As a person who possessed a very strong background, Song Wennuan could easily afford to be arbitrary.

Regardless of what others said, she would never change a decision she had made, nor would she bother with unnecessarily explaining the reasoning behind her decisions.

She responded directly to the protests, sneering, "If you have any objections to this result, you can go ahead and withdraw from this competition, we would never hold you back."

"It's all going to be broadcasted later anyway. Does Fan Jialuo deserve to be first? At that time, you'll come to understand, and so will the audience, that we don't need to do any stupid things like smashing our signboards for the sake of ratings."

"I'd like to see the replay of Fan Jialuo's audition. You can agree to this request, can't you?" Chongming raised his voice and asked.

"Yes, yes, let's watch the replay! We all want to watch the replay!"

Everyone agreed to this, not even the slightest bit concerned about whether or not it would cause trouble for the crew.

Song Wennuan waved to the technical director, and the LED screen hanging on the wall began to play the recording of Fan Jialuo's performance in each round.

The way he drew all of his sketches with his eyes closed thoroughly rendered everyone speechless.

This doesn't fall within the scope of an ordinary psychic who communicates with simple spirits, is this person a God-level psychic?

"Fake! It must be fake! Your program team must have told him the answers in advance! He already knew which photos you were going to pick. He must have known!" Chongming shouted, his eyes red and brimming with rage.

Chongming had stayed in Yundou Temple for a long time, and thus, his vision and mind were both very narrow. He grew up under his Master's praise. He only knew about himself, and knew nothing of others, even refusing to admit to the excellence of other people.

Chongming shouted loudly in protest, and some other contestants also thought that the video was fake.

Song Wennuan was too lazy to pay attention to such people. She opened the door of the recording room and drove him away, saying, "If you don't believe it, you can withdraw from the competition, I have nothing more to say."

Thinking of the one million prize money, Chongming couldn't help but expose greed in his eyes as he struggled to make a decision, while the few others who were doubtful of this also hesitated.

It was at this moment that Fan Jialuo raised his head and looked straight ahead.

His sharp vision quickly passed over Chongming's red eyes and ferocious face, before coming to a stop at a spot right beside him, but slightly lower than him.

A Huo also seemed to have noticed something, and he followed Fan Jialuo's line of sight, only to see that there was no one beside Chongming.

"Disgusting!" He Jinglian cautiously approached Fan Jialuo and whispered, "He wants to harm you, he hates you!"

"Thank you for your advice. I will be on guard." As Fan Jialuo focused his sight on this kind and lovely girl, his eyes were as gentle as flowing water.

He Jinglian squeezed her dress in response and laughed contentedly.

A Huo also joined them. "It's really hard to judge people just by smell! I can smell his breath, it's clear, sweet, and full of vitality, so I always thought he was a good man! Strange, my sense of smell never goes wrong. How come it's not working on him?"

Fan Jialuo gave Chongming a rather meaningful stare.

Chongming quickly glanced at the empty seat beside him. A tense and flustered emotion flashed through his eyes before immediately disappearing.

He sneered, "I will never take the initiative to withdraw from this show, I would like to see just how you will continue helping him cheat in the future."

Song Wennuan knew that none of these people would leave. After all, who doesn't want a million yuan?

Moreover, after the program goes viral, they would also become famous. In the future, if they ever opened a consultation company, they would gain a countless amount of business just like that.

If joining the show meant that they could gain fame and fortune, who would then be willing to leave?

As she had expected, when the program team displayed a tough attitude, the disgruntled contestants softened their bones and sat back in their seats at the same time.

Song Wennuan continued to announce the rules and timings for the next round, and then ended the recording.

Only after most of the people had left did Fan Jialuo stand up and walk towards the door.

A Huo and He Jinglian, followed behind him cheerfully step for step, just like two little tails.

But as they neared the elevator door, their expressions of joy suddenly froze. They didn't dare continue a step forward, and instead, their legs quietly inched back bit by bit.

Fan Jialuo peered into the elevator and instantly understood the reason for their apprehension.

Song Rui pressed the open-door button and asked with a smile, "Come in, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

Fan Jialuo stepped forward.

He Jinglian and A Huo quickly grabbed his sleeves, one grabbing the left sleeve and the other the right, and then each of them issued a warning.

"Don't go, he has a strong scent of darkness, he is a monster!" Of course, A Huo's so-called monsters were not real monsters, it was just the way he classified bad people.

Petty thieves were bad guys-people who reeked with the smell of rotten eggs.

Crafty and vicious people were like beasts-with a unique smell that only animals had.

The scent of people who were extremely evil would be like that of thick fog in the night. He couldn't describe the specific smell in words, but it was a smell that drilled into one's brain from the tip of the nose, and quickly invaded every nerve in the body, while bringing to life every nightmare the person had ever seen.

This was the second time in his life that A Huo had met such a 'monster'.

The first time had been when he was six years old. All the villagers had died at the hands of that monster, but no one had believed him at that time. They had all thought that the child either had a bad nose or a bad brain.

