634 Fear
Three costumes and each represented a human life. Based on the info on the notes, there was a victim for every day of the week. So the owner at least was responsible for seven deaths. “Is the scar on my arm the kill count? I’ve killed 99 people?”
His eyes moved from the scar to the ground. Han Fei looked at the clown mask. There was a strange feeling, like he was looking at his own face. The mask was like a mirror, reflecting his heart, or rather, it was showing him the real face of his heart.
The endless smile, the frozen smile, the maddening smile, and a drop of tear on the cheek. ‘Is this the real me?’ Compelled by something, Han Fei picked up the mask. “Killing clown? Laughing clown? Crying clown?” After some hesitation, Han Fei placed the clown mask in his backpack and prepared to leave. The stench in the inner room was very thick. The smell would seep into the clothing. It was why the father returned home smelling like this yesterday. ‘I can’t go back to that home anymore tonight.’
Han Fei didn’t want to have any more interaction with his ‘parents’. The couple treated Han Fei well, but he really had no memory related to his parents in his mind. The couple was like a pair of strangers to him. Han Fei was about to leave when he heard a strange sound from the inner room.
“There’s another dead body? No, possibly a dying victim.” For Han Fei, the best choice was to leave and mind his own business. Curiosity kills the cat. If there was really a victim inside the dresser, if he opened the dresser, the other party would see his face. Would he need to kill the person or let them go? Rationality told Han Fei that he should leave. Plus, the mother was coming back.
‘The possibility that I’m the killer aside, what would I do if I ask my heart? If I leave, the person will die. This is a human life.’ After a moment of silence, Han Fei walked over and looked through the gap of the dresser. It was too dark to see anything. ‘I’ll have to open it.’
Han Fei destroyed the lock. There was no dying victim but a dying black cat. The cat was very ugly. It was losing patches of fur on its coat. The strange thing was the cat had nine black lines around its heart. They looked like they were not painted but fully natural.
‘Is this the owner’s cat? Why is it tortured until this state?’ Sensing Han Fei's approach, the cat meowed weakly. It had great hostility against humans.
“You’re injured to this state. No wonder you hate people.” Han Fei sighed. “You’ll be killed if I leave you here. I’ll try to help you.” Han Fei picked up the cat and placed it in his backpack. “Time to go.”
He walked towards the door. Before he reached it, he heard footsteps coming from outside. If he left now, he would walk right into the new arrival!
Han Fei reacted in less than a second. He scattered the costumes inside the inner room to create the impression that they had been rummaged through. Then, he hid behind the iron door. The footsteps approached. The person noticed something and started to run. “Someone has been here?!”
The middle-aged woman charged towards the room. She looked at the open door in shock. Her expression was filled with fear and madness. “Who is here?” She saw the scattered costumes in the inner room and rushed towards them. As she ran into the inner room, Han Fei slithered out from behind the iron door and left the room.
Han Fei didn’t dare to stop. He ran away from Apartment 4 and escaped the neighborhood. “I can’t be sure if I really do suffer from paranoia, but I know I’ll see strange things after night falls. Therefore, I need to find a safe space before that.”
A weak meow came from the backpack. It was dying. “I’ll find you a pet doctor now.” Han Fei knew the location of a pet store. When he first came back from the hospital, he had memorized all the buildings he passed. This was one of his ‘habits’. ‘Did I remember these locations to make my escape easier? Just what kind of life I have that I have such habits?’
There was still some time to nighttime. Han Fei suppressed his fear, lowered his head, and walked through the street. About half an hour later, Han Fei reached a pet store at the corner. Perhaps because the location was bad, the business was not so good. The empty store had little customers and little pets.
“Can you help me save this cat?” Han Fei opened his backpack and carried out the wounded cat. As he was about to place the cat down, a harsh-looking man ran over. “Don’t place it here! This is a stray, right? Don’t you know they carry all types of disease?”
“I’m sorry.” Han Fei half knelt and carried the cat. “Can you save it?”
