More and More Clues

Looking at the head beneath my eyelids that looked identical to my own, a dull roaring instantly erupted in my head, as if a chainsaw was cutting through my neck—first bringing a sharp pain, and then numbness.

Then I collapsed backward onto the ground in shock, not knowing what to do for a moment. I just sat there in a daze, staring blankly at that head and the large portion of the body protruding from the dirt.

A few seconds later, a gust of cold wind blew against the back of my neck, feeling as though something was breathing right on me, and that was what finally snapped me out of my trance.

I turned my head to look, but there was nothing there. Refusing to believe it, I mustered my courage and scraped away the soil with my hands, brushing all the dirt clean from the head to see if it really was me.

The result was that it genuinely looked identical to me. Although being buried in the earth for a few days had made the face look slightly shriveled and tinged with a bluish-green hue, it seemed to have been treated with some special preservative substance, as there was almost no decomposition or foul odor, making its features very easy to recognize.

Why was my head buried here?

No, it definitely couldn't be me. That would mean it was the assassin Chen Mu. But wasn't the assassin Chen Mu still alive and well?

Could it be that the assassin Chen Mu was actually dead?

I did not dare to think any further. I felt that this situation was completely out of my control, and then I thought of Jin Ze. I realized I could not keep this a secret, as it might lead to extremely grave consequences.

So I immediately took out my phone. But just as I was about to unlock the screen, I accidentally caught the reflection of a figure in the display. I couldn't make out the face clearly, but I was certain that someone was standing right behind me.

I instinctively turned my head around and discovered that there truly was someone there. Yet I didn't wet my pants in terror, because it was Bai Ye.

Bai Ye stood quietly behind my back, yet I could sense a murderous aura emanating from him. Looking into his eyes, even in the darkness of the night, I could see them glowing crimson, bloodshot from rage.

Bai Ye was holding a curved blade in his hand, his arm lifting slightly as if he intended to slice off my head with a single strike.

Then it dawned on me in an instant: Bai Ye himself probably had no idea that a corpse was buried beneath this tree, let alone a corpse that looked identical to the assassin Chen Mu. This had to be a complete coincidence.

Bai Ye must have assumed that I was the one who had murdered the assassin Chen Mu, which was why he was now flying into a blind rage, wanting to avenge him.

I hurriedly spoke up to Bai Ye, saying, "I, I don't know either. Please don't misunderstand..."

In the end, the blade in Bai Ye's hand never came down. He merely lifted his head slightly and closed his eyes. At that exact moment, I thought I caught a glimpse of a glistening tear in his eyes.

Suddenly, Bai Ye glanced down at me and immediately sprinted toward the back of my house.

Not long after Bai Ye fled, Jin Ze rushed in. Charging toward me, Jin Ze spoke into the walkie-talkie in his hand, "Release the net, do not capture."

Judging by his intent, he was deliberately letting Bai Ye go. I could understand; after all, Bai Ye's current status was rather unique, and he could help the police uncover leads that they otherwise couldn't trace. Jin Ze quickly reached my side. When he saw the two bodies beside me, his own body gave a start, especially at the corpse that looked identical to me, leaving Jin Ze momentarily stunned.

However, Jin Ze quickly regained control of his emotions and asked me, "Chen Mu, where is the password box?"

Hearing Jin Ze ask that, I knew he must have already grasped the general picture of what had just happened. It wasn't because he possessed supernatural hearing, but rather because he had planted a wire on me. I didn't think what he did was wrong; rather than calling it surveillance, it was actually a form of care.

I then led Jin Ze to my room to show him the password box and the birth certificate inside. As for the two bodies, the police had already stepped in to investigate.

After examining the birth certificate, Jin Ze immediately said to me, "The situation is much clearer now. Although the probability is extremely low, something like this actually seems to have happened. You must truly be identical triplets. The assassin Chen Mu executed by Team Leader Fang and the others is indeed dead. Later on, the person who kept appearing throughout the case looking just like you shouldn't be the assassin Chen Mu, but rather another brother of yours. If I'm not mistaken, his name should be Huang Quan."

Hearing Jin Ze's words, my previously muddled mind suddenly cleared up. Because I had been too deeply embroiled in the events, I hadn't managed to figure this out on my own.

So I immediately said to Jin Ze, "I see. Does Bai Ye know about this too? Did he split that woman's womb into three parts precisely to tell me that I have three brothers?"

