"So there really is a hidden door." Chu Nuan muttered as a trapdoor was revealed from under the rug.
After having a splendid conversation with their suspect who is now (fainted) resting peacefully on the cold wooden floor. The group was enlightened with a few points. First, the culprit was possessed at some point in time, But the possessor for some odd reason, decided to abandon this body.
Secondly, although the criminal was possessed, he was still sound of mind when he did the killings. From luring innocent passersby by acting injured, to directly attacking from behind. The spirit only gave mild suggestions that inflated the hidden desires within this man. Which means that even without the help of a spirit, this man still would've killed eventually.
Third, even though the man did the killings willingly, due to the subliminal control of the spirit. He has never questioned the reason for his blood collecting. Other than the desire to murder. There is this uncontrollable eagerness to collect large amounts of human blood. The collected blood is then delivered to the hidden room underground to create a large image.
Recalling the conversation from before, Chu Nuan's eyebrows furrowed together in distaste.
"Talk!" Hong Wen demanded in a stern voice, releasing the aura of a commanding officer. This subtle but heavy pressure successfully scared the already mentally and physically weakened criminal.
"I, I'll talk! Just please, no more!"
Stuttering pitifully, the culprit began to pour out his murdering history. Like a dam that broke open, he started from how he first killed inside a forest by acting injured. Successfully capturing the attention of a passing family of three. While the adults were occupied, he first captured the child of the family. Then threatened to kill unless they follow his will by first binding themselves. Afterwards, what happened is as shown in the scene, killed after being bounded and drained of blood. Because that was his first attempt, his skills were rusty and careless.
But thanks to the voice assisting him inside his head, the second stage was planned out much more orderly. The second round of victims were a group of highschoolers that frequent the cafe he works at. He set his sights on them because of their loud and obnoxious voices that seem to drill through his head every time they appeared. He brought them drinks laced with slow acting drugs and waited till they went on their way home. For the sake of catching them, he stalked this group of five for days before acting. Therefore, he is very informed on the routes they take home. Waiting for their bodies to lose consciousness in a desolated side street, he cautiously dragged them into his van. Directly taking the group to a nearby meat processing plant. There, he hung them upside down like cattle on hooks before slicing their necks for blood to flow. The factory has knives of many sizes, allowing him to effectively separate their body parts before grinding them into a machine.
"How were you able to enter the factory? And why did you move the two bodies away?"
"One of my friends works at the factory. He once complained to me about a broken side door that never got fixed. Because the factory is very old, many of their equipment break frequently. That night, while I was grinding the students, the supervisor of the factory came back to get something he forgot. Because of the grinding noise, I almost got caught. That's why I decided to leave with the remaining two bodies. Disguising it as a robbery, I left them in an alleyway."
As for the body left in the public restroom. He is an unfortunate soul that saw his bloody appearance as he was leaving the alley. In the midst of struggle, he stabbed and hid him inside the trunk of his car until a later time before throwing him in the public restroom. After that, in order to get a moment of rest, he came back to this cabin. But, how could he'd guess, the moment he decided to rest in this cabin, a group of maniacs would rush in to capture him!
"This doesn't make sense! What about Cui Lian!" Feng Ling exclaimed in agitation.
"Cui Lian?" The criminal thought for a moment. "Don't remember a Cui Lian."
With reddened eyes Feng Ling pounced on the criminal, gripping onto his shirt collar, he continued to ask. "She is a gentle looking old lady wearing a green cheongsam! Don't lie, a piece of her dress is found in the hands of the man you killed in the public restroom!"
As if the taunt strings inside him all broke at the same time, Feng Ling's eyes grew bloodshot as a growl emitted from his throat. Seeing the confused and scared expression on the criminal's face fueled his anger even more. Just as he was about to attack, a cold voice stopped his movements abruptly.
"Stop!" Chu Nuan commanded in an icy voice, causing the old man in front of her to pause in his attack. "Didn't you hear me?" Her voice grew colder with every passing second. ���Release him."
Faced with Chu Nuan's demand, although unwilling, Feng Ling slowly let go of the culprit before moving behind Chu Nuan with his head down.
Glancing briefly at the figure behind her, she said, "it looks like the criminal doesn't really know. You won't get the answer you want even if you kill him." Moving her sight onto the carpet, she gave a hard tug to reveal a hidden doorway under the cabin floor.
Thus, everything that has happened so far has led to this very moment. Pulling open the wooden trapdoor, a heavy stench of iron attacks their senses. Causing them to pull back subconsciously.
"It stinks….." Lei Lin muttered under his breath while burying his face in Hong Wen's clothes.
Waiting for the smell of blood to dwindle, Chu Nuan turned towards the group. "Wait here."
Not expecting for their reply, she took the first few steps into the dark staircase. Just as she was about to take another, a hand suddenly pulled her back.
Wrapping his hand around Chu Nuan's arm, Xie Luochen pursed his lips tightly. "I'm going with you." A statement, not a question. As if afraid of her leaving without him, his hand slipped from her arm to her hand. Gripping her hand with just enough strength so that it'll be difficult to shake off. But gentle enough to not cause her pain, he moved past her to lead in front.
With her hand safely within his protective grasp, Xie Luochen began to move forward with the help of a flashlight. Heavy breathing and sweat accumulating on his back does nothing to ease his tension, as the creaking of wooden steps seems to magnify in this silence.
"Hey." Chu Nuan said quietly.
"...."
"Xie Luochen."
"Hold on." Xie Luochen said distractedly, as he carefully observed the dark passageway. Who would have known that there is such a spacious passageway under a cabin deep in the woods. Moving cautiously in case of hidden mechanisms, he gave Chu Nuan's hand a squeeze. "Don't worry. It's unlikely for there to be any hidden traps. But it is better to be more careful."
Feeling the temperature of Xie Luochen's hand transferring to her's, a stream of warmth made its way to her chest. Smiling lightly, she squeezed back. "I'm not worried." Because you're here….
As if able to sense the words in her heart, he paused in his steps for a moment. Although it is difficult to see in the darkness, he subconsciously glanced back at the figure behind him. Lowering his eyes a little, he pursed his lips before saying, "I'm here." Before immediately turning away.
Perhaps due to embarrassment, his steps as he continued to lead became a beat faster than before. Soon, a wooden door appeared in their vision as the passage began to brighten. Even with it closed, the stench of iron and decay lingers strongly in the air. Taking a deep breath to ready themselves, Xie Luochen pushed open the door.
"This..."
Inside the room with lanterns hung on top of the ceiling, is a large dark red array drawn in blood. Black spots from overly dried blood littered every corner of the room, along with buckets carrying the same black spots strewn across the floor.
"That array!" Alarmed, Chu Nuan walked quickly towards the drawn formation on the ground. The longer she observed the design, the deeper her brows furrowed, "how could this be..." In the end, she clicked her tongue angrily before taking out her chains.
Using the chains like a whip, Chu Nuan assaulted the array with flame in her eyes. Each strike causes a sharp gale to blindly slice across the ground until every corner, but the place where Xie Luochen is standing at, littered with deep scars.
Breathing heavily with a scowl on her face, Chu Nuan clicked her tongue again before turning towards the door. Giving Xie Luochen a smile that looks even uglier than a crying face, she exited the room while pulling on his hand. "Let's go."