Then he saw Yin Chen approach him and deliver a chop to his neck. Before losing consciousness, he saw the man in the room standing silently—showing neither joy nor sorrow, neither anger nor hesitation. He just stood quietly, as if carrying a lifetime of solitude within him, as if viewing everything in the world with indifference, looking down upon those insignificant lives.

…

Yin Feng’s eyes snapped open. He was still in You Mingxu’s office, still bathed in the afternoon sunlight, but his head throbbed with intense pain and his body was drenched in cold sweat.

The scenes from the dream were so clear, so familiar as if someone had carved them into his brain with a knife. He sat motionless, breathing heavily for a while before raising his head and closing his eyes.

That wasn’t a dream.

That was a memory.

He recalled asking Yin Chen while pursuing the Punisher in Guizhou: “Did you create the Punisher organization?”

Yin Chen had smiled then.

He smiled before answering: “Yes.”

It wasn’t Yin Chen.

Perhaps Yin Chen had become disillusioned with life, or perhaps he was struck by the Yu Ruixue incident and began following the principle of fighting evil with evil. He was intelligent, cold-blooded, understood human nature, and was skilled at organizing attacks and retreats. He was like a general to the Punishers, a useful blade. But judging from the Punishers’ dedication to their former residence reflected a peaceful lifestyle, it revealed another person’s preferences and thinking. Yin Chen couldn’t achieve that level.

Yin Feng had felt earlier that after the Punisher organization had hidden for many years, Yin Chen’s sudden appearance and claim of being the founder seemed too easy.

What if there was another person, always hiding behind Yin Chen?

From the dream scenario, Yin Chen’s relationship with that person seemed like that of a partner, or companion—spiritually and ideologically, he even seemed subservient to that person.

A chill suddenly rose in Yin Feng’s heart. Then all of Yin Chen’s current actions might just be that person’s instructions and probes.

What did that person want to achieve?

Undeniably, after multiple confrontations, the Punisher organization had suffered heavy losses at the hands of Yin Feng and the police. Facing long-term pursuit, their momentum was gone. Continuing like this, they would gradually decline, disappear, and finally be eliminated by the police.

But now, that person and Yin Chen still held their final strength, capable of a desperate struggle.

That person had very firm, complete thoughts about life and good versus evil. Yin Feng suddenly realized that a person must be different from Yin Chen—they didn’t care about winning or losing against him, Yin Feng. They must be plotting something deeper.

Then did the appearance of the apprentice killer have other deeper meanings and intentions?

Would this confrontation be that person’s final feast and expression?

Yin Feng had to thank today’s sudden dream and recovered memory fragments, at least for making him aware of that person’s existence.

However, they were in the light while their opponent remained in darkness.

Yin Feng’s brow furrowed deeper.

That person must be someone he had met before.

They might even have appeared around him.

But who could it be?

—

Before You Mingxu knew it, she had been busy at the bathhouse until the evening lights came on.

However, finding that hidden pattern wasn’t an easy task.

The police had obtained records of all employees from both bathhouses and customers who had recently received services from the two victims. They did find over a dozen people who knew both victims—either as staff members or as customers who had been served by both victims—after all, the two bathhouses weren’t far apart and were in the same business.

But these people were all ruled out based on their age, height, build, and alibis.

You Mingxu had expected this—the killer was so thorough in planning and cautious in action, that if it were as simple as a colleague or customer, the police would catch them easily. They wouldn’t be that foolish.

However, as Yin Feng had said, checking everyone who might be involved was an enormous task. You Mingxu grumbled internally that Yin Feng was indeed an expert—he just had to move his lips while they had to work themselves to death here. Those delivery workers, maintenance staff, cleaners—who knew which ones had private contact with both victims? Who knew if the killer was hidden among them, secretly observing the victims?

Fortunately, You Mingxu and her team weren’t pushovers. One by one, they observed, analyzed, questioned logically, and even followed Yin Feng’s description of the person’s behavioral characteristics to make judgments. By nightfall, they had cleared things up one by one but hadn’t found anyone suspicious.

