After receiving a call from Zhang Xianyu, Zhang Shaoyi immediately pulled up all the surveillance footage and began rewatching it from the start.
According to Zhang Xianyu’s information, the person had entered Building Three in the middle of the night.
So Zhang Shaoyi decided to start watching from 10 PM through to 6 AM the next morning, rewinding day by day from the day of the incident.
After making himself a strong cup of coffee, Zhang Shaoyi’s drowsiness vanished as he stared intently at the screen.
Outside, the sky gradually changed from pitch-black to dawn.
By the time Zhang Shaoyi realized, daylight had already broken.
The once-silent office began to fill with human voices.
Someone who walked in jumped in surprise at seeing him: “Why are you here so early?”
Glancing at the screen, they added,
“Still watching surveillance footage?”
Zhang Shaoyi didn’t take his eyes off the screen and just gave a flat “Mm.”
He had gotten to the fifth day before the murder.
It was late at night, and nothing much was moving in the footage—it was almost static.
He rubbed his tired face, planning to finish this day’s review before taking a break.
A colleague chatted idly behind him.
The surveillance feed remained largely still, only the timestamp changing rapidly.
When it hit 2:50 AM, the screen suddenly flickered.
Zhang Shaoyi froze, quickly rewound, and replayed it.
A faint gray blur flashed across the screen.
He slowed down the playback and watched it four or five times, finally confirming that it wasn’t a fluctuation in streetlight brightness, but the shadow of a car.
At 2 AM, the streetlights were still on, casting long shadows.
As the car moved, its shadow unintentionally slipped into the camera’s view.
“The car must’ve been parked there before,”
Zhang Shaoyi said, his expression lighting up.
“Right in the blind spot of the main gate camera.”
His colleague was skeptical.
Isn’t it normal to see cars pass by the entrance of a residential complex?
Zhang Shaoyi shook his head and fast-forwarded to the night of the murder.
At 3:15 AM, the footage showed another flash of a shadow.
He paused and zoomed in, pointing at the screen: “A friend of mine lives in Zijing Garden. He gave me a tip that a homeless man saw someone enter Building Three in the middle of the night a few days before the murder.”
“A car parked here five days before the murder. Another parked here the night of the crime. That can’t be a coincidence.”
His bloodshot eyes showed no sign of fatigue.
“We need to pull the road surveillance footage for Zijing Garden during these times.”
That afternoon, when Zhang Xianyu went to work, Lin Wushui insisted on driving him.
Somehow, he had gotten his hands on a bright red Maserati and parked it downstairs, insisting on driving Zhang Xianyu to the convenience store.
Zhang Xianyu stared at the flashy car in silence for a long while.
Lin Wushui twirled the keys on his fingers and raised an eyebrow:
“How about I drive you to and from work every day?”
Absolutely not.
Zhang Xianyu twitched at the corners of his mouth and firmly rejected Lin Wushui’s chauffeur service, walking to work instead.
Watching his retreating figure, Lin Wushui frowned, a bit puzzled.
Does he not like Maseratis?
After work that evening, Lin Wushui still came to pick him up.
Zhang Xianyu’s eyes narrowed in suspicion the moment he saw him.
He rushed to the door and sneakily scanned the area—no sign of the eye-catching Maserati.
He instantly relaxed.
“You don’t like that car?”
Lin Wushui finally asked the question that had been bothering him all day.
“I can switch to a different one tomorrow?”
Zhang Xianyu’s breath, just now relaxed, tightened again.
He quickly shook his head.
“No! Walking is perfectly fine.”
Taking a Maserati to and from work every day—he just felt like one day, his coworkers were going to throw a sack over his head and beat him.
After being rejected several times, Mr. Lin looked visibly dejected.
Making friends actively was so hard.
He used to be the one others fawned over.
Now that the roles had reversed, he finally understood the struggle—especially since the boy in front of him was completely unmoved by charm or wealth.
Making friends is harder than climbing to the heavens.
Sigh.
As soon as they got home, a strong aroma drifted out from the kitchen.
Zhang Xianyu sniffed.
“What’s cooking in the kitchen?”
“Late-night snack.”
Lin Wushui came out of the kitchen carrying two bowls of century egg and pork congee.
“I made century egg and pork congee,” he said.
Zhang Xianyu looked at the nicely presented porridge, then at Lin Wushui’s smug expression.
His mouth twitched, but he didn’t call him out.
He accepted the bowl and quietly said,
“Thanks.”
Lin Wushui, who had been a little down, immediately brightened up and happily sat down to eat the midnight snack with him.
After finishing their late-night snack and tidying up, it was already past 1 a.m.
After saying goodnight to each other, Zhang Xianyu returned to his room, exhausted and ready to sleep.
The digital clock on the wall ticked slowly.
At exactly 2 a.m., a gust of wind suddenly rose outside, and the old security window began creaking noisily.
Zhang Xianyu turned over and continued sleeping soundly.
In the pitch-black living room, a black shadow silently slipped through the crack under the door.
