It was almost midnight, but the police station was still brightly lit. After a busy night, Long Qi was a little sleepy. He yawned, walked out of the police station, bought a bottle of coffee from a vending machine by the roadside, and then leaned against a street lamp to turn it on.

He lowered his head, smoking and drinking coffee, letting out a long sigh.

After a short rest, just as Long Qi was about to go back, his phone suddenly vibrated in his pocket. He was taken aback and quickly took it out. The caller ID showed that it was Jiang Shihe again.

"Mr. Jiang, do you have any news?"

"Captain Long, have you found any connections between the deceased? Judging by the timeline, once we find the direction, we should be close to success."

Long Qi was already used to Jiang Shihe's uncanny ability to predict the future, so he just smiled wryly and said, "Yes, indeed, Mr. Jiang has not continued to investigate Zhang Da's disappearance case, has he?"

“Zhang Da’s identity is questionable, as are Ji He and others. It cannot be ruled out that they may be the ones who falsely accuse others.”

Jiang Shihe paused: "Captain Long, we've known each other for so many years. Given my personality, once you get a clue, the first person you'd have someone investigate is Miss Ruan, right?"

“…Mr. Jiang, this is my duty.”

"I know, I don't blame you."

On the other end of the phone, the sound of a lighter came through. The man's magnificent, cello-like voice was slightly hoarse, as if he had a cigarette between his lips, making his speech somewhat indistinct.

Jiang Shihe said in a deep voice, "But do we have any evidence now?"

"……No."

Long Qi paused, fearing that if Jiang Shihe really found the evidence, he might secretly destroy it to protect Ruan Qing'an, so he was reluctant to let Ruan Qing'an leave.

Jiang Shihe is capable, but frankly speaking, he lacks a strong sense of justice.

After a brief silence on the phone, Jiang Shihe said, "I will pick her up first thing tomorrow morning. Given the numerous doubts and lack of evidence, Captain Long, you have no right to detain her."

“I will investigate her family situation. Captain Long, you can have someone follow her. You all know what I found out.”

Long Qi was silent for a moment: "Mr. Jiang, I—"

"I know you want to reject me."

Jiang Shihe paused: "Comparing the information and database with the suspects we found before will take quite a while. The higher-ups are pressing us, Captain Long, so don't waste time with me. As long as I can prove her innocence, that's enough, isn't it?"

Long Qi fell silent for a moment. To be honest, it was unlikely that Ruan Qing'an was the murderer. His alibi had already been investigated, but he was still not entirely at ease...

Just then, footsteps were heard.

"Captain Long, what are you doing here!"

"Why are you out here, Old Chen?"

Long Qi looked up and asked the newcomer, "What happened?"

Old Chen then explained, "Didn't you ask Ali to investigate Ruan Qingan's matter? She couldn't find anything. There are no records of her before she went to university, so they're not of any reference value."

"Can't find anything? What's going on..."

As Long Qi was speaking, Jiang Shihe on the other end of the phone suddenly laughed: "I went to F University to ask. She applied for a poverty student subsidy, but because the information was incomplete, the application was unsuccessful. All her personal information was only completed before the college entrance examination."

"The president of F University has some connection with her. The small apartment in the building was decorated by her, but the specific reason is unknown."

Hearing this, Long Qi was in a real bind.

These cases are all complicated and troublesome, the cases have been stalled for a long time and remain shrouded in mystery...

Finally, Long Qi breathed a sigh of relief: "Okay, as long as you can prove her innocence, Mr. Jiang, we will send someone to follow her."

"Okay, I'll pick her up tomorrow morning."

After saying that, Jiang Shihe hung up the phone.

He was standing under a streetlamp outside the apartment, smoke rising from the cigarette between his fingers, sparks flickering. A faint, dark green glint seemed to appear in the man's deep black eyes, but it vanished without a trace...

After Jiang Shihe stubbed out his cigarette, his gaze fell discreetly on the person behind him, and he felt the extra gaze upon him once again.

But compared to the almost sticky affection in his eyes before.

This almost scrutinizing gaze made him even more dissatisfied.

"Alright, can we come out now?"

Jiang Shihe paused, his eyes growing even colder.

He absolutely hated being followed like this, even more so than that nasty young lady who was secretly taking pictures...

On the deserted street, the wind blew, swirling up fallen leaves, but still no one came out. Jiang Shihe couldn't help but sneer, his eyes suddenly turning cold: "The last time."

Ji He and Xia Changhong were hiding in the corner.

Ji He hadn't expected Jiang Shihe's perception to be so strong, that he could even detect the player's tracking. But she didn't plan to come out. Just then, Xia Changhong tugged at her from behind.

'No, something's not right...'

Xia Changhong mouthed the words with difficulty.

Ji He snapped out of her daze and quickly looked in Jiang Shihe's direction, but at that moment, there was no trace of him under the streetlight!

Is Jiang Shihe really an ordinary NPC, or a ghost?!

How could it possibly disappear right under the players' noses!

Ji He couldn't help but widen her eyes, but just then, a long shadow enveloped her and Xia Changhong, her whole body stiffened, and a sinister voice appeared in her ear.

Hehehe—

Why don't you look at me?

Ji He turned her head slowly and found a head embedded in the wall. The woman, with disheveled hair and a face covered in blood, was grinning at her. Her mouth was full of teeth, and she was drooling, as if she wanted to bite her.

Even though Ji He was a seasoned player, she was startled by the brat and stabbed him with her rune-engraved dagger. But what followed was only a mocking and grating laugh.

'Ding!'

The sharp end of the dagger struck the wall directly.

With the little ghost causing trouble, Ji He and Xia Changhong both rushed out from around the corner, only to discover that the dark shadow that had enveloped them was actually a thin, ghostly figure clinging to the wall.

Even when the light shone on it, it seemed to be swallowed up by the shadows.

There was no time to worry about the missing Jiang Shihe now; both of them were on high alert, watching him intently.

The dark shadows twisted and clung to the wall, surging in like a tide. They were nothing like the little human head demon on the wall just now. But—how could I suddenly encounter a ghost!

Ji He's face was extremely pale.

She looked down at the ground. The area that had been illuminated by the streetlights seemed to be swallowed up by darkness little by little, and the long, thin black shadow was crawling towards them in a twisted manner, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere.

Most importantly... they had virtually nowhere to escape!

Ji He whispered to Xia Changhong, "Do you have any usable tools? Let's find a way to leave here first; we can't stay any longer."

Ji He wasn't without any useful props.

But she had to keep her things to deal with the murderer ghost in the achievement goal, so she didn't dare to use them casually. But just as Ji He was waiting for Xia Changhong's answer, she realized that the person next to her was not moving.

She froze on the spot, because at that moment a cold hand landed on Ji He's shoulder, as if she were dead.

"I...have a way..."

The grating, sawing sound was like a ghostly hand reaching out from hell, as if it wanted to drag Ji He down to hell with it. She turned her head blankly and saw that Xia Changhong's face was a bluish-gray, as if he had been dead for a very long time.

Her pupils constricted sharply—she'd been hit?!

\u0006\u0006\u0006\u0006\u0006\u0006