The young proprietress frowned and said, "She used to come by late at night, sometimes every night, so I honestly can’t recall the exact date."

"I heard she had a fight with her boyfriend that day, and he even laid hands on her."

"Oh, now that you mention it, I remember. Shuhua did come by that day, and we chatted for quite a while. She said the noodles were for Jiang Bo, and I even told her she was too soft; why bother with a man who hits women!"

Hearing her say this, I suddenly lost all hope, sitting there without uttering a word for a long time. Jiang Bo's testimony was now fully confirmed; he hadn't lied, which meant he wasn't the murderer.

The young proprietress saw my state and, not knowing what was wrong, didn't disturb me, going back to her own business.

I sat there alone, thinking for a while, slowly expanding the entire incident in my mind. Then I considered: If He Shuhua was buying noodles for Jiang Bo that night, she should have headed to where Jiang Bo lived after getting them. How then did she end up murdered on the rooftop of a tenement building?

Did she run into someone she knew on the way and decide to turn back?

Or was that acquaintance Jiang Bo himself—someone who had planned everything in advance, called He Shuhua to buy noodles, then intercepted her halfway, and led her back to the tenement building... In that case, he would have successfully fabricated an alibi.

If the acquaintance wasn't Jiang Bo but someone else, who could it be?

It now appeared this case wasn't as simple as initially estimated; the investigation needed to go deeper.

I looked up blankly at the night sky. The distant galaxy flickered with a faint, spectral light, much like the bewildering clues in the case—sometimes appearing, sometimes breaking off, leaving one uncertain.

At that moment, I suddenly thought of going to check out Jiang Bo's place; perhaps I could find some clues there. I asked the young proprietress for Jiang Bo's location and walked over alone.

Jiang Bo was a local, and his residence wasn't far from He Shuhua’s rental building—less than a ten-minute walk from the night market. On this stretch of less than ten minutes, I made an unexpected discovery—there was a surveillance camera here.

In the deep night, the camera sat silently in mid-air, looking down upon everything on the street. It ceaselessly recorded every person, every action, or the utter stillness within that small area.

The next day, back at the station, I pulled up the footage from that camera. The screen displayed a scene both familiar and strange. After setting the time correctly, the picture quickly dimmed; black leaves swayed across the screen, making one feel unnerved.

For some inexplicable reason, as soon as I saw this footage, I had a strange feeling, as if I had seen it somewhere before. Yet, I was certain I had never been to that location before the tenement murder case. Why, then, did I have such a strong feeling?

I violently shook my head a couple of times, tossing those strange thoughts aside, and stared intently at the screen. According to the young proprietress, He Shuhua bought the noodles around ten o'clock that night, so I adjusted the time to 9:50.

Seconds ticked by, and people occasionally walked across the frame. Although it was ten at night, the area had a relatively high population density, so people were still out and about.

As it approached 10:10, a woman appeared in the lens. I recognized her instantly as He Shuhua. Her face had a very distinct oval shape, and even though the head on the screen was only the size of a fingernail, the oval shape was easy to distinguish from other facial structures. Furthermore, she was wearing jeans—He Shuhua's last known attire.

She was carrying a plastic bag, presumably containing the shredded-pork noodles. She was visible on the screen for about five seconds before disappearing around another corner. This meant that at this time that night, she was alive, but on the subsequent path to Jiang Bo's home, she was intercepted, led somehow back to the tenement building, and ultimately killed on the rooftop.

Suddenly, the He Shuhua on the screen returned, reappearing in the frame. She walked back the way she came. When she reached the center of the screen, she abruptly lifted her head and seemed to look directly at me.

From my perspective, it felt as if she were looking right at me, as if she knew I was watching her on the screen, her gaze piercing through the glass, aiming directly at me. The moment our eyes met, I was stunned—she bore an astonishing resemblance to Xiaoxuan.

No, not just a resemblance—she was Xiaoxuan!

Xiaoxuan stood there, silently watching me, her expression filled with profound sorrow and pain. I didn't know what to do, staring dumbly at the screen, desperate to somehow slip through into the image to meet her, but I couldn't.

Then, Xiaoxuan's image gradually expanded, finally filling the entire screen; I could even clearly see her eyebrows, as if she were standing right in front of me.

"Xiaoxuan!"

I reached out, wanting to touch her face.

"Don't!" Xiaoxuan suddenly cried out, shrinking away to the side of the screen, curling herself tightly into a ball, watching me with intense fear, screaming, "Stay away from me, don't touch me!"

"Xiaoxuan, it's Wang Lei, it's your senior!"

"Stop lying to me. Senior died long ago, and I am already with him now. Don't hurt me, don't hurt me."

