With the departure of Boss Jiang, the tense atmosphere in the Special Affairs Office finally eased, though I knew that was merely superficial; lingering suspicion surely remained etched in their minds.

"Everyone, pause what you're doing for a moment, may I speak with you all?"

Xiao Xuan and Gao Jianning immediately stopped their tasks, and Zhang Jiewei stared at me with an intensity that felt quite chilling.

"I hope you won't misunderstand me because of the email incident. After all this time together, you all should understand. Perhaps this is a trick by the killer, and I don't want this matter to affect our collective efforts." Before I could finish speaking, that old, broken electric fan suddenly let out a sharp crack and clattered to the floor.

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Xiao Xuan covered her mouth and chuckled at my awkwardness, while Gao Jianning, who hardly seemed like my cousin, laughed so hard he doubled over, looking like he might choke.

"Haha, Big Brother, are you trying to kill us with laughter?"

Seeing that everyone had lightened up, I knew it was best to let the matter drop there. I then pulled out the mysterious symbol I had copied previously—a symbol I had kept with me ever since, fearing it might inexplicably turn into blank paper like those newspapers.

"Come look at this."

The group immediately gathered around me. I hadn't truly examined this mysterious symbol closely before, but now, seeing it with everyone else, it seemed to possess a strange magic, causing a momentary blankness in our minds. I quickly shook my head, snapping out of the trance, and looked at Xiao Xuan and the others—it seemed they all felt it too.

Only Xiao Cuo’s eyes seemed to flash with recognition. I looked at him and asked subtly, "Xiao Cuo, what is it? Have you seen this symbol before?"

"I believe I have. Because I worked in the archives for many years, and when I was bored, I often looked through files on paranormal events. I seem to have encountered this by chance, but it was so long ago that I’m not entirely certain where I saw it."

"Very well, I’ll leave this matter to you," I said, patting Xiao Cuo firmly on the shoulder.

"Yes, Big Brother." As soon as Xiao Cuo finished speaking, he shot out the door with incredible speed. The rest of us were left in stunned silence, surprised he acted so immediately—truly the definition of speed.

"Following your instructions, I investigated Huang Yang last time, but the results weren't very fruitful. However, while tailing her, I noticed she knows Gu Hengming. They meet frequently late at night and only leave the next morning," Zhang Jiewei, who had been silent until now, finally spoke. His eyes seemed to hold some astonishing secret, and the depth of the fear within them was enough to make one’s heart tremble. I looked at Zhang Jiewei again, growing even more puzzled by this man close to my own age.

Xiao Xuan laughed, "Are the two of them having a secret affair? I recall Huang Yang is married, and Gu Hengming has countless rumored girlfriends. It seems these two are more complicated than they appear."

"This clearly suggests they’ve both been hiding something from us. Could it be?" A speculation formed in my mind: these two seemingly unrelated victims must share a subtle connection. And the key to unlocking that subtle connection might lie with Shi Yingjie, the person they had met with previously.

"Xiao Xuan, you come with me immediately back to Jia University. Gao Jianning, you blockhead, you stay here and keep investigating the email issue. Find out the exact time the email was sent from my home, and whether a hacker could have manipulated my computer. You must have this figured out by the time I return, or you know the consequences." Hearing this, Gao Jianning wilted like a frost-bitten eggplant.

Seeing his expression, I smugly left for Jia University with Xiao Xuan.

The vast campus was as quiet as usual, as if very few students were present.

Whether due to the architecture or some other reason, the place felt strangely grim, heavy with a dense, negative energy. Upon entering, we reached the dormitory building entrance. The attendant auntie wasn't there this time. I saw a registration book downstairs, signed our names, and headed upstairs.

The floor was unusually eerie. I even joked to Xiao Xuan, "Women possess Yin and cold constitutions, so their living quarters are naturally colder. They require the Yang energy of men."

Xiao Xuan shot me a glare but said nothing. As we reached the third floor, the staircase lights flickered erratically, like ghostly flames in the night, occasionally flashing a deep red hue.

"Rumble! Thud thud thud!" Several loud crashes echoed from the fourth floor. I hastily pulled Xiao Xuan and ran up, but we found nothing that could have caused such noise. Where had those massive sounds come from?

Immediately following, a sharp "Ah!" of agony pierced the air from one of the rooms. I rushed over, only to be confronted by a repulsive scene.

Shi Yingjie—no, more accurately, she should have been Shi Yingjie, because her face was unrecognizable. I could only faintly tell from her clothing that it might be her.

A female student nearby stood trembling, paralyzed by fear. Xiao Xuan stayed by her side, offering comfort. I asked, "Miss, who are you?"

