That night, Su Hui didn’t sleep for long. He woke up in the early morning and felt a slight chill in the blanket. Then he suddenly realized that the little thing that used to curl up in the blanket was gone.

Aristotle was lost; he didn’t know where the cat had gone.

The house suddenly felt empty, and it felt like a small piece was missing from his heart.

Su Hui turned over and felt a headache, but he couldn’t fall back asleep.

He got up, pulled open the curtains in the living room a little bit, and the morning light seeped in through the curtain’s cracks, shining on the scattered jigsaw puzzle.

Su Hui sat down and carefully picked up the puzzle pieces scattered on the floor. The puzzle was too fragmented, and even though he put a few pieces together absentmindedly, his mind couldn’t calm down. He opened the door and walked out.

Su Hui couldn’t remember how long it had been since he faced the morning light alone. The air was slightly cool, causing him to cough a few times.

He looked up, using his slender fingers to gaze at the newly risen sun in the sky.

This world felt unfamiliar to him.

When Su Hui came downstairs in the morning, he didn’t bring his cane. It was only when he walked through the courtyard in the community that he realized the path was more complicated than he had imagined.

He walked back to the ground floor and sat on a slightly cold bench.

Some faint things gradually emerged in his mind, as if they were his remaining memories.

His mind used to be a mess, never as clear as it was now.

His hands were cold, and sitting here, he remembered the warmth of the blood flowing when An Yuci died in his arms.

Su Hui appeared indifferent on the surface, always claiming that he was fine, and he even rejected Yang Yuqing’s suggestion of immediate medical treatment.

But deep down, he was aware that An Yuci’s death had still affected him.

It was a living life that died in front of him, and he could feel the passing of life.

The scene of An Yuci pulling out a gun and shooting himself repeatedly appeared in his mind.

It was like a puzzle left for him to solve.

He wanted to understand clearly whom An Yuci had encountered and what led him to this point.

Su Hui organized his thoughts. If the time with Qin Yongchen was just a coincidence, An Yuci’s death further confirmed it.

There is a connection between these serial killers.

And they know of his existence.

This information, which was classified by the police as confidential, is spreading among a group of psychopathic killers. That, in itself, is highly abnormal.

The initial person who knew about the poet alias must have been someone from the police or someone high-ranking. Who spread the news? Was it another cipherist like him? Or someone else?

And what is their purpose?

Are they trying to prove something or obtain something?

He has already encountered several of these brutal killers. Who will be next?

Will they bring new dangers into his life?

Su Hui recalled the man he saw in the elevator of Yang Yuqing’s clinic. Just the thought of that person made his heart accelerate.

That person should not be a stranger unrelated to him.

Who is he? What is his connection to this whole matter?

For a long time in the past, Su Hui had been avoiding, trying not to recall those events.

An Yuci, Yang Yuqing, even Tan Ju had advised him the same.

But Su Hui believed that everything has a cause, and the real answer must be hidden within his chaotic memories.

In the past, he might not have thought much about this matter or tried to find that person, but now…

After Aristotle went missing, Su Hui suddenly understood one thing: he had gradually accepted the peace and stability in his current life.

After experiencing those traumas, he didn’t want to go through any more unforeseen events.

He had a job and colleagues around him. He didn’t care about his own life and death, but he didn’t want to involve others.

Su Hui’s fingers curled slightly, and there was also Lu Junchi…

So he must find the mastermind behind all this, take the initiative, and ensure that these matters won’t affect his life.

He even contemplated whether, if he was proactive enough, he could launch an offensive and uproot the network of contacts, finding more ruthless serial killers.

In this way, he could prevent more crimes and stop further tragedies from happening.

Su Hui believed in causality, not in the Buddhist sense or the commonly understood notion, but rather that certain events lead to certain outcomes.

These events could be small, easily overlooked, yet they might be the origin of everything.

Like the butterfly in the butterfly effect, flapping its wings and eventually causing a violent storm.

He needed to find that butterfly.

