“What did you say?” Chief Li immediately frowned and said sternly, “What do you think this place is?” He slammed his pen on the desk, tapping his fingers on the surface as he spoke, “I put you in those cuffs… did I invite you here to tell stories?”

“What’s the rush, Officer? Are you in a hurry to get off work?” Feng Bujue said. “Anyway, after you take my statement, we still have to rush to the hospital for an examination (to check for infectious diseases and drug use). After the results are out, you can send me to the detention center… going back and forth, you won’t be able to leave before dawn.” He looked up at the ceiling. “Heh… I think your time should be quite plentiful, right?”

“I knew you were up to no good…” Chief Li glared at Jue-ge and muttered, “You’re more familiar with the case-handling procedures here than some of the rookies I’m training!”

“I repeat…” Feng Bujue replied calmly, “I… as of now, have no criminal record.”

Chief Li wasn’t a fool. Hearing this for the second time, he caught the subtext: “Heh… so that means…” He paused for half a second, then continued, “You might have ‘committed a crime,’ right?” He sneered, “Furthermore… no criminal record doesn’t mean you haven’t been to the station before, does it?” He subconsciously looked around. “I knew it… you asked me if I was new here right off the bat? So you weren’t looking at my badge number, you were looking at my face, huh?”

“That’s not 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’ here, so I don’t recognize every face… For example, old Zhang at the gatehouse seems to have a new apprentice…”

*Pa—*

Chief Li slammed his hand on the table and stood up, grabbing Feng Bujue by the collar: “I advise you to get your situation straight!”

“I’m very clear about the ‘present’ situation.” Feng Bujue remained calm even as his collar was grabbed. “That’s why I’m so fearless~” He tilted his head and looked at the surveillance camera in the corner of the ceiling. “As far as I know, after 2030, the composition of the city’s police force has been basically set as—90% of police academy graduates, plus 9% from the military and other government agencies. Recruits from society account for less than 1%… Compared to the more complex personnel structure of the past, the overall quality of the police force is now much higher, and in terms of discipline and standardization… it’s also very reassuring. As for the phenomenon of arbitrarily beating and scolding prisoners, or even coercing confessions to complete tasks, which was common at the end of the last century, it sounds like a fantasy ‘now’.”

As Jue-ge spoke, Chief Li had already released his hand, but he still glared at him resentfully.

“Heh…” Feng Bujue smiled. “I know that it’s becoming more and more difficult for you to enforce the law now. Even if you encounter a rogue, you can’t use force; even the smallest cases require evidence, or you have to release the person according to the presumption of innocence.” He shrugged. “Indeed… some social scum just need a beating. The ‘judicial system’ has its advantages and disadvantages, but discussing this topic in depth is rather helpless… Let’s face reality and sit down and talk calmly.”

As Jue-ge spoke, Chief Li kept looking into his eyes, but he couldn’t catch even a trace of fear in them. The Chief understood… even the habitual offenders who frequently came to the station had a “hollow” feeling in their hearts beneath their superficial arrogance. And Jue-ge’s eyes at this moment generally represented two situations—first, he really hadn’t committed a crime; second, he believed that he would definitely not be subject to legal sanctions.

The former indicated that this Feng Bujue was innocent; while the latter… indicated that he had a certain “background.” Of course, there was also a possibility… that this person was a mentally deranged madman.

“Hoo…” Chief Li sat down again and lit a cigarette for himself. After exhaling a breath, he continued, “Tell me… I’ll listen to your story once.”

He didn’t pick up his pen, but rather his cigarette. Obviously, when the words “female ghost” came out, there was no need for him to make any more written records. But since the person involved insisted on telling such a story based on supernatural theories, he might as well listen.

“Officer, what’s your name?” Feng Bujue asked with a smile when 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 in this world?”

“I believe what I see with my own eyes,” Chief Li’s answer was very shrewd.

“Heh… alright.” Feng Bujue smiled indifferently. “Actually… most of the ghosts wandering in the human world are not 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 are in a state of being both formless and unconscious. The time they can transform into ‘tangible ghosts’ is usually only three hours, from midnight to three in the morning. And even during this time, their spirits are ‘bound’ within a certain area… for example, the cemetery where they died, the place where they lost their lives, or places they frequented during their lifetime… In short, ghosts can’t possibly run around the world harming people.”

“You really are a novelist, you can make things up like it’s real.” Chief Li responded noncommittally. He had already learned Jue-ge’s profession when filling out the form, hence this answer.