At first, she dared not speak. Xiao Xuan continued gently, "Don't be scared, little sister. We are the police."

"I am Wang Jie, Shi Yingjie's upper bunkmate. It was supposed to be just the two of us in the dorm today; the other two went to a club activity. I was asleep, but I heard several loud bangs, and when I looked, Shi Yingjie was covered in blood, lying motionless on the **." This student, Wang Jie, was still shaking violently, her speech slightly incoherent.

"Okay, Xiao Xuan, ask this student to rest in the adjacent room first. Also, seal this area off and notify Gao Jianning to bring more personnel over," I instructed Xiao Xuan.

"Yes," Xiao Xuan replied, a touch of sadness in her voice.

After Xiao Xuan closed the door with the other girl, I looked at the motionless Shi Yingjie lying on the **. On her right chest, there was a large black dahlia. I put on the gloves I carried and carefully removed the flower, placing it in an evidence bag.

Alone in the room with a corpse, a strange sense of dread, akin to cowardice, settled over me. In all my years as a police officer, I’d never encountered this. Only recently, constantly bombarded by these inexplicable cases, have I felt so unsettled. Every time I face a body, I dread seeing such a horrific sight.

Nevertheless, I suppressed the fear churning inside and examined the face, which had been mutilated beyond recognition by a blade. I prepared to check the lower body, muttering internally, "This isn't molestation."

Just as I reached to remove Shi Yingjie's clothing, there was a sudden crash to my left, followed by a flurry of fine, crackling sounds. I glanced left to see broken glass strewn across the floor. And standing amidst the shards was a woman in black. A wave of genuine terror washed over me—could this be...?

Suddenly, the woman turned her head, and that face, both familiar and terrifying, appeared before me once more: Li Yalian! It was Li Yalian!

Knock! Knock! Knock! A series of loud knocks echoed from the door. In the instant I turned back, the woman in black had vanished. I rushed to the window; outside was the ground. I threw the door open and ran to the window, but there was nothing below. Looking out toward the center of the field, that mysterious and eerie face was still watching me, just like last time.

"Look!" I quickly pointed downward and called to Xiao Xuan.

Xiao Xuan came over, looked out the window, and said with confusion, "What's wrong with you now? There’s nothing there, just a few students."

I stared intently—there was indeed nothing. Was it another illusion, like last time?

Xiao Xuan broke the silence between us. "Did you check the cause of death?"

"How dare you ask! Just as I was about to examine Shi Yingjie's body when you came in, you knocked, scaring me half to death. Now that you're here, I don't have to do it. Take off her clothes and examine the body."

Xiao Xuan’s tolerance level was relatively high; female officers often possess stronger inner fortitude than their male counterparts. She pulled out a glove from seemingly nowhere and put it on with practiced skill. She began to undress Shi Yingjie, who looked like a corpse, but as soon as the clothing came off, blood clots scattered across the floor, nearly making Xiao Xuan scream.

I walked over to her. "Don't look anymore. They'll be here soon. We can investigate the cause of death then. You go rest for a while."

"Okay."

The room was quiet again with only me remaining. Holding the black dahlia, then looking at Shi Yingjie's body, a sliver of fear pierced my heart—a fear of death, similar to how I felt after Chen Yujia told me about that incident.

The room felt especially dark, with corners swallowed by blackness. I felt as if a pair of eyes was constantly monitoring me, very close, as if surrounding me.

Just as my thoughts were wandering, You Qiaolin entered with several officers. Two others set up a cordon outside; all other students in the dorm were forbidden from leaving their rooms, as witnessing something like this would surely cause a panic.

You Qiaolin, as the forensic examiner, had naturally accompanied the police. Seeing me, he asked, "The same as before?"

I simply nodded without speaking.

You Qiaolin approached the mangled body and gasped, "Ah! This! How is this possible?" He staggered back a few steps and fell onto another bed.

Noticing his unusual reaction, I asked anxiously and curiously, "What is it?"

You Qiaolin stood up and told me, "Look, the condition of the corpse astonishingly matches the method used in the second murder case. You know the inhuman pain the last victim endured from being skinned and having their bones removed! But this person is still clothed. That means they were skinned and dismembered after being dressed. But that's fundamentally impossible; the body would dissolve into blood upon being dressed."

After hearing You Qiaolin’s words, I thought about it. He was right; if that were the case, it would be an impossible feat. So how did the killer accomplish it?

"Take the body back to the bureau for a thorough examination. See if you find anything else. Although the two victims look similar, perhaps there are subtle differences," I said after a moment of deep thought, though transporting this body would likely be difficult.

"Mmm," You Qiaolin murmured, shaking his head as he and his assistant began processing Shi Yingjie's remains.

