The apartment was not large, only about seventy or eighty square meters.
Aside from the living-dining room, the kitchen, and the bathroom, there were only two rooms left.
One had its door closed year-round, while the other belonged to Yu Jin.
Zhou Li quickly scanned the layout of the room. Rather than rushing to verify anything, he sat down on the sofa and began to chat with Yu Jin.
He started with the topic of the Yu family's legacy of loyalty and devotion, moving on to Yu Jin's older brother, Yu Xiang, and his father, Yu Lie. He also mentioned their connection, saying he had attended Father Yu's lectures and fought alongside Yu Xiang.
They talked about family, neighborhoods, the Special Response Squad, and the Bureau—avoiding only the topics of Qingniao Street and the split personality.
Zhou Li was in high spirits for conversation, leaving Yu Jin with no choice but to keep him company.
In truth, from the moment Zhou Li showed up, Yu Jin knew exactly what he was here for.
But he wasn't worried.
Because even he had never anticipated a perfect solution to the problem like the Sneering Revolver.
No matter how much you suspect, the one doing the deed isn't me, so how could you possibly guess?
Thus, as long as Zhou Li didn't bring it up, Yu Jin didn't react, focusing entirely on keeping his guest entertained.
The two chatted for nearly an hour. During this time, the red-haired Yu Jin had already left the cemetery and headed for the most chaotic area of the Eastern District to search for clues about the Disciples of Eternal Night.
Splitting his focus, Yu Jin managed well enough, aside from having to make sure the red-haired Yu Jin didn't act rashly and stir up trouble.
Zhou Li spoke until his throat was dry, glancing toward the water dispenser multiple times.
Yu Jin pretended not to see, stubbornly refusing to pour Zhou Li a single cup of water.
If anyone asked, his excuse was that he had just emerged from his grief and hadn't fully recovered yet, making him oblivious to such minor details.
After all, it wasn't just Zhou Li who went thirsty; Yu Jin hadn't poured a cup for himself, either.
Eventually, Zhou Li's voice grew somewhat hoarse. He stared at Yu Jin with a strange look for a moment before finally bidding farewell.
“Seeing that you haven't closed yourself off as much as I feared puts my mind at ease.
“One cannot halt one's steps due to grief; life must go on.
“I still have to patrol, so I'll take my leave. Take care of yourself.”
Zhou Li waved goodbye with his hoarse voice. The instant he stepped out of Yu Jin's home, the smile slowly faded from his face, and he cast a heavy glance back at the door.
As a Dream Profiler specializing in psychology, he could already tell that something was wrong with Yu Jin!
Before intervening in the second Qingniao Street Nightmare Disaster, he had asked colleagues from the Post-Disaster Investigation Team about Yu Jin. The general consensus was that Yu Jin was highly intelligent. He might not be a master of social graces, but during post-disaster investigation work, he consistently noticed details that others overlooked.
This meant the youth was bound to have keen observation skills.
Yet today, Yu Jin hadn't even poured himself a single cup of water!
No, wait...
The real issue was that the other party hadn't actively initiated any topic related to Qingniao Street.
Granted, Qingniao Street was a tragedy. As the primary Subject, it was natural for him to instinctively resist talking about something so painful.
But do not forget, Qingniao Street did not just have tragedy—it also had Xia Jie!
Xia Jie was still at large. As the victim most deeply affected, why hadn't Yu Jin tried to ask for news about Xia Jie when a member of the Special Response Squad came to visit?
Although the Special Response Squad's actions weren't always classified, it was still difficult for operatives of the Post-Disaster Investigation Team to keep track of their movements.
What's more, Yu Jin was currently recuperating and hadn't even gone to the Bureau. What other channel could possibly be more effective than directly asking a Special Response Squad member who had experienced the Qingniao Street Nightmare Disaster firsthand?
None!
Therefore, there was definitely something wrong with Yu Jin.
Deliberate avoidance was never a cover-up; it was an exposure.
Zhou Li understood this principle deeply. He was certain Yu Jin must have some reason for not needing to pry for information, and this reason was highly likely that the Nightmare Disaster had given him a hand, granting him the ability to directly participate in the pursuit of Xia Jie!
