Chapter 266: Don't be Afraid, We're Both Hostages

The fake blood and cold sweat mixed together and slid down Xiao Tong’s cheeks. He had no idea how things turned out like this. According to the script, the Doctor was supposed to chase Han Fei away, so why did the latter return while brandishing a steel staff? In this small room, the only person Xiao Tong could rely on was the stunt double beside him. When people were afraid, they would seek safety in number, that was human nature.

Seeing Xiao Tong side with the stunt double, Han Fei’s eyes narrowed. His lips moved slightly. “You’re working together? That’s surprising.” Han Fei worked the staff and it sliced through the air noisily. Xiao Tong was so afraid that he dragged the actor and retreated further into the corner. In his panic, he accidentally grabbed the actor’s wounded arm. It caused the man to grimace and his face turned paler. However, due to Xiao Tong’s frazzled nerves, he didn’t notice that. He was just an idol singer who decided to branch out into acting. He had not experienced anything like this before. All he realized was he needed to stay away from Han Fei because the man was very dangerous.

Xiao Tong had no idea that he was a hostage. He held on tightly to his ‘kidnapper’s arm and intended to draw the ‘kidnapper’ into the bedroom for safety. Seeing Xiao Tong voluntarily offer refuge to the murderer, Han Fei frowned deeper and he suddenly burst forward!

Xiao Tong and the stunt double backed away instantly. However, the bedroom door was only so big and they bumped into each other. With viciousness on his face, the stunt double grabbed Xiao Tong and shoved him towards Han Fei. Then he slipped into the bedroom and locked the door. Xiao Tong tripped and fell to the ground. As he looked up and saw the approaching hurricane which was Han Fei, he crawled backwards and screamed for mercy. Han Fei nudged the screaming Xiao Tong to the side so he could gain access to the bedroom. “Don’t be scared, that man is a killer. Like you, I’m one of his hostages.” Han Fei explained quickly to Xiao Tong as he lifted his leg and aimed it at the door lock!

“We’re both hostages?”

Before Xiao Tong could process that peculiar information, he saw Han Fei kick the bedroom door down! The door shook and it fell entirely away from its hinges. “But you are not acting like a hostage at all!”

The lock cracked and the door fell. While Xiao Tong was still reeling from shock, Han Fei had already entered the room.

Chill winds touched his cheeks. The bedroom window was swinging wide open. The stunt double was standing on the study table beside the window. The man was in a very strange state. There was no fear or panic on his face, in their places instead were numbness and relief. It was like he had suddenly gotten tired of this world and his life. This was different from the man who chased so crazily after Han Fei earlier, it was like he had switched to a different persona.

‘Is the Butterfly now in control?’ A bloody pattern that resembled a butterfly appeared in the actor’s eyes. The vessels interweaved deep inside the pupils. The actor was getting more unhinged. He suddenly cackled and then pointed his finger at Han Fei. “Soon, it’ll be your turn!”

Han Fei already charged towards the man when he crossed the threshold of the room to try to grab the man but the man did not give him the chance. After he said his last piece, he jumped down from the window. When the stunt double fell through the air, he appeared to gain temporary sentience. Fear gripped his face and his bloodshot eyes bled with red tears. Standing at the window, perhaps it was an illusion but Han Fei saw something human-like hug the actor’s waist, hiding behind him, dragging him down to the ground.

After a while, there came the sound of heavy crashing, followed by people screaming. Standing inside the room, Han Fei turned to examine the empty bedroom. The night wind continued to blow and it sent chills into Han Fei’s heart. A human life was snuffed out just like that. Perhaps for the Butterfly, human lives were nothing but pawns and toys. ‘The Butterfly likes to manipulate people and it has no respect for life. It probably sees itself as God and humans are just tools to achieve its goals. In a way, that shows how psychotic the Butterfly really is.’

Xiao Tong from the living room saw the stunt double’s suicide too. His screams were truncated by a gasp and he weakened immediately. “You…” He didn’t know what to say. His body was trembling. Each breath he took was cold like there was ice stuck in his lungs.

“That man was probably not a normal stunt actor, he was here to kill me.” Han Fei held Xiao Tong up from the ground. “We’re both his victims.”

A victim had cornered the murderer to the point where he had to kill himself. Xiao Tong leaned against the wall. He still hadn’t found the courage to speak. Frantic footsteps came from the corridor as the crew members charged into the room. They immediately saw the frightened Xiao Tong and Han Fei who stood by the bedroom door. 3 people entered this room and only 2 remained. The crew members found themselves stopping at the front door.

Several minutes later, the police arrived. Li Xue and 2 officers cut through the crowd and came to Han Fei’s side. For them, ensuring Han Fei’s safety was their most important mission because Han Fei was the key for them to capture the Butterfly. “Are you injured?” Li Xue examined Han Fei’s body. She only sighed in relief when she couldn’t find any wound. However when she picked up the call from her colleagues stationed on the ground, her expression turned severe. “The stunt actor has lost his vitals. My colleague is looking into his information now.”

A murder occurred at the set, this was a very bad omen. The warning the old man gave Han Fei was coming true.

“Han Fei!” Director Zhang was breathing heavily when he arrived at the 9th floor, the long climb was taxing for his age. “The camera captured the scene where the man took out the hidden knife. I also bought a copy of the man’s acting profile with me.” If just viewed from the result, Han Fei was the one doing the chasing near the end, but in essence, Han Fei was only acting out of self-defense. With the info provided by Director Zhang and the police, Han Fei found out about the stunt double’s past.

The man was originally a track star but he was banned due to brawls and drinking problems. He had a temper and a penchant for extreme sports. The sports gave him the adrenaline that he needed. Because of his natural physical prowess and daring nature, he soon made a name for himself in the circle. The man looked innocent enough from Director Zhang’s info, but when coupled with the police’s info, the character took a sinister turn.

The man had 3 former girlfriends and all 3 had filed domestic violence charges against him. The man was booked for drug use before and was a conspiracy theorist. Reading through the comments he posted online, Han Fei shook his head. The man talked a big game but he couldn’t even grip a plastic knife properly in a fight.

“We’ll try our best to find out when did he gain contact with the Butterfly.” The police planned to bring Han Fei home with them. Director Zhang agreed. The last scene for the day was already done. Han Fei and Bai Xian’s stunt double had finished their job. The chase scene couldn’t be realer, it looked as if Han Fei was really running for his life, which he was.

“Director Zhang, I suggest we move the shoot to the day from now on.” Before he left, Han Fei told Director Zhang. He had a feeling that the experience that day was just the beginning. Butterfly would only get crazier from now on.

‘Butterfly is extremely cunning and anyone with a psychological weakness can be easily controlled by it. Therefore I have to be careful of everyone around me, be it strangers or friends.’

When Han Fei left the living compound and got into the police cruiser, he turned to look at the old building behind him. A wind chime appeared to ring in the dark. He could feel a pair of eyes focusing on him from inside the building.