Chapter 27: The Emerging Truth
"I have never told anyone this secret. It may be the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life."
Meng Shi unlocked the bedroom door and led Han Fei inside.
The bedroom was not large, with a single bed placed in it. On the other side of the bed was a huge freezer covered with a thick black cloth.
The lighting was dim, and the bedroom curtains were nailed to the wall, making it impossible to see inside from outside.
"I told you a story before, about a woman who adopted three children. That woman was actually me." Guilt and unease tormented the old woman, and it was only after experiencing a life-threatening situation that she decided to reveal the truth. "That day, I followed them secretly to the outskirts and watched as the three brothers fought next to a corpse, hurling insults at each other. It was then that I realized their apparent harmony was just a facade for my sake."
The old woman, her hands bony and frail, grabbed the black cloth on the freezer. "The youngest brother started behaving abnormally early on. He progressed from burning ants and catching earthworms to torturing stray cats and dogs. It seemed like he couldn't release his emotions like a normal person and had to rely on specific behaviours to stimulate himself."
"The abnormality of the youngest brother was known to the eldest and second eldest. They tried to help him privately so as not to worry me."
"The eldest brother looked for a psychologist for the youngest brother who was still in school, while the second eldest helped clean up after the youngest brother. They gave him many chances, but endless preaching couldn't change him."
"Until that day, the tragedy happened. The youngest brother killed a homeless man living in an abandoned villa."
"The first one to notice something was wrong was the second eldest. He had become accustomed to cleaning up after his younger brother, but when he discovered that it was a human corpse, he was completely stunned."
"The second eldest angrily accused his brother of being a devil, saying that someone like him shouldn't exist in this world."
Kneeling in front of the corpse, the youngest brother didn't show much remorse. He even excitedly told the second eldest that he would soon prove that he wasn't sick and that he had found the butterfly that had been lingering in the depths of his mind. He believed it would all be worth it once he found that butterfly, which he considered to have the most beautiful colours in the world."
As she spoke of the past, the old woman's voice began to tremble. She silently lifted the black cloth on the freezer.
"The butterfly that lingers in the depths of his mind? Is the youngest brother suffering from a mental illness? Does he hallucinate?" Han Fei sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed.
"The youngest brother always said that there was a butterfly in his mind that he could feel but couldn't find. That butterfly led him forward, and whenever its wings fluttered, he would feel an uncontrollable urge to kill. As the urge grew stronger, he got closer and closer to that butterfly. He said it had the most beautiful colours in the world." The old woman struggled to open the freezer, and a cold air rushed out.
Han Fei investigated the freezer and saw rotten books placed inside.
"Auntie, why did you keep books in the refrigerator?"
The old woman didn't answer. She reached out and took a book from the refrigerator, revealing the frozen face underneath. "These books belonged to the youngest brother, and the person beneath the books is one of his victims."
Setting the book aside, the old woman knelt beside the freezer. "That day, as I watched the three brothers fighting and hurting each other, my heart ached. I felt that everything was my fault."
Guilt, self-blame, and pain caused the old woman's voice to gradually weaken. "I rushed forward to stop them, and when they saw me, the three children were surprised. Even the youngest brother, who had been arguing with his eldest brother, lowered his head."
"I urged the youngest brother to turn himself in, and the eldest and second eldest decided to report it to the police. During the whole process, the youngest brother didn't say a word. It was only at the end that he told us something: that someone had induced him to commit the murders."
"He couldn't tell us who that person was. He said that if he knew the name, everyone's life would be in danger. He also said that soon there would be a series of serial murders in the old city district. All of this was to find the butterfly in his mind."
"As family, we wanted to believe the youngest brother, but committing murder can never be forgiven, no matter the reason. In the end, the eldest and second eldest decided to give the youngest brother one week to prove the existence of that person."
"The abandoned villa in the outskirts is home to many homeless people and scavengers, as well as fugitives and illegal immigrants. It's easy for bodies to be discovered here, so we used a refrigerated truck to transport them to the freezer."
"I can't remember what happened afterward. There's a gap in my memory. All I remember is that the three children left me, and I stayed here, guarding this corpse, waiting for the youngest brother to turn himself in."
