Yes, I did all of this!

Based on the recollections of Maeda's colleagues, it is highly likely that Maeda's wife came to Duanmu Mo for help, probably because the difference between his state of being bewitched and his previous state was too great.

Leviathan had thought that as long as the process of bewitching such people was accelerated and they were fully connected, they could be made to play the role of returning to normal. But were there still people who were too perceptive?

In fact, according to its own expectations, it should have been able to completely control the remaining people who had not been bewitched within the next few days, but with Duanmu Mo's involvement, this progress will probably have to be delayed.

"Hmm," Duanmu Mo said, "In your newspaper, there's a man named Maeda. Do you know him?"

"Him... he's a serious person, so what?"

He heard that Duanmu Mo really hadn't noticed anything, while the other person had some guesses but was still testing him.

Now, Leviathan is more inclined towards the latter.

“His colleagues seem a bit off; I think they’ve probably been misled by that weirdo, so they came to you to discuss it first.”

Duanmu Mo said quite a bit in one breath, and Longka was silent for a while before saying, "...Let's discuss this. What do you mean? Why don't we just call the police? Although I will be interrogated by the police, I have nothing to fear if I am innocent, so these things won't affect me."

"Maeda's colleagues have most likely been bewitched by the strange man, and Maeda is probably close to it too. If that's the case, there will definitely be strange activity in your newspaper office or the area around the newspaper office, which is why I asked you to keep an eye out."

Longa's tone immediately turned serious: "Is that so...? Then I'll have to be careful too. In any case, I won't let the weirdo affect the people here."

Duanmu Mo nodded and said, "This is a strange person's problem, and it can only be solved by magical girls and the police, so I can't help you with that."

"Don't worry, I'll call the police right away—but I'm still a little curious, Mr. Duanmu, what are you going to see Maeda for?"

"The commission, of course I can't reveal the specifics of the commission, but in short, when you call the police, don't include this person in your report."

"Hmm..." Upon hearing this, Leviathan immediately guessed the cause and effect:

“I understand. Since you’re unwilling to talk about it, I won’t ask any further. But you came to Maeda because of the content of the commission, and he’s basically fallen from grace now. What do you plan to do?”

"..."

After a moment of silence, Duanmu Mo said, "Let the client handle it."

"I understand. After all, he is my subordinate. If there's anything I can do to help you, just let me know."

"Okay." Duanmu Mo's reply was still brief, because he had already seen the people in the bar come out: "Then let's leave it at that for now. If we want to talk later, let's find a place to talk in detail."

"Alright, goodnight then, Mr. Duanmu."

As Longka spoke, he hung up the phone, staring at the blacked-out screen, a greenish light gleaming in his eyes.

"..."

After talking with Duanmu Mo, Leviathan had some clues. He was indeed testing him to some extent, but he was more inclined to trust him.

Simply showing some opposition to the bewitchment would quickly dispel Duanmu Mo's suspicions.

"—At the same time, Duanmu Mo, you came here during the day to make a request to me."

"Mr. Duanmu... has there been any result regarding the matter you entrusted to us?"

Upon hearing Duanmu Mo's words, the client's tone immediately became excited.

"Yes," Duanmu Mo said bluntly, "Your husband's current situation doesn't seem to be without problems, but it has nothing to do with him completely degenerating into a follower of a freak."

He roughly understood Leviathan's methods: first, they used words to incite people to become disillusioned with life, and then they used the reputation of heaven to attract the faith of those who were disillusioned with life.

It's not that it has to be done this way. The main problem is that if misanthropic people are pushed a little further, they will completely fall into depravity. As for other people, hearing about the name of heaven won't have much of an effect, and they might even report it to the police.

Therefore, although the former method is inefficient, its secrecy is undeniable.

Right now, Maeda is in a state of world-weariness. Although there are no signs of a freak in his spiritual depravity, all it takes is to whisper something about heaven in his ear, and he will instantly become a believer in Leviathan.

"Huh? I don't understand what you mean..."

"To put it simply, your husband is a little different from what you imagined, but based on my investigation today, your husband's colleagues are probably more or less the same as you imagined."

"What......"

After a moment of stunned silence, the client finally understood what was happening, and his expression changed drastically:

"You mean, the people around him are all..."

"That's my judgment. What you want to do is up to you, Ms. Maeda."

"..."

The client remained silent for a long time before finally asking cautiously, "Is there any hope for my husband...?"

"You could try talking to him about family; that would be a good option."

"...Since all his colleagues have become like this, the only thing that can put my mind at ease is letting him resign!"

"As I said, the decision is up to you, Ms. Maeda. I have basically completed the task you requested of me," Duanmu Mo said, his tone unchanged.

"I......"

The client hesitated for a long time before finally saying:

"—What if... I were to make another request of you?"

