After finishing the fried rice, Ma Zao once again rubbed her belly.

This time, it should no longer be hunger, but her stomach seemed to be full. However, she still appeared somewhat reluctant, her eyes lingering on her empty plate, as if unwilling to part with it. The plate was completely empty, not a single grain of rice left.

At first, I thought she would react like a primitive person, exaggerating her surprise, but now, seeing her treat the fried rice I made with such care, I felt unexpectedly flattered. This was the first time in my life that someone had valued something I made with my own hands so much.

Did I really make it with my own hands? I had just taken the ready-made takeout dish and added rice, heating and stirring it in a pan. My personal contribution probably made up less than 30%.

"Tonight, I can only serve food at this level. I will prepare something better tomorrow," I said, determined to improve. "So you don’t need to be reluctant; there will be better food next time."

"Really?"

She suddenly looked up, her eyes shining brightly, but then realized she had reacted too excitedly and awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Really," I responded, revealing my true intention. "If you stay a bit longer, you'll get to enjoy even more different delicious things."

At my words, her expression darkened.

"...You are really kind to me. Although I don’t know what exactly you think of me, you have treated me so well and shown so much care. I must thank you. Thank you." She spoke slowly, her voice softening. "Because of this, I must stay away from you. Otherwise, sooner or later, you’ll end up despising me, cursing me, seeing me as an enemy, and regretting ever associating with me."

"I would never do that," I said, trying to make my promise sound sincere.

"If you haven't done that, it means you died before you had the chance to," she replied.

It seemed like she had built thick walls around herself, and my words couldn’t reach her closed-off heart.

I couldn’t help but feel frustrated. I wasn’t the type to charm or manipulate others, especially not in such crucial moments. I wasn’t skilled in winning someone over with my words. Despite my strong desire to help, I had no choice but to temporarily give up on persuading her.

Besides, I didn’t have much time left. The sun had already completely set, and the sky had turned pitch dark. From the very beginning, my purpose for coming home was simply to check in with Ma Zao and ask about her unlucky constitution and the details of her crossing over. I had to finish investigating the basement in the room on the fifteenth floor before tomorrow morning.

I stood up while saying, "I need to step out again, and I might not be back tonight."

"Where are you going?" she asked, sounding alert.

"I'm going to a bathhouse with a friend. After the bath, we might have some late-night snacks and spend the night there," I said, making up an excuse. "If conditions allowed, I'd actually like to bring you along, but you probably can't go out right now, right?"

"Yes, I’m currently being hunted by the official forces," she nodded regretfully.

"So, just stay here and rest up," I continued. "Like I said before, you can freely use anything in my house. You can watch TV, use the computer, or even look at the novels I’ve collected."

As I said this, I walked over to the cabinet next to the TV, took down a mystery novel, and handed it to her, cautiously asking, "Have you ever read books of this genre before?"

She glanced at the cover of the book, flipped through a few pages, and then shook her head. "I haven't read anything like this. But since you're recommending it, I'll give it a try."

After speaking, she got up from the dining table and sat down on the nearby sofa, then really started reading.

It seems like she can read.

If the apocalypse truly exists, I wonder how high the literacy rate was among humans in that era. Would she be able to understand the many modern concepts mentioned in this mystery novel? When talking to me, she didn’t seem to have any trouble understanding. Perhaps she had received a good education in the apocalypse era.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

In the apocalypse era, there likely wasn't a concept of "calling the police," yet when she first met me, she asked me not to call the police. This can somewhat be explained by her previous interactions with law enforcement, but there are other aspects that are harder to explain. For example, even in peaceful societies, people from different eras often experience a communication gap, let alone someone from a civilization era and someone from the apocalypse era. Yet, when I communicate with her, I rarely feel that gap.

That being said, she does naturally reveal traces of an apocalypse survivor in certain details...

Once again, I realize that I genuinely want to believe her. This is likely why, earlier, I unconsciously ignored many doubts. Even now, I am actively seeking evidence that she is an apocalypse traveler. Unknowingly, I have become increasingly fascinated by her—by this mysterious girl.

I grabbed my backpack, walked out the door, and then turned around to close it.

Through the ever-narrowing gap in the door, I quietly watched her petite figure, hunched over and reading on the sofa, until the gap was completely closed.

---

I once again entered the residential area where the room on the fifteenth floor was located.

At the same time, I controlled "Firefly" to scout the area around the fifteenth-floor room in advance.

