“What gathering malevolent energy talisman? What are you talking about?” the middle-aged woman demanded, confusion etched on her face.

　　Liu Dazhuang and I exchanged a glance but said nothing, both of us fixated on the talisman.

　　“Is the issue really with this thing?” he asked, his voice suddenly serious.

　　“Yes,” I replied absently, still gripping the washbasin.

　　Last time, it was the Seven Star Glazed Array, and now it was this gathering malevolent energy talisman; both were silently amassing Malevolent energy.

　　I had no idea how many tricks the other party had up their sleeve, but one thing was certain: they had honed their control over this malevolent energy to an impressive degree.

　　“What do we do now? Destroy the fish tank?” Liu Dazhuang pressed, a hint of urgency in his tone.

　　“No need for that,” I said coolly. With a flick of my wrist, I brushed my hand over the talisman, and it vanished as if it had never been there. Without another word, I turned on my heel and walked away, leaving them in stunned silence.

　　Liu Dazhuang trailed closely behind me as we headed down the stairs, still asking, “Xiaofeng, are you sure about this? That thing looks even creepier than the stones in my fish tank.”

　　“No doubt about it. That talisman was drawn with alum, which is why it shows itself when it touches water,” I explained.

　　“Can one little thing actually kill someone?” Liu Dazhuang asked, his surprise still evident.

　　“Absolutely, just that one thing!”

　　Once we reached the bottom of the stairs, I turned to him. “Even if the methods differ, their effects are the same—they both attract malevolent energy and have a negative impact on people.” I paused for a moment before adding, “Zhang Guofa must have been slowly worn down by this malevolent energy for a long time, which messed with his mind and ultimately drove him to jump off the building.”

　　“No way, is malevolent energy really that powerful?” he asked, incredulous.

　　I nodded and added, “If my hunch is right, the forensic team won’t find anything out of the ordinary.”

　　Liu Dazhuang fell silent, suddenly deep in thought, staring down at the floor.

　　I didn’t say anything further and turned to walk away.

　　“Where are you off to, Xiaofeng?” he called after me, quickening his pace to catch up.

　　“To the police station!” I replied.

　　So we hurried to the police station, and all the while, I kept my thoughts to myself, preoccupied with the gathering malevolent energy talisman. I couldn’t shake the feeling that the talisman on Zhang Guofa’s fish tank and the calming talisman on Xu Xiaoli were both crafted by the same person—the mysterious woman!

　　Of course, that was just my guess—I didn’t have any solid evidence to back it up.

　　“What’s on your mind?” Liu Dazhuang asked, glancing over at me.

　　“Nothing much,” I replied, trying to keep it casual.

　　“Why are you heading to the police station? Isn’t it better to wait for the forensic results? They should come in pretty soon.”

　　“I’m not going to see the forensic team; I’ve got other business to handle, and I could use your help with it.”

　　“Absolutely! Just let me know what you need. I’ve got your back, man.”

　　“I want to look at the case files for the people who died in Huayuan Community, and I also want your thoughts on Tongming Group.”

　　“Uh… alright,” Liu Dazhuang said, sounding a bit put off.

　　“Aren’t you going to ask why I’m suddenly interested in Tongming Group?” I nudged.

　　“Because Tongming Group definitely has some skeletons in the closet!” Liu Dazhuang exclaimed suddenly.

　　I was taken aback. I had expected him to sing the praises of the well-known Tongming Group in Mountain City, so his blunt skepticism caught me off guard.

　　“What’s the deal with Tongming Group?” I asked.

　　“I had my doubts about that guy when Li Hongmin died. I interviewed him three times, but not a single clue came up!” Liu Dazhuang replied, frustration evident in his voice.

　　I couldn’t help but chuckle softly, keeping my thoughts under wraps. If the rumors were true about that boss owing Li Hongmin money, then Zhang Ming—the head of Tongming Construction Company, which later became Tongming Group—was definitely that guy!

