Global Collapse-Chapter 668 - 636: A Difficult - _1

"My son, Liu Baoma, was born in the spring.

"At that time, Liu Ben and I didn't know much about taking care of a child, and we were poor. Right after he was born, I found some manual work to do at home so I could look after him while working.

"Although I said I took care of him, I was often too busy with my work to give him much time. So, most of the time, I would place him on his small bed, where he would stay for more than half the day. He never cried or fussed, just lay on the bed quietly, watching me.

"He was different from other children. He seldom cried or fussed, was very undemanding, and never woke us up crying in the middle of the night..."

The woman began by speaking of Liu Baoma from the time of his birth.

Though her words were irrelevant to Wang Pingfan and the others, none of them had the heart to interrupt the woman, so immersed was she in her past.

"Later, he grew a bit older and started to talk. I remember it was summer. Our house was very old and couldn't keep out the summer heat. In July and August, it was often hotter inside than outside, and we only had one small electric fan.

"We adults could manage; being a bit hot wasn't a big deal. But the child was covered in prickly heat. I'd often see him scratching his arms and thighs until they were covered in red bumps. He wouldn't cry. When anyone came near, he'd just reach out his arms to be held.

"Liu Ben and I didn't do well in school. I started working after middle school. His father, a vocational school graduate, didn't work any well-paying jobs. After Baoma was born, our savings amounted to only 20 yuan.

"We couldn't offer him the best. When he was young, he rarely ate well, mostly drinking rice water. It wasn't long before he was eating the same food as us adults.

"Later, he started school. After paying for the textbooks, we had no money left for new clothes for him. We could only ask for hand-me-downs from relatives' children... The clothes didn't fit well, but he never complained to us.

"He was not like me or his father. He did very well in school from elementary school onwards, always among the top students in his class. However, he seemed to have no friends.

"I remember every time I went to pick him up, other children would come out in boisterous groups, but he was always last, walking alone.

"Once, I saw one of his classmates pointing at him, saying he was a scavenger and that his clothes were ragged, all hand-me-downs..."

As she said this, the woman lowered her head and whimpered softly.

Ye Qianqian couldn't bear it and gently patted her shoulder.

Then the woman, choking back sobs, began to recount more of the past.

"That boy was very sensible. He never told us about these things. Every time I asked about his relationships with his classmates, he would just smile and tell me they were all very good to him.

"It was always like that. He always smiled at us, keeping everything bottled up inside. Until his third year of high school...

"For a while, I noticed he seemed dazed and listless, and he always had some new bruises or scrapes. He didn't laugh much when he saw us anymore. When I asked if anything had happened, he'd just shake his head and say no, that he'd accidentally bumped into something.

"We thought it was nothing serious, so we didn't pay much attention. We never expected that just a few months later, that boy would be gone..."

The woman's tears could no longer be held back, streaming down her face along with her snot.

Passersby would glance over, their faces showing pity. Such weeping was not uncommon in a hospital. Liu Baoma had committed suicide, as Ye Weiwei and the others knew.

"I felt as if the sky had fallen. How could a perfectly fine boy just leave like that? He didn't leave anything behind, not a single word for us...

"Later, I remembered his unusual behavior before he left and wondered if something had happened to him at school. So I went to the school to find his teacher, but his homeroom teacher was evasive and wouldn't say anything clearly.

"I tried to ask his roommates, but those students avoided me; I couldn't find them at all. That's when I started to suspect something. I thought the boy's death might be related to the school.

"I told Liu Ben about this. He had some connections and knew a teacher at that school.

"One night, very late, he went with that teacher to the school, saying they were going to look into something. He didn't come back all night.

"When he returned the next day, he was carrying a case of liquor. He sat in the living room drinking all day. When he got drunk, he would clutch his cell phone and cry. When I asked him what he had done the previous day, he wouldn't say...

"You know what happened next. We couldn't bear the blow and got divorced. Liu Ben probably discovered something at the school. Not long after, he went to settle scores with the boy's roommates... just as you saw."

Liu Ben had murdered Liu Baoma's three roommates on the street. The other four had run fast and escaped.

However, Wang Youcai and the others still didn't know what Liu Ben had seen at the school. That was likely the most crucial piece of evidence in this case.

Ye Weiwei was pondering the woman's words. "The cell phone Liu Ben was clutching when he was drunk," she asked, "where is it now?" The key evidence must be on Liu Ben's cell phone, she thought.

