Kuang Feifan's expression froze for a moment, then his voice involuntarily rose, "You're still planning on seeing Zhao Hongcheng? Please, look at the time. You seriously plan on sneaking into the hospital now?"

Feng Tian rubbed his nose, looking completely unconcerned. "Just going to ask one question. It'll take a few minutes. Why are you so surprised?"

Wang Hai suddenly leaned in and whispered, "Since I have to go back to the hospital anyway, why don't I ask for you guys and then call to let you know."

Feng Tian considered it and thought the suggestion wasn't bad. Ji Ping already knew that Zhao Hongcheng was awake, but his testimony was merely about watching the video recording, and Feng Tian had already seen that recording himself, so there was no need to visit him. Thus, he dropped the hospital idea, told Kuang Feifan, and left the gas station first. He still had an important task: picking up Luo Jingjing's laptop tomorrow.

Wang Hai drove Kuang Feifan and Feng Tian all the way back to the hotel before heading back to the hospital. Feng Tian reminded him to make sure Zhao Hongcheng called once he arrived.

Once back in their room, Kuang Feifan finally couldn't hold back the question burning in his mind.

"Spit it out," Kuang Feifan stared at Feng Tian like an interrogator. "What are you thinking? What's your scheme? Asking questions and then needing a laptop."

Feng Tian had long anticipated this question and was unfazed by the intense scrutiny, but he remained mysteriously composed. "Why the rush? You'll know when the time comes. Mainly, right now I only have one idea, but absolutely no evidence to prove it, so I can't explain it clearly. It won't be too late to tell you once I've confirmed what I suspect."

He paused, pulled out a bottle of water to toss to Kuang Feifan, and took a swig from his own. The back-and-forth had left him desperately thirsty. After downing half his bottle, he continued, "Right, can you check Luo Jingjing's computer to see what information she possessed?"

Kuang Feifan looked confused. "What do you mean? That's too vague."

Feng Tian let out an "Oh," collected his thoughts, and asked, "I can’t explain it well either. For example, can you find the source of Luo Jingjing's information about the phantom car?"

Kuang Feifan pondered this. "The best answer to that question would be to ask the person involved. But since Luo Jingjing is gone, the only option left is to try checking her emails on the computer. Since she was a journalist for an online magazine, she must have an inbox. However, the source might also have come from an online forum or something similar."

Feng Tian shook his head. "Impossible. I just searched online a moment ago. While there are many rumors about phantom cars circulating, not a single one shares similarities with the car Luo Jingjing described. In other words, the phantom car she encountered isn't the commonly known type."

Kuang Feifan couldn't help but feel a bit puzzled. "Did she run into an anomalous phantom car? That’s as rare as winning the lottery. I wonder if she was lucky or unlucky. Still, once we have the laptop, I can check the web pages she browsed for any clues..."

Before he finished speaking, Kuang Feifan suddenly realized. "So that’s why you want her computer... It seems you've thought of all this already?"

Feng Tian, conversely, sounded somewhat dejected. "It seems I still don't know enough. I've always thought I was quite capable. Not boastful, perhaps, but I have to admit, I believed I was rather skilled. Now it seems I've been arrogant, no different from a frog at the bottom of a well."

Kuang Feifan chuckled a few times, earning him a few irritated glares from Feng Tian, who couldn't help but let out a bitter smile himself.

"I never thought Master Feng would have moments of self-pity. I really should have taken a picture for posterity; not many people get to see this sight," Kuang Feifan continued, twisting the knife.

Feng Tian snorted from his nose. "Stop gloating. Don't forget, you need something from me right now. Even if you don't offer respect, you should at least save me some face."

Kuang Feifan laughed it off. "Come on, I admire you, I really do, but I don't intend to put on a show of respect. Besides, you haven't exactly refrained from bossing me around."

Feng Tian let out an exaggerated sigh but couldn't suppress a small smile. Regarding Kuang Feifan, in these past few days, Feng Tian had realized one thing: this man was fiercely loyal at his core.

Truthfully, Feng Tian had operated alone for years, rarely taking partners. Kuang Feifan was arguably the first person to team up with him ghost-hunting. Although he hated to admit it, initially, he had only involved Kuang Feifan in the exorcism at Futian Garden to put him in his place. It was through that incident that he discovered that although Kuang Feifan was just an ordinary person, he possessed his own methods for dealing with ghosts, and in certain aspects, they were quite successful.

However, for now, Feng Tian could not voice his true assessment of Kuang Feifan; the reputation of Master Feng still came first.