The bathhouse was very cooperative, providing several rooms for the police to question people. You Mingxu had just sent away an inarticulate and extremely nervous maintenance worker. After such an exhausting day, she felt dizzy. She ungracefully sprawled on the table, emptying her mind with a sigh.

She wondered: What was Yin Feng doing?

Then thought: Since he recovered his memories and clarity, although he still investigated cases with her, he had many more ideas than before and was no longer just following her around. Last time catching Wei Lan, he had played her and everyone else like a fiddle. Now he was someone with extremely firm resolve and deep, unfathomable thoughts.

Thinking about it made her smile—she knew clearly that this version of Yin Feng suited her taste better.

Lying there, she rubbed her nose, wondering why she felt like she was letting Yu Yingjun down.

Then she remembered how Yin Feng often imitated his previous tone now, softly calling her “A-Xu,” making her heart melt completely.

Just as she was letting her mind wander, someone knocked on the door.

You Mingxu immediately sat up straight, her face becoming stern, resuming her cold policewoman demeanor.

The door opened and Yin Feng walked in. You Mingxu immediately relaxed, leaning back in her chair, asking: “Why did you come here?”

Yin Feng sat down in the chair across the desk, saying: “To pick you up after work.”

You Mingxu: “I can’t leave work yet, I still need to go back to the bureau to continue working, everyone needs to meet and discuss tomorrow’s strategy.”

Yin Feng said: “I’ll go with you.”

You Mingxu stopped declining, stretched out both arms and sighed. Yin Feng smiled watching her: “How was today?”

You Mingxu shook her head: “Things here are temporarily finished, but we haven’t made any progress.”

Yin Feng tapped his fingers on the chair back, saying: “Don’t rush. If they were so easy for you to find, this apprentice wouldn’t graduate. Perhaps the pattern is right under your noses, in something very ordinary.”

You Mingxu was struck by his words and nodded.

Yin Feng continued: “I also have some important discoveries, I’ll tell you when we get back.” Seeing his serious expression, You Mingxu said “Okay,” then asked: “Tell me first if it’s good news or bad news.”

Yin Feng thought for a moment and said: “One is good news, and another sounds like bad news, but perhaps we can turn it into good news.”

Well, he was speaking in circles again, subtly showing off.

You Mingxu just smiled and said: “Nonsense.”

He looked at her and said: “Come here.”

You Mingxu didn’t move.

He was about to stand up when You Mingxu said: “Stay put, we’re still out in public, don’t you care about my reputation?”

He laughed and sat back down, then grabbed her hand that was resting on the table. You Mingxu tried to pull away but couldn’t. He held it, stroking slowly, saying: “You just love to defy me, hmm? Can’t you be a bit softer?”

His low voice and slow tone made You Mingxu’s heart skip a beat. She forcefully pulled her hand back, then packed her things into her bag, saying coolly: “If you want softness, go find your young models.” She walked straight to the door. Yin Feng followed with a smile, saying: “Why bring up irrelevant things? I was young and didn’t know better then.”

You Mingxu laughed in exasperation: “Young!”

He followed closely, they exchanged a few more words, and finally walked side by side, with him holding her shoulders as they went downstairs.

Behind them was a quiet corridor with two rows of private rooms in the bathhouse. After they left, the corridor returned to silence—dark brown carpet, golden yellow wallpaper, dim chandeliers, nothing unusual. Occasionally staff members passed through.

In the deepest corner of the corridor ceiling, a surveillance camera gleamed black. Behind the camera, in an empty room like a construction site, someone sat in front of a computer screen, watching the surveillance footage—You Mingxu and Yin Feng leaving the bathhouse.

That person still wore the black windbreaker but had removed their hat and mask, revealing a fair face.

They pushed away from the computer, laughing as if talking to themselves: “You Mingxu, Yin Feng, long time no see.”

After laughing for a while, they looked back at several glass bottles on the ground opposite them. These were bottles they had carefully selected from stores, exquisite and special. Their “souvenirs” were floating in those bottles, now bobbing up and down in transparent formaldehyde solution.

They grinned and muttered: “Killing people turns out to be such an interesting thing.”