to Black Mountain Old Demon as a snack?”

I tapped his head. “This is a mission. Complete it within one week.” Then I turned to Xiao Cuo. “You come with me.”

Xiao Cuo looked surprised. “Are you saying you’re Black Mountain Old Demon?”

I sincerely wished I could actually emasculate this guy.

I sought out Xiao Cuo because of his extensive research into paranormal phenomena. I needed to discuss Li Yalian and the skeletal figure I saw at the psychology clinic with him. So far, I was the only one who believed these things had happened, but Fatty Old Demon and Chen Yujia had already labeled me abnormal. Thus, Xiao Cuo was the only person who might believe me. At least among the ghosts and specters he had encountered, I might qualify as a fellow deviant.

After I finished telling my story, Xiao Cuo’s demeanor instantly became charged, though his enthusiasm manifested in a rather peculiar way. He furrowed his two nearly invisible eyebrows, his shifty eyes darted around, and his usual lewd smirk vanished.

He looked at me with the air of an evil master, then declared, “I told you long ago you were cursed, but you wouldn’t listen. Now you know I wasn't lying.”

Xiao Cuo had mentioned this long ago, but I had dismissed it as a joke. Now, however, I was beginning to believe it might be true, and I found myself scratching my head.

At this moment, only Xiao Cuo and I remained in the office. It felt vast and empty, yet I had the persistent sensation of someone watching me—the other Xiao Cuo.

A chill permeated my bones, making me tremble involuntarily. I struggled desperately to break free from this suffocating predicament, only to sink deeper.

“Tsssh!”

Xiao Cuo’s sound near my ear startled me awake. I was terrified—had I just seen a ghost in broad daylight?

“This thing is very subtle; I can’t find it either. But this might help with the case,” Xiao Cuo said.

“I’d rather never solve this case! Just find a way to bring it out.”

Right now, I felt like someone who had lost something vital, and my mind kept repeating three words: Find it.

Find the sender of the anonymous emails. Find the manipulator who made them disappear. Find the deceased Li Yalian…

I started thinking that perhaps what I had truly lost wasn't an external possession, but my own soul.

“Handsome, phone call! Handsome, phone call!”

I checked the display—an unknown number. My heart clenched. Could it be the mysterious person?

“Hello?”

“Is this Officer Wang Lei? This is Chen Yujia.”

I raised a finger to press the end button, but stopped myself. I touched the smooth keypad, then said coldly, “Dr. Chen, I’m working now. I don’t have time for calls.” And I moved to hang up.

“This is related to your condition and the case. Don’t you want to hear it?”

If he had only mentioned my condition, I would have definitely hung up immediately. Even if I were truly perverse, I never wanted to see him again. But since it was related to the case, my curiosity was piqued.

“I’ve contacted Mentor Michelle. He believes your situation is an exceedingly rare global anomaly,” Chen Yujia stated.

At this moment, I wasn't sure if I should feel honored or mournful. If it were a rarity like the Giant Panda, I wouldn’t mind being supported by superior beings for the rest of my life, but clearly, that wasn't the case. Images of tubes sticking into my body, surrounded by all sorts of monsters, flashed through my mind.

“Mentor Michelle says that ten years ago, in New Zeiza State, there was an American with a situation very similar to yours. He constantly experienced phantom objects appearing inexplicably, and these objects were always intrinsically linked to his personal life or career.”

I felt a surge of relief to finally find a counterpart in this vast sea of humanity. I suddenly longed to meet this American whom I’d never met. Chen Yujia seemed to read my thoughts and said, “This person died eight years ago, before Mentor Michelle could unravel the mystery.”

Hearing this, it felt as if a sharp spike had pierced my brain, as if I were the one who had died. Simultaneously, I saw a pair of eyes from across the Atlantic watching me.

As expected, Chen Yujia continued, “Mentor Michelle might be coming to China soon. We hope to have a thorough exchange then.”

I replied coldly, “I’m sorry, I’m a police officer. I am only interested in the case. I cannot accompany you on other matters.”

Chen Yujia’s enthusiasm as a dedicated doctor was not dampened by my refusal. He continued in a provocative tone, “This is precisely the key to unlocking the case. Because that American ten years ago was also a police officer, investigating a series of murders at the time. Unfortunately, the case wasn’t solved until three years ago. However, after reconstructing the facts of the case, Mentor Michelle discovered that the phantom objects he saw actually held a peculiar connection to the truth. If those riddles had been solved then, the case would have concluded much sooner.”

A suspicion arose in my mind: Is this guy trying to trick me with a fabricated story?

Because if what he said was true, then Xiao Cuo was lying to me. Xiao Cuo was selected for the Special Investigations Department from thousands of officers. According to his file, he seemed to have only two merits: a photographic memory and deep research into paranormal events. Based on the two baffling cases I’d handled since arriving here, it suggested that the higher-ups truly valued Xiao Cuo’s expertise in the supernatural. This meant if Xiao Cuo were deceiving me, the entire organization above him was complicit.

Was I supposed to stop trusting the organization and start believing in a man who runs an agency tucked away among several shell companies on the crowded floors of West Fourth Street in Anyang City?

This was hard for me to accept. Yet, this same individual, operating out of a floor that resembled a slum, hailed from the world's top private university. That was equally hard to accept.

Who should I believe?

My mind became utterly chaotic. Troubling thoughts surged through my brain like countless locusts, devouring everything until nothing remained but barren ground, rendering the entire world blank.

Perhaps that American officer died quickly because he fell into the exact condition I’m in now, and I might soon follow in his footsteps. Suddenly, I felt a metal rod driven horizontally through my neck, and my blood and breath were slowly draining out through it.

For the first time in my life, I felt death this close, and yet I was currently within the police station, a place supposed to be the safest haven.

At some point, I found myself alone in the office. Xiao Cuo had vanished while I was distracted, and even Gao Jianning, the computer insect, had crawled away from his workstation.

I hurried out of the office, hoping to grab some fresh air by the window down the hall. I bumped right into someone—it was Hong Yang, a man who shared a similar aura with me.

Since our two teams were currently clashing over the cases of Ou Jinglan and Li Yalian, our meeting was marked by a tense silence, filled with hostility. It felt as if the slightest utterance would trigger an explosion between our lips. However, my current condition was too precarious, so I sensibly sidestepped him and swiftly escaped.

Now that Gao Jianning was handling the matter of the computer emails, the other major lead was Jia Da. Perhaps Chen Yujia was right; the things I saw held a strange connection to the case. If I could decipher them ahead of time, the investigation could conclude.

A sudden, audacious idea seized me. It clung to my mind like a vampire, sucking away every other thought until it reigned supreme.

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