　　“And then there’s Zhou Yong’s death. Zhang Ming might be connected to that too!” Liu Dazhuang added, his tone heavy with suspicion.

　　“How do you figure?” I asked, suddenly intrigued by the mention of Zhou Yong.

　　Liu Dazhuang explained, “Before Zhou Yong died, his Shanyong Garment Factory had some serious beef with Zhang Ming’s Tongming Group. Zhou even stormed into their office to confront them!”

　　“Seriously? I didn’t know that…” I murmured, trying to wrap my head around it.

　　“Yeah, but not long after that, Zhou Yong ended up dead. Who wouldn’t raise an eyebrow at Zhang Ming in that context?” Liu Dazhuang shot me a look that clearly reflected his disdain for Zhang Ming.

　　“Dazhuang, do you have something against Zhang Ming? You get pretty fired up every time you bring him up,” I remarked, noting his intensity.

　　“Absolutely! I can’t stand that guy. You wouldn’t believe it—every time I’ve had to bring him to the police station, he struts around like he’s some kind of emperor, treating us cops like we’re dirt!”

　　“Is he really that full of himself?”

　　“Yeah, and when Tongming Group opened, they gave away a ton of stuff,” Liu Dazhuang replied.

　　“Isn’t that a good thing?” I said.

　　“A good thing?” Liu Dazhuang scoffed. “You have no idea. They made everyone play a few games at the event, and one of them involved kneeling before him!”

　　“Kneeling?” I was taken aback.

　　“Yeah, it was all about showing gratitude and thanking him for his ‘generosity.’ He actually thinks he’s some kind of emperor!”

　　Hearing this, I reflected on how he carried himself during our meeting. It did seem like he might view himself as royalty, given his personality. He liked to keep others under his thumb or toy with them like puppets.

　　While that kind of attitude could be really annoying, I had to admit it probably played a role in his rise from being just a worker to where he was today.

　　“We're almost there,” Liu Dazhuang said, breaking my train of thought.I looked ahead and saw a crowd gathered in front of the police station, thick and restless.

　　Liu Dazhuang and I quickly got out of the car and rushed toward the station.

　　“Captain Liu! You’re finally here!” a young officer called out.

　　“What’s going on, Xiao Wu? Why is there a crowd blocking the entrance?” Liu Dazhuang asked.

　　“There’s been another death, sir. The citizens are panicking and demanding answers from us!”

　　“Answers? What kind of answers? The deaths are all suicides; there’s nothing more to say!”

　　“We don’t believe that! Zhang Guofa would never kill himself!” someone from the crowd shouted.

　　“That’s right, we don’t believe it!”

　　“Yeah, it’s impossible!”

　　Leading the crowd was a middle-aged woman, well-dressed and wearing glasses, who didn’t look like someone who’d stir up trouble easily.

　　“Why couldn’t it be suicide?” Liu Dazhuang retorted. “Ma’am, who are you to Zhang Guofa? Do you really know him that well?”

　　“I’m his cousin, Xu Yingying. We lived in the same neighborhood,” she shot back. “So yes, I’d say I knew him.”

　　“We’re all neighbors from Tongda Community!” someone else chimed in.

　　“Yeah, we all knew him!”

　　“Calm down, everyone, please!” Liu Dazhuang raised his voice, steady and reassuring. “The forensic team is still examining the body. We’ll know if it was suicide once the report is out. If it is, I’d ask everyone not to gather here at the station. We’ll notify the family to claim the body. But if it’s not, you can rest assured that we will solve the case and give you an explanation. Either way, the police will ensure your safety. Please, trust us.”

　　You had to give it to Dazhuang—years on the force had taught him how to handle situations like this. He didn’t offend anyone, nor did he create any problems for the station.

　　Xu Yingying exchanged glances with a few others and then said, “Alright, we’ll wait and see what the forensic report says.”

　　“It’s here! It’s here!”

　　Just as she spoke, a police officer in a white lab coat and gloves came running out, holding a document on his phone. “The autopsy report is out!”