Capítulo 11: Chapter 11 If you can't beat them, join "them
"My mom could never have killed anyone!" Meng Changshou stated with certainty, "Forensic doctors also inferred that it was nearly impossible for my mom to be the killer. And on the same day, my mom and my child, Meng Chen, both disappeared."
Leaning against the sofa, Meng Changshou seemed to lose all his strength as he recounted these memories. He spoke with some difficulty, "A few days later, the police found my mom and Chenchen in a refrigerated storage unit in the Old City District. Judging by their final postures, my mom had been protecting Chenchen the whole time. That is to say, there was a third person present at the time, and that person is the real murderer."
"The elderly lady is not the murderer, but she knew there were bodies hidden in the freezer in her shop and deliberately concealed it. This indicates that she must have known the killer and was very familiar with them." Li Xue quickly grasped the key point, "From what you've said, I can feel that, in your heart, the old lady is a very kind person. For someone like that to go against her principles, the murderer must be a close relative of the elderly woman. Narrowing it down further, the killer might be among your three brothers."
"If the elderly lady only intended to simply conceal the crime, she should not have ended up being killed," Han Fei signaled to Li Xue not to rush to conclusions, "I feel like the elderly lady was giving the murderer a chance to reform, hoping that the murderer would turn themselves in. She gave the murderer a week, but she completely underestimated the evil in the killer's heart."
"The police had considered all of these points before, but they found no evidence. However, not long after my mother's death, the second brother, Meng Changxi, disappeared. No one knows where he went. Alive, he's unseen; dead, his body is unfound. Neighbors speculated that he was the murderer." The middle-aged man shook his head in pain, "Although the second brother was introverted and gloomy, I know he could never do such a thing. In fact, none of us three brothers could! It was us who lost our dearest ones, yet we are the ones who ended up being suspected!"
The middle-aged man became agitated. After speaking, he coughed violently and reached under the coffee table to pull out a large bag of medicine.
"Meng Changxi just vanished like that. If we could find his body, the range of suspects could be narrowed even further. If we can't find his body, then he might always be labeled a murderer," Li Xue said, seeing the middle-aged man was about to take his medication and handed him a cup of water, "On the contrary, I think it is unlikely that Changxi is the killer. What do you think?"
"I don't know." Han Fei had more to say but held back, planning to personally ask the elderly lady tonight.
Looking at the black-and-white photograph of the elderly woman on the altar, Han Fei found himself thinking of that game instead.
He couldn't simply label Meng Shi as good or bad; in this moment, he deeply felt the complexity of human nature.
Meng Changshou's health wasn't good, so Han Fei and Li Xue didn't continue to disturb him, leaving tactfully.
The decade-old cold case was dug up again. A case that once caused a sensation was now barely remembered by anyone other than the victims' families and the police who handled it.
Lost in thought, Han Fei had taken a few steps before realizing Li Xue was still standing on the steps, not having followed him.
"Is there something else?"
"While I was filtering data for you today, I found a very coincidental point. The residence of the victim Meng Shi and the residence of another case's victim were in the same building. Even more coincidental is that both murders occurred ten years ago," Li Xue said as she went upstairs.
Meng Shi lived on the third floor; Li Xue led Han Fei to the fourth floor, "Have you heard of the 'Human-body Puzzle' case from ten years ago?"
"It can't be that much of a coincidence?" Han Fei suddenly remembered what Director Jiang had said. The film crew had originally wanted to shoot at the scene of the crime, but the homeowner had refused them. Then they had to switch to No. 15 North Street.
"The Human-body Puzzle case's killer has not been caught to this day. The first two victims of that case were found right here on the fourth floor of No. 15. They were a couple who were very much in love." Li Xue stopped in front of a door, "Police once suspected the Human-body Puzzle case and the case with bodies hidden in the freezer had the same killer, but the methods of the two cases were completely different. If the freezer-case killer was someone with a twisted, psychopathic mind, then the Human-body Puzzle killer was a thorough and utter demon."
Knocking on the door, it took more than ten seconds before the security door cracked open.
A skinny elderly man appeared behind the door, frowning at Li Xue and Han Fei outside, "Who are you looking for?"
"I'm a police officer," Li Xue presented her temporary local police identification. Although this ID didn't actually authorize her to search a home, the elderly man seemingly didn't understand that and reluctantly opened the door.
In the room of about seventy square meters, all items were neatly arranged, as if the old man cleaned every day.
Upon entering the house, many photos hanging on the living room walls showed the old man in good health, smiling brightly—a stark contrast to the withered elderly man before them.
In the pictures, apart from the old man, the most frequent subjects were a young married couple; the man simple and honest, the woman virtuous and gentle. They appeared deeply in love, with happiness exuding from every photo.
Next to the photo wall was a display cabinet filled with various Lego toys.
"Every year, I would go to the police station to ask. I don't know how many times I've been there over these ten years. Have you caught the murderer?" Despair tinged the old man's voice as he caressed the photo frame on the table, still unable to accept the harsh reality, even now.
"Actually, I have a few questions for you," Li Xue said as she took out her cell phone and promptly opened several police applications.
Her movements were practiced, and she asked question after question with skillful precision, guiding the old man's recollections without inflicting too much pain. Her inquiry methods and questioning skills were far superior to Zhang Xiaotian's and Zhao Ming's.
While Li Xue was questioning the old man, Han Fei quietly stayed to the side, silently studying each photo on the wall.
The man in the photos was Wei Youfu—the person he was supposed to portray.
In the "Perfect Life" game, the old lady lived on the third floor, and Han Fei lived on the fourth.
In reality, the old lady also resided on the third floor, while the haunted house where the Wei couple was murdered was on the fourth.
Although the building layouts differed, this striking coincidence made Han Fei cautious; he now suspected that the ghost he encountered in the game last night was Wei Youfu's wife, the woman who was killed by the murderer in the bathroom.
Seemingly unrelated clues intersected at this moment; the point of their intersection was none other than Han Fei himself.
Through Li Xue's inquiry, Han Fei gained some understanding of the Wei family; one could say they were all decent, good people.
If not for misfortune, they should have continued to live happily.
"They weren't the kind of people filled with malice when they were alive." A bold idea slowly began to form in Han Fei's mind, "To survive in that Underworld game full of ghosts and monsters, I first need a safe home. If I could gain the Wei couple's acknowledgment, I might be able to live with them in the haunted house! That could mean a way out from an otherwise certain death!"
Han Fei was determined to blend in with those who had reappeared in the game, dead though they may have been, whether humans or ghosts.
A spark ignited in his eyes as he stood up and sat next to the gaunt old man.
Under the puzzled gazes of the old man and Li Xue, Han Fei said to the elderly man, "Old sir, Brother Youfu and I were actually very good friends. Could you tell me if he had any unfulfilled wishes?"
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