A Huo was scared to death, but he still held onto Fan Jialuo firmly. If his image were to be compared to that of a big dog, then at this moment, that dog would have his tail squeezed between his trembling legs.

"Don't go. He's an abyss." He Jinglian's face was paler than ever before.

Even though she was standing at a distance of four or five meters from this person, she was still affected by his cold aura. It invaded and seized all the remaining temperature in her body away from her.

That man stood inside the elevator, and the narrow space itself seemed to have somewhat turned into a dark abyss-one that would swallow up all prey that approached.

Song Rui was not deaf. Naturally, he could hear the spoken warnings that the pair uttered to Fan Jialuo.

However, his smile still remained gentle and warm. His fingertip continued to press against the open-door button, as he kept waiting politely, but also persistently.

"Come in?" He didn't even glance at the additional two people, only looking at Fan Jialuo alone.

"En." Fan Jialuo gently broke free of the pull of the two people tugging at his sleeves, and walked into the elevator unhurriedly, nodding to them as he said, "See you next time."

"Ah, don't go! Fan Jialuo, he's a big bad guy! Believe me!" A Huo continued to wail despite the fact that the elevator door had already closed.

He Jinglian looked around rigidly for a moment, and then quickly ran to A Huo, all the while showing an expression of having to endure extreme discomfort.

The elevator slowly descended. Fan Jialuo looked up at the ceiling, his eyes gleaming with joy.

When the sound of A Huo's wailing completely faded, he chuckled, "Very interesting children. But..."

He gently placed his palm on Song Rui's back, and his voice dropped low. "...you should stop. You are destroying yourself."

Song Rui subconsciously straightened his body. However, the pain he had expected didn't come, instead, all the accumulated discomfort was gradually taken away by this light touch.

A coolness flowed slowly along his tailbone, straight into his bloody wounds, and then it climbed up towards his scalp, soothing every nerve and even every cell in his body.

He secretly took a deep breath, turned his head and asked, "I've always wanted to know, just what do I really appear to look like in your eyes? Am I really like a dark, bottomless abyss?"

Fan Jialuo was originally just glancing at him casually, but somehow, at this question, he suddenly fixed his eyes onto the other, and his slightly curved thin lips slowly straightened, as he showed a rarely seen puzzled expression on his face.

"I don't know how to describe it. The darkness still exists, but there is light, a very faint glimmer, flickering, like..."

He raised his hand and gently touched Song Rui's jaw with his thumb and index finger, compelling the other to turn his face to look at him directly.

Fan Jialuo then examined him carefully and said thoughtfully, "It's like a shining star."

"Star?" Song Rui was stunned and repeated, "Are you sure it's a star?"

Fan Jialuo looked straight into his undulating pupils, and said confidently, "Yes, it's a star. The star is shining and lighting up the abyss, it's incredible!"

He probably found this sight incredibly interesting, which is why his smile became bright and beautiful, accompanied with a touch of innocence and fascination, looking just like a teenager who hasn't suffered any sorrow.

Song Rui guessed that Fan Jialuo must be young, at least much younger than the body he currently possessed, so he chuckled at this as well.

After a few seconds, Song Rui, who had been puzzled by this piece of information, suddenly whispered, "Yes, there is such a star."

Fan Jialuo looked at him in surprise. "Do you know what it is?"

"I know." Song Rui smiled and nodded, but refused to say anymore.

Fan Jialuo seemed to be unable to rein in his curiosity and asked, "Then, what is it? I'm curious."

Song Rui's smile gradually turned bright and vivid. "I'm also curious about him. When I really come to understand him, I'll tell you."

Fan Jialuo glanced at him a few times and realized that the other person really wasn't going to spill any of his secrets. So he simply waved his hand, wrinkled his nose, and left in a manner that showed his disappointment.

Song Rui watched him drive away in his car. Then, he took out his mobile phone and made a call.

The call connected quickly, but the tone of the person on the other end sounded dejected as it asked, "Why did you suddenly think of calling me? Did you finish the profile I asked you for?"

Song Rui: "The information has been sent to you by email. You haven't found any clues yet?"

Zhuang Zhen: "Yes, we haven't found any useful clues. The criminal investigation technology used at that time can't be compared with that of the present. I can only rely on your profiling to narrow down on the suspects. But the population decline here is very serious. We can't find any of the people who were living here at that time. Xiao Fei has not closed his eyes and rested for more than a week now. If he can't solve this case, I'm afraid he will collapse."

Song Rui glanced at the exit of the parking lot. In the distance was a white light, driving away all the darkness.

He pursed his lips and chuckled. Then he said rather seriously, "If it's really not possible to find any clues, then I suggest you go and ask Fan Jialuo for help. He may be your last hope."

Zhuang Zhen seriously questioned him back, "How can you be as naive as Xiao Fei? How can psychics really exist? There are many who say you can read minds. Why don't you call yourself a psychic?

