Kun Feifan stood at the bedroom door, poking his head out to scan the living room. Nothing seemed amiss, nor did he see any figures; it appeared He Shaoqing was not present.

He turned back to the bedside, picked up his phone from the nightstand, and activated the flashlight function. The bluish light cast the room in a distinctly eerie atmosphere.

Holding the phone up, he aimed the beam back toward the doorway, illuminating the living room again. The security door stood wide open, the sofa against the wall ** empty, utterly devoid of occupants.

"Xu Hui?" Kun Feifan started, flinging the door open and stepping into the living room.

The ** bedding was somewhat disheveled; Xu Hui was gone.

Kun Feifan wasn't entirely surprised. He had just heard Xu Hui snoring—it hadn't been long, perhaps only a few minutes. Where could he have gone? He glanced at the open main door. Had he gone out? Or had He Shaoqing…

A sharp tension gripped Kun Feifan’s chest. Just as he was considering stepping outside to search, he suddenly heard a strange noise coming from somewhere—a sound remarkably like a rat gnawing its teeth.

Xu Hui? He Shaoqing?

Kun Feifan frowned, tilting his head to listen intently, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. The noise vanished quickly, but he was certain it had originated from the kitchen.

He crept cautiously toward the kitchen, first extending his hand inside, then shining the flashlight beam in. In one glance, he saw Xu Hui lying motionless on the kitchen floor.

Kun Feifan rushed over, about to reach out and check for breath, when the same sound returned. This time, he finally knew its source: Xu Hui was grinding his teeth and smacking his lips.

Kun Feifan let out a sigh of relief. Although it was strange that Xu Hui was sleeping on the kitchen floor, at least his life wasn't in danger. He bent down and nudged Xu Hui, calling out, "Xu Hui, Xu Hui, wake up…"

To his surprise, Xu Hui was deeply asleep. After much effort, shaking and patting his face, Xu Hui finally stirred, grimacing as he opened his eyes. He instinctively rubbed his face, then shielded his eyes with his hand, mumbling sleepily, "What? Stop shining that phone light in my face…"

It had to be admitted, even half-asleep, seeing someone shining a phone in his face, Xu Hui remained remarkably composed. It was hard to tell if he was simply dense or incredibly bold.

"Wake up, please wipe the drool off your chin first, and then take a look at where you’ve managed to sleep," Kun Feifan said to him with weary resignation.

Xu Hui blinked, finally realizing something was amiss. He scrambled to sit up, exclaiming in shock, "Why am I sleeping here?"

Seeing he was unharmed, Kun Feifan raised his phone to check the fuse box inside. He confirmed the power outage was indeed caused by a tripped breaker. Flipping the switch back on, the apartment lights finally flickered to life.

By this time, Xu Hui was completely awake. He carefully tried to reconstruct the events, saying uncertainly, "That’s weird. I remember going into the kitchen looking for water, but after that, I can't recall anything."

Kun Feifan recounted the incident where he thought he saw a face by the bedroom door.

Xu Hui raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, unsure whether he was surprised or skeptical. Kun Feifan merely shrugged with a detached smile, "If you don't believe me, it doesn't matter."

Xu Hui pointed toward the bedroom, but before he could ask, Kun Feifan cut him off. "No need to look. There are no bloodstains by the window. It was most likely a hallucination meant to scare me."

After a brief silence, Xu Hui suddenly spoke again, "I'm starting to believe you. At least, nobody should be able to make me fall asleep and end up in the kitchen like that. Listen, you probably can't stay here anymore. It looks like He Shaoqing won't let you off the hook."

"What do you mean? Where do you expect me to stay?" Kun Feifan looked toward the ajar front door; he certainly didn't want to remain there either.

Xu Hui shot him a sidelong glance. "Don't you have money? Go stay at a hotel. My place only houses me; I'm not putting up a second man."

Kun Feifan gave him a look of utter disdain.

Although it was past two in the morning, finding a budget hotel or a short-term rental should still be relatively easy. However, Kun Feifan wasn't sure if he had developed some kind of psychological scar. Being sent out alone in the middle of the night, especially knowing that a pair of eyes were lurking in the shadows, waiting to end his life, caused a fresh wave of anxiety.

"You aren't scared, are you?" Xu Hui's background as a police officer hadn't been for nothing; he recognized the tension etched on Kun Feifan's face.

Kun Feifan glared back, "Don't joke…"

Xu Hui couldn't help but chuckle. Disregarding Kun Feifan’s feelings, he slapped him lightly on the shoulder. "Let's go. I'll help you find one, but ideally, you should stay by yourself."

Kun Feifan had initially intended to look for a small inn or a place by the hour, but Xu Hui vetoed the idea.

"If we look, we look for a proper hotel. You're only staying one night anyway. Let's go to 'Caesar’s'."

"Why?" Kun Feifan couldn't help but ask, curious.

Xu Hui hesitated for a moment, then lowered his voice instinctively, "I heard their Feng Shui is good."

Kun Feifan nearly burst out laughing.

Unexpectedly, Xu Hui spoke with utmost seriousness. "Don't laugh. I genuinely heard that. Trust me, even though I used to not believe much in this stuff, given the current situation, it’s better to err on the side of caution."

