Xu Hui stared wide-eyed at Kuang Feifan's exceedingly strange actions, watching him glance around the living room for a moment before heading straight for the kitchen. Curiosity piqued, he followed, only stopping when he saw Kuang Feifan's face contort slightly as he yanked open the refrigerator door. He couldn't help but ask, "Hey, are you... alright?"

He leaned closer to take a look inside the fridge himself.

As both their gazes fell upon the interior, Kuang Feifan visibly relaxed, while Xu Hui was utterly bewildered. The refrigerator was perfectly normal, stocked only with some food and drinks.

Xu Hui genuinely couldn't fathom what Kuang Feifan was thinking. He reached in, pulled out a bottle of juice, twisted off the cap, took a sip, let out a breath, and asked again, "I mean, what is it that has you so... terrified?"

Kuang Feifan stepped back two paces, leaning against the cabinetry, rubbing his forehead with his hand. It seemed highly likely that everything he had just experienced was merely a terrifying nightmare. He spoke with a certain weariness, "I don't know either. Before you arrived, I think I had a truly awful dream."

Xu Hui nodded slowly, then frowned. "Indeed. Later, I pressed my ear against your security door trying to hear what was happening inside, and I actually heard you shouting in there. Eventually, having no other option, I went out in the rain and found a locksmith to finally pry open your door. When I finally got in, the sight that greeted me was you bolting toward the open window. I had no choice but to tackle you. When I got up, you were unconscious."

Kuang Feifan asked, "When you came in, you didn't see anyone else in my apartment?"

Xu Hui shook his head. "No one. Besides you, I even sent the locksmith away immediately after I opened the door."

Kuang Feifan hesitated for a moment, then also grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, gesturing for them to move to the living room.

The security lock was utterly ruined by Xu Hui, so the main door was just left ajar. They sat on the sofa. Kuang Feifan began by explaining the footage that reappeared on the surveillance recordings and recounted the events he had just gone through.

After listening intently, Xu Hui pondered for a moment and said, "It seems he desperately wants you dead."

Kuang Feifan looked at him with confusion.

Xu Hui pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "It's simple. Most likely, those terrifying scenes you experienced initially were designed to push your nerves to their breaking point. Then, he appeared before you in the guise of He Shaoqing, solely to lure you to the windowsill, so you'd jump directly out the window. Of course, that's just my guess."

Kuang Feifan managed a wry smile, and after a long pause, managed to utter two words: "Thank you."

Xu Hui pursed his lips, waved his hand dismissively, "Forget it. Why thank me? At least I arrived in time."

Kuang Feifan leaned back against the sofa, glancing at Xu Hui, and remarked with some surprise, "I didn't expect you to get in so smoothly, without any resistance at all."

Xu Hui raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

Kuang Feifan sighed. "You haven't personally experienced the situation in that small building. That little ghost boy has a whole set of tricks against us; often we're struggling just to save ourselves, let alone save each other."

Xu Hui murmured thoughtfully, uncertainly, "Do you think there's a possibility that whatever possessed He Shaoqing has somehow had its power diminished?"

Kuang Feifan paused, then nodded as if something clicked. "Don't say that, it's actually quite possible."

Xu Hui raised a hand to wipe his face. "What do we do now? We can't just let He Shaoqing roam around outside."

Kuang Feifan shook his head. By now, he was mostly clear-headed, and his brain wasn't as chaotic as moments before. Thinking carefully, he said, "It seems I've become his target now, possessing a definite desire to eliminate me. What we need to do now is find He Shaoqing if possible, find a way to capture him, and then figure out a method to deal with the evil spirit possessing him."

Xu Hui clearly blinked in surprise, then asked, "Capture He Shaoqing? How? We can't exactly put out a city-wide warrant, can we?"

Kuang Feifan hadn't actually figured out the next steps. With Bai Ru absent, relying on just himself and Xu Hui—two complete outsiders clueless about the paranormal—to deal with a ghost-possessed He Shaoqing seemed quite difficult.

A silence fell between them for a while. Suddenly, Kuang Feifan remembered Xu Hui’s original reason for visiting and quickly asked, "Right, did you find any information on that small building?"

Xu Hui slapped his forehead. "Damn it, I was so focused on you that I completely forgot about that."

He stood up and looked around, finding a rather thin file folder on the shoe rack by the door. He handed it to Kuang Feifan. "It's all in here. It really is strange, that building has a long history, dating back before the Liberation. It should qualify as a protected historical site, yet it seems no one has paid it any attention."

Kuang Feifan took the file and pulled out a stack of photocopied documents. Seeing the specific address, he learned for the first time the exact location of the building: No. 73 Yibin Road.

Reading more closely, Kuang Feifan was quite surprised. "That building was actually designed by a famous architect."

Xu Hui nodded. "I looked through all that material too. The five main avenues around Yibin Road all have architecture from before the Liberation, so most of the houses there are now protected historical sites. Before the Liberation, No. 73 was owned by a merchant named Song. Unfortunately, the records are incomplete. Rumor has it that one night, someone saw the entire family packing their belongings and leaving by car, supposedly fleeing to Hong Kong. This was likely at the end of '47 or the beginning of '48."

Kuang Feifan flipped through the documents in his hand and looked up. "Is there anything in here explaining the specific background of the original owner of No. 73?"

