Diary

[Old City Prison]

The architecture, reminiscent of a medieval castle, corresponded to the prison hall and entrance; atop the fifty-meter-high walls on both sides, manned guard towers were positioned at regular intervals, coordinating with drones for joint inspections.

Above the walls, some form of invisible electric grid or alternative membrane seemed to be floating.

A black sedan, painted with gray lines and topped with a metal cap ornament, drove slowly along the only road and pulled into the empty prison parking lot.

Both the driver and passenger doors opened, revealing two pairs of black leather shoes, though the sizes differed significantly.

Both men were wrapped in black trench coats, with eye-patterned badges embedded on their chests, though the materials and colors differed.

The person who stepped out from the driver's seat was a young man who still looked "tender-skinned," appearing no older than thirty; he was completely captivated by the prison the moment he stepped out of the car.

The middle-aged man who stepped out from the passenger side, however, looked slack, with deep, ravine-like bags under his eyes; he stretched his back to the maximum, as if he had slept through the entire journey.

The middle-aged man did not look at the prison, but instead cast his gaze upon the "newcomer."

"Are we that short-handed?"

The hoarse question was like an arm reaching out from a crack in the stone, dragging the young colleague's attention back from the prison.

The young man scratched his head, looking quite embarrassed. "Mr. Anderson, you fell asleep as soon as you got in the car... My name is Zhang Chi, from the Behavioral Science Department.

The Director arranged for me to accompany you on this 'prison visit' this time."

"Bring the bird and follow me."

Zhang Chi was somewhat puzzled. "Does a high-security prison like this still require birds?"

Anderson seemed unwilling to waste words; he simply took a metal container resembling an egg from the lining of his coat.

Click. The eggshell opened with precise, mechanical movements, and a bird resembling a parrot was awakened, voluntarily flying onto Anderson's right shoulder.

Zhang Chi used a similar method to have his own bird perch on his shoulder.

Just like that, the two walked one after the other into the imposing prison gate.

Verifying identification, Surrendering weapons, Drawing blood for testing, Psychological evaluation, Once all preparations were complete, a prison guard in a full-body protective suit led the two deep into the prison, bypassing the chaotic and relatively open general area.

Various obscenities drifted over from the open cells of the general area; the prisoners rarely saw outsiders dressed in formal attire without any protective gear.

Walking past the general area, Then passing through a fully enclosed corridor, Descending fifty meters along the spiral staircase at the end, They arrived at the deepest section of this Border City Prison, a place neither the guards nor the ordinary prisoners in the general area were willing to approach.

[Maximum Security Area]

The prisoners held here had often committed sins that exceeded the boundaries of capital punishment and were themselves incredibly dangerous.

Yet, for certain reasons, they could not be allowed to die.

"Mr. Di has already been transferred to the 'Interaction Booth.'

Please do not let your visit exceed fifteen minutes. If any dangerous incidents occur during this time, we will immediately terminate the visit."

Anderson clasped his hands together, working his wrist joints while instructing the young man beside him.

"Zhang Chi, I will handle the conversation from here on out.

You are forbidden from speaking to Mr. Di without my permission, and even basic eye contact should be kept to a minimum."

"Okay, I will spend most of my time taking notes."

Zhang Chi had already taken out his department-issued notebook, prepared to record the content of the upcoming conversation diligently.

"Let's go."

Passing through the final transition zone.

A new type of bulletproof glass served as a partition, isolating the prisoner inside.

This was Zhang Chi's first field mission, and having to interact with such a criminal made him somewhat nervous. After all, he had done his research before setting out and knew very well what kind of dangerous existence the other party was.

The file referred to him as "The Devil."

This moniker came from a survivor; according to his account, what was slaughtering people at the scene was not a human at all, but a demon with flames erupting from its eyes and curved horns growing from its head.

[Violence Syndrome], [High Intelligence], [Lack of Humanity], [Superhuman Physique].

