As someone who prioritizes killing others, I'm forced to stream a death game.

"I remember Zero Association was a company that specialized in dealing with strange objects?"

After staring at the business card Liu Ren handed him for a while, Ruan Hong suddenly asked a question.

"Yes."

"So now, are you one of those 'possessed demons'?"

"Yes."

"..."

Ruan Hong hesitated, as if he wanted to say something.

But he seemed very hesitant.

Seeing this, Liu Ren didn't urge him and just waited for a few seconds.

It wasn't until Ruan Hong spoke again that she finally said, "Could I take up a little of your time?"

"Sure, I happen to be free right now. What do you need me to do?"

“That child hasn’t seen you for a while, and she was worried something had happened to you. She’ll be very happy that you could come and see her,” Ruan Hong said.

"Row."

Ruan Hong stepped aside to let Liu Ren and Yao Qing into the room.

Although it's Chinese New Year, there's no festive atmosphere at all in the front hall.

It seems they have no plans to celebrate the Lunar New Year.

"Little!"

Ruan Hong called out to the inner room.

"What?"

"Come out and pour the guest a glass of water."

"Ah? Oh..."

Ruan Xiaoxiao ran out of the inner room, completely bewildered.

When he looked up and saw that the so-called guest was Liu Ren, he immediately showed a surprised expression: "Uncle Liu! So you're alright!"

"How could something have happened to me?"

"Oh dear, you haven't been here for several months. I thought something had happened to you."

Ruan Xiaoxiao skillfully boiled water, then brewed a cup of tea and handed it to Liu Ren.

There used to be many tables and chairs in the living room, but now only one remains.

"I'm not that easy to get into trouble with," Liu Ren said with a smile.

"Is this your girlfriend, Uncle Liu?" Ruan Xiaoxiao asked curiously as her gaze fell on Yao Qing.

"No, just a colleague," Liu Ren denied.

"Really? That's a real pity, after all, this lady is so beautiful," Ruan Xiaoxiao blurted out.

"Thank you for the compliment~ I didn't prepare anything when I came, so I'll just give you a red envelope." Yao Qing was very happy to be praised and casually took out a New Year's red envelope from the inside pocket of her coat.

“Ah? This…” Ruan Xiaoxiao did not accept it immediately, but looked at her father instead.

"Just accept it if it's given to you," Ruan Hong said directly, without any formalities.

"Oh, thank you, sister! Happy New Year, sister!" Ruan Xiaoxiao happily accepted it with both hands.

Yao Qing patted her head.

Everyone likes a sensible, obedient, and clever child.

She is no exception.

Ruan Xiaoxiao quickly poured another cup of hot water, threw in some tea leaves, and placed it next to Yao Qing.

"Uncle Liu, and this lady, are you here for noodles? It's a pity my place has been closed for a long time," Ruan Xiaoxiao said.

"No, I was just passing by, so I came to take a look," Liu Ren replied.

"Oh, I see!" Ruan Xiaoxiao reminded him, "Uncle Liu, remember to be careful on your way back. I heard things have been quite unsettled outside lately."

"Ah."

After chatting about various things for a while, Liu Ren finished half of the tea beside him.

He stood up, ready to take his leave.

"Alright, let's stop here. I have something to do. I'll come again another day when I'm free."

"Oh, then Uncle Liu, please be careful on your journey."

"I'll see you off," said Ruan Hong, who had been standing by like a spectator.

"Ah."

Liu Ren did not refuse and turned to walk outside the noodle shop.

A cold wind blew up the hem of his coat.

The cold temperature made Ruan Hong rub his hands together and breathe warm air onto them.

"Just say what you want to say," Liu Ren said, looking at him.

"Did you see it?"

"You didn't try to hide it either."

Upon hearing this, Ruan Hong revealed a complex smile.

He reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette case, handed one to Liu Ren, and lit one for himself.

After taking a deep drag and exhaling all the smoke, Ruan Hong seemed to have finally made a decision.

He asked, "Are all strange creatures monsters? Like wild beasts?"

Liu Ren slowly took a puff of the cigarette Ruan Hong had handed him, and nodded in response, "Mm."

"I've seen all those monsters; they all look strange. The one that's closest to human form seems to be... what's it called, the one who's possessed by a demon?"

"Yes."

Are there any strange creatures that look exactly like humans?

"..." Liu Ren raised an eyebrow and said, "Yes."

"...Really?" Ruan Hong's expression turned slightly unpleasant.

“It really exists.” Liu Ren revealed the information about the mimicry ghost. Although it was still under research, it wasn’t exactly a secret. “There’s a kind of ghost that can completely transform into a human, looking exactly like a human, with no difference whatsoever. I’ve encountered one of these ghosts before.”

"..." Ruan Hong's expression became more complicated than ever before after hearing this. "How did you handle the strange creatures that you couldn't tell the difference from?"

"Those kinds of monsters don't have brains yet, so it's easy to spot problems. With a little investigation, we can basically confirm it. Also, if these monsters get injured, as the price of their complete transformation, their wounds will produce very obvious abnormalities."

"No brains?"

“Yes, it has no brain,” Liu Ren said definitively, but then added, “It didn’t have one before, but it’s hard to say whether it will still have one starting today. It might grow a brain.”

A Shadow-level Mimic can possess the thinking abilities of a normal human.

For a typical monster to be considered to have a complete brain, it must at least reach the level of a vengeful spirit.

The Shadow-level creature only has half a brain.

"It can grow a brain?"

"Yes, the monsters are constantly evolving. They become smarter and stronger, which is perfectly normal."

From now on, this will be something we'll all see without surprise.

Ruan Hong, with a cigarette butt between his teeth, leaving a large number of teeth marks on it, asked, "Do you think Xiao Xiao is healthy now?"

“She seems fine to me.” Liu Ren paused and said, “She doesn’t seem much different from before. But I’ve only seen her at meals and chatted with her a few times. I don’t know much about her. If you want to know about her health, you’d better take her to the hospital.”

"I don't really like hospitals. No matter how hopeful someone is, they'll go in and come out in despair."

"No matter how much you dislike it, nothing is more important than health. After all, it's a place where people are saved."

"They don't help people who have no money."

"..."

During the silence, Ruan Hong finished the cigarette in his hand.

He smoked very quickly, as if someone was urging him on.

Ruan Hong threw the cigarette butt on the ground and stomped it out. He said, "Since you also think Xiao Xiao is very healthy, then she should indeed be fine."

"I'm not a doctor, my words don't count," Liu Ren said, indicating that he wouldn't take responsibility. He then asked, "What happened to Xiaoxiao? Why are you suddenly asking this?"

"…………It's nothing." Ruan Hong shook his head and waved his hand. "I'm sorry to have taken up your time. Go ahead and get busy. Let's talk again next time."

“…Okay.” After a moment’s thought, Liu Ren decided not to press the matter further. “I’ll say it again: contact me if you need anything.”

"Yeah. Thank you."

"I should be the one thanking you."