Chapter 30: The Mysterious Family Massacre (14)

“Yes, I think it’s necessary for you to hear a story… Two years ago, my daughter was in her second year of high school. She was a very obedient girl. But one night, I noticed a tattoo on her thigh and scolded her a little. That same night, she ran out of the house…”

“I was so focused on my work as a teacher that I assumed she had gone to a friend’s place to vent her frustration, like she usually did. I didn’t think much of it. But the next morning…”

Xin Tianfei paused for a moment.

“I went out for my morning run. I had barely covered a kilometer when I saw a crowd gathering near a greenbelt area by the roadside. At first, I didn’t pay any attention. I had no intention of getting involved.”

“But then I saw my daughter, Shushu…”

He paused for a long time before speaking again.

“She was lying on the ground, almost completely naked, with only a pair of shorts barely hanging onto her knees. A man was squatting beside her, checking her condition. He pried open her arms, exposing her chest, yet he showed no sign of shame. Instead, he turned her body over completely. His name was Qi Xiaowei.”

“Ah…” Wen Huizhi trembled violently. She finally realized who he was. He was the murderer behind the family massacre. In that instant, her entire body went weak.

“In addition to Qi Xiaowei, there was another photographer. He was holding a camera, filming my daughter from head to toe. The moment her chest was exposed, he even zoomed in, afraid of missing any details. You should know him. His name is Wei Xingmin, a photographer for the Jinyang Evening News.”

Wen Huizhi no longer had the strength to struggle. She shivered and lay motionless as if she had lost all life.

“When I took off my vest to cover my daughter, a couple nearby pointed fingers at us. The woman said, ‘Girls with tattoos are never good people. She must have dressed provocatively to attract rapists.’ The man added, ‘She’s obviously a student doing compensated dating and got abandoned…’”

“You see, she did nothing wrong, yet people still wouldn’t let her go. You know this couple as well. They were Zhu Gongyou and his wife.”

“My daughter ran out that night because she was angry with me. She just wanted to take a walk in the park by the roadside. But then, someone attacked her in the woods. By the time she woke up, it was already dawn. She desperately crawled out, calling for help, rolling from the greenbelt onto the roadside before losing consciousness…”

“There were kind-hearted people who called an ambulance, and my daughter was finally saved. She woke up, and I thought everything was over. Until that night, when I saw your newspaper. A so-called ‘renowned journalist’ named Wen Huizhi wrote in her report that my daughter’s recklessness and rebellion led her to suffer this fate. If she had never gotten a tattoo, never dressed provocatively, if she had known how to behave and be a good girl…”

“You people sit on your high horses, passing judgment on the lives of others. Do you think that makes your work noble?”

“This incident could have slowly faded over time, but no. My daughter saw that report. Her classmates saw that report. Everyone who knew our family saw that report… And then…”

Xin Tianfei’s voice suddenly choked up. “If I hadn’t gone out to buy groceries that day, she wouldn’t have jumped off the building… If I had been home, she wouldn’t have been lying in a pool of blood when I came back…”

A chilling silence filled the air.

Suddenly, he grabbed Wen Huizhi’s chin, forcing her to look up.

Her tear-streaked face met his bloodshot eyes, filled with cold, terrifying fury.

“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Xin Tianfei roared.

He loosened his grip just enough for Wen Huizhi to sob and beg for mercy. “I was wrong. I won’t do it again!”

“Again?” Xin Tianfei bellowed. “You think there’s always a next time? You think life always gives you second chances?”

He let out a hollow laugh. “I wanted a second chance too. If I hadn’t scolded her that night, she wouldn’t have run away. If I hadn’t gone out to buy groceries, she wouldn’t have jumped… But…” His laughter twisted into sobs as he completely let go of her chin. “There are no second chances. Not anymore…”

He suddenly turned around and walked to the sharpening table. He picked up a gleaming knife, honed to perfection. Returning to her, he whispered with a terrifying calmness, “Do you know about the Eighteenth Level of Hell?”

“Oh, you probably don’t. Let me enlighten you. In a moment, I’ll strip you completely, then use this knife to slice open your throat. Slowly, I’ll cut along your collarbone, down your chest… all the way to your pelvis, peeling your skin away inch by inch…”

“This… is the Eighteenth Level of Hell—The Skinning Punishment!”

With a sharp tearing sound, he ripped apart half of her dress.

“Ah! Please, I beg you!” Wen Huizhi screamed in despair, struggling wildly. The chains clanked violently as she fought against them.

But the glinting blade had already drawn a thin, bloody line across her neck…

*

“Captain Han, Wen Huizhi’s last call was to Xin Tianfei…” 

“Captain Han, Wen Huizhi never returned to her hometown,” came a string of reports over Han Changlin’s radio.

“Damn it!” Han Changlin slammed his fist against the dashboard, making the plastic cover tremble.

