Chapter 11: If I Can't Beat Them, I Might as Well Join "Them"
"My mother absolutely couldn't have killed anyone!" Meng Changshou said emphatically. "The forensic pathologist also concluded that it was highly unlikely that my mother was the killer. But on the same day, my mother and my child, Meng Chen, disappeared together."
Leaning against the sofa, Meng Changshou seemed to lose all his strength as he recalled these memories. He struggled to speak. "A few days later, the police found my mother and Chenchen in a refrigerated container in the old city district. Judging by their final positions, my mother was protecting Chenchen. This means that there was another person present at the time, the real killer."
"The old woman isn't the killer, but she intentionally concealed the fact that there were corpses in her shop's freezer. This indicates that she knew the killer and was very familiar with them," Li Xue quickly grasped the key point. "From the way you've described her, I can sense that in your heart, the old lady was a kind person. To make someone like her compromise her principles, the killer must be someone very close to her. Narrowing it down further, the killer could be among the three of you brothers."
"If the old woman simply wanted to conceal things, she wouldn't have been killed in the end." Han Fei gestured to Li Xue, signalling her not to jump to conclusions so soon. "I have a feeling that the old woman was giving the killer a chance to repent, hoping that they would turn themselves in. She gave the killer a week, but she completely underestimated the evil in that person's heart."
"The police had considered all these things before, but they didn't find any evidence. However, shortly after my mother's death, Meng Changxi, my second brother, disappeared. Nobody knows where he went. He vanished without a trace. People in the neighbourhood speculated that he was the killer." The middle-aged man shook his head in anguish. "Although Meng Changxi was introverted and gloomy, I know for sure that he couldn't have done such a thing. In fact, none of us three brothers could have done it! It's ironic that we lost our loved ones, but we are the ones who end up being suspected!"
The middle-aged man's emotions became agitated, and after speaking, he started coughing severely. He reached under the coffee table and took out a large packet of medicine.
"Meng Changxi disappeared like that. If we could find his body, the suspect pool would narrow further. But if we can't find his body, he will likely carry the burden of being labelled a murderer forever." Li Xue saw that the middle-aged man was about to take his medication and poured him a glass of water. "Personally, I don't think Meng Changxi, the second brother, is likely to be the killer. What do you think?"
"I don't know," Han Fei didn't finish his sentence. He planned to personally ask the old woman tonight.
As he looked at the black and white photo of the old woman on the altar, Han Fei's mind was filled with thoughts of the game.
He couldn't simply judge Meng Shi as good or bad. At this moment, he deeply felt the complexity of human nature.
Since Meng Changshou's health was not good, Han Fei and Li Xue didn't want to disturb him further. They left tactfully.
The decade-old unsolved case was now being unearthed. Once a sensational major case, now, apart from the victim's family and the investigating officers, not many people remembered it.
Lost in his thoughts, Han Fei took a few steps before realizing that Li Xue was still standing on the steps and hadn't followed him.
"Do you have something else to do?"
"Today, while I was helping you with the data screening, I noticed a remarkable coincidence. The residence of the deceased, Meng Shi, is in the same building as another victim from a different case. What's even more coincidental is that both murder cases happened ten years ago," Li Xue said as she walked upstairs.
Meng Shi lived on the third floor, and Li Xue led Han Fei to the fourth floor. "Have you ever heard of the Human Puzzle Case from ten years ago?"
"It can't be that coincidental, right?" Han Fei suddenly remembered what Director Jiang had said. The film crew had originally planned to shoot at the crime scene, but the owner had refused, so they ended up changing to No. 15 North Street.
"The perpetrator of the Human Puzzle Case is still at large. The first two victims of that case were discovered on the fourth floor of No. 15 North Street. They were a very loving couple," Li Xue stopped in front of a certain door. "Ten years ago, the police suspected that the killer in the Human Puzzle Case and the killer in the case with the corpses in the freezer were the same person. However, the methods used in the two cases were completely different. If the killer in the freezer case was a psychologically twisted individual, then the killer in the Human Puzzle Case was a full-fledged demon."
Knocking on the door, after about ten seconds, the security door opened a crack.
A thin old man appeared behind the door, frowning as he looked at Li Xue and Han Fei outside. "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm a police officer." Li Xue showed her temporary police officer ID, although it had no legal effect for entering and searching the house. But the old man seemed unaware of this and reluctantly opened the door.
The 70-square-meter room was neatly arranged, and it seemed like the old man cleaned it every day.
