My House of Horrors

Han Bao’er suffered from Body Dysmorphic Disorder and would not allow any flaw to appear on her body. When the baby handprints surfaced on her skin, she scratched at them wildly and screamed in throes of madness, trying her best to yank the handprints from her skin. Unfortunately, even after she fainted, the handprints still stuck to her body like birthmarks.

The blood slid down her perfect skin onto the floor. The wounded Han Bao’er lay in the middle of the room with scratches all over her body. When Han Bao’er lost consciousness, so did Lee Zheng, who was controlled earlier. At the same time, the black phone vibrated, but Chen Ge did not have time to look. He needed to deal with the other culprit before the police arrived.

Qiu Meng, who had both of his arms broken, was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. He was stronger than Chen Ge, but he did not have practical survival knowledge like Chen Ge did.

“What else do you have to say?” Chen Ge looked at Qiu Meng, and he felt a headache. If only Zhang Ya was there, then she could turn the man’s soul into a doll, and that would not expose Chen Ge. The war had been won. The incapacitated Qiu Meng looked at the collapsed Han Bao’er, and the emotions in his eyes were complicated.

“She was ultimately the victim. If you knew what she has been through, you’d understand the meaning behind her every word.”

“Then, tell me, what has she been through?” Chen Ge was still curious about this person known as Han Bao’er.

“She lived with her mother when she was young. She was just like those kids crawling on the ground, attached to that venomous woman. She was a living person, but to her mother, she was nothing more than merchandise. Beauty became a sin; it brought indescribable despair. It was the world that was wrong, and she just wanted to fight back when she was cornered.”

The sound of footsteps entered the room from the outside corridor; the police were coming. Chen Ge did not have time to waste. He tried to communicate with Xu Yin to ask whether there was a way to knock Qiu Meng out and erase his memory of the night without taking his life. Xu Yin misunderstood Chen Ge. He had his hands on Qiu Meng’s head, and the wounds on his arms opened. Red blood soaked into Qiu Meng’s body.

The man’s eyes were dyed red. Just as Chen Ge thought Qiu Meng’s eyes were about to explode, the color disappeared from his eyes, and he fainted. Xu Yin seemed to have stolen something from Qiu Meng’s mind, and the heart that he was missing recovered a slight hue of red.

The key to becoming a Red Specter is related to living humans? What is it that Xu Yin’s heart is missing?

The door was knocked down, and Chen Ge knew that the police had arrived. He recalled all the ghosts. Then, he chose the most comfortable spot to ‘faint’ on and started to figure out how to deal with the upcoming interrogation.

“Quick, we have injured personnel! Call the ambulance!” Police officers’ voices echoed in his ears. When Chen Ge felt his body move, he peeled his eyes open slightly and realized that Team 1’s officers had all arrived. He felt weirdly comforted.

Han Bao’er and Qiu Meng had fainted, and it was unknown when Lee Zheng would wake up. To avoid unnecessary trouble, Chen Ge chose to act unconscious. The lack of rest for the past few days caused Chen Ge to fall asleep inside the ambulance that ferried him to the hospital.

At the hospital, the doctor inspected Chen Ge and Lee Zheng’s bodies. They were both fine, but Han Bao’er and Qiu Meng were sent to the ICU. Lying in bed, Chen Ge still remembered to silently set an alarm for himself before he fell back to sleep.

At 7 am, the alarm rang, and Chen Ge stretched lazily. He had not had such a good sleep in a long time. He pulled the sheet back and looked around. Lee Zheng had already left, so he was alone in the room.

Lee Zheng was hypnotized by Hao Bao’er last night, so he shouldn’t remember what happened after then. Chen Ge stood up and inspected the backpack that was left on the bedside table. The recorder and comic were in there, but the hammer had disappeared. He put on his clothes hurriedly and ran out of the room.

“You’re awake?” Standing guard at the door was Ol’ Wei, who had accompanied him to Coffin Village. “The killer’s identity has been confirmed, and Lee Zheng has given you all the credit. You’ll probably appear on television again in a few days.”

“Given me all the credit?” Chen Ge smiled. “Then I have to ask, is there a reward to solving this case?”

“At the very least, you’re a business owner, but all you can think of is the money. Can honor be measured by money?” Ol’ Wei felt Chen Ge’s way of thinking was a problem. “Come with me. Captain Yan is waiting for us downstairs in the ICU. He has some questions for you.”

Chen Ge followed Ol’ Wei down the stairs, and from a far, they saw a room that had officers standing at the door. After getting their permission, Ol’ Wei told Chen Ge to enter the room. The atmosphere was not right, but Chen Ge did not think anything would happen to him in broad daylight.

He pushed the door opened, and there was only one bed in the room. Qiu Meng was lying in bed with a respirator. The doctor explained the situation to Captain Yan. They had tried their best, but they could not resuscitate Qiu Meng. When Captain Yan saw Chen Ge, he had the doctor leave the room before closing the door.

“Captain Yan, Ol’ Wei said you’re looking for me?” Chen Ge glanced Qiu Meng on the bed. His head, both arms and a leg were wrapped in bandages. The man looked pitiable.

“This is yours, right?” Captain Yan dragged out a scary-looking hammer from the nearby cupboard. It had a police seal on it.

“It might look scary, but it’s just a small prop I use at my Haunted House.”

“A small prop?” Captain Yan needed to use both hands to steady the hammer. “We have checked the wounds on Qiu Meng’s body. He suffered from torn muscles and shattered bones. Without immediate medical attention, he would be lying in bed for the rest of his life.”

“He attacked me first—you can ask Lee Zheng that—I was just trying to defend myself.” The way Chen Ge did not seem to be sorry about anything made Captain Yan feel helpless.

“I know that, but sometimes I hope you’d try something more rational like calling me when you have a clue and waiting for back-up.” Captain Yan pulled the seal from the hammer. “Now both the killer and the accomplice are unconscious. We cannot get any testimony, so people with malicious intent can turn this around on you.”

He returned the hammer to Chen Ge and whispered, “Hide this inside your bag, and make sure it’s not discovered when you leave. I don’t care where you get this thing, but it’s a banned item, so try not to bring it with you in the future.”

“Understood.”

“Go talk to Ol’ Wei and Lee Zheng. They still need your complete statement.”

After leaving the sick room, Chen Ge mulled over every word Captain Yan said, and he could not connect Captain Yan to the chairperson of the society.

Perhaps I’m mistaken.