The weapon by the pillow

Chapter 106 The coward’s dictation

"What call?"

"Life number." Chen Hao's throat tightened, and he lowered his voice. "It was a woman's voice inside, cool and devoid of any warmth. She said, 'Li Wan is gone. If you still want to do anything for her, come to Room 403, Building 7, Anping Lane now. Bring the things the master told you to prepare.' After she finished speaking, the line went dead."

Cheng Tan's heart skipped a beat. It was 403 again. That haunting room.

"You went?" Cheng Jing pressed.

"I went." Chen Hao's eyes were glazed over, as if he had fallen back into that rainy night. "I floored the gas pedal like a madman and rushed towards Jiangzhou. At 1:30 a.m., I found my way to Anpingli. The door to apartment 403 in building number seven was ajar. I pushed the door open and went in..."

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice began to tremble: "On the floor of the hall, Jin Dafu lay in a pool of blood, like a tattered sack. Inside the room... there was another person."

"Who?" Cheng Tan took a half step forward.

"Wearing a black rubber raincoat, with his back to me, he stood in front of the window." A genuine fear filled Chen Hao's eyes. "He... or she, turned around, his face covered with a pale mask. He was holding a knife, the tip of which was still dripping blood. My soul almost left my body. I wanted to run away, but my legs felt like they were made of lead, and I couldn't move an inch."

"He spoke up?"

"It's open." Chen Hao's voice was barely audible. "He said, 'Chen Hao, Jin Dafu is gone. Do you want to collect the debt for Li Wan? There's an opportunity now. But you have to follow my plan.'"

"What does he want you to do?"

"He wanted me to... clean up the mess." Chen Hao closed his eyes. "Not really clean up, but... put on a show. He wanted me to arrange Jin Dafu's corpse in a specific pose. He wanted me to write a few words on the wall with that blood. He also wanted me to... take something with me."

"What is it?" Cheng Tan asked urgently.

"A diary." Chen Hao opened his eyes, his gaze blank. "Li Wan's diary. He said: 'Keep this safe. Thirteen years from now, someone will come to claim it. Then you can hand it over and clear Li Wan's name.'"

"You agreed?"

"I did as he said." Chen Hao nodded, his face blank. "I felt like I was under a spell, doing everything he instructed, one by one. Finally, he handed me an envelope containing a train ticket and a wad of cash. He said, 'After leaving Jiangzhou, don't look back for ten years. If you still want to collect your debts after ten years, come back.'"

"You're just leaving like this?"

"I'm gone." Chen Hao forced a smile, a smile more painful than a grimace. "I'm a cowardly coward. Terrified, I fled with my diary and money. I hid for ten years. Three years ago, I came back. I started investigating secretly, uncovering the sordid details of the demolition, exposing the people backing Jin Dafu, and finding out everyone involved in that crime..."

His gaze slowly swept over the faces of Sister Fang, General Manager Zhao, and Director Sun: "They're all inside. And those seven from last night too. I gathered all the evidence and set up this 'courtroom scene.' I thought... everything was under my control."

"But you can't control it." Cheng Tan's voice was even colder, each word piercing the heart. "You're just a pawn. You were thirteen years ago, and you are now. That masked man used your lingering feelings for Li Wan to make you a piece in his game. Now, he's using you in this 'courtroom' to make another move for him."

"The other move... what move?" Chen Hao asked blankly.

Cheng Tan didn't respond immediately. He touched a tile with his fingertip; it was a nine of characters. He was now waiting for a five or eight of characters. But he still didn't give up. He flicked his knuckles and played a white tile—another Taiping tile.

"Sister Fang," Cheng Tan suddenly turned to her, "who handed you those thirteen bone dice? When was the first time you received them?"

Fang Jie trembled. She glanced at Cheng Tan, then at Chen Hao, and finally lowered her eyes: "Thirteen years ago. Three days after the Jin Dafu case. A package was sent directly to my office. Inside was the first die—the one made of a thumb bone. Enclosed was a letter that said: 'This is the first one. There are twelve more. Keep them safe; this is your karma.'"

