The Art of Murder

At first, Axep was just a naive, weak, and incompetent 10-year-old boy. He was often bullied at school and home, and no one cared and loved him. He felt that other children were excellent in all aspects, while he was left behind. He was often targeted by Jack, David, and Austin, who struggled academically and saw him as an easy target. These experiences caused psychological damage to Axep and distorted his mind. He began to see murder as a way to turn people who bullied him or ignored his pain into "artworks" in an attempt to assert his dominance. He believed that only in this way would no one dare to bully him again.

One morning in 1989, the birds and roosters outside seemed to be singing happily. However, Axep's parents were still asleep in their beds. Axep had become accustomed to picking an egg from the chicken coop and heating it in water for 15 minutes before eating it. He hung his backpack on his shoulders, and although it was heavy, he staggered under its weight. The cold wind of the early morning blew against him, and he wore a thin coat because he didn't have anything thicker at home. He walked stiffly towards the school gate, but as he approached the gate, his eyes caught a terrifying figure. His feet shook uncontrollably, and with a thud, he fell to the cold ground. The figure seemed to be getting closer with every passing second. Slowly, his body began to sweat, his clothes stuck to his skin, and he clutched his schoolbag tighter. Tears welled up in his eyes and slid down his cheeks, hot and stinging.

He clutched the corner of his coat tightly, trying to steady himself, his breathing shallow and rapid. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," he muttered with trembling lips, his voice almost inaudible. "I should have stayed away from you, Jack."

Axep's heart trembled with every step Jack took, a sense of oppression from the bottom of his heart, a sharp pain in Axep's head, the ground and his skin getting closer and closer. Axep's ears felt stinging, but his body and neck could not move. His skin felt unspeakably uncomfortable against the ground.

Jack said slowly, "You'd better not let me see you next time. Or I'll bully you every time I see you. Do you hear me?"

Axep's breathing became shallow due to Jack's words, and he replied, "I know. It won't happen again."

Mr. Ace walked over and saw the situation. He kept tapping his watch, frowning slightly and sighed heavily. "Okay, okay, how long are you going to stay outside the school gate, Axep?" Then, his attitude seemed to change. He smiled slightly and bent down. His tone softened and he said, "Jack, David, and Austin, you stayed outside too long. If you stay outside, you will catch a cold."

In the blink of an eye, everyone went in for class, and Axep slowly stood up and noticed that there was no one around. He raised his hand and quickly wiped the hot tears from the corners of his eyes, then patted the dust off his clothes. Jack, Jack...you are such a hot-headed person, but you are also a work of art for me, he thought.

Back in class, the atmosphere felt like the air had thickened. No one dared to speak, and everyone kept their heads down. Mr. Ace walked into the classroom with heavy steps, and only his footsteps could be heard.

He sighed, then stared at Axep. "Axep, you got full marks again, but don't be too arrogant," he said. "Get it?"

The room was silent, and Axep lowered his head as if trying to blend into the air. "Got it," he muttered.

Mr. Ace glanced at him and smiled slightly as if he was satisfied with Axep's answer.

The class bell rang, and Mr. Ace began to lecture. He grabbed a stack of test papers and threw them on the table one by one, his voice full of anger: "Such a simple question, you can also get it wrong?"

The classroom was suddenly silent. Suddenly, Jack stared at Mr. Ace's powerful foot and kicked the table over with a loud noise. He whispered, "You bastard, you don't want to do this anymore, right?"

Mr. Ace's ears were buzzing because of this sound, and his once majestic eyes disappeared instantly. He trotted over and timidly held Jack's hand: "I was wrong, don't fire me..."

Jack sneered, raised his hand, and slapped Mr. Ace's face, leaving a red handprint. Mr. Ace subconsciously took a step back, but saw Jack twisting his wrist and showing a playful smile: "What, are you addicted to being beaten? Okay, I'll help you."

Then, the classroom rang with crisp slaps one after another, and Mr. Ace endured it without saying a word. It was not until all this was over that he covered his face with unbearable pain and started the class. This time, he became cautious and no longer dared to be as aggressive as before.

Ten minutes later, the bell rang. The students said "Teacher, get out of class is over", only Jack, David, and Austin left the classroom without looking back. After everyone left, Mr. Ace looked up at the ceiling with tears in his eyes but said nothing.

