For William Clark, killing was not something to be afraid of. He had already killed seven people, and had long since become somewhat numb to the sight of the dead. However, what was truly terrifying was not the act of killing itself, but the fact that after killing someone, he had cooked and cut up her body parts, then distributed and hid them on such a large scale. How cold-blooded must one be to carry out such an act?

Reaching out, pulling down his sleeve, William Clark quickened his pace back to the dormitory. Tonight, the dormitory supervisor aunt was, for once, still awake so late. Earlier, many school officials and police had come by, and quite a few students from the student council had been called out to help with the search. With such a major incident happening, it was impossible for the supervisor aunt to slack off and go to bed early as she usually did.

Seeing William Clark walking back, the supervisor aunt immediately called out, “Student, what exactly happened? I heard a lot of people died?”

William Clark frowned, but still replied, “Only one person died.”

“Then why are so many people out searching? Did it happen on campus, so you’re looking for the body?” Once the supervisor aunt got gossipy, she really wasn’t afraid of anything.

“One person died, but was cut into many pieces. They’re collecting them now. Maybe there’s even some in our dorm.”

“No way, how could there be any in our dorm? I watch over this place every day.”

William Clark couldn’t be bothered to mention that every night he could just walk in without signing in. He simply brushed off the supervisor aunt’s further questions, entered the dorm building, and after reaching the third floor, William Clark went into the bathroom first to wash his hands at the sink. This hand had just held pieces of flesh and a severed head, so it definitely needed a wash. Fortunately, William Clark wasn’t particularly squeamish about such things.

While washing, William Clark noticed a bottle of body wash by the sink, so he grabbed it and squeezed some onto his hand. It was common for students to come here to shower, so it wasn’t strange to find leftover body wash or shampoo. The only thing to blame was the school’s poor living facilities: not only did the dorms lack private bathrooms, but the campus bathhouse was in another student area altogether. So, if students wanted to shower, they had to walk a long way, past the sports field and a teaching block. In summer, after showering and walking back, they’d be sweaty all over again, making the shower pointless.

After washing his hands, William Clark returned to his dorm room. There were four beds in the room, but usually only two people lived there. One was already interning off campus, and another was living with his girlfriend off campus.

Bed No. 1 belonged to a very fair-skinned student, a local, from the math department, named David Miller.

“Did something happen outside?”

“Yeah, someone died.” William Clark didn’t want to sit and chat about it, so he changed his shoes and planned to go to his own bed. Only when he pulled the curtain around his bunk did William Clark feel like he was in a private space, which gave him a sense of security.

David Miller, true to his name, was always polite and easygoing with everyone. Seeing that William Clark didn’t want to talk, he didn’t ask further, and just lay on his bed reading under his desk lamp.

Before getting into bed, William Clark suddenly thought of something. In his mind, the image of that severed head under the phone flashlight appeared again.

He climbed down the ladder and walked over to the bed of the roommate who was living off campus with his girlfriend.

“Hey, hasn’t Henry Brooks been gone for two days now?”

David Miller thought about it seriously, then nodded, “Seems like it’s been three days, counting tonight.”

“I haven’t seen him in class either,” William Clark added, then started searching through Henry Brooks’s bed.

“What are you doing…” David Miller asked in surprise.

“Do you remember Henry Brooks had a photo frame with a picture of him and his girlfriend? I remember he used to show it off in the dorm for a while,” William Clark asked.

“Yeah, I remember, but I don’t know where he put it.”

William Clark nodded and kept searching. He turned over the bedding, found some loose change, a lighter, magazines, even underwear and socks, but no photo frame.

William Clark then went to Henry Brooks’s desk to look. The desk drawer was locked, so William Clark simply kicked it, breaking the lock. The noise startled David Miller, who had no idea what had gotten into William Clark.

William Clark opened the drawer, moved aside a few books and a box of condoms, and found a photo frame.

“Huff, huff…”

He blew on it, then wiped it with his hand, and finally the faces of the two people in the photo became clear.

Seeing the woman’s face, the image of the severed head flashed in William Clark’s mind again, especially the black mole on the jaw—it was a perfect match.

William Clark immediately picked up the phone and called Henry Grant.

“Hey, I don’t want cumin or salt. If you have any conscience, bring me a cup of milk tea.”

“Screw you. Have you guys identified the female corpse yet?”

“We’re checking the records now, should have it soon.”

“Don’t bother. I know who it is. But… maybe the victim isn’t just one person.”