Chapter 23

The first killer couldn’t believe what he was seeing. The sound of the lawnmower continued to buzz as he watched a family tragedy unfold before his eyes.

“My God! What are you people doing in your house?! My flower wall is about to collapse!”

Fearing that the police might mistake him for a criminal, the shadowy figure dragged his broken leg, rolling his body as he crawled through the bushes into the backyard. But at that moment, he saw the man who should have been torn into pieces actually stand up from in front of the lawnmower… He swatted off the shredded pieces of his clothing and, angrily facing the neighbor who had rushed over from next door, said, “Sorry, I crashed into the wall while parking in the front yard…”

“I heard two sounds!”

“After getting out of the car, I started mowing the lawn…”

“My God! I thought you were the fugitive reported in the news! And on top of that, please, care about the community’s housing prices! Do you know that everything from simple landscaping to accident rates affects the housing prices in a community…”

The man was elegant and strong, his appearance normal except for some clothes that had been shredded by a lawnmower. At that moment, the figure heard the sound of their worldview collapsing.

Another person who felt the collapse was the killer. As soon as he sneaked into the backyard, he saw the man’s wife striding toward him. She was wearing a parka with a mask covering her face, her eyes cold, movements steady, and a backpack on her back that seemed to contain luggage ready for an escape.

Upon encountering him, the figure had no choice but to roll in the other direction, and with a “thud,” he almost screamed in pain.

His backside had collided with a hidden board of nails in the bushes.

— What kind of good couple sets up a murder trap in their garden?!

The strong man was walking toward him. As the figure silently groaned, clutching his injured backside, he heard the trembling voice of the thin man: “Darling…”

From fear to sadness to surprise, the figure had never heard such a rapid emotional shift in one sentence.

“Darling… I thought… I thought…”

“Baby, why are you running this way?”

“I called the hospital for emergency help, but I couldn’t get through. I tried to climb over the back wall to find a doctor…”

“Baby, why are you carrying a bag?”

“It’s full of money and medical records… Honey! I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“I’m fine, baby, just some clothes got caught in the mower…”

“Yeah, honey, I was in a hurry. I saw the front of the car stuck in the bushes, and I wanted to use the lawnmower to flatten the bushes and free the car, but the lawnmower wouldn’t listen to me… Honey, I’m so bad at housework…”

“Baby, don’t blame yourself. I’ll handle the housework from now on.”

“No, honey, I’ll try harder…”

Even without looking, the figure could tell that the thin man was crying while holding the strong man. The figure curled up in the unseen corner of the backyard, enduring the pain as he pulled the nails out of his backside one by one.

The day turned to night, and the frightened couple embraced as they entered their luxurious villa. The lights came on inside, then eventually turned off. When everything fell silent, the figure limped out from the bushes.

The nails were finally removed from his backside, and the broken leg was set with ropes and wooden planks. As Black Harbor City’s first serial killer, he had handled wounds like these before, but his expression remained gloomy, sometimes cruel, sometimes doubtful.

Could it be that he had seen it wrong? The blood and flesh flying from his perspective—was it just a coincidence caused by a car crash leading to a concussion?

It was likely just a coincidence. As a killer who had personally ended the lives of over a hundred people, the figure knew very well what it looked like when someone was killed. A person who is killed will die—it’s a more stable vow than marriage.

The figure’s name was Pei Jie. He had served in a foreign mercenary group in his early years and had participated in two wars. After returning to Black Harbor City, the shadows of war still loomed over him. Fortunately, he was skilled at his trade and thrived in it. For years, he had operated in Black Harbor City, never failing. Even the combined efforts of eight foreigners couldn’t stop him from leaving the city.

But now, in this seemingly ordinary house, he had sustained the most serious injury in five years!

The balcony in the first-floor bathroom was perfect for climbing. The night was deep and quiet, ideal for Pei Jie to grab a first aid kit from the bathroom and find an empty room to tend to his injuries. From the conversation of the couple, he learned that the strong man’s name was Lu Sen and the thin man’s name was Bai Wei. The fact that there were only two people in such a large house made it the perfect place for Pei Jie to hide.

At this thought, Pei Jie sneered. He never expected that behind this seemingly happy couple, there were such huge secrets. The fact that Lu Sen didn’t die was a coincidence, but Bai Wei’s intention to kill Lu Sen was certainly real. Perhaps he wouldn’t need to act himself—Bai Wei might kill Lu Sen on his own. When that happened, Pei Jie would only need to control Bai Wei.

Pei Jie was halfway through climbing out of the window when he heard footsteps nearby… Damn it! Why were they getting up in the middle of the night? He quickly rolled into the bushes, but in doing so, he twisted his injured leg, contorting his face in pain.

However, his hand touched something… an ice pick standing upright? Who puts an ice pick upright in the bushes? Is this to make someone slip while gardening and impale themselves?

But this worked in Pei Jie’s favor. He grabbed the ice pick, thinking to himself, “Heaven is helping me.”

Through the gaps in the grass, he saw Lu Sen emerge from the house. Unlike during the day, he looked cold and stiff at night. Lu Sen opened the van’s trunk, took out a large freezer, and placed it on a small cart.

He pushed it toward the backyard.

