"Hello, we have arrived. That will be 45 lu coins."

"Uh... huh?"

"45 lu coins."

"Okay."

Karun couldn't possibly carry his small fortune with him, but he usually kept a few hundred lu coins in his pockets.

He handed over a 50 lu coin note.

The driver took it and smiled. "Thank you for your generosity."

"Huh?"

Karun could only nod and accept the fact that his "5 lu coin" had become a tip that he couldn't get back.

He got out of the car, and the taxi drove away.

This taxi fare was really expensive.

50 lu coins were enough for a family of four to cover their daily basic expenses for food, including breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And the distance from the Crown Dance Hall to Mingke Street wasn't even far.

At this moment, Karun remembered the feeling of staring at the red numbers on the meter ticking up step by step when he took a taxi to college.

The hearse of the Inmores family wasn't parked on the roadside in front of the house, which meant that his uncle and the others hadn't returned yet.

"Ah..."

Looking at the building in front of him, which was called "home," Karun felt even more complicated.

"Police station, report, accident, not a demon..."

The key words from the woman in the gray dress kept echoing in Karun's mind.

Two people arrived at the dance hall where the accident happened and could receive a police report, which meant that they had some kind of official identity. And finally, it was related to "demons."

This world seemed normal on the surface, at least according to newspapers and books.

But the reality was not like that.

People have an instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm. Before the taxi stopped, Karun was thinking about leaving this family and living a normal life, relying on his own efforts to gradually become "wealthy" and "calm." But now, he suddenly realized that there was an undercurrent beneath the seemingly normal world.

His grandfather had been weighing whether or not to kill him, but so far, all his grandfather had done was to "confine" him. As long as he didn't leave "Roja City" on his own, he wouldn't touch any taboos.

But outside, it seemed like a world of "witch hunting."

"How could you not be a demon! How could you not be a demon!"

Mr. Hoffman's screams on the hospital bed still echoed in his ears.

He clenched his left hand again. Although Karun didn't know the detailed concept of "demons," his identity as a "reincarnated soul" had shaken his confidence from the beginning.

Because he knew very well that he was not the original product.

So, compared to the danger outside, his grandfather's image suddenly became... much kinder.

The time when he should have been killed was when he had just awakened.And during those days, Grandpa didn't make a move to kill him. It seemed like he was hesitating and weighing his options, but with the passage of time, people would reconcile with themselves and gradually "adapt" and "get used to" things.

After all, Karun wasn't like an unruly child who threw tantrums at home every day or looked at everyone with a stern face as if they owed him ten thousand Lu coins. He was sensible, obedient, and well-behaved.

Grandpa's "anger" and "killing intent" would inevitably decrease as time passed. In fact, living in this house would only get safer and safer.

At this moment, Karun saw Dis's figure walking from the west, wearing a priest's robe.

Karun stared at him, without turning his gaze away, until Dis's face showed a hint of doubt, and he stopped in front of Karun.

"Grandpa, you're back."

"Mhmm."

Karun pushed open the door and walked into the house with his grandfather.

"Father, you're back."

"Mhmm."

Aunt Mary then looked at Karun and said, "Your uncle called from the funeral home and asked me to check if you had come back. He said that other funeral cars had also arrived at the time, and to avoid being blocked, he didn't wait for you and went straight to the hospital. When he comes back, I'll scold him properly. The street just had an accident, and someone died. It must be chaotic. How could he leave you alone there?"

On normal days, Aunt Mary had a sharp tongue but a kind heart towards Karun. In front of Grandpa, even her tongue would turn into tofu.

"Aunt Mary, I'm already an adult. How could I not know how to find my way home? Wherever I am, I can follow the scent of home back."

Dis walked to the sofa and sat down, asking, "What happened?"

Aunt Mary lightly patted Karun's shoulder and went to the kitchen on the second floor to prepare some tea and snacks.

Karun sat on the sofa opposite Dis and told him about the Crown Dance Hall incident. When he mentioned finding the body hidden under the stage, Aunt Mary, who had just finished preparing the tea and snacks, couldn't help but cover her mouth to prevent herself from screaming.

It wasn't that Aunt Mary deliberately wanted to show her gentle and delicate side in front of her father-in-law. It was because she had grown into an excellent mortician, but that didn't mean her courage had suddenly increased.

She wasn't afraid of those corpses because she had already treated them as another kind of "customer." After becoming familiar with them, she no longer felt afraid of them, just like a snake keeper wouldn't be afraid of snakes.

But who could be sure that this kind of serial killer wouldn't turn on them? They might become "customers" in their own home one day.

