The ring tone rang for a long time before the call was connected, with clear and precise speech but a cold tone: “We’re reviewing Ou Xiangrong’s documentation to analyze his behavioral patterns. Please hold for ten seconds.” In the official organization of Realm Walkers, each squad serves as the frontline force handling cases, while officers operate behind the scenes for coordination—only stepping in personally when faced with particularly difficult cases. Fu Bai Fu Chang was clearly under significant pressure… Li Dongze cleared his throat and reported with a steady, serious voice: “Captain Fu, we have already killed Ou Xiangrong.” This response evidently surprised her. The phone went silent for several seconds before Captain Fu Qingyang’s voice came through—no longer cold: “Where exactly did you find him?” Li Dongze replied: “We found and killed him at Songhai University. He was attempting to question Xu Yingying about the whereabouts of the Cup and the Register, but Xu Yingying had no knowledge of these matters—she is just an ordinary student. Your assessment is correct; Ou Xiangrong has indeed lost his mental stability.” Captain Fu Qingyang praised: “Excellent work, Li Dongze. You’ve demonstrated exceptional insight. You’ve successfully prevented a large-scale bloodbath event. I will recommend your achievements to the Council of Elders. Any casualties?” “There are none,” Li Dongze paused. “Captain Fu Bai, the people we killed—were not us.” “Not you?” Captain Fu Qingyang sounded puzzled. Suddenly realizing something, he said: “Ah—I nearly forgot! There’s a senior official from the Water Shrine at Songhai University who intervened. Was it that person? I’ll have to visit and personally thank them soon.” Is there a senior official at Songhai University? Li Dongze was startled, then realized Captain Fu Bai had misunderstood. He explained: “The one who killed Ou Xiangrong is Yuan Shi Tian Zun—the new Night Wandering Deity I’ve recruited under my command.” A Level 1 Night Wandering Deity defeating a Level 3 Enchantment Demon? Captain Fu Bai Chang remained silent for several moments before Captain Fu Qingyang said: “Understood. Have him submit a report.” After a pause, he added with a smile: “Well done.” Ending the call, Li Dongze beamed proudly at the steering wheel, unconsciously pressing down harder on the accelerator. Bai Long opened her smartphone and created a temporary group chat with several captains: “Look how pleased Li Dongze is—his beard nearly flies into his eyebrows!” Qingting: “Their squad has truly earned their reward. If I had such a subordinate, I’d be just as proud.” Within the official organizational rules, to strengthen team cohesion, when one member achieves notable success, the entire squad receives recognition and bonuses; all other members also receive performance incentives. For Li Dongze’s newly recruited Night Wandering Deity—what was once merely admiration has now turned into envy among several captains, who are eager to outdo him in their own right. … At the Health and Safety Bureau of Kangyang District, in the mortuary room. Li Dongze closed the door, blocking out the other captains. He looked at Zhang Yuanqing beside him, his gaze deep with meaning: “A Night Wandering Deity gains experience by consuming spirits—its side effect is that over time, its mental faculties become progressively contaminated. If you’ve ever attempted this method to enhance your own abilities, you should understand what I mean.” Zhang Yuanqing nodded. “Have you tried using that artifact to purify distracting thoughts?” Li Dongze suggested—that’s his approach. Seeing Zhang Yuanqing frown and think deeply, Li Dongze smiled: “It seems the cost of this artifact is quite high.” Indeed—using it regularly causes anemia, depleting both blood and vital energy… Zhang Yuanqing suddenly recalled a detail—he once found a spirit crystal lodged in the mouth of the Mountain Spirit Lady. Now it appears that this crystal may have been formed from the spirit essence of a deceased Realm Walker who died at the Mountain Spirit Temple. That explains why the information sheet describes it as the Night Wandering Deity’s finest nourishment. The impurities within the spirit crystal must be the very contamination—the Lady has purified them. Therefore, we can reasonably infer that the Artifact of the Pacifying Staff also purifies mental contamination. With this realization, Zhang Yuanqing opened his inventory and retrieved a bronze staff, intricately engraved with patterns and incantations. He briefly described its function and cost: “If I start to lose my composure shortly after, use it to stab me—yes, in the thigh.” “Great!” Li Dongze accepted the artifact. Zhang Yuanqing approached Ou Xiangrong’s body, placed his palm on the chest, took a deep breath, and from his eyes flowed a thick black energy—awakening the residual spirit within the corpse. A sharp pain surged at his brow, and then consciousness expanded as something foreign forcefully entered his mind. … In a half-awake state, Zhang Yuanqing saw himself, the underground parking garage, and an unusual red dancing shoe. This was the scene of the battle that had just taken place in the garage. Zhang Yuanqing patiently waited until the fight concluded—then the setting changed to a dimly lit room. Before Ou Xiangrong stood a man wearing a mask, holding a beautifully crafted crystal cup filled with blood-red liquid. “As an Enchantment Demon, your malice is pure and you possess strong potential,” he said. “Drink from this Cup, and you will become my servant.” “Every two weeks, you must drink again—otherwise, even the gods cannot save you.” “Remember my name: The Officer of the Strange Eyes.” … Inside