Chapter 40: An Actor, A Detective, A Gamer

“I am a detective story buff and I play the victim in my current project. After getting to know the character, I really want to return to the victims their much-deserved justice.” Han Fei said evenly. No matter how you looked at it, the man did not appear like he was lying.

‘Is this what they call method acting?’ Li Xue thought as she sat across from Han Fei.

“Before I start the story, I need to ask you one thing first.” Han Fei did not obfuscate the issue and shot right for his mark, “If I help you solve this human jigsaw case, what kind of consequence will it cause?”

“The human jigsaw case is an open case from more than a decade ago. Many officers still have it on their mind. If we can solve it together, then we’ll be heroes.” Li Xue took a sip of the water. “You’re an actor. If we really can solve this case, then your popularity will skyrocket and the media will crowd towards you. Other than the monetary rewards, there are many other side benefits. Of course, it’s even more important for me. If the case is solved, it’ll be my ticket to go back to the heavy crime unit.” That was probably Li Xue’s goal all along. It was why she had been helping Han Fei.

“For now, money and fame don’t mean much to me, I just wish to have a better relationship with law enforcement. We might have more interactions in the future.” Li Xue narrowed her eyes at Han Fei. “I don’t know what you’re getting at but let’s not waste time anymore. What does the 8th victim look like?” Li Xue took out her phone to look for something.

“I do not have her actual picture but I do remember what she looks like.” Han Fei opened a facial reconstruction program on his computer and keyed in all the information. Moments later, a slender girl around 14 appeared on his computer screen. Staring at the picture, Li Xue’s eyes were transfixed for a long time. Eventually, she gave a sigh, “Kid, you’re the real deal after all. Now I fully believe you.”

“You didn’t earlier?”

“Of course not. After all, you’re a comedy actor who came to me out of nowhere with the key information of an old case. Anyone in my place would find that inconceivable.”

“But you have not seen the actual 8th victim before. What if I just come up with a random picture to trick you?”

“Do you really think the police are that dumb?” Li Xue turned her phone around to show Han Fei her screen. The girl on the screen was 90 percent similar to the girl reconstructed by Han Fei’s computer. “The police had used the little bits of the 8th victim to speculate her age and used parts of her bone structure to theorize her physical frame. We also used the computer to simulate her facial appearance, we merely have not released the information to the public.”

‘Looks like the police did have more information than I expected but this is a good thing.’ Han Fei planned to combine both parties’ clues through Li Xue. “What is your opinion regarding this case? Or is there a theory that is floating around among law enforcement?”

“We believe the killer is of medium build, perhaps even on the slighter side. The killer has a certain mastery of fighting skill and autopsy skill. They are very thorough and meticulous. Considering the uniqueness of the 8th victim, the killer most likely has adopted an abandoned baby which had not been registered in the system…” Li Xue volunteered a lot and they helped expand Han Fei’s perception of the case.

“That is similar to what I thought but the police seem to have missed one detail.” Pointing at Wei Youfu’s picture, he shared his hypothesis. He believed the killer knew Wei Youfu. They were more than passing acquaintances.

“That might be the case but to tell you the truth, the police have already investigated everyone connected to all the victims.” Li Xue used her id to log into the police’s internal database. “For the puzzle hobbyist shop you mentioned, we checked everyone, from the owner to the staff, all of them have ironclad alibis.”

“Then, can you help me check one more thing?” Han Fei wrote down Meng Changan’s name. “I wish to know whether Meng Si’s 3 sons knew Wei Youfu or not, especially this Meng Changan.”

“You think the human jigsaw case and the frozen body case have the same killer? But their mo is completely different. Furthermore, Meng family’s 3 siblings had alibis during the jigsaw killer’s murder spree. The police have already considered the things that you do now.”

“Even if the two cases do not have the same killer, they are definitely connected.” Han Fei could be so sure because he knew that Meng Changan had predicted the human jigsaw case through the game. Looking through the investigation report, Li Xue scanned for a long time before she found a point of intersection between Meng Changan and Wei Youfu’s lives.

“According to the records, a few days before the start of the human jigsaw case, Meng Changan and Wei Youfu visited the same puzzle hobbyist shop. But they did not know each other, they were strangers to each other.” For the law enforcement, they had to start from ground zero, it was like finding a needle in a haystack; however, it was different for Han Fei. The game provided him with a clear direction. His investigation difficulty was much lower than the police.

“Meng Changan has frequented the same store?” Han Fei said excitedly, “There is something wrong with that shop! We need to expand the scope of investigation. Other than the staff, we need to look into the other customers who might have interacted with Meng Changan or Wei Youfu!”

“Are you sure about this?”

“Yes!” Han Fei nodded confidently and then added, “Other than that, I have an extra clue for you. The 8th victim did not leave behind any trace on the internet because she was kept at a place secluded from society by the killer. She lived inside a black house surrounded by an expansive forest.”

“How did you know these things?” Li Xue asked as she jotted down the notes.

“If I say I heard them from the victims themselves, would you believe me?”

Li Xue thought for a while before saying, “Actually, I would. The coroner’s job is to help the dead find a voice, perhaps you too have your own method. But don’t worry, I’m not interested in that, I just want to solve this case.” Li Xue stood up. “The database doesn’t go back ten years so we don’t have access to the information on the puzzle hobbyist shop’s customers. However, I will go visit my teacher. He was part of the team investigating the case and as you can predict, it is still bothering him.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll inform you at first notice if we have any update.” After putting the phone and information in her bag, Li Xue turned back to glance at the wall of murder victims. “In a way, you’ve gone far and beyond with your homework as an actor.”

“Nah, it’s nothing. These are just basic preparation for my job.”

Han Fei said embarrassedly. After he started playing Perfect Life, a surprising number of people gave him compliments.

After sending Li Xue away, Han Fei prepared to settle down to study criminology when his phone rang. “Director Jiang, I thought we were done with all of my scenes. How can I help you?”

“Han Fei, it’s like this. After a discussion, we decided to add more scenes for you. We are going to add more storyline to flesh out Wei Youfu’s character. Do you mind coming over to film them?” Director Jiang informed Han Fei. His tone was friendly. The director was wildly impressed by Han Fei’s acting skill.

“Okay, I’ll be there soon.”

Han Fei hurried to Northern Street, when he arrived, the crew was already in place. It was visible that despite the small budget, Director Jiang’s team viewed this movie with great importance.