Chapter 21: The Three Brothers
Han Fei didn't immediately accept the mission to find Chenchen because it wasn't the right time yet.
He had just logged in and couldn't freely exit the game. If he were caught by Ku now, even the thought of dying would be a luxury.
In fact, Han Fei had already planned everything in his mind. Before accepting the mission to find Chenchen, he wanted to complete another task in advance and stay for at least three hours.
By then, he would be able to exit the game at any time, giving him a lifeline.
Han Fei, as if he hadn't heard the prompt in his mind, helped Meng Shi sit down in the living room chair and said, "Auntie, don't worry too much. I will find a way to rescue Chenchen."
"I'm worried about you now. Sacrificing others' happiness for the sake of saving your own family, I don't want to make such a mistake again!" The old woman seemed to be under immense pressure, feeling greatly tormented.
Han Fei sensed the underlying meaning in the old woman's words, but he pretended not to understand. "You just saved my life a moment ago. Even a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring, let alone saving someone's life!"
Seeing Han Fei's sincere expression, the old woman slowly lowered her head. It seemed that she was reminded of something from the past, and her eyes carried a hint of guilt. "You are a good child. Wait here for a moment, I'll fetch something for you."
The old woman entered her locked bedroom and searched for a while before coming out with a worn-out jade pendant in her hand.
"I don't have much valuable stuff at home. This little jade pendant was left by my mother. When I was a child, I was afraid to walk in the dark, but when I wore this, my heart would feel at ease." The old woman handed the jade pendant to Han Fei. "If you don't wear this, I won't agree to let you do something so dangerous."
Seeing the old woman's firm stance, Han Fei reluctantly accepted the jade pendant.
As he touched the jade pendant, the voice in his mind sounded again.
"Player with ID 0000, please take note! You have obtained a G-grade item, Meng Shi's Talisman."
"Meng Shi's Talisman, G-grade common item: A talisman prepared by Meng Shi's mother for her."
The description was brief, and Han Fei wasn't sure of the specific function of the jade pendant, but he remembered that most talismans were used for warding off evil spirits.
Obtaining an item for free, Han Fei felt somewhat embarrassed. "Auntie, I don't want to take your belongings for nothing. Think of something else for me to do."
"There's nothing else to do."
"I feel bad for taking your things without giving anything in return. Let me help you with something. I can fix the fuse if it's burned out again. I'll do it for you!" Han Fei wanted to receive another task from Meng Shi. "I noticed you have candles lit without turning on the lights. Did the fuse blow again?"
"No, it's better not to turn on the lights now. Only the fire can expose Ku."
"Then let me help you tidy up the room! Sweep the floor, mop, clean the windows—anything you need!" Han Fei began to prove through actions that he was dedicated to helping the old woman clean, reaching places that she couldn't normally clean.
At this moment, he gave off an impression of being genuine, passionate, naive, and straightforward. Meng Shi's friendliness towards him continued to increase.
The old woman watched Han Fei bustling around the house, and her gaze gradually softened. She had a benevolent expression, as if she were looking at her own grandson. "Why don't you sit with me and chat? My children are all out of town, and they haven't come back for a long time. The house is always so empty."
"Player with ID 0000, please take note! Meng Shi's friendliness level has reached friendly! Triggering G-grade common quest 'Listen and Accompany'! Will you accept the quest?"
Han Fei had been waiting for this moment. He decisively chose to accept.
He brought over a chair and sat next to the old woman.
At first, Meng Shi talked about everyday life, but gradually, she began to recall things from many years ago.
"There was a woman who adopted three children for various reasons. The eldest child was honest, without much talent or malicious intentions."
"The second child was an abandoned baby she found at the hospital. His face was somewhat deformed, but he was exceptionally intelligent. Among the three brothers, he was the gentlest and kindest."
"The third child was very mischievous, completely different in character from the eldest and second child. If someone hit him, he had to retaliate with a kick. Because the third child often got into fights, the woman would scold him, but that child never once felt that he did anything wrong."
"After being scolded by the woman, the third child would run out of the house. He liked to burn ants and break earthworms in half, watching them squirm."
"Whenever the third child ran out, the woman would silently follow behind him. Among the three brothers, the one she loved and worried about the most was the third child."
