A gentle breeze caressed their faces under the bright moon and sparse stars.

This was an old house with a small courtyard, standing alone. Its location in the city was neither too far nor too close, with a few scattered neighbors nearby.

In the yard stood an aged locust tree, its dense foliage shading the black-tiled white walls of the clean courtyard. Under the streetlight, shadows of branches swayed on the wall. Through the translucent window, one could vaguely see a light glowing from deep within the house.

So if you were standing at the doorway, you might experience a momentary illusion of peaceful times.

The convoy stopped at some distance from the house. People scattered quickly, instantly disappearing into the night. You Mingxu and Yin Feng also got out of the car and slowly walked toward the house.

You Mingxu asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to go in with you?”

Yin Feng replied, “I want to talk to her alone.”

You Mingxu looked at him again. He had grown noticeably thinner than a few days ago. His eyes were deep and heavy, his emotions unreadable. There was a time when she felt he had warmed up considerably. But now, he seemed to have reverted to the original Yin Feng—cold and unapproachable.

The two reached the yard entrance.

You Mingxu unholstered her gun and handed it to him. He took it and said, “She won’t do anything to me. She doesn’t want to kill me.”

You Mingxu said, “I don’t care about your mysterious business. If anything seems wrong, I’m barging in to make an arrest.”

“Mm.”

Yin Feng reached out and gently pinched her face, then turned to push open the yard fence and walked in.

When he reached the house door, he didn’t knock but simply unlocked it and pushed it open.

The door closed partially behind him.

You Mingxu gazed silently.

Since that day when the two had established contact online, he had vanished completely for four full days.

Until yesterday afternoon, when he suddenly appeared downstairs at her home, stunning the police officers on duty. When she ran downstairs, they were putting handcuffs on him. He looked up at her with a slight smile, then raised something in his hand, saying, “Take me to see Ding Xiongwei. This is evidence.”

Overnight, the situation had completely reversed, turning danger into safety.

And at his insistent urging, today’s arrest operation included this lone figure walking forward.

You Mingxu suddenly thought that this guy had come a long way to become who he was today, and it hadn’t been easy.

Now, he was about to lose one more thing.

Xu Mengshan came jogging over.

You Mingxu asked, “Is everything arranged?”

Xu Mengshan’s expression was solemn: “All set! Everyone is in position, the network is cut off, and mobile phone signals are blocked. Not even a fly could escape. Is Teacher Yin going to be okay in there?”

You Mingxu replied, “He says he’ll be fine, and I trust him. Besides, we’re watching, ready to tear the house apart at any moment if needed.”

Xu Mengshan smiled, “Good.” He glanced behind them and asked vaguely, “…still in the car?”

You Mingxu answered, “Yes.”

Fan Shuhua had vaguely heard the commotion, but she was reading a book and didn’t want to be distracted. And indeed, she truly hadn’t expected this.

Until footsteps approached.

Someone entered uninvited, with steady steps. When she looked up, she saw light flashing faintly outside the window.

For Fan Shuhua, time seemed to freeze for a moment.

Then she lowered her head and continued reading.

The person walked to the table, sat down across from her without invitation, and softly called out, “Teacher.”

Fan Shuhua slowly sighed and put down her book.

In Yin Feng’s eyes, his mentor looked no different from before. Late night, solitary lamp, a book, and a cup of tea. White shirt, fine wrinkles at the corners of her eyes. That was a tranquil quality that had settled in the sea of books. So at this moment, even as they faced each other, there wasn’t the slightest panic in his mentor’s eyes. Instead, there was even a hint of the same kind, benevolent smile as in the past.

“When did you figure it out?” she asked.

Yin Feng answered, “On the third night of my escape. Then gathering evidence took a bit more time.”

Fan Shuhua showed a surprised expression: “Much faster than I expected.” Then she frowned and said, “If you had been just one day later, after tonight, what I needed to do would have been completed.”

Yin Feng said, “You won’t be able to finish it.”

Both were silent for a few seconds. Yin Feng said, “I didn’t do it alone. You calculated quite accurately—after that night, I almost believed in the second personality. You know me well… we’re both people standing at the edge of an abyss. Once this forbidden zone in the mind is touched, it’s easy to be led by emotions, unable to see the truth clearly, and lacking confidence. When there’s already a knife stabbed in your body, even a slight touch will hurt. And the logic you constructed was complete and reasonable.”

“Then why…”

Yin Feng smiled slightly: “You calculated me correctly, but you didn’t calculate You Mingxu correctly. She… has a personality that won’t back down until she hits a wall. She would protect me even if the sky fell. It was she who reminded me, using the old detective’s logic. She said that where something happens is where the most hidden root lies. And it’s often hidden in inconspicuous details. You see, those details, even you couldn’t erase. As a result, I was like a dreamer suddenly awakened, seeing the truth.”

Fan Shuhua realized: “Her… ah, these detectives, truly admirable in their courage.” She seemed to recall something, and her expression changed momentarily.

Yin Feng’s hands rested on his knees, his demeanor particularly calm, still maintaining his usual manner when meeting a teacher. Many memories related to the two of them intertwined, creating a heavy feeling that settled in his heart. He remembered the first time he attended Professor Fan’s lecture. This renowned psychology mentor stood on the podium, speaking eloquently and elegantly, radiating wisdom from head to toe. Unlike now, when she had already revealed a certain cold and strange temperament.

There were many other times when they discussed psychological professional issues. Had Fan Shuhua ever revealed any preference for good and evil? Probably not. She was very cautious, airtight. Otherwise, after so many years, people would still be unaware of the existence of “her” in the Punisher organization. But, was it during these numerous question-and-answer, puzzle-solving, and collision processes between mentor and student that she completed her observation and selection of him?

Later, Yin Feng earned his doctorate, and he also chose some people, took them in, and reformed them. He didn’t deliberately conceal it; those who paid attention could know. And later, he sensed the existence of a pair of eyes around him, following, peering, omnipresent. But no matter how hard he investigated, he couldn’t find out who it was, sometimes nearly driven to madness. Those were the eyes of a poisonous snake, dark and chilling to the bone.

It turned out that the owner of those eyes was her.

Yin Feng looked at her eyes, which remained clear even in the darkness.

He asked, “When did it start? When did Chen Feng attend the school anniversary three years ago?”

Fan Shuhua showed an approving expression and said, “A bit earlier than that.”

Yin Feng nodded: “At that time, Chen Feng hadn’t been with me for long. Using the opportunity of the school anniversary to hypnotize someone psychologically distorted like him would have been easy for you. That’s why he would see me with Su Ziyi, see me imprisoning and torturing Li Mingdi. Perhaps you also showed him real torture videos, showed him that secret room, making him believe it was real. Have you been planning to make me a scapegoat since then?”