The old woman still didn't remember that she was already dead. This situation, where she would exhibit these behaviours, was likely caused by the game's manipulation.
"The youngest brother claimed that someone induced him to commit murder and predicted a series of serial murders in the old city district. It seems that he knew about the human jigsaw puzzle!" Han Fei knew that the three brothers were still alive, and something must have happened to them.
"I feel that the three brothers are in great danger." Han Fei shifted his gaze and noticed the book that had been covering the face of the deceased. The book was titled "The Butterfly of the Soul" and was written by one of the pioneers of neurology in the last century. The cover of the book also had the following quote:
"Like an entomologist endlessly pursuing the colourful and beautiful butterfly, I am deeply drawn to the backyard of the neural grey matter. There, elegant and exquisite cells reside, as well as the enigmatic butterfly of the soul. Who knows? Perhaps one day, when it flaps its wings, it will unveil the mysterious veil of the mental world. - Ramon Cathal."
"The Butterfly of the Soul? Could it be that when I entered the game, my thoughts and soul were riding on that butterfly, flying in the underworld?" Han Fei knew nothing about the game. He was still in the most basic survival stage, and it was useless to think about so much. The immediate priority was to continue levelling up.
"Auntie, if the youngest brother has killed someone, he should face punishment. By protecting him, you're only turning him into a monster who is neither human nor ghost, and more people will suffer at his hands." Han Fei closed the freezer. He had already decided to bring justice to the youngest brother in the real world. Perhaps, for the old woman, it would also be a form of release.
"A life is lost, and the murderer escapes punishment. Regardless of the reasons, this is unfair in my eyes." Han Fei and Meng Shi's friendliness had reached a very high level, so he wasn't worried about lowering it with his
words. "This freezer, which appears to be sealing a corpse, is actually sealing away generations of your family's happiness and beauty. I think it's time for you to let go."
As he looked at the old woman kneeling beside the freezer, Han Fei couldn't help but think of the tenant in the haunted house. His gaze drifted off, and he murmured, "In this game called 'Perfect Life,' it seems there is no life that is truly perfect."
Meng Shi unlocked the bedroom door and led Han Fei inside.
The bedroom was not large, with a single bed placed in it. On the other side of the bed was a huge freezer covered with a thick black cloth.
The lighting was dim, and the bedroom curtains were nailed to the wall, making it impossible to see inside from outside.
"I told you a story before, about a woman who adopted three children. That woman was actually me." Guilt and unease tormented the old woman, and it was only after experiencing a life-threatening situation that she decided to reveal the truth. "That day, I followed them secretly to the outskirts and watched as the three brothers fought next to a corpse, hurling insults at each other. It was then that I realized their apparent harmony was just a facade for my sake."
The old woman, her hands bony and frail, grabbed the black cloth on the freezer. "The youngest brother started behaving abnormally early on. He progressed from burning ants and catching earthworms to torturing stray cats and dogs. It seemed like he couldn't release his emotions like a normal person and had to rely on specific behaviours to stimulate himself."
"The abnormality of the youngest brother was known to the eldest and second eldest. They tried to help him privately so as not to worry me."
"The eldest brother looked for a psychologist for the youngest brother who was still in school, while the second eldest helped clean up after the youngest brother. They gave him many chances, but endless preaching couldn't change him."
"Until that day, the tragedy happened. The youngest brother killed a homeless man living in an abandoned villa."
"The first one to notice something was wrong was the second eldest. He had become accustomed to cleaning up after his younger brother, but when he discovered that it was a human corpse, he was completely stunned."
"The second eldest angrily accused his brother of being a devil, saying that someone like him shouldn't exist in this world."
Kneeling in front of the corpse, the youngest brother didn't show much remorse. He even excitedly told the second eldest that he would soon prove that he wasn't sick and that he had found the butterfly that had been lingering in the depths of his mind. He believed it would all be worth it once he found that butterfly, which he considered to have the most beautiful colours in the world."
As she spoke of the past, the old woman's voice began to tremble. She silently lifted the black cloth on the freezer.
