The killer might commit another murder, Li Xue’s colleagues had to report this to their superior. They were cordial towards Han Fei as they politely but firmly escorted him out from the cave. In the name of protecting the crime scene, they guarded the cave entrance and talked into their phones. They effectively blocked Han Fei outside the cave. They had not fully trusted Han Fei. “Thank you for your help but leave the rest to us.”
The reinforcement soon arrived. Staring at his own picture, Han Fei realized there was nothing else he could do here without angering the law enforcement. “I’m glad that I was able to help, I’ll be leaving then.” As a professional actor, normal people wouldn’t be able to read his expression that easily. He gave a relieved sigh as he prepared to leave but in reality, Han Fei already had something else planned.
“Li Xue, can you drive me back?”
“Sure.” The two who first discovered the cave were also the first to leave. Li Xue used her bike to send Han Fei back to the old city. Along the way, the duo did not exchange a word. It was not until Han Fei got down from her bike that Li Xue had to ask, “You still think Meng Changan is the killer, don’t you?”
“My suspicion towards him has not changed but your colleagues aren’t wrong either. Meng Changxi should not have tempered with the evidence. He was wrong.” Han Fei handed the helmet back to Li Xue and did not elaborate. After Li Xue left, Han Fei studied his home as he reached his hand into his pocket and curled his fingers around the taser. If you know you were being followed, you probably would have a hard time acting normal, you might even avoid going home to find somewhere else to stay for a few days but Han Fei was different. The apartment that he called home might be dangerous but he had been to a different apartment which was a thousand times scarier. Han Fei took his first step towards the stairs when his phone suddenly vibrated.
After he read the phone message, Han Fei frowned in confusion. “Why would Wei Youfu’s father message me all of a sudden?” After giving it some thought, the situation clarified for Han Fei. Since he was a person of interest, Han Fei’s home would be heavily monitored. It was impossible for Meng Changxi to meet him at his place so the most effective method was to gain help from a third party. “Assuming the person who followed me was Meng Changxi, then he must know I have a good relationship with Wei Youfu’s father.”
The message was short and simple. Wei Youfu’s father wanted to see him. There was no explanation, thus no chance for Han Fei to read into it. Han Fei replied to the message instantly and hurried towards Northern Street. When he passed the set for Flower of Sin, Han Fei noticed the apartment was deserted, and the crew did not arrive for work. ‘Director Jiang did not continue the shoot? He has decided to wait for the result of the actual case?’ This was good news for Han Fei but it was not the time to dwell on that. He knew where Wei Youfu’s father lived because he had visited him with Li Xue before. The old father lived in the same apartment as Meng Si’s family. Wei Youfu’s father stayed on the 4th floor while Meng Si’s son, Meng Changshou lived on the 3rd floor. Without making any noise, Han Fei arrived on the 4th floor. He knocked on the door and the door swung open easily.
“Sir, are you home?” Han Fei walked into the room like he did not find the whole situation suspicious at all, even though every single nerve that he had was strung tight. The sound of faucet running came from the kitchen. Han Fei ventured towards it when suddenly the door to the bedroom opened. Han Fei leaped away from the door and pulled out the taser. Perhaps he had gone through too many scary things in the game, Han Fei was surprised by how calm he felt at that moment. A suspected murderer was in the room with him but he felt no fear. He was completely at ease.
“A normal person would be frightened when they see this face of mine but you were not affected at all. I knew I got the right person, your acting job is merely a front, isn’t it?” The voice was hoarse as if nails were shoved down the man’s throat. Hearing the voice evoked a sense of pain.
“That’s where you are wrong. I am a real actor, a comedy actor to be precise.” Han Fei looked to the bedroom, a man with serious facial disfigurement stood at the door. His face suffered from such intense burn damage that his facial features were indiscernible. However, his gaze was exceptionally sharp like a blade. While Han Fei studied the man, the man did the same in reverse.
“You appear to know that I would be waiting for you here.” The man with the ruined face revealed a scary smile. “There is a stench on you that I am all too familiar with. You just came from the sewer under Dong Hwa Ice Factory. I didn’t think I had left any crumbs behind, so how did you find that place?”
“You sure have many questions, Meng Changxi.” When Han Fei mentioned the name, Meng Changxi, the smile on the man’s face disappeared. Han Fei felt no fear under the glare of the scary-looking man. Han Fei’s composure inhibited the man so much so that Meng Changxi did not dare to act too rashly. After a long time, the man with the ruined face slowly raised his arms in surrender. “I have not heard that name in a long time already. Don’t worry, I have no malice towards you.”
“I know.” Han Fei slowly retreated to the living room. “Where is Wei Youfu’s father?”
“The gentleman is sleeping, I won’t hurt him.”
Meng Changxi pushed open the door to another room. Wei Youfu’s father was sleeping in bed, his chest rising evenly. Seeing the old man, Han Fei sighed in relief. His minute reaction caught Meng Changxi’s attention, “When I was tailing you, I noticed you share a good relationship with the families of the human jigsaw case’s victims. Are you one of the victims’ family or friends?”
Han Fei was reminded of his roommate in the other world and he nodded slightly, “I have my own reason to apprehend the killer. I unearthed the truth about Meng Changan through my own investigation. He is tied to the murder but there is one question that still boggles me. How do you figure into the picture? Why did you choose to disappear several years ago?”
“If I didn’t do that, my wife and I would be the next to die.” Meng Changxi touched the scars on his face, “Big brother and that animal have both lost their minds. It was too dangerous for me to stick around.”
“Wait, your big brother? Meng Changshou?” Han Fei’s eyes narrowed. This was someone he had fully ruled out as a suspect!
“I can see the shock on your face. To be honest, one of the biggest reasons I chose to go into hiding is my big brother.” The scars on Meng Changxi’s face twisted together. “There was a question that eluded my understanding in my mother’s murder, why would she bring Chen Chen to Dong Hwa Ice Factory? There was no reason for her to do that unless she did not bring Chen Chen there with her, but Chen Chen was used as bait to lure her there.
“Initially, I suspected it was my younger brother, Meng Changan, who was behind all these. However, one thing did not add up. Chen Chen was not close to my younger brother but you know who he was close with?” There was no emotion in Meng Changxi’s voice, as if he had lost touch with human emotions. “My big brother was a very honest and kind person. He was not that bright so everyone thought he was a push over. People took advantage of him but he was always such a natural around kids.
“After the incident with my mother and Chen Chen, he became quite unlike himself. He would utter less than 10 words in a week. I became so worried about him that I brought him to the hospital for a checkup.”
“And what did you find?”
“I thought that it was the loss of our mother and Chen Chen that tipped big brother over the edge but when I saw the result of his brain CT scan, I got the shock of my life.” Even though this happened a decade ago, Meng Changxi remembered it clearly. “The X-ray showed that big brother’s pars orbitalis, frontal cortex, parietal cortex and limbic cortex suffer from functional deficit. When you trace the outline of these impaired areas, they form the shape of a perfect butterfly.”
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