Chapter 27: The Gradually Emerging Truth

"I've never told anyone this secret, and it might be the most terrible thing I have ever done in my life."

Meng Shi unlocked the bedroom door, leading Han Fei inside.

The bedroom was not large, furnished with a single bed. On the other side of the bed stood a huge freezer, covered with a thick black cloth.

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

"I once told you a story about a woman who adopted three children. That woman was actually me." The elderly woman was tormented by guilt and unease until a life-or-death crisis prompted her to reveal the truth, "That day, I secretly followed them to the outskirts and watched as the three brothers quarreled and fought next to a dead body, hurling insults at each other. That's when I understood that their harmony was merely for show."

Her skin-and-bones hands grasped the black cloth on the freezer, "The youngest started acting abnormally early on, beginning with burning ants and catching earthworms, and gradually moved on to tormenting stray cats and dogs. He seemed unable to vent his emotions like a normal person and relied on certain behaviors to stimulate himself."

"The oldest and the middle one both knew about the youngest's issues. To keep me from worrying, they privately talked to him many times."

"The oldest sought a psychologist for the youngest, who was still in school, while the second helped clean up after him. The two brothers kept giving the youngest chances, but mere preaching had no effect on him."

"Until that day, a tragedy occurred, and the youngest killed a vagrant living in an abandoned villa."

"The first to realize there was a problem was the middle brother. He was used to covering up for his younger brother, but when he realized it was a human body, he was completely stunned."

"The middle one furiously condemned the youngest, calling him a devil, asserting that such a person should never exist in this world."

"Kneeling in front of the body, the youngest showed little remorse. He was even excitedly telling the middle one that he would soon prove he was not sick, claiming he had found the Butterfly deep in his Brain Sea. He believed that finding that Butterfly, even if it meant death, was worth it."

Recalling the past, the old woman's voice began to tremble, and she quietly lifted the black cloth from the freezer.

"A Butterfly deep in the Brain Sea? Did the youngest have a mental illness? Did he experience illusions?" Han Fei felt that things were more complicated than they seemed.

"The youngest always said there was a butterfly in his brain, which he could feel but couldn't locate. The butterfly led him forward; every time its wings flapped, he felt an uncontrollable urge to kill. As the urge intensified, he got closer to that butterfly, which he said had the most beautiful colors in the world." Struggling, the old woman opened the freezer, and a chill air rushed out.

Han Fei looked into the freezer, where rotting books were placed.

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

The old woman didn't answer, instead reaching into the freezer and pulling out a book, exposing the frozen human face beneath it, "These books all belonged to the youngest, and the person under them was also his victim."

Putting the book beside him, the old man knelt beside the freezer, "That day I watched the three brothers fighting and hurting each other, my heart ached so much, I felt it was all my fault."

Guilt, self-blame, and pain gradually weakened the old man's voice, "I rushed up to stop them. Seeing me appear, all three kids were surprised, and the youngest, who had been back-talking his elder brother, also lowered his head."

"I persuaded the youngest to turn himself in, the eldest and the second brother also decided to call the police. Throughout the process, the youngest didn't say a word until, in the end, he revealed something to us, that someone else had incited him to commit the crime."

"He couldn't tell us who that person was; he said knowing that name would put everyone's life in danger. He also mentioned that soon, a series of murders would occur in the Old City District, all in search of the Butterfly in the Brain Sea."

"As family, we wanted to believe the youngest, but no matter what, murder and assault can never be forgiven. In the end, the eldest and the second brother decided to give the youngest a week to prove that person's existence."

"The abandoned villa on the outskirts is home to many homeless and scavengers and also harbors many fugitives and undocumented residents. It's easy for bodies to be found there, so we transported it to the freezer using a refrigerated truck."

"What happened afterwards is a bit unclear to me, it seems like my memory is missing a piece. I only remember that all three kids left me, and I stayed watching over this body, waiting for the youngest to return and turn himself in."

The old man still didn't remember that he had died, a condition likely caused by the game.

"The youngest said someone incited him to kill and also said that soon there would be a serial murder in the Old City District; it seems like he predicted the Human-Body Puzzle case!" Han Fei knew that the three brothers were still alive, and something must have happened to them.

"I feel like all three brothers are now in danger." Han Fei shifted his gaze and inadvertently saw the book that had been covering the deceased's face, a book called "The Butterfly of the Soul," written by one of the founders of neurology in the last century, with these words on the cover.

"Like the entomologist constantly seeking colorful, beautiful butterflies, I am deeply drawn to the garden behind the gray matter. There, you find cells of delicate and elegant forms, and that mysterious Butterfly of the Soul. Who knows? Maybe one day, as it flaps its wings, it will unveil the mysteries of the spiritual world. — Ramon Cajal"

"The Butterfly of the Soul? When I log into the game, will my thoughts and soul step on that butterfly? Then fly in the world of the Underworld?"

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

"Granny, if the youngest committed murder, he must be punished. Protecting him will only turn him into a monster, neither human nor ghost, and more people will suffer at his hands later." Han Fei closed the freezer; he had already decided to bring the youngest to justice in reality, which might also be a release for the old woman.

"The victim lost their life, yet the murderer escaped punishment, no matter the reason, this seems unfair to me." Han Fei and Meng Shi's affinity had reached a very high value, so Han Fei wasn't worried that Meng Shi would lower their affinity because of his words, "This freezer looks like it's preserving a body, but in fact, it's preserving all generations of your family's happiness and beauty. I think you should let go."

Looking at the old man kneeling beside the freezer, Han Fei's thoughts drifted back to the tenant in the Haunted House, his gaze gradually drifting away.

"In this game called Perfect Life, it seems no one's life is truly perfect."