My House of Horrors

“Get in, and don’t act funny.”

Chen Ge slipped into the police car, hugging the chicken and cat. From the tone of the policeman, he realized that things might have gotten a little serious this time.

“Thank God, you’re okay.” There was another person sitting in the backseat. His face was tense, but his voice was familiar.

“Liu Dao? Why are you here? Was it you who called the police?” Sitting inside the police car, Chen Ge felt oddly comfortable. He was not only not worried, and he felt like falling asleep. “Also, why was the livestream banned? What was the highest viewership tonight? Because my follower number has increased to 150,000.”

“Why do you still care about the livestream?” Liu Dao grabbed Chen Ge’s arm. “Brother, didn’t you say that all the people in the mental hospital are actors from the Haunted House? I’ve vouched for you in front of the cops, but you’ve pushed me into the pits of hell.”

“But there are my workers in the mental hospital, you just are unable to see them.” Chen Ge was not ashamed of his words. For this livestream, he had brought the Pen Spirit, Xiaoxiao, and the white cat out from the Haunted House.

“I didn’t mean to blame you, just…” Liu Dao’s face fell. “Never mind, it’s my fault for not taking more precautions, and to be fair, many viewers were tricked by you.”

“What are you talking about? Mind explaining it to me.” Chen Ge wanted to pet the white cat’s head but was warned off by the cat’s cruel gaze.

Liu Dao shrugged. “Normally, when a person enters a mental hospital in the middle of the night and sees victims trapped inside cages and murderers pursuing him with axes, wouldn’t that person be afraid?”

“Yes, fear is the appropriate reaction.”

“But the problem is, you chased the murderers up and down the building with a large hammer for at least twenty minutes! No matter who sees this, they’ll think it’s a set-up, right?” Liu Dao was at the verge of a breakdown. “I’ve been in the livestream business for four years already, and until now, I never thought that someone would go chase after a real murderer! Weren’t you afraid? Is your brain filled with lead?”

“You’re exaggerating—I was just doing what a lawful citizen would,” Chen Ge emphasized. “To be honest, I have a strong sense of justice. When I saw the victims, I was angered by how much pain they’d been through, and the anger overwhelmed my fear. That’s why I dared to chase after those murderers.”

Chen Ge was loud, and the two policemen in front could hear him clearly.

“It’s too late to say anything now. This is all my fault. I should have called the police earlier.” Liu Dao massaged his temples. “When you started the livestream, there was already a report. At the time, I thought that it was people from Qin Guang’s side playing tricks, so I ignored it. Then, when your viewership rose to 400,000, someone demanded that we call the police, and I had my men suppressed the motion. Finally, when your livestream went over 600,000 and broke the record for any newbie host, I had a very bad feeling. You started to scream and wave that cleaver at the air. I thought that it was some kind of performance, and due to personal greed, I forced Sister Lee to continue the broadcast.

“It was not until you entered that sickroom and the screen went black that I realized the gravity of the situation and called the police.” There was a trace of relief in his voice. “So be it. No matter what, at least you’re safe now.”

Liu Dao sighed, removed a small pill bottle from his shirt, and popped two pills into his mouth.

“What are those?”

“Pills for angina. Give me some peace. This is my first time inside a police car, so I need to calm myself.”

After they arrived at the city police station, Liu Dao and Chen Ge were led into different interrogation rooms. The police questioned him on all the details. Chen Ge stuck to his earlier explanation. He accidentally ran into a conspiracy, and to protect the victim, he chose to resist and fight back. The whole process was broadcasted, and that was all the evidence Chen Ge needed.

The thing that was most difficult for the police was, all evidence pointed to the fact that Chen Ge was also one of the victims, but this ‘victim’ had chased after the culprits aggressively.

After the interrogation, the police did not show any sign that they were going to let him go. “Mr. Chen, we need to have a meeting to discuss your situation.”

“Okay, but can you give me back my phone? I wish to call my family to tell them that I’m safe.” Chen Ge actually wanted to call Inspector Lee for help. This time, things were different. His livestream was no longer limited to a small circle. It had broken 600,000 viewers; in other words, the situation had gotten a bit out of hand.

“Please wait patiently.” The police officer rejected Chen Ge’s request and left the interrogation room. It was not until noon that the door opened again. Chen Ge, who had been fully cooperative, turned to look at the door.

A slightly fat police stood at the door. He wore a uniform that was different from others’.

“Captain Yan?” Chen Ge was surprised. It was this officer who had presented his medal when Chen Ge helped solved the case at Ping An Apartments.

“Follow me, someone wants to meet you.” Different from last time, Captain Yan’s expression was severe. Chen Ge stood up slowly and wondered, Am I going to meet some big character?

After exiting the interrogation room, they walked down the corridor before stopping outside a room. Through the glass window, Chen Ge looked in. The girl who had been trapped inside the cage was safe. She was wearing the police outfit someone had given her, and she cowered in a corner of the room, hugging a bottle of water. She was shivering non-stop and would not communicate with anyone. She did not even dare to sit on the chair.

Standing not far from her was a middle-aged man, and this was the first time Chen Ge had seen a man break down so completely. The middle-aged man appeared to be the girl’s father. He was calling the girl’s name, but she did not give any response. She was still shrouded in fear.

“Go in, the father wants to meet you.”

When he walked in, the middle-aged father immediately rushed to Chen Ge. His emotions were running so high that he could not even finish a complete sentence.

…

About ten minutes later, Captain Yan and Chen Ge left the room.

“Earlier, we were all discussing about you, to determine whether what you’ve done has broken the law or not. At the end of the discussion, I also brought them here.” Captain Yan looked at the pair in the room. “If not for you, the girl would have spent the rest of her life inside a cage and the father would have spent his looking for his only family in this world.”

Chen Ge had a hard time controlling his emotions. Even though the girl was safe now, it would take a long time before the scar on her heart was healed.

“You’ve done good this time.” Captain Yan turned to Chen Ge. “After our discussion, we decided to temporarily ban your livestream, but as compensation, we’ll award you a record of merit.”

Instead of a punishment, banning Chen Ge’s livestream temporarily was more like a protection. This was to prevent Chen Ge from being used by others due to his newfound popularity.

As for that record of merit, Chen Ge did not know what it was. But since Captain Yan had specifically mentioned it, it should be a good thing.

“Thank you, but I was merely acting on my sense of justice. Sometimes, I just cannot control myself.” Chen Ge was not sure. After all, what he did yesterday night was rash. He had been armed with a cleaver and a hammer, and he had broken a culprit’s leg with the hammer. “Then, can I really go now?”

“Don’t try to get information from me.” Captain Yan pointed at his uniform. “We will not cheer for violence, but never will we punish a good conscience and sense of justice.”