“In the span of one short month, 4 deaths occurred at that school. The strange thing was that the deaths were all predicted but the prophecy was taken as a joke.” The senior officer leaned on the seat and thought back to the case.
“Wait, this is about The Case of the Foretold Deaths?”
“Yes, there are 4 victims, the first was the school security, he died in the small river behind the school after a drunken romp at night; the second victim was the head teacher of Primary 1 Class 4, she was found dead inside the hostel toilet. At the time, the law enforcement believed she committed suicide; the third victim was a ruffian that hung around the school. He was in a relationship with one of the school’s female students and fell to his death. They thought it was an accident; The last victim is called Jin Sheng, he was a new student who joined Primary 1 Class 4 in the middle of the term.”
“Is there any connection between the four victims? Is the target totally random or premeditated?”
“The only connection is that their deaths looked like accidents or suicides. They come from different age groups and backgrounds. Although... there is one more thing. The case got its name because the kid called Jin Sheng managed to prophesize the other victims’ deaths before it actually happened.” The senior officer told Han Fei. He shared the info with Han Fei even though he did not need to.
“The last victim foretold the other victims’ deaths?”
“Indeed.” The officer’s eyes moved away from Han Fei. “Jin Sheng was a very unique child. He was a naughty kid. His parents worked overseas so he was raised by his grandparents. As with most elderly citizens, his grandparents were extremely superstitious. Therefore, he grew up with exposure to taboos and archaic ghost stories. Perhaps this sparked his creative mind, because he was a very good story teller. He could keep children and adults rapt with his own retelling of ghost stories. But ever since he joined Yi Ming Private Academy, he started to change. He stopped telling ghost stories but instead started warning people of actual haunting at the school.”
The senior officer stopped to glance at Han Fei. After noting Han Fei’s reaction, or lack of, he continued, “Before the first death, Jin Sheng apparently told this story to his roommate. He said he ran into a man when he went to use the toilet at night. The man stood on tip-toe and had his head hung while he followed behind the security guard. No matter where the guard went, the man followed but the guard did not seem to notice his presence. After Jin Sheng told that story, that same security guard died a few days later.
“When he found out about the guard’s death, Jin Sheng was apprehensive and scared. He said the man who followed behind the guard saw him that night and claimed that he’d come for him. His roommate did not believe him and complained about Jin Sheng to his head teacher. The female teacher who was fresh at her job was very responsible. She tried her best to comfort Jin Sheng but for some reasons, the boy refused to even get close to her. Instead he warned her to be cautious at night and not speak to any students who wandered the hall after school.
“The next night after he gave his teacher that warning, she was found dead. That shook Jin Sheng. He started to ramble. The adults believed he was too affected by these deaths and that caused him to have some mental problems. The school permitted him to leave the premises and go home to rest. However days later, Jin Sheng stormed back into school. Like a rabid person, he attacked a girl’s face. Apparently it was because she looked like a ghost. The girl’s face was ruined and she was sent to the hospital for treatment. Jin Sheng was punished severely, with warning of expulsion.
“Everyone thought that was the end of it but the girl’s boyfriend, a ruffian from outside the school was found dead inside the school premise the next day. He apparently sneaked into school at night to meet up with his girlfriend at her hostel. All 3 victims had different backgrounds, their connection was Jin Sheng. Just as we intended to look further into the boy’s background, Jin Sheng disappeared.
“In the end, we found Jin Sheng’s body inside his hostel’s cupboard. After that, Yi Ming Private Academy’s reputation got ruined and it went down a spiral. Due to bad management and horrible teaching quality, the school was eventually sealed off and abandoned.” Han Fei noticed that whenever the senior officer mentioned Jin Sheng, his tone would alter slightly with regret.
“How did the police discover this case is related to the Butterfly?” Han Fei still had questions.
“For one, the victims were all posed like victims of accidents or suicides but more importantly, when we questioned Meng Changan about the places where he had met up with the Butterfly, one of them was Yi Ming Private Academy.” The officer’s eyes darkened. “The Butterfly even asked Meng Changan, if he was the Butterfly, how would he make Jin Sheng’s world more despairing?”
“The Butterfly has been to Yi Ming Private Academy? Meng Changan admitted that?”
“We’ve used many new technologies to interrogate Meng Changan.” The senior officer did not elaborate. He turned to stare at Han Fei. “You seem to be quite interested in this case.”
“I’m interested in all cases related to the Butterfly. If possible, I wish to capture the Butterfly.” Han Fei was being honest. That was what he thought.
“Leave the apprehension of the criminals to the police.” A light smile appeared on the old man’s face. “In any case, that was all you needed to know about that case. Oh right, another reason I came today is to personally give you the reward money.” The car door opened and the officer who took Han Fei’s earlier now took it out and returned it to Han Fei. The phone vibrated once it sat in Han Fei’s hands. He looked at the new notification with some confusion and realized there was 60000 RMB added into his account.
“50000 RMB was the reward money, the 10000 RMB was a personal extra, it’s a thank you for helping me complete one of my wishes.” The officer did not take any more of Han Fei’s time. Han Fei left and the officer watched as the former walked away. After Han Fei disappeared from their sight, the other officer spoke, “Sir, do you think it is possible that he’s the Butterfly?”
“The timeline does not match. The Butterfly was most active about 10 years ago, at the time, this Han Fei was just a kid.” The smile faded from the old man’s face. “Keep a close eye on him though. There’s something special about this kid that is sure to attract the Butterfly.”
“Something special?”
“He has the disposition of someone who has struggled in the deepest abyss, I’ve felt it once on another Grade S criminal.” The officer took out his phone. After keying in a long code, the phone projected out Han Fei’s personality model. Then he added his own confidential code onto the model. After his identity was confirmed, the hidden info on Han Fei’s personality model was unlocked.
“When the tragedy, Case of the Bloody Night at Happiness Orphanage happened, Han Fei was the sole survivor, he was only 10 then. He was diagnosed with acute mental stress disorders. He showed signs of conceptual misappropriation of time and space. Sounds, smells, images or even too close of a body contact would trigger the trauma from that night. His attending psychiatrist said that it got so severe that once the patient closed his eyes, his world would be soaked in a bloody redness.
“After initial treatment, the patient showed remarkable recovery. Other than his inability to smile, he could live like a normal person.
“Based on the psychiatrist’s assessment, the patient possesses a textbook self-healing personality and has immensely strong self-adjustability and adaptability.”