“Is there a reason to save it?” The man studied Han Fei. “I can save it, but the price will be high. You better think about it.”
“Just save it.” Han Fei had no money, so he didn’t mind the owner asking for a high price.
“Good.” The man’s face changed. He smiled obsequiously as he picked up the cat. Suddenly, the cat wasn’t so dirty anymore. “I used to be the most famous vet here. I opened this shop because my daughter loves small animals. You came to the right place this time.” Two hours later, the man came back with the cat. He disinfected the wounds, cleaned them, and gave the cat a full examination.
“Your cat is fine. It’s tortured and starved. That’s why it’s so weak.” The man removed his gloves. “Thankfully, you were here early. If you were a few hours later, it would have gone to cat paradise already.”
“Thank you.”
“There’s no need to be so polite. It’s my job.” The man smiled and then extended his hands to Han Fei. “I’ve conducted a full examination and used the best medicine. They cost 5200 RMB. I’ll give you a 200 RMB discount. Just give me 5000 RMB.”
“Okay, but I don’t have that much money at the moment.” Han Fei was telling the truth.
“Fuck. Are you trying to scam me? Do you think you can walk out of this door without paying?” The man’s face darkened. He picked up a pole from behind the counter.
“I can place the cat with you and come back with the money.”
“In your dreams! Who wants your lousy stray? Is it worth 50 RMB? Don’t waste my time. Give me the money!” The man walked over to grab Han Fei’s collar. “I’ve seen many people like you. If you don’t have any money, don’t try to be a hero. It’ll only bring everyone trouble."
“I’ll really pay you later.” Han Fei had to find a safe place before dark. He needed to leave.
“You look so respectable. How can you do this?” The man dragged Han Fei’s collar and then gripped his arm. “Give me the money now, or I’ll call the police!”
“Call the police?” Han Fei’s pupils shivered. He looked into the man’s eyes. “Don’t push me.”
“What are you looking at?” The man wilted under Han Fei’s gaze. He was about to shout further when he felt stickiness from his palm. He looked down and saw his hand that grabbed Han Fei’s arm was covered in blood.
“Blood?” He took a step back. The man looked at Han Fei’s arm. It was covered with scars.
“I think you better don’t call the police. Furthermore, I hope that you’ll forget ever seeing me.” Han Fei’s expression was pained. “There are 11 surveillance cameras on this street. I’ve avoided all of them. Your store is located at the corner, and normally people won’t come here. If I do anything, I have more than enough time to clean up the crime scene. I also know your store’s only camera is behind the cash register. I’ve always made sure I’m in its blind spot.”
“Why… are you telling me these?”
“That pole of yours can’t kill anyone, but I’m different. I can already see the different ways you can die. Really, I hate this feeling, but I can’t control it.” Han Fei grabbed the man who tried to retreat so that he wouldn’t return to the cashier where the camera was. “Did you notice something?”
“What…” The man found he couldn’t struggle at all.
“Ever since I entered the room, the animals stopped making any sound. Perhaps they had smelled something on me.”
The man was really scared then. He felt something was wrong when Han Fei entered the shop, and he only made the connection now.
“Big brother, what are you talking about? You’re a saint for saving that cat.” The man forced a smile. “We’re all animal lovers. How can I not trust you? I was only joking early. It is only 700 RMB, and how about I give you two bags of cat food for free?”
“Give me your phone.” Han Fei saw the man’s hand reach towards the pocket, and he could guess the man’s thoughts.
“Okay, brother.” The man took out his phone with a crying face.
“Don’t call the police. I promise not to hurt you when I’m still rational.” Han Fei switched on the phone. When he noticed it didn’t have a lock, he pocketed it. “I’ll give you the phone and the 5000 RMB back. I hope you can trust me.”
“Actually, you can just take them away for free.” The man didn’t want to see Han Fei again. This was his first time encountering a customer like this.
“Are you scared of me?” Han Fei frowned. The doctor said he had paranoia, so he didn’t like the emotion of fear.
