Psycho Chapter 1

Preface doesn’t tell much so here’s chapter 1. Will update Undying Body soon.

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Chapter 1, Agreement

Midsummer, inside an apartment.

Whizzing, the fan was on just like usual. With crossed legs, Ye Zi sat in front of his computer, playing games, browsing forums, and going through group chats. Due to a casual impulse, he opened up the chatroom for a boys’ comic and began browsing through the chat history.

There, he saw a rather eye-catching red font repeating a line of words three times, word for word. Instantly, Ye Zi’s pupils widened.

“I want to kill her.”

“I want to kill her.”

“I want to kill her.”

No matter what the rest of the people were saying, this “Hare” person decided to leave behind only these three lines of text.

He must be overthinking things. Maybe this was just a prank from a young schoolgirl? Or perhaps, were they reciting lines from the comic? Though he thought this way, Ye Zi still gulped as he sent that person a friend request.

It was instantly accepted. Ye Zi pulled up that person’s profile. It was a completely black background with practically no decorations. There, he found more than twenty diary posts, and this person seemed to enjoy literature and movies focused on crime and gore. The pictures they posted really packed a punch. The latest diary post contained a single paragraph:

“Don’t ever give up. Even if the skin of your feet cracks and tears, even if you trip on a fallen branch, get up and chase after me.”

What is this?

But from the looks of it, this seemed like a motivational quote, right?

But of course, after reading his discussion posts, he changed his mind completely. Because his posts were composed of a wonderful section of curses.

“Whore.”

“Why won’t a woman like that just die?”

“Damn bitch.”

“It would be nice if the entire world was destroyed.”

…

It kinda feels a little chuunibyou.

Just as Ye Zi was thinking about it, the penguin on the lower right-hand side of his screen lit up. A profile picture of a rabbit appeared.

Hare: Hello.

Predator (Ye Zi): Hello.

Ye Zi stopped to think for a moment before he continued to type.

Predator: I saw you writing “I want to kill her” on the group chat. Is that what you really think?

Hare: Yes. That’s right.

Predator: Is she a real person?

Hare: She’s the woman my dad found to get another kid. That woman hit my mom with a hanger while I was away and mom was worried I would worry, so she hid it from me. It was only later that I saw the bruises on her back and right arm.

Predator: That’s going overboard.

Hare: It’s no use even if I tell my dad. That old man doesn’t believe me. It would’ve been fine if that was all, but that delusional woman tried to climb into my bed. Disgusting. There’s nothing I want more than to tear her corpse into pieces. Do you know that feeling?

Predator: I do.

If he’s being seduced by a woman, then it seems like “Hare” was most likely a guy. After a few moments of hesitation, Ye Zi continued to write.

Predator: Because, there’s a man I want to kill too.

Hare: Who?

Predator: My mom’s ex-colleague. It’s all his fault that mom loses sleep every night. She clearly works so hard in her life already but she’s just getting more and more depressed.

Hare: …

He never planned to say this much to a stranger, but it must have been too long since he vented his feelings. Ye Zi actually followed on with a long paragraph as well.

Predator: Life was never great after my parents divorced. One night, while she was heading home, she actually fell straight into that bastard’s trap. He had several men…I was only twelve at the time. I had no power to teach them a lesson. I saw her disheveled and shaking under that bridge, but she wouldn’t let me call the cops no matter what. I was so pissed I really found it hard to breathe…That incident left a trauma for both me and my mother. It wasn’t until last year that she finally got remarried. Life is better now and I heard she wants to have another kid, but that bastard actually threatened her. She told her that if she did not pay him, then he would show those pictures to uncle.

Hare: How much did he ask for?

Predator: 100,000. Actually, he asked us for 50,000 the first time, and we gave it to him. He just thought he could get some more and asked for another 100,000. Sure, my dad gave us some money in the past, but we used that money long ago to buy a new house. It’s tough times, just 50,000 was hard enough to pull out of our pockets, so how could we give manage another 100,000? Uncle will definitely be suspicious. We thought about calling the police, but if we do, then what happened to my mom will definitely be exposed, and naturally, uncle would find out as well. There’s no way my mom would even dare to see anyone again if that happened. My mother would often cry by herself during this period, and she must have thought that her marriage was coming to an end again…so I too would often think, everything would be all better if that bastard died.

Hare: Do you want to kill him?

Predator: I do, I want him dead even in my dreams.

After about two minutes, Hare’s profile picture lit up again.

Hare: I’ll kill him for you.

Ye Zi stared at the clear font on his screen and felt that this person must be joking with him.

Predator: What are you joking about? We don’t even know each other.

Hare: Murder exchange. Have you heard of it?

Predator: I have, but I don’t quite understand.

Hare: Two people agree to kill the target that the other person has a grudge with. So, when the police try to investigate, they won’t be able to find the motive for the crime. That puts each person in a safer position.

Predator: Elaborate.

Hare: For example, if I kill your mother’s colleague for you, I will have no ties whatsoever with that man’s life. As long as I do not leave any evidence such as my blood or hair, there’s no way the police can find me. But of course, even if I do leave behind evidence, it’ll be hard to find me. It may even interfere with their judgment. Even if you become a suspect, they won’t be able to find your motive, because you didn’t kill him to begin with. You have an alibi, too. Cases like these are harder for the police to judge.

Predator: But we don’t even know each other. I don’t know what your name is, what you look like, or even your gender.

Hare: That’s even better. It’s easy to attract suspicion if we know each other.

Predator: We may be in different cities, and it might be far away. The plan wouldn’t work.

Hare: We’re in the same city.

Predator: Huh?

Hare: I just saw your profile. Both of us are in X City.

To tell the truth, Ye Zi was gradually convinced by that person. This person, Hare, whom Ye Zi first thought of as a chuunibyou, now gave him the impression that he was a logical, very intelligent, and also daring person.

Ye Zi became more and more excited and his breathing gradually sped up. Finally, he posed the issues that concerned him the most.

Predator: Alright, let’s move that aside for a second. Wouldn’t it be a little inappropriate to decide such a big even just by chatting with each other? How can I trust you?

Hare: How about this, then.

Hare: I’ll kill that guy for you first. Then, after it’s done, it’s your turn. What do you think?

Ye Zi was almost in disbelief at what he saw on his screen.

Did this person really trust him so much?

If he were to kill first, what if he went back on his word?

And what if, on the of chance, he fails and gets caught?

But no matter how he looked at it, he was not on the disadvantageous side. He’s the one committing the murder. If he fails, the police will catch him. If he succeeds, then that’ll definitely be even better for him. Without even lifting a finger, the person he hated the most could just disappear from this world. Whatever happened after that, he could just think about it later!

Ye Zi’s heart pounded like he had just won a match in a game. It was exhilarating.

Predator: Alright.

Hare: (Smile) It’s decided then. Send that person’s information over to me. Also, can we exchange phone numbers? Just in case. I won’t use it to harass you any other time.

Predator: Sure. My name’s Ye Zi. What do I call you?

Hare: Just call me Hare.

This seemed to be the very moment where it all began.

The goal was simple, so simple.

Beginning just like the thin thread of a spider, enticing its prey to climb up, to search along the line. But they had no idea that this line would lead them to an endless abyss.

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