Xiaoxuan shrieked, her voice like a wild animal being slaughtered. I quickly pulled my hand back, saying repeatedly, "Xiaoxuan, I won't touch you. Calm down, recognize who I am?"

Xiaoxuan looked at me, her expression suddenly turning panicked, her eyes filled with terror. I couldn't know what horror she was experiencing inside the screen, so I said, "Xiaoxuan, don't be afraid. I'm here. Nothing will happen to you."

At that moment, Xiaoxuan suddenly stood up from the ground. Her eyes seemed to split open, and she pointed wildly at me, screaming maniacally, "You are the murderer! You killed me! You killed me!"

"No, Xiaoxuan, I am Wang Lei, not the murderer. Calm down, tell me who hurt you?"

"You are the murderer, you are the murderer! I won't let you go!"

Xiaoxuan screamed wildly. Suddenly, lines of blood appeared on her body, and then she began to fall apart piece by piece, until nothing remained but a skeleton and a bloody skull.

"No!" I roared in despair, realizing with shock that Xiaoxuan had been dead for a long time; what I saw was merely an apparition.

My cry of despair jolted me awake. The screening room was silent, with only me inside. My body felt numb. Recalling the scene I had just witnessed filled me with overwhelming grief. But simultaneously, a question gnawed at me: Xiaoxuan has appeared twice in this case; is her death somehow connected?

Yet, this seemed completely unrelated. The killer of Xiaoxuan was either You Qiaolin or someone connected to him. How could the killer in the tenement case possibly be linked to them? It was like the Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea—a distance of tens of thousands of miles, impossible to bridge even with a thousand-foot pole.

Then why did Xiaoxuan appear so frequently?

Why didn't I see her in the other two cases?

Was it because I was currently investigating this case that I saw her?

I thought helplessly. But how could I resolve matters of the illusory world when I couldn't even sort out the immediate reality?

Utterly baffled, I forced myself back to reality. While I was seeing the previous apparition, the footage on the screen continued to advance. Suddenly, a man hurried past, moving in the exact same direction He Shuhua had taken—disappearing toward the lower left corner.

A shock went through me. I suddenly recalled what the apparition of Xiaoxuan meant, so I immediately rewound the footage and paused it. A strange man with a slightly menacing face appeared on the screen. I checked the time; the two individuals passed the camera less than two minutes apart. This meant the man could easily catch up to He Shuhua. Could this be him?

Based on my estimation of the scene, the distance from the camera location to Jiang Bo's home was about six or seven minutes away. If the killer was trailing her, he would have needed to pass the camera within three minutes of He Shuhua to catch her.

So, I played the recording back another three minutes. Unexpectedly, during that span, besides this man, there was no one else. My heart rate quickened instantly. I immediately brought up the image of that man and zoomed in on his face.

Because it was night, his features weren't very clear, and he was wearing a hat that obscured most of his face. However, his clothing was quite distinctive—he was wearing a plaid shirt.

I immediately reported this situation to Zhang Jiewei, instructing him to dispatch the Fourth Investigation Team to locate the man in the plaid shirt without delay.

Jiang Bo's suspicion hadn't been entirely eliminated yet. As I had analyzed before, he could very well have waited downstairs for her after calling He Shuhua to buy noodles, then coaxed her home when she arrived with the food to carry out his criminal plan.

Just then, a call came in. I checked—it was Chen Yujia. I really should thank him; if he hadn't found Fatty Old Demon, I might have been removed from duty and sent to Shipanshan. Lately, there had been so many cases that I hadn't visited him. I wondered what he wanted today.

"Yujia, what's up?"

"It's good news, I suppose. My mentor, Mr. Michel, is currently in Beijing for an academic conference and should be finishing today. He plans to come over specifically to see you."

"See me?" I was momentarily stunned. I didn't know this Michel fellow at all. Why would he come specifically to meet me? Could Chen Yujia be joking?

"You forgot, I introduced your condition to him before. He was quite interested, so he wants to meet you before he returns to the country."

Oh, I did remember that now. I replied, "Don't worry, I guarantee I won't disgrace the Chinese people."

"Science knows no borders, and illness doesn't recognize race either. Don't start with racial divisions. I'll call you later." Chen Yujia ended the call with a light tone, clearly pleased about his mentor's visit.

I rubbed my head. My hallucinations had increased lately; perhaps I should visit Chen Yujia soon. Then, I suddenly remembered that I was due to interrogate You Qiaolin soon. A thought struck me: Chen Yujia is a psychological expert. He must have unique insights into breaking down a person's psychological defenses. Why not consult him first before I interrogate You Qiaolin?

The matter of You Qiaolin had weighed heavily on my mind for a long time, so as soon as this idea formed, I immediately drove toward Yujia’s Psychological Clinic. I hadn't called Chen Yujia, wanting to give him a little surprise, lest he get bored spending the whole day at the clinic.

