It was already past two in the morning. I sat at my desk, the only light coming from a small lamp that barely illuminated the tabletop. Liu Dazhuang and Wang Mengyun were both fast asleep.

　　Turning over the last page of the case file in my hands, I stretched and walked to the window. The pitch-black night outside was accompanied by a soft drizzle, the gentle pattering of rain creating a strangely comforting atmosphere.

　　I finally managed to piece together the events surrounding these deaths.

　　It all traced back to the case of Li Hongmin. Based on the records in the file, it seemed Zhang Ming had poisoned him. Zhang had covered his tracks well, though, leaving no obvious clues.

　　As for Liu Jian, I hadn’t paid much attention to his death from the beginning, but one thing was certain: he, like Zhou Yong, had died in that house—Room 404.

　　This raised an important question: Zhou Yong was killed by Zhang Ming, but did that mean Liu Jian was also murdered by him?

　　I found myself shaking my head instinctively at this thought, reminding myself not to jump to conclusions. After all, there was no clear evidence connecting Liu Jian and Zhang Ming.

　　Still, my instincts told me that Liu Jian's death had something to do with Zhang Ming. Not only did he die in the same house as Zhou Yong, but the manner of death was identical—both had hanged themselves.

　　Given the similarity in methods, I couldn’t help but think of Li Yongxia, who was lurking in the background behind Zhang Ming. Following this train of thought, my mind wandered back to the Bagua stone carving in the Huayuan Residential Area—it was placed there at a suspiciously sensitive time.

　　This was the final, critical question: where had the Bagua stone carving come from? After all, it was intended to suppress Room 404, and it was tightly linked to Li Hongmin, Liu Jian, and Zhou Yong.

　　I had previously approached the property management of the Huayuan Residential Area about this issue, but they dodged the subject entirely, which felt incredibly unreasonable.

　　After giving it some thought, I realized I needed to pay the property management office another visit. However, this time, I couldn’t go alone; otherwise, I’d probably end up with the same frustrating outcome as last time—coming back empty-handed.As I listened to the soothing sound of the rain outside, a smile crept onto my face.

　　Before long, the morning light began to seep in, and I set the breakfast I had prepared on the table.

　　"You're up early, Xiaofeng!" Liu Dazhuang and Wang Mengyun walked out of the bedroom together, looking pleasantly surprised.

　　"Yeah, I figured I’d whip something up for you guys. I can’t just crash at your place without contributing," I joked, trying to keep the mood light.

　　"What are you talking about? Just think of me as your big sister; this is your home too! No need to be so polite!" Wang Mengyun said with a warm smile.

　　"Yeah, don’t be formal!" Liu Dazhuang added, nodding in agreement.

　　I just smiled back, arranging the bowls and chopsticks on the table. I knew my role here; I was a guest, and I didn’t want to overstep their hospitality.

　　While we chatted, Liu Dazhuang lent a hand to help Wang Mengyun settle into her seat.

　　I took a spot across from them and said, "I wasn’t quite sure what you liked, so I kept it simple."

　　"Simple? You call this simple?" Wang Mengyun exclaimed, clearly impressed.

　　The table was laid out with rice porridge, boiled eggs, a stir-fried dish, a cold salad, and freshly made scallion pancakes.

　　"This is simple? Xiaofeng, I haven’t enjoyed such a lovely breakfast in ages," Liu Dazhuang said, and I could tell he genuinely meant it.

　　Wang Mengyun chimed in, "Dazhuang’s right. Being a police officer means he’s always on the go, barely having time to eat properly. Most days, he’s just grabbing whatever he can to keep his stomach full."

　　While Wang Mengyun and I continued our conversation, Liu Dazhuang was already digging in, savoring the scallion pancake with pure delight.As Wang Mengyun and I watched Liu Dazhuang wolf down his food, we couldn’t help but chuckle.

　　“Dazhuang, I need a favor,” I said, turning to him.

　　“What’s up? Go ahead,” he replied, still enjoying his meal.

　　“I need you to come with me to the Huayuan Community.,” I said.

　　“Sure, are we investigating something?” Liu Dazhuang asked, raising a brow.

　　“There’s a Bagua stone carving in the neighborhood. I want to find out who put it there. I asked the property management last time, but they wouldn’t tell me,” I explained while taking a bite of my food.

　　“Bagua stone carving?” He paused, looking at me. “You mean that Bagua stone disc?”

　　“Yeah, the one on the lawn,” I said casually.

　　To my surprise, his next words gave me a new lead. “That thing’s been there for years; it’s just for decoration. Why do you want to investigate it?”

　　I froze, my hand halfway to my mouth.

　　Wang Mengyun nudged Liu Dazhuang under the table, giving him a look. He quickly caught on and said, “No problem, Xiaofeng. Let’s head over right after breakfast.”

　　“Alright,” I replied with a smile, lowering my hand back to my bowl of rice porridge, though my mind was already occupied with his words.

　　The old security guard at Huayuan Residential Area clearly said that the Bagua stone carving had only been there for a few months. But now, Liu Dazhuang said it’s been there for years. Could the old man have lied?The Bagua stone carving looked way too new to have been there for years. Could Liu Dazhuang really be lying? No, that didn’t make any sense. He’s a straight-talking guy, and being a police officer, he’s definitely not the type to lie.

　　Strange. This whole thing was just strange. I slowly ate my porridge, almost forgetting to pick up any of the other dishes. I couldn’t help but feel like something was off, but I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

　　Wang Mengyun and Liu Dazhuang exchanged a quick look, and then Liu Dazhuang asked, “Xiaofeng, you doing okay?”

　　“I’m… fine!” I forced a smile and realized I had already eaten more than half of the porridge, yet I’d barely touched the other food.

　　We finished eating not long after, and I helped Liu Dazhuang clear the table. We kept ourselves busy in the kitchen, washing the dishes.

　　After glancing at Wang Mengyun, who was still sitting on the sofa, Liu Dazhuang closed the kitchen door and lowered his voice, “You think there’s something strange about that Bagua stone?”

　　I looked him in the eye and replied, “Yes.”

　　“What kind of strange?” His tone was tense.

　　I placed the washed bowls aside and said, “I suspect someone’s using it to suppress the spirits of Li Hongmin, Liu Jian, and Zhou Yong.”

　　Liu Dazhuang froze in his tracks. “Are you saying… something like that could really happen?”

　　I let out a slow sigh, meeting his gaze. “I know it’s hard to believe, Dazhuang, but you’ve seen what’s been happening over the past few days. Just because we haven’t seen it before doesn’t mean it isn’t real.”

　　The seriousness in my voice made it clear I wasn’t joking. Besides, after what happened with the fish tank, he didn’t have much reason to doubt me.

　　After a moment’s pause, he seemed to snap back to reality. “Alright, I understand.”

　　I nodded. We stood in a heavy silence for a bit, and then Liu Dazhuang broke it, “Let’s head out soon.”

　　I glanced outside, where the rain was still falling softly, tapping against the window. “There’s no rush,” I replied calmly.

　　Liu Dazhuang gave a light laugh and said, "I’ve gotta make a quick stop at the station to drop off these case files. If I end up losing them, it’s gonna be a lot worse than just a slap on the wrist."

　　I shot him a grin and said, "Sounds good, you’re the boss!"