"What did you say?" Chief Li frowned instantly, his voice stern. "What do you think this place is?" He slammed his pen on the desk, tapping it with his finger as he spoke. "I put those cuffs on you... am I asking you to tell me stories?"

"What's the matter? Are you in a hurry to get off work, officer?" Feng Bujue replied. "Anyway, after you finish taking my statement, we still have to go to the hospital for tests (to see if I have any infectious diseases or a history of drug use). Then, we have to wait for the results before sending me to the detention center... With all that back and forth, you won't be able to go back before dawn." He looked up at the ceiling. "Heh... I think your time is still quite ample, isn't it?"

"I knew you were an old hand at this..." Chief Li glared at Jue-ge and muttered, "You're more familiar with our case-handling procedures than some of the newbies I'm training!"

"I repeat..." Feng Bujue replied calmly, "I... as of now, have no criminal record."

Chief Li wasn't stupid. Hearing those words for the second time, he caught the underlying meaning: "Heh... so you're saying..." He paused for half a second, then continued, "It's not that you necessarily haven't committed a crime, is it?" He sneered. "Furthermore... no criminal record doesn't mean you haven't been to the station before, right?" He subconsciously looked around. "I knew it... you asked me if I was new, didn't you? So you weren't looking at my badge number, you were looking at my face, weren't you?"

"That's not really it..." Feng Bujue shook his head. "Your bureau's personnel transfers are quite frequent, and it's been a while since I've been invited to visit, so I don't recognize every face anymore... For example, Old Zhang, the gatekeeper, seems to have a new apprentice..."

*Pa*—

Chief Li slammed the table and stood up, grabbing Feng Bujue by the collar. "I advise you to get clear on your current situation!"

"I am very clear on the 'current' situation." Even with his collar being grabbed, Feng Bujue remained calm. "That's why I'm so fearless~" He tilted his head and looked at the camera in the corner of the ceiling. "As far as I know, after 2030, the composition of S City's police force was basically fixed at—90% of graduates from police academies, plus 9% from the military and other government agencies. Special recruits from society account for less than 1%... Compared to the period when the personnel structure was more complex in the past, the overall quality of the police force today has improved a lot, and in terms of discipline and regulations... it's also very reassuring. As for the phenomenon of randomly beating and scolding criminals, or even extracting confessions by torture in order to complete tasks, which was common at the end of the last century, it sounds like a fairy tale today."

By the time Jue-ge finished speaking, Chief Li had already let go, but he was still glaring at him resentfully.

"Heh..." Feng Bujue smiled. "I know, it's becoming more and more difficult for you guys to enforce the law. Even if you encounter a rogue, you can't lay a hand on them; even the smallest cases require evidence, otherwise you have to release people according to the presumption of innocence." He shrugged. "Indeed... some social scum deserve to be beaten. The 'court system' has its advantages and disadvantages, but discussing this topic in depth is quite helpless... Let's face reality and sit down to talk calmly."

As Jue-ge spoke, Chief Li kept his eyes on him, but couldn't detect the slightest trace of fear. The chief understood... even the most seasoned criminals who frequented the station had a "weak" heart beneath their superficial arrogance. But Jue-ge's expression at that moment generally indicated two possibilities: first, he really hadn't committed a crime; second, he believed he would absolutely not be punished by law.

The former situation indicated that this Feng Bujue was innocent; while the latter... indicated that he had some kind of "background." Of course, there was also a third possibility... this person was a mentally unstable lunatic.

"Hoo..." Chief Li sat down again and lit a cigarette for himself. After exhaling a breath, he continued, "Speak... I'll listen to your story once."

He didn't pick up his pen, but rather his cigarette. Clearly, once the words "female ghost" came up, there was no need for him to make any further written records. But since the person involved insisted on telling a story based on supernatural theories, he might as well listen.

"Officer, what should I call you?" Feng Bujue asked with a smile as he saw the other party sit down.

"My surname is Li," Chief Li replied.

"Officer Li," Feng Bujue continued smoothly, "do you believe in ghosts?"

"I believe in what I see with my own eyes," Chief Li's answer was very shrewd.

"Heh... alright." Feng Bujue smiled calmly. "Actually... most of the ghosts wandering in the human world aren't scary. Ordinary people can't see them, and they can't interfere with our world. The vast majority of them can't even maintain their own existence... During the day, they're in a shapeless and unconscious state. The only time they can transform into 'visible ghosts' is usually during the three hours from midnight to three in the morning. And even during this time, their spirits are 'bound' to a certain area... such as the cemetery where they died, the place where they lost their lives, or places they frequented in life... In short, ghosts can't possibly run around the world harming people."

"You're worthy of being a novelist, you make it sound quite plausible," Chief Li replied noncommittally. He had already learned about Jue-ge's profession when filling out the forms, hence this response.

Feng Bujue ignored Chief Li's sarcasm and continued, "But the one I encountered today was a little different from ordinary ghosts..."

"Heh... really?" Chief Li took another puff of his cigarette. "You could tell?"