"It might... it might have been taken to the court..." the woman said, uncertainly.

Ye Weiwei looked at Wang Youcai. "When criminals are detained," she said, "their personal belongings are usually confiscated and stored somewhere."

As she was speaking, Ye Qianqian, who was sitting beside her, suddenly jumped up and pulled her.

Caught off guard, Ye Weiwei was pulled from her chair and fell to the ground.

"What happened?" the woman sobbed, looking at them.

Ye Weiwei also looked up at Ye Qianqian with a questioning expression.

But Ye Qianqian, her face pale, whispered, "A hand... there was a hand behind you just now."

Ye Weiwei immediately turned to look, only to see that the spot where she had been sitting was empty. There was nothing there.

The ghost had appeared again. A strange sense of panic rose in the hearts of the three.

"Let's go back to the courthouse, now!" Wang Youcai said, standing up nervously.

Ye Weiwei also got up immediately. After bidding the woman farewell, she grabbed Ye Qianqian's hand and followed.

The trio fled the hospital as if on wings. Only when they reached the street did their terror lessen somewhat.

"Let's go to the courthouse and find Liu Ben's phone," Ye Weiwei said, suppressing her unease. "I think the most crucial evidence is in there."

Wang Youcai nodded. "Then we need to move quickly, so we can reach a verdict sooner."

They quickly agreed and headed towards the courthouse.

After walking for about a kilometer, Wang Youcai heard Ye Weiwei speak from behind him, "When that woman was talking just now, your expression was off. And not just then; last night, when that student Xu Xingcheng was telling us things, your expression was off too."

Ye Weiwei paused after saying this. "Did you also experience school bullying?"

But judging by his age, that didn't seem likely.

Wang Youcai's pace slowed slightly. "I... I also once had a son..."

Ye Weiwei was stunned and didn't press further.

Wang Youcai didn't elaborate, but the two female players had already guessed his story.

As they walked on in silence, they suddenly saw a few familiar figures ahead. It was the group with the colorful nicknames.

Chen Yao, who had just been intercepted by Gu Mian and the others as he reached the company building, was currently answering their questions. "You're asking about that dinner party... Yes, Li Shu was indeed the one who approached me first. He asked who would be there and then asked if he could bring a few friends. I felt it would be awkward to refuse him, so I agreed. Besides, many others were bringing friends too."

Gu Mian stroked his chin. So, it was just as they'd suspected. Li Shu had deceived them. The first encounter between Li Shu and Yuan Haotian wasn't accidental; Li Shu had planned it.

"Do you remember that trip? The one where we climbed Wei Mountain?" Keke pressed. "Were you the one who told Li Shu about your company's trip?"

Chen Yao looked somewhat surprised. "No, he heard from somewhere that our company was having an event and specifically asked me to get three spots for him."

Bai Lu clenched her fists. That was also different from what Li Shu had said. As expected, the second encounter was also planned.

"During that trip, Yuan Haotian even had a dispute with one of Li Shu's friends. It seemed Yuan Haotian noticed a very familiar item on Li Shu's friend and wanted to take a closer look, but the friend refused..." Chen Yao continued, as if talking to himself.

The familiar item was probably the "coincidence" Li Shu and the others had meticulously prepared. Just like that pink bow hair clip.

"Now it seems your guess was one hundred percent correct. Li Shu and the others are indeed perverts!" Bai Lu exclaimed, feeling as if her hair was about to be ignited by her rage.

Just then, she heard footsteps approaching.

Bai Lu turned her head and saw Wang Youcai's group walking towards them.

"You all... did you find something?" Ye Qianqian asked curiously, seeing Bai Lu's furious expression.

"We did discover some things," Bai Lu said, her lips pursed. "It turns out the victim in our case, who always presented as meek and vulnerable, is actually a pervert."

Hearing this, Ye Qianqian's expression also became animated. "What a coincidence! It's quite similar in our case... the victim has another side to them."

Could it be? Bai Lu's eyes widened slightly.

Gu Mian turned his head, noticing their group was smaller. "Is someone missing from your group?" he asked.

Wang Youcai nodded grimly. "He died..."

"Killed by the ghost while searching for clues, wasn't he?" Gu Mian asked, looking at Wang Youcai.

"How did you know?" Wang Youcai asked, somewhat surprised.

Gu Mian raised his head slightly. "Because we've discovered the ghost's killing pattern in this instance. Whenever players get close to the truth of a case, the ghost appears to stop them."