A single divination predicts life and death; the entire internet begs me to start a live stream.

Zhou Heng took off his glasses and rubbed his temples.

"After tax."

Luo Shouzhou finally nodded in satisfaction, leaning back on the sofa, visibly relaxing.

"Boss Zhou, you truly live up to your reputation as a big boss. This solution sounds much better than what you were saying before."

"It's not that I'm short of your... this little bit of money, but for your sake, Boss Zhou, let's just leave it at that."

Ayako Kamishiro's lips twitched slightly.

"Luo Jun, I never expected you..."

Luo Shouzhuo glanced at her sideways.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You guys don't hold back when you're making your moves."

"Do I have to be polite when I'm taking your money?"

He then turned to Zhou Heng.

"Switch now?"

"Now."

Zhou Heng sent a message to the finance department in front of him.

Not long after.

Ding.

The phone rang.

Luo Shouzhou lowered his head.

I saw the payment notification.

One million.

He checked the 0 after the 1 with his finger.

The last time I saw so many zeros was in a certain land of abundance.

Only then did he slowly put his phone back in his pocket.

Her complexion looked much better.

"OK."

"This time, they took matters into their own hands without authorization."

"That's settled. I'm a magnanimous man, I won't bother with you, you little Japanese wench."

Zhou Heng was just about to speak.

Luo Shouzhou had already reached out his hand.

Place the three life-protecting plaques on the table.

He took each piece back into his palm.

"Since the lifeline is now under unified protection in the Hengtai Southern Commercial District, let's leave it at that for now. I'll keep an eye on that area later."

"But from now on, these three people..."

"Don't touch it again."

Zhou Heng looked up.

Ayako Kamishiro also looked at him.

Luo Shouzhuo counted on his fingers.

"Changing the formation won't work."

"Moving them away is not an option."

"Keep stuffing your shadows, ghost threads, and all sorts of nonsense into my line of fire."

He lifted his eyelids.

She looked at Ayako Kamishiro.

"Hmph, this isn't something that can be solved with just one million."

Kamishiro Ayako said softly:

"What if it's to protect them?"

"Contact me first."

Luo Shouzhuo said.

"Lao Tzu said it can move."

"Move again."

"If I say no, and you still keep moving..."

He raised his fist and waved it in front of Ayako Kamishiro.

"I'll see Miss Kamishiro next time."

"It might not just be the Luo family's compass anymore."

Ayako Kamishiro glanced at the fist and smiled softly.

"Luo Jun has even said such things..."

"I'll remember that."

"This time, I'm sorry to have troubled Luo Juntian."

Zhou Heng immediately said:

"Let's do as Sect Leader Luo says."

Luo Shouzhou then stood up and casually stuffed the entire box of cigars on Zhou Heng's table into his pocket.

He grabbed the wine jug.

"money."

"I'll accept it."

"Entrustment".

"I'll continue doing it too."

He walked to the door.

He stopped walking.

He didn't turn around.

"But there's one thing."

"You'd better remember this."

"I took money from Hengtai."

"What I'm protecting is your three lives."

"I didn't say I was here to be your dog."

Ayako Kamishiro suddenly spoke.

"Luo Jun."

Luo Shouzhou turned around.

"Is there anything else?"

Ayako Kamishiro sat upright on the other side of the long table.

His gentle smile returned to his face.

"If the person being protected."

"Why would I never want to leave?"

She tilted her head slightly.

"In that case..."

"Can it also be called a lock?"

Luo Shouzhou looked at her for two seconds, then suddenly touched the stubble on his chin and smiled.

"We need to make one thing clear first."

"They said they didn't want to leave."

He glanced at her empty feet.

"After all, they are alive."

"It's still the shadow of certain people."

Having said that, Luo Shouzhou pushed open the door and went out.

He even left with a parting remark.

"Also, what you just said made me unhappy again, but I'll forgive you this time."

"If you don't learn your lesson next time..."

"It can't be settled with just one million..."

"You'll have to pay more."

The door closed.

boom.

He walked toward the elevator.

Every word spoken by the two people in this room.

He only believes half of what he believes.

No, even half is too much now.

Hengtai kept it from him.

This has been confirmed.

As for how much was concealed, we still need to investigate.

Of course, we must collect the money, and we cannot stop accepting commissions.

People must not be handed over.

The only option is to stay in the bureau.

