TEFSCBSS Chapter 88

Chapter 88: The Heart-Eating Demon (Part 1)

Ten candidates sat quietly in the second row beneath the raised platform, arranged in pairs—two people to a seat.

In the first row sat the judging panel: minor officials from the Ministry of Justice, clerks from the magistrate’s office, and junior leaders from the Department of Guards and the Patrol Division—all seated in a neat, orderly line.

Behind them, Su Li had selected thirty ordinary citizens, regardless of literacy. Each held a scorecard, and the scoring method was simple—raise it if they thought the candidate did well, lower it if not.

Once everyone was ready, Su Li picked up a loudspeaker with practiced ease and announced the subject of the trial round.

“Ladies and gentlemen, today marks the first round of the Heart-Throbbing Recruitment Trials. The case for this round is titled ‘The Heart-Eating Demon Serial Murders.’”

As soon as Su Li finished, the citizens in the back rows broke into murmurs.

“Heart-Eating Demon? What does that mean?”

“Probably means it eats people’s hearts?”

“Yikes… that name sounds kinda familiar…”

“Hey, Brother Li, remember that thing ten years ago…?”

“You mean that incident!”

Su Li knocked her judge’s gavel, calling the room to order.

She let out a sigh and continued, “I know many of the elders here may remember the shocking case that happened a decade ago in the outskirts of the Imperial Capital—the Heart-Eating Demon Murders!”

“Back then, we didn’t even have a curfew. Every night, the streets were alive with food stalls and street performers—laughter and joy in every alley.”

“But on one night in late October… everything changed.”

As she finished speaking, Su Li gracefully stepped down from the platform and pulled open the curtain behind her.

Revealed was a small dumpling stall. The stall owner, played by Chun Ya, called out cheerfully:

“Come one, come all! Thumb-sized dumplings—if they’re not tasty, you don’t pay!”
(They resemble tiny pan-fried buns. Super small. I haven’t had one either.)

“Miss! One more bowl!” shouted Butcher Liu, slapping his thigh with manly bravado.

“Coming right up!”

Chun Ya grabbed Liu’s bowl and turned to the large pot behind her—but before she even reached it, she suddenly let out a piercing scream:

“AAAAAAH!”

“What is it, lady boss? Someone steal your money?”

“S-Sir… THERE’S A DEAD BODY!!!”

Butcher Liu jumped to his feet, and everyone’s eyes followed his gaze.

Behind the pot, a corpse lay flat on its back, its chest torn open in a gruesome gash. The heart was gone. The chest cavity was completely hollow.

Click—
The scene froze.

Su Li clapped a wooden clapper, then stepped back onstage.

“Everyone, this is the scene where the first victim was found ten years ago. In a lively night market, a heartless corpse appeared—right next to a dumpling stall.”

“This corpse was made with fabric and cotton, fully recreated to match the original forensic records. Every wound present on the real victim is replicated here.”

“And now, we begin the official part of the trial.”

“Will our ten candidates please take the stage.”

Shff shff shff— Ten individuals dressed in white uniforms stepped forward, each holding a pen and paper, their expressions solemn.

“To help our judges and viewers keep track, we’ve assigned numbers to each candidate—there’s no ranking, just random assignment.”

“When scoring or commenting, simply refer to them as Candidate One, Candidate Two, and so on.”

Seeing that the audience understood, Su Li gave one final instruction:

“Candidates, you may now explore the scene freely—take notes on anything you find suspicious. You can inspect the body, question the vendor, customers, or bystanders, and try to piece together what happened.”

With that, Su Li flicked her sleeve, jumped down from the platform, and took her seat among the judges.

…

Onstage, the ten candidates exchanged hesitant glances. No one moved at first, a moment of awkward tension settling in.

Under the scrutiny of all those watching eyes, it felt hard to even breathe, let alone move naturally.

Among the group, Candidate No. 5 stepped forward and spoke up. “Everyone, how about we divide and conquer? Let’s break into three teams: one to examine the scene, one to question the witnesses and take statements, and one to inspect the body.”

“We’ll rotate twice on a set schedule, so everyone gets a turn at each task, and we can fill in any gaps at the end.”

His suggestion was met with unanimous agreement. Following their habits from work, they initially split into five small teams, then rearranged themselves into a 4-3-3 formation for better efficiency.

Candidate No. 5 headed straight to the vendor—Madam Chun. He wasn’t particularly skilled at analyzing physical evidence, but he was great at catching contradictions in people’s stories.

“Madam, could you please walk me through exactly what happened that night?” he asked.

“I… I was doing what I always do—wrapping dumplings, cooking them, and serving customers,” Chun Ya began, visibly flustered. “But then suddenly, that corpse just appeared out of nowhere! Scared me half to death!” She clutched her chest, near tears.

“Do you know the deceased?” Candidate 5 pressed on.

“No, no, I don’t think so,” she said, trying to recall. “But then again, I’m not sure. Business was booming that day. It might look quiet now ‘cause we’re about to close, but during the day and into the evening, there’s usually a line just to get a bowl!”

“So many people come and go. I can’t possibly remember everyone’s face. So… I don’t recognize him, but I can’t say for certain whether he’s eaten here before.”

Candidate 5 looked up at her thoughtfully. “You’re being very cautious with your wording, Madam.”

Chun Ya’s eyes widened slightly. “W-what do you mean?”

He chuckled softly. “All I asked was whether you recognized the victim. But you answered with such detailed reasoning and explanations—it’s hard not to wonder.”

“I-I don’t know him! I swear I don’t remember him at all!”

“Alright,” he said calmly, not intending to argue. “Did anything else stand out to you that night?”

“Something memorable?” Chun Ya pondered. Her gaze flicked toward the other side of the platform, where Butcher Liu was being questioned. She leaned closer and whispered, “Well… if anything stood out, I’d say that Liu butcher guy was pretty unusual.”

“Oh? Do tell.” Candidate 5 perked up, suddenly intrigued. He flipped open his notebook.

“Just look at him,” she whispered. “Big, burly, dark-skinned, muscles bulging—he doesn’t look like a local at all. We’re all pale and soft around here. Nobody looks like that.”

“I figured he was either a soldier on leave, or maybe a bodyguard, or even a bandit. Heck, even the farmers are fairer than he is.”

Candidate 5 glanced over at Liu and nodded slowly in agreement. But…

“Looks alone wouldn’t make someone particularly memorable.”

Chun Ya nodded cautiously, then leaned in even closer. “Listen… he downed ten bowls of dumplings in a row without paying—and he wanted more!”

“And the worst part? He kept staring at people with those huge, creepy eyes of his. Several of my customers got freaked out and left because of him!”

“There’s something off about that guy!”