Chapter 39: Hunting the Killer
After a long time, the girl and the monster vanished into the mist, and the bathroom returned to its original state as if nothing had happened.
The water from the shower cascaded over Han Fei's body as he sat exhausted on the bathroom floor.
His clothes were completely soaked, and he looked at his hands, still feeling a sense of unreality.
"I... dug through the flesh and blood."
Although his intention was to save a life, the horrifying scene had greatly impacted Han Fei.
He felt as though he was standing at the scene of a murder, watching everything unfold before his eyes.
His head buzzed, and Han Fei placed his hands under the running water, continuously washing them as if there were invisible blood on them.
"This was just a beginner's task."
After taking a long break, Han Fei finally got up from the floor. He turned off the shower and stood blankly in front of the bathroom mirror.
The blood flowers that bloomed on the walls moments ago were too shocking, and even now, the memories of it made him shudder.
"Wei Youfu asked me to help that girl. The other victims didn't cause any trouble because, in their eyes, the girl inside the monster's body needed help."
Han Fei didn't dare to get too close to the mirror. He silently organized the clues in his mind.
"The girl appeared to be around thirteen to sixteen years old, but she seemed to know nothing, completely isolated from society. In her world, there were only her father, mother, and siblings. Perhaps it was because she didn't receive a normal education that she could speak with such a calm tone and utter such horrifying words."
His clothes clung to his body, and Han Fei now had a splitting headache. Both his mental and physical strength had reached their limits.
"My mental and physical abilities are still too weak. I've only completed two beginner tasks, and I can't handle it anymore. I need to level up as soon as possible."
Leaning against the wall, Han Fei was now finding it difficult to stand. He opened the attribute panel and allocated all the free skill points he had obtained from completing the beginner tasks to acting.
"Attention, Player 0000! Your acting has reached Intermediate Level 5! Congratulations on crossing the threshold. Now you can truly claim to possess acting skills!"
After playing the game for a few days, Han Fei had used all his skill points to improve his acting. He had been in life-threatening situations and hadn't paid much attention to it.
Now, seeing the system prompt, he realized that his acting skills had indeed improved significantly. He could easily control his facial muscles and make subtle changes in expressions.
Apart from the technical improvement, there was also a leap in his psychological resilience and adaptability. He probably surpassed many veterans in these aspects.
After upgrading his acting, Han Fei took out the Landlord's Diary from his inventory. It looked like an ordinary black notebook, clean with not a single word written inside.
"Perhaps I haven't figured out the correct way to use it yet." Han Fei was tired. He put the notebook back into his inventory and then closed the unlocked anti-theft door in the bathroom. "It's a pity there were no neighbours visiting last night."
After finishing his tasks, Han Fei chose to log out of the game.
The world was engulfed in blood, and Han Fei had grown accustomed to it.
Taking off the gaming helmet, he lay on the bed, not moving at all.
In the game, it had been nighttime all along, but the sun had already risen.
Lying quietly on the bed, Han Fei now opened his eyes, and his mind was filled with various clues from the murder case. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he was immersed in a sea of corpses and blood.
In this state of extreme conflict, he slowly fell asleep.
The noon sunlight seeped through the curtains and woke Han Fei up from his sleep. He was interrupted by a phone call; his ordered self-defence tools, such as an electric shocker and a baton, had arrived.
After retrieving the delivery, Han Fei read the instruction manuals and learned how to use them. Now, he had some fighting ability.
Having a quick meal, Han Fei opened his phone and started organizing the clues bit by bit.
"The eighth victim was a girl, probably between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. Considering that there is no information about her in the citizen database, she is most likely an abandoned baby. In the modern age of advanced technology, even orphans in orphanages would have complete identity records. Only a child completely isolated from the outside world from an early age would result in a situation where there is no information about them in the database."
"With the help of the sixth-generation intelligent brain, as long as a person leaves some trace on the internet, their identity can be recognized and traced. In other words, the eighth victim has never used the internet."
"Abandoned baby, forest, strange parents."
Han Fei took a pen and wrote a sentence on the blank picture of the eighth victim: "Living in a place far away from the city and technology, it is possible that it is deep within the forest."
"The killer murders for beauty, and the eighth victim was the last one to die, right at dawn, at the moment the artwork was completed. Based on the short song of the eighth victim, I believe the killer is most likely her father."
The scope of investigation narrowed further, and Han Fei remembered another clue.