Although I had heard that this place would be re-secured as a crime scene, it was evident that this was just an excuse to drive ordinary citizens like me and Chang'an away. There were no personnel protecting the scene. It seemed that in Mount Luo's view, there were no further clues to be searched here, only negative remnants that needed to be dealt with by tomorrow morning.

I even specially conducted preliminary surveillance around the residential area using "Firefly," and didn’t spot anyone suspicious, possibly from Mount Luo’s team, keeping watch nearby. Were they lying in wait, or was there really no one? If it was the latter, it would be a bit careless and negligent. Even I could realize that the Fallen Demon Hunter might still be monitoring the fifteenth-floor room. It would make even more sense for the proper police to have not missed it.

But Mount Luo is not part of the public security department, and the Demon Huntress had admitted that Mount Luo lacked criminal investigation experience. Setting aside combat abilities, in terms of criminal investigation, Mount Luo was far from the professionals I had interacted with during my previous investigations into feudal superstition forces in other provinces.

So, what about the so-called Agent Kong?

I tried to confirm the whereabouts of Agent Kong and Chang'an.

Agent Kong referred to himself as "Probe" when speaking to the Demon Huntress. From his words and their literal meaning, it seemed that his role in the Mount Luo supernatural organization was to investigate supernatural events, report them to the organization, and then have the organization send Demon Hunters to the frontline to handle these events.

"Police" should only be his superficial identity, or more clearly, it is likely just a false identity. The information gathered through "Firefly" surveillance shows that he is not performing tasks that align with the role of a police officer.

In the morning, he seemed to be tracking Ma Zao under the guise of searching for a serial killer, but now, he was wandering around the city, occasionally entering remote areas to observe and occasionally taking out paper and pen to jot something down. He might be fulfilling his duties as "Probe."

I couldn't help but realize a possibility: could it be that the organization Mount Luo, rather than the public security department, is the one actively searching for Ma Zao's whereabouts?

For what reason? Could it be that Ma Zao unknowingly exposed her identity as a time traveler, and Mount Luo is searching for time travelers?

I temporarily pushed aside the confusion in my mind and shifted my focus to Chang'an.

Chang'an was currently at the hospital visiting his mother with his sister. I won’t go into details about his sister and mother for now, but I noticed a few suspicious men near him. These men weren’t watching Chang'an directly, but were keeping an eye on his surroundings. Although they were acting covertly, they made a few mistakes due to their lack of awareness of "Firefly," exposing some vulnerabilities.

I suspect they are probably from Mount Luo. As for the whereabouts of the Demon Huntress, I couldn’t track her down at all. According to what she told Agent Kong on the phone, she should have already arrived by now.

However, on second thought, this situation actually made a lot of sense. Agent Kong mentioned that she had successfully repelled a fallen demon hunter before, so it's possible she was recognized by the enemy. To avoid alerting them, she might be hiding in the shadows.

If the Fallen Demon Hunter (the serial killer) is indeed Ma Zao, then their precautions would have been in vain. Because Ma Zao, at this moment, not only struggles with combat but even with normal movement.

As I observed and pondered, I had already arrived at the door of the room on the fifteenth floor.

Since Chang'an already has protection, I will take responsibility for investigating the basement. Chang'an had previously encountered this inexplicable phenomenon, but it’s unclear whether this strange occurrence will continue to haunt the person involved like some curses in supernatural stories, in a mysterious and unexplainable way, pulling them into an endless abyss.

Therefore, for the sake of my friend, I must find a way to investigate this thoroughly.

No, I must honestly face my own heart: I am doing this for my own desire... It’s my own curiosity that drives me to explore this.

I am a villain who prioritizes my desires over my friends.

I grasped the doorknob of the room on the fifteenth floor. The door was locked, and I didn’t have the key to this room. But I didn’t worry about how to get in. With the help of my supernatural ability, the lock’s mechanism quickly melted away. I effortlessly pulled the door open and walked in, as if entering my own home.

The room was dark, as there were no lights on, and it was nighttime. I waved my hand, and several "fireflies" that had already been stationed here flew out from the corners, emitting a bright orange-red glow. They illuminated the living room with a mysterious, candlelight-like ambiance.

I casually closed the door behind me and approached the black plush carpet. Bending down, I lifted it.

The black ritual array appeared before my eyes, unchanged.

Surprisingly, the wooden lid that had disappeared earlier was now back on the floor.