Entering the house, the living room walls were adorned with many photos. In the photos, the old man appeared healthy, with a bright smile on his face. It was hard to believe that he and the frail old man before them were the same person.
Apart from the old man, the most frequent appearance in the photos was a young couple. The man was simple and honest, while the woman was gentle and virtuous. They were deeply in love, and every photo exuded happiness.
Beside the photo wall was a display cabinet, filled with LEGO toys behind the glass window.
"Every year, I go to the police station and ask. I don't know how many times I've done it in the past ten years. Have you caught the killer?" The old man's tone carried a hint of despair as he touched the frame on the table, as if he still couldn't accept the cruel reality.
"In fact, I have a few questions I would like to ask you." Li Xue took out her phone and opened several police applications in succession.
Her movements were skilful as she continuously raised doubts, guiding the old man's memories without causing too much pain. Her questioning style and skills were much better than Zhang Xiaotian and Zhao Mingqiang.
While Li Xue was questioning the old man, Han Fei stood quietly by the side, silently looking at the photos on the wall.
The people in the photos were Wei Youfu, the person he was about to portray.
In the Perfect Life game, the old lady lived on the third floor, and Han Fei lived on the fourth floor.
In reality, the old lady also lived on the third floor, while the murder house of the Wei Youfu couple was on the fourth floor.
Although the building layout was slightly different, this astonishing coincidence made Han Fei suspicious. He now doubted whether the ghost he encountered in the game last night was Wei Youfu's wife, the woman who was killed by the killer in the bathroom.
Seemingly unrelated clues converged at this moment, with the point of convergence being Han Fei himself.
Through Li Xue's questioning, Han Fei gained an understanding of Wei Youfu and his family. They could be considered good, decent people.
If they hadn't encountered an unfortunate event, they should have lived happily.
"They weren't malicious people in their lifetime." A bold idea slowly formed in Han Fei's mind. "In order to survive in that underworld game filled with ghosts and monsters, I need a safe home. If I can gain the recognition of Wei Youfu and his wife, I can live with them in the murder house! Then, even though I was originally in a situation where I was doomed to die, I might have a way out!"
People who were already deceased reappeared in the game, whether they were human or ghosts. Han Fei decided to integrate himself into their midst.
His eyes lit up, and Han Fei stood up and sat beside the frail old man.
Under the puzzled gaze of the old man and Li Xue, Han Fei spoke to the old man, "Grandpa, in fact, Youfu is a very good friend of mine. Could you tell me if he had any unfulfilled wishes?"
Leaning against the sofa, Meng Changshou seemed to lose all his strength as he recalled these memories. He struggled to speak. "A few days later, the police found my mother and Chenchen in a refrigerated container in the old city district. Judging by their final positions, my mother was protecting Chenchen. This means that there was another person present at the time, the real killer."
"The old woman isn't the killer, but she intentionally concealed the fact that there were corpses in her shop's freezer. This indicates that she knew the killer and was very familiar with them," Li Xue quickly grasped the key point. "From the way you've described her, I can sense that in your heart, the old lady was a kind person. To make someone like her compromise her principles, the killer must be someone very close to her. Narrowing it down further, the killer could be among the three of you brothers."
"If the old woman simply wanted to conceal things, she wouldn't have been killed in the end." Han Fei gestured to Li Xue, signalling her not to jump to conclusions so soon. "I have a feeling that the old woman was giving the killer a chance to repent, hoping that they would turn themselves in. She gave the killer a week, but she completely underestimated the evil in that person's heart."
"The police had considered all these things before, but they didn't find any evidence. However, shortly after my mother's death, Meng Changxi, my second brother, disappeared. Nobody knows where he went. He vanished without a trace. People in the neighbourhood speculated that he was the killer." The middle-aged man shook his head in anguish. "Although Meng Changxi was introverted and gloomy, I know for sure that he couldn't have done such a thing. In fact, none of us three brothers could have done it! It's ironic that we lost our loved ones, but we are the ones who end up being suspected!"
The middle-aged man's emotions became agitated, and after speaking, he started coughing severely. He reached under the coffee table and took out a large packet of medicine.
"Meng Changxi disappeared like that. If we could find his body, the suspect pool would narrow further. But if we can't find his body, he will likely carry the burden of being labelled a murderer forever." Li Xue saw that the middle-aged man was about to take his medication and poured him a glass of water. "Personally, I don't think Meng Changxi, the second brother, is likely to be the killer. What do you think?"
"I don't know," Han Fei didn't finish his sentence. He planned to personally ask the old woman tonight.
As he looked at the black and white photo of the old woman on the altar, Han Fei's mind was filled with thoughts of the game.
