Chapter 90

"But why would they testify falsely in court to get Laura killed?"Ronald asked. I shrugged; this was also one of the clues I needed to investigate.

Moreover, considering the photos from the True Love Entertainment Club arson and murder scene, it was particularly gruesome, with internal organs and even genitalia hanging from the ceiling. From the power outage to the discovery, the entire crime took less than half an hour, including committing the crime, setting the fire, and dismembering the body.

A terrifying thought occurred to me:

The killer might not be acting alone.

Why was there a fire? Such a high-end entertainment venue couldn't possibly lack fire prevention facilities. Moreover, the case file clearly showed alcohol residue, but this clue wasn't emphasized during the trial; instead, the focus was on the witnesses and physical evidence.

Ordinary alcoholic drinks couldn't have caused such a massive fire; it must have been something with a higher alcohol content. From setting up the scene to committing the murder and dismembering the body, one person couldn't accomplish it in such a short time.

If Lally and Tammy were employees of the Entertainment Club, they could easily set up the scene. Bob, Mike, Tom, and Tony could then commit the crime in a short time. But what about dismembering the body?

In such a short time, they needed to precisely locate the organs, and the cuts were precise, with no signs of brute force. The dismemberment was very skillful, indicating it wasn't their first time.

Only someone who legally engaged in such work could have done this. This person had to be present and have a significant grudge against the suspects.

Joseph.

The five of them carried out the murder, dismemberment, and hanging of the body, then set a fire to destroy the evidence, leaving no trace of the victim's identity.

Of course, all this is just speculation without any evidence.

Why put all the blame on Laura? Was it just because Laura acted with impunity and abused of power?

If they had such a sense of justice, why didn't they report child trafficking earlier and let society and the law handle it instead of taking matters into their own hands?

Who is this Douglas that Ronald mentioned earlier?

"Over twenty years ago, I had just started working at the police station and had just married Erica."

Ronald recalled, "One night, while on routine patrol, I got lost and ended up at an abandoned steel mill. It was an unregulated area where no one usually went. Back then, there were no maps or navigation systems, and there were no houses for miles around. I was young and embarrassed to call the station to admit I was lost, so I drove around aimlessly. Not far from a small path, I saw a child squatting under a tree. It was a scorching summer, but the child's condition was particularly strange, with black and purple lips and trembling all over. He was a boy, but his voice sounded like a girl's."

"I quickly picked him up and put him in the car, setting aside my pride, and told the captain my approximate location. I kept the phone on the entire way and rushed the child to the hospital. This child was Joseph. The doctor examined him and said he wasn't sick but had likely ingested some kind of drug."

Ronald lit a cigarette and continued slowly, "Birth control pills."

Accidental ingestion was impossible. In such a hellish place, how could he accidentally ingest such a thing? Most likely, they had been giving Joseph these pills all along.

Why would such a young child be given these pills?

"Do you know what a sex pet is?"

I was slightly stunned and nodded." Were they trying to groom sex pets from a young age? But what does that have to do with birth control pills?"

"Lumaria has a special industry. Individuals start as men but gradually become 'transgender,' with the appearance of women but the physiology of men. This isn't a disease but a form of artificial modification. From a young age, these children are given female hormones, which can be expensive. The best alternative is birth control pills, which are cheap and contain high levels of female hormones."

Ronald stared intently at the Entertainment Club building, his eyes dry and devoid of any light, like a stone sculpture, staring at it for over twenty years.

"Are you saying they gave Joseph these pills to sell him...?"

I was shocked, beyond anger. Such behavior, worse than scum, had happened here.

"Not for sale, but to customize... for certain people. But Joseph was lucky. His body produced a lot of male hormones, and the excessive intake caused a rejection reaction. They probably thought Joseph was dying and threw him out."

Ronald's face was extremely grim as he said bitterly, "That's what he later told me. The children in that place weren't orphans; they all had parents. Most of them were born in remote rural areas and sold by their parents for a few thousand dollars. When they were just starting to understand the world, they were abandoned."

So Alan, Lally, and the others were like that... Just as I was thinking, Ronald continued,

"You know about Lally. When girls grow up, they can't escape that fate. Boys... have it worse. Tom is blind in one eye, not from birth, but because it was gouged out and sold when he was locked in a room and drugged as a child."

"Some children look whole on the outside, but they might have had organs replaced when they were very young. Back then, the law wasn't well-established, and children's organs..."

"Stop."

I nearly shouted to interrupt Ronald's narrative. For Alan and the others, fate had shown no mercy, only constant torment. At that moment, I seemed to understand their obsession with revenge, their almost fanatical, reckless revenge.

They had all come from hell. Surviving was a great act of courage and luck. Revenge was a natural human instinct. Alan was like a ray of light shining into the hearts of them.

Cleansing the filth from their bodies, gently comforting them. But did he ever think that he was also scarred?

Since learning he was alive, my heart seemed to come alive. Suppressing the near-mad joy, I tried to control myself, slowly investigating, slowly searching for him, not losing my focus. But I really wanted to see him. Where was he now? Why did he disappear? Why didn't he come to see me?

Ronald's eyes were red, his voice hoarse, "I wanted to save them, but those children advised me not to come back. I told my superiors, but they ignored me and ordered me not to investigate. As a police officer, I couldn't save them, so I could only occasionally sneak them some food."

"Those children were so kind and lovely, but after a while, one of them would be missing. When I asked about it, they would avoid answering, saying they were worried about bringing trouble to me. They were only a few years old; their understanding is heartbreaking. I could only climb, keep climbing higher. One day, I would have enough power to uproot them. If they were alive, I would chase them to the ends of the earth. If they were dead, the truth would come out, and they wouldn't rest in peace!"

"But..."

Ronald looked up at the sky, tears streaming from his eyes, "When I thought I was high enough, but I realized the sky was still above me."