Chapter 127: Unveiling the Truth
Chapter 127: Unveiling the Truth
Despite the puppet being dressed in human clothing and appearing human-like from a distance, Chen Chuan could not possibly mistake it for a real person.
Director Lei spoke from behind him, "Did you forget something? Come out first."
Chen Chuan turned around and said, "Yes." He turned and walked out of the room. Director Lei took one last look inside; his son was playing with building blocks obediently but couldn't seem to get it right. He gently pushed the door closed.
When the two of them returned downstairs, Director Lei glanced at him, "Did you see something just now? You can tell me, no matter what it is, I can accept it."
Chen Chuan looked at his second self and hesitated, then said, "Director Lei, what do you see when you look at your child?"
Director Lei fell silent for a moment before confessing, "He's reclusive, rigid, and doesn't talk much. He has no friends, but it's not his fault. He was hurt in the past and has been plagued by an unknown abnormal substance. It's all my fault, so I can accept not treating him like a normal child. As long as he can grow up safely, that's all that matters, even if he no longer recognizes me as his father."
Chen Chuan said, "Then I'll tell you what I saw."
Director Lei looked at him, waiting for his answer.
Chen Chuan looked back at him and said slowly, "I didn't see a child, but a puppet."
Director Lei was stunned and stood frozen in place for a long time. Then, he suddenly lifted his head, strode forward, and grabbed Chen Chuan's shoulder.
Chen Chuan stood there without dodging, and Director Lei stared at him, "Is it true?"
Chen Chuan nodded.
Director Lei muttered, "So that's how it is... that's how it is..." He seemed to have tears in his eyes, and he shook Chen Chuan's shoulder forcefully, "Thank you, thank you, Chen Chuan!"
Chen Chuan asked, "Director Lei, did you think of something?"
Director Lei took a breath and said, "Yes, this has been a question that has troubled me for two years."
He seemed to have calmed down, letting go and taking a step back, and asked seriously, "Chen Chuan, can you confirm that you saw a puppet and not something else?"
Chen Chuan confirmed, "I'm certain."
Director Lei nodded and said, "Then please wait here for a moment while I make a few calls."
Chen Chuan said, "Go ahead, Director Lei." He sat down on the nearby sofa.
Director Lei waited until he was seated, then left the room. Despite his calm exterior, Chen Chuan could sense the tremor in his back, indicating his inner turmoil.
After about half an hour, Director Lei returned and sat on the sofa opposite Chen Chuan. He remained silent for a long time.
Chen Chuan also didn't initiate a conversation.
After some time, Director Lei took off his black-rimmed glasses, searched for something, and wiped the fog off the lenses with his sleeve before putting them back on. He looked at Chen Chuan and said solemnly, "Chen Chuan, before today, I never imagined that I could save my son's life in this way. Thank you."
Chen Chuan said, "Director Lei..." Director Lei waved his hand and said, "I'm not crazy; I know you're right."
He looked up, "Two years, two years of facing a puppet every day, who would have thought?" He chuckled self-deprecatingly, "I thought I was an expert in secret sect rituals, but I couldn't even identify one right under my nose."
Chen Chuan said, "Director Lei, it seems you believe what I said."
"Emotions sometimes cloud our judgment. I didn't want to face the truth, but when it was presented before me, I was able to make a rational decision and not immediately deny it."
Director Lei said, "Without your reminder, it would've been difficult for me to realize this on my own." He sighed, "Emotions cloud our judgment."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment, "Perhaps it's a bit presumptuous, but may I ask, what exactly happened?"
"There's nothing I can't tell you," Director Lei said, taking off his glasses again and rubbing his red eyes before putting them back on, regaining his composure.
"As the director of the Secret Sect Review Bureau, I often deal with illegal sects. During one of my investigations, my temporary residence was leaked.
I later found out that a member of that illegal sect had infiltrated my residence and performed a ritual curse on my son. It's not complicated; in simple terms, it linked my son to a certain urban legend.
I tried various methods to resolve it, but none worked.
This incident caught the attention of my ex-wife. When she saw me performing a ritual on our son, she filed a complaint against me. But she didn't understand that if the curse ritual was left unchecked, it could affect those around him.
There's a regulation that prohibits revealing such matters to ordinary people, so I couldn't tell her the truth. I could only hint that she needed to stay away from our son.
Our marriage was arranged by our elders, and there was no love between us. In fact, we didn't know much about each other. Even if I told her the truth, she would probably think I was making it up to scare her and get our son back.
I tried to find a way to fix things, but she kept avoiding me until half a month later..."
He sighed deeply, "If only I had discovered the problem earlier, perhaps this tragedy could've been avoided. But I also feel relieved that her death has nothing to do with our son; neither of them has to bear the burden..."
At this point, he picked up the water glass next to him, drank it in one gulp, and then put it back on the table with a thud.