I pulled a pack of Marlboros from my coat pocket—a pack I’d bought nearly a month ago. I didn't particularly enjoy smoking, but having a cigarette often helped relieve immense pressure. I’d handled so many prior events without this level of stress, but these successive incidents made me feel this case was definitely part of a vast conspiracy.

As I exhaled a plume of smoke, a perfect ring floated toward the ceiling. Looking up at the white ceiling, I noticed a pipe to the left, running toward the central air conditioning unit that supplied heating and cooling to the students.

The AC was still blowing. A sudden hunch hit me: maybe I could find a clue in the air conditioner. I climbed onto the bed and quickly reached the unit. It was pitch black inside, like a louvered window leading to hell.

I reached my hand inside but found nothing remarkable, only getting some dust on my hand—likely residue from prolonged disuse. I was about to dismiss it when—

"Achoo!" My traitorous nose suddenly sneezed, kicking up dust from the AC fan blades. I involuntarily inhaled a small amount, and my mind was instantly flooded with dizziness, as if I were drunk, my body feeling light enough to float. Just as I was immersed in this sensation, Xiao Xuan entered. Seeing me up there, she exclaimed, "What are you doing! Climbing onto the furniture again?"

I snapped back from the strange feeling and told Xiao Xuan, "I've made a major discovery. Quickly get an evidence bag and collect some of this dust from the fan blades for analysis."

Xiao Xuan handed me the bag. I scooped up some dust. She watched me and said, "Looks like our chief has found something important! If this cracks the case, you’ll get a huge commendation, and we won’t have to worry about our bonuses this year!"

"Naturally. By the way, what about that little girl from Shi Yingjie's dorm, Wang Jie?" I asked solicitously; I’ve always been compassionate.

"She’s quite traumatized and resting in the next room," Xiao Xuan replied with concern.

"Mmm, this has certainly shaken her. Ask her to come here now; I need to discuss something with her," I said, preparing to get down from the bed.

"Why not talk to her back at the station?" Xiao Xuan seemed confused.

I gently patted Xiao Xuan's head, speaking with slight indulgence, "Silly girl, if we take her back to the station, that Hong—what’s-his-name Yang thing will surely come and mess things up. The girl is already traumatized; if anything else happens, even if she remembers something, she might forget it from sheer fright."

"I didn't think that blockhead brain of yours could be so clever," Xiao Xuan teased, as if deliberately trying to provoke me.

"Of course. I am dashing and distinguished," I retorted, easily rising to the bait.

"Lascivious brute," Xiao Xuan chuckled and turned her head away.

"Gao Jianning, that scoundrel, must have told you about my wild youth," I said, my face darkening noticeably. I would settle that score with him sooner or later.

Seeing me annoyed, Xiao Xuan walked out looking satisfied, calling back as she left, "Don't be mad. I know everything. I'll go get Wang Jie for you now."

A moment later, Wang Jie entered, her face etched with fear, clearly still reeling from the recent events. Anyone would struggle to recover immediately after something like that.

"Miss Wang Jie, don't be afraid. I just need to ask you about Shi Yingjie, nothing else. You don't need to worry."

"Okay, Officer, you can ask," Wang Jie replied, forcing back tears.

"What were you two doing at the time of the incident?" I began the serious questioning.

Wang Jie thought for a moment. "It was around noon. After lunch, it was hot, so when we returned to the dorm, Shi Yingjie said she was extremely tired and wanted to nap. I started playing on my phone, and eventually, I fell asleep too."

Xiao Xuan stayed near the girl, partly to offer moral support—after all, they were both women—and partly because during interrogations, someone needs to observe the subject's expressions to gauge the credibility of their testimony.

"Right, did you two hear any strange noises while you were sleeping?"

"I don't clearly recall any strange noises. Usually, during a midday nap, it's very quiet, but today, I don't know why, I slept incredibly soundly. In a hazy state, I thought I heard a slight sound, but I couldn't tell what it was."

"Mmm, I have the basic situation down. Also, did you have the air conditioning on when you were sleeping?"

"I remember that very clearly. It was quite hot when we came back, so we turned the AC on specifically."

I pondered for a moment, then told Wang Jie, "Miss Wang Jie, you can return now. Do not tell anyone about the things I asked you or what you saw today."

"Understood."

After Wang Jie left, I looked at Xiao Xuan, who understood my meaning immediately. "Her testimony is about ninety percent credible, basically reliable. Well? Did you discover anything?"

"Yes, I found a small clue, but it’s not enough to find the killer yet. It only tells us how the murderer initiated this plan."

"Oh? How so?"

"You'll understand later," I said, deliberately being cryptic while maintaining a serious expression.