"I, Zhuang Zhen, will never ask ghosts and gods for help in a case in my entire life. Doing so would mean being irresponsible towards the victims and their families."

"Alright then," Song Rui replied, smiling rather meaningfully while still on the phone. "Let's talk about something else. My cousin has recently started to shoot a reality show called 'The World of Strange People' and I'm serving as a judge on the show. You can take a look and watch it to relax whenever you have time. Just add some ratings for my cousin."

"Huh? You're actually joining the recording? Don't you hate showing your face to the public?" Zhuang Zhen was greatly surprised.

"The show is very interesting. I had a good time recording today's session. Then, see you next time, I'm driving," Song Rui said this and then hung up the call with a smile on his face.

***

It was nearly midnight by the time Fan Jialuo returned to the Moon Bay Garden Community.

The summer wind howled through the gap between the buildings, making wail-like sounds which filled the surroundings.

However, the cries that sounded out from Building 1 were more tragic than the howling of the Yin-heavy air.

The woman who lived on the fourth floor was being beaten by the whole family, her cries for mercy seemed bloody and filled with extreme helplessness.

The seventh floor was dead silent, but in the next second, a loud roar broke out, as if the walls were collapsing.

The security door on the fourteenth floor was broken and cracked. The timid tenant did not dare to return to live there...

Fan Jialuo suddenly stopped upon climbing up to the seventeenth floor, staring at the dim corner where a small animal, with large and caution-filled eyes, habitually curled up as it hid.

The light that shone in Fan Jialuo's eyes suddenly vanished, it was as if something had snatched away all his emotions.

He stood still and watched that certain corner for a long time, before resuming his climb up the stairs step by step. His originally light footsteps had turned slightly heavy.

***

He laid in the bathtub, soaked in the cold water, and went to sleep.

The clear water slowly became stained by black ink as time went by, and the ink that drew close to his skin was gradually absorbed.

After sleeping for around 20 minutes, he suddenly opened his eyes and sat up halfway against the bathtub, with his delicate eyebrows furrowed in a frown and his red lips pursed.

He looked helplessly at a corner of the bathroom. Such an expression made him look childish.

"Come here." His clear voice seemed to have been compressed by the constricted space, making it sound even more colder and sharper.

There was no one else in the bathroom, but he still held out his slender fingertips, as if stretching them across an unknown void.

A drop of black water stained his white fingernails, and then slid down the beautiful arch, but did not fall onto the floor. It simply disappeared when it reached the edge of his fingertips, as if being sucked away by an invisible mouth.

After a few seconds, a cloud of dark fog gradually condensed into a thin and short human shape; going from shallow to deep, from light to thick, from gray to black.

The figure possessed no facial features, only a pair of short hands and a pair of thin trembling legs as it stood awkwardly in place.

He seemed to want to get closer to the person who had called out to him, but was also afraid of the cold bathtub which was filled with black water.

"Let me see what happened to you." Fan Jialuo's fingertips were still hanging in the air.

The human-shaped fog hurriedly moved a few steps forward and pushed his forehead against the other's fingers.

Fan Jialuo closed his eyes and opened his senses, his helpless expression from earlier having morphed into one of total indifference.

He saw a messy home with mountains of clothes piled on the balcony, moldy and stinky dishes in the sink, rickety stacks of takeout boxes on the tea table, and scattered chairs and express packages strewn across the floor.

A drunk man opened the door with a key. As he staggered into the living room, he tripped over the express package and almost fell. A little boy ran up to help him, and although his expression was timid, his little mouth silently called out to his father.

The man glared at the little boy, his red eyes twinkling with sinister light. Just when the little boy stepped back in fear, he was suddenly kicked at and cursed at, "You damned burden! If only this family didn't have you!"

After cursing, the man fell onto the sofa behind him and snored away to dreamland.

As time went by, the little boy who had been kicked in the middle of his abdomen continued to lie on the floor, without moving an inch.

He had had no time to shout, to dodge, or even to struggle, and so had died quietly.

Fan Jialuo retracted his fingertips and looked at the human-shaped fog blankly.

The human-shaped fog twisted his small body, and waved his small short hands, as if eagerly pleading for something.

Fan Jialuo shook his head and said, "Who doesn't want to live? But you are already dead."

The human-shaped fog exhaled a breath filled with a lighter fog, then crouched into the corner between the bathtub and the toilet, as if wanting to seal himself away.

Outside, the wind was still whistling. Low sobs intermittently resounded in the bathroom, they were restrained but also confused.

He was still too young. He had had no chance to grow up and didn't even know what death meant. The desire for life was burning in his soul, so much so that he never dissipated despite suffocating in this despicable environment.

Fan Jialuo laid back in the bathtub, covering his aching forehead with his hand, and trying to close his eyes.

However, he sat up a few minutes later, propping himself against the bathtub, and then pondering seriously for a long while.

It was only after a long period of time had passed that he finally sighed and said, "Well then, let's try it. Anyway, I've already been broken into pieces."

...