"The second child was very intelligent, but he never showed it. Even if he could score full marks, he would deliberately keep his grades average. The third child was completely different. He always wanted to be the first, he was competitive and ruthless to others, even more so to himself."
"As the days went by, the three children grew up and became sensible. The woman thought she could finally enjoy a good life, but she didn't expect that the second and third child would fall in love with the same person."
"The second child was the first to get married, and the woman couldn't understand why the slightly deformed faced second child was the most popular."
"When the second child held his wedding in their hometown, the third child was always helping out in the kitchen. He single-handedly slaughtered all the chickens, ducks, and fish for the banquet."
"The third child never showed up at the wedding and never spoke to the second child."
"After returning home, everything returned to normal, and the third child's temper improved a lot. But the woman had a vague sense of foreboding."
"Not long after, the woman found a crow's corpse in the refrigerated truck the eldest child used to transport cold drinks."
"The easy-going eldest child didn't take it seriously, but the woman felt something was off. She suspected that someone else had used the truck."
"The crow's corpse seemed like a bad omen."
"The woman started paying attention and found feathers of birds, fur from animals, and faint traces of blood appearing in the truck one after another."
"She would disinfect and clean the truck repeatedly, but before long, those things would reappear."
"She checked the truck's tracking device and found that someone had tampered with it. Nothing could be shown. To find out, she had a friend install a small tracking device inside the carriage."
"Later, the woman discovered that the truck always went to a certain place. On a night when the three brothers hadn't come home, the woman decided to follow the truck and see what was going on."
"Based on the location shown on the tracker, she arrived at an abandoned villa on the outskirts of the old city. Once she entered the villa, she saw her three children fighting each other."
The old woman's voice trembled as she reached this point. "She also saw a dead body not far from the three children."
She didn't continue speaking and covered her chest. She seemed to be in great discomfort.
Hearing the old woman's words, Han Fei was also shocked. He had initially thought that only one of the three brothers was the culprit, but now he realized that all three of them were involved!
Leaving aside the second and third brothers, even the seemingly ordinary eldest brother had successfully deceived Han Fei and Li Xue when they came to investigate.
He had just logged in and couldn't freely exit the game. If he were caught by Ku now, even the thought of dying would be a luxury.
In fact, Han Fei had already planned everything in his mind. Before accepting the mission to find Chenchen, he wanted to complete another task in advance and stay for at least three hours.
By then, he would be able to exit the game at any time, giving him a lifeline.
Han Fei, as if he hadn't heard the prompt in his mind, helped Meng Shi sit down in the living room chair and said, "Auntie, don't worry too much. I will find a way to rescue Chenchen."
"I'm worried about you now. Sacrificing others' happiness for the sake of saving your own family, I don't want to make such a mistake again!" The old woman seemed to be under immense pressure, feeling greatly tormented.
Han Fei sensed the underlying meaning in the old woman's words, but he pretended not to understand. "You just saved my life a moment ago. Even a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring, let alone saving someone's life!"
Seeing Han Fei's sincere expression, the old woman slowly lowered her head. It seemed that she was reminded of something from the past, and her eyes carried a hint of guilt. "You are a good child. Wait here for a moment, I'll fetch something for you."
The old woman entered her locked bedroom and searched for a while before coming out with a worn-out jade pendant in her hand.
"I don't have much valuable stuff at home. This little jade pendant was left by my mother. When I was a child, I was afraid to walk in the dark, but when I wore this, my heart would feel at ease." The old woman handed the jade pendant to Han Fei. "If you don't wear this, I won't agree to let you do something so dangerous."
Seeing the old woman's firm stance, Han Fei reluctantly accepted the jade pendant.
As he touched the jade pendant, the voice in his mind sounded again.
"Player with ID 0000, please take note! You have obtained a G-grade item, Meng Shi's Talisman."
"Meng Shi's Talisman, G-grade common item: A talisman prepared by Meng Shi's mother for her."
The description was brief, and Han Fei wasn't sure of the specific function of the jade pendant, but he remembered that most talismans were used for warding off evil spirits.
Obtaining an item for free, Han Fei felt somewhat embarrassed. "Auntie, I don't want to take your belongings for nothing. Think of something else for me to do."