After Karun finished describing the details of the body, he also told Dis about his "discussion and analysis" with Chief Duke.Originally, he intended to keep this information to himself, as he wanted to secretly develop some relationships and connections. However, after encountering the couple who got off the taxi, Karun changed his mind.

"Grandpa, look. Your grandson can not only cook, but also provide psychological counseling and help the police solve cases."

"Oh my goodness, Karun, did you come up with all of this?" Aunt Mary exclaimed with an inexplicable expression on her face, "How did you do it?"

"In simple terms, it's about putting yourself in the shoes of the killer. Based on the clues and details left by the killer, you can deduce the psychological reasons behind why they did what they did," Karun tried to simplify the complicated matter as much as possible, not only to explain it to Aunt Mary, but also to his grandfather.

After all, Dis couldn't ask the same question as Aunt Mary: "Oh my goodness, how did my grandson do it?"

"You can easily put yourself in the shoes of the killer?" Dis took a sip of his tea and asked.

"...," Karun.

This statement was easily aligned with "birds of a feather flock together."

Karun immediately explained, "Grandpa, Aunt Mary, actually, it's like this. Generally speaking, the more a killer thinks of themselves as an artist, the easier it is to guess their thoughts and the easier it is to put yourself in their shoes.

Some people think they are special, for example, they like to be alone and dislike socializing. But more than 90% of people don't like socializing, and among the remaining 10% who are good at socializing, most of them prefer to be alone and quiet if they have a choice.

For example, they are sentimental, full of melancholy, and easily resonate with people and things. They have a strong desire to express themselves and want to record and leave things behind. But most people who are around thirty and have achieved nothing, regardless of gender, will mistakenly think that they are born writers.

The more they pursue publicity and uniqueness, the more they think they should be high-profile and unique, the more ordinary they actually are. Therefore, their thoughts are easier to put yourself into.

When they break through the human shackles and start killing to gain pleasure, they have already transformed from humans into beasts. How many beasts are truly intelligent?"

Karun explained a lot in one breath, and after finishing, he took a big sip of tea.

Dis pondered for a moment and said, "A very novel theory."

"So, the villains in the movies and novels I used to watch are all deceiving me?" Aunt Mary asked.

"There are exceptions to everything, Aunt Mary. However, literary works generally describe villains in that way to highlight the drama and conflict," Karun picked up the teapot, half stood up, first poured tea for his grandfather, and continued, "True wise men know how to restrain themselves from killing."

Aunt Mary patted her chest and said, "Yes, yes, the smartest people are always the good guys."

The phone at home rang, and Aunt Mary walked over to answer it."Okay, okay, I got it, I got it, hmm."

Hanging up the phone, Aunt Mary's face was filled with a smile. But when she saw her father-in-law still sitting there, she began to try to control her smile. However, the joy from the bottom of her heart was hard to completely control, causing Aunt Mary's expression to become a bit stiff.

"Father, Mason just called from the hospital. The patient who was sent for rescue has died, and his family has agreed for us to handle the funeral. Mason and the others will bring the body back in the evening."

"So late?" Dis asked.

"Because we are still waiting for the family of another deceased person to come. He had half of his head cut off, and when the hospital contacted his wife, she still firmly believed that her husband was on a business trip in Vienna at the moment. Mason wants to wait for her at the hospital and finalize this deal."

When a person has just passed away, the brains of their loved ones are generally a bit "numb," as if they have suddenly become "marionettes" and lost their ability to think. Furthermore, there is a habitual thinking that it is better for the deceased to complete a decent funeral as soon as possible and rest in peace. So basically, whichever funeral home can make contact first at this time, there is a high probability that they can take on this deal.

Dis nodded and said, "Okay, get ready."

"Yes, father."

Aunt Mary went to the basement to prepare to receive guests.

Karun hesitated for a moment and didn't dare to leave when he saw Dis still sitting on the sofa.

"Aren't you afraid?" Dis asked, "Seeing that kind of scene."

"Not very afraid," Karun replied, "I've gotten used to it recently."

"You seem to have something else to say?"

"No, grandfather, what else can't I say to you?"

"Oh."

Dis stood up and said, "I'm going back to the study."

"Okay, grandfather."

Karun stood up and watched Dis's figure disappear up the stairs before sitting back on the sofa.

Actually, he really wanted to ask Dis about the demon thing and also ask about the couple in the taxi. But then he thought that it was not the right time. Some window paper, even if it is thin enough to be almost transparent, still has a very important function.

Karun was worried that after he asked straightforwardly, his grandfather would patiently explain the concept of "demons" to him, carefully introduce him to the other side of the world that is not known to ordinary people, and then help him analyze what organization the couple belonged to, what responsibilities they had, and what rights they had. And then, after the explanation was over, his grandfather would stand up while sighing and say, "Since the truth is out, I will no longer deceive myself. Demons, die."When it comes to manipulating people's minds, Karun is a professional. He didn't want to personally remove the plate that Dis wanted to use to kill him out of curiosity. It was much more dangerous than the last time he went to the basement to have a heart-to-heart with Mr. Mosang.