"If the killer chose to murder Wei Youfu because he possessed a beautiful soul, then it is highly likely that the killer has a connection to Wei Youfu."
He screened Wei Youfu's relationships online, and in the end, Han Fei focused on the toy collector's shop that Wei Youfu frequented.
After studying it for a while, from the shop owner to the employees, no one seemed to have the possibility of being the culprit.
"Just Wei Youfu alone requires investigating so many people. I can't handle it alone." Han Fei finally realized the difficulties faced by the police in their investigations. After much deliberation, he decided to seek help from the authorities.
Putting away the gaming helmet, Han Fei took out his phone and dialled Li Xue's number.
Investigating a decade-old serial murder case independently was too challenging for a comedian.
Han Fei needed help, and at the same time, he wanted to make a deal with Li Xue.
"Li Xue, do you have time now?" Swearing and pleading voices kept coming from his phone, but he couldn't hear Li Xue's voice. "Are you on a mission?"
"I'm working on cracking down on pornography."
"Can you come to my place? I've figured out the appearance of the eighth victim in the human jigsaw puzzle case."
"You've found out the identity of the eighth victim?!" Li Xue's tone changed as she spoke, "Alright! I'll be right there!"
"I live at..."
"I know where you live. Have you forgotten why I personally escorted you home last time?"
The call ended, and twenty minutes later, Li Xue, dressed casually, appeared at Han Fei's doorstep.
"Your place is quite clean for a single man."
Entering the house, when Li Xue saw the walls covered with victim photos, along with detailed listings of relationships and clues, she froze for a moment. It felt as if she had stepped into the office of a major crime unit.
"Please have a seat." Han Fei poured a glass of water for Li Xue.
"I thought you were an actor," Li Xue's gaze remained fixed on the wall covered with photos. "Are you moonlighting as a private detective?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. Recently, I participated in a play related to the human jigsaw puzzle case. The play is called 'The Flower of Evil,' adapted from the case," Han Fei replied, exuding a gentle and calm demeanour, as if he remained unperturbed by any situation.
"So, you're saying... you only investigated the human jigsaw puzzle case for the purpose of acting, but now you've discovered crucial information about the eighth victim?" Li Xue, a former seasoned detective who had experienced numerous trials and tribulations, found herself astonished by Han Fei's revelation.
The water from the shower cascaded over Han Fei's body as he sat exhausted on the bathroom floor.
His clothes were completely soaked, and he looked at his hands, still feeling a sense of unreality.
"I... dug through the flesh and blood."
Although his intention was to save a life, the horrifying scene had greatly impacted Han Fei.
He felt as though he was standing at the scene of a murder, watching everything unfold before his eyes.
His head buzzed, and Han Fei placed his hands under the running water, continuously washing them as if there were invisible blood on them.
"This was just a beginner's task."
After taking a long break, Han Fei finally got up from the floor. He turned off the shower and stood blankly in front of the bathroom mirror.
The blood flowers that bloomed on the walls moments ago were too shocking, and even now, the memories of it made him shudder.
"Wei Youfu asked me to help that girl. The other victims didn't cause any trouble because, in their eyes, the girl inside the monster's body needed help."
Han Fei didn't dare to get too close to the mirror. He silently organized the clues in his mind.
"The girl appeared to be around thirteen to sixteen years old, but she seemed to know nothing, completely isolated from society. In her world, there were only her father, mother, and siblings. Perhaps it was because she didn't receive a normal education that she could speak with such a calm tone and utter such horrifying words."
His clothes clung to his body, and Han Fei now had a splitting headache. Both his mental and physical strength had reached their limits.
"My mental and physical abilities are still too weak. I've only completed two beginner tasks, and I can't handle it anymore. I need to level up as soon as possible."
Leaning against the wall, Han Fei was now finding it difficult to stand. He opened the attribute panel and allocated all the free skill points he had obtained from completing the beginner tasks to acting.
"Attention, Player 0000! Your acting has reached Intermediate Level 5! Congratulations on crossing the threshold. Now you can truly claim to possess acting skills!"
After playing the game for a few days, Han Fei had used all his skill points to improve his acting. He had been in life-threatening situations and hadn't paid much attention to it.
Now, seeing the system prompt, he realized that his acting skills had indeed improved significantly. He could easily control his facial muscles and make subtle changes in expressions.
Apart from the technical improvement, there was also a leap in his psychological resilience and adaptability. He probably surpassed many veterans in these aspects.
