Sitting directly under the living room light, Gao Ming meticulously examined two black-and-white photographs, trying to find some clues within them.
"The 'home' mentioned in the memorial photos must refer to the world where Weird Dad and Weird Mom reside,"
"The first photo says that I have become the 'head of the household,' possessing the key to open the door to this 'home.' The key it describes is probably not an actual item, but rather an ability, like how the game I created has become reality."
"Weird Dad and Weird Mom entered reality through the game I made. It's possible that my parents aren't their true forms either, just some image they've assumed when descending into reality."
Gao Ming wrote down the words "them" and "those" in a notebook, still unable to determine what exactly they were.
His head aching slightly, Gao Ming pressed his hand to his forehead, "All the anomalies that have appeared on me are related to that tunnel! When daylight comes, I must go there and investigate thoroughly; I might find the answer."
Looking at the second black-and-white photo, just a few minutes had passed, and the Qi Yan in the memorial photo began to change, his body developing cracks while his expression turned even more terrified.
"Has Qi Yan's consciousness, or perhaps his soul, been dragged into the world where Weird Mom resides?"
"Less than three minutes have passed, and he looks like he's about to be played to death. It seems that 'home' is extremely terrifying."
After putting away the two memorial photos, Gao Ming hurriedly made a call to the police; he didn't want Qi Yan to die in his own home.
"Hello, I need to report an emergency, the Rainy Night Murderer is in my house."
After a brief pause, the operator's voice became noticeably tense, "Are you being held hostage? Don't be nervous, and don't make any moves that might provoke him. Is he near you right now? Have him state his demands, we will prioritize your safety!"
Turning to look at Qi Yan, with his head bleeding, having ingested potion, and his hands and feet bound, Gao Ming pondered for a moment, "Anyway, just come over quickly, I'm afraid if you're too late, he might not make it."
While waiting for the police to arrive, Gao Ming searched the news on his mobile phone.
The disappearance of all passengers on a bus should have made the news, but he couldn't find any reports on it.
He checked the bus schedules for the evening of the Ghost Festival, and the official website showed that due to the torrential rain, the bus services had all been suspended that night.
"If all services were suspended, then what bus did I take that day?"
Gao Ming had always worked as a psychological counselor at Henshan Felon Prison; he had seen all sorts of lunatics. To keep himself from being influenced by aberrant thinking, he would always force himself to stay rational, but at this moment, he had a new thought.
"Something is not right with this world."
When skepticism crept into his gaze, everything he saw seemed problematic. Gao Ming reviewed the recent news events one by one.
"As the intersection of nine provinces, Hanjiang, the century's Wisdom City Xinhu, and the international metropolis Hanhai, all boast good public order, well-maintained public order, profound cultural heritage, content and industrious citizens, simple folk customs. After a fair and objective assessment, they were selected as this year's model cities of human civilization! They lead by example in cultivating charity spirits, and guide the trend of advocating morality and virtue! Next up, let's welcome Mr. Situ An, the vice president of Hanhai Charity Association, to deliver a speech..."
"Breaking dawn news! A riot has broken out at Henshan Felon Prison! Multiple inmates were injured! Three are missing!"
"Breaking dawn news! The only Ninth Generation Paradise in Hanjiang City caught fire in the early hours; the flames lighting up the night sky, only extinguished by the early morning, leaving no casualties among the visitors, but the park suffered heavy losses and had to shut down temporarily."
"We interrupt with breaking dawn news! Several vicious incidents occurred in Hanhai's Old City District last night! Residents of the Old City District, please be extra careful when going out!"
As Gao Ming examined each piece of news, his brows furrowed, "Abnormal cases are happening frequently, secret forums and private media are wildly spreading all sorts of information, and it's uncertain what's true or false."
The rain lashed against the window panes, the piercing sound of sirens cut through the rainfall, and the noisy and hurried footsteps could be heard from the corridor, followed by someone pounding fiercely on the living room door.
"They're here!"