Karun knows the difference between risking his life and seeking death.

"Meow..."

Karun lowered his head and found Puerh crawling next to the sofa at some point.

These days, Puerh looked weak and sick.

Karun reached out and picked up Puerh.

Puerh didn't resist, nor did it have its previous haughty attitude. Instead, it had a sense of decadence that accepted everything.

In Karun's impression, this cat's expression has always been very rich.

"Meow..."

In the corner of the living room door, the golden retriever put its chin on the floor, revealing an envious expression.

Mr. Hofen has not been discharged yet and still lives in the Inmores family, but the adults and children in the house seem to have no great enthusiasm for pets. They don't hate it, but they are too lazy to play with it.

Only Karun takes some time every day to take it for a walk nearby.

Karun waved to the golden retriever, and it immediately stood up and happily stuck out its tongue, actively putting its head under Karun's palm.

With the cat on his lap and the dog leaning next to him, the aroma of tea lingering on the coffee table, they were in their own single-family villa.

Karun suddenly felt that this kind of life was not bad.

Although he didn't have the ability to change the objective reality, reality was kind enough to allow him to choose a comfortable sleeping position.

Ability...

Karun suddenly sat up.

Puerh, who was lying on Karun's lap, raised its head with some confusion.

The golden retriever, who had lost its treatment of being petted, also came over and put its head back under Karun's palm, bumping it.

Jeff's dream, Mr. Mosang's weeping, did he also have the ability to make the victim under the stage react?

If he could say something, would the culprit be directly identified?

There has always been an evaluation of the forensic industry in society, that is, they can make the victim "speak".

And if the victim could actually speak in a practical sense, it would be the nightmare of all murderers in the world!

But...

Karun looked at his left palm again. He had forgotten how many times he had deliberately looked at this scar today.

Putting aside whether he had figured out this "ability" himself, even if he really had and mastered this ability, would he use it to help the police solve the case and catch the culprit?

"Police station, report, accident, not a demon..."

Am I crazy? Heh.

"Karun."

"Aunt?"

Aunt Mary came up from the basement again, holding a box in her hand and handing it to Karun. Her gaze has been fixed on the stairs.

"What is this?"Karun took the box and opened it, finding a Monroe brand watch inside. It wasn't a luxury item, but the price wasn't low either, around 2,000 rupees. White-collar workers in office buildings liked to wear this watch.

"Thank you, Auntie."

Karun thought his aunt had bought him the watch, but she shook her head and said, "I didn't buy it for you. It was sent directly to you by Mrs. Xius through someone else."

Mrs. Xius?

The owner of the crematorium.

Aunt Mary lowered her voice and said, "Although I have a good relationship with Mrs. Xius..."

Karun had already figured it out that day. Mrs. Xius joked to Mason Uncle about falling off other women's windowsills face to face, which was actually a warning to her friend's husband.

"But I still have to remind you that Mrs. Xius is a bit... promiscuous. You shouldn't have too much contact with her, you know?"

Aunt Mary, like Uncle Mason, was very worried that the young and impulsive Karun would be lured away by Mrs. Xius.

Maybe this was just a pastime for Mrs. Xius to pass the time and relieve her loneliness, but for a boy, it was the price of being played with pure feelings.

After all, Karun was fifteen years old and at an age where he could resist any temptation.

How many boys could resist the temptation of a married woman at this age?

Aunt Mary was willing to speak ill of her friend for the sake of her nephew.

Because Karun had come back with Dis earlier, Aunt Mary didn't dare to take out the watch in front of Dis.

"I know, Auntie."

That Mrs. Xius thought of herself as a big shot.

"Then please ask someone to return the watch for me, Auntie."

"No need to return it. Just keep it. It's enough that you know in your heart. I'll take care of the return gift. Let's just say we're sisters exchanging gifts. But you should still make a phone call and say thank you. It's polite."

"Okay, Auntie."

"The number is in the address book."

"I know."

Karun picked up the phone and opened the address book next to the phone. Because of business dealings, the number of the Xius crematorium was at the top, so it was easy to find.

He dialed the number and waited for a while, but no one answered.

Find the original at "pawread.com".

Maybe they were busy?

Karun hung up and dialed the number again.

"Click..."

This time, it was answered quickly.

Karun asked, "Hello, is this the Xius crematorium?"

There was a sound on the other end, but no one spoke.

Karun asked again, "Hello, is anyone there?"

"You've disturbed my artistic creation..."