"The butterfly that lingers in the depths of his mind? Is the youngest brother suffering from a mental illness? Does he hallucinate?" Han Fei sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed.
"The youngest brother always said that there was a butterfly in his mind that he could feel but couldn't find. That butterfly led him forward, and whenever its wings fluttered, he would feel an uncontrollable urge to kill. As the urge grew stronger, he got closer and closer to that butterfly. He said it had the most beautiful colours in the world." The old woman struggled to open the freezer, and a cold air rushed out.
Han Fei investigated the freezer and saw rotten books placed inside.
"Auntie, why did you keep books in the refrigerator?"
The old woman didn't answer. She reached out and took a book from the refrigerator, revealing the frozen face underneath. "These books belonged to the youngest brother, and the person beneath the books is one of his victims."
Setting the book aside, the old woman knelt beside the freezer. "That day, as I watched the three brothers fighting and hurting each other, my heart ached. I felt that everything was my fault."
Guilt, self-blame, and pain caused the old woman's voice to gradually weaken. "I rushed forward to stop them, and when they saw me, the three children were surprised. Even the youngest brother, who had been arguing with his eldest brother, lowered his head."
"I urged the youngest brother to turn himself in, and the eldest and second eldest decided to report it to the police. During the whole process, the youngest brother didn't say a word. It was only at the end that he told us something: that someone had induced him to commit the murders."
"He couldn't tell us who that person was. He said that if he knew the name, everyone's life would be in danger. He also said that soon there would be a series of serial murders in the old city district. All of this was to find the butterfly in his mind."
"As family, we wanted to believe the youngest brother, but committing murder can never be forgiven, no matter the reason. In the end, the eldest and second eldest decided to give the youngest brother one week to prove the existence of that person."
"The abandoned villa in the outskirts is home to many homeless people and scavengers, as well as fugitives and illegal immigrants. It's easy for bodies to be discovered here, so we used a refrigerated truck to transport them to the freezer."
"I can't remember what happened afterward. There's a gap in my memory. All I remember is that the three children left me, and I stayed here, guarding this corpse, waiting for the youngest brother to turn himself in."
The old woman still didn't remember that she was already dead. This situation, where she would exhibit these behaviours, was likely caused by the game's manipulation.
"The youngest brother claimed that someone induced him to commit murder and predicted a series of serial murders in the old city district. It seems that he knew about the human jigsaw puzzle!" Han Fei knew that the three brothers were still alive, and something must have happened to them.
"I feel that the three brothers are in great danger." Han Fei shifted his gaze and noticed the book that had been covering the face of the deceased. The book was titled "The Butterfly of the Soul" and was written by one of the pioneers of neurology in the last century. The cover of the book also had the following quote:
"Like an entomologist endlessly pursuing the colourful and beautiful butterfly, I am deeply drawn to the backyard of the neural grey matter. There, elegant and exquisite cells reside, as well as the enigmatic butterfly of the soul. Who knows? Perhaps one day, when it flaps its wings, it will unveil the mysterious veil of the mental world. - Ramon Cathal."
"The Butterfly of the Soul? Could it be that when I entered the game, my thoughts and soul were riding on that butterfly, flying in the underworld?" Han Fei knew nothing about the game. He was still in the most basic survival stage, and it was useless to think about so much. The immediate priority was to continue levelling up.
"Auntie, if the youngest brother has killed someone, he should face punishment. By protecting him, you're only turning him into a monster who is neither human nor ghost, and more people will suffer at his hands." Han Fei closed the freezer. He had already decided to bring justice to the youngest brother in the real world. Perhaps, for the old woman, it would also be a form of release.
"A life is lost, and the murderer escapes punishment. Regardless of the reasons, this is unfair in my eyes." Han Fei and Meng Shi's friendliness had reached a very high level, so he wasn't worried about lowering it with his
words. "This freezer, which appears to be sealing a corpse, is actually sealing away generations of your family's happiness and beauty. I think it's time for you to let go."
As he looked at the old woman kneeling beside the freezer, Han Fei couldn't help but think of the tenant in the haunted house. His gaze drifted off, and he murmured, "In this game called 'Perfect Life,' it seems there is no life that is truly perfect."
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