The video began.

The initial footage was shaky and unstable, likely because the cameraman was holding the camera by hand.

Soon after, the camera must have been placed somewhere, as the image stabilized.

At this point, the frame showed a long-haired girl lying on a bed.

Her clothes were intact.

After maintaining this shot for over ten seconds, barking sounds emerged from the video.

Then, a figure crawling on all fours, wearing a yellow dog-skin suit with a crude human-face mask, appeared in the frame.

It was exactly the same eerie creature Xiao Q and the others had seen in the surveillance footage earlier today.

The figure crawled around on the floor before eventually climbing onto the bed.

Mimicking a dog's behavior, it sniffed all over the girl's body—starting from her feet, slowly moving up her calves, thighs, stomach, and finally reaching her face concealed by long hair.

Then, it used its face to push aside all the hair covering the girl's face.

The girl's face was revealed.

At this exact moment, Xiao Peng abruptly stood up.

He strode right up to the TV, getting so close his eyeballs almost bulged out of their sockets.

He stared fixedly at the girl's face in the video.

"Xiao Nuo!"

"It's Xiao Nuo!"

Xiao Peng gritted his teeth.

Xiao Q, sitting on the sofa, also realized the girl in the video was Xiao Nuo, though he didn't react as intensely as Xiao Peng—after all, she wasn't his girlfriend.

Beside him, Ke Bei had his right hand against his face, leaning forward intently.

He seemed to be carefully memorizing the girl's features.

The video continued.

The human-face mask—who knows where it was bought—was not only shoddy but also ugly in a repulsive way.

The mask had holes for eyes and nostrils.

An especially large opening was made for the mouth.

Through this mouth hole, the dog impersonator stuck out a red tongue and proceeded to lick Xiao Nuo's relatively pale face like a dog.

Left cheek, right cheek, lips, nose, eyes, forehead...

Soon, Xiao Nuo's entire face was covered in his saliva.

Xiao Peng was seething with rage.

He completely overlooked something strange.

The dog impersonator's tongue was unusually long—not the slender, forked kind like a snake's, but thick and lengthy.

After about ten minutes of licking, the dog impersonator finally took the next step!

He suddenly stood up on all fours on the bed.

Facing the sky outside the balcony, he let out loud barks: "Woof! Woof! Woof!"

Then, imitating certain dogs' howling behavior, he threw his head back and let out a deep, prolonged howl.

Immediately after, he abruptly pounced on Xiao Nuo's neck, biting down hard with his wide-open mouth.

Instantly, the blood vessels in Xiao Nuo's neck burst like ruptured pipes.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Xiao Nuo didn't scream in pain—she merely twisted and convulsed slightly.

This lasted for three minutes.

After three minutes, the dog impersonator—now covered in blood on his face and body—turned to face the camera.

He emitted a sinister "Heh heh heh" laugh.

The laughter was eerie, cold, and carried a hint of triumph.

It was the kind of laugh that, once heard, would be hard to forget—as if branded into one's memory.

The video ended here.

The end of the video also marked the end of Xiao Nuo's life.

Even without medical expertise, anyone could tell from the neck wound in the video and the endless gush of blood staining the bed and floor that Xiao Nuo was beyond saving.

"Damn it!"

Xiao Peng angrily stomped the ground with his right foot.

Then, clenching both fists, his entire body tensed up. His teeth ground against each other with such force that they produced a grating "zizi" sound.

One could easily imagine that if the dog impersonator appeared before Xiao Peng now, Xiao Peng would hack him to death just like how the tall male student had killed Lin Shengli.

Meanwhile, Xiao Q and Ke Bei on the sofa remained silent for a long time after watching the video.

Finally, Ke Bei spoke:

"This video tells us at least four things."

"First: Xiao Nuo is dead, and the murderer is this dog impersonator—let's call him the Dog Man."

"Second: During the attack, even when her neck was bitten through like that, Xiao Nuo showed little reaction. The Dog Man must have heavily sedated her."

"Third: This Dog Man is undoubtedly a psychopath who enjoys filming his crimes and sending the videos to people connected to the victims."

"Fourth: The Dog Man has definitely been observing you all for a long time and is familiar with your interpersonal relationships."

Ke Bei listed these four points.

Xiao Peng turned around, his eyes bloodshot: "Is this a provocation? Damn it, I'm calling the police right now! Unless he's left this apartment, I'll chop him into pieces!!!"

Xiao Q stopped him again: "Xiao Peng, look—you're getting worked up again."

Xiao Peng roared: "How is this getting worked up?! We have the damn crime footage right here! This is undeniable evidence!!! Why not call the police?! Let them search this place—I refuse to believe they won't find him!!!"

Xiao Q shook his head helplessly: "Xiao Peng, calm down. The reason I'm stopping you from calling the police is the same as the previous two times."

"This apartment situation isn't something the police can handle."

"If they could, why would we be investigating on our own?"

"We can only rely on ourselves."

"The forces behind this are too powerful."

"I feel like this is just the apartment's backers' sick entertainment—watching ordinary people like us fight against these psychotic criminals."

Xiao Peng was on the verge of breaking down. Just an ordinary college student, he now found himself trapped in this bizarre vortex.

Though he had entered it willingly.

He said: "Rely on ourselves? Catch the Dog Man first, then call the police? Like with Lin Shengli? How's that different from calling the police first?"

At this moment, Xiao Q's eyes suddenly turned icy cold, as if he'd become a different person.

It sent chills down Xiao Peng's spine.

Xiao Q said: "No, no, Xiao Peng. Haven't you noticed something?"

Xiao Peng asked: "What?"

Xiao Q: "Do you remember how many times we've called the police?"

Xiao Peng thought for a moment: "Twice. First time was for Lin Shengli who assaulted Wang Ju."

"Second time was when those two foreigners chased us with chainsaws."

Xiao Q: "Didn't you notice anything odd about these two police reports?"

Xiao Peng shook his head: "Stop playing detective games with me. Just tell me directly!"