Only then can we find out what's inside this gourd.

The elevator doors slowly closed.

Luo Shouzhou raised his hand and pressed down on the eighteenth floor.

This number is not displayed on the panel.

He wasn't surprised; he simply extended two fingers and tapped the mirror three times, neither too hard nor too soft.

thump.

thump.

thump.

The final blow landed.

The area between the seventeenth and nineteenth was originally pitch black, but a layer of dark red slowly seeped out.

It looked like blood was seeping out from behind the panel.

Ultimately, it all coalesces into a single number.

【18】

Luo Shouzhuo pressed down.

The elevator began to descend.

nineteen.

eighteen.

Ding--

The notification sound has been emitted.

The door remained closed.

Luo Shouzhou waited two seconds before pressing the door open button.

No response.

I pressed it again.

Still nothing.

The only sound in the cramped car was the low hum of the motor after it had finished running.

hum-

The overhead light was very white.

The four stainless steel mirror surfaces were made to shine.

Luo Shouzhou slowly raised his head.

"Tsk, this is no fun."

The voice just fell.

A soft sound suddenly came from my arms.

Click.

He paused.

He reached out and took out Shi Zhiyuan's life-protecting plaque.

A very fine crack appeared on the surface of the wooden sign at some unknown time.

It didn't split from the edge.

Instead, it runs straight through the middle of the three characters "Shi Zhiyuan".

"Shi Zhiyuan?"

no respond.

next second.

Snapped!

All the elevator lights went out.

Darkness suddenly descended.

It wasn't the usual dimness after a power outage.

Even the emergency lights weren't on.

The entire elevator car felt like it had been stuffed directly into a black box.

Only the blood-red number [18] on the floor display screen hung in the air.

The red light is very weak.

But it made half of Luo Shouzhou's face appear dark.

then.

He heard footsteps.

despair.

Like a woman walking barefoot on a wooden floor.

Luo Shouzhou did not turn around.

The sound was clearly not coming from reality.

Instead, it was from the mirror on his right.

despair.

Second tone.

This time it's even closer.

Luo Shouzhou slowly raised his eyes.

The lights came back on.

In the mirror.

There was a woman behind him.

Black and red performance costume.

Her face was covered by a thin veil.

He stood ramrod straight.

But behind the thin veil, there were no eyes, no nose, and no mouth.

Only a smooth face.

In reality.

There was nothing behind Luo Shouzhou.

Snapped.

The lights went out again.

Two more footsteps sounded in the darkness.

despair.

despair.

The light is on.

There are three in the mirror.

next time.

Five.

Next time.

Eight.

Eight faceless women silently surrounded Luo Shouzhuo in the mirror.

They didn't attack; they just stood there.

Luo Shouzhu frowned.

In reality, he was still standing perfectly fine, though somewhat disheveled, but he always had a confident and handsome appearance.

But the reflection in the mirror showed a person with their head down, a pale face, arms hanging naturally at their sides, and a wine jug at their feet.

Like a corpse that is already dead.

Luo Shouzhou rested his chin on his hand, rubbed his stubble with his fingers, and stared at his reflection for two seconds.

"Tsk, trying to intimidate me with my shadow?"

"And it turned out so ugly?"

He hooked his toe.

The old compass fell to the ground.

The plate is facing up.

Three pointers are spinning.

Luo Shouzhuo raised two fingers together.

Just as they were about to suppress the Heavenly Pool.

The eight women in the mirror suddenly raised their hands.

I didn't touch him in real life.

He simply placed his palm on his own shoulder in the mirror.

boom!

Luo Shouzhou's body suddenly sank downwards.

Several cracks appeared in the floor tiles underfoot.

The old compass was pressed down and slammed to the ground with a clang.

The Shi Zhiyuan protective amulet in his hand cracked another inch.

Click.

Luo Shouzhou looked down at the wooden sign.

Understood.

Someone had used Shi Zhiyuan's life to connect him to the eighteenth floor.

If he were to forcefully break through, the formation would be destroyed first, and the people would die afterward.

"Good tactic."

He slowly squatted down and placed his hands on the ground.

Trying to find the earth's energy in the entire building.

The palm had just landed.

The eight women reflected in the four mirrors also squatted down at the same time.

Eight hands pressed down on the ground together.

next second.

Luo Shouzhou felt the earth's energy beneath his palm suddenly change.

