Chapter 27

"This secret I have not told anyone, it may be the biggest mistake I have ever made in my life."

Meng Shi unlocked the bedroom door and led Han Fei inside.

The bedroom was not very large, with a single bed and a large freezer on the other side of the bed, covered with a thick black cloth.

The lighting was dim, and the curtains were nailed to the walls, making it impossible to see what was inside from the outside.

"I once told you a story about a woman who adopted three children; that woman was me." Guilt and moral distress had tormented the old woman until she faced a life-and-death crisis, and only then did she decide to reveal the truth: "That day, I secretly followed them to the outskirts and watched the three brothers fight over a corpse, listening to them curse each other. Only then did I realize that their harmony was just a facade for me."

The old woman's bony hand grabbed the black cloth on the freezer: "The youngest son started acting abnormally early on. He began by burning ants and catching earthworms, gradually progressing to torturing stray cats and dogs. He seemed unable to vent his emotions like a normal person and could only stimulate himself through certain specific behaviors."

"The eldest and the second son knew about the youngest's abnormalities. To avoid worrying me, they confronted him many times in private."

"The eldest sought a psychologist for the youngest, who was still in school, while the second son helped him cover up his actions. The two brothers always gave the youngest chances, but their constant preaching could not change him."

"Until that day, a tragedy occurred; the youngest killed a homeless man living in an abandoned villa."

"The second son was the first to notice something was wrong. He was used to covering up for his younger brother, but when he discovered it was a human corpse, he was completely stunned."

"The second son angrily called his brother a devil, saying that someone like him shouldn't exist in the world."

"Kneeling before the corpse, the younger brother showed little remorse. He even excitedly told the second son that he would soon prove he wasn't sick, that he had found the butterfly deep in his mind. He said that finding the butterfly would make his death worthwhile."

As she spoke of the past, the old woman's voice began to tremble, and she silently lifted the black cloth on the freezer.

"The butterfly deep in his mind? Does the youngest have a mental illness? Does he have hallucinations?" Han Fei vaguely felt that things were not that simple.

"The youngest always said there was a butterfly in his mind, which he could feel but not find. The butterfly led him forward, and every time its wings flapped, he would experience uncontrollable murderous urges. As the urges grew stronger, he got closer to the butterfly, which he said had the most beautiful colors in the world." The old woman struggled to open the freezer, and cold air rushed out.

Han Fei looked inside the freezer, where he saw a pile of rotten books.

"Granny, why did you put the books in the freezer?"

The old woman did not answer. She reached in and took out a book, revealing a frozen human face beneath it: "These books all belonged to the youngest, and the person under the books was also killed by him."

Putting the book aside, the old woman knelt beside the freezer: "That day, I watched the three brothers fight and hurt each other, and my heart ached terribly. I felt it was all my fault."

Guilt, self-reproach, and pain gradually weakened her voice: "I rushed to stop them. When they saw me, the three children were surprised, and the youngest, who had been arguing with his brothers, lowered his head."

"I persuaded the youngest to turn himself in, and the eldest and the second son decided to call the police. Throughout the process, the youngest did not say a word, but in the end, he told us something: someone else had incited him to commit the murder."

"He couldn't tell us who that person was, saying that knowing the name would put everyone in danger. He also said that a series of murders would soon occur in the old city, all to find the butterfly in his mind."

"As a family, we wanted to believe the youngest, but murder could never be forgiven. In the end, the eldest and the second son decided to give the youngest a week to prove the existence of that person."

"The abandoned villa in the outskirts was home to many homeless people and scavengers, as well as fugitives and undocumented residents. It was easy for the body to be discovered, so we transported it to the freezer using a refrigerated truck."

"I don't remember what happened after that. My memory seems to be missing a part. I only remember that the three children left me, and I have been guarding this body, waiting for the youngest to return and turn himself in."

The old woman still did not remember that she was dead, and this condition was likely caused by the game.

"The youngest said someone incited him to kill and that a series of murders would soon occur in the old city. He seems to have predicted the Human Jigsaw case!" Han Fei knew the three brothers were still alive, and something must have happened to them.

"I feel that the three brothers are in great danger now." Han Fei shifted his gaze and inadvertently saw the book that had covered the dead man's face. The book was titled "The Butterfly of the Soul," written by one of the founders of neurology in the last century. On the cover was a quote:

"Like an entomologist endlessly pursuing a colorful and beautiful butterfly, I am deeply attracted to the back garden of neural gray matter. There, there are cells with exquisite and elegant forms, and the mysterious butterfly of the soul. Who knows? Perhaps one day, with a single flap of its wings, it will unveil the mysteries of the mental world. Ramón y Cajal"

"The butterfly of the soul? When I log into the game, will my mind and soul step on that butterfly and fly in the world of the dead?"

Han Fei knew nothing about the game and was still in the most basic survival stage. Thinking too much now was useless; the priority was to keep leveling up.

"Granny, the youngest must be punished for his crimes. Protecting him will only turn him into a monster, and more people will suffer at his hands in the future." Han Fei closed the freezer. He had decided to bring the youngest to justice in the real world, which might also be a form of liberation for the old woman.

"The victim lost their life, and the murderer evaded punishment. No matter the reason, this is unfair to me." Han Fei and Meng Shi's friendship had reached a very high level, so he was not worried that Meng Shi would lower her friendliness due to his words: "This freezer seems to have sealed away a body, but it has also sealed away the happiness and beauty of your entire family. I think you should let it go."

Looking at the old woman kneeling beside the freezer, Han Fei thought of the tenants in the haunted house, and his gaze drifted away.

"In this game called Perfect Life, it seems that no life is perfect."