Feng Bujue ignored Chief Li’s sarcasm and continued, “The one I met today is not like ordinary ghosts…”

“Heh… is that so?” Chief Li took another puff of his cigarette. “I’m impressed you could tell?”

Feng Bujue’s attitude was still calm, and he continued to speak on his own: “Those ghosts who linger in the world and cannot leave are generally 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 hatred or resentment that has not been eliminated…” He paused for a second, then said, “There are many reasons for generating resentment, such as… the person who killed the ghost not being properly punished, or the evil people who bullied the ghost not receiving any retribution, and so on. I’m sure you’ve seen horror novels or horror 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, “The probability of women turning into ghosts is higher than that of men because they are more emotional, and many things are not easy to let go of.” His tone changed slightly, “If a woman dies a violent death at an unlucky time, wearing red clothes that easily provoke resentment, what will she become… you should be able to guess without me telling you.”

“Phew—” Chief Li exhaled a puff of smoke, “Is that what you encountered today?”

“To be precise, it was yesterday,” Feng Bujue corrected. “It’s past midnight now.”

“Continue,” Chief Li flicked some ash onto the ground beside him.

“According to the *Bardo Thodol* (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 is a vengeful spirit or a wandering soul, 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 concept of the ‘first seven days,’ especially we Chinese… whether they admit it on the surface or not, most people harbor a faint fantasy about these superstitious things in their hearts.” Feng Bujue replied, “You need to know… ‘belief’ itself is a kind of ‘power.’ The main bodies of many ‘urban legends’ are just some spirits with ordinary magical power. But when things spread widely and more people believe in them… they become more and more powerful. This is the so-called ‘power of faith’… Theoretically speaking, ‘God’ is the ultimate manifestation of this power.”

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

“There is no ‘public’ here, only 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, he actively returned to the previous topic, “Anyway… the one I encountered today was a female ghost in red who came back to take revenge on the night of her ‘first seven days’… According to her, she was murdered in that market.”

“Heh…” Chief Li laughed. “‘According to her’?” He repeated Jue-ge’s words, “Looks like… you can talk to ghosts?”

“Of course I can,” Feng Bujue replied. “I am very sure of this.”

“Then tell me… what did she say to you?” Chief Li asked again.

“Actually, she didn’t say much, roughly that… the owner of the antique shop, i.e., the ‘injured party’ in this case, was rejected after pursuing her in life, and in his anger, he deliberately drove his car and killed her. But afterwards, the owner used some connections, and the case was directly classified as an accident. In just two days, the owner was released from the station. It is estimated that… at most, he will be sentenced to probation, and he won’t have to go to jail at all. She had no choice but to do it herself on the day of her first seven…” Feng Bujue replied, “As for the details, I really couldn’t ask… Ordinary earthbound spirits are relatively rational, and some even don’t know that they are ghosts. But vengeful spirits are different… although they know very well what they are, their minds are very dazed, and most of them are difficult to communicate with and are extremely aggressive.” He looked helpless. “I subdued the female ghost after a fight, and then she vaguely said these things.”

“Shenma?” Hearing this, Chief Li became more and more certain that the kid in front of him was a neurotic and mentally ill. “You fought with a female ghost?”

“Yes.” Feng Bujue replied casually, and gave a related explanation, “Vengeful spirits can create ‘ghost realms.’ Humans whose spiritual consciousness has not awakened enter the ghost realm, just like walking into the snow in only underwear…”

"Once those without spiritual awareness enter the ghost realm, they become extremely fragile in both physical and mental terms. Most are scared to death by illusions, and some are killed by ‘illusionary attacks.’ Anyway, if the brain thinks it’s dead, then it’s dead.” He pointed to himself with his thumb, “But those like me, whose spiritual consciousness has awakened, are different. My mental endurance in the face of illusions will not be reduced by the ghost realm, and I can come into contact with ghosts.” He shrugged. “Even if three or four of those female ghosts came, I wouldn’t be afraid.”

“Ho~” Chief Li really didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I can’t tell…” He looked Jue-ge up and down again. “You’re not only a novelist, but also a ghost-catching master.”

“You think I’m mentally ill, 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 narrated slowly, “You are a not-very-famous and not-very-rich novelist. Because of your tight financial situation, you came up with the idea of stealing from an 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 security guard’s inattention to climb over the wall and sneak in…”

“Wait a minute,” Feng Bujue said, “If I planned to break into a house at night to steal… where are the tools?” He raised his hands, which were handcuffed together, “Am I going to tear open the rolling gate with my bare hands?”

