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Chapter 148: Let’s Play a Game
🕑 Added 2025-01-01 09:05:41 +0000 UTCThat night, in the early hours of the morning, with evidence from several tech-savvy users and comments from a forum user named PumpkinMan1987, there was no longer any debate about the authenticity of the video.
The tech-savvy users had painstakingly matched key frames and elements online, but unfortunately, they found no similar videos or images.
PumpkinMan1987 was a well-known figure on the forum, having previously identified the authenticity of numerous horror videos using technical methods. His skills and reputation were highly trusted.
Even after searching the dark web several times, he found no useful leads. When he announced that the video had appeared on the internet for the first time, the forum members stopped debating its authenticity.
Everyone began discussing the video's origin—where it was shot, when it was filmed, and whether it depicted an actual murder.
Some also offered theories about the video.
A famous analyst on the forum, FlyingPumpkin, shared his thoughts:
"I watched the video five times today and finally came up with some ideas.
"First, the setting of the video. I believe it takes place in an abandoned chemical plant. There are abandoned metal racks and uncommon chemical items everywhere. My father used to work in such places, so I'm somewhat familiar with them.
"Second, the identities of the two men. I don't think they are robbers. Even though they wore masks, logically speaking, they wouldn't sneak into an abandoned factory to rob someone. So, I think they were either friends or part of the same gang as the Black man being tortured.
"Of course, their backgrounds likely aren't clean—they might belong to a criminal gang. Otherwise, there would be no reason for them to wear masks.
"It's unclear why this torture-device killer kidnapped the Black man, but he clearly lured his accomplices to rescue him. The killer used a television to express his philosophy, but the accomplices impatiently smashed it without watching the clown's speech.
"This suggests that the TV wasn't appearing for the first time. The accomplices likely hadn't found anything useful in it before—perhaps it only contained mockery. That's why they destroyed it immediately.
"After the TV exploded, the mechanism on the Black man activated, twisting his arm into a mangled mess.
"Judging from the accomplices' breakdown at the end, it clearly had a significant psychological impact on them. That phone call they made was probably to their gang, trying to hunt down this serial killer."
FlyingPumpkin ended his post by addressing the original poster:
"The person who should speak up now is the OP. Where did they find this video? Did they upload it to the website themselves? With the limited clues I have, this is all I can deduce."
Despite the extensive forum discussion—spanning several pages—the original poster remained silent, not saying a single word.
A day and a half passed. As the video spread, many students, prompted by their roommates and friends, watched it, generating a lot of questions.
These questions led to even more discussions on the forum, much to Gurqi's delight. He hadn't expected a pinned post to garner such attention.
But just when he thought the post's popularity would fade over time, someone suddenly replied to FlyingPumpkin's comment.
"...I know a bit of information. After each murder, he cuts a puzzle-piece-shaped section of skin from the victim... Also, the puppet is called Billy."
"What? Billy?" Gurqi muttered in confusion. "Is this puppet some kind of ventriloquist dummy? It even has a name? Does this killer have a split personality?"
Moreover, the practice of removing a puzzle-piece-shaped piece of skin from each victim added a ritualistic element to the crimes. This aligned with the methods of other serial killers, who often kept parts of their victims as trophies.
However, the commenter's reply seemed to tease the readers, offering little to answer FlyingPumpkin's questions while introducing new information.
The forum users quickly latched onto the puzzle-piece detail, speculating about the killer's psychological motives.
Some with strong research skills scoured the internet to trace the origin of this bizarre obsession.
Two days later, during dinner, Gurqi was eating in the cafeteria when a couple suddenly sat down beside him.
The girl had big eyes and long hair, a pretty face that everyone liked. The boy wore glasses and had fair skin.
Gurqi was about to take his tray and leave, wanting to avoid the couple's public displays of affection. But then he overheard the boy mentioning the forum's name.
"Judy, do you think that post on Horror Pumpkin Head is real? Is there really a serial killer uploading videos online?"
The boy, Milon, still found it hard to believe. He'd only recently learned that Judy was a dedicated fan of the horror forum.
Judy enjoyed browsing the forum at night, reading about supernatural events shared by users, and posting her own theories.
Milon had only discovered this two nights ago when Judy couldn't resist sharing the latest post, asking for his opinion.
The video terrified Milon—he usually avoided horror and gore because he was easily scared. But Judy's gentle persuasion had made him relent. As a result, he'd been so scared that night he buried himself under the covers, even dreaming about the Black man's mangled arm.
"Of course it's real!" Judy said confidently. "Many killers want to express something or simply show off, so they use various methods to publicize their crimes."
"For instance, Gary Ridgway wrote about his murders and sent the letters to Seattle's postal intelligence bureau. But the police didn't take the letters seriously, allowing him to evade capture for over twenty years."
"I know, but if there really is such a killer in New York, it's hard to believe," Milon replied. Coming from a middle-class family, he and Judy lived far removed from the environments where such crimes typically occurred.
"Didn't Washington have a serial killer just last year?" Judy reminded him. This killer had modified the trunk of his car to fit a sniper rifle. While his child drove the car, he lay in the backseat, randomly picking pedestrians as targets.
The incident had caused widespread panic in Washington, and it took the police months to catch him.
Recalling this, Milon shivered. The thought of living under such a threat was unnerving, yet the news repeatedly reminded him that this was the reality of the country they lived in.
"Let's not talk about this anymore," Milon said. "Even if this puzzle-piece killer exists, maybe he only targets criminals. Those two men in the video didn't seem like good people anyway."
"I think you're right," Judy agreed, changing the subject.
Gurqi walked away, feeling a sense of accomplishment hearing people discuss his forum offline.
After buying a large bottle of soda, he returned to his dorm and logged into the forum to check the latest posts.
To his surprise, the forum was filled with new discussions about the video.
After clicking through the posts, Gurqi discovered that someone had used clues from the video and the original poster's information to find a related blog.
Curious, Gurqi clicked on the link. The blog's name, "SAW," was displayed in large, blood-dripping letters on a brick wall background. It was eerie, but Gurqi wasn't fazed—he was used to such sites.
As he scrolled down, he found no images, only text. The entries read like someone's personal thoughts, filled with cryptic musings about life and death.
Intrigued, Gurqi started from the earliest entries, working his way forward.
The blog seemed to document the transformation of someone's thoughts:
"When I learned the news, the clock of life stopped."
"Appreciate everything—whether it's a glass of water or a walk in the park. Most people are lucky not to know when their clock will stop. Ironically, that's why they fail to live fully."
"But I survived against all odds. Miraculously, I lived. So I decided to spend the rest of my time studying human nature."
"You will be tested. Your willpower will be tested. You will decide whether someone lives. Can you follow the rules and accept the gift of life? Can you do it? No excuses, no feigned ignorance, no crying."
"Once you're in hell, only the devil can save you."
"Now, let's see if you can look inward rather than outward, let go of what you depend on, and fight to survive."
"Good evening. I want to play a game."
"A game?" Gurqi repeated, puzzled. What kind of game was this?
Could such horrifying devices and executions really be just a "game" to this person?
