Chapter 62: Xiao Peng! Behind You!
After the door opened, Ke Bei didn't move aside. Instead, he quietly opened a small crack and peered through, finding no signs of danger or anything unusual before slowly widening the gap.
Only when the opening was wide enough for a person to pass through did the three of them file in one by one and close the door behind them.
The entire apartment was eerily silent.
Not a single sound could be heard.
"That Dog Man probably isn't home right now," Ke Bei said.
The other two thought the same.
Because the apartment was unnaturally quiet.
The trio didn't leave just because the Dog Man wasn't home.
They planned to first search Room 1001 thoroughly, then lie in wait to ambush the Dog Man when he returned.
The decor of 1001 was ordinary and unremarkable, everything looking completely normal. After a quick glance around the living room, they noticed a corner piled high with various types of dog food - bone-strengthening, nutritional supplements - along with dog treats.
Additionally, the sofa was scattered with dog toys like balls and plush toys.
The only unusual items were a refrigerator and a separate freezer in the living room - uncommon for most households that typically only have one refrigerator.
A look at the open kitchen revealed it was rarely used, with thick dust covering the knife block and kitchen tools. One chef's knife even showed signs of rust.
Opening the kitchen cabinets revealed unused dishes and utensils covered in dust. But in another cabinet, they found multiple clean dog bowls that appeared frequently used.
Next, they checked the balcony and found several identical tight-fitting yellow dog suits hanging to dry - the same kind they'd seen the Dog Man wearing in surveillance footage.
"Eating dog food, playing with dog toys," Xiao Peng cursed. "This freak might as well be reborn as a dog next life instead of pretending to be one."
The bathroom inspection revealed nothing unusual, except for an unusually strong smell of urine.
Finally, they entered the bedroom.
Immediately upon entering, they made a shocking discovery.
On the soft, large bed lay a beautiful young woman in pajamas, sound asleep.
Xiao Q approached and stared at the woman's face, calling out, "Li Mengmeng, Li Mengmeng." When she didn't wake after several calls and pushes, he remarked, "She's sleeping like a log - probably drugged like Xiao Nuo. But she's luckier than Xiao Nuo since we arrived before anything happened to her."
Turning around, Xiao Q saw Xiao Peng fiddling with a small black handheld camera.
"This must be what the Dog Man uses to film his videos," Xiao Peng said.
"Come look at this! See what I found!" Ke Bei suddenly exclaimed excitedly.
The other two rushed over to see a cabinet Ke Bei had opened, filled with neatly organized DVDs in plastic cases, each labeled with names in marker.
Picking one at random read "Fang Shuishui." Another said "Gu Ling." From the names, they all appeared to belong to women.
"I saw a disc player in the living room - let's check these out," Ke Bei said, gathering all fourteen labeled DVDs and bringing them to the living room.
Inserting the one labeled "Fang Shuishui" into the player and turning on the TV, they soon saw footage similar to Xiao Nuo's video, just with a different victim - first satisfying the pervert's fetishes, then the brutal neck-biting murder.
The "Gu Ling" DVD showed identical content to the other two they'd seen.
Ke Bei stood grimly by the TV watching the footage. Xiao Q sat on the sofa. Xiao Peng leaned against the white freezer beside the couch, his face twisted in pain and confusion.
"I can't understand why there are so many psychopaths in this world," Xiao Peng said.
Xiao Q replied, "It's actually quite normal. I took a course specifically about why people become serial killers. There are several factors - genetics, environment, personal experiences, psychological issues... With so many people in the world, even the rarest types will exist in some proportion."
"Think about famous ones like Jack the Ripper, the Rostov Ripper, the Smiling Granny, the Student Killer, the Zodiac Killer - all products of various factors. But those are all foreign cases."
"China has them too, though only the most notorious become widely known, like the Baiyin serial murders. Lesser-known ones can be found through online reports."
"But this Dog Man - I couldn't find any information about him online. Unknown as he is, I think his crimes are just as depraved as the famous ones. Think about his victims - innocent lives cut short in their prime. These girls - Xiao Nuo, Fang Shuishui, Gu Ling - all under 25, killed at their most beautiful age."
"After seeing these videos, I'm even more determined to personally eliminate this Dog Man and avenge these girls!" Xiao Peng declared firmly. "But I want to rant about something. Since childhood I've heard ghost stories, seen people online claiming to have seen spirits."
"My question is - why don't victims of these psychopaths become vengeful spirits haunting their killers? Do ghosts even exist?"
Xiao Q turned to look at Xiao Peng. "Who knows if they exist or not, but for these psychopaths, ghosts definitely don't exist."
Just as Xiao Q was about to continue, his expression suddenly changed to one of terror as he screamed, "Xiao Peng! Behind you!!!"
Hearing Xiao Q's warning and seeing his frightened expression, most people would instinctively turn to look. But Xiao Peng was different.
While not as quick-thinking as Xiao Q or Ke Bei, among his peers he was known for keeping a cool head. From stopping his friends from telling Jiang Ran about Wang Ju in the elevator, to questioning Bai Ze about how he knew Wang Ju's whereabouts when others rushed off - in this critical moment, he didn't turn around like a normal person would.
Turning around to identify the danger before running might be too late. Running forward without looking back was undoubtedly the optimal choice.