Feng Bujue's attitude was still calm as he continued to speak on his own: "Those ghosts who linger in the human world and can't leave are usually those with unfulfilled wishes. And 'unfulfilled wishes' can be roughly divided into two situations... one is that they still have attachments to certain people or things from their lifetime, and the other... is that they have grudges or resentment that hasn't been resolved..." He paused for a second, then added, "There are many reasons for generating resentment, such as... the person who killed the ghost not receiving due punishment, or the evil person who bullied the ghost not receiving any retribution, etc. I'm sure you've seen horror novels or movies, so I won't list the specific plots one by one."

"I've also read a lot of detective novels, how about you talk about the case?" Chief Li replied.

Feng Bujue still ignored his interruption and continued, "Women have a higher probability of becoming ghosts than men. Because they are more emotional, and it's harder for them to let go of many things." His tone changed slightly. "If a woman dies unjustly at an yin time on an yin day, and she's wearing red clothes, which easily provoke resentment, what will she become... You should be able to guess without me telling you."

"Whoosh—" Chief Li exhaled a puff of smoke. "The one you met today was like that?"

"To be precise, it was the one I met yesterday," Feng Bujue corrected. "It's past midnight now."

"Keep talking." Chief Li flicked some cigarette ash onto the ground next to him.

"According to *The Tibetan Book of the Dead*, a person's soul will return to visit on the seventh day after their death..." Feng Bujue continued, "On this night, whether it's a vengeful ghost or a wandering spirit, they will possess considerable power..."

"Wait... why is that?" Perhaps due to the effects of nicotine, Chief Li seemed to be gradually attracted to Jue-ge's topic, and became interested.

"Because many people believe in the 'seventh day' belief, especially we Chinese... Whether they admit it on the surface or not, the vast majority of people secretly harbor a trace of fantasy towards these superstitious things in their hearts," Feng Bujue replied. "You have to understand... 'belief' itself is a kind of 'power'. The essence of many 'urban legends' is just some ordinary spirits. But as the stories spread and more people believe in them... they become more and more powerful. This is what's called the 'power of faith'... Theoretically, 'God' is the ultimate manifestation of this power."

"Enough!" Chief Li interrupted him. "Spreading rumors to mislead the public."

"There's no 'public' here, just you," Feng Bujue said. "If you think I'm talking nonsense, just treat it like I'm farting." Without waiting for Chief Li to say anything else, he took the initiative to return to the previous topic. "Anyway... the one I encountered today was a red-clothed female ghost who came back to take revenge on the night of her 'seventh day'... According to what she herself said, she was murdered in that market."

"Heh..." Chief Li chuckled. "'According to what she herself said'?" He repeated Jue-ge's words. "Looks like... you can talk to ghosts?"

"Of course I can," Feng Bujue replied. "I'm very sure of that."

"Then tell me... what did she tell you?" Chief Li asked again.

"Not much, actually. She basically said... that the owner of the antique shop, the 'injured party' in this case, was angry after she rejected his pursuit, so he deliberately ran her over with his car. But afterwards, the owner pulled some strings and the case was directly classified as an accident. In just two days, the owner was released from the station. I guess... he'll get probation at most and won't have to go to jail at all. Since she had no other choice, she could only take matters into her own hands on the seventh day..." Feng Bujue replied, "As for the details, I really couldn't ask... Ordinary earthbound spirits are relatively rational, and some don't even know they're ghosts. But vengeful ghosts are different... Although they know very well what they are, their minds are very hazy, most of them are difficult to communicate with, and they are extremely aggressive." He looked helpless. "It took me quite a fight to subdue the female ghost before she vaguely said these things."

"What?" Hearing this, Chief Li became even more certain that the kid in front of him was a psychopath. "You even fought with a female ghost?"

"Yes," Feng Bujue replied nonchalantly, and gave a related explanation, "Vengeful ghosts can create 'ghost realms'. Humans whose spiritual consciousness hasn't awakened are like walking into the snow in just their underwear... Once inside a ghost realm, whether physically or mentally, they become extremely vulnerable. Most are scared to death by illusions, and some are killed by 'illusion attacks'. Anyway, if the brain thinks it's dead, then it's dead." He pointed to himself with his thumb. "But it's different for people like me whose spiritual consciousness has awakened. My mental endurance in the face of illusions won't be lowered by the ghost realm, and I can make contact with the ghost." He shrugged. "Even if three or four of those female ghosts came at me, I wouldn't be afraid."

"Ho~" Chief Li really didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I can't tell at all..." He sized Jue-ge up and down again. "Not only are you a novelist, but you're also a ghost-catching master."

"You think I have a mental illness, right?" Feng Bujue asked after seeing the other party's reaction.

"I think? Hmph..." Chief Li snorted coldly. "I think... things are like this..." He paused, then slowly narrated, "You're a not-very-famous and not-very-rich novelist, and because you're short on money, you came up with the idea of stealing from the antique shop. So, at 11:30 last night, you ran to the entrance of that flower and bird market, looked around on the street for a while, and then took advantage of the doorman's inattention to climb over the wall..."