The locked door made a soft click as it was easily pushed open.
A tall, thin figure, tightly wrapped up in clothing, entered without making a sound.
He seemed very familiar with the place.
Even without turning on any lights, he moved confidently toward the master bedroom.
Step by step…the intruder lightly placed his hand on the doorknob, the black shadow beneath his feet writhing viciously, mirroring his current mood.
As the door was slowly pushed open, the black shadow eagerly darted inside, ready to devour its prey.
“Breaking into someone’s home without a greeting? That’s just rude.”
The door opened fully—and Zhang Xianyu stood there, arms crossed, a cold smile on his face.
The shadow that had slithered in earlier was pinned beneath his foot, struggling silently.
The intruder clearly hadn’t expected to be caught and froze momentarily before revealing a sinister grin.
Then, his body suddenly vanished into thin air.
“Something’s wrong!”
Zhang Xianyu released the shadow underfoot and bolted for the living room.
Behind him, the entire bedroom began to melt like ice cream, turning into a massive, all-consuming black shadow that surged toward him.
“Wushui!”
Zhang Xianyu turned sharply, thunder flashing in his palm as he rushed toward the second bedroom.
Just as he grabbed the doorknob, it transformed into shadow and wrapped around his hand.
“Golden light, appear! Protect my body!”
A golden light burst forth.
The shadow immediately recoiled in fear, retreating and lurking in the corners, watching him hungrily.
By now, the entire house had become a storm of roaring shadows.
Only Zhang Xianyu remained standing.
Covered in golden light, with thunder crackling in his hand, Zhang Xianyu scanned the surging darkness warily, seeking a way out.
“Something’s off…”
His eyes swept around, trying to spot a flaw, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something critical was being overlooked.
Chanting a calming mantra to clear his mind, Zhang Xianyu suddenly realized what had been nagging at him all along: “Five Thunder Gods, I call your names! Arrive instantly—lightning whip and thunder crash…Manifest! Great virtue brings fortune. Let it be so! Break!”
Bolts of lightning rained down from all directions, instantly tearing through the shadow.
Zhang Xianyu’s suspicion was confirmed.
He quickly formed a seal and pressed it against his forehead: “Clear and bright, return to true essence. Let the three souls return and seven spirits be at peace. Light of the platform, spirit of clarity—attach swiftly!”
The shadows before him vanished instantly, and Zhang Xianyu snapped awake in bed.
Without stopping to put on shoes, he rushed straight to the door—
“He’s not in the house!”
Zhang Shaoyi led a team as they burst into the apartment, only to find it already empty.
That morning, upon discovering something abnormal in the surveillance footage, he had immediately pulled up the street cameras and identified the car that had appeared at Zijing Garden late at night.
Although the suspect had swapped out the license plates, following the trail eventually led them to the car’s owner.
Fearing the suspect would flee, the task force held an emergency meeting and quickly surrounded the suspect’s residence.
Zhang Shaoyi personally led the arrest.
But when they stormed in—the suspect was already gone.
Zhang Shaoyi cursed and ground his teeth.
“Keep searching!”
While the police began a local search, Zhang Xianyu was already in a real-world confrontation with the suspect.
That’s right—the earlier events had only been a dream, manipulated by the vengeful spirit haunting the man.
Sensing defeat, the ghost had gone into hiding.
The man, now wielding a sharp surgical knife and looking manic, screamed: “Die!”
“Watch out!”
Lin Wushui kicked the man squarely in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground.
The knife cut deep into the man’s own arm, causing blood to gush out.
“Come out! Kill them for me!”
The man was hysterical, staggering to his feet, chanting crazily while retreating toward the door with the knife.
Since Lin Wushui was present, Zhang Xianyu didn’t dare use magic openly and instead cautiously approached, hoping to find a chance to subdue him.
“Step back,”
Lin Wushui suddenly said, pushing Zhang Xianyu behind him.
His phoenix-like eyes narrowed dangerously.
“Let me handle this.”
Before Zhang Xianyu could stop him, Lin Wushui swiftly darted forward, ducked under the man’s blade, and came around behind him—landing a heavy blow that pinned the man to the ground, arms locked behind his back.
Zhang Xianyu quickly found some rope to tie him up.
The man was still struggling, yelling: “Come out! Kill them—kill them!”
Zhang Xianyu kicked him and told Lin Wushui to fetch a rag to gag him.
As Lin Wushui went to the kitchen, Zhang Xianyu quickly burned a talisman and stuffed it into the man’s mouth.
The man’s eyes went wide as he convulsed, and a black shadow emerged from his body, attempting to escape.
Zhang Xianyu was ready.
Thunder surged in his palm, striking the shadow and shattering it instantly.
“What’s that smell?”
Lin Wushui returned with the rag and glanced at the unconscious man on the ground, raising an eyebrow.
“What happened to him?”
“He was being too noisy. I knocked him out.”
Zhang Xianyu took out his phone and dialed Zhang Shaoyi.
“Let’s call the police first.”