As an intern sheriff who had been on duty for a full month and a half, she knew her district very well. If someone had moved into such a terrifying and bizarre place, the news would have spread throughout the entire area long ago—how could she possibly not know?

Could it be a homeless person who wandered in by mistake?

No, a homeless person shouldn’t be able to turn on the room’s lights; the electricity in this building had been cut off ages ago.

Criminals conducting some shady deal here?

Pah!

If it’s so shady, why would they turn on the lights?

The deceased’s family or relatives?

Or someone else?

Surely, these people wouldn’t be foolish enough to come into this building in the middle of the night, would they?

……

……

Actually, Evelyn Young could have just ignored the light, but she couldn’t help herself. Her relentless curiosity tormented her, and she couldn’t control her feet as they carried her toward the old building. Slowly, she drew her small pistol from the holster at her lower back.

The old building was dark, damp, and reeked of mold.

With every step, Evelyn Young’s heart grew more anxious, feeling as if countless eyes in the darkness were watching her.

Especially when she reached the third floor, the sense of horror seemed to pump waves of blood into her brain.

It even made her feel a mix of excitement and slight dizziness.

302.

It really was 302.

The door was ajar, with light spilling out from inside.

In this pitch-black corridor, the light didn’t feel warm at all; instead, it made things feel even stranger.

Considering there might be criminals inside, and to prevent them from escaping, Evelyn Young didn’t shout in advance. Instead, she gripped her gun tightly, summoned all her courage, and with trembling hands, gently pushed the half-open door.

“Creak…”

Damn it, even though she was so careful, the door made an unusually loud noise.

How long had it been since these rusty hinges were oiled…

Just as Evelyn Young was cursing her own carelessness, the door swung fully open, and the harsh white light instantly shone on her.

She quickly composed herself and looked inside.

Then she froze.

Inside the room, a man was standing on a chair. The bright light shone from the side, outlining his thin figure. His head seemed to be hanging from the beam, and as the light behind him swayed, his shadow slowly rocked back and forth.

On his head was a white paper hat, his hands were covered in blood, and the walls were splattered with bright red.

“Who’s there?”

Evelyn Young was so startled that her blood rushed to her head, and she raised her gun.

At least she remembered what the captain had told her when giving her this gun: it was mainly to scare people, not to be fired recklessly.

“Hm?”

Hearing Evelyn Young’s slightly off-pitch shout, the man standing on the chair slowly turned his head.

With a smile, his ghastly white teeth showed: “You…”

“Whoosh…”

A surge of hot blood instantly rushed to her brain, her hair seemed to stand on end.

Evelyn Young, who was especially interested in major cases, had read countless reports about the Scrap Iron City massacre.

Her understanding of this case might even be deeper than the captain’s.

And now, as she looked at that face drenched in blood, it appeared before her eyes, twisted and magnified.

She immediately thought of the indifferent, blood-soaked youth from the reports, and from his eyes—now seemingly tinged with indifference—she recalled a certain TV news segment, those eyes staring into the camera, filled with anger and coldness…

Crack…

A thunderclap exploded in her ears, her blood compressed like by a high-pressure pump, surging into her brain.

“You… you…”

She suddenly shouted, even taking a step back. Her hand holding the gun tried to lift, but felt unbearably heavy.

The murderer from three years ago, the one who should have been executed long ago…

Why would he suddenly appear here?

In this state of shock, her whole body nearly numb from the impact, her vision blurred, she saw that nightmare-like man, his smile seeming to twist and distort, giving her a cold, eerie grin…

Those gleaming white teeth, like a beast ready to devour.

“Buzz…”

A strange tremor suddenly arose in Evelyn Young’s mind, then her vision went black, the world spinning.

She fainted from fright.

……

……

“Huh?”

William Carter, who was painting the wall, jumped down from the chair and tore off the little paper hat he’d made from newspaper.

Why did this pretty young lady faint?

Did he really look that scary?

He tossed the brush into the red paint bucket, then pulled off the towel around his neck to wipe his hands, and walked toward the door.

That girl had quite a fall just now…

That “thud” sounded painful…

Also, she was actually carrying a gun…

William Carter circled around her, then searched her a bit, feeling something hard. He reached into her inner pocket and pulled out a dark-colored ID, which had the words “Scrap Iron City Environmental Protection” on it.