Chen Chuan looked up at Lei Guangcheng, "You know, for this ritual to succeed, my child must be alive. So they should still have my child under control somewhere."
Lei Guangcheng asked, "Director Lei, do you need help?"
Director Lei said, "Thank you. I have a rough idea of where they might hide the child. I've already sent someone there, so just wait here." After a while, he spoke again, "But..." He took a breath, "We must first break this ritual."
Chen Chuan observed his expression, "Is it difficult?"
Director Lei's lips trembled slightly, his fingers slowly clenching into a fist after several attempts. "I just need to personally kill what I see, and then I can break the ritual."
Chen Chuan's gaze intensified as he looked at Director Lei sitting there, understanding the pain he was enduring at this moment.
No wonder the director of the Secret Sect Review Bureau had never considered this possibility. As a father, one would do everything possible to avoid the thought of harming one's own child. This ritual was truly devastating to the heart.
Chen Chuan asked, "Can't we use another method?"
Director Lei shook his head, "The original intention of this ritual is to use the cruelest way to destroy the love between family members. If we don't use this method, even if we break it, it will recur in the future." He took a deep breath, "As a father, I haven't fulfilled my responsibility, and I've brought misfortune upon him. So I should bear the consequences."
He stood up and said to Chen Chuan, "Chen Chuan, please help me once more. I need you to watch from behind, so I can remind myself that it's just a puppet. Otherwise, I'm afraid I won't be able to do it."
Chen Chuan also stood up and said solemnly, "Director Lei, I'm willing to help, but..." He continued, "Aren't you afraid I might make a mistake?"
Director Lei looked into his eyes and said, "You're indeed a student of Cheng Zitong, but as far as I know, you've personally handled many strange cases. The Mountain Flying Head Monster was eradicated by you, and I've noticed that the intervals between your clearance of these cases are short, yet you remain unaffected."
"Perhaps you don't even realize it yourself, but you possess an extremely unique talent, capable of resisting the invasion of certain strange substances. What you say is more credible than others."
Chen Chuan understood. Director Lei had not only arranged for the rescue of the child but also investigated his background. This was understandable, as it involved the life of his son, and being cautious was not wrong.
Moreover, Chen Chuan also realized that it might not only be Director Lei who saw his son as a living person; perhaps others perceived the same. The second self had endured the invasion of the strange cases, so Chen Chuan remained unaffected, which was the talent Director Lei spoke of.
"Wait for me a moment."
Director Lei bid farewell and left. After a short wait, he returned with a sledgehammer in hand.
"Let's go."
Chen Chuan followed him upstairs, returning to the third floor.
When the door was pushed open, Director Lei looked over with an inquiring gaze. Chen Chuan glanced inside and saw the puppet still huddled quietly in the corner. He nodded at him.
Director Lei tightened his grip on the sledgehammer and stepped inside. In his eyes, his well-behaved son sat there, but he should have known something was wrong, as his son remained unchanged from years ago.
Not a bit had changed.
He instinctively wanted to close his eyes, but breaking the ritual required him to keep them open. With leaden steps, he raised the sledgehammer. In his perspective, the child suddenly lifted his head, looking at him with innocent eyes, "Daddy, why are you hitting me?"
Tears in his eyes, Director Lei said, "Xiao Ying, I'm sorry." He picked up the sledgehammer and struck it down forcefully, again and again.
In Chen Chuan's eyes, the puppet gradually cracked and broke under the blows of the sledgehammer. At this moment, the signs of the second self's virtualization intensified.
With Director Lei's final blow, a cracking sound accompanied the splitting of the wooden object, and a glass bead, serving as an eye, fell to the ground.
Director Lei stood there, panting, and in his eyes, he saw only a broken puppet. With a clatter, the sledgehammer also fell to the ground.
He took two steps back and leaned against the wall.
Chen Chuan looked at the second self, whose virtualization signs gradually disappeared.
After a while, Director Lei regained some energy, his eyes shining again. He said to Chen Chuan, "Thank you. Let's go downstairs."
Chen Chuan nodded and glanced once more at the puppet before following him downstairs.
In the lobby, Director Lei waited silently, anticipating a result he could accept. Chen Chuan remained silent. For a moment, the only sound in the living room was the ticking of the clock.
About ten minutes passed.
Ding-a-ling...
The phone in the living room suddenly rang.
Director Lei quickly reached for the phone but paused for a moment before slowly picking it up and putting it to his ear, trying to keep his voice steady, "Hello, this is Lei Guangcheng."
In the quiet living room, a clear and excited voice came through the receiver, loud enough for even Chen Chuan to hear, "Director Lei, we've found him! Your son has been found!"
Director Lei's eyes immediately moistened.
"He's a bit weak now. Those guys only gave him simple water and food, but he's fine. We'll send him to you right away."
Director Lei suppressed his surging emotions and said, "Thank you, Lao Gao! Thank you for your hard work."
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(End of Chapter)
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