"Hold on," Feng Bujue said. "If I planned to break into a house at night, what about the tools?" He raised his handcuffed hands. "Am I supposed to tear open the rolling shutter door with my bare hands?"

Faced with the doubts raised by Feng Bujue, Chief Li answered fluently: "From the surveillance footage, you really didn't bring any tools. You can't hide big pliers or anything like that under these clothes..." His tone changed. "But... since it's a planned crime, is it possible... that you 'hid the tools somewhere in the market during the day'?"

"Hmm... good hypothesis." Feng Bujue felt that the other party's reasoning was very logical and couldn't be refuted for the time being.

"It's not up to you, the suspect, to comment," Chief Li replied unkindly, and continued his reasoning, "After you entered the flower and bird market, you went straight to the antique shop. Just as you were trying to break in, you didn't expect... that the owner of the shop would be driving out of the alley next door..."

"The flower and bird market usually closes around 6:00 PM, and won't exceed 7:00 PM even in the summer," Feng Bujue interrupted again. "At this hour, close to midnight, why would the owner be driving home?"

"Monthly inventory," Chief Li replied almost without thinking. It seemed that he had already predicted what questions Jue-ge would raise to refute him. "The main products of that antique shop aren't antiques and calligraphy, but jade and other stones. There are many of these jade stones, and they come in a variety of grades... Compared to larger antiques, they're naturally easier to lose or be stolen. So it's not strange to take inventory two or three times a month, and it must be done carefully, which takes a lot of time."

"Uh..." Jue-ge suddenly realized that it was really difficult to find any loopholes in the other party's reasoning. "He's a professional... everything can be explained logically..."

"You were caught in the act by the owner, and in a panic, you beat him half to death with the tool you brought," Chief Li continued. "But after you regained your senses, you regretted it... Murder is punishable by death. Killing someone during a failed attempt to commit a crime is even more serious. You're a smart man... After weighing the pros and cons, you decided to call the police and an ambulance as soon as possible. As long as the person is still alive, and considering your confession, maybe he and you can still be saved."

"Assuming everything you said is correct..." After listening to the other party's reasoning, Feng Bujue was silent for a moment, then asked, "Then why would I tell you those stories about ghosts?"

"Yeah... Whoosh—" Chief Li took another puff of his cigarette. "That... from a logical point of view, it's hard to find an answer. All I can think of is... maybe you suffer from schizophrenia or some other mental illness. After being stimulated, your second personality appears, and this personality firmly believes in the set of 'ghost theories' that you're talking about."

"Heh... that seems to make sense." Feng Bujue was still smiling easily.

"I've seen some examples of writers having mental problems, so it can't be ruled out," Chief Li said, clearing his throat. "Alright, let's get back to the main point..." He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. "If you're really a smart man, I'll give you two choices..." He held up his index finger. "First, let your 'other personality' come out and honestly explain the problem. If the injured party doesn't die in the end, and considering your confession, as long as you hire a good lawyer to defend you... the sentence won't be very severe. Even if he dies, you can argue that it was 'manslaughter'." He held up his middle finger. "Second, whether you're crazy or not, just act like you're 'crazy'. As long as the mental evaluation results show that you're sick, you don't have to go to jail... At least you won't be sitting in jail with ordinary people."

"Hmm..." Feng Bujue nodded. "Not bad..." He looked up at Chief Li. "Li Zhiyuan, you're very good."

Hearing this, Li Zhiyuan's expression changed drastically. "How do you know my name?"

He clearly remembered that he had only said his surname was Li, but he hadn't given his full name.

"You're a talented person who had the opportunity to become a good policeman," Feng Bujue said, taking off the handcuffs on his hands.

Li Zhiyuan was shocked to find that the handcuffs on Feng Bujue's hands had turned into a rusty, scrap-metal-like state.

"Too bad..." Jue-ge said, standing up, "...you took a wrong step."

"What do you want?" Li Zhiyuan jumped up from his chair. Although he wasn't carrying a gun at the moment, he was absolutely confident in his ability to win in hand-to-hand combat against ordinary people.

But Jue-ge ignored his question and continued from earlier: "And this step... directly ended your life."

"You're saying..." In that instant, Li Zhiyuan's pupils contracted and his whole body went cold, "...what..."

...

"Do you believe in ghosts?"

"You won't be able to go back before dawn."

"I am very clear on the current situation."

"You can talk to ghosts?"

"Of course I can. I'm very sure of that."

"Ordinary earthbound spirits are relatively rational, and some don't even know they're ghosts."

...

"You seem to have forgotten about that woman's case." Feng Bujue paced slowly around the other party, his previous laziness and casualness replaced by calmness and awe. "But subconsciously... you're still standing on the side of that 'shop owner'."

"Who are you?" Li Zhiyuan unconsciously retreated to the wall. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm Feng Bujue, didn't you ask?" Feng Bujue replied. "And what I'm talking about... is naturally the last case you handled before you died."