Starting with dissecting ghost stories

After getting away from Fruit Street and confirming that no one was following him, Shen Xing felt a little suspicious.

The state of these people just now completely defied conventional wisdom.

If an ordinary passerby had witnessed that scene, even if they didn't feel fear, they would have felt a strong sense of unease and would have chosen to leave quickly.

This sense of unease stems from the fact that things go against our preconceived notions.

It's like when you walk into a crowded elevator, but you turn your back to the elevator door and look at the crowd. The other people in the elevator will be very uneasy, but no one can explain why. Once you turn around, everyone will relax.

Even if something doesn't pose a threat, it's still hard for people to accept if it goes against their established beliefs.

In short, if Wang Xinran were a mentally sound human being with normal cognition, it would be impossible for her not to notice the abnormality around her.

Unless the anomaly just mentioned only applies to oneself.

Or perhaps, there is something or someone around Wang Xinran who remains unaffected by her perception, and instead becomes an anchor point, preventing her from realizing the strangeness of other places.

Regardless... Tomorrow is the day he will meet Wang Xinran, so he should probably make some preparations in advance to ensure that he can get more information smoothly.

One of the most important things is that he needs to find a way to stay calm and not be distracted by Wang Xinran's thoughts when he is with her.

Exposing abnormal flesh and blood to protect itself, and entering a state where it can be eliminated from electronic imaging, might be an effective way to resist.

But that state requires a large amount of abnormal flesh and blood to be exposed on the body surface, and he would become somewhat inhuman and ghostly. Moreover, it is impossible for him to keep himself completely out of the sight of surveillance cameras.

The investigation team led by Lu Lingyun is still active in the city, and they already know the basic methods for identifying anomalies.

He didn't know if he was still within the scope of the investigation, but he couldn't let himself appear in the frame and disappear at the same time, as that would be obviously abnormal.

Are there any other options?

Previously, he helped Shen Yuan escape that state by making her recall painful events.

But Shen Xing didn't have any painful memories.

Perhaps physical pain would be a simpler and more direct solution.

Even if he creates a wound, he can make it heal quickly without the risk of excessive blood loss...

Shen Xing walked along the streets of the old city for quite a distance before finally hailing a taxi and getting in.

In the taxi, Shen Xing recalled the address that Director Wang had mentioned for Wang Xinran.

Although her family's fruit shop is in the old town, the house she bought is in the new town. She hasn't found a job, and her life revolves around going between two points.

Shen Xing asked the taxi driver to drop him off at the intersection. He walked to a bookstore not far from the intersection and bought a map of the city.

The map was published in 00. Although there have been some changes in the past four years, the main routes have not changed much.

After Shen Xing took the map home, he returned to his room, closed the door, sat down at his desk, picked up the red ink ballpoint pen, and uncapped it.

He marked two points on the location of Fruit Street and Wang Xinran's house, and started drawing lines from these two points.

These lines start from the center point and radiate outwards along the street, but do not make more than two turns.

Then, Shen Xing connected the commuter routes between the two points with a red line.

After doing all this, Shen Xing obtained a dumbbell-shaped two-dimensional spatial model that was large at both ends and thin in the middle.

He didn't know Wang Xinran's specific preferences or where she usually liked to go, so he could only make this rough radiation diagram.

Shen Xing didn't have the energy to check each place one by one for problems. He did this so that he could avoid those places.

"Buzz..."

Shen Xing's phone, which was on the table, vibrated slightly, making a series of tapping sounds on the wooden table.

He picked up his phone and saw a text message from Wang Xinran.

Good evening, Shen Xing! How was your day? My parents came back and said they saw you and even chatted with you. I'm sorry! Maybe I shouldn't have told them about you, but I couldn't help myself~