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Mo chuckled and said with a smile, "It's the same procedure as before. I need to hear your request before deciding whether to agree or not. Of course, the commission fee will not be reduced."

"..."

"Hmm..." Duanmu Mo pondered for a moment, then nodded: "I understand. So, how about we set the fee at twice the rate of your first commission?"

"Twice? Isn't that a bit...?"

"Don't worry, although I can't guarantee whether it will be affordable, I can arrange everything for you as long as you pay."

"..."

Soon, Duanmu Mo's phone vibrated. He took it from his ear, glanced at the screen, and nodded.

"I've received the money, and I'll make the arrangements for you right away."

Duanmu Mo nodded, watched Maeda's retreating figure, and then hung up the phone.

—Then he made another phone call:

"Hello, Mr. Longka, I'm sorry to trouble you with something again..."

. . . . . .

"...Hey, why are the lights still on in the house?"

Maeda opened the door, staggered across the entryway, and sat down on the sofa without even taking off his shoes.

"Oh, you're back so soon?"

Mrs. Maeda also came to the living room. Looking at her drunken husband, she recalled Duanmu Mo's words and her eyes showed a look of sorrow.

"Hmm... I ran into a weirdo." Maeda snorted and turned on the TV.

"The child is asleep, don't disturb him," Mrs. Maeda said quickly upon seeing this.

But after she said that, his tone immediately changed:

"I've worked so hard for so long, can't you let me relax a bit?!"

That's not what I meant...

"So what do you mean? Is my watching TV bothering you? Do you just not like me? Or do you mean I have to die in front of you to be satisfied?"

Faced with her husband's increasingly extreme words, Mrs. Maeda shook her head repeatedly, her expression sorrowful: "Calm down, I..."

—Ding-dong!

Before they could finish speaking, the doorbell rang, attracting their attention.

"..."

The atmosphere in the house fell silent. Mrs. Maeda silently came to the entrance and looked through the peephole at the figure outside the door: "Who is it...?"

She was stunned for a moment, then opened the door as if she had found a savior. Outside the door, Duanmu Mo stood with his hands in his pockets.

"Hmm? You are..." Hearing the noise, Maeda turned around and looked at Duanmu Mo, immediately frowning. Although he was a little drunk, he hadn't forgotten the person he had just met: "What are you doing at my house!"

He was quite wary of people who suddenly appeared and acted like old friends.

"Hmm..." Duanmu Mo, a plainclothes police officer, mainly deals with cases involving eccentric individuals.

"Police? Weird guy?"

Maeda stood up, staring intently at Duanmu Mo: "There are no strange people here!"

“I know, but your colleagues are different.” Duanmu Mo took out his watch, checked the time, and pointed to the TV: “Judging by the time, it’s almost time, isn’t it? Can either of you switch channels? I remember there are news reports about weirdos all the time.”

"..." The two looked at each other, and Mrs. Maeda silently took a few steps back, handing her husband over to Duanmu Mo, while she switched the TV to another channel.

"Shh..."

Upon seeing the images on television, Maeda's eyes widened in disbelief.

"...How could this be!"

"I was talking to you just now to confirm your situation," Duanmu Mo said. "So, Mr. Maeda, why do you think I only reported them and not you?"

"......Why?"

The thought of drinking with a few eccentric people with strange beliefs, and having been colleagues with them for so long, sent a chill down Maeda's spine, and the effects of the alcohol wore off considerably.

“Compared to them, your ‘symptoms’ are not as severe,” Duanmu Mo said. “If you spend a few more days with them, you’ll probably end up like them.”

He paused again, then added, "But even so, your problems are still quite significant. I've already discussed this with your family and superiors beforehand, and if you don't want to fall further into depravity, leaving here is the best option."

"You're telling me to leave this city?"

Maeda paused for a moment, then shook his head violently: "Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to live if I leave here?"

He froze for a moment, as if suddenly realizing something, and stared wide-eyed at Duanmu Mo: "Are you lying to me?! You say you're a policeman, where's the proof?!"

Upon hearing this, Mrs. Maeda, who was standing behind him, immediately tensed up and looked at Duanmu Mo.

Duanmu Mo's expression remained unchanged as he pointed to his pocket: "I've already spoken to your boss about your phone."

"What..." He froze for a moment, then quickly pulled out his phone, only to find a message that had appeared on it sometime earlier:

"Mr. Maeda, thank you for your service to our company over the years. You've worked hard. But recently, the police superintendent came to talk to me about you. After hearing that you might be connected with the beliefs of eccentric people, I have no choice but to dismiss you. I wish you find a better job next time."

"...Are you kidding me? I've lost my job?"

Maeda's hand trembled as he held his phone, then he looked at Duanmu Mo and suddenly burst out laughing:

"This is a dream, right? I'm drunk, right?"