The Scene

With the eerie fire and the vanished killer, Chen Ge discovered for the first time that he had a talent for storytelling. By combining online news reports with his own deductions, he basically reconstructed the Massacre Case from years ago.

"The sequence of events is exactly as I said. In order to find new material for my Haunted House, I explored a murder house at night, but I made a shocking discovery. Everyone in this Apartment Building is abnormal. I suspect the murderer from five years ago is hiding among them!" Chen Ge stubbed out his cigarette and looked at his phone screen.

"Interesting, a real-life version of Werewolf. Now, let's hear from the Seer."

I Am A Little Green Worm: "Just keep making it up, streamer. You're talking as if it's all true. Keep spinning your yarn; if even one person believes you, I'll lose."

"Fu'an Apartment in Hanjiang City, I looked it up online, it seems to be real."

He Shan: "I believe the streamer."

I Am A Little Green Worm: "Even if what the streamer says is true, how can he prove the room he's in is the actual murder house? As he said, the Apartment Building was gutted by fire, but look at his room—the walls are smooth, the floor is clean, and all the furniture is intact. Does this look like a murder house?"

"I wouldn't lie to you about this. Proving it is actually very simple." Chen Ge moved the vanity aside, took out a Fruit Knife, and gently scraped away the paint in the corner: "The Apartment Building changed its name after the incident and was renovated inside and out, but no matter how you renovate, some things cannot be covered up."

He scraped away a layer of wall, revealing the scorched bricks underneath: "This is one of the pieces of evidence that a fire once occurred here."

Scumbags Must Die: "Wait, what I'm curious about now is why you'd bring a Tool Hammer and a knife when staying at a hotel? Are you trying to pose as an accomplice to the suspect?"

"The perfectly good wall got scraped up. I feel bad for the Landlord for a second."

"How much is a night at this apartment? It doesn't even have a Television."

Chen Ge looked at the barrage, held back for a long time, but finally couldn't resist: "Everyone, can you not be so nitpicky with your focus? Can you show me some respect? I'm risking my life to livestream for you right now!"

Scumbags Must Die tipped one Coin: "Donated a dime to show respect."

Chen Ge could only feel helpless toward his viewers; this group of veterans was truly thick-skinned: "Alright, let's get back to the point. In the Apartment Building, I have encountered six people so far. The first was a woman who might have mental issues; she gave me an inexplicable smile through the door crack when I arrived. I know nothing about this person, so let's not discuss her for now..."

Chen Ge told the viewers all the physical characteristics of the tenants in the Apartment Building, interspersed with his own analysis: "In terms of motive, the Landlord is the most likely suspect, but he has a limp and walks very slowly. If we look at it from a physical condition standpoint, the Tattooed Man on the first floor and the Short Fat Man on the second floor are more likely. Of course, we can't rule out the woman on the first floor or the frail Wang Qi."

Scumbags Must Die: "You've said a whole circle and basically said nothing. I even suspect the real killer is the Old Man in the wheelchair; after all, he was the biggest beneficiary after the fire back then."

"That's indeed possible. Just because the Old Man is paralyzed in a wheelchair now doesn't mean he was paralyzed five years ago. Besides, the killer didn't use physical combat to kill, but arson. The Old Man is fully capable of committing the crime."

"Right, the Old Man's paralysis could be a disguise. The one who seems least likely to be the killer might just be the killer."

"Actually, I'm more suspicious of the woman on the first floor. Her smiling at the streamer must be hinting at something. Streamer, do you remember the height of her lips when she smiled, the size of the opening? Let me analyze it for you using micro-expression psychology."

"I don't remember..."

The enthusiasm of the viewers was stirred up, and the popularity of the livestream room began to grow faster.

Chen Ge watched the barrage silently, not finding any valuable comments: "It seems I need to find more clues myself."

He held his phone in front of him: "I conducted a field survey earlier and found that the first and second floors of this Apartment Building have been completely renovated, but some parts of the third floor still retain the look from five years ago. I will go in and search carefully in a moment, hoping to find something useful."

"Retains the look from five years ago? That's creepy."

"The cold case is unsolved; could the deceased be unwilling to let go and still be lingering in the same place?"

"Exploring a murder house at night, truly fierce!"

"If I weren't fierce, how could I run a Haunted House? Let me tell you, last time a group of people went to my Haunted House to cause trouble, and of the two people with the most guts, one was scared to tears and the other was scared unconscious."

"Wait, why were the two with the most guts scared like that? What about the ones with small guts?"

"You're talking nonsense. Who the hell with small guts would dare enter his Haunted House?"

"That seems to make sense."

He Shan: "Hehe."

The rhythm of the livestream room had gone off track, but Chen Ge didn't care. He put the Fruit Knife into his pocket, practiced drawing it a few times, and then, holding the phone in one hand and the Tool Hammer in the other, he arrived at the door.

This time he was smarter; he looked through the door crack first to make sure no one was in the Corridor before gently pushing the door open.

When closing the door, Chen Ge plucked a strand of his own hair and placed it in the keyhole. This way, if someone opened the door while he was away, the hair would be pushed deep into the lock.

After preparing, Chen Ge crossed the second-floor hallway and arrived at the stairwell.

He moved very lightly, not triggering the voice-activated lights, and groped his way forward using only the light from his phone screen.

Walking up the steps, the color of the walls on both sides gradually deepened, and an indescribable, strange odor drifted through the air.

Arriving at the third floor, Chen Ge turned on the flashlight on his phone. He backed against the wall, his focus highly concentrated.

When he had accidentally walked to the third floor the first time, he had seen a blurry Dark Shadow flash through the hallway; it was vaguely the outline of a person.

"Whether you are human or ghost, I must be careful."

The light from the phone presented the crime scene from five years ago before his eyes. Chen Ge looked at the scratches carved deep into the walls and couldn't help but tighten his grip on the Tool Hammer.

The architectural style of Ping An Apartment was very unique; there was only one stairwell, and it was located near the right side of the apartment, which made the left side of the hallway look exceptionally long and deep.

Walking through it, his back felt cold, and even pressing against the wall provided no sense of security.

"If the fire started on the third floor, it wouldn't have been preserved at all, so the third floor is likely a place the killer didn't visit." Chen Ge walked through the pitch-black hallway with his phone; the doors on both sides were half-open, many of them warped by fire.

Avoiding the debris piled on the ground, Chen Ge walked into the room closest to him.