Sensing Feng Tian wasn't willing to discuss the phantom car further, Kuang Feifan didn't press. In just over a day—waking the dead, paying with spirit money for gas, being hit by an invisible car—any one of these incidents was enough to cause terror. Even without experiencing them firsthand, hearing them felt like reliving them. Because he himself had encountered several such incidents, he had agreed to stay with Feng Tian to try and resolve this matter. Based on his experience, if this wasn't dealt with quickly, more people would encounter trouble.

Not long after, Feng Tian's phone rang. He answered, switched to speakerphone, and placed it on the coffee table so Kuang Feifan could hear too.

On the phone, Wang Hai deliberately lowered his voice to a near whisper. "Hey, I'm here. Zhao Hongcheng is fine, but he's asleep."

Feng Tian pondered for a moment. "Can you wake him up?"

"I'll try..." Wang Hai replied, and then they faintly heard his voice through the phone: "Old Zhao, are you asleep? Old Zhao... wake up..."

A moment later, a muffled, sleepy murmur emanated from the phone. After a little while longer, they heard Zhao Hongcheng’s indistinct voice, "What? Don't people get to sleep?... Who needs gas?"

Kuang Feifan shook his head. He personally disliked being abruptly woken from deep sleep; interrupting someone's rest was quite inhuman.

Feng Tian, of course, did not share this sentiment. After listening to the commotion on the phone for a while, Zhao Hongcheng’s groggy voice finally came through, "Master Feng? Hello, what is it?"

Feng Tian spoke without a hint of apology. "Sorry to wake you. I just need to know one thing: before that day, did you already know Luo Jingjing's intentions for working at the gas station?"

After his question, the other end of the line fell silent. After a long pause, Zhao Hongcheng replied with a strange tone, "That... I knew... a little..."

Feng Tian’s question was something Kuang Feifan had also suspected earlier, but he hadn't asked it. Since Zhao Hongcheng was a victim, not a suspect, whether he knew beforehand wasn't crucial. He truly couldn't fathom what Feng Tian was thinking to pursue this specific detail.

"We don't intend to dwell on this matter, but please tell the truth: did you completely understand the reason Luo Jingjing was working at the gas station?" Feng Tian continued his relentless questioning.

Another silence followed. Zhao Hongcheng finally steeled himself to tell the truth. "Yes, Luo Jingjing told me before she started working at the gas station that she used to be a reporter chasing the story of the phantom car. She insisted it wasn't a supernatural tale but something real that had happened at many gas stations. At first, I didn't believe her; I just treated it as a story. She claimed that aside from the spirit money payments and the fact that the gas disappeared completely, leaving only stains on the pavement, there was no mortal danger, and she was just trying to confirm if it was happening. But when... when I saw the spirit money in the cash register, I immediately remembered what she had told me. And... and when I saw her blood-soaked face appear outside the door... I... I thought the real situation might not be as simple as she said, and then I..."

Without him needing to finish, everyone understood what the "then" meant—he had finally collapsed, likely lying on the cold floor of the convenience store for several hours, which would inevitably lead to a high fever.

With that question answered, Feng Tian had nothing else to ask. He casually offered a few words of advice, telling Zhao Hongcheng not to dwell on the matter and to rest well before hanging up the phone.

For a moment, neither Kuang Feifan nor Feng Tian spoke. Feng Tian simply stared blankly ahead, lost in thought. Seeing his bewildered expression, Kuang Feifan decided to abandon his idea of questioning him and headed straight for the bed to sleep.

After only a few hours of light rest, Kuang Feifan woke up just as dawn broke. He looked around the room and was slightly surprised to find Feng Tian still sitting on the sofa, adopting the posture of a thinker, eyes closed, deeply immersed in contemplation.

Kuang Feifan started, realizing the current situation was more serious than he imagined, otherwise Feng Tian wouldn't be like this. Clearly, he had been sitting on the sofa the entire time, diligently trying to sort out his thoughts.

Getting out of bed, Kuang Feifan was just about to urge Feng Tian to get some sleep when a faint, soft "whoosh" sound reached his ears. Immediately, he realized his earlier assumption was wrong.

The Feng Tian on the sofa was currently emitting faint, even snores.

Truly a master; to be able to sleep in such a posture was a skill beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Just then, a scuffle of footsteps sounded outside, seeming like three or four people approaching the door. When the footsteps stopped, a sharp "knock, knock, knock" sounded on the door.