Chasing Murder

Chapter 5

Cyrus smiled at me, then nodded to Benjamin and brushed past me. Watching Cyrus leave, I felt warmth filling my heart. Meeting someone who had cared so much for me was truly fortunate.

At that moment, Benjamin received a phone call. After about five or six seconds, he hung up with a grave expression and told me there was a new development in the case, his eyes seemingly asking if I wanted to join him. Perhaps due to my mom's recent incident, he didn't ask directly.

"Benjamin, I'm sorry..."

"Kid, what's there to be sorry about? You're Auntie's son. Auntie is in trouble now, so it's only natural for her son to be here. Alright, forget about this case."

"I'm fine here. What's the point of him meddling? He wasn't here when he should have been, but now he's eager to interfere. Let him go back and investigate when he should."

Suddenly, Arthur's voice came from outside my mom's hospital room. I turned to see that detestable face, clenching my fists tightly.

"Don't make me say it a second time." Arthur frowned at me, then said softly.

Seeing this, Benjamin immediately nodded at him, then pulled me into the elevator.

"Alright, why do you explode like a bomb every time you see your dad? Don't worry, I've got someone keeping an eye on the hospital, and about your mom's case, actually..."

"What about it? Still want to speak up for this old man? Because he went undercover, because he wanted to be a hero, my mom and I have been retaliated against several times, paint on our doorstep, even feces thrown... He may have played the hero, but why should my mom and I foot the bill?"

Benjamin shook his head helplessly, patting my shoulder as we exited the elevator.

　　After Benjamin and I got into the car, he handed me his phone directly and whispered, "Take a look at these photos."

As I took the phone and glanced down, I froze in the passenger seat.

It was a series of photos depicting what seemed to be a banquet-like gathering, but with a horrifying twist.

In the background of the photos was a T-shaped stage capable of accommodating twenty people, surrounded by dozens of square banquet tables. However, on the T-shaped stage, there was only one table, approximately two meters wide and one meter long, adorned with an array of knives, bowls, and cooking utensils.

"This looks like a banquet, doesn't it?" I looked up at Benjamin, stating the obvious.

Of course, I knew that whatever Benjamin was showing me at this moment couldn't be so simple. So, without waiting for him to speak, I started scrolling through the images.

The next photo, compared to the previous ones, resembled more of a lineup photo. It featured five men and five women, all of them handsome or beautiful, but with no smiles on their faces, only a deep sense of fear. My heart clenched as I realized there was a deeper secret behind this photo.

Following that was the next photo, and it was only when I saw this one that I understood Benjamin's true intention in showing me these photos.

The central figure in this photo was a man, his hands bound behind the chair, while standing in front of him was a man in white attire with a face mask, holding a pair of spreader pliers poised to clamp the man's mouth shut. Then, a pair of scissors, about the width of a finger, was positioned over his other hand.

I looked at Benjamin with a puzzled expression, and he winked at me, gesturing for me to continue.

I pursed my lips, touched the screen, and flipped to the next photo. In an instant, the camera was splattered with red blood, capturing the gruesome scene.