Chapter 2, The Truth of Death

I listened blankly, unable to comprehend what was happening, yet I inferred the course of events from the incoherent words coming from their mouths. Looking back at Li Congying's new house, two tears fell. How could this be? Why would Li Congying, who was so joyful just yesterday, commit suicide, and in such a horrific manner? A profound sense of terror engulfed my heart.

I could no longer contain myself; disregarding the police's obstruction, I forcefully rushed in. I took Li Congying's parents to a bedroom on the side. Li's mother had already fainted, clearly unable to bear such a tragic scene. Even Li's father was in a daze, allowing Liu Gang to support him as he sat on the bed, staring blankly, tears streaming down his face, murmuring to himself, "How could this happen? How could this happen?"

During the process of being questioned by the police, I finally understood the sequence of events. The situation was as follows: since Li Congying's wedding had already concluded, Sun Zhen and Cheng Fei still had a multitude of matters to attend to. Therefore, this morning, they planned to bid farewell to Li Congying. However, when they called, no one answered. After some discussion, they decided to take a taxi to Li Congying's new home, intending to say goodbye to her in person. What they encountered was a scene they would never forget for the rest of their lives. When they arrived, the door was slightly ajar. They called out a few times but received no response. Hesitating for a moment, they pushed the door open. They then saw that the bathroom door was wide open, with Li Congying leaning against the wall, surrounded by a mess of internal organs and intestines, while Ren Meier lay unconscious at the bathroom door.

Not long after, Li Congying's parents and younger sister rushed over in tears. The three of them paid no attention to us and tried to barge into the room. However, they were stopped by the police. After clarifying their relationship, they were allowed to enter. But shortly after, we heard Li Congying's mother let out a scream, and then there was no further sound.

I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed the turmoil in my stomach. Even though I am quite bold, I still found it hard to bear this scene. Once my emotions calmed down a bit, I slowly opened my eyes and fixed my gaze on Li Congying's corpse. It was truly tragic. A person had severed their own genitals and then stuffed them into their mouth to eat. After that, they cut open their own abdomen, extracting all their internal organs and intestines, scattering them all over the ground. Can a person really endure such a thing? I couldn't help but wonder how Li Congying managed to hold on through all of this.

The onlookers in the corridor had also dispersed, as no one was interested in witnessing such a tragic scene. Even Li Congying's two university classmates had left; with a person dead, there was no reason to stay. However, Yao Hongwei and Zhao Shugang, despite trembling all over and barely managing to stand with the support of the stair railing, had not left.

I darkened my expression and glared at Yao Hongwei and Zhao Shugang: "Are you still brothers? Congying clearly could not have committed suicide. What reason would he have to take his own life? Tell me, since it is impossible for him to have committed suicide, and he died so tragically, don't we, as his brothers, want to uncover the truth behind Congying's death?"

As I watched Yao Hongwei and Zhao Shugang rush into the room as if granted a pardon, I shook my head helplessly. These two bastards! I snorted, took a deep breath, and forcefully opened the bathroom door. Li Congying's tragic appearance was once again revealed before Liu Gang. The floor was covered with entrails and intestines; she was completely naked from the waist down, her genitals had been severed and chewed to pieces, with a remnant still hanging from her mouth. In her right hand, she clutched a blood-stained knife, which was covered in her own blood. Li Congying's tragic appearance was once again revealed before Liu Gang. The floor was covered with entrails and intestines; she was completely naked from the waist down, her genitals had been severed and chewed to pieces, with a remnant still hanging from her mouth. In her right hand, she clutched a blood-stained knife, which was covered in her own blood.

When Zhao Shugang and Yao Hongwei received the call, the first thing they thought of was to inform me, as they believed I was the calmest among several brothers and had the most ideas, which is why we arrived almost simultaneously.

Li Congying's sister was also stunned, having witnessed the earlier scene. She was already in despair, as it was hard to believe that Li Congying had died in such a tragic manner, leading one to question the possibility of suicide. I sighed inwardly and could only silently accompany Li Congying's family, as this was the only way I could assist him.

Only after the police finished their inquiries did I realize something. With a somewhat stiff expression, I still asked in a low voice: "Have you notified Congying's parents?"

I glanced at them and slightly furrowed my brow. Is it really that frightening? We have been good brothers for over ten years. When alive, we are brothers; when dead, are we not still brothers? I felt a bit angry and waved to the two of them: "Hongwei, Shugang, come over here. Let's take a look at the place where Congying died and see if there are any clues. I refuse to believe that Congying would commit suicide. Come here."

After the police completed their investigation of the scene, they notified the funeral home to handle the aftermath. After all, with a death occurring in such a manner, it requires professionals to manage the situation, as ordinary individuals would not be able to cope with it; they would be frightened to death.

However, seeing the two of them looking utterly dejected, I sighed. They were truly terrified. Never mind, I waved my hand at them: "You two go accompany Uncle and Auntie, and take good care of them. If anything happens, call me."