They had just left Wen Huizhi’s rental home. Every possible place she could have gone had already been searched. Where had she disappeared to?

The police car sped down the highway with no clear destination. Their only option was to head in the direction of her hometown, hoping to intercept her along the way.

“Captain Han, are we really going to Wen Huizhi’s hometown?” Tang Xiaochuan asked, keeping his foot pressed on the gas pedal.

Han Changlin didn’t answer.

The car fell into a tense silence.

Zhao Leiting sat beside Meng Siqi, his fists clenched tightly, as if he had been in a state of tension the entire time.

Meng Siqi’s anxiety was no less intense. She couldn’t imagine a third murder happening today, especially to a journalist who had been following the case closely.

Wiping the cold sweat from her temples, she shook her head slightly. Her fingers, gripping the seat in front of her, had turned pale. Her body was stiff with fear.

Where had Xin Tianfei taken Wen Huizhi?

Where would Xin Tianfei take Wen Huizhi? Inside the swaying car, she took out the newspaper once again. Her eyes ached from the constant shaking, but she couldn’t find any new information. Except for the last few lines of Wen Huizhi’s analysis—she believed that Xin Shu was not someone who upheld moral purity. This was what she referred to as “cultural freedom.”

Xin Tianfei must hate her to the core.

If that biased report had never been published, maybe his daughter wouldn’t have ended her life.

Xin Tianfei would be doing everything in his power to make her suffer.

“Ugh—”

As the car made a sudden sharp turn, Meng Siqi suddenly vomited, staining her pants and the back of the seat in front of her.

Zhao Leiting quickly grabbed some tissues to wipe the mess and tried to comfort her.

Meng Siqi panted heavily, her eyes red. She quickly muttered, “I’m sorry.”

“Xiaochuan, pull over and take a break,” Han Changlin ordered.

The car pulled to the side of the road.

Meng Siqi immediately pushed open the door and started vomiting. Other than some bitter water, there was nothing else.

After rinsing her mouth a few times, she felt much better. She had long since gotten used to not feeling carsick, but reading the newspaper just now must have triggered dizziness. Feeling guilty, she turned back, intending to clean up the mess inside the car, only to see that Zhao Leiting and Tang Xiaochuan had already wiped everything down with an old rag.

Meng Siqi stepped forward and said, “Thank you.”

Tang Xiaochuan smiled and reassured her, “Siqi, next time you feel carsick, give me a heads-up. I was driving a bit aggressively just now.”

“It’s my fault,” Meng Siqi said with some self-reproach.

“Come on, this is nothing. I can’t even count how many times I’ve thrown up before,” Zhao Leiting chimed in to comfort her.

Meng Siqi pursed her lips slightly.

Not far away, Han Changlin stood with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a cigarette. He took a few deep drags before tossing it to the ground and stamping it out. Turning around, he looked at her and said, “Are you okay? If not, we’ll send you back first.”

“I’m fine, Captain Han,” Meng Siqi quickly replied. She had felt much better after throwing up and had already decided not to read newspapers in the car again.

Han Changlin pressed his lips together slightly and gave a small wave of his hand, signaling for everyone to move out.

After getting back into the car, Meng Siqi leaned against the seat to rest. Her gaze drifted outside through the half-open window. Just now, when she was outside, she had noticed a household with strips of kelp hanging outside their door to dry. The thin seaweed swayed gently in the wind.

For some reason, she found the scene strangely unsettling.

She touched her earlobe, wondering if she was overthinking things. But at the same time, she feared that Xin Tianfei was truly as twisted as she imagined.

Leaning slightly forward, she called out, “Captain Han!”

Han Changlin turned his head slightly. “Are you going to throw up again?”

“No,” Meng Siqi said, “I just had a thought. It might be far-fetched, but I’m not sure if I should say it.”

“Go ahead.”

“Xin Tianfei must hate Wen Huizhi to the core. Do you think he might want to inflict the cruelest punishment on her?”

Han Changlin frowned slightly. “The cruelest punishment? What do you mean?”

Meng Siqi hesitated for a second before answering, “The eighteenth level of hell. The punishment of skinning.”

The moment she said it, Zhao Leiting shuddered.

Han Changlin, however, remained calm. He turned to Tang Xiaochuan and asked, “Where do you think would be a suitable place for such a punishment?”

Tang Xiaochuan hesitated. “Well…”

Han Changlin then turned to Zhao Leiting. “What about you?”

“I have no idea.”

As Han Changlin pondered, Tang Xiaochuan suddenly slowed down the car. “Captain Han, do you remember that murder case at a slaughterhouse two years ago? No one has been there since.”

“Head there now,” Han Changlin ordered firmly.

With a sharp screech, the car made a 180-degree turn and sped toward the abandoned slaughterhouse on the outskirts of town.