I walked up the staircase that felt like a mountain path, passed through the corridor resembling an alleyway, and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" Chen Yujia said from inside.

I gently pushed the door open. I saw Chen Yujia seated, and across from him sat a man dressed somewhat like a migrant worker.

He didn't turn his head but spoke, "Please wait a moment; I'll be done here shortly."

I remained silent, sitting quietly, only hearing Chen Yujia say to the patient, "You should avoid high-altitude work in the future, as it causes blood pressure to rise, which in turn compresses your brain nerves and aggravates your condition."

The patient nodded repeatedly, offering profuse thanks. Chen Yujia gave a few more instructions, then scribbled a few lines on a piece of paper and handed it to the patient. "This is a calming medication. You can take the prescribed dose every morning and evening."

"Alright, you can go back now. If anything unusual happens, come back to see me."

"Thank you, Dr. Chen. How much do I owe you?"

"Never mind. Your income isn't high, and your condition isn't severe. This time, it's free."

"That is truly too kind, Dr. Chen. Going to the big hospitals now costs hundreds immediately. Good Samaritans like you are becoming increasingly rare."

"Please don't say that. You should leave now; there are other patients waiting." Chen Yujia finished speaking and then turned around. "You... it's you?"

Seeing his surprised expression, I laughed heartily, "Dr. Chen, you truly possess both superb medical skill and high moral character."

Chen Yujia offered a faint smile and didn't elaborate, as if this sort of thing was nothing out of the ordinary—he seemed to be doing it often.

"Is this one of the reasons you choose not to work in a major hospital?" That was my personality; I liked to circle things until I got tangled up, though often I ended up trapping myself.

"It's one of the reasons," Chen Yujia replied, still composed, then added, "Didn't I ask you to wait for my call? Why did you come today?"

"Alas, my illness is terminal. If I had delayed another step, I might not have been saved," I feigned a near-death appearance.

But Chen Yujia wasn't someone easily fooled. He smiled slightly. "There must be something else, right?"

"Brilliant, truly brilliant. I can hardly imagine anyone fooling your keen insight." I dished out a compliment, deciding to butter him up first since I needed his help today.

A flash of intelligence lit up Chen Yujia's eyes. He frowned slightly and said, "Is there something you need my help with?"

I knew that in front of him, nothing could truly be hidden, so I confessed, "Indeed there is. There's a very tricky matter I need your assistance with."

Chen Yujia showed a flicker of interest. I knew that for someone as preternaturally smart as him, real challenges must be rare in life, making him crave difficult tasks. I often wondered if I should ask him sometime how many times he had actually failed.

I played coy and asked, "Guess what it is?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, he blurted out, "It must be related to a case."

Sigh. I asked a rhetorical question. I was a police officer; what thorny issue would I need a psychologist for besides a case?

Chen Yujia continued, "I am a psychologist. If you come to me, it must be related to my profession—so it must be that you've run into someone impossible to crack."

"Agh, talking to you is tiresome. I hadn't even finished my sentence, and you already knew everything," I expressed mild dissatisfaction.

Chen Yujia kept smiling. Annoyed, I pressed further, "Is there anything in this world you can't see through?"

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"You."

"Me?"

"Exactly. Your condition, I can’t see through it at all, and I still dare not make a final diagnosis."

"Brother, you're teasing me now. How am I supposed to bear this, a tragic patient?"

After some pleasantries, Chen Yujia handed me tea and asked, "So, what is it?"

I sighed and said, "I need to interrogate a death row inmate, but this fellow is extremely stubborn. I need to know if there's any method to make him talk—and make him reveal things he doesn't want to say."

Chen Yujia slowly settled back into his chair, his eyes glittering faintly. I knew this posture meant he was deep in thought, so I sat quietly, waiting.

After a while, Chen Yujia said, "Why is he unwilling to speak? Just tell me the reasons you can think of."

I hadn't truly considered this matter seriously before, so I thought on the spot and replied, "He wants to toy with us, or perhaps he's protecting someone. Those are the only two reasons I can come up with."

Chen Yujia pondered for a moment, then asked, "Can I meet this person?"

I spread my hands. "Unfortunately, I doubt that's possible. The crime he committed is very serious, and the higher-ups are paying close attention, so only the investigating officers can have contact with him."

Chen Yujia nodded and said, "Let's discuss the first possibility: if he wants to toy with you, that means he is very arrogant. Only those who consider themselves clever entertain such perverse ideas."

What Chen Yujia said made perfect sense. No fool would try to toy with others; they spend their days trying not to be made fools of. Toying with people is indeed the privilege of the clever, and their optimal path to perversion.