"Back then... did you already know whose thumb it was?"

"I know." Fang's voice trembled uncontrollably. "It's...it's the thumb of that guy in Anping who was missing. The man who was crushed to death by the wall. I recognize his hand because...because it was my men who did it."

This story is so tragic; the private room seemed to be filled with blood and tears.

General Manager Zhao and Director Sun stared at Sister Fang in astonishment, as if they were seeing her for the first time.

"You called for help..." Chen Hao's eyes bloodshot, "You called for people to harm them?!"

"It wasn't harm!" Sister Fang retorted shrilly. "It was an accident! An accident during the demolition! I just... I just didn't stop it! I didn't..."

"You took the money." Cheng Tan's words were scathing. "Jin Dafu promised you three million in exchange for turning a blind eye to those 'accidents.' You took it. And those lives are your responsibility."

Fang slumped into her chair, tears streaming down her face. "I accept... I accept this sin... For the past thirteen years, I haven't had a single night of peace. Those dice, those letters, gnawed at my heart day and night. I thought about dying, but I didn't dare... I was afraid that if I died, no one in this world would remember them anymore..."

Cheng Tan looked at her, at this woman who had been tormented by sin and fear for thirteen years. There was no pity or hatred in his eyes, only a cold indifference that understood cause and effect—what you sow, you reap; such is the way of Heaven.

"When did the second die arrive?" he asked.

"Three months later," Fangjie choked up, "the little finger bone. The missing girl's. There was also a photo tucked in the package; the girl's body was floating on the river, her left little finger missing."

"What about the third one?"

"Two months later. Index finger bone. Another family whose home was being demolished, they said it was an 'acute myocardial infarction,' but their family said they had never had any history of heart disease."

"That's it, thirteen years, thirteen dice." Cheng Tan's voice was flat, as if he were reciting a verdict. "Someone is remembering, keeping track of it, and giving you a warning. They are also reminding everyone involved in that matter—blood debts must always be repaid in blood."

He turned to Chen Hao: "Now you understand? Your 'courtroom' is just a small corner of this grand scheme. Someone spent thirteen years setting up this game. You're in it, Fang Jie is in it, everyone involved back then is in it. And... me."

"You?" Chen Hao was stunned.

"I'm a pawn too," Cheng Tan said calmly. "From the moment I got that diary, I was dragged into the game. My nightmare wasn't accidental. Someone used some unknown method to force the memories of Jin Dafu's case into my brain. Making me... a 'witness'. A 'witness' who must uncover the truth."

He paused, his voice lower: "Last night, room 403 wasn't your stage. It belonged to someone else. That person borrowed your set to perform a 'ritual.' That ritual wasn't about judgment, it was... a sacrifice. Using seven lives to sacrifice the thirteen souls that died thirteen years ago."

The color drained from Chen Hao's face: "You mean... those seven people... are all gone?"

"It's hard to say," Cheng Tan shook his head. "But I'm afraid the odds are against them. That person spent thirteen years meticulously planning this scheme; they won't give up easily."

Outside the window, Li Ju's voice, muffled by the loudspeaker, could be faintly heard: "...Safety must be guaranteed...As long as everyone comes out, everything is negotiable..."

Cheng Tan and Chen Hao exchanged a glance.

The game, the final round.

Cheng Tan reached out to touch the cards. The moment his fingertips touched the cards, his heart pounded.

It's 50,000.

I won. I drew the winning tile myself.

But he still didn't push the cards away. He just stared intently at Chen Hao: "I won. As agreed, you tell me, besides those seven people, who else was in room 403 last night? Who was the one who changed the script?"

Chen Hao remained silent for a long time. His withered fingers repeatedly stroked the wooden box in his arms, as if caressing a lover's cheek.

"I didn't see his face," he finally spoke. "He was wearing a mask and a black raincoat. But I knew who he was. Because... I recognized the way he walked."