Zhang Chi remembered these personality tags recorded in the file very clearly.

However, when Zhang Chi looked inside through the partition glass, he saw only an ordinary young man doing standard push-ups.

There were no curved horns, no demonic red skin. Instead, he had black hair and yellow skin, just like Zhang Chi.

Even after sensing the arrival of the visitors, the man did not stop his push-ups, his mouth moving slightly as he counted silently.

"198, 199, 200..."

After finishing two hundred push-ups, Mr. Di rose at a leisurely pace.

He had dressed specifically in a white shirt and dress slacks to welcome his "guests," and due to the push-ups, his shirt was soaked through with sweat over a large area.

When Zhang Chi first saw the man's face, his initial impression was, surprisingly, one of friendliness.

But after observing him closely, Zhang Chi immediately read an intangible danger beneath that friendly facade, and his entire being went on high alert.

At this moment, Mr. Di's gaze shifted over, and the two locked eyes.

As a trainee agent who had graduated with top honors and near-perfect practical scores, Zhang Chi felt his back instantly drenched in cold sweat. Nevertheless, he did his best to steady his composure and nodded politely in greeting.

Using the motion of nodding as a cover, he buried his head in the notebook in his hand to record the [feeling] he had just experienced.

"Mr. Di, we are here this time to ask for your assistance in analyzing a special case."

Anderson seized the initiative, simultaneously placing a pre-organized document onto the scanner, and a copy was soon delivered into Mr. Di's hands.

It took only three minutes for Mr. Di to browse the document before he stacked it neatly again, clutching it in his hand.

They were completely soundproofed, and communication was conducted via electrical signal transmission.

Mr. Di's voice was captured by wall receivers, converted through electrical signals, and then transmitted to the earpieces worn by the two men.

Even after being processed, the voice remained deeply unsettling to hear.

Despite coming directly through the earpiece, it felt as though the sound were emanating from deep beneath the earth.

"It has been a long time since I've seen a young guest. I can help you analyze the case, but I have one condition. Talking to an old man like you, Anderson, only accelerates my aging. Let this young man discuss the case instead."

Anderson knew this criminal's temperament well; if he refused, there was a high probability they would leave empty-handed today.

He turned his head to look at Zhang Chi, who was busy taking notes.

"Remember, in the upcoming conversation, strictly avoid discussing your personal information. Only ask about matters related to the case.

I will be monitoring the entire time, and if there is any inappropriate dialogue, I will terminate this prison visit."

As a trainee agent for the Behavioral Science Department, interacting with criminals was meant to be the core of his future work, so he accepted the task decisively.

Anderson, the veteran, stepped back, leaving the space to the two young men.

Zhang Chi was in no rush to communicate with the prisoner before him; he first closed his eyes, communicating with something deep within his brain through a peculiar method.

After the communication ended, he opened his eyes again.

The novice's naivety from before vanished instantly, replaced by a pair of exceptionally resolute eyes.

Just as he prepared to converse with the criminal behind the bulletproof glass, the man wore a look of kindness, his raised right hand waving at him at a fixed frequency.

The sound in the earpiece synchronized, though it had become much more affable than before.

"Come closer..."

The words seemed to permeate his thoughts, but Zhang Chi remained motionless, relying on his mental fortitude to block the man's verbal pull.

The voice continued to emerge from the earpiece, "Oh? It seems you are a very excellent newcomer. However~ if you do not come forward, there is no need to talk to me."

"Go forward," Anderson's voice came from behind him.

Zhang Chi wore a troubled expression, but he still stepped forward slowly, stopping at a distance of one meter from the glass.

"Cough, cough~ Mr. Di, can you talk to me about..."

Just as Zhang Chi took the initiative to ask, the earpiece suddenly emitted a sound, interrupting his question.

"What is your name?"

Zhang Chi realized he hadn't introduced himself yet, and just as he was about to speak his name through gritted teeth, the earpiece spoke again.

