As she spoke, tears stread down the woman’s face, her eyes filled with sheer terror.
She continued, her voice trembling.
“My husband has always been good to . Sure, it’s normal for couples to argue—we’ve had our fair share of fights before. But never, never has he ever argued with over sothing like this. That day, we had a huge fight, and then he left for work, leaving alone to clean up the house.”
“I cried while I cleaned. Later, I called my son. He could tell I’d been crying and asked what was wrong. I didn’t tell him about the argunt—I just said it was nothing. Then, sohow, our conversation drifted to the wardrobe.”
“My son said that Grandma’s wardrobe was huge and could fit so many clothes. He complained that our wardrobe at ho was small and that he didn’t like it. He even told to replace it.”
“I casually replied, ‘Your dad won’t agree to that.’”
“Then my son said, ‘I got second place in my class this ti—Dad will definitely agree.’”
“After that, we hung up, and I felt a little better. That evening, my husband ca ho and suddenly told he missed our son. He asked to bring him back.”
“I didn’t think much of it, so I went to pick him up. But after he ca ho… at so point, I started to feel like he had changed. He beca quiet—too quiet. He stopped talking as much. And then… he started attacking other children.”
At this point, Lu Ding interrupted for the first ti. “So how did you realize your husband and son had been switched? And what about your in-laws? Weren’t they not at your house? How did they get replaced too?”
The son's situation was easy enough for Lu Ding to piece together.
After the woman hung up, the child must have told his father about the conversation.
And because the child had brought up replacing the wardrobe—a forbidden topic— the thing pretending to be the father must have made her bring the child back… and then swapped him out.
But what about the others?
How did they get replaced?
The woman lifted her head, her lips deathly pale, completely drained of color.
“I rember it clearly. That day was a Thursday. My son was playing outside in the complex when he bit another child. And it wasn’t just a bite—it was bad. The property managent called and my husband. I arrived first. The first thing I did was apologize to the other child’s parents. Then, I asked my son—
‘Why did you bite him?’”
“…He… he said the other kid slled really good. He couldn’t help himself.”
“That’s when I knew sothing was wrong. But I hadn’t connected the dots yet.”
“On the way ho, my son acted scared of my husband. I even joked, ‘Did Dad scare you?’ My husband said no… then suddenly changed the subject. He said he missed his parents. And that our son must be missing his grandparents too. He asked to call them and invite them over to stay for a while.”
“I thought it was a good idea. I’d been feeling exhausted lately, and having my parents around to help take care of our son would give a break. So, the next day, I asked them to co over.”
“With my husband at work and my parents taking care of our son, I finally got so proper rest.”
“But that day, when I woke up from an afternoon nap, my husband, my son, and my parents… were all gone.”
“I called them. Texted them. No one answered.”
“I got worried, so I opened an app on my phone that lets track my son’s smartwatch.”
“The app shows his location history and real-ti movents, and it also lets listen in through his microphone without him knowing. I had bought it a long ti ago because I was always terrified of child traffickers.”
“When I checked the app… my son’s location showed he was still at ho.”
“But I had already searched the entire house—there was no one there.”
“So, I activated the live audio feed on his smartwatch.”
“I didn’t even get a chance to speak—”
“Grandpa and Grandma’s at is too tough. It’s not good to eat.”
“…That’s what my son said.”
The woman swallowed hard, her throat dry.
“Then I heard my husband’s voice.
He said, ‘You can’t just eat people whenever you want. If you can’t control yourself, I’ll put you back inside.’”
“The mont I heard that, my instincts scread at . I thought of the wardrobe.”
“I ran over and threw it open—but there was nothing inside.”
“All the scattered thoughts in my mind suddenly pieced together in that mont.
“My husband.
“My son.
“They weren’t them anymore.”
“I was terrified. I ran to the Neihua Public Security Office and told them everything. I could see they didn’t believe . But still, they agreed to accompany ho.”
“The mont we opened the door—”
“I saw my parents and my son sitting inside, watching TV.”
“I couldn’t believe it. But I didn’t understand—”
“My parents had already been eaten.
“So why were they alive and sitting there?”
“The officers told I was under too much stress. My husband said the sa thing. He told to quit my job and rest.
“But when I turned my head—”
“I saw my parents staring at with eerie, sinister smiles.”
“Their eyes were filled with hunger—like they wanted to swallow whole.”
“They locked in the house. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere. They even called a doctor to prescribe dication.”
“Then, one day, they all went out again.”
“I knew it! I knew it! They had gone to eat more people!”
“I broke free from my restraints and ran away!”
“Look! Look! See these marks on my wrists? These are rope burns! I’m not lying!
“They are not my family!
“Please! Please, save my son! Save my husband! I beg you!
“No one believes —no one!
“But monsters are real! They really exist!!!”
She raised her trembling hands, showing the deep red welts where the ropes had cut into her skin.
For a mont, the entire room fell silent.
They all knew monsters were real.
But they couldn’t say it out loud.
Lu Ding had already understood the situation.
He took out his ID and spoke in a calm voice.
“Miss, don’t be afraid. And don’t panic.”
“I’m with National Security.”
“You know what that ans, right?”
The woman snatched the ID from his hand, flipping through it carefully.
She stared at the official seal, then at the photo of Lu Ding on the card.
Her eyes filled with desperate hope, nearly overflowing.
“I know. I know what National Security is. I know.”
“Good. Then listen to . Stay here and wait. I’ll go investigate your ho.”
“That wardrobe of yours—”
“I don’t care if it’s a real monster or a fake one.”
“I’ll smash it to pieces.”
“I just hope you won’t ask to pay for it. Is that okay?”
The woman nodded furiously.
“No! No! I won’t make you pay for it!”
She didn’t expect Lu Ding to outright agree with her about monsters.
Even though it was sothing she had personally experienced, she had never actually seen her husband or son transform into anything inhuman.
Since childhood, she had been taught that monsters did not exist.
But she also didn’t want Lu Ding to deny her story, because there was simply no other way to explain what had happened.
When Lu Ding said he would destroy the wardrobe, the woman broke down sobbing.
He gestured for a female officer to take care of her, then stepped out of the room.
Gao Zhengliang followed.
“Director Gao,” Lu Ding said, “keep an eye on the witness’s ntal state. I’m heading to Dinghao Complex.”
“If anything happens, go get Yan Feifan.”
User Comments
0 comments from readers