Xu Hui shrugged with both hands spread. "It’s not easy to find old records these days, especially without computer archives. Also, I found some local gossip."

Saying this, he pulled out a computer-printed page from the stack. Kuang Feifan glanced at it—it didn't contain much text—but before he could read it, Xu Hui spoke up with a showy air, "I dug this up online, and then cross-referenced some other material. After the Liberation, No. 73 was used as a private residence, but the legend is that whoever moved in didn't stay long before relocating. Since '74, it’s been vacant. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find out who lived there previously."

Hearing this, Kuang Feifan couldn't help but sigh in disappointment, placing the papers on the sofa beside him. "So, after all this, there's still no useful information."

Xu Hui glared, dissatisfied. "Hey, don't forget, I'm just one person, and I've only had half a day. Do you think it’s easy to find records for an old building that almost everyone has forgotten about? Why don't you try?"

Kuang Feifan had merely spoken his thoughts aloud, not intending to upset Xu Hui. He quickly waved his hands repeatedly. "Relax, relax. I didn't mean anything by it. Calm down."

Unexpectedly, Xu Hui suddenly chuckled slyly. "I know. I was just preempting you, so you wouldn't start complaining again. Not a bad move to take the initiative, right?"

Kuang Feifan was instantly speechless, wishing he could snatch the stack of documents and throw them onto Xu Hui's big face.

That small interlude managed to dispel the oppressive atmosphere inside the room.

Xu Hui plopped back down onto the sofa, sounding somewhat dejected as well. "I felt pretty discouraged while sorting through the materials. However, I did contact a few friends connected to the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau to try and find out if anyone knows anything about No. 73 Yibin Road. But I expect it will take some time."

Kuang Feifan shook his head. "What we lack right now is time. Based on the materials you've described, we should make some bold guesses. First, we know the previous owners were surnamed Song and they left suddenly overnight, so hastily. The reason could be related to the political climate at the time, or secondly..."

Xu Hui interjected, "Maybe it was haunted?"

Kuang Feifan frowned, hesitating, but finally nodded. "There's a possibility, but I have a feeling it leans more towards the political situation."

Xu Hui shrugged nonchalantly. "It’s all speculation anyway. Then there's the period after the Liberation when it was used as a residence but only for a short while before it became vacant with no further record. What do you think was the reason for that?"

Kuang Feifan's eyes drifted vaguely, and he blurted out, "Haunted."

Xu Hui paused, but didn't argue, merely stating, "It seems we still need to investigate the whereabouts of the Song family, and ideally, find a family that lived in No. 73 later on."

Kuang Feifan nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly a memory flashed in his mind, making him exclaim, "Wait..."

Xu Hui jumped, asking quickly, "What?"

Kuang Feifan said as he thought, "I suddenly remember, in that small building, I saw an old-fashioned cabinet in one room, the kind from the sixties or seventies. Could it be something left behind when they moved? I didn't have time to check closely then."

Xu Hui wasn't as animated as Kuang Feifan. It was just a cabinet, but it could barely count as a lead. He casually said, "Then let's go take a look."

Kuang Feifan instinctively started to agree, then immediately recalled Bai Ru's words, and hastily shook his head. "No! The two of us absolutely cannot go into that building. I'm not like you, and neither of us has turned into someone like He Shaoqing."

Hearing this, Xu Hui's expression shifted. He looked like he wanted to say something but stopped himself. After a long moment, he waved his hand. "Forget it."

Kuang Feifan found this strange and pressed him, "What is it? You have something to say?"

Since uttering those two words, Xu Hui had shrunk back into the sofa, holding his fist up to his lips, looking deeply preoccupied. This made Kuang Feifan even more perplexed.

"Xu Hui, are you hiding something from me?" Kuang Feifan finally asked.

After a long silence, Xu Hui finally turned to look at Kuang Feifan, as if making a great resolution, and said solemnly, "I need you to go to a hospital and have your brain and body checked."

Hearing this, Kuang Feifan's face immediately darkened, and a surge of anger rose up. He forcefully suppressed the urge to explode at Xu Hui, merely stating coldly, "Captain Xu, if you suspect there's something wrong with my mind, then I'd appreciate it if you would leave my house right now. If possible, pretend our conversation never happened, and don't mention it to anyone else, lest they think you're the one with the problem."

With that, Kuang Feifan made a 'please' gesture with his hand toward Xu Hui and stopped paying attention to him.

Xu Hui couldn't help but smile bitterly and shake his head repeatedly. "I knew saying that would make you angry, but there’s no need for such a strong reaction."

Kuang Feifan snorted but said nothing.

Xu Hui showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he shifted in his seat and lit another cigarette. If Xu Hui hadn't saved his life earlier, Kuang Feifan would have snapped at him then and there.

After a moment of quiet, Xu Hui suddenly spoke, "Actually, you can't blame me. I’ve never seen a ghost in my life, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in paranormal things. On the contrary, I experienced something strange when I was in the military, though it wasn't a ghost. Do you know why I suggested you get checked? I’m not worried you have mental problems; I’m worried that you, and maybe even He Shaoqing, might have been infected with some unknown virus that caused this change."

Kuang Feifan let out a few cold laughs.

Xu Hui turned his head and looked steadily at Kuang Feifan, speaking slowly and deliberately, word by word: "Believe it or not, I've been cursed before, and I've seen so-called 'vampire zombies,' but I’ve never seen a ghost."