Gao Ming opened the door, and several fully armed police officers burst into the living room, instantly spotting the professionally tied-up Qi Yan.
"Did you subdue the suspect?" Li Lin gestured for everyone to search the room, confusion evident in his eyes, as he had never encountered such a situation in his years as a policeman.
"A deranged murderer is most terrifying before their identity is confirmed because anyone around you could potentially be that deranged murderer. Once the killer's identity is established, though, they're just a psychologically impaired beast." Gao Ming poured himself a cup of hot water, "I'm Gao Ming, I previously worked in psychological counseling at Henshan Felon Prison."
"You're very brave, but I wouldn't advise you to put yourself in danger, and don't open your door to strangers before daylight." The Rainy Night Murderer was caught, but Li Lin's expression remained grave, something that Gao Ming noted.
"Does the Rainy Night Murderer have an accomplice? That doesn't seem right. From a psychological standpoint, this kind of deranged murderer tends to act alone."
"Multiple incidents have occurred in the Old City Harbor District over the past three days. What you've seen on the TV reports is only what you're allowed to see." Li Lin didn't finish his statement, but the actual situation was even more serious; for three consecutive days, the Old City District had been enveloped by a terrifying atmosphere, with a continuous string of bizarre and brutally gruesome murders, almost too inhuman to comprehend.
"Did all these murders happen in the last three days?" Three days ago was precisely when Gao Ming had entered the tunnel on the bus, which marked the beginning of all the abnormalities.
"Stay home tonight and don't take any more risks. Protect yourself and your family." Li Lin wanted to say more when suddenly, footsteps echoed from the hallway. A disfigured man with a black ring-shaped communication device on his left arm rushed in.
Seeing the disfigured man, Li Lin's frown deepened, but he didn't interfere with the man's actions; the two appeared to be from different departments.
The disfigured man didn't even greet Li Lin. After making a round inside the house, he headed toward the bedroom, but as he entered, his black ring-shaped communication device malfunctioned, crackling with electrical noise.
After failing to fix the communication device, the disfigured man left in a hurry.
"That guy isn't one of yours, is he? How does he have the right to participate in the arrest operation?" Gao Ming felt the man with the disfigured face seemed more like a criminal than a police officer.
Shaking his head slightly, Li Lin replied softly, "He's an investigator from Xinhu City, but what exactly he's investigating, I'm not sure either."
"Investigator?" Having worked in the prison system, Gao Ming was hearing this term for the first time.
Li Lin didn't say much more. They were there to catch a suspect and had not brought any medical equipment. Considering Qi Yan's condition, after asking Gao Ming a few questions, he led his team away.
After re-closing the door to the living room, Gao Ming sat on the couch, unable to sleep because of the recent flurry of events.
"I wonder when this rain will stop."
Listening to the sound of the clock ticking on the wall, Gao Ming took out two photographs again. The crack on Qi Yan's black and white photo had widened, signifying his life was nearing its end.
"It feels like these black and white photos are like cards in a card game, only real people have been made into cards, and the Weird Dad is the one playing the game."
Staring at his own colorful image in the photo, Gao Ming comforted himself, "From the visual impact of the design, my own obituary photo should be considered a rare card, right? But people like me, with so many moms and dads, typically can't be the protagonist in stories."
...
Stepping out of Lijing Apartment Building Number Four, Li Lin, wearing a raincoat, looked up to see the oppressive and gloomy building, with only Gao Ming's room lit by a single lamp.
"Liu, check the credentials of the psychological counselor now. He's too calm," Li Lin said.
"The man isn't lying. He indeed is the youngest psychological counselor at the Henshan Felon Prison, genuinely graduated from Medical University, and is a licensed psychiatrist with prescription authority. But..." Raindrops splattered onto Liu's phone screen: "Psychological counselors in the prison undergo a mental health status evaluation every month, and they can only work if they meet the standards. His last evaluation had a problem that seems like a system input error."
"What kind of problem?"
"His danger score exceeded the limits set by the evaluation device."