The path that was originally leading to the eighteenth floor was abruptly reversed, forcing us back to the elevator.

He took a step.

The formation follows one step.

He took a step back.

The formation also retreated.

Like a snake biting its own tail, it forms a Möbius strip.

"Using mirrors to block roads, using human lives to maintain order."

"They even included my earthy energy."

"Indeed, these are the kind of strange and ingenious skills that are not worthy of being presented in a refined setting in the East."

He looked up at the eight featureless faces in the mirror.

"Are you guys really afraid I'll go back?"

The woman in the mirror tilted her head slightly at the same time.

Their movements were so synchronized they seemed unreal.

Just then.

The life-protecting talisman vibrated again.

The temperature on the sign suddenly dropped.

Luo Shouzhuo's expression changed drastically.

"broken."

He looked up sharply.

"This time it's not aimed at me!"

Showroom.

Shi Zhiyuan leaned against the headboard.

The TV is on.

The volume is very low.

The screen is reporting on a celebrity scandal.

The host's voice was intermittent.

Shi Zhiyuan lowered his head and poured the medicine into his palm; there were two white pills.

A glass of warm water.

Recently.

He does this every day.

Take medicine.

go to bed.

Wait for Luo Shouzhuo to come and inspect.

As long as I don't step out of this door, the black line won't scare me.

Life is boring.

On the contrary, it makes people feel at ease.

He picked up the cup.

I was just about to drink it.

The movement suddenly stopped.

The TV screen went black for a moment.

In that very instant.

He saw his own reflection.

wrong.

To be precise.

It was my own back view.

In reality, he was sitting on the edge of the bed.

However, the TV is reflecting light.

But she was standing behind him.

Not moving at all.

Shi Zhiyuan's water glass wobbled slightly.

Then I looked up.

News footage has been restored.

There was nothing there.

He stared at it for a few seconds.

He muttered a curse under his breath.

"This crappy TV..."

I'll just swallow the medicine.

He then got up.

I'm getting ready to go to the restroom.

He had only taken two steps.

He suddenly realized something was wrong.

The room was too quiet.

It's not that there's no sound.

The TV show is still playing.

The air conditioner is still blowing air.

In the distance, the low hum of the building's equipment could be heard.

But I always feel like something is missing.

Shi Zhiyuan slowly lowered his head.

His shadow.

They didn't come along.

The person had already reached the bathroom door.

The shadow on the wall.

But he was still sitting on the edge of the bed.

Maintain the same posture as when you took the medicine.

Shi Zhiyuan's hair stood on end.

The shadow on the wall slowly raised its head.

That movement didn't resemble a shadow.

It's more like someone who's been sitting for too long.

First, it was the neck.

Then the shoulders.

Finally, the entire upper body.

Straighten up little by little.

Click.

Click.

The sound of joints moving could even be heard in the room.

Shi Zhiyuan's face turned pale.

"who……"

The shadow did not answer.

It stood up from the bedside.

then.

One leg was pulled out of Shi Zhiyuan's original shadow.

Next is the second one.

It looks like there's something there.

I've always been hiding in his shadow.

It's finally fully grown now.

The shadow on the wall fell to the ground.

It has no body.

But footsteps did indeed make a sound.

despair.

despair.

Every step.

They were all closer to that makeup mirror.

Shi Zhiyuan tried to call for help, but his throat felt blocked.

He could only watch helplessly as the shadow walked to the mirror.

stop.

then.

Lift your foot.

I stepped inside.

The mirror was not broken.

It only swayed slightly.

Like ripples spreading across the surface of water after being stepped on.

Shi Zhiyuan froze on the spot.

A few seconds passed.

In the mirror.

A face slowly emerged.

First, the outline.

Next are the facial features.

wrinkle.

Gray hair.

Eye bags.

The very faint mole at the end of the right eyebrow.

At last.

Even the old scar from thirty years ago on the web of his right hand has reappeared.

Shi Zhiyuan looked at himself in the mirror.

My hands and feet are getting cold.

That thing was looking at him too.

Raise your hand first.

make a fist.

Loosen it again.

He touched his face again.

The movements were very clumsy.

Like something that has just learned how to act.

Then.

It opened its mouth.

"history……"

The sound was strange.

It's like many people speaking at the same time.

"Zhi..."

The second character.

It already looks about 70-80% like it.

"Far."

