Zhang Shaoying was originally leading a team to search for the suspect when he got a call from Zhang Xianyu saying the murderer was in his house.
He was stunned—this felt unreal, like something out of a drama.
But knowing Zhang Xianyu wouldn’t lie to him, he immediately rushed over with his team.
The killer had already been firmly tied up by Zhang Xianyu.
Only then did Zhang get a good look at the man’s face—it felt familiar.
After thinking for a long while, he remembered: this man had once come to the convenience store late at night to buy cigarettes.
He’d even thought at the time that the man’s hands looked far too delicate for his rough, weathered face.
Turns out, the man had been targeting him from the beginning and had even gone to the convenience store to scout.
Most likely, ever since they fought in that dream, the killer had taken notice of him—either fearing he’d ruin things or for some other reason—and planned his attack over a few days, intending to kill him within a dream.
—That’s right.
From the moment the killer entered the house, everything Zhang Xianyu experienced had taken place in a dream.
The ghost attached to the murderer wasn’t particularly powerful but had the ability to invade dreams.
Working together, the ghost and the murderer would enter their victims’ dreams, tormenting them until they broke mentally—making them believe it was all real.
Once the victims were on the verge of collapse, the murderer could easily kill them in real life.
No wonder the murderer had managed to wipe out an entire family without making a sound—he killed them all in their dreams.
Zhang Xianyu suddenly recalled the eerie song in his last dream.
That little ghost might’ve been trying to warn him.
Zhang Shaoying arrived shortly after.
When he saw the man lying on the ground and matched him with the photo, he confirmed it was the suspect and waved his hand: “Take him back.”
Since Zhang Xianyu was also a victim, he went with them to the station to give a statement.
He left out the parts about the dream and the ghost, only stating that the man had once come to the store where he worked to buy cigarettes and had broken into his home that night with a knife, attempting to kill him.
The surgical scalpel was also brought back.
Thinking about the man’s meticulously maintained hands, Zhang Xianyu guessed he might be a doctor.
But he was only there to give a statement, and Zhang Shaoying wasn’t in a position to reveal too much yet.
Zhang’s guess couldn’t be confirmed immediately.
After the statement was taken, he went home.
“Thanks for today. I didn’t expect you to be so good at fighting.”
Walking out of the police station with Lin Wushui, Zhang Xianyu recalled how Lin had jumped in front of him without hesitation.
Feeling a bit guilty about his earlier bias, he realized Lin had been nothing but kind and patient lately.
He hadn’t thrown any tantrums, and even took extra care of him.
Zhang thought to himself that he owed Lin a favor and would need to repay him somehow.
Lin Wushui’s metaphorical tail was practically wagging, but he held back with dignity and said:
“Just don’t think about driving me away.”
Zhang Xianyu blinked in surprise and was about to ask when he had ever tried to drive him away, but suddenly remembered something he’d said at the door to Zhang Shaoying—and got a bit embarrassed.
“You…heard that?”
“I wasn’t eavesdropping. You just didn’t close the door properly.”
Lin raised his brow, boldly admitting it.
Zhang Xianyu’s face turned red and he awkwardly explained,
“No…back then we weren’t that close…”
Lin immediately latched onto that and teased,
“So now we’re close?”
Zhang Xianyu nodded without hesitation, his smile boyish,
“Of course. Aside from Shaoying-ge, you’re my first real friend in Jiangcheng.”
“That’s more like it.”
Lin Wushui beamed with pride.
Seemed like jumping in to help today had paid off.
Back home, the two cleaned up the mess in the house and then went to rest.
Life soon returned to normal.
Since the police arrested the suspect late at night, not many people in the neighborhood were disturbed.
Residents didn’t yet know the killer had returned to Building 3 and been caught.
By the time the police officially announced the arrest, half a month had passed.
During that time, Zhang Shaoying had been extremely busy.
He occasionally vented to Zhang Xianyu on WeChat, saying the killer had mental issues and constantly muttered to the air.
They had to bring in a psychologist to assist with the interrogation.
After extensive sessions, the suspect finally confessed.
Zhang Xianyu’s guess was right—the man had once been a surgeon.
The killer’s name was Wang Fang, formerly a surgeon at Jiangcheng Third Hospital.
Due to a medical accident in which a patient died on the operating table, and as the lead surgeon, Wang bore 80% of the responsibility.
The incident caused a major uproar.
In the end, the hospital and Wang Fang jointly compensated the victim’s family, and Wang was dismissed.
Because of the medical accident, Wang Fang lost all his savings.
His wife took their son and divorced him.
The incident caused a huge stir, and after being dismissed, he couldn’t find a new job.
Years of repression and resentment gradually twisted his mind.
He began to resent happy families and wanted everyone to be as miserable as he was.
This was the conclusion the police reached based on the evidence and Wang Fang’s own confession.
But Zhang Xianyu suspected that Wang Fang’s killing spree was heavily influenced by that vengeful ghost.
Of course, this kind of supernatural theory clearly wasn’t something you could tell the police.
As long as the murderer was brought to justice and punished, the wrongful souls would at least find some peace.
