{The motion-sensor light on the eighteenth floor was still working, illuminating the hallway. The Man in the Black Trench Coat stood at the corner, watching you sitting calmly by the stairwell.}
{You took a bite of a biscuit, then picked up a sealed bottle of water and asked if he needed any, assuring him it wasn't poisoned.}
{The Man in the Black Trench Coat stared at you coldly without responding. You didn't press him. You put the bottle back and asked if you could talk before he killed you, promising not to run and to stay seated right there.}
{He remained silent, eyes still like frozen blades.}
{You asked him if he knew what kind of business the person who hired him was involved in.}
{Still, no reply. Just that icy glare.}
{You revealed the deeds of the mastermind and asked if there was a chance to spare your family, offering to pay double the commission.}
{His eyes grew colder still, patience clearly wearing thin.}
{You nodded, saying you understood. Then asked if he could at least wait until you finished your biscuit.}
{The Man in the Black Trench Coat didn't respond, but he also didn't move to kill you. You nodded again and whispered a thank you.}
{You glanced at the time. It was 12:14 a.m. The rooster's crow hadn't sounded. You placed the final piece of biscuit into your mouth.}
{The Man in the Black Trench Coat flung a steel needle, aiming directly between your eyebrows.}
{You pressed the Pocket Watch hidden in your sleeve. Just 0.01 millimeters before impact, the Man in the Black Trench Coat vanished. The needle vanished. The Pocket Watch was half-destroyed.}
{You stood and walked toward the room where the scout had been stationed on the fifteenth floor.}
{Looking at the scout who had died with eyes wide open, you suddenly felt he looked familiar, like you'd seen him somewhere before.}
{Closing your eyes, you tried to remember. Slowly, the scout's face overlapped with the image of your dad's company boss.}
{You guessed this scout was probably a mid-level operative who discovered some shady actions your dad had taken at work, so he had come here secretly to observe.}
{You searched the scout's body further and found a whistle hanging around his neck. You guessed this was what had been used to mimic the rooster's crow.}
{You also found two phones on him—an old model requiring a passcode, and a smartphone that could be unlocked with fingerprint, face, or password.}
{Using his finger, you unlocked the smartphone. Success. You began combing through it for useful information.}
{Unfortunately, the phone was mostly filled with idle chats and meaningless chatter.}
{Your eyes moved to the older phone, the one needing a passcode.}
{You took out some flour from your backpack and blew it onto the keypad. The flour settled thinly only on the keys 2, 0, 1, and 8.}
{You guessed those four digits were likely the password—and it was a four-digit code.}
{You tried every permutation of those four numbers. There were 24 combinations in total. On the thirteenth attempt, the phone unlocked.}
{You immediately started searching for useful data.}
{You memorized every dialed and received number, then kept digging. Some names and photos caught your attention.}
{These names—you had seen them before, on receipts in your mom's jewelry box.}
{According to the information on the phone, those people had already been sold.}
{The receipts in your mom's jewelry box were likely records of the money made from selling them.}
{You suddenly wondered—why did your mom have those receipts? Were they evidence your dad had gathered undercover, or were they hers?}
{Why had your mom never mentioned these receipts during all your conversations? And your dad... he didn't seem to know they even existed.}
{A chill ran down your spine. Your face filled with disbelief. Could it be that your mom was hiding something even deeper?}
{Suddenly, a cold sensation crept across your back. Could your earlier assumptions be wrong? Had your mom deceived everyone?}
{You once thought the Original Owner simply didn't want to make Mom angry, so the rules revolved around that. But what if the truth was something else?}
{What if the Original Owner wasn't unwilling—but afraid to make Mom angry?}
{Even after becoming the enigmatic, unspeakable force within this Rule Horror, the Original Owner still harbored a deep, soul-searing fear of Mom—etched into his very Spirit.}
{And then there's the matter of Grandma. She left protective items for both you and your sister—but left nothing for your mom. Did Grandma sense something?}
{Grandma gave your sister a mirror that could suppress the awakening of the Bloodthirsty Aberrant Demon. Yet, once your sister received it, she awakened almost immediately. That completely contradicted the mirror's purpose.}
{Moreover, the mirror had a powerful attraction to the Female Ghost.}
{At the time, Grandma clearly knew her own condition was rapidly worsening. Why would she specifically leave the mirror to your sister under such circumstances?}
{Surely, Grandma understood that without her around, your parents wouldn't be able to tell when your sister awakened her Bloodthirsty Aberrant Demon bloodline. So how would they know when to bind her with rope or seal the Female Ghost with tape?}
{At first glance, it seemed like a brilliant, multi-layered plan was ruined by an unexpected accident.}
{But now, looking back—this was a paradox.}
{If Grandma had known her end was near, she wouldn't have orchestrated such a dangerous, uncontrollable situation that could drag the entire family into disaster.}
{It made no sense.}
{Unless... Grandma was sure that your parents would be able to recognize when your sister awakened her bloodline.}
{Your dad, being an in-law, had no blood relation to Grandma. He likely had limited knowledge of the Bloodthirsty Aberrant Demon. So, Grandma must have believed that your mom would be able to recognize it.}
{Otherwise, there's no way such a plan would've been made.}
{If that logic holds true, then your mom must have already awakened the Bloodthirsty Aberrant Demon bloodline long ago.}
{Yet she didn't follow Grandma's plan.}
{So maybe it wasn't that Grandma had overlooked something. Maybe... your mom betrayed her. And that betrayal led to the current disaster.}
{Or worse—maybe everything happening now was part of your mom's grand design.}
{As this terrifying possibility took shape in your mind, sweat beaded on your forehead. Your back was drenched in cold sweat.}
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