The third word fell.

It completely transformed into Shi Zhiyuan's own voice.

Shi Zhiyuan's lips trembled slightly.

"What exactly are you?"

The person in the mirror did not answer.

She just stared at him.

Suddenly asked:

"who I am?"

sound.

Expression.

Even the slight tilt of his head when speaking is exactly the same as Shi Zhiyuan's.

Shi Zhiyuan took a step back.

The person in the mirror takes a step forward.

The distance between us in reality is widening.

The distance reflected in the mirror is shrinking.

step.

Two steps.

Until that face was pressed against the glass.

Shi Zhiyuan then saw it clearly.

Although its facial features are exactly the same.

The palm has no palm lines.

Ten fingers.

It's as smooth as wax.

Snapped.

Place both hands on the mirror simultaneously.

Shi Zhiyuan suddenly stepped back.

The protective charms by the bedside all lit up at that moment.

Golden light instantly filled the room.

Shi Zhiyuan was initially delighted.

"Master Luo!"

But what's in the mirror.

No refund.

It simply turned its head away.

I quietly looked at those few life-protecting talismans.

I glanced at it for a few seconds.

He actually laughed.

then.

It reached out and picked up the water glass from the mirror.

I took a sip.

The water glass on the table did not move.

But the water level in the cup did drop a bit.

Shi Zhiyuan froze.

The person in the mirror puts down the cup.

He cleared his throat.

"Master Luo..."

The tone doesn't sound right.

It frowned slightly.

He said it again.

"Master Luo."

This time it looks like it.

then.

"I'm fine."

I slept very well today.

"I've taken my medicine."

"No one came in."

Each sentence is more natural than the last.

Each sentence is more like Shi Zhiyuan's.

Until the very last sentence.

Connected consonants.

All of these were exactly the same as when Shi Zhiyuan had reported his safety to Luo Shouzhuo a few days prior.

Shi Zhiyuan's face turned deathly pale.

"You...you want to replace me?"

The object in the mirror paused for a moment.

It seems they are trying to understand the word "substitute".

Then.

The corners of his mouth turned up little by little.

"for?"

It repeated itself softly.

"Leave."

"I stayed."

The voice just fell.

Under the mirror.

Suddenly, a black hand reached out.

There was no warning.

He grabbed Shi Zhiyuan's ankle.

"what!"

Shi Zhiyuan was pulled down.

I almost hit the back of my head on the wall.

He hasn't gotten up yet.

The second one.

The third one.

A fourth black hand has crawled out from under the mirror.

He gripped her calf tightly.

thigh.

waist.

They slowly dragged the person toward the mirror.

The tiles rubbed against the clothes.

It made a piercing sound.

Shi Zhiyuan desperately tried to hold onto the crack in the ground.

The fingernail flipped up on the spot.

Blood left several thin streaks on the ground.

"Help!"

"Master Luo!"

The protective charm by the bedside suddenly lit up!

boom!

The air pressure in the entire model house was low.

The black hands stopped.

Shi Zhiyuan also stopped.

He lay on the ground.

He was panting heavily.

A hint of relief even appeared in his eyes.

"Master Luo..."

Available in the next second.

His expression froze.

That earth energy not only suppressed the evil hand.

It also suppressed him.

hand.

foot.

waist.

They all felt as if they were being pressed to the ground by hundreds of kilograms of stones.

I can't move.

Hold him down here tightly.

The Shi Zhiyuan in the mirror slowly approached.

It was not compressed.

They were not trapped.

The facial features even became clearer.

It gently pressed its face against the mirror.

Looking at Shi Zhiyuan, who was pinned to the ground.

In his eyes.

He was even smiling.

"I see."

It spoke softly in Shi Zhiyuan's voice.

"This is Master Luo's formation."

Shi Zhiyuan's pupils contracted.

The thing lowered its head.

The room was filled with golden light.

She looked at him again, unable to move.

Then he chuckled softly.

"very nice."

"Someone will protect you."

"You won't be able to go anywhere."

Shi Zhiyuan felt cold all over.

The person in the mirror turned around.

Start adjusting your collar.

Smooth out the cuffs.

Raise your head.

He flashed a tired smile, a smile that Shi Zhiyuan often wore, at the air.

"Master Luo."

"I'm fine."

I slept very well today.

"I've taken my medicine."

"No one came in."

The same.

Exactly.