With this in mind, Su Hui took out his phone and started typing on the memo app, meticulously organizing…

He attempted to profile the other person, someone familiar with and knowledgeable about criminal psychology, someone who knew about the poet’s existence and possibly knew he was the poet. This person had connections to these serial killers.

Su Hui lowered his head, his long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, as he began considering each person he had met since coming to Huadu.

Who did that person come into contact with?

Currently, there was no evidence. Qin Yongchen and An Yuci died without revealing much information, and Fu Yunchu, who might have known the truth, was nowhere to be found.

Su Hui switched to a different approach. Following the general process of investigating a case, now was the time to search for any other cases that could be linked together. The more he knew about the other person, the easier it would be to see his opponent clearly.

Suddenly, Su Hui remembered something and wrote down a name: Yu Yan.

The former top cipherist in Huadu, it was Yu Yan who initially contacted him and had him fill out an application, hoping he would come to the Huadu Bureau.

Without Yu Yan, he might not have ended up here, but even before he officially took up the position, Yu Yan had already died.

Su Hui had reviewed the file on Yu Yan’s death, but as the perpetrator was later killed, there were no direct testimonies left behind in the case.

Now, in retrospect, if someone was truly targeting cipherists for murder, Yu Yan’s death might not be as simple as it appeared on the surface.

His death might have foreshadowed something…

Su Hui continued to follow his train of thought, gradually becoming lost in deep contemplation.

Many clues surged in his mind, but they were fragmented pieces.

Lately, he would occasionally have dreams and hallucinations. He would suddenly hear a song and feel familiar, as if something had happened before.

However, in his memory, there seemed to be a black hole that would devour objects.

That feeling of something happening but not being able to remember exhausted him.

But Su Hui didn’t give up. He had faced too many difficulties. He appeared fragile but was, in fact, the most resilient and courageous.

He delved into the darkest aspects of everything, yet never succumbed to that darkness. He knew how to face challenges and uncover the truth…

When Lu Junchi woke up, he saw that Su Hui’s door was open, but he wasn’t inside the room.

He was startled and hurriedly went down using the emergency staircase. Finally, he found Su Hui sitting on a bench downstairs.

At the sight of Su Hui, Lu Junchi finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, he hadn’t lost him.

When Su Hui saw him coming down, he put away his phone and looked up, saying, “I just felt a bit suffocated upstairs, so I came down for a walk. You don’t need to worry.”

He stood up and only then realized that he had been sitting downstairs for a couple of hours, and his legs had gone numb.

The early birds were awake in the morning, followed by the elderly exercising. The sun gradually rose, and more people appeared in the courtyard.

Lu Junchi took the opportunity to give the printed missing cat notice to the security guard and property management at the entrance. He also carefully searched all the paths and garbage bin areas in the community. Aristotle was not found, but he did spot several stray cats.

The two of them returned upstairs together. Lu Junchi prepared breakfast and then called Lu Haochu.

Lu Haochu obviously hadn’t woken up yet and complained groggily, “Bro, I don’t have classes this morning. It’s only 7:30 in the morning…”

Lu Junchi asked, “You didn’t stay up late playing games again, did you? How is the cat search going?”

Lu Haochu exclaimed, “Bro, when you gave me the missing cat notice yesterday, it was already midnight. Now you’re asking me for the cat early in the morning. Even if I mobilized the entire student union and classmates to search, it wouldn’t be that quick. Even if a child goes missing, it takes several hours to find them, let alone a cat.”

Lu Junchi said, “Alright, do your best. I’ll ask for the results tonight.”

When Lu Junchi brought the breakfast upstairs, he noticed Su Hui sitting on the sofa, holding a pillow in his arms, looking dazed.

Lu Junchi didn’t know how to comfort him for a moment, but Su Hui lifted his head and said, “Let’s focus on work today. The cat situation can wait.”

Lu Junchi, upon hearing the words “can wait,” was momentarily taken aback.

