I'm terribly sorry.

Huang Xu's face was deathly pale.

The wound on his arm was so deep that the bone was visible. It didn't look like an injury from a sharp weapon; instead, it resembled a bite from razor-sharp teeth...

Everyone gasped in shock.

What kind of monster could leave such a deep wound with its bite?

The captain of the security team, Li Tai, was drenched in sweat from anxiety, repeatedly asking Huang Xu if he had seen the attacker. He had only taken up his post a few days ago and didn't want anything to go wrong.

But Huang Xu only shook his head ceaselessly.

With trembling lips, he said, "The one who tried to kill me wasn't human. It was a shadow—a shadow that could twist and change shape..."

At those words, a chill ran through the crowd.

The once-quiet village, deep in the night, became a flurry of noise and commotion.

Everyone stepped out from their small wooden cabins, gathering toward the cave.

Inside the cave, Qin Xiaofan frowned deeply.

For the past few days, Huang Xu had been safe while staying in the cave, but on his very first day after leaving it, he was ambushed.

What did this signify?

It meant that there was still at least one member of the Change of Heaven Organization hiding within the village.

Moreover, this person was just like Meng Yao—fiercely loyal to the organization.

Even at the risk of exposure, they had tried to eliminate Huang Xu, who had publicly betrayed them.

The cave was packed to the brim.

Yet everyone was silent, not daring to make a sound. The entire cave was shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

Qin Xiaofan's expression was dark as his gaze swept over every face.

It was as if he already knew who the culprit was, as he called out:

"Think you're clever? Think I can't catch you? How ridiculous! Just wait—I will drag you into the light."

His tone was icy, and all at once, the crowd lowered their heads.

Then, Qin Xiaofan turned to Li Tai, the captain, and said loudly, "Investigate! Check everyone, one by one! Don't let any clue slip by. You must find the traitor!"

Li Tai nodded hastily, trembling with nervousness.

And so, the great investigation began.

The village was thrown into chaos. Torches blazed everywhere, bathing the entire settlement in light as bright as day—sleep was out of the question.

The method of investigation was straightforward.

According to Huang Xu's account, his assailant was a shadow.

That suggested the culprit's ability must involve manipulating shadows, or something related to shadows.

Therefore, by following that lead and checking everyone, they could eventually ferret out the murderer.

Late into the night, Li Tai was still sweating and anxious, personally leading his team to verify each villager's special ability.

To prevent the culprit from escaping, everyone was assembled on the open ground in front of the cave, watched at all times by vigilant eyes.

With each verification, information was recorded.

Lacking pen and paper, they used colored stones to draw and write on wooden plaques.

With over two hundred people, a single night was far from enough.

By dawn, not even a hundred had been checked, leaving Li Tai desperate and drenched in sweat.

Qin Xiaofan did not rest either, standing watch outside the cave.

With his Titanium Eyes, he could glean more information when verifying the villagers' abilities, but throughout the long night, nothing seemed amiss—not even a single person had lied about their name.

———

———

———

Today, I opened my author dashboard full of hope, only to find that the follow-up recommendations had vanished.

Ah... so this is what it means to crash and burn.

I sat there stunned for a long while. I tried to keep writing, but found I no longer had the heart for it. Maybe, it's just that my writing is truly awful.

Honestly, I had seen it coming. Only five or six people voted for recommendations each day, collections barely grew. I even tipped myself to climb the rankings, but collections still hardly increased.

Even my editor has little faith in this story, which shows that there are real problems with it.

I write novels for money.

Since there's no market for it, there's no point in continuing.

So, this book will be put on hold. Maybe I'll pick it up again in the future, but for now, I just can't bring myself to keep writing.

I'm very sorry.