He couldn't simply judge Meng Shi as good or bad. At this moment, he deeply felt the complexity of human nature.
Since Meng Changshou's health was not good, Han Fei and Li Xue didn't want to disturb him further. They left tactfully.
The decade-old unsolved case was now being unearthed. Once a sensational major case, now, apart from the victim's family and the investigating officers, not many people remembered it.
Lost in his thoughts, Han Fei took a few steps before realizing that Li Xue was still standing on the steps and hadn't followed him.
"Do you have something else to do?"
"Today, while I was helping you with the data screening, I noticed a remarkable coincidence. The residence of the deceased, Meng Shi, is in the same building as another victim from a different case. What's even more coincidental is that both murder cases happened ten years ago," Li Xue said as she walked upstairs.
Meng Shi lived on the third floor, and Li Xue led Han Fei to the fourth floor. "Have you ever heard of the Human Puzzle Case from ten years ago?"
"It can't be that coincidental, right?" Han Fei suddenly remembered what Director Jiang had said. The film crew had originally planned to shoot at the crime scene, but the owner had refused, so they ended up changing to No. 15 North Street.
"The perpetrator of the Human Puzzle Case is still at large. The first two victims of that case were discovered on the fourth floor of No. 15 North Street. They were a very loving couple," Li Xue stopped in front of a certain door. "Ten years ago, the police suspected that the killer in the Human Puzzle Case and the killer in the case with the corpses in the freezer were the same person. However, the methods used in the two cases were completely different. If the killer in the freezer case was a psychologically twisted individual, then the killer in the Human Puzzle Case was a full-fledged demon."
Knocking on the door, after about ten seconds, the security door opened a crack.
A thin old man appeared behind the door, frowning as he looked at Li Xue and Han Fei outside. "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm a police officer." Li Xue showed her temporary police officer ID, although it had no legal effect for entering and searching the house. But the old man seemed unaware of this and reluctantly opened the door.
The 70-square-meter room was neatly arranged, and it seemed like the old man cleaned it every day.
Entering the house, the living room walls were adorned with many photos. In the photos, the old man appeared healthy, with a bright smile on his face. It was hard to believe that he and the frail old man before them were the same person.
Apart from the old man, the most frequent appearance in the photos was a young couple. The man was simple and honest, while the woman was gentle and virtuous. They were deeply in love, and every photo exuded happiness.
Beside the photo wall was a display cabinet, filled with LEGO toys behind the glass window.
"Every year, I go to the police station and ask. I don't know how many times I've done it in the past ten years. Have you caught the killer?" The old man's tone carried a hint of despair as he touched the frame on the table, as if he still couldn't accept the cruel reality.
"In fact, I have a few questions I would like to ask you." Li Xue took out her phone and opened several police applications in succession.
Her movements were skilful as she continuously raised doubts, guiding the old man's memories without causing too much pain. Her questioning style and skills were much better than Zhang Xiaotian and Zhao Mingqiang.
While Li Xue was questioning the old man, Han Fei stood quietly by the side, silently looking at the photos on the wall.
The people in the photos were Wei Youfu, the person he was about to portray.
In the Perfect Life game, the old lady lived on the third floor, and Han Fei lived on the fourth floor.
In reality, the old lady also lived on the third floor, while the murder house of the Wei Youfu couple was on the fourth floor.
Although the building layout was slightly different, this astonishing coincidence made Han Fei suspicious. He now doubted whether the ghost he encountered in the game last night was Wei Youfu's wife, the woman who was killed by the killer in the bathroom.
Seemingly unrelated clues converged at this moment, with the point of convergence being Han Fei himself.
Through Li Xue's questioning, Han Fei gained an understanding of Wei Youfu and his family. They could be considered good, decent people.
If they hadn't encountered an unfortunate event, they should have lived happily.
"They weren't malicious people in their lifetime." A bold idea slowly formed in Han Fei's mind. "In order to survive in that underworld game filled with ghosts and monsters, I need a safe home. If I can gain the recognition of Wei Youfu and his wife, I can live with them in the murder house! Then, even though I was originally in a situation where I was doomed to die, I might have a way out!"
People who were already deceased reappeared in the game, whether they were human or ghosts. Han Fei decided to integrate himself into their midst.
His eyes lit up, and Han Fei stood up and sat beside the frail old man.
Under the puzzled gaze of the old man and Li Xue, Han Fei spoke to the old man, "Grandpa, in fact, Youfu is a very good friend of mine. Could you tell me if he had any unfulfilled wishes?"
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