Chapter 21: Three Brothers

Han Fei did not immediately accept the task of finding Chenchen because it was not the right time yet.

He had just logged in and could not freely exit the game; being caught by the Crow at such a time would make dying a luxury he couldn't afford.

Actually, Han Fei had already planned everything in his mind. Before accepting the task to find Chenchen, he needed to complete another task and stay for three hours.

By then, he could exit the game anytime, which was akin to having a lifesaving card up his sleeve.

Han Fei, as if he hadn't heard the prompt in his Brain Sea, helped Meng Shi to sit on a chair in the living room, "Granny, don't worry too much. I will definitely find a way to save Chenchen later."

"I am worried about you right now, sacrificing others' happiness to save your own kin, I truly don't want to make such a mistake again!" The elderly woman seemed to be under great pressure inside; she felt extremely tormented.

Han Fei understood the hidden meaning in the elderly woman's words, but he pretended not to, "You just saved my life, even a small favor deserves a great return, let alone a life-saving grace!"

Seeing Han Fei's sincere expression, Granny slowly lowered her head, seemingly recalling some past events, her eyes filled with a trace of guilt, "You are a good boy. Just wait here for a while; I will get something for you."

The elderly woman then entered a locked bedroom, searched around for a while, and then came out holding an old, mottled Jade Pendant.

"There's nothing much of value in my house. This small Jade Pendant was left by my mother. I used to be scared of walking at night as a child, and wearing this made me feel secure." The elderly woman handed the Jade Pendant to Han Fei, "If you don't take this, I won't agree to you undertaking such a dangerous task."

Seeing the elderly woman's determined attitude, Han Fei reluctantly accepted the Jade Pendant.

The moment he touched the Jade Pendant, the voice in his Brain Sea reappeared.

"Attention Player 0000! You have obtained a G-grade item—Meng Shi's Amulet."

"Meng Shi's Amulet (G-grade ordinary item): An amulet prepared by Meng Shi's mother for her."

The introduction was short, and Han Fei was unclear about the specific function of the Jade Pendant, but he remembered that most amulets seemed to ward off evil.

Receiving an item just like that, Han Fei felt a bit embarrassed, "Granny, I won't be pretentious with you, I will keep the item. Is there anything else you would like me to do?"

"There's nothing else."

"I really feel bad taking something for nothing; please think of something, anything will do." Han Fei wanted to obtain another task from Meng Shi, "I see you're using candles and not turning on the lights; did the fuse burn out again? Let me fix it for you!"

"No, no, it's best not to turn on the lights now; only firelight can reveal the Crow."

"Then let me help you tidy up the room! Sweeping, mopping, cleaning windows, I'll do anything!" Han Fei began demonstrating his willingness to help by meticulously cleaning areas the elderly woman found difficult to reach.

At this moment, he appeared earnest, passionate, naive, and straightforward, and Meng Shi's goodwill toward him was continuously increasing.

The elderly woman watched Han Fei busy around the room, her gaze gradually softened, and her expression became affectionate as if she were looking at her own grandson, "Why don't you come and chat with me? My children all live far away, and they haven't come back in a long time; it's always so empty here."

"Attention Player 0000! Meng Shi's goodwill has reached Friendly! A G-grade ordinary task, Listening and Accompanying, has been triggered! Do you accept the task?"

Han Fei had been waiting for this moment, and he decisively chose to accept.

Moving a chair, Han Fei sat next to the elderly woman.

Meng Shi initially talked about simple family matters, but gradually, she remembered things from many years ago.

"There was once a woman who, for various reasons, had adopted three children. The eldest was the most honest, unskilled, and harbored no ill intentions."

"The second one was an abandoned infant she found in a hospital, with a slightly deformed face, but he was exceptionally smart and the gentlest, kindest of the three brothers."

"The youngest one was very mischievous, with a personality completely different from that of the eldest and the second. If someone punched him, he felt compelled to kick them back. Because the youngest often got into fights, the woman would scold him frequently. The boy never talked back to her, but the woman knew he never felt he did anything wrong."

"Every time the woman scolded him, the youngest would run out of the house; he loved to burn ants and enjoyed breaking earthworms in half and then watching them."

"In fact, whenever the youngest ran out, the woman would silently follow him. Among the three brothers, she loved the youngest the most and worried about him the most as well."

"The second child was very intelligent, but he never showed it. Even though he could score perfect marks, he deliberately kept his grades average. The youngest was completely different, always first; he was competitive and aggressive, tough on others and even tougher on himself."

"As days went by, the three children grew up and became sensible. The woman thought she could live comfortably, but unexpectedly, the second and the youngest fell for the same person."

"Of the three brothers, the second one was the first to get married. The woman could not understand why the one with the deformed face was the most popular."

"When the second child returned home for his wedding, the youngest was in the kitchen helping the whole time, single-handedly slaughtering all the chickens, ducks, and fish needed for the banquet."

"The youngest, from beginning to end, never showed up at the banquet nor spoke to the second child."

"After returning home, everything went back to normal, and the youngest's temper improved a lot, but the woman had an ominous premonition."

"Not long after, the woman discovered a dead crow in the refrigerated truck the eldest used for transporting cold drinks."

"The careless eldest did not think much of it, but the woman felt something was off; she suspected someone else had used the truck."

"That crow seemed like a bad omen."

"The woman began to pay attention and noticed the continuous appearance of bird feathers, animal fur, and faint bloodstains in the truck."

"She disinfected and cleaned the truck repeatedly, but before long, those things would appear again."

"She checked the truck's location devices and discovered that someone had tampered with it, rendering it unable to display anything. To figure it out, she had a friend install a small tracking device in the cabin."

"Later, the woman found out that the truck always drove to a certain place. One night, when none of the three brothers were home, the woman decided to follow the truck to see for herself."

"Based on the location shown by the tracker, she arrived at the outskirts of the Old City District. When she entered an abandoned villa, she saw her three children wrestling with each other."

The old woman's voice trembled as she continued, "She also saw, not far from the three children, a body laid out."

Without going further, the old woman covered her chest; she seemed greatly distressed.

Having heard the old woman's story, Han Fei was also shocked. He had initially thought that among the three brothers, only one was the murderer, but it turned out that all three were informed!

Let alone the second and the youngest, when Han Fei and Li Xue visited to inquire, the seemingly most ordinary eldest had perfectly deceived them.