At six in the morning, the sun peeked through the clouds at the horizon, its golden rays soon to bathe the earth. American detective Mike currently stood on the rooftop of Alice Apartment, smoking a cigarette.

The ground was littered with over a dozen cigarette butts, evidence that he had been smoking alone here for quite some time. After failing to track down Robert last night, he hadn't frantically continued his search. Instead, he returned to Zhou Wu and Shen Xing's bridal suite to sleep. At five in the morning, after washing up, he came to the rooftop and had been smoking here ever since.

The time now was 6:10 AM. A long text message appeared on his phone, sent from overseas. The message read:

[Mike, I visited Robert at Prometheus Prison as you requested. Video attached.]

Before sleeping last night, Mike had asked his friend in Maple Country to visit Robert in prison. Of course, not just anyone could visit - this friend was no ordinary person. The friend successfully visited Robert and secretly recorded the meeting, sending the video to Mike.

Mike opened the video. The footage was clear, showing the friend was skilled at covert recording. In the video, Robert sat arrogantly on a chair, smirking without restraint as he talked freely with Mike's friend. The friend's face wasn't visible since it was shot from their perspective.

After watching the video three times, Mike confirmed one thing: "This Robert in prison is fake."

Though the imposter looked nearly identical to the real Robert - with similar hairstyle, voice, and mannerisms - Mike could tell it was an act. A convincing performance, but still a performance. This meant the Robert he saw in the apartment yesterday was undoubtedly the real one.

While Mike had already been certain yesterday, he always required one hundred percent proof rather than relying on hunches. Now, he felt himself sinking into a dark whirlpool. How could a notorious serial killer who terrorized Maple Country be secretly swapped out? What kind of person or organization could pull this off?

As he finished his current cigarette and reached for another, the elevator dozens of meters away suddenly activated. It had been on the sixth floor, descended to the second, then rose continuously until reaching the ninth floor, approaching the tenth.

Mike expected it to stop at the tenth floor, but instead it came all the way to the rooftop. "Who is it? It's barely past six. From my observations these past few days, no one usually comes up this early."

Leaning relaxed against the rooftop railing, Mike immediately tensed up, his gaze shifting between the elevator and nearby staircase - the two access points to the rooftop.

Ding! The elevator arrived, its doors slowly opening to reveal a pale young man in his twenties. Mike studied him carefully. The young man was exceptionally pale.

Watching as the pale youth approached and stopped two and a half meters away, Mike pocketed his unlit cigarette. Clearly, this young man had come specifically for him. Only an idiot wouldn't realize that.

"Looking for me?" Mike asked.

The pale youth nodded. "You're investigating this apartment, right? Investigating Zhou Wu and his father's disappearance? I'm here to give you clues."

Mike's already tense body stiffened further. He didn't know this young man - hadn't even met him before today. So how did he know about the investigation? Normally, only Manager Xiao Zhang in the apartment should be aware.

"Who are you?" Mike squinted as he asked.

The pale youth replied calmly, "My name is Bai Ze."

"If you trust me, go to Room 1001. You'll find the answers you want there, including the secrets of this apartment. Though given your skills as America's tenth-ranked detective, you've probably already figured most of it out - just missing some details."

This sudden appearance and string of key information left even the experienced detective momentarily bewildered. But a seasoned detective was still a seasoned detective. His next question wasn't about how Bai Ze knew his investigation details or identity, nor whether he was being watched, or whether to believe him.

Instead, he cut to the core: "Why are you telling me this?" Skipping trivialities to ask the essential question - why help a complete stranger?

Bai Ze answered, "Because we entered this apartment with the same purpose. You're investigating two disappearances. I'm investigating one."

With that terse reply, Bai Ze turned and left without caring whether the American believed him.

Mike remained on the rooftop for another ten minutes before taking the elevator to the first floor and leaving Alice Apartment. He returned an hour later carrying something, went straight to the tenth floor, and pretended to casually walk around the hallway. After ensuring no one was around, he installed the object - a pinhole camera aimed at Room 1001 and the entire tenth floor hallway. Actually, Mike installed five cameras, which was why he had left earlier - to acquire surveillance equipment.

After completing this, he left the tenth floor and checked his phone, where he could now monitor all five cameras. For a detective like Mike, one principle was paramount: trust but verify. Any lead must be confirmed before acting. If he had rashly entered Room 1001 just because Bai Ze suggested it, he might have walked into a trap. Therefore, thorough investigation was essential before entering.

Meanwhile, inside Room 1001, a pungent stench persistently permeated the entire space.