As she spoke, tears streamed down the woman’s face, her eyes filled with sheer terror.
She continued, her voice trembling.
“My husband has always been good to me. 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 me over something . That day, we had a huge fight, and then he left for work, leaving me 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 me what was wrong. I didn’t tell him about the argument—I just said it was nothing. Then, somehow, 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 home was small and that he didn’t like it. He even told me 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 time—Dad will definitely agree.’”
“After that, we hung up, and I felt a little better. That evening, my husband came home and suddenly told me he missed our son. He asked me to bring him back.”
“I didn’t think much of it, so I went to pick him up. But after he came home… at some point, I started to feel like he had changed. He became quiet—too quiet. He stopped talking as much. And then… he started attacking other children.”
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 remember 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 management called me 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 smelled really good. He couldn’t help himself.”
“That’s when I knew something was wrong. But I hadn’t connected the dots yet.”
“On the way home, 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 me 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 me a break. So, the next day, I asked them to come over.”
“With my husband at work and my parents taking care of our son, I finally got some 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 me track my son’s smartwatch.”
“The app shows his location history and real-time movements, and it also lets me listen in through his microphone without him knowing. I had bought it a long time ago because I was always terrified of child traffickers.”
“When I checked the app… my son’s location showed he was still at home.”
“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 meat 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 moment I heard that, my instincts screamed at me. 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 moment.
“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 me. But still, they agreed to accompany me home.”
“The moment 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 me I was under too much stress. My husband said the same thing. He told me to quit my job and rest.
“But when I turned my head—”
“I saw my parents staring at me with eerie, sinister smiles.”
“Their eyes were filled with hunger—like they wanted to swallow me whole.”
“They locked me in the house. I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere. They even called a doctor to prescribe me medication.”
“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 me—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 moment, 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 means, 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 me. Stay here and wait. I’ll go investigate your home.”
“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 me 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 something 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 mental state. I’m heading to Dinghao Complex.”
“If anything happens, go get Yan Feifan.”