Faced with the doubts raised by Feng Bujue, Chief Li answered fluently: “According to the surveillance footage, you didn’t bring any tools with you. You can’t hide large pliers or anything like that under these clothes…” He changed his tone, “But… since it was a planned crime, is it possible… that you ‘hid the tools in the market somewhere during the day’?”

“Hmm… good hypothesis.” Feng Bujue felt that the other party’s reasoning was very logical and could not be refuted for the time being.

“It’s not your place as a suspect to comment.” Chief Li replied unhappily, and continued to reason, “After you entered the flower and bird market, you went straight to the antique shop. Just as you were trying to break into the door, you didn’t expect… that the owner of the shop happened to be driving out of the alley next to it…”

“The flower and bird market usually closes around 6 p.m., and even in summer, it never exceeds 7 p.m.” Feng Bujue interrupted again. “At this time, close to midnight, why would the owner happen to be driving home?”

“Monthly inventory,” Chief Li replied almost without thinking. It seemed that he had already guessed what questions Jue-ge would raise to refute him, “The main commodities of that antique shop are not antiques and calligraphy, but jade and other things. Those jade stones are large in quantity and diverse in variety… Compared to large antiques, they are naturally easier to lose or be stolen. So, it’s not strange to count them two or three times a month, and it must be counted carefully, which takes a long time.”

“Uh…” Jue-ge suddenly realized that it was really difficult to find any loopholes in the other party’s reasoning. “As expected of a professional… It can all be explained logically…”

“You were caught red-handed by the owner. In a panic, you used your tools to beat him half to death.” Chief Li’s words continued, “But after you regained your rationality, you regretted it… Murder is punishable by death. Committing murder in the event of a failed planned crime is even more serious. You are a smart person… After weighing the pros and cons, you decided to call the police and an ambulance as soon as possible. While he still had a breath, coupled with the confession, maybe he and you could 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?”

“Yes… phew—” Chief Li took another puff of his cigarette. “This… from a logical point of view, it’s hard to find an answer. What I can think of is… maybe you have schizophrenia or some other mental illness. After being stimulated, your second personality appears, and this personality firmly believes in the ‘ghost theory’ you are talking about.”

“Heh… that seems to make sense.” Feng Bujue smiled easily.

“I’ve seen some examples of writers having mental problems, so I can’t rule out this possibility.” Chief Li cleared his throat at this point, “Okay, let’s get down to business…” He threw the cigarette butt on the ground and extinguished it. “If you are really a smart person, 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 person doesn’t die in the end, considering the confession, as long as you hire a good lawyer to defend you… the sentence won’t be very serious. Even if he dies, you can argue around ‘manslaughter.’” He held up his middle finger again, “Second, whether you’re crazy or not, just act like you’re ‘crazy.’ As long as the mental assessment result shows that you are ill, you don’t have to go to jail… at least you won’t be jailed with ordinary people.”

“Hmm…” Feng Bujue nodded, “Not bad…” He looked up at Chief Li, “Li Zhiyuan, you are 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 had not given his full name.

“You are a talented person who had the opportunity to become a good policeman.” While speaking, Feng Bujue took off the handcuffs on his hands.

Li Zhiyuan was shocked to find that the handcuffs on Feng Bujue’s hands had turned into rusty, scrap-iron-like objects.

“Unfortunately…” Jue-ge said, standing up, “…you took the wrong step.”

“What do you want to do?” Li Zhiyuan also stood up suddenly from his chair. Although he wasn’t carrying a gun at the moment, he was definitely confident in winning against ordinary people in hand-to-hand combat.

Jue-ge ignored his question and continued his previous words: “And this step… directly ruined your life.”

“You said…” At this moment, Li Zhiyuan’s pupils contracted, and his whole body felt cold, “…what…”

…………

“Do you believe in ghosts in this world?”

“You won’t be able to leave before dawn.”

“I’m very clear about the present situation.”

“You can talk to ghosts?”

“Of course I can, I am very sure of this.”

“Ordinary earthbound spirits are relatively rational, and some don’t even know they are 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-inspiring presence. “But in your subconscious… you still sided with that ‘shop owner’.”

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

“I’m Feng Bujue, didn’t you ask me?” Feng Bujue replied, “And what I’m talking about… is naturally the last case you handled before you died.”