a modest rental apartment, wearing a mask and a baseball cap, the man stood in the living room, speaking coldly: “The Officer of the Strange Eyes has passed away. His trusted assistant, Black Unusual, is now carrying the Fallen Cup and the Register to hide among Songhai City’s streets. If you don’t wish to succumb to poisoning, find him—will the Spirit Ability not treat you well?” … The scene then changed again—now Zhang Yuanqing saw a blue sky, and a group of young men in unusual attire beating and punching him. The transition was abrupt—he stood confused for several seconds before realizing he was being mistreated. Was this from Ou Xiangrong’s memories? Unthinkable—such a ruthless villain once had such experiences… “Ou Xiangrong—you’re just ignoring what I say?” “Ou Xiangrong—you must value the times when we speak to you.” Don’t hit me, don’t hit me… Zhang Yuanqing felt Ou Xiangrong’s deep fear and instinctively curled up. “A useless person—again being treated unfairly? When beaten, just fight back! Cry all you want—I never expected someone like you!” A middle-aged man broke into a passionate outburst, spitting furiously. This time, Zhang Yuanqing sensed profound despair in Ou Xiangrong’s emotional state. A series of fragmented and disordered scenes flashed by—each incident deepened his mental strain, making him more restless and increasingly violent over time. At that moment, a radiant golden light poured into his awareness, sweeping away anger and pain, bringing warmth. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly opened his eyes, seeing bright overhead lights and pale walls—and saw Li Dongze with a disheveled appearance and a bruised face. “Chief, are you all right?” Zhang Yuanqing was startled—he immediately touched his face to discover tears streaking across it. “I’m fine,” Li Dongze said, casually setting the stained Pacifying Staff on the floor, adjusting his clothes, and complained: “I should have had Guan Ya come instead—she’s far better at combat than I am. This isn’t even graceful.” After he finished dressing, eager to ask: “How about the case? Any new leads you’ve discovered? You seem quite worn out.” “I’m just… a bit sad,” he responded. His experience points had increased again—but this time, Zhang Yuanqing did not feel joyful. Li Dongze smiled with recognition: “Is it due to Ou Xiangrong’s memories?” “Yes.” Spirit memory is fragmented and incomplete—only retaining experiences that are deeply painful or memorable. Over many years, Ou Xiangrong has been carrying resentment from his student days—a weight that has shaped his entire life. Even though Ou Xiangrong was a criminal who deserved to be punished, Zhang Yuanqing still found it hard to remain indifferent. Li Dongze sighed: “Though I don’t know exactly what you’ve seen in those memories, I understand now—Night Wandering Deities from Taiyi Gate particularly dislike consuming spirits of Evil Organizations. The reason is precisely this. Yuan Shi—do you understand why there exists the concept of an ‘Evil Organization’?” Rather than immediately asking about case details, he used this moment to guide and counsel Zhang Yuanqing: “In our ongoing conflicts between opposing factions, we have eliminated countless Evil Organizations. After analyzing the data collected from Taiyi Gate’s inquiries into spirits, we observed a phenomenon—every member of an Evil Organization is in reality a real-life villain or criminal.” “In other words, the Realm Walkers belonging to Evil Organizations are specifically selected by the Spirit Realm from certain segments of society.” Zhang Yuanqing was startled: “So, they weren’t transformed into villains and then became part of the Evil Organizations—they were always bad people from the beginning.” “Their villainy isn’t entirely inherent—it is created through human actions,” Li Dongze added with a sigh. “The Spirit Realm does not proactively cultivate evil. Each emergence of an Evil Organization arises from human-generated karma. This phenomenon feels deeply somber and less uplifting—but it reflects reality. You understand, don’t you? Don’t overemphasize this.” Zhang Yuanqing nodded silently. “And one more point—having killed Ou Xiangrong, you should now have earned recognition in terms of reputation,” Li Dongze said: “Among Realm Walkers, mutual killings do not reduce moral values—but if a member holds reputation points, it creates unease among their peers. For instance, if someone has ten reputation points and kills another member of the same faction, that results in a deduction of twenty moral points. Isn’t that interesting? Orderliness and kindness are different concepts.” After delivering these insights, Li Dongze patted his shoulder: “Alright—let’s return to business. Don’t waste time.” Within the Orderly Organizations, there are both good-hearted individuals as well as those who act in disorder or neutrality—so might there be some within Evil Organizations who have transformed and become truly virtuous? Zhang Yuanqing gathered his thoughts, steadied himself, and said with solemn gravity: “Chief, I seem to have seen a significant event during Ou Xiangrong’s memories.” “A major event?” Li Dongze smiled. “He’s only a Level 3 Enchantment Demon—how could an event be that significant? After all these years of work, what haven’t I seen? Please go on.” He wasn’t boastful—he simply perceived Yuan Shi as still being early in her career and possibly lacking clarity about what constitutes a ‘major’ event. “Here’s the story…” Zhang Yuanqing began to share what he had gathered from reviewing the memories. A few minutes later, Li Dongze rushed out of the mortuary room, shouting at the other captains: “A major incident has occurred!!”