In front of a residential building, a simple canopy had been erected. Several people stood chatting or squatted nearby smoking idly, but the striking detail was that they were all clad in mourning attire—another household was holding a funeral. Two rows of flower baskets and wreaths lined the entrance to the apartment, and before the canopy lay numerous paper effigies: paper figures, paper horses, and even meticulously crafted paper replicas of villas and cars.

Initially, Kuang Feifan and the others were only paying attention to the various vehicles parked in front of the building, searching for cars they recognized. But they quickly realized that they were all common models, nothing familiar stood out.

Suddenly, they heard Ji Ping suck in a sharp breath. It seemed he had spotted something, and the others shifted their focus from looking ahead to watching Ji Ping inside the car.

Ji Ping had indeed discovered something. His eyes were wide open, his face contorted in sheer horror, and his mouth gaped involuntarily as he stammered out a few words: "Could it be... could it be that car..."

Following the direction of his stare, this time, everyone except Wang Hai's girlfriend, Xiao Zhang, realized what it was.

It was another car, a small black sedan whose shape looked almost identical to the one in the surveillance footage. But the one unbelievable thing was that it was a car made entirely of paper.

One had to admit, the craftsmanship on the paper figures and horses arranged by this family's doorway was truly exceptional.

Even Kuang Feifan found it difficult to believe what he was seeing. He couldn't imagine a paper effigy of a car actually moving, let alone driving to a gas station in the dead of night to refuel.

If it truly was that paper car, could it somehow turn invisible and then run down Luo Jingjing?

Kuang Feifan couldn't help but slowly turn his head, fixing his gaze on Feng Tian, trying to read something in his expression.

Inside the car, apart from Feng Tian, nearly everyone else wore a look of sheer dread. Xiao Zhang, understanding the implication, covered her mouth in disbelief, stifling a scream.

Feng Tian merely shrugged, feigning indifference, and said, "Why are you all so surprised? What’s so strange about this?"

As he spoke, he turned to Ji Ping, saying, "If you have the nerve to go check it out, you’ll probably find a drop or two of gasoline on that paper car. Try it if you don't believe me."

Ji Ping had by now recovered from the initial shock. After only a brief hesitation, he pushed the car door open, stepped out, and walked toward the house.

Fortunately, the paper car was positioned somewhat toward the edge. Ji Ping paused in front of it, observing closely for a moment. Before his actions could draw the attention of the grieving family, he turned and walked away.

Back inside the car, Ji Ping gripped the steering wheel, silent. Everyone stared at him, waiting for him to confirm whether he had seen residual gasoline on the paper vehicle.

After a long pause, Ji Ping simply nodded, his face looking exceptionally grim.

Seeing his confirmation, Kuang Feifan maintained his composure, but Wang Hai and Xiao Zhang couldn't help but gasp audibly.

Silence descended in the car for quite some time. It was Xiao Zhang who finally broke it, saying, "Shouldn't we tell that family? They don't know their own paper car is haunted."

Feng Tian looked outside and waved a hand dismissively. "It's fine. From the looks of it, they should be heading to the crematorium today. Once that car is burned, everything will be over."

Although his words offered some reassurance, the thought that Luo Jingjing was ultimately killed by a paper car left everyone with a lingering, strange feeling. Xiao Zhang, especially, grew more upset the more she thought about it, eventually leaning against Wang Hai's shoulder and weeping softly.

Ji Ping slapped the steering wheel, sounding thoroughly disheartened. "Honestly, I feel so unjustly wronged."

His words sparked a thought in Kuang Feifan’s mind. He remembered Old Hou mentioning that Luo Jingjing had uttered the character "Yuan" (wronged/injustice) after reanimating briefly in the morgue. Could this be what she meant?

Feng Tian sighed deeply. "When some things should be let go, you must let them go. Obsessing over chasing some phantom car, to the point of disregarding your own safety—this already foreshadowed the cause behind the outcome."

Kuang Feifan frowned, still feeling that the situation shouldn't be this simple. He turned to look at Feng Tian, unable to resist asking, "Did you investigate that email and the webpage, etc., just to confirm this?"

He gestured in the direction of the paper car.

Feng Tian nodded. "Miss Zhang said Luo Jingjing got the information online, but there was no such rumor on any webpage. Instead, there was only an email in her inbox that she had sent to herself. Clearly, she was influenced by some external force to the point of obsession. The whole phantom car incident was her own delusion, which coincidentally aligned with the appearance of the paper car, resulting in her tragic demise."

Ji Ping asked in a low voice, "Is that... the end of it?"

Feng Tian let out a soft breath. "Yes, this chapter should be closed. You... can close the case."

Ji Ping said no more. He started the car and sped away from the residential complex.

Following Feng Tian's instructions, Ji Ping parked the car in front of the Taoist temple. He would then take Wang Hai and Xiao Zhang back to the hotel, while he returned to the precinct to figure out how to officially close Luo Jingjing’s case.

As Feng Tian and Kuang Feifan watched the car drive away from the temple, Kuang Feifan suddenly spoke, "Tell me, this isn't really over, is it?"

Feng Tian was slightly taken aback, then smiled faintly. "It seems you still have thoughts?"

Kuang Feifan pondered for a moment, then said, "I'm just guessing, but your reaction confirms my suspicion. Moreover, I don't believe that car could be seen in the gas station footage but somehow invisible to the traffic surveillance cameras."

Feng Tian paused. "Just based on that?"

Kuang Feifan stared at him intently. "Sometimes, one inconsistency is enough."

Feng Tian turned back toward the nearby Taoist temple and suddenly murmured, "I didn't tell them because the trouble here isn't just about Luo Jingjing. She was merely an affected victim."

Kuang Feifan felt a sudden, inexplicable jolt as he looked at Feng Tian’s expression. "Could this be related to the matter you told me about concerning the old Taoist priest?"

Feng Tian visibly stiffened, his expression shifting to one of deep contemplation. After a long moment, he nodded slowly. "It's highly possible. The old Taoist priest has guarded this place for so many years, yet he still couldn't resolve this lingering resentment."

Saying this, he started walking toward the temple, remarking as he went, "I'll explain everything once we see the old priest."

The two walked into the temple and headed straight for the rear wing. Just as they reached the entrance to the back courtyard, they saw the old Taoist priest standing by his room door, his expression suggesting he had been waiting for them.

The three entered the room and sat down. Feng Tian began recounting everything that had happened over the past few days to the old Taoist priest. The priest's expression had already been unusual earlier, but as Feng Tian finished, his face tightened instantly; it seemed he too grasped the gravity of the situation Feng Tian described.

Kuang Feifan still did not grasp the underlying reasons, but he listened patiently until the two finished their exchange. After another long silence, he finally asked Feng Tian, "Is there another hidden layer to this?"

Feng Tian looked at the old priest, who gave a slight nod. Only then did Feng Tian speak. "I didn't lie to you about the paper car. It was indeed that thing causing trouble. However, the paper car was actually influenced by Luo Jingjing. The root cause of all this still lies with her—a terrifying external force manifested Luo Jingjing's imaginings into reality..."

Involuntarily, both Feng Tian and the old Taoist priest gazed through the doorway, out into the courtyard toward that strange small hut across the way.