Lijuan sat on a chair, still shaken. Jianhuo walked over, sat beside her, and asked,
"What's wrong?"
Lijuan looked at him and said,
"I'm going to tell you something, but you have to stay calm and handle it slowly, okay?"
Jianhuo looked at her seriously, then nodded.
Lijuan spoke,
"The people who killed your son, Chen Kai, were Kaize and Yeey."
Jianhuo widened his eyes and asked,
"How do you know?"
Lijuan lowered her head and said,
"When Grandpa Chun was talking to Kaize about it, I accidentally overheard everything from behind the door."
A murderous intent slowly filled Jianhuo's eyes.
CuRiOsItY 3
Chapter Three: Fairy Tale
Kaize called Liu Ly and Yeey into the room and locked the door.
Liu Ly looked at him in confusion and asked,
"You two want some alone time—why did you call me in too?"
Kaize spoke carefully and cautiously,
"Do you still remember the incident where I killed Chen Kai?"
Yeey nodded. Liu Ly said,
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I almost forgot."
Yeey looked at Kaize and asked,
"What's wrong? Why bring this up all of a sudden?"
Kaize looked at them seriously and said,
"Grandpa Chun knows about it. He was the police chief who investigated the case back then."
Yeey frowned and asked,
"That can't be right. Did we leave any evidence behind?"
Kaize sat down and said,
"He's not an ordinary person. He said he won't tell anyone because he thinks I'm well-behaved."
Liu Ly looked at Kaize seriously. Yeey thought for a moment, then suddenly stood up and said,
"Come with me."
Kaize followed him. Liu Ly followed behind and asked,
"Where are we going?"
Jianhuo was sitting in his car. He typed out a message and sent it to Grandpa Chun. The message read:
"Old Chun, are you hiding something from me?"
After sending it, Jianhuo started the car and drove off.
Inside the shop, Grandpa Chun stared at the message for a long time, deep in thought. Suddenly, Yeey and the others pushed the door open and walked in.
Grandpa Chun looked at Yeey and asked,
"Aren't you sick? Why aren't you resting at home?"
Yeey, Kaize, and Liu Ly sat down in front of Grandpa Chun. Yeey spoke,
"Grandpa Chun, do you know the history of Korya, or maybe have any books about its history?"
Grandpa Chun smiled and stood up.
"You've come to the right person."
As he spoke, he turned around, took a thick book from the bookshelf, and placed it in front of Yeey. Kaize and Liu Ly watched from the side.
Grandpa Chun said,
"This book was passed down from my great-great-grandfather. Take your time reading it."
At that moment, Oye walked in from outside. He had come to talk to Grandpa Chun, but was surprised to see Yeey and the others there.
Oye asked in confusion,
"What are you doing here?"
Yeey's eyes darted up and down as he said,
"We're here… studying."
Kaize asked in return,
"Then what are you doing here?"
Oye lifted the packaged food in his hands and said,
"I brought food for Grandpa Chun. My mom made it herself."
The three of them ignored him and turned back to reading the history book of Korya. After handing the food to Grandpa Chun, Oye sat down next to Liu Ly. Liu Ly turned to look at him, and the two of them locked eyes.
Oye asked in confusion,
"Why are you staring at me?"
Seeing how clueless Oye was, Liu Ly turned away and continued reading the book.
Yeey turned the book toward Grandpa Chun and pointed at a diagram of a grave.
"What is this?"
Grandpa Chun put on his glasses, took a careful look, and said,
"This belongs to an urban legend. To this day, no scientist has confirmed it."
Oye looked at Grandpa Chun and said,
"Tell us about it."
Grandpa Chun sat down and began,
"Legend says that beneath the hundred-meter-tall tree at the center of the cemetery in Korya, there lies an ancient curse. It can make people strong and powerful, but that power is addictive. People of the Qing dynasty feared that future generations would become obsessed with it, so they set up a mechanism. As long as the mechanism remains sealed, no one can obtain the power of the curse."
After listening, Liu Ly asked,
"That mechanism hasn't already been activated, has it?"
Yeey lowered his head and continued reading.
"I think it's very possible."
Kaize read aloud from the book,
"The curse is buried 25 meters beneath the great tree. Those who obtain its power will lose their abilities when they are at a parallel position to the curse."
Liu Ly said in disbelief,
"How is that possible? Then Mr. Kong…"
Yeey pointed at the page.
"There's more below."
Kaize continued,
"Unless the one who obtains the power has self-awareness."
Yeey widened his eyes.
"That means anyone who gains the power of the curse will lose their sanity."
Kaize came back to his senses and said,
"Then… aren't those zombies exactly like that?"
Grandpa Chun smiled as he looked at them. Oye, completely confused, asked,
"What on earth are you guys talking about?"
Liu Ly looked at the bottom of the page and read,
"The method to shut down the mechanism. Every activation has a primary individual. Eliminate the primary individual who activated the mechanism, and the curse will automatically shut down—until the next person activates it."
Yeey looked up at Grandpa Chun and asked,
"Can you take us there?"
Grandpa Chun smiled.
"When I was your age, my curiosity was just as strong. But I have to warn you—curiosity killed the cat."
As he spoke, Grandpa Chun put his car keys into his pocket, picked up his cane, and walked toward the shop entrance. Yeey followed him, then turned back to see Kaize, Liu Ly, and Oye still sitting there.
Yeey looked at them and said,
"It's fine if you don't come. I'll be careful on my own."
Yeey walked out of the shop. Kaize looked at Yeey leaving, then glanced down at the ring on his finger.
Yeey got into the car. Suddenly, Kaize opened the door and sat down with him in the passenger seat. Yeey looked at him happily. Oye and Liu Ly also opened the back doors and got in.
Yeey smiled at them. Grandpa Chun stepped on the accelerator and said,
"Let's go."
On the road, Yeey looked at Kaize sitting on his lap and said,
"Kaize, there's a song I want to sing for you."
Kaize smiled happily and asked,
"What song?"
Yeey searched for a song on the car's screen, then pressed play on a track called 'TONG HUA.'
Music flowed from the speakers:
"忘了有多久～再没听到你～对我说你 最爱的故事～我想了很久～我开始慌了～是不是我又 做错了什么～你哭着对我说 童话里都是骗人的～我不可能 是你的王子～"(It's been so long since I last heard you tell me your favorite story… I thought about it for so long, I started to panic, wondering if I did something wrong again… You cried and told me fairy tales are all lies, that I could never be your prince…)
Yeey then began to sing along:"也许你不会懂～从你说爱我以后～我的天空 星星都亮了～我愿变成童话里 你爱的那个天使～张开双手 变成翅膀守护你～你要相信 相信我们会像童话故事里～幸福和快乐是结局～"
(Maybe you won't understand—since the moment you said you loved me, my sky has filled with shining stars. I'm willing to become the angel you love in fairy tales, spreading my wings to protect you. You have to believe, believe that we'll be like in fairy tales—where happiness and joy are the ending…)
Listening to Yeey sing, Kaize leaned against his chest. In the back seat, Liu Ly secretly glanced at Oye. Oye smiled while looking out at the scenery passing by the window. Grandpa Chun drove quietly, listening to Yeey's singing.