Chen Yujia’s voice was steady, unchanged from the past, yet I had already seen through his facade; I would not be fooled by him again.

I suppressed the rage building in my chest and replied coldly, “Do you think it’s necessary to speak to me this way? I think it would be more appropriate to continue our previous conversation.”

Chen Yujia remained unfazed. “Whatever you have seen, no matter what it is, you must state it truthfully so that I can treat you better.”

I hissed, “I saw you coerce Qi Wan, force You Qiaolin, and murder Xiao Xuan, Xiao Cuo, Gao Jianning, and every other victim.”

If looks could kill, I would have slain this suited beast before me a thousand times over.

Chen Yujia suddenly broke into a strange smile. “Then wouldn’t that make me a man of heinous crimes?”

His smile made it impossible to contain my fury any longer. I let out a sudden, sharp cry, surging forward like a maddened tiger, clamping my hands around his throat, screaming, “You killed Xiao Xuan! I will avenge everyone!”

Chen Yujia’s face grew paler, and my grip tightened. Perhaps half a minute more, and I could have settled the score for Xiao Xuan and the others.

But Chen Yujia showed no panic. He gasped out in broken phrases, “If… I truly… killed someone, I would… regret it… because you would… die with me…”

My hands instantly loosened. I stared at him, panting heavily, like a cornered wolf.

He was right. If I killed him now, I would very likely become his willing martyr. Although I knew everything now, everything outside of a portion of his patient files was still inference. I held absolutely no direct evidence of him committing murder. In other words, unless I could defeat him psychologically and force a breakdown and confession, killing him would be the same as murdering an innocent man.

Facing someone whom even a world-class psychological master felt inferior to, I could not foresee the outcome of this battle. Perhaps the one outcome I least desired would materialize, but I knew one thing for certain: I would absolutely not let him go!

However, according to those patient files, all the deceased had a direct or indirect connection to him—this was an undeniable fact that even he could not dispute. Based on this alone, there was sufficient ground to initiate a criminal investigation against him.

Chen Yujia straightened his clothes. His face was slightly flushed crimson from the sudden surge of blood. He took several deep breaths, then declared with absolute conviction, “Now, you suspect everyone, including yourself.”

This damned wretch was still acting!

But at this point, I had completely calmed down, suddenly eager to see the extent of his acting prowess. This would actually be advantageous for future interrogation work.

I shook my head, stating with absolute certainty, “No. Right now, I only suspect you.”

Chen Yujia’s brow furrowed slightly, then he said, “You can suspect me, but do you have evidence? Or is it just evidence forged in a dream? Tell me everything; it will alleviate your condition. Otherwise, doubt makes people silent, and silence traps people. Wang Lei, I only suspected before, but now I am certain you have been manipulated. This person shouldn't be Professor Michel. Could it be…”

Chen Yujia suddenly fell into unexpected contemplation. It seemed he wasn't going to confess; this attitude would persist. So, I cut him off without ceremony. “Heh heh, I have been manipulated, because that person is you! Because you are the one who killed them!”

“Oh, so that’s what you saw just now.” Chen Yujia looked utterly convinced, making even me momentarily fall for the illusion: this was the real him, and everything I knew was just a phantom.

His voice, magical and mesmerizing, continued, “Your brain now not only has hallucinations and auditory delusions but also developing paranoia. It makes you accept things from the illusion as reality, refusing to let others change them. This situation is extremely dangerous. Although you might cling to some of your absurd ideas, I still advise you to temporarily suspend your current work for further treatment.”

Hahahaha! I suddenly burst into loud laughter. “Chen Yujia, this is your trick, this is your game just beginning. Do you think you can cover the sky with one hand, placing yourself above the law? I tell you, that is impossible. No one can achieve it, because the law I speak of is not just a piece of paper; it is the universal standard for human conduct. Your actions have violated the bottom line of human behavior and thought. No matter how great your ability, you cannot escape its judgment. If you don’t believe me, keep talking nonsense, but I will escort you back to the bureau immediately, and then you will know what to do.”

Before coming, I had already requested authorization from my superiors for Chen Yujia’s detention. So, starting now, I had twenty-four hours of golden time. If I could seize these twenty-four hours to find new evidence from his confession or elsewhere, I could apply for his criminal detention. That would buy significantly more time.

“Wang Lei, stop these frantic thoughts and actions immediately. You are no longer fit for this profession; you would harm more than just me. I don’t mind if Professor Michel misunderstands me, but please remember, I would never harm you!” Chen Yujia’s words sounded earnest, yet I couldn't shake off this sonic spell. My once perfectly clear mind was suddenly clouded with more doubt and confusion.