At noon, when the bell rang, the students came to the cafeteria to eat. Axep had just received his lunch and was walking with his head down. Suddenly, his foot was tripped, and he fell forward, and the food in his hand was scattered all over the floor.

"What are you doing?!" Austin deliberately shouted, looked down at his shoes, and sneered, "You dirty my dad's new shoes."

Axep got up in a mess, his pants and knees were wet. He lowered his head and apologized repeatedly: "Sorry, I didn't pay attention to the road..." The classmates pretended not to see it, some read gossip, some ate lunch, and some chatted with friends.

Austin insisted: "Is it enough to apologize? Lick my shoes clean!"

There was a burst of shrill laughter around, and Axep's face flushed, but he didn't refute. He knelt on the cold floor, lowered his head, and bent over, licking Austin's shoes with his tongue. Someone pressed his forehead hard, and the tears in his eyes fell like stinging ice cubes.

After licking his shoes, Austin snorted coldly: "After school, go to the forest to apologize to me."

Axep agreed in a low voice, knowing vaguely in his heart that he might be waiting for a greater humiliation.

The night shrouded a barren forest, and there was only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves as if whispering.

Austin stood there, feeling the chill running up his spine from the soles of his feet. His eyes looked around, but suddenly stopped at a scene in front of him: Axep was kneeling on the ground, his knees touching the soil, surrounded by a circle of rich red, like some kind of ritual blood sacrifice. The low branches seemed to block the skylight for this scene.

Axep raised his head, his eyes full of bloodshot, staring at Austin, as if he wanted to see through his soul. There was fanaticism in his eyes as if he had already lost his mind. Austin felt his legs weak as if he had been drained of strength, and his body was shaky.

He wanted to run away, but his feet seemed to be nailed to the ground, and he couldn't move at all.

"Don't. Don't come over..." Austin's voice trembled, and tears slid down his cheeks. His fear was written on his face, and Axep approached him little by little, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, like a mockery, but also like a smile of victory. 

Austin finally collapsed to the ground, with tears on his face, and only despair in his eyes.

The next day, the TV news reported: "A 10-year-old boy named David was found dead in the depths of the forest. The death scene was bloody and extremely cruel."

There was an uproar in the classroom, and the students whispered, talking about the possible identity of the area hand in the news. Everyone had fear in their eyes, fearing that they would become the next target.

Axep sat in his seat, listening quietly, his fingers casually swiping across his cheek, the expression on his face was extremely calm. But when his hand was put down, his fingertips were stained with a deep red liquid. He looked down and then smiled softly.

Jack at the other end of the classroom noticed Axep's abnormality. He narrowed his eyes and a malicious smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. He whispered, "If you keep doing this, I will give you 300,000." Axep did not answer but continued to do his own thing. Jack smiled with satisfaction and put a stack of money on the table before turning around and leaving. After school, Axep invited Jack to a secret place. It was covered by tall trees and was hidden and quiet. As soon as he entered there, Jack was immediately attracted by the surrounding scene: there were lifelike animal statues everywhere, in various shapes, full of a certain weird beauty. "Did you make all these?" Jack showed an amazed expression, and the corners of his mouth rose unconsciously, "These are works of art, so perfect! They are mine now." Axep looked at him quietly, and a hint of irony rose at the corner of his mouth. "Okay, but do you want to be a part of them?" Jack's hand reached out to a statue but suddenly froze. His fingers trembled slightly as if he had touched some cold secret. Turning his head, his eyes were filled with horror. "These... these are all." But the words came to his lips but he couldn't say them. He had realized it. A heart-wrenching scream came from not far away, and the echo lingered in the silent forest for a long time. Not long after, a brand new statue appeared in Axep's secret base. The statue was as red as blood, forming a weird contrast with the surrounding animal statues.

Axep straightened his clothes, looked at the statue coldly, and murmured: "You are so beautiful now... You should have been like this earlier. It will teach you to complete it.

A few days later, Axep pushed David's body into the secret base and placed it next to the newly completed statue.