Jin Ze shook his head slightly and replied, "Bai Ye might have guessed it, but he doesn't know the whole story. He probably figured it out only after finding this password box through some method. That was why he cut the woman's womb into three pieces and stuffed them into her mouth—he must have been torturing and interrogating her. It's an effective interrogation method, but that woman was tight-lipped. I suspect she was also quite an important clue. However, Bai Ye should be completely clear on the truth now. Seeing this corpse, he will certainly realize that this was his true partner."

I knew Jin Ze's analysis was correct, because of the look in Bai Ye's eyes just moments ago. The tears he had forcefully blinked back looked far too heartbreaking.

Then I couldn't help asking Jin Ze, "Then why didn't he kill me?"

Jin Ze told me, "You'll have to ask yourself that. What did you do to make Bai Ye forgive you? I suppose you look even more like the assassin Chen Mu than your other brother—not the monstrous side of him, but your kind side."

Suddenly, it all made sense to me, but I still couldn't help asking Jin Ze further, "But why was this corpse buried under that tree, and why did I happen to dig it up? It makes it look as though I was the one who buried the body."

Jin Ze said, "Don't overthink it. Since the second person who looks like you was also impersonating the assassin Chen Mu, he must have lived here. Besides, psychological studies in the medical field have tested whether environment or genetics ultimately dictates a person's personality and habits; the answer is both. Since you are twin brothers, even if your living environments are different, certain aspects will naturally be identical. Therefore, in order to do a better job impersonating the assassin Chen Mu, after stealing his corpse, it makes sense that he thought of burying it beneath the tree at your house. After all, the most dangerous place is the safest place. If Bai Ye hadn't accidentally orchestrated events to make you clean up the scene and bury whatever was there, this body would never have been exposed. This can be considered a natural coincidence; many of your thought processes are likely identical from birth."

Hearing Jin Ze's explanation, I felt completely at ease.

It was as if my meridians had suddenly been unblocked, and in an instant, I synthesized this entire series of cases in my head, finally arriving at my own deduction.

So I said to Jin Ze, "Jin Ze, thinking about it now, I'm starting to understand. This second brother of mine—let's assume for now his name really is Huang Quan—must be a member of Dawn. After Dawn suffered a defeat in the Murder Game case, they dispatched him as a mole into the Avengers Alliance to play their trump card assassin, Chen Mu. Once he mastered key intelligence on the Avengers Alliance, he turned the tables and used the police to ultimately destroy the Avengers Alliance, at least completely wiping them out in City X. No wonder back under the cemetery, at the most critical moment, he shoved Shuo Luo Chen Tianming into the oven. Back then, I thought he merely wanted to replace me and prevent Chen Tianming from leaking secrets. Now it seems I was thinking too simply."

However, Jin Ze countered, "You were indeed thinking too simply. The reality is likely far more complex than you imagine. This person who looks like you actually appeared in the first Murder Game case, but back then he was helping the Avengers Alliance deal with Dawn. Otherwise, he wouldn't have won Chen Tianming's complete trust, even to the point where the Avengers Alliance was willing to sacrifice Bai Ye. It wasn't until the second 'Return of the Dead' case that he turned the tables and destroyed the Avengers. The cost is far too heavy for a simple undercover operation. I have a bold hypothesis: this person who looks like you, perhaps named Huang Quan, does not belong to either Dawn or the Avengers Alliance. His mission is to destroy both Dawn and the Avengers Alliance at the same time!"

Hearing Jin Ze's statement, I was profoundly shocked and blurted out, "Huh? Why would he do that? What good would it do him?"

Jin Ze said, "Someone must want to conceal a certain truth, not wanting our police force to continue investigating the cases involving Dawn and the Avengers. Fearing that something might be exposed, they simply chose to completely destroy them. And this person might very well be the founder of Dawn. Sometimes, when a situation truly spirals out of control, the best method is destruction."

I felt that Jin Ze's analysis was incisive and profound, and I nodded in appreciative agreement. At the same time, I couldn't help wondering in my heart: who on earth was standing behind this second person who looked just like me? Where did he come from?

As if seeing right through my thoughts, Jin Ze immediately said to me, "As the investigation deepens, even the most meticulous criminals will eventually show a flaw. On the surface, Dawn and the Avengers Alliance have been destroyed and the clues severed, but in reality, we must be getting closer and closer to the truth. This second person who looks like you, his date with the female corpse at the KTV, the birth certificate Bai Ye gave you, and the woman whose womb Bai Ye carved out—as long as we string these subplots together and continue digging, the truth will soon come to light!"