Thinking of this, Zhang Xianyu suddenly remembered—there was still one wrongful soul lingering here.
It just so happened that Lin Wushui was out today.
Zhang Xianyu thought about it and set up a simple formation, then tried to summon the spirit.
It wouldn’t be as effective during the day, but if he waited until night, Wushui would be home, and it would be too easy to get caught.
So he figured he’d try it now.
A yellow talisman burned quietly.
Zhang Xianyu fixed his eyes on the door of the second bedroom.
After a moment, he saw a pale little face peeking out through the door crack.
Zhang Xianyu suppressed his spiritual energy as much as possible and spoke gently: “Come out, don’t be scared.”
The little ghost hesitated for a bit, then slowly squeezed out through the door crack.
His head hung low, and his body was still covered in horrifying scars.
Zhang Xianyu recalled the scene in the closet from the dream and understood how much torment the child had suffered.
He reached out and patted the boy’s head gently, saying softly: “The person who killed you has been caught by the police. Soon, he’ll be put on trial.”
After pausing to consider that such a young child might not understand what a trial meant, Zhang Xianyu simplified it: “The bad man who hurt your family is going to be punished.”
The little ghost lifted his head, and some light seemed to return to his pitch-black eyes.
Zhang Xianyu asked,
“It’s not good for you to stay in the living world like this. Can I help you reincarnate?”
Most likely, the boy’s parents and grandmother had already been devoured by that ghost.
He was the only one left.
Better to reincarnate early than stay here trapped in painful memories.
“Thank you, big brother.”
The little ghost hesitated, then nodded.
A faint smile struggled onto his pale face.
Zhang Xianyu smiled back and began chanting sutras softly to release the spirit.
The white candles beside the incense burner flickered gently.
The talisman released a faint smoke as it burned.
The child’s soul slowly faded in the peaceful chanting, eventually disappearing.
“May you be born into a good family next time.”
A week before school started, Zhang Xianyu finally received the bonus he had been dreaming of day and night.
It was 30,000 yuan, applied for by Zhang Shaoying, since Zhang Xianyu had provided a key lead and even captured the murderer.
Holding the cash Zhang Shaoying had handed him, Zhang Xianyu felt like he was floating with joy.
This money was just too easy to earn!
Zhang Shaoying knew he was short on funds, and seeing how happy he looked, he smiled: “Now you can relax a bit.”
Zhang Xianyu nodded hard, already calculating in his heart that he needed to find more jobs like this in the future.
He might not be good at many things, but ghost hunting?
That he could do!
Lin Wushui, watching from the side, saw how the kid was bouncing around with joy over 30,000 yuan and couldn’t help but pout.
When he gave him 200,000, the kid didn’t act this happy.
In fact, he’d even forced Lin to take the WeChat transfer back.
Zhang Xianyu, clueless about his grumbling, happily put the money away and generously invited both of them to hot pot.
He had already quit his summer job at the convenience store, with school about to start.
The last few days were just for rest before moving out.
If Lin Wushui knew what he was planning, he’d probably be so angry he’d lose his appetite at hot pot.
The three of them went to the central mall nearby.
With fresh salary and a bonus in hand, Zhang Xianyu boldly treated them to Haidilao.
It was the weekend, so they had to wait in line.
Just as they sat in the waiting area, Lin Wushui suddenly heard a familiar voice:
“Ever since President Lin disappeared, I haven’t left work before 8 p.m.!”
Stiffening, Lin Wushui turned around and saw his assistant, Lin Ming, sitting at the next table with a few men and women—some from the executive office, some from other departments.
They were probably out together on their day off.
Lin Ming was still complaining non-stop about how cruelly President Lin was exploiting him, completely unaware that the man he was roasting was sitting right behind him.
Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his neck.
He touched the back of his neck and looked around.
“Wait…could it be? What if President Lin really is here?”
Lin Wushui: Heh
Wearing a gloomy expression, Lin Wushui lowered his noble head and let his long black hair cover most of his face.
He really wanted to go over and give his assistant a surprise, but thinking about how he was dressed today…he decided to let it go—for now.
Still, he mentally added a mark to Lin Ming’s “sin list.”
Poor Lin Ming didn’t know that after working overtime so hard, he was still going to be remembered by his cold, grudge-holding boss.
Since Lin Ming’s number came first, he went in ahead.
Their tables were several numbers apart, so they missed each other by chance.
Lin Wushui breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
He didn’t mind dressing like this in public—but he definitely didn’t want his subordinates to see.
After all…
President Lin still had his dignity.
Unfortunately, his peace didn’t last long.
He soon felt a burning gaze on him.
Lin Wushui subtly turned his head and locked eyes with a stunned Lin Ming.
Lin Ming: ???
Why does this woman look so much like our boss?
Lin Wushui: Expressionless, he turned his head back and presented Lin Ming with a cold, noble back of the head.
A coworker saw Lin Ming standing frozen with a sauce bowl in hand and gave him a light push.
“Lin Ming? Spaced out?”
Still dazed, Lin Ming shuffled back to his table with an empty bowl and only recovered after a long moment.
“Holy crap, I just saw a woman who looked exactly like President Lin!”
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