After some time, both the girl and the monster disappeared into the mist. The bathroom returned to normal. The shower continued to splash on Han Fei. The man, whose energy was drained, collapsed to the ground. His clothes were soaked. Staring at his hands, the whole experience felt very surreal. “I… have just dug into people’s flesh.”
Even though his intention was pure, the scary scene still left a huge impact on Han Fei. He was transported to the crime scene and saw everything that happened to the victims. His brain buzzed. Han Fei cleaned his hands under the shower as if they were still dirty with invisible blood. “And this is just a New Player Mission.”
After some time, Han Fei crawled up from the ground. He switched off the shower and stood dumbly before the bathroom door. The sprays of blood that erupted in the bathroom was striking. Thinking back, his body still shook. “Wei Youfu wanted me to help the girl. None of the other victims interrupted me either. From their perspective, the girl in the monster desperately needs aid.”
Standing a distance away from the mirror, Han Fei quietly arranged the clues in his mind. ‘The girl looked like she was around 15 but she did not seem like she knew anything. It was like she was raised isolated from society. In her world, there was only daddy, mommy and her siblings. Probably because she was not properly educated that she was able to relay so many horrifying details in such an even tone. They appear normal in her mind.”
His clothes stuck to his body, and Han Fei’s brain was pounding. His mind and body had reached their limits. ‘My stamina both mentally and physically is still too weak. I can barely think after just 2 missions. Looks like I’ll have to attempt to level up to gain more attribute points as fast as possible.’ Han Fei leaned against the wall to steady his swaying body. He opened the character profile and added the 2 skill points he gained from the new player missions into acting.
“Notification for player 0000: Your acting skill has reached intermediate 5! Congratulations for crossing the threshold, now you can proudly say that you’re a good actor!” Since he started the game, Han Fei put all his skill points in acting but he had been too focused on his survival to notice any difference. But now that the system mentioned it, he did realize his acting skill had gained tremendous improvement. His control of facial muscle was much more masterful, allowing him to assume different micro-expression at his whim. Other than these technical improvements, his adaptability and psychological endurance had a leaping enhancement as well. His acting skill had reached a level where a conventional actor would need years of experience to achieve.
Han Fei then retrieved the landlord’s diary from his inventory. It looked like a normal black notebook. It was unused, every page was empty.
‘It’s probably because I’ve not found the correct way to use it.’ Han Fei was too tired to investigate it now. He replaced the dairy back into the inventory. He dragged his tired body out from the bathroom and closed the door behind him. ‘It’s kinda sad that no neighbours came to visit me today.’
After taking a breather, Han Fei quitted the game. Blood tangled over his world. Han Fei had gotten used to this loading screen.
Removing the gaming helmet, Han Fei laid in bed and refused to move. Night never left in the game but in reality, the sun had already risen. Lying in bed quietly, Han Fei’s mind was filled with clues about the case. Whenever he closed his eyes, he found himself back into that horrid bathroom. Tossing and turning, he eventually drifted off.
The afternoon sun slanted through the gap in the curtains. Han Fei was awakened by the phone ringing. The stuff he ordered from the internet had arrived. He went downstairs to retrieve the package. Han Fei opened the box and read through the manuals for items like the tasers and nunchucks. At least for now, he wasn’t completely vulnerable. After having a casual lunch, Han Fei switched on the computer to organize his clues. ‘The 8th victim is a girl around age 13 to 16. Considering the fact that she’s not in the citizenry database, then she might be an abandoned baby. Since orphanages are connected to the government, registered orphans would be in the system too. So this girl was probably taken in by a private party and raised in isolation from the world. With the aid of the 6th generation photon computer, electronic footprint was inevitable once one used the internet. In other words, this girl had not used the internet before. Abandoned baby, forest, and strange parents.’
Han Fei added this remark next to the blank photo that represented the 8th victim—she lived far away from the city and technology, probably deep inside a jungle.
‘The killer murdered in the name of beauty. The 8th victim was the last. She died before dawn, the moment the killer’s mangled project was completed. Through the girl’s little ditty, I have reasons to believe the killer is the girl’s father.’ As the scope of the suspect narrowed down, Han Fei remembered another clue. ‘Assuming the killer really did come after Wei Youfu for his beautiful soul, then the killer would have to be familiar with Wei Youfu.’
Han Fei went online to look into Wei Youfu’s social contact and he eventually found something. There was a puzzle hobbyist shop that Wei Youfu frequented. He looked into the boss and employees’ information but none of them seemed like the suspect. ‘The workload is too heavy and this is just the investigation on Wei Youfu. I won’t be able to do all these alone.’ Han Fei now understood the hardship of law enforcement. After giving it some thought, he decided to reach out to the police.
Hiding away the gaming helmet, Han Fei took out his phone to call Li Xue. To solve a cold case from a decade ago, it was too difficult for a former comedy actor. Han Fei needed help but he also wanted to make a deal with Li Xue.
“Li Xue, are you free now?” Han Fei’s phone filled with curses, begging but there was not a whisper from Li Xue. “Are you in the middle of a mission?”
“A drug bust.”
“Can you come over to my place? I think I have found out what the 8th victim of the jigsaw case looks like.”
“You’ve information on the 8th victim?!” Li Xue’s tone changed immediately. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute!”
“My address is…”
“I know where you live. Did you forget it was me who dropped you home last time?”
The call ended. 20 minutes later, Li Xue in casual attire appeared at Han Fei’s door.
“Your house is quite clean, unlike what I imagine a bachelor’s pad to be like.” After entering the room, and seeing the wall of crime, Li Xue was stunned. The victims’ pictures were stuck to the wall and various clues were strung neatly together. For a moment, she felt she had entered the heavy crime unit’s office.
“Please, take a seat.” Han Fei poured Li Xue a glass of water.
“Aren’t you supposed to be an actor?” Li Xue’s eyes still lingered on the wall. “Are you moonlighting as a private investigator also?”
“Oh, no. Please don’t get the wrong idea. The current project I’m in is based on the human jigsaw case. It’s called the Flower of Sin. These are the information I’ve done for my role.” After playing Perfect Life, Han Fei’s personality mellowed out. No matter in what situation, the man found himself to be less easily fazed.
“So what you’re trying to say is… You’ve managed to find out crucial information about the 8th victim due to the research you have done for your upcoming movie?” Li Xue was a detective who had been in many big cases but even at that moment, she was stumped.
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