"Zhang... Zhen... No, that's not it. Let me guess, Zhang Chi, right?"

"Yes."

Just as Zhang Chi intended to cut back to the topic, the man beat him to it again, stating the analysis results of the case directly:

"This 'Butterfly Killer' will continue to commit crimes within three days. It is highly likely that the victim is currently in a state of being kidnapped by him. Go to the areas where he committed his second or third crimes and investigate missing obese males aged 45 to 55; perhaps there will be clues."

While giving the analysis results, Mr. Di folded the photocopied document in his hand with delicate movements.

"Thank you."

Having obtained the useful information, Zhang Chi did not linger; he seemed to have caught the scent of some kind of danger.

Just as he turned to leave, the voice came from the earpiece once more, "So~ when do you plan to commit your crime?"

"Hm?!"

"Let me put it another way: when did you start having the urge to kill, Zhang Chi? Let me guess..."

Zhang Chi decisively removed the earpiece, terminating the verbal exchange with Mr. Di.

However, the communication was not interrupted; instead, the man's voice became even clearer. It was no longer a voice processed through electrical signals, but one coming directly from behind him.

If the previous sound had been like one coming from underground, then this original voice was like a fissure leading straight to hell, with the original voice of The Devil constantly seeping out from within.

"What!?"

Zhang Chi was greatly shocked; the partition glass between him and the criminal had actually vanished.

'Calm down~'

The whisper from his brain instantly dissolved his tension, and Zhang Chi quickly pulled on the black gloves that came with his trench coat, switching into combat mode.

This pitch-black trench coat utilized a combat-grade, multi-layered flexible metal structure capable of blocking even medium-caliber bullets, and Zhang Chi himself had achieved the highest score in his group during the pre-employment Combat Test.

He assumed a Mongolian wrestling stance, preparing to suppress the unarmed prisoner In Front of him.

Swish!

Something flashed before his eyes, moving too fast to be seen clearly.

Immediately following, something fell to the ground in succession.

Zhang Chi Looked Down and saw his ten fingers scattered across the floor, his combat gloves sliced open cleanly.

The pain of ten fingers connected to the heart, Yet his brain suppressed the agony; his bared eyes stared fixedly at Mr. Di In Front of him, discovering that the paper file in the other man's hand had actually been folded into the shape of a knife.

"Paper!"

Zhang Chi had no Time To be shocked by the other man's methods; he shifted his Footsteps and swung out his fingerless palm with all his might.

Slap! A sound of flesh meeting flesh echoed.

His palm failed to touch Mr. Di, as Zhang Chi's wrist was gripped tightly by the other man.

The sensation of this grip was nothing like a human's; it felt like some kind of searing iron shackle locking his wrist firmly in place.

"What kind of monster are you!?"

Zhang Chi still refused to give up, decisively lifting his leg for a high kick.

Thud!

This time, it was a solid hit.

But the sensation transmitted back from his instep felt as if he had kicked a stone surface; Mr. Di In Front of him did not move at all, his head merely tilting by about 10 degrees.

Danger!

Zhang Chi felt an unprecedented sense of danger!

At this moment, the soft whispers in his brain became noisy, and he even felt as if his entire Facial Area was about to split open.

Hiss, hiss, hiss~

Some kind of tentacle-like structure Seeped Out from between Zhang Chi's eye sockets and teeth, and a crack appeared on his nose, as if his entire face were splitting apart, about to reveal the most terrifying parts within.

Chirp! Chirp!

Bird calls rang out incessantly.

That bird belonging to Zhang Chi, which had been perched on his shoulder, was chirping non-stop at this moment, frantically flapping its wings in an attempt to flee from its master.

Just as Zhang Chi was about to transform into some terrifying form, Whoosh~ Something else, invisible to the naked eye, struck from the front.

Zhang Chi only felt as if something had been shoved into his mouth; the horrific changes occurring on his Facial Area were forcibly interrupted, and his brain's consciousness gradually began to blur.