For a fleeting moment, Kun Feifan felt a pang of genuine gratitude.

It must be said that after checking into 'Caesar’s,' the constant unease that had plagued Kun Feifan suddenly vanished.

He slept until nearly noon, finally waking up groggily and heading down to the restaurant. This place served food twenty-four hours a day, making Kun Feifan think it would be a perfect spot to take a vacation.

However, when he returned to his room, perfectly content, he found something highly irregular had occurred.

The door, which required a key card insertion to open, was slightly ajar. The ** clearly showed signs of recent occupancy, a strange, unfamiliar scent permeated the room, and the faint sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom.

Kun Feifan cautiously pushed the bathroom door open. A man was hunched over the sink, washing his face. When this person lifted his head and saw two figures reflected in the mirror—one with a face ashen and pale—he let out a startled shriek.

"Damn it, don't you know the saying, 'Man scares man, and man dies'? You move without a sound, are you a cat?" Xu Hui hastily wiped his face, dried the water, and said irritably.

"How on earth did you get in?" Kun Feifan asked, feeling both helpless and bewildered.

"What’s so special about that?"

Xu Hui was unconcerned. He pushed aside Kun Feifan’s hand gripping the door frame, squeezed through the gap between him and the door, retrieved a beverage from the mini-fridge inside, and settled onto the ** while taking a long drink.

"I have * access, and I know the security manager here."

Kun Feifan decided to drop that topic and shifted his line of questioning. "What did you come here for?"

Xu Hui leaned back against the ** without bothering to remove his shoes, sighing contentedly, "You really know how to live."

"The drinks in the fridge cost extra," Kun Feifan explained weakly.

Xu Hui waved a hand dismissively. "Never mind that for now. Where were you just now?"

"Eating."

"Good. Come eat something with me later; it’s time we headed to No. 73."

Kun Feifan was startled. "You still plan on going?"

Xu Hui shrugged. "Why wouldn't we? Do you think ghosts haunt in broad daylight?"

Kun Feifan took a deep breath and said very seriously, "I don't know."

Xu Hui looked at Kun Feifan's strained expression, his tone also becoming formal. "Whether it's haunted or not, we have to go. First, we're just going to look at that cabinet. Second, don't you have that string of prayer beads? Whatever they are made of, they seemed to have some effect on that ghost. And I didn't come empty-handed either."

Saying this, he lifted his shirt, revealing the holster under his armpit. Then he pointed toward the doorway and continued, "There’s a bag by the door. It has a flashlight and two extendable batons—the electrified kind."

Kun Feifan was surprised by how much Xu Hui had prepared; his resolve wavered slightly. He turned, took a black backpack from the closet, opened it, pulled out an amulet hanging from a red string, and handed it to Xu Hui. "Wear this. I hear it’s quite effective against ordinary 'dirty things'."

Xu Hui sat up and took it, fiddling with it curiously. "You didn't use these things yesterday? Is there anything else in that bag?"

When this was brought up, Kun Feifan couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. He forced a weak smile. "Some talismans and such that friends gave me for dealing with ghosts, but yesterday, I just tossed the bag next to the shoe rack when I got home…"

"What?" Xu Hui sprang up, snatched the bag, flipped it open, and exclaimed, "Whoa, there’s a wooden sword too, and… what is this? A jade plaque?"

Saying that, he reached in, pulled out the wooden sword, and swung it around playfully. Kun Feifan took the bag back, snatched the sword from his grasp, and returned it to the bag. "Don't worry about whether it works or not; I've seen it in action."

Seeing Kun Feifan’s displeased expression, Xu Hui quickly interjected, "Hey, I’m not doubting it, just curious."

He fastened the amulet around his neck.

Kun Feifan nodded without speaking. The amulet he gave Xu Hui was from Gu Yi; according to Bai Ru, it was stronger than the one Bai Ru had given him back on campus. Since he had the prayer beads, Xu Hui naturally needed something to protect himself.

Xu Hui looked at Kun Feifan and suddenly said, "Hey, you don't actually have to come. I'm just going in to take a look. But if real danger arises, I don't want to drag you into it."

Kun Feifan spread his hands, pretending nonchalance. "I don't want to go either, but since I'm the one who dragged you into this mess, if you decide to go, I'm definitely going with you. Besides, I'm more familiar with the situation inside than you are."

Xu Hui chuckled wickedly. "He Shaoqing is lucky to have met both of us, huh."

Kun Feifan smiled, picked up the bag, and asked, "Let's go eat first."

Xu Hui seemed resourceful; he actually managed to sneak into the restaurant and enjoy a free buffet. Full and satisfied, he wiped his mouth and declared with high spirits, "Let's go!"

The two drove the police car directly toward No. 73 Yibin Road.

However, contrary to their expectations, the bright, sunny sky outside gradually grew overcast during the drive. By the time they parked the car across the street from No. 73 Yibin Road, the weather had shifted from clear to cloudy.

Xu Hui stuck his head out the window to check the sky and muttered, "Is it really that bizarre? Or am I just overthinking this? I should have worn my uniform. By the way, don't they say police officers have strong Sha Qi?"

Kun Feifan didn't answer that question; he only asked, "Are we still going in?"

Xu Hui snorted heavily. "Trying to scare me? Let's go!"