After upgrading his acting, Han Fei took out the Landlord's Diary from his inventory. It looked like an ordinary black notebook, clean with not a single word written inside.
"Perhaps I haven't figured out the correct way to use it yet." Han Fei was tired. He put the notebook back into his inventory and then closed the unlocked anti-theft door in the bathroom. "It's a pity there were no neighbours visiting last night."
After finishing his tasks, Han Fei chose to log out of the game.
The world was engulfed in blood, and Han Fei had grown accustomed to it.
Taking off the gaming helmet, he lay on the bed, not moving at all.
In the game, it had been nighttime all along, but the sun had already risen.
Lying quietly on the bed, Han Fei now opened his eyes, and his mind was filled with various clues from the murder case. Closing his eyes, he felt as if he was immersed in a sea of corpses and blood.
In this state of extreme conflict, he slowly fell asleep.
The noon sunlight seeped through the curtains and woke Han Fei up from his sleep. He was interrupted by a phone call; his ordered self-defence tools, such as an electric shocker and a baton, had arrived.
After retrieving the delivery, Han Fei read the instruction manuals and learned how to use them. Now, he had some fighting ability.
Having a quick meal, Han Fei opened his phone and started organizing the clues bit by bit.
"The eighth victim was a girl, probably between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. Considering that there is no information about her in the citizen database, she is most likely an abandoned baby. In the modern age of advanced technology, even orphans in orphanages would have complete identity records. Only a child completely isolated from the outside world from an early age would result in a situation where there is no information about them in the database."
"With the help of the sixth-generation intelligent brain, as long as a person leaves some trace on the internet, their identity can be recognized and traced. In other words, the eighth victim has never used the internet."
"Abandoned baby, forest, strange parents."
Han Fei took a pen and wrote a sentence on the blank picture of the eighth victim: "Living in a place far away from the city and technology, it is possible that it is deep within the forest."
"The killer murders for beauty, and the eighth victim was the last one to die, right at dawn, at the moment the artwork was completed. Based on the short song of the eighth victim, I believe the killer is most likely her father."
The scope of investigation narrowed further, and Han Fei remembered another clue.
"If the killer chose to murder Wei Youfu because he possessed a beautiful soul, then it is highly likely that the killer has a connection to Wei Youfu."
He screened Wei Youfu's relationships online, and in the end, Han Fei focused on the toy collector's shop that Wei Youfu frequented.
After studying it for a while, from the shop owner to the employees, no one seemed to have the possibility of being the culprit.
"Just Wei Youfu alone requires investigating so many people. I can't handle it alone." Han Fei finally realized the difficulties faced by the police in their investigations. After much deliberation, he decided to seek help from the authorities.
Putting away the gaming helmet, Han Fei took out his phone and dialled Li Xue's number.
Investigating a decade-old serial murder case independently was too challenging for a comedian.
Han Fei needed help, and at the same time, he wanted to make a deal with Li Xue.
"Li Xue, do you have time now?" Swearing and pleading voices kept coming from his phone, but he couldn't hear Li Xue's voice. "Are you on a mission?"
"I'm working on cracking down on pornography."
"Can you come to my place? I've figured out the appearance of the eighth victim in the human jigsaw puzzle case."
"You've found out the identity of the eighth victim?!" Li Xue's tone changed as she spoke, "Alright! I'll be right there!"
"I live at..."
"I know where you live. Have you forgotten why I personally escorted you home last time?"
The call ended, and twenty minutes later, Li Xue, dressed casually, appeared at Han Fei's doorstep.
"Your place is quite clean for a single man."
Entering the house, when Li Xue saw the walls covered with victim photos, along with detailed listings of relationships and clues, she froze for a moment. It felt as if she had stepped into the office of a major crime unit.
"Please have a seat." Han Fei poured a glass of water for Li Xue.
"I thought you were an actor," Li Xue's gaze remained fixed on the wall covered with photos. "Are you moonlighting as a private detective?"
"Don't get the wrong idea. Recently, I participated in a play related to the human jigsaw puzzle case. The play is called 'The Flower of Evil,' adapted from the case," Han Fei replied, exuding a gentle and calm demeanour, as if he remained unperturbed by any situation.
"So, you're saying... you only investigated the human jigsaw puzzle case for the purpose of acting, but now you've discovered crucial information about the eighth victim?" Li Xue, a former seasoned detective who had experienced numerous trials and tribulations, found herself astonished by Han Fei's revelation.
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