He clapped his hands and showed a satisfied smile, "You are so good. I just added another brother to you. Are you happy? I am also very happy. "

He sat on the ground, looking up at these "artworks", with a trembling madness and satisfaction in his eyes.

Axep stayed alone in his secret garden, busy with his hands. The sun shone on his face through the leaves, but his expression seemed indifferent and focused. After a few minutes, he seemed to have completed some preparations, then picked up the items at hand and went straight to Teacher Ace's house.

He knocked on the door and asked clearly: "Is anyone home?"

After about 30 minutes, Teacher Ace slowly opened the door with a hint of impatience in his expression: "Is there anything wrong? Why did you come to my house?"

Axep stood straight, his hands hanging naturally on both sides of his body, his shoulders relaxed, and said respectfully: "Teacher, I am very sorry for making you angry today. To express my sincerity, I specially made a cup of tea, please be sure to drink it. Otherwise, I will think that you have not forgiven me yet. In addition, there is ointment here, which can be used to apply the wound on your face. "

Teacher Ace hesitated for a moment, but seeing Axep's sincere attitude, he let him in and closed the door. He took the cup of tea, took a sip, and said, "Thank you, Axep." However, as soon as he finished speaking, his face suddenly turned pale, and the cup in his hand fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

Teacher Ace's body fell softly to the ground, making a muffled sound. He tried to open his mouth, and his voice was as thin as a mosquito: "You... How can you..." Then, he completely lost consciousness.

Axep cleaned the room and dialed the police with trembling fingers. He choked with tears and said, "Mr. Police, I... I'm so scared, the teacher... He seems to be dead..."

After receiving the alarm, the police quickly rushed to the scene. They found Teacher Ace's body in the house, his face was peaceful but lifeless, and Axep beside him huddled up, trembling all over, with tears in his eyes.

A policeman stepped forward and asked softly, "Child, what happened? 

Axep lowered his head, remained silent, and his shoulders trembled slightly as if he were in great fear. Seeing this, the police could only comfort him softly: "Don't be afraid, we will find the bad guys."

Then, they checked Axep's school bag and learned about his school and family information. The police contacted his biological parents and explained the situation. However, a cold response came from the other end of the phone: "We don't know this child. He is not our responsibility. He is just a burden!"

After hearing this, the police felt helpless and could only help Axep find a new adoptive family. Fortunately, they found a couple who loved children very much and were willing to accept him. However, they didn't know what kind of darkness was hidden in the heart of this seemingly weak child.

A few days later, Axep sat lazily at the desk, facing the homework in front of him, but he didn't start writing. His adoptive parents found out, came over and frowned and asked: "Dear, why haven't you finished your homework yet? "

Axep lowered his head and did not respond. His hand gently pulled the corner of the table, and his body was stiffly waiting for the blame.

Unexpectedly, the adoptive parents looked at each other, smiled, and said gently: "Dear, are you under a lot of pressure from studying recently? You are a little tired now, right? It doesn't matter, we can rest for a while before doing homework. If you don't understand any questions, feel free to ask mom and dad. "

Axep raised his head, his face full of surprise, thinking: "Why didn't you scold me?" The past memories suddenly emerged-his biological parents always asked him to complete all tasks, otherwise he would be beaten and scolded.

He stared at his adoptive parents blankly, his eyes gradually moistened, and hot tears dripped down his cheeks. He wiped them with his hands but couldn't wipe them clean.

Seeing him crying, the adoptive parents asked distressingly: "Dear, what's wrong? Did we say something wrong?"

Axep shook his head hurriedly and answered with a sob: "No...no. It's just that you're too good to me..."

After hearing this, the adoptive parents smiled at each other, their eyes full of love. They squatted down together, holding Axep firmly with both hands, one hand behind his back, and the other hand holding his legs, protecting him tightly in their arms. The mother said gently: "My child, what kind of suffering did you suffer in the past? Don't be afraid, from now on, mom and dad will definitely treat you well. "

Axep lay in their arms, holding his adoptive father's shoulders with his little hands, feeling an unprecedented warmth. His body slowly relaxed, and his head gently rested on his adoptive mother's shoulder. His heart seemed to be melted by a warmth, and for the first time he felt the taste of being truly cared for.

