"My mother could never have killed anyone!" Meng Changshou said with absolute certainty. "The forensic pathologist also deduced that it was basically impossible for my mother to be the murderer. And on that very same day, my mother and my Child, Meng Chen, disappeared together."Leaning back against the sofa, Meng Changshou seemed to lose all his strength while recalling these events. He spoke with some difficulty, "A few days later, the Police found my mother and Chen Chen in a cold storage container in the Old City District. Judging by their final postures at the time of death, my mother had been protecting Chen Chen the whole time. In other words, there was a third person present at the scene, and that person was the real murderer.""The Old Woman wasn't the killer, but she knew there was a body hidden in her shop's freezer and intentionally concealed it. This indicates she definitely knew the killer and was very familiar with them." Li Xue quickly grasped the key point. "From what you've said, I can sense that in your heart, the Old Woman was a very kind person. For such a person to violate her principles, the killer must have been someone very close to her. To narrow it down further, the killer might be among you three brothers.""If the Old Woman only wanted to hide it, she probably wouldn't have been killed in the end." Han Fei gestured for Li Xue not to jump to conclusions so early. "I feel like the Old Woman was more like she was giving the killer a chance to turn over a new leaf, hoping they would turn themselves in. She gave the killer a week's time, but she completely underestimated the evil in that killer's heart.""The Police thought of what you're saying before, but they couldn't find any evidence. However, not long after my mother passed away, the second brother, Meng Changxi, disappeared. No one knows where he went; no living person has seen him, and no body has been found. The Neighbors all speculated that he was the killer." 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 ever do such a thing! It's clearly us who lost our closest relatives, yet in the end, we're the ones being suspected!"The Middle-aged Man's emotions 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 can find his body, the scope of suspects will narrow further. If we can't find it, he'll likely carry the stigma of a murderer forever." Seeing the Middle-aged Man about to take medicine, Li Xue poured him a glass of water. "On the contrary, I think the second brother, Meng Changxi, is unlikely to be the murderer. What do you think?""I don't know." Han Fei had a second sentence he didn't say out loud; he planned to go and ask the Old Woman himself tonight.Looking at the black-and-white photo of the Old Woman on the altar, what surfaced in Han Fei's mind was that game.He couldn't simply evaluate Meng Shi as a Good Person or a bad person; at this moment, he deeply felt the complexity of human nature.Meng Changshou's health wasn't very good, so Han Fei and Li Xue didn't continue to disturb him. The two of them tactfully took their leave.A cold case from ten years ago had been unearthed. A major case that caused a sensation back then was now remembered by few besides the families of the victims and the investigating Police.Lost in thought, Han Fei walked a few steps before realizing Li Xue was still standing on the stairs and hadn't followed him."Do you still have something to do?""While helping you screen the data today, I noticed a very coincidental point. The residence of the victim Meng Shi and the residence of the victims in another case are in the same building. Even more coincidentally, both homicides occurred ten years ago." Li Xue said as she walked 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 couldn't be such a coincidence, right?" Han Fei suddenly remembered Director Jiang's words. The film crew had originally wanted to shoot at the crime scene, but the homeowner refused, which led them to change locations to No. 15 North Street."The killer of the Human Body Puzzle Case hasn't been caught to this day. The first two victims of that case were discovered on the Fourth Floor of No. 15. The victims were a very loving couple." Li Xue stopped in front of a certain Room Door. "Ten years ago, some Police officers also suspected that the killer of the Human Body Puzzle Case and the Freezer Body Concealment Case were the same person. However, the methods used in the two cases were completely different. If the killer of the freezer case was someone with a twisted and perverted psyche, then the killer of the Human Body Puzzle Case was a devil through and through."She knocked on the Room Door. After ten seconds or so, the anti-theft door opened just a crack.A thin, withered old man appeared behind the door. He frowned as he looked at Li Xue and Han Fei outside. "Who are you looking for?""I'm a Police officer." Li Xue took out her temporary local Police ID. In reality, this ID didn't have the legal power to conduct a house search, but the old man didn't seem to understand that and very reluctantly opened the door.In the seventy-square-meter apartment, everything was arranged neatly. It seemed the old man cleaned every day.Upon entering the house, many photos were hanging on the Living Room wall. In the photos, the old man was healthy and had a hearty smile on his face. It was hard to believe he and the thin old man before them were the same person.Besides the old man, the ones who appeared most in the photos were a young couple. The man looked honest and simple, while the woman looked virtuous and gentle. They were very affectionate, and every photo overflowed with Happiness.Next to the photo wall was a display cabinet, with many Lego toys placed inside the glass window."I go to the Police station to ask every year. I don't know how many times I've gone in these ten years. Have you caught the killer yet?" There was a trace of despair in the old man's tone. He touched the photo frame on the table, looking as if he still couldn't accept that cruel reality even now."I actually have a few questions I'd like to ask you." Li Xue took out her phone and opened several Police applications in succession.Her movements were practiced as she continuously raised questions, guiding the old man to recall while not causing him too much pain. Her method of inquiry and questioning skills were far superior to those of Zhang Xiaotian and Zhao Ming.While Li Xue questioned the old man, Han Fei stayed quietly to the side, silently looking at the photos on the wall one by one.The person in the photos was Wei Youfu, the person he was going to play.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 Haunted House where the Wei Youfu couple was murdered was on the Fourth Floor.Although the architectural layout was slightly different, this startling coincidence made Han Fei wary. He now strongly suspected that the ghost he encountered in the game last night was Wei Youfu's wife, the woman who was murdered by the killer in the Bathroom.Seemingly unrelated clues converged at this moment, and the point where they met was Han Fei himself.Through Li Xue's questioning, Han Fei gained an understanding of Wei Youfu and his family. One could say they were all law-abiding Good Persons.If they hadn't encountered that tragedy, they should have continued to live happily."They weren't the kind of people full of malice when they were alive." An extremely bold idea slowly surfaced in Han Fei's mind. "To survive in that underworld game full of ghosts and monsters, I first need to have a safe home. If I can gain the recognition of the Wei Youfu couple, I can live with them in the Haunted House! Then my original certain-death situation would have a way out!"People who had long since died were reappearing in the game. Regardless of whether they were humans or ghosts, Han Fei decided to integrate with them.A light shone in his eyes as Han Fei stood up and sat down next to the thin old man.Under the puzzled gazes of the old man and Li Xue, Han Fei said to the old man, "Old gentleman, actually, Brother Youfu and I were very good friends. Can you tell me if he has any unfulfilled wishes?"
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