As the elevator door slowly closed, Lin Mo adjusted his tie against the metal panel. Behind him in his reflection stood a woman in her wedding gown, yet he was clearly the only one in the elevator. Strange ripples rippled across the metal surface, and the reflection itself raised its hand, pressing its bright red nails against Lin Mo's neck.

"Ms. Zhou," he winked at his reflection, his fingers stealthily finding the brass lock at his waist. "You're acting like an invigilator. I'm so stressed out. How about we talk about that blood-stained cheongsam of yours? I heard it's Suzhou embroidery from the Republican era..."

"Ding—"

The elevator suddenly jolted violently, and the floor indicator light began to flicker like crazy. Lin Mo glimpsed a dark red liquid seeping from the button panel, the numbers flickering wildly between "13" and "14"—finally settling on "18," even though the Zheng Building clearly only had 17 floors. "That's boring." Lin Mo curled his lips, pulled a snuff bottle from his inner pocket, and poured some incense ash (the ashes of burnt soul-soothing incense, which has a calming effect on spirits) onto the elevator buttons. As the grayish-white powder touched the buttons, it immediately emitted a sizzling sound, like a red-hot iron being dipped into cold water.

The elevator suddenly paused, then resumed normal operation. Lin Mo's reflection suddenly curled his lips, slowly scratching the mirror with his fingernail. Drops of water gathered along the scratches to form the words:

"He used mercury."