Yesterday, he could sense Su Hui’s anxiety and despair. Lu Junchi thought that feeling anxious and worried was a normal reaction at that time, so he became concerned when Su Hui’s emotions seemed to have eased. However, Su Hui had indeed improved a lot. His despondency and loss were temporary, and he quickly found solace. Anxiety wouldn’t help him solve the current puzzle or find his cat faster. He had become even more composed and calm than Lu Junchi, thinking of methods to solve the immediate problem.

Su Hui seemed remarkably calm throughout the day, just like any other day. He put his heart and soul  into work, and not once during the day did he mention the word “cat.”

As the end of the workday approached, Lu Junchi organized various case files and finished his tasks. He glanced outside through the glass door at Su Hui sitting at his desk, flipping through a case file with great focus.

Lu Junchi took out his phone and asked Lu Haochu, “Did you find the cat?”

“Still searching, not confirmed yet.” Lu Haochu sent a picture, clearly taken on campus. “Is this the one?”

At a glance, Lu Junchi recognized that it wasn’t Aristotle. “No.”

“What about this one?” Lu Haochu sent another picture of a tabby cat.

“No.”

“And this one?”

Lu Junchi sighed and rubbed his forehead. “No… Didn’t I give you a missing cat notice? How come your observation skills are more like surveillance?”

Lu Haochu felt wronged and protested, “Bro, in my eyes, tabby cats all look pretty similar… Besides, we’ve searched through Officer Hua’s tabby cats. Although these aren’t Aristotle, they could be its siblings. Maybe if we study them carefully, we can create their family tree and eventually find Plato and Socrates!”

Lu Junchi paused when he reached this point and looked at Su Hui outside. Suddenly, an idea crossed his mind. “Wait, you haven’t brought the third cat yet, right?”

Lu Haochu hurriedly replied, “No, this one looks quite clean, doesn’t have any bugs on it. It doesn’t seem like a stray cat. There’s a girl here waiting to adopt it.”

Lu Junchi made a quick decision. “Bring it over tonight.”

This cat seemed to be the closest match to Aristotle, with a high level of attractiveness, just slightly smaller and with two tufts of white fur near its ears.

Lu Haochu hesitated. He looked at his phone and reacted, “Bro, you’re not just randomly giving him a cat because Su Teacher’s eyesight isn’t good, right? He just has some difficulty seeing, plus his hearing isn’t that good…”

Lu Junchi understood the underlying meaning in Lu Haochu’s words.

However, Su Teacher wasn’t stupid. How could he not recognize his own cat?

“I didn’t mean that,” Lu Junchi said seriously. He didn’t intend to deceive anyone. His decision was based on his concern for Su Hui.

He explained to Lu Haochu, “At least this shows some progress. It can divert his attention. He hasn’t seen you students for a long time. Take this opportunity to visit him while bringing the cat. Maybe it can improve his mood.”

He wouldn’t give up on finding Aristotle, but at the same time, he hoped Su Hui could be a little happier and reduce some of the self-blame for losing the cat.

In the past, Lu Haochu had always been the source of joy for the family. He was eloquent and better at comforting people.

Lu Haochu finally realized the plan. “Smart! Bro, I promise to complete the mission.”

Thus, Lu Junchi and Su Hui finished work and returned home, where they saw Lu Haochu waiting at the doorstep.

Lu Haochu opened the backpack on his back and a small tabby cat popped out.

Seeing the two of them coming out of the elevator, Lu Haochu handed the cat over. “Bro, Su Teacher, we searched through Officer Hua’s place and finally found the cat!”

The little cat was quite well-behaved, soft and tender. It obediently meowed as if cooperating.

The three of them entered the house, and Su Hui took the cat, sitting on the sofa. He held it in his arms and gently stroked it. The cat was familiar and rubbed against him, extending its tongue to lick his palm.

“Lighter, smaller…” Su Hui squinted and observed. “And I remember… Aristotle seemed to have been neutered…”

But this cat clearly had its ‘boys’ intact.

Under the gaze of everyone, the kitten couldn’t help but bend its leg to cover its private area. It shyly meowed a couple of times.

Although it had an elegant appearance, it was still a little male cat.