Before long, they arrived near the slaughterhouse. The surrounding area was overgrown with weeds, the autumn and winter seasons turning the grass yellow and brittle. Amidst the desolate and decayed scenery, a dilapidated building loomed in the distance.

As the car circled to the back of the slaughterhouse, a black sedan came into view, immediately catching everyone’s attention.

The license plate read Haijiang 06 03687.

Xin Tianfei was here.

After stepping out of the car, Han Changlin immediately drew his gun and spoke in a low voice, “Listen up. Stay alert when we go in. Xiao Meng, you stay at the back, understood?”

“Understood.”

Led by Han Changlin, the four of them crouched low and moved through the tall grass, carefully making their way to the entrance of the slaughterhouse. The rust-covered iron door was not fully closed.

Han Changlin peeked through the gap. Seeing no immediate movement inside, he slipped in first. Meng Siqi followed behind him, holding her breath.

The room wasn’t completely dark. Sunlight streamed through the broken ceiling, casting scattered patches of light on the ground.

Concrete basins lined the area, many filled with stagnant rainwater.

Old rusted metal racks stood in the corners. A few butcher knives were still left behind. The entire place looked like it had been abandoned for years.

Tang Xiaochuan suddenly pointed toward a small opening ahead. Since they had investigated a case here before, they were familiar with the layout. The four of them silently moved forward and discovered a metal staircase leading down to the basement.

Han Changlin signaled for them to descend one at a time without making any noise.

Just then, Meng Siqi thought she heard something. A sinister laugh, eerie and terrifying, echoed faintly from below.

Was Xin Tianfei down there?

As she carefully made her way to the bottom, the scene before her sent chills down her spine.

It was a vast, empty underground room, clearly cleaned in advance. One section of the wall was lined with knives.

At the center of the room, a nearly naked woman was suspended by four metal chains, her limbs stretched apart and bound to a wooden slaughtering frame.

In front of her, a man with his back turned was holding a knife, doing something to her.

He was laughing.

He was hurting her.

The four officers inched forward quietly, but the wet floor made it impossible not to make a sound.

At that moment, the man turned his head.

His face, once twisted with a horrifying smile, immediately darkened with rage.

He roared, “Why? Why must you stop me?”

“Xin Tianfei, drop the knife or I will shoot!” Han Changlin aimed his gun, his voice firm.

But they were still too far from him to make a move.

“You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this day,” Xin Tianfei gritted his teeth, his expression ferocious. “Do you know how long my daughter has waited for this day?”

Meng Siqi felt an uncontrollable chill run through her body.

She had never seen a murderer this deranged.

This man had turned into a monster.

It was impossible to reconcile him with the mathematics teacher he once was.

Zhao Leiting seemed to sense her unease and glanced at her, as if trying to reassure her with his eyes.

“Xin Tianfei, this is your final warning,” Han Changlin shouted again. “Drop the knife, or I will shoot!”

“Don’t push me! Drop your gun, or I’ll kill her right now!” Xin Tianfei pressed the knife against the woman’s collarbone with one hand while adjusting his glasses with the other. Blood instantly smeared across the lens.

“I can put my gun down, but you need to stay calm and lower your knife,” Han Changlin said as he slowly lowered his weapon and inched forward.

Tang Xiaochuan and Zhao Leiting followed suit, placing their guns down. Meng Siqi, instinctively, also lowered her arms.

“What a pity. I didn’t get to make her suffer!” Xin Tianfei suddenly thrust the knife towards Wen Huizhi’s neck.

A gunshot rang out—

The deafening blast nearly ruptured Meng Siqi’s eardrums, its echo reverberating throughout the underground chamber. When she snapped back to reality, Xin Tianfei was already lying motionless on the ground.

The three officers rushed forward, and Meng Siqi quickly followed. A bullet had struck Xin Tianfei’s head. His lifeless eyes remained wide open behind his cracked glasses, still carrying a sinister smile.

Wen Huizhi’s head slumped to the side—she had lost consciousness. Her exposed neck and chest were covered in shallow knife wounds, like claw marks left by a wild beast. It was clear that Xin Tianfei had been tormenting her, using his blade to instill fear rather than deliver a fatal blow.

Perhaps he had been searching for the perfect incision to begin his gruesome act of “skinning.” Although the injuries were not deep, they would leave lifelong scars.

Meng Siqi hurriedly reached for her jacket, though her bulletproof vest made it a bit cumbersome.

Han Changlin, moving quickly, had already taken off his own jacket and wrapped it around Wen Huizhi.

Meanwhile, Zhao Leiting and Tang Xiaochuan worked on unlocking the chains. Within moments, Wen Huizhi collapsed into Tang Xiaochuan’s arms.

Han Changlin pulled out his radio, but there was no response. Frustrated, he handed it to Meng Siqi.

“The signal is terrible here. Xiao Meng, go upstairs and call for an ambulance.”

“Got it.” Meng Siqi took the radio and sprinted toward the surface.