54 House of Eden

 

“Meng Changan? Are you trying to tell me that he’s the killer?” Before Han Fei could get an answer, the victims’ bodies were shredded and they gradually coagulated to become the dangerous monster. It had no hope, no kindness, and no rationality, the monster only had the urge to destroy.

‘The 7 victims have to suffer the pain of dismemberment every night?’ Han Fei retreated out from the bedroom. He glanced at the clock. It was about 4 am, the time of death for the 8th victim. ‘They too have been mounting their own resistance…’ Before the monster emerged, Han Fei quietly closed the door. Room 1044 was about to become very dangerous, the monster would attack anything in sight indiscriminately. ‘The 7 victims are separate individuals but they were brutally sewn together by their killer. I wonder if there is anything I can do to ease their pain?’

In any case, that was homework for another day. After the adventures he had had, Han Fei was tired. He came to the corner of the living room and logged off. Removing the gaming helmet, Han Fei picked up the glass of water and gulped it down. He sat on the edge of his bed and studied the wall of victims. His eyes eventually landed on the picture of a man. “Meng Changan.”

Fatigue and drowsiness engulfed him. Han Fei’s brain shut down and he slumbered.

…

Han Fei was woken up by his ringing phone at 10 am. He glanced at the caller Id and quickly answered it. “Li Xue? Is there an update?”

“I’m at your home now. Do you mind opening the door for me?”

“You’re already at my door?” Han Fei hung up and hurriedly dressed before he rushed to open the door. “Why did you come to visit me so early in morning? Don’t you need to work?”

“I am working. Come, we’ll talk inside.” Li Xue said severey. Based on her tone, something serious must have happened. After drawing the curtains closed, Li Xue dragged Han Fei into the room. “Yesterday night, the law enforcement launched a carpet search at Xin Lu’s nature reserve. The mission went on for an hour before they found a black wooden house.”

“That’s wonderful!”

“Don’t get your hopes up just yet. The CSU investigated the wooden house inside and out. They even took samples of the dirt around the house. There was no trace of human activity, dead or alive.”

“But that’s impossible!”

“Wait, there’s more.” Li Xue signalled for Han Fei to quiet down so she could continue. “The whole charade smells fishy, so under my teacher’s insistence, the team expanded the search circle. Another 4 hours passed and an officer unluckily slipped and fell into a swamp. While his colleagues worked to save him, they came across another identical black wooden house hidden deep inside the swamp.”

“Of course, the real house wouldn’t be found so easily. After all, Wei Youfu took two trips before he returned with the child’s piece of clothing.” Seeing the paleness on Li Xue’s face, Han Fei asked softly, “So what did you find at the house?”

“The black house is like a time capsule. There is no modern technological product. The house is small but there are two floors, one on the surface, and the other underground. The first floor is very normal, it looks like a small hut built by a forest ranger. But once you stepped through the hidden tunnel which led underground, you’d arrive at a different world.” Li Xue’s expression worsened. “A lot of children’s clothing and daily needs are stashed there. The items are carefully arranged and neatly kept. The place has a crypt-like feel to it.

“The police eventually found their way to a hollowed-out room. The wooden sign outside the door labelled it as the House of Eden.”

Eden was paradise uncorrupted by sin. It brought forth images of untouched flora and fauna. Blessed humans lived there without concern and worry.

“What is inside that room?” A bad feeling choked up Han Fei’s heart.

“Even the most experienced officer started to puke once they stepped into the room.” Li Xue took out her phone to share some pictures with Han Fei. “The room was covered in strange talismans and copious amounts of blood. The police also dug up many children's bodies buried in the soil. According to the coroner, the oldest body in that room died 20 years ago.”

“Can these children be identified?”

“Most of them are abandoned babies and orphans, they are not in the system but we did have a clear identification on the earliest victim.” Li Xue swapped to a different picture. “This is He Yuhuai, he donated his kidney when he was six. His father was the director of the private orphanage at Xin Lu’s Northern Street, He Shouye.”

“Hold up. The director of the orphanage that kept Jiang Jiang was also named He Shouye, right? The body of his own child was buried inside this black house?” Han Fei voiced his confusion.

“Yes, the whole thing makes no sense but as we dug deeper, more suspicious details surfaced regarding this He Shouye. He was connected to the swamp land where the black house sat on. Suspicion was raised about his child’s kidney donation as well. There were rumors that the donation was not voluntary, but it was actually a business transaction. Basically, the father sold his son’s organ for money.”

“What kind of father is he?! No, he’s not even a human anymore!”

“Regardless, he disguised himself very well. Basically everyone that interacted with him had nothing but good things to say about him. After his child died from illness, he even forked out his own money to remodel Northern Street’s Orphanage in the memory of his son.”

“What a fabulous excuse.” Han Fei’s eyes chilled. “Where is the bastard now? Is he in police custody?”

Li Xue shook her head. “Despite his suspicion, He Shouye had ironclad alibis when Wei Youfu, Ah Mei and Gu Hwa were murdered. Furthermore, He Shouye had already died in a car accident years before the first jigsaw murder occurred.”

“He’s already dead?”

“Yes. Jiang Jiang and He Shouye, the two individuals most directly related to the case are dead. It is like someone has been cleaning up their tracks.” Noticing the deep frown on Han Fei’s face, Li Xue said comfortingly. “Even though we have not captured the killer, this is still a great breakthrough. For now, we suspect there is more than one killer. There is reason to believe the killers might have traded their targets.”

“What do you mean?”

“I cannot give you the details but the police are sure He Shouye was involved in Xiao Qing, Chui Caiyi and Chui Tianchi’s deaths, but not the others. So we speculate the killers might have had each other finish off the other’s marks. In any case, with the advancement in law enforcement technology, I believe it won’t be long before the truth is revealed!” Li Xue’s expression darkened with concern. “However, the reason I came to find you today is because I need to warn you. These killers are cruel, cunning and extremely vengeful. They might come after you.”

“Me?”

“That’s right. The movie that you’re in right now might attract their attention as well. You’ll have to remind everyone to be careful.”

Li Xue stood up to leave but Han Fei held her back. “Li Xue, wait a minute. I’ve been examining the case for the past few days, and I need your help to investigate someone for me!”

“Who is it?”

“The youngest son adopted by the old lady from the frozen body case, Meng Changan.” Han Fei switched on his computer. “I know he has a squeaky-clean record and his friends adore him deeply but if there’s anything He Shouye has taught us, it’s that we shan’t judge a book by its cover.”