“Don’t be agitated. I will return to the precinct with you now. But you must promise one thing: we go directly to the precinct, nowhere else, and you must personally deliver me there,” Chen Yujia said grimly.

However, I replied with icy detachment, “Of course. Although I long to send you to hell, I am a police officer. I will follow procedure; I will not make mistakes for someone as blood-soaked as you.”

Chen Yujia glanced at me, his eyes showing no panic, betraying no flaw. Then he stood up. “Fine, let’s go now.” His tone suggested he was the one taking me to the police station.

This feeling of being passive was deeply uncomfortable, so I retorted, “I warn you, don’t try any tricks. If you have any other ideas halfway through, I suggest you save your breath.” As I spoke, I pulled back my jacket, revealing the police-issue handgun tucked under my arm.

Chen Yujia offered a slight smile. “Don’t worry. For your sake, I must go there anyway.”

I turned my head away, unwilling to speak to him further, because nothing he said could firmly establish one thing: I was the patient, and he was merely a doctor. And the way he spoke, his demeanor and tone, was so natural it was compelling. It was like reading a novel—knowing the whole thing was filled with illusory people and events, yet still weeping uncontrollably at the story.

A sudden realization struck me: only someone like this could fabricate a world for another person, a world containing things that capture his attention, things he cannot forget, things that haunt his dreams, things he craves like an addiction.

I was willingly stepping into that world!

Just as I was currently being enchanted by him, it was because deep within my core, I wished he was the refined, scholarly young man from before—the confidant, the compassionate psychiatrist, the wise man who understood the coldness and warmth of human nature.

These were my deepest desires. He had merely probed them using a method unknown to me, then gently guided me, subtly influencing my resolve without my awareness. I even felt a strange sensation: wouldn't it be wonderful to remain immersed in it forever? Wasn't that precisely what I craved?

Suddenly, a sharp shock jolted my heart: Hypnosis! He must be secretly using hypnosis on me!

Although Professor Michel had claimed that hypnosis could only be used when the subject was completely willing or entirely focused on the hypnotist, whether Chen Yujia possessed other methods was something even Michel dared not confirm. Despite Chen Yujia being a world-class psychological master, Michel had shown hesitation when facing him.

Michel had told me that Chen Yujia was a dual genius—both a learner and a creator: he finished all university courses in just one year, demonstrating incredible learning capacity; furthermore, he had discovered several major theories in psychology, some of which even Michel aspired to. Yet, Chen Yujia was never arrogant, attributing these theories to Stanford’s training and teamwork, offering them freely to the university.

It was precisely for this reason that Professor Michel had initially let down his guard against him. Recalling this later made Michel tremble with apprehension. He feared that the dark, bloody devil within Chen Yujia had already been unleashed then, and everything had been a deliberate act by Chen Yujia to gain his trust.

Looking back now, Michel’s fears were not impossible. For someone as supremely gifted as Chen Yujia, what couldn’t he achieve?

The police car sped along, sirens wailing. Chen Yujia’s expression remained perfectly calm, just as it was when we traveled together in the past—no visible stress, no trace of panic.

He seemed like the Chen Yujia I once knew, but I was no longer the me I used to be… Years later, I realized that this is perhaps all of life.

Grasping the steering wheel, a sudden urge to swerve into the oncoming traffic surged through me. I feared failure. Though I had failed many times in my life, this time, I could not afford to lose!

Perhaps my earlier thought was correct: only I could bring the ‘me’ to justice; no one else could, because no one in the world would believe in the existence of ‘me.’ If my guess was right, Chen Yujia’s next move would be to become ‘me,’ convincing everyone that the other version of him didn't exist, thus easily escaping legal sanction.

And the most terrifying part was that I believed he could do it, just like all the incredible things he had done before me, plus some bizarre things I still couldn't rationalize.

My hands were trembling. Chen Yujia suddenly remarked, “If you crash the car now, you will never know the truth.”

I violently wrenched the wheel, pulling back from the edge of death, sweat rolling down my forehead.

“Don't be nervous. Just keep the car steady. Perhaps in another ten minutes, the truth will surface quickly. Why engage in meaningless acts?”

“Stop talking!” I roared, the sound tearing from my throat, but immediately regretted it, because those should have been his words. Why were they coming from me?

The car fell silent. Chen Yujia watched me calmly, while I felt as though I was enduring an arduous, relentless battle.

Was I truly destined to lose?

A wave of defiance rose within me. I had to hold on until the end; I would not lose!

Because I believed that the righteous path of the world endures through trials, not through schemes and cunning manipulations!