Chapter 407: Delusions of Guilt

2022-05-20

The Special Investigation Team hasn’t existed for long, but it’s already been two years. We’ve all been together for over a year now, facing life-and-death trials and sharing moments of joy and sorrow—these are memories we can never let go.

We all hoped Gu Chen would come back, but that’s just not possible anymore.

Xiao Liu crumpled to the ground.

My warning came too late. I always thought Wu Zui wouldn’t really kill Guan Zengbin, thought that was the best outcome, but looking at things now, sometimes death really might be kinder than living.

Death isn’t the end; sometimes living means endless torment.

Over these months, Guan Zengbin has been deeply hypnotized. Without long-term therapy, there’s no way she could recover so quickly. If only I’d kept Guan Zengbin from staying on the mountain alone, she wouldn’t have been taken, wouldn’t be like this now.

And if Guan Zengbin didn’t end up this way, Xiao Liu would still be alive too. All of this—every bit of it—is because of me. I’m the reason Guan Zengbin changed. I’m the one truly responsible for Xiao Liu’s death. If it weren’t for me, none of this would have happened. They all could’ve lived normal lives.

It’s all because of me.

I don’t know what it means to grieve too much. I just know I can’t even squeeze out a single tear. It’s a terrible feeling—you’re heartbroken, but there’s nothing left to cry.

Gu Chen glanced at Xiao Liu and sighed. “Death’s a release. You’re free now. Maybe you’ll find happiness in your next life.”

With that, Gu Chen walked over and untied the ropes binding Wu Zui and me.

Everything is over now. The people I’ve cared about and valued—if they didn’t change into someone I couldn’t recognize, they died right in front of me. A fortune teller once told me I was born cursed, destined to bring ruin to anyone close to me. If that’s my fate, I wish my death could bring an end to all of this.

End this nightmare once and for all.

“What time is it?” Wu Zui asked.

Gu Chen didn’t give a time. He just said, “It’s soon. Ten minutes at most.”

Wu Zui nodded and looked at the two corpses in the small house, satisfied. “Good, that’s just what I planned. Our plan is in motion. Now all we have to do is wait.”

I didn’t understand what Wu Zui meant—waiting here only meant the police would arrest us.

But I couldn’t bring myself to speak anymore. After everything that’s happened, I felt like nothing but a joke. From the very start, I’ve been kept in the dark. Now that everything’s been revealed, the people I cared about are already gone.

I joined the Special Investigation Team with nothing, and now I’m back to square one. Everyone lied to me; none of them ever truly saw me as a friend. I’m still alone—no friends, no family, just scorn and pity.

Nothing ever changes.

“My dear brother,” Wu Zui saw the look on my face and burst out laughing. “Why are you making that miserable face? You should be proud of your big brother. Everything that’s happened went exactly as I planned. You can plant an undercover agent, and so can I.

“The moment I met you, everything began. To make my plan work, we needed a high starting point, and after this case, Wu Meng, your status will soar higher than you ever imagined. You’ve killed Shi Huacheng, you’ve personally caught Wu Zui.”

I finally understood what Wu Zui meant by wanting to become me.

Wu Zui nodded. “That’s right. Didn’t I tell you? When this case ends, Gu Chen, Guan Zengbin, and I will all be pillars of the new order. Do you know why Shi Huacheng could stir up so much trouble alone? It’s because he had people everywhere, do you get it?”

“If you control everything yourself, then everything’s possible.” Wu Zui patted my head. “My dear brother, the real masterstroke isn’t killing people outright—it’s changing their hearts. We’ll remake everything from within. If everyone thinks like we do, if they’re all eager to build a new world, then this world will change completely!”

“You’re crazy!” I shot back. “You think you can really pull this off? You think you can hide forever? How long do you think you’ll live?”

“No,” Wu Zui waved a finger. “We never planned to survive anyway. Shi Huacheng taught me one last lesson. Now I finally get it. Killing is a crude method. What truly matters is spreading our ideas. Even if I die, there’ll be another Wu Zui, another Gu Chen. It never ends. One day, the world will be just the way we want. Understand?”

I shook my head. Wu Zui’s dreams were just too insane. I couldn’t grasp it at all.

This was all Wu Zui’s twisted, dark vision for the world.

“Time’s almost up.” Gu Chen looked at Wu Zui.

Wu Zui nodded.

Gu Chen stepped up and drove his fist into my head. Stars exploded behind my eyes. Even if I had both arms and legs, I’d be no match for Gu Chen, let alone now. But what hurt most wasn’t the physical pain—it was the betrayal.

How could I have ever guessed Gu Chen would do this to me? How could I imagine he’d become the kind of person who’d once promised that if no one else in the world believed me, he at least would?

I’m completely hopeless about this world.

It’s never been a bright world; darkness is the rule here.

“As long as I’m alive, I’ll stop you!”

My throat tasted sweet—I recognized the taste of blood. I forced the words out, barely a whisper more than a whimper. Blood dripped from the corner of my mouth, my voice weak but determined.

Wu Zui grabbed a fistful of my hair. “Wu Meng, don’t you get it? Why do you think I insisted you watch everything from start to finish? Look around—think back on your whole life. I tried to warn you off, tried to give you a normal life, a dull life, but a safe one.”

But you wouldn’t listen!” Wu Zui snarled. “This is all your fault. If you hadn’t interfered, Guan Zengbin wouldn’t be like this. If not for you, Gu Chen wouldn’t be like this, the Special Investigation Team wouldn’t be like this, and Xiao Liu wouldn’t have died here.”

“Why can’t you see it?” Wu Zui pulled my hair hard enough to make my scalp sting. “You brought all this on yourself.”

My head was spinning and Wu Zui’s words faded in and out—sometimes right in my ear, sometimes far away. Maybe it’s true. Maybe all of this is because of me. Maybe I’m the killer. Maybe from the day I was born, I was doomed to bring death to those around me. One by one, I killed them all.

Yes, this world is dark. Death is a kind of release. Maybe everything I’ve done was only to set people free. The murdered woman, Liu Yinyan, the brutally slain Chu Mei, all those suicides—they were all part of my plan.

If that weren’t so, why would I understand these cases so well?

“That’s right, I killed them! I killed them all! I’m guilty, I’m a sinner!” I shouted till my voice cracked, pouring out every last bit of strength. “It was me. I killed them! If you’ve got a problem, come at me!”

A faint voice echoed in my ears: “Wu Zui, you’ve finally admitted everything. Do you know who I am?”

I stared at the person in front of me. He looked exactly like me—and beside him stood two more, a man and a woman. I’d seen them before. Guan Zengbin and Gu Chen, both Special Investigation Team members. Their mission was to catch Zhao Mingkun, to catch me.

“Who am I?”

The person who looked just like me spoke.

“You’re Wu Meng.” I answered.

“Very good,” Wu Meng said. “And who are you?”

Before I could reply, there was a noisy commotion outside the door. I had nowhere left to run.

“Who are you? Answer me!” Wu Meng glared at me with hatred in his eyes. No wonder—after all, I’d killed so many people; he had every reason to hate me.

“I’m Wu Zui,” I said.

Suddenly the wooden door was kicked open. “Don’t move! Hands in the air!”

Wu Meng stepped forward. “Calm down—Wu Zui’s already under our control.”