Why wasn’t he unloading the cargo during the day, instead waiting for his wife to sleep before coming out to unload it? Pei Jie smiled slyly. He realized that behind the seemingly loving couple, they each had their own secrets.

Lu Sen was truly an unlucky lucky man. If Pei Jie hadn’t broken his leg, Lu Sen’s life would already be over, his back turned as he unloaded the cargo.

Pei Jie watched as Lu Sen moved the flower stand and hid the large freezer behind it, in a cellar… There was a cellar there? Well, Pei Jie wasn’t concerned with their secrets. He only wanted to kill the couple and take their place.

Lu Sen was walking back toward him. He was about to pass the bushes—this was a good time to kill him…

Hidden in the bushes, Pei Jie sensed an ominous warning, a feeling that had saved his life on the battlefield.

A silenced pistol!

The bullet missed! It grazed Lu Sen, then struck a tree, and deeply embedded itself in Pei Jie’s shoulder.

Ahhhhhh!!

Pei Jie clutched his shoulder, writhing in pain in the bushes. Meanwhile, Lu Sen walked away as if nothing had happened (and truly, nothing did).

Only God and Pei Jie knew how lucky Lu Sen was at that moment!

Lu Sen went upstairs. The light in the bedroom on the second floor went out again. The spot where Lu Sen had walked was exactly where the main bedroom’s balcony could launch an ambush from.

People who are bad at shooting, can you please not use handguns to kill your husbands? It’s very easy to accidentally injure an innocent killer who is trying to kill your whole family!

Also, who would shoot at night when they’re not skilled with a gun? There’s not even a light in the garden! You can’t even hit a target at this short distance, what a failure!

Amidst the insults directed at Lu Sen’s family, Pei Jie slowly lost consciousness.

The next morning, in Snow Mountain Town.

—-

In the middle of the night, Bai Wei hid the handgun under the bed on his side. He had bought this gun when he was in Black Harbor City. After making the bed, he was certain that he needed to kill Lu Sen before becoming addicted to sex. He couldn’t accept becoming sexually addicted because of having sex with a zombie, and possibly developing a sexual addiction like that zombie.

He couldn’t figure out whether Lu Sen was a zombie or a highly strategic and incredibly lucky human. The lawnmower had clearly hit something. From his angle, he couldn’t see what was beneath the lawnmower, but he would admit that it was Lu Sen’s clothes. Everything on the hotel bed could also be an illusion caused by sex. At that moment, he wished Lu Sen was the latter. First, the latter made more sense logically—how could a zombie have a sexual addiction? Second, he was more likely to kill a human.

But whether Lu Sen was a zombie or a human, he was a despicable liar, using a false identity and resume, a nonexistent ghost.

He was trapped by a ghost that didn’t exist, but he couldn’t accept the divorce.

Maybe only by killing Lu Sen could he prove that Lu Sen truly lived.

Bai Wei had a bizarre dream all night. He dreamt that an invisible ghost dragged him to the bottom of the water. When he woke up, he saw Lu Sen’s big face.

“Good morning, darling,” Lu Sen smiled, starting to touch his waist.

Bai Wei looked at him, unwilling to admit that he was somewhat tempted, but still found his face repulsive.

Maybe Lu Sen was still a plant that understood photosynthesis. Otherwise, how could he be so full of energy in the morning? Bai Wei pressed his face against Lu Sen’s chest. Lu Sen’s chest was sweaty, and Bai Wei could smell the strong masculine scent. He moved with Lu Sen, trying to imagine himself in a primitive forest to clear his mind and suppress his desires.

But unfortunately, he felt like he was being preyed upon by a pitcher plant or vines. Lu Sen had an obsession with staring at his face and grabbing his neck that no one could match. He especially liked seeing Bai Wei’s tear-streaked face.

Even if Lu Sen was a plant, he was the most violent kind. And every time Bai Wei was on the verge of losing control, it was when he most wanted to kill Lu Sen.

Finally, Lu Sen kissed his face. Bai Wei took some time to recover and realized everything was over.

Everything was over, but everything hadn’t ended. Lu Sen picked him up and, in a clingy manner, whispered in his ear, “Princess, are you full?”

Bai Wei: …

Death stares.

Lu Sen chuckled softly, kissing Bai Wei’s reddened fingertips, “Let’s go have breakfast.”

The princess carry that made Bai Wei feel uncomfortable had finally become a part of daily life. He was carried downstairs by Lu Sen and walked toward the dining table.

Bai Wei realized that he still really didn’t like being held so closely by someone.

—–

Pei Jie, after much effort, finally crawled into the bathroom on the first floor.

He had fainted in the grass all night, but thankfully, he woke up. While searching through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom, he heard Lu Sen’s voice in the living room: “I want to go to the flea market. Let’s buy some antiques we like and decorate the house. Do you think that’s a good idea?”

This unlucky fool didn’t even know he was almost murdered!

Soon, Pei Jie heard Bai Wei’s voice: “That’s perfect. I also want to put some night lights in the garden.”

The unlucky killer finally found the medicine cabinet, with bandages, alcohol, and everything he needed.

“People always die when they’re compared to others, and things always get thrown out when they’re compared to others.”

Pei Jie twisted his face into a smile. He thought to himself, I’m much luckier than Lu Sen!