From that day on, Axep began to gradually open his heart and no longer pretended to be himself. He began to tell his adoptive parents about his past pain, and began to truly integrate into this new family. He smiled more, and the haze in his eyes gradually dissipated. The once lonely and painful child finally found the warmth of home.

Axep's adoptive parents were suddenly laid off one day, and the reason for the layoff was that the son of the former boss returned from studying abroad, took over the company, and became the chairman. The adoptive parents who lost their jobs were depressed. Because they had no stable income, they could only make a living by doing odd jobs, earning only a few dozen yuan per hour. Seeing the hard work of his adoptive parents, Axep decided to do something.

He secretly looked up the schedule of the new chairman and told his adoptive parents in advance: "I'm going to my classmate's house to do homework today, and I will be back late. "

The adoptive father nodded and said, "If it's too late, I'll pick you up."

Axep smiled and said, "Okay, Dad."

That night, Axep secretly followed the chairman's son. Although there were bodyguards around him, he carefully designed to lead them away and released several vicious dogs to disrupt the view. In the chaos, he pulled the chairman's son to a hidden corner.

The chairman's son was so scared that his eyes were full of tears. He grabbed Axep's hand and said, "Thank you for saving me! How much money do you need to repay you?"

Axep replied coldly: "I don't want money. I want you to give my adoptive parents a job. They were employees of your father's company, but they were fired without reason because you returned to China."

The chairman's son bowed his head and apologized: "I'm sorry, it's my fault. I will definitely discuss this with my father to solve this problem."

However, Axep was full of anger in his heart and he did not accept the apology. Then, after hearing a shrill scream, the scene was dead silent. Axep left and called his adoptive father. His parents came to pick him up 10 minutes later.

On the way home, his adoptive mother asked with concern: "How was your study today?"

Axep smiled and said, "Very good, but I didn't eat anything. Can we go to eat hot pot?"

The adoptive parents agreed at once, and the family spent a happy hot pot time. However, in the hotel, the police suddenly visited and asked if they had seen the suspect. Everyone said they didn't know, and the adoptive parents felt uneasy and decided not to go out at night.

Ten years later, Axep became a handsome man with a height of 185 cm and a higher education. He had moved out of his parents' house and lived alone, but his deep desires and dissatisfaction began to grow. He dated women and gained their trust, but after they came to his house, he secretly added drugs to their food or wine to make them unconscious. When he woke up, the fate of these women had already become part of his secret base.

Axep likes to talk to the statues he made and the "partners" he collected. He said to these "friends": "Look, how powerful I am now, no one can bully me." He even said to himself: "I brought a new friend today, she will definitely be able to integrate into our big family."

He immersed himself in his own world, singing, dancing, and spending "good times" with those dead animals and human-shaped statues. However, when reality interrupted his fantasy, such as a call from his boss, he quickly returned to normal and replied: "No, I will not resign, I will be back soon." Before leaving, he said to his "partners": "New partners will join today, you can celebrate first." Then, he closed the door of the secret base, left as if nothing had happened, and continued his "double life".

Axep stood in front of the mirror, his eyes were empty, his fists clenched, and the blood was not completely dry. The reflection of himself in the glass made him shiver. His eyes gradually became gloomy, the corners of his mouth twitched slightly, and countless reproachful voices seemed to echo in his ears.

"It's all their fault..." He muttered, his voice getting louder and louder, and his chest was like a flame burning. "They only knew that it was forced by them!"

He swung his fist and smashed at the mirror with a "click", and the lens shattered and scattered all on the ground. He gasped and stared at the distorted reflection in the mirror, as if he was looking at a stranger. His fists oozed blood, but he didn't notice it and roared angrily:

"It's not me! It's not me! It's not me!"

He leaned over and grabbed a sharp lens, and his fingers trembled because of the force. He slowly put the lens close to his cheek, and in the broken reflection, he saw a crazy smile blooming at the corners of his mouth.

"Since this face makes me sick..." His voice was low but cold, "Then let me change it."

As the lens pierced the skin, the blood slipped down, and the pain stimulated his nerves. He began to laugh in a low voice, and the laughter gradually increased, and finally echoed like madness in the narrow room. He couldn't stand up straight with laughter, and the blood on his face and distorted expressions were intertwined, as if he was laughing at the whole world.