I continued to accompany Li Congying's family, but after the police left, a voice deep within me tempted me to go and see the scene of Li Congying's death. Perhaps I could learn something, or maybe uncover the truth behind Li Congying's demise

Sun Zhen nodded, still unable to shake off the fear, his face twitching uncontrollably: "It was reported, the police notified us, both Cheng Fei and I were so shocked at the time that we couldn't think of anything at all"

The police officer's expression was somewhat displeased; being questioned about his investigation results was not a pleasant experience. He snorted and said, "You must trust our technology. Li Congying indeed committed suicide. Within ten hours, there were no traces in the entire room apart from him and his wife, Ren Meier. We just conducted thermal imaging, but there are indeed no traces whatsoever."

The right hand tightly grips the blood-stained knife, with the blood belonging to Li Congying himself, which has begun to coagulate, turning a dark brown color. As for the other hand, it is not tightly clenched but rather open, straining forward as if trying to push something away. What could it be trying to push away?

Upon seeing me approach, Zhao Shugang seemed to find support and quickly called out to Liu Gang, saying: "Gangzi, come over here"

However, the two did not walk over to me; their legs had gone weak, so they could not move. Moreover, even if they could walk, they would not approach. That scene was truly terrifying; they would never go over there, no matter what. "Gangzi, the police said it was a suicide. They spent so much time and still couldn't find any clues. What can you, an outsider, possibly find? It's better to just forget it."

I nodded slightly, not refuting the police's words. Even if I were to argue now, it would be futile. However, deep down, I still could not bring myself to believe that Li Congying had committed suicide. Yet, at this moment, there was no better solution, so I could only temporarily accept this explanation. Nevertheless, once I have the opportunity, I still wish to uncover the truth behind Li Congying's death

At last, I could no longer resist the temptation within me. Gritting my teeth, I stood up and strode towards the bathroom. The bathroom door was closed; the police had shut it when they left. The body was left for the mortuary staff to handle, and no one was willing to touch the tragic Li Congying.

For a moment, no one had anything to say, lost in a daze, each person haunted by a terrifying scene in their minds. Sometimes it is like this: the more one tries not to think about something, the more one cannot help but think about it; the more one wants to forget, the harder it becomes to do so. The faces of several people were unusually pale, trembling uncontrollably, unable to comprehend why Li Congying would choose to take her own life.

I was stunned, and regarding Li Congying's family, they seemed completely oblivious, showing no reaction at all, just staring blankly. However, I cannot accept this outcome; it was a suicide. The manner of the suicide was so tragic that it raises questions. Not to mention whether there was a motive for suicide, based on my understanding of Li Congying, such pain is something she could not endure. Even for a minor surgery, Li Congying would be terrified to death; how could she possibly inflict such harm upon herself?

Imagining it were myself, pushing with both hands, what is that? My heart suddenly jolted, as if struck by electricity, fear completely enveloped me. Could it really be—

Carefully observing Li Congying's corpse, I sought to discover something. The twisted face, the wide-open eyes, and the endless fear etched on Li Congying's face raised questions. If it was indeed suicide, why was Li Congying so terrified? If such fear existed, how could he have inflicted such a tragic end upon himself? Was it something he could truly do? I could hardly believe it. What exactly was Li Congying afraid of? What could possibly terrify a person on the brink of death? If such fear was present, how could he have brought himself to die in such a miserable manner? I could hardly believe it. What was Li Congying truly afraid of? What could possibly instill such fear in someone who was about to die?

"Comrades of the police, it's not that I don't trust your investigative techniques, but is it really possible that you made a mistake? Have you ever seen a suicide that resulted in such a state? It looks almost like dismemberment. Is that even possible? Can a person endure such immense pain and still hold on?" I calmly expressed my doubts.

It is unclear how much time has passed, but the police finally completed their investigation of the scene. A police officer then approached Li Congying's family to inform them of the findings: "Li Congying indeed committed suicide"

I closed my eyes and imagined that scene in my mind. Li Congying held a knife in his right hand, sitting on the bathroom floor, his body pressed tightly against the wall, his left hand pushing against something. That thing was terrifying, which is why Li Congying's entire face was contorted, his eyes wide open. Then, Li Congying swung the knife and severed his own genitals, grabbed them, stuffed them into his mouth, and chewed vigorously. He then opened his abdomen, yet made not a single sound. This was confirmed by the neighbors, who did not hear a thing, not even Li Congying's newlywed wife, until he bled to death. Thus, Li Congying's entire face was contorted, his eyes wide open, and he swung the knife to sever his own genitals, grabbed them, stuffed them into his mouth, and chewed vigorously. He then opened his abdomen, yet made not a single sound. This was confirmed by the neighbors, who did not hear a thing, not even Li Congying's newlywed wife, until he bled to death.

That scene was unforgettable for them for a lifetime. At that moment, their first reaction was to rush out and collapse in the hallway. Even after vomiting all over themselves, they were completely unaware, their minds blank and utterly stunned. They did not know how much time had passed before they remembered to call the police. When the police arrived, it was only under their urging that the two regained their senses. They then thought of notifying Yao Hongwei and Zhao Shugang. As for me, since I was not familiar to them, they did not have my phone number and naturally did not inform me.