Looking down, The knife folded from paper had already been driven into his mouth, reaching straight to his brain, destroying a mass of tissue.

In his dying moments, A brief flash of clarity allowed Zhang Chi to recall a few things.

It seemed that starting from a certain day, he would hear invisible whispers from his brain.

It seemed that under the influence of the whispers, he would occasionally become like a stranger.

It seemed that some time ago, he had killed his girlfriend.

Thud!

His body collapsed heavily to the ground, and pink liquid flowed from his mouth where the paper knife was embedded.

The agent had been killed, Yet the prison alarm was slow to sound.

Only the bulletproof glass used as a partition descended once more from the ceiling.

At this time, Mr. Anderson, standing outside the glass, unhurriedly took out a cigarette and lit it. Looking at the corpse, a trace of surprise flashed in his pupils.

He was not surprised that his colleague had been killed, but rather surprised that Mr. Di had actually grown stronger during his time confined in the prison.

Mr. Di was squatting beside the corpse, seemingly conducting an examination, while providing an analytical result: "This guy didn't even know that a 'change' had occurred within His Own body, thereby achieving a perfect disguise... These things are 'evolving'."

Mr. Anderson's voice came through the earpiece: "Sorry for the trouble this time, Mr. Di."

"Since you had already determined in advance that this person was problematic, why not resolve it internally?"

Mr. Anderson shrugged, "Once news of a 'Pseudo-Human' appearing within our ranks leaks out, it will inevitably cause widespread panic. We cannot afford to take even a one-in-ten-thousand risk."

"By comparison, an agent being accidentally killed by a criminal during a prison visit sounds much better."

"Is that so?"

Mr. Di suddenly stood up and approached the glass, pressing his entire face against it as if he were about to break through from the inside.

This scene left Mr. Anderson, a seasoned veteran, covered in cold sweat, "Mr. Di, there will certainly be a reward for your assistance~ We have found the item from your last commission."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Di immediately returned to normal, stepped back voluntarily, and his tone became gentle.

"Is that so?"

Mr. Anderson took an exquisite leather-bound notebook from inside his coat; it looked quite aged. "I will make a copy for you right now."

"No need, give me The Original."

Mr. Di was actually clutching a handful of teeth, the very ones he had extracted while examining the corpse earlier.

These sturdy teeth seemed to be embedded between Mr. Di's fingers, serving as a makeshift tool.

With his five fingers pressed against the glass surface, he rotated them in a clockwise circle, and the bulletproof glass was actually cut open to form a circular aperture.

Clatter, clatter~

He extended his arm and dumped the teeth out, letting them roll to Mr. Anderson's feet, before gesturing for him to 'hand it over.'

This action immediately triggered the prison alarm, causing red lights to flash.

However, Mr. Anderson did not retreat; instead, he stepped forward and handed over the diary in his hand.

Having received the diary, Mr. Di instantly became 'well-behaved,' his attention entirely focused on the book.

He immediately reached out to touch the cover, even pressing it against his face to sniff it delicately, as if caressing the skin of a loved one.

"Ah~ no scent of others, and it hasn't been flipped through by anyone else. This is truly wonderful. Many thanks, Mr. Anderson."

The prison visit concluded.

Mr. Anderson took the initiative to explain the situation to the prison authorities, telling them under no circumstances to interfere with Mr. Di reading the diary.

Back in his room, Mr. Di could no longer contain himself. He washed away the bloodstains from his palms and carefully dried them with a towel.

He sat upright at his desk.

Using his index finger, he gently hooked the cover of the diary, his eyes focused on the text within.

[Holder: Luo Di]
[Diary Start: June 10, 2026]
Day One, Weather: Sunny

As each character entered his eyes, Luo Di's thoughts drifted back several years, back to that special and extraordinary high school era.

Sorry to have kept you all waiting.