Inside an ordinary apartment for one.
Qi Zhimu hid in the shadows, his expression becoming increasingly grim.
An hour had passed since he arrived, and he hadn't even seen the target.
In less than five minutes, the moment of her death would arrive.
Just as he was wondering if the target wasn't coming back, there was movement from the electronic door lock.
A blonde woman with disheveled hair and an unkempt appearance burst through the door in a panic, locking it heavily behind her, the fear on her face clearly visible.
It seemed she was the full-time author, Xi Manning.
What was outside the door?
Qi Zhimu quietly summoned a wisp of gentle wind, sending it through the crack in the door to sense the surroundings.
There was nothing.
Just in case, Qi Zhimu didn't withdraw the wind, leaving it outside to continue scouting.
Looking back at Xi Manning, she rushed into the kitchen and grabbed a knife, clutching it tightly in her hand.
Qi Zhimu couldn't help but wonder: had this person already met the Grim Reaper and was currently being hunted?
As he considered whether to take her out early, the tracker showed that Herta had arrived downstairs.
Before long, messy footsteps and low-voiced discussions came from outside the door.
Qi Zhimu suppressed the urge to act and waited to see how things would develop.
For the first person, it was better to be cautious.
He didn't dare guarantee that acting on his own wouldn't trigger some severe consequence that might implicate Herta.
The doorbell rang, and Xi Manning was so startled that the knife slipped from her hand, nearly piercing her right foot as it hit the floor. She trembled all over, not daring to make a sound, much less open the door.
"Ms. Xi Manning, we're from the Kewen Police Station. We are currently investigating a case and need to gather witness statements. Is it convenient to talk?"
A deep male voice came from outside the door.
Hearing 'Police Station,' Xi Manning felt as if she had found a lifeline and quickly reached the door.
Seeing a man and a woman in uniform through the peephole, she opened the door without hesitation.
"Hello, Ms. Xi Manning. I am Superintendent Brooks, and this is my partner, Green."
Xi Manning's gaze swept past the two of them, and she couldn't help but freeze when she saw six more people standing there.
Especially the young girl standing next to Green, who looked to be only in her teens.
Was she a police officer too?
Sensing Xi Manning's gaze, Green wiped the unnatural expression from his face and explained:
"She's not a police officer; she's a Detective Hei Ta we've invited. Don't let her youthful appearance fool you; she's actually in her twenties."
Qi Zhimu's gaze quickly swept over the seven people besides Herta—all were Virtual Substance Lifeforms; not one was an Original Human.
Xi Manning didn't suspect anything and asked cautiously.
"Officers, may I ask... are you investigating a stalking case?"
In truth, Brooks was hesitating on what case to use as an excuse to speak, but he hadn't expected the other party to hand him the reason on a silver platter, so he nodded along.
"That's right. Have you noticed any suspicious characters recently?"
"I haven't seen anyone! But I have information!"
Xi Manning's tone was extremely rapid.
"Starting three days ago, I began frequently getting the feeling that I was being watched. The feeling was even stronger when I went out."
"Even after returning to my home with the doors and windows tightly shut, it's unavoidable. Just now on my way home, he might have been hunting me."
"The faster I ran, the more obvious that feeling of impending death became... Officers, you must protect me..."
Qi Zhimu, in the shadows, twitched the corner of his mouth.
At first listen, one might think Xi Manning was talking about him, but he and Herta had only arrived in Fog City two days ago; it couldn't possibly be him.
Brooks didn't hear any trace of a lie in the haggard woman's words.
"...Detective Herta, have you discovered anything?"
Green noticed Herta staring at a certain spot and couldn't help but ask.
"Nothing for now."
Herta shifted her gaze away from Qi Zhimu, who was suspended near the ceiling. She didn't know what magic he was using, but only she could see him.
After glancing around the narrow living room, her gaze finally landed on Xi Manning.
"Ms. Xi Manning, to ensure your safety, we need to conduct a thorough search of the apartment. Is that alright?"
Xi Manning nodded repeatedly, her eyes full of hope.
"Of course, please follow me. I feel much safer with you all here."
The one-person apartment wasn't large, and at a glance, there were almost no blind spots.
Xi Manning was very cooperative, leading them to check the study, bedroom, kitchen, and a storage room filled with cardboard boxes.
Finally, even the balcony, which was less than two square meters, was carefully inspected.
The closet doors were pulled open; there was nothing inside except for the hanging clothes.
The space under the bed was illuminated brightly by flashlights. No matter how one looked at it, there was simply no place in this apartment to hide an adult.
Except for Qi Zhimu.
Time ticked by, and the hour and minute hands of the wall clock quietly overlapped and then diverged.
It was already past 13:25, entering Xi Manning's moment of death.
Herta followed at the back of the group.
She knew the Grim Reaper could strike at any moment; she just didn't know in what form it would descend.
They had to eliminate all potentially fatal hazards.
"Did you check the natural gas pipes in the kitchen?" Herta spoke up to remind them.
Brooks understood and went into the kitchen to inspect the stove and pipes, firmly tightening the valve.
"No smell of a leak, the valve is tight. It's very safe."
Returning to Xi Manning's bedroom, Herta looked up at the ceiling.
A vintage glass chandelier hung above the bed, and there seemed to be a loose gap at the edge of the base.
"Tighten the screws on that lamp," Herta ordered directly.
Green didn't say a word and stepped forward to do as told.
The people in the kitchen also safely arranged various sharp objects, eliminating potential fatal hazards within the apartment.
However, the calmer it was, the more eerie the atmosphere became.
No matter how carefully everyone searched and inspected, everything in the apartment remained normal. They found no abnormal figures or objects at all.
Herta knit her brows, standing in the center of the living room in thought, and asked Qi Zhimu if he had found anything suspicious.
The answer was no.
But if the Grim Reaper was destined to strike within these ten minutes, it was impossible for there to be no movement at all.
All the inconspicuous things had been checked; where exactly would the danger emerge from?
Green scratched the back of his head, looked around, and suddenly spoke to break the silence.
"Wait, it seems we haven't checked the bathroom yet?"
Xi Manning pointed to a narrow door nearby and walked over to push it open.
Brooks and Green took the lead in stepping into the washroom.
The space here was more cramped than imagined: the sink, toilet, and shower area—it was basically a layout that could be seen entirely at a glance.
The glass door of the shower area was wide open, clear at a glance.
Aside from the laundry basket in the corner piled with clothes, there really was no place to hide a person.
Brooks even poked his head in to check behind the toilet tank, but still found nothing: "Let's head back to the living room first."
Xi Manning stood beside the sink, pressing herself against the wall to make a path for the two officers.
Just then, she turned her head, her gaze falling on the mirror above the sink.
The woman in the mirror looked haggard, her blonde hair messy and stuck to her cheeks, her appearance extremely slovenly.
As a full-time author, although she spent most of her time at home, she rarely let herself become so disheveled.
Her poor appearance made her feel embarrassed, and she reached out to grab a plastic crocodile clip from the edge of the sink.
She skillfully gathered her long hair into a simple bun at the back of her head, opening the clip to hold it firmly.
The entire movement was incredibly natural, without anything out of place.
But in the next second—
An extremely shrill scream erupted from behind Herta, carrying an indescribable terror, but it lasted less than half a second before coming to an abrupt halt.
Herta immediately turned to look, her eyes widening.