"This is the final showdown. I've already grasped the truth."

　　Lu Kong picked up his coffee and gulped it down in one go. On the table in the café, he had left behind a sheet of paper densely filled with scribbles. If not for the slightly disordered layout, it would have been a complete set of details on "remote poisoning."

　　Late at night, a shadowy figure crept around the spot where Lu Kong and his companions had parted ways, seemingly searching for something. Moonlight fell upon his cheek as he grinned wickedly at a blood-stained tissue.

　　In a deserted alleyway, the damp ground was littered with all sorts of garbage, emitting a sour stench. This was undoubtedly the perfect place for a murderer to carry out his deeds, as no matter how heinous his actions were, he could escape the world's gaze in the city's shadows. Lu Kong was walking down this alley, with a few leaves still clinging to his shoulders that he hadn't bothered to brush off. He was humming a tune, looking relaxed. The damp ground always left deep footprints, and behind Lu Kong, the impressions he left seemed to deepen with each step, as if following him.

　　"It's not a good habit to tail someone, Mr. Culprit." Lu Kong closed his eyes. In a hidden corner of the darkness, someone was startled by these words, their body jerking in surprise.

　　In the empty alley, there was no response. Perhaps someone with keen ears could detect two sets of breathing at different frequencies, and the silent approach of a fierce battle.

　　"Your name is..." Lu Kong deliberately drew out the end of his sentence, telling himself to stay calm as he scanned the alley for the unseen killer.

　　At a wedding at the Manyi Hagen Hotel, Ding Changji grabbed an honest-looking man by the collar and slammed him against an unoccupied desk. "This was my idea, bringing you to your ex-girlfriend's wedding to see you in a daze. Well, I've bullied you for so many years. Today, I'll treat you to a drink." Ding Changji laughed unrestrainedly, grabbing a bottle of gin and drenching the man's hair and specially purchased suit.

　　The hotel was filled with Ding Changji's accomplices, and no one dared to stop his brutality.

　　On the hotel's rooftop, the honest man dried his soaked body and then leaped off.

　　He wanted to tell the world that he wasn't drunk, that he had chosen to embrace death while fully conscious. He was accusing the abuser with the highest form of protest—he had killed him.

　　The honest man's name was Feng Gangzhi. His best friend was named Chen Xiao.

　　"Feng Gangping." Lu Kong said coldly. In the darkness, a blade flashed, reflecting Lu Kong's face in the moonlight. "You, with your strong competitive streak, really wanted to kill me, didn't you?"

　　"You did borrow the psychological trap from 'The ABC Murders,' but you used violence not only to divert attention but also to demonstrate to the world and your deceased brother your resolve to punish abusers, ultimately taking the life of your true target. You lurked in the shadows, spreading rumors about other potential suspects to evade capture." Lu Kong ruthlessly exposed Feng Detective's hypocritical facade.

　　Feng Detective's clear mind finally realized he had been trapped. The moon finally emerged from behind the clouds, and all truth became clear. Lu Kong had always been exceptionally meticulous. The competitive one was the demon lurking in the darkness, taking lives.

　　"So those words, those laughable deductions, that densely written note—they were all meant for me, to be seen and heard by me? Brilliant, absolutely brilliant." Feng Detective laughed wildly, believing that even though Lu Kong had unveiled his true identity, he was now just a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. "Don't be in such a hurry. You haven't won yet. Do you know how I did it?"

　　"Like this." Jing Lingxiao appeared behind Feng Detective, a black gun barrel pressed against his spine. In the moonlight, Feng Gangping saw Jing Lingxiao's right hand clenching a blood-stained paper. "Why don't you take a moment to see what this is?"

　　"You didn't really think I was alone, did you?" Lu Kong grinned triumphantly.

　　"How could that be? When did you find out?"

　　"Might as well let you understand before you go to jail." Jing Lingxiao pulled out a business card from her satchel, with words scribbled all over the back.

　　Under the moonlight, Feng Gangping's hideous face grew even more sinister.

　　"The murderer is Feng Gangping. His ability is Blood Concealment, meaning he can render himself invisible by using blood as a condition. I currently lack evidence, so I had to exploit his competitive nature to provoke him and use myself as bait to lure him out. We'll meet up at..."

　　It was all just an act. In a fit of rage, Feng Gangping bit his tongue to hide his tracks, seemingly regaining the upper hand in the darkness. Seeing Lu Kong still frantically searching for him, he clenched his knife, ready to end it all.

　　Bang! A gunshot echoed, and crimson blood pooled around Feng Gangping's sunken footprints.

　　"Why do you think I chose this place?" Lu Kong looked at the exhausted Feng Gangping, whose feet had not only revealed his position but also been crippled, leaving him unable to escape.

　　"I've already called the police. Admit it, once your competitiveness became your Achilles' heel, you were destined to lose to me."

　　"What if I hadn't been provoked and come after you? Wouldn't you have let me get away?"

　　"Impossible." Lu Kong looked into Feng Gangping's eyes once more.

　　At that moment, Feng Gangping had a revelation. During his close-range pursuit, Lu Kong had been using his psychic abilities to keep him excited, leading him step by step into the trap in this alley.

　　"There's one more question I want to ask you. Did you kill Chen Xiao?" Lu Kong's expression turned solemn as he looked at Feng Gangping, as if conducting a final interrogation.

　　"Of course not. But do you think this is the end?" Feng Gangping, despite his pain, kicked downwards, splashing the blood he had just shed upwards.

　　"Not good!" This time, Lu Kong really didn't react in time.

　　Feng Gangping had already taken advantage of the darkness to stab a man who was smoking in his car outside the alley, leaving the keys in the ignition, and sped away.

　　"Damn it, I underestimated his determination." Lu Kong slammed his fist against the wall in anger.

　　"No matter. I have a feeling," Jing Lingxiao said after dialing 911 , "we'll meet again."

　　In fact, there were still many mysteries left unsolved. At this moment, Lu Kong could only think that. What he didn't know was that this incident was like a butterfly gently flapping its wings, about to stir up a massive storm in Jing City that none of them could escape.

　　In a single-numbered room at the Manyi Hagen Hotel, Li Zhongwei wiped the blood off his face and looked at Ba Qing, who had a serious expression, slamming a stack of film onto his desk.

　　"Are you satisfied now?" Li Zhongwei seemed to be claiming credit with his accomplice who had helped him escape.

　　"Well done." Ba Qing forcefully steadied the trembling table.

　　In the trash can of the café, a piece of paper prominently read:

　　"Unlike plants that can kill on contact with blood, the effects of psychic abilities that kill on contact with blood are no less severe than the blood loss from being sliced into a thousand pieces." -- Ba Qing

　　In an unremarkable little house, its owner had just had his life taken by a demon lurking in the darkness, and even the innocent had not escaped being robbed. A conspiracy that should have revealed its tip of the iceberg had now been plunged back into a massive vortex by the thugs.