"There's nothing else to do."
"I feel bad for taking your things without giving anything in return. Let me help you with something. I can fix the fuse if it's burned out again. I'll do it for you!" Han Fei wanted to receive another task from Meng Shi. "I noticed you have candles lit without turning on the lights. Did the fuse blow again?"
"No, it's better not to turn on the lights now. Only the fire can expose Ku."
"Then let me help you tidy up the room! Sweep the floor, mop, clean the windows—anything you need!" Han Fei began to prove through actions that he was dedicated to helping the old woman clean, reaching places that she couldn't normally clean.
At this moment, he gave off an impression of being genuine, passionate, naive, and straightforward. Meng Shi's friendliness towards him continued to increase.
The old woman watched Han Fei bustling around the house, and her gaze gradually softened. She had a benevolent expression, as if she were looking at her own grandson. "Why don't you sit with me and chat? My children are all out of town, and they haven't come back for a long time. The house is always so empty."
"Player with ID 0000, please take note! Meng Shi's friendliness level has reached friendly! Triggering G-grade common quest 'Listen and Accompany'! Will you accept the quest?"
Han Fei had been waiting for this moment. He decisively chose to accept.
He brought over a chair and sat next to the old woman.
At first, Meng Shi talked about everyday life, but gradually, she began to recall things from many years ago.
"There was a woman who adopted three children for various reasons. The eldest child was honest, without much talent or malicious intentions."
"The second child was an abandoned baby she found at the hospital. His face was somewhat deformed, but he was exceptionally intelligent. Among the three brothers, he was the gentlest and kindest."
"The third child was very mischievous, completely different in character from the eldest and second child. If someone hit him, he had to retaliate with a kick. Because the third child often got into fights, the woman would scold him, but that child never once felt that he did anything wrong."
"After being scolded by the woman, the third child would run out of the house. He liked to burn ants and break earthworms in half, watching them squirm."
"Whenever the third child ran out, the woman would silently follow behind him. Among the three brothers, the one she loved and worried about the most was the third child."
"The second child was very intelligent, but he never showed it. Even if he could score full marks, he would deliberately keep his grades average. The third child was completely different. He always wanted to be the first, he was competitive and ruthless to others, even more so to himself."
"As the days went by, the three children grew up and became sensible. The woman thought she could finally enjoy a good life, but she didn't expect that the second and third child would fall in love with the same person."
"The second child was the first to get married, and the woman couldn't understand why the slightly deformed faced second child was the most popular."
"When the second child held his wedding in their hometown, the third child was always helping out in the kitchen. He single-handedly slaughtered all the chickens, ducks, and fish for the banquet."
"The third child never showed up at the wedding and never spoke to the second child."
"After returning home, everything returned to normal, and the third child's temper improved a lot. But the woman had a vague sense of foreboding."
"Not long after, the woman found a crow's corpse in the refrigerated truck the eldest child used to transport cold drinks."
"The easy-going eldest child didn't take it seriously, but the woman felt something was off. She suspected that someone else had used the truck."
"The crow's corpse seemed like a bad omen."
"The woman started paying attention and found feathers of birds, fur from animals, and faint traces of blood appearing in the truck one after another."
"She would disinfect and clean the truck repeatedly, but before long, those things would reappear."
"She checked the truck's tracking device and found that someone had tampered with it. Nothing could be shown. To find out, she had a friend install a small tracking device inside the carriage."
"Later, the woman discovered that the truck always went to a certain place. On a night when the three brothers hadn't come home, the woman decided to follow the truck and see what was going on."
"Based on the location shown on the tracker, she arrived at an abandoned villa on the outskirts of the old city. Once she entered the villa, she saw her three children fighting each other."
The old woman's voice trembled as she reached this point. "She also saw a dead body not far from the three children."
She didn't continue speaking and covered her chest. She seemed to be in great discomfort.
Hearing the old woman's words, Han Fei was also shocked. He had initially thought that only one of the three brothers was the culprit, but now he realized that all three of them were involved!
Leaving aside the second and third brothers, even the seemingly ordinary eldest brother had successfully deceived Han Fei and Li Xue when they came to investigate.
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