Had he awakened?
But failed to report it?
At this thought, Zhou Li frowned.
After pondering for a moment, he did not return to the Special Operations Group but instead turned in another direction.
...
After Zhou Li left, Yu Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
He was very smart, but he wasn't confident he could outmaneuver a professional Dream Profiler in a psychological duel.
He simply felt that since the red-haired Yu Jin was acting independently, it would be difficult for the other party to catch him in the act. Thus, he had deliberately avoided the topic, fearing that the more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make.
The hour-long conversation had left him rather fatigued, especially when the topics of relatives and family were raised.
Hah, what relatives and family...
Yu Jin gulped down several cups of water, his gaze drifting inexplicably toward his older brother's room.
He hadn't stepped inside in a very long time.
Obsessive longing could evolve into a deadly nightmare. Upon joining the Bureau, the very first lesson taught to operatives was to learn to let go.
Normally, he would have let go long ago. However, today's conversation and what he had witnessed at the cemetery made him a bit more curious about his brother's past.
Who exactly was that mysterious woman, and what was her connection to his brother?
Frowning, he walked over to the room, took the key from the top of the doorframe, and pushed the door open. He couldn't help but sigh with emotion as he looked at the room, which had already accumulated a thin layer of dust.
Looking around his brother's room, his gaze swept across the dusty bed, the empty wardrobe, the old desk, and finally landed on the boxed keepsakes of his brother collected underneath the desk.
That box likely contained his brother's second-favorite things.
Because his brother's absolute favorite things had ultimately become his.
Seeming to recall an amusing memory from the past, a knowing smile appeared on Yu Jin's face.
He carried the box to the desk, wiped away the dust, and opened it. He flipped through the items one by one, each object bringing his brother's smile to mind once more.
In truth, there weren't many genuinely interesting things in the box. Yu Xiang was naturally rather serious and straight-laced, so the box mostly contained books and magazines he had read in the past, along with some discarded manuscript drafts.
The few miscellaneous items were things he had once used or small trinkets cleared out from the corners of the room.
A small flowerpot, a hand gripper, a broken model crossbow... and surprisingly, even a plush toy?
He used to like stuff like this?
Yu Jin chuckled softly. He didn't recall his brother ever buying a black plush toy.
He pulled the plush toy out from the very bottom of the box, but the moment he turned it upright in front of his eyes, he froze.
“!!!”
What was this!?
Yu Jin's pupils dilated, and his entire body stiffened. His hands instinctively gripped the toy, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.
An electric current seemed to spark and instantly spread throughout his body, leaving him completely numb.
For the plush toy was none other than a black, eyeless goat.
It was Yu Jin's first time seeing the goat's legs, but he had recently seen the goat's body.
Right in the dream of that Nightmare Disaster!
This certainly didn't look like anything good, because in that dream, it was Xia Jie's plush toy, and Xia Jie was a fanatic of the Nightmare!
So this black goat plush toy was related to the worship of the Nightmare?
Had his brother been in contact with the Disciples of Eternal Night?!
No, no, no!
Pale with shock, Yu Jin instinctively threw the plush toy away.
The black goat plush toy struck the wall and bounced back, rolling across the floor, catching a ring of dust, before rolling back to his feet.
Staring at the no longer pristine black plush toy, Yu Jin gradually calmed down.
Perhaps it wasn't contact, but an investigation?
After all, his brother had been a member of the Special Response Team, so he had legitimate reasons to investigate the Disciples of Eternal Night.
But the problem was, his brother had never brought work-related items back home. How could this plush toy be explained?
Plus, there was that mysterious woman in the cemetery who was suspected of being one of the Disciples of Eternal Night, as well as those times his brother had always slipped away behind his back...
Yu Jin didn't want to think of anything negative, but the evidence was right before him, and he couldn't help but let his mind wander.
He stared at the black toy, falling into a long silence before taking a deep breath, a decision forming in his mind.
“I must trace its origin first. Only by finding the source of this toy and understanding the meaning behind it can I figure out what my brother was really doing back then.
“I can't do this myself—it would leave tracks. I can only leave this to you.”
...
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