Bengtie: My death fueled their madness.

Inside a typical single-person apartment.

Qi Zhimu, hidden in the shadows, grew increasingly grim.

He had been here for an hour and hadn't even seen his target.

In less than five minutes, it will be time for it to die.

Just as I was wondering if my target wasn't coming back, the electronic door lock made a sound.

A disheveled, unkempt blonde woman rushed in through the door in a panic, slamming it shut behind her. Fear was clearly visible on her face.

It seems that she is the full-time writer Xi Manning.

What's outside the door?

Qi Zhimu quietly summoned a gentle breeze, which slipped through the crack in the door to sense it.

There was nothing there.

Just in case, Qi Zhimu did not withdraw his troops but stayed outside to continue the investigation.

Then look at Xi Manning, she rushed into the kitchen, grabbed a knife, and gripped it tightly in her hand.

Qi Zhimu couldn't help but wonder if this guy had already seen Death and was being hunted down.

Just as I was considering whether to take her out beforehand, the location showed that Black Tower had arrived downstairs.

Not long after, the sound of hurried footsteps and hushed conversations came from outside the door.

Qi Zhimu suppressed his urge to take action and waited to see what would happen.

It's better to be cautious when you're the first one.

He couldn't guarantee that taking action without authorization wouldn't trigger any serious consequences and implicate the Black Tower.

The doorbell rang, and Xi Manning was so frightened that she dropped the knife, which nearly pierced her right foot. She was trembling so much that she dared not make a sound, much less open the door.

"Ms. Simoning, we are from the Koven Police Department. We are currently investigating a case and need to obtain statements from witnesses. Is it convenient for us to speak?"

A deep male voice came from outside the door.

Upon hearing the name of the police station, Xi Manning felt as if she had grasped a lifeline and rushed to the door.

Seeing a man and a woman in uniform through the peephole, I opened the door without hesitation.

"Hello, Ms. Semanin, I'm Superintendent Brooks, and this is my partner, Green."

Xi Manning glanced behind the two and was stunned when she saw that there were six more people standing there.

Especially standing next to Green, looking at a girl who is only a teenager.

Is she a police officer too?

Sensing Simaning's gaze, Green concealed his awkward expression and explained:

"She's not a police officer, she's a Black Tower detective we hired. Don't let her young appearance fool you, she's actually in her twenties."

Qi Zhimu's gaze swept quickly over the seven people besides the Black Tower—all of them were ethereal beings, none of them were original humans.

Xi Manning didn't suspect anything and asked cautiously.

"Officer, are you investigating a case involving surveillance?"

In fact, Brooks was hesitating about what case to use as a pretext to start the conversation, but the other party offered him the reason on his own, so he readily agreed.

"Good. Have you spotted any suspicious individuals recently?"

"Didn't find anything! But I have information!"

Szemanin spoke very quickly.

"Starting three days ago, I have been having a frequent feeling that I am being watched, and the feeling is even stronger when I am out."

"Even if I went back to my house with the doors and windows closed, I couldn't avoid it. He was probably chasing me on my way home just now."

"The faster I run, the stronger the feeling of dying becomes... Officers, you must protect me..."

Qi Zhimu, hidden in the shadows, smirked.

At first glance, I thought Xi Manning was talking about him, but he had only been in the fog for two days with the Black Tower, so how could it be him?

Brooks did not detect any trace of falsehood in the words of the haggard woman before him.

"...Detective Black Tower, have you discovered anything?"

Green noticed that the Black Tower was staring at a certain spot and couldn't help but ask it a question.

"Not at the moment."

Black Tower shifted her gaze from Qi Zhimu, who was suspended on the ceiling, wondering what kind of magic he was using that only she could see.

Looking around the narrow living room, his gaze finally settled on Xi Manning.

"Ms. Simoning, to ensure your safety, we need to thoroughly search the apartment, is that alright?"

Xi Manning nodded repeatedly, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Of course, please follow me. I feel much more at ease with you all here."

The single apartment is not large, and there are almost no blind spots at a glance.

Xi Manning was very cooperative, leading people to inspect the study, bedroom, kitchen, and storage room piled with many cardboard boxes.

Finally, they even carefully inspected the balcony, which was less than two square meters in size.

The wardrobe door was opened, and inside there was nothing but clothes hanging everywhere.

The space under the bed was brightly lit by a flashlight, and no matter how you looked at it, there was simply no place in the apartment where an adult could hide.

Apart from Qi Zhimu.

Time passed second by second, and the hour and minute hands of the clock on the wall quietly overlapped and then drifted apart.

It's past 13:25, and we're entering the moment of Schimmanin's death.

Black Tower followed at the back of the group.

She knew that death could strike at any moment, but she didn't know in what form it would come.

We must investigate all potentially fatal hidden dangers.

"Have you checked the natural gas in the kitchen?" Black Tower reminded him.

Brooks understood, went into the kitchen to inspect the gas stove and pipes, and tightened the valve forcefully.

"There's no smell of leakage, the valve is tight, and it's very safe."

Back in Siemaning's bedroom, Black Tower looked up at the ceiling.

A vintage glass chandelier hangs above the bed, its base seemingly having loose gaps along its edges.

"Tighten the screws on that lamp," Black Tower ordered directly.

Without saying a word, Green stepped forward and did as instructed.

The people in the kitchen also safely placed all sharp objects away, eliminating potential deadly hazards in the apartment.

However, the calmer it was, the more eerie the atmosphere became.

No matter how carefully everyone searched and checked, everything in the apartment remained normal, and no unusual people or things were found.

Hei Ta frowned, stood in the center of the living room pondering, and asked Qi Zhimu if he had found anything suspicious.

The answer is no.

But if Death is determined to make a move within these ten minutes, it's impossible for him to remain completely still.

We've already checked everything, so where could the danger possibly come from?

Green scratched the back of his head, looked around, and suddenly broke the silence.

"Wait, it seems we haven't checked the restrooms yet?"

Ximaning pointed to a narrow door not far away, walked over and pushed it open.

Brooks and Green were the first to step into the restroom.

The space here is more cramped than I imagined; the sink, toilet, and shower area are basically laid out in one open space.

The glass door to the shower area was wide open, offering a clear view of the area.

Apart from the laundry basket piled high with clothes in the corner, there was really no place to hide people here.

Brooks even peered behind the toilet tank, but still found nothing: "Let's go back to the living room first."

Simaning stood next to the sink, pressing himself against the wall to make way for the two officers.

Just then, she turned her head and her gaze fell on the mirror above the sink.

The woman in the mirror looked haggard, her blonde hair was messy and stuck to her cheeks, and she looked extremely slovenly.

As a full-time writer, she usually stays at home most of the time, but she rarely lets herself get so disheveled.

Embarrassed by her poor manners, she instinctively grabbed a plastic alligator clip from the edge of the sink.

She skillfully gathered her long hair into a simple bun at the back of her head and secured it tightly with a hair clip.

The entire movement was incredibly natural, without any abruptness.

But the next second—

An extremely shrill scream rang out from behind the Black Tower, filled with indescribable terror, but it only lasted for less than half a second before abruptly stopping.

Black Tower turned around immediately, his eyes widening in shock.