Profiler (Fang Mu Eastern Crimes Series Book 1) (56 page)

At that moment, Fang Mu finally understood why Professor Qiao had made no sound when he died in the flames.

Killing him had been Sun Pu's final attempt to send Fang Mu into a psychological breakdown. He knew that flames, the scent of burning flesh, and the anguished cries of pain would awaken Fang Mu's most devastating memories. But Professor Qiao knew this as well. Therefore, he had kept quiet, even as he was being burned alive, because he wanted to lessen the psychological impact on Fang Mu.

"Shut up! You're talking nonsense!" Sun Pu's voice trembled as he stepped inside the room.

Fang Mu carefully shifted his body.

"Do you know why Professor Qiao despised you and favored me?"

"You're just an idiotic bungler!" Sun Pu yelled, his voice a little hoarse from the strain. "I'm ten thousand times stronger than you, a million times!"

Fang Mu slowly slid toward the space between all the desks and chairs. Gradually he drew closer and closer to the doorway.

"In fact," Fang Mu said, "you're just an arrogant man who doesn't know a thing; a pitiful wretch whose only chance to save face was to torture a confession out of the wrong man!"

"Shut up!" It was the last wrong thing to say for Sun Pu, driving him past any logic. He charged wildly into the room, firing in Fang Mu's direction.

Fang Mu smashed his whole body against the enormous pile of desks and chairs, toppling them forward with a crashing roar. Standing beneath them, Sun Pu only had time to scream in surprise before they showered down on him.

Fang Mu also fell forward, landing on an upside down desk. Ignoring the sharp pain in his calf, he scrambled over to where Sun Pu had fallen.

Sun Pu had just thrown one of the desks off and was groping desperately for the fallen gun.

Fang Mu grabbed a chair and smashed it over Sun Pu's head.

The force of the blow broke the chair to pieces and opened a huge cut in Sun Pu's head. The gash immediately gushed blood.

Kneeling on Sun Pu's chest, Fang Mu brought his dagger to Sun Pu's throat with lightning speed. "Move again and I'll slice you open!"

Sun Pu opened his mouth, and then his head fell to the side and he lay still.

Picking up the pistol, Fang Mu looked at the suddenly comatose Sun Pu. He held the gun to his face.

Fang Mu's chest rapidly rose and fell and his teeth chattered as he struggled within himself, glaring down at the man responsible for so much death, his finger wanting to squeeze the trigger. After a few seconds, he slowly lowered the gun. He bent over, grabbed Sun Pu's collar, and with difficulty, dragged him out of Cell 1.

The way back felt unimaginably long. Now that he had lost consciousness, Sun Pu's body was incredibly heavy. By the time Fang Mu managed to drag him back into Cell 7, he was beyond exhausted.

Tai Wei hung limply from the cross, his eyes half-closed and his wrists bloody and torn. Hearing the sound of movement, he looked up. When he saw Fang Mu walk into the room, covered in filth and dragging the blood-covered Sun Pu behind him, his face registered first surprise and then absolute triumph. With newfound strength, he bellowed something and struggled against his shackles.

After dragging and dropping Sun Pu to the middle of the room, Fang Mu stood upright and panted for breath. He walked over and ripped the tape from Tai Wei's mouth.

Ignoring the pain caused by the tape tearing from his lips, Tai Wei immediately asked, "What happened? Is he dead?"

"Not yet," said Fang Mu weakly. He knelt and used his knife to cut the rope around Tai Wei's feet. When he was done, he forced himself to stand up and looked at Tai Wei's chained, bloody wrists. "Where's the key?"

"It's probably on his body. Go and check."

Fang Mu nodded and walked shakily over to Sun Pu. Kneeling beside him, he went through his pockets.

He could feel that the key was inside the breast pocket of Sun Pu's jacket, but the zipper was broken from the fight and wouldn't budge. Pulling out his knife, Fang Mu prepared to cut it open.

Suddenly, the motionless Sun Pu began to laugh.

Startled, Fang Mu leapt to his feet, grabbed the pistol and aimed it at him.

His face covered in blood and filth, Sun Pu opened his swollen eyes a crack and looked at Fang Mu and Tai Wei. The more he laughed, the more pleased with himself he seemed to become.

The sound of his hoarse laughter reverberated in the empty room, growing so loud that it was impossible to endure.

"Stop laughing!" Fang Mu's hands shook slightly as he held the pistol. He felt like Sun Pu's laughter was beating against his own heart. "I'm telling you – stop laughing!"

"You…you really think you've beaten me?" Sun Pu said, coughing as he laughed.

"Pah!" Tai Wei spat on the floor, looking as if there was nothing he wanted to do more than rush over and kick Sun Pu in the face. "You still won't admit it's over? The only thing left for you is to wait for your own execution!"

"My execution?" Sun Pu suddenly stopped laughing and made a strange face. "I've got a mental disorder! I'm a madman! You really think they're gonna execute me?"

Fang Mu's heart fell. No one knew the finer points of mental illness better than Sun Pu. If he really did try to play mad, he just might be able to get away with it.

Fang Mu turned and looked at Tai Wei. He was also staring dumbstruck at Sun Pu, as if he had never expected the guy would try to play this card.

"Stop dreaming!" yelled Tai Wei. "You think the medical experts at the courthouse are all idiots?" His voice was firm, but it was obvious that he lacked confidence in the words.

Ignoring him, Sun Pu prattled on to himself, sounding just like a madman. "After receiving unjust treatment and with no way to shake his despondent mood, a sensitive criminologist finally lost his mind and made a big mistake.
Ha!"
An exuberant look on his face, he continued. "Well, you two, what do you think?"

His face pale, Fang Mu stared at Sun Pu.

"You're both welcome to come visit me at the mental institution," Sun Pu said, sounding just as insane. "I'll buy you something to eat! What would you like? How about barbecue? What do you say,
shidi
?" Propping his head up with his arm, he gave Fang Mu a big smile. "Barbecue, mm..." He chuckled. "I just love that smell…"

With a roar, Fang Mu dove on Sun Pu and pinned him to the floor.

Tossing the knife aside, he clamped his hand over Sun Pu's mouth and pressed the barrel of the gun against his forehead.

Tears fell from Fang Mu's eyes as his whole body trembled with rage.       

Jin Qiao, curled up inside the packing box…

Meng Fanzhe, with no hope of being saved…

Professor Qiao, dying in silence…

You can't let him get away…

You can't!

Fang Mu cocked the pistol. This action seemed to excite Sun Pu and he began to yell, his words muffled behind Fang Mu's hand.

"Do it…. Come on… Kill me…"

The muscles in Fang Mu's face twitched as he stared at Sun Pu. The look in the guy's eyes seemed to be taunting him on… It would be so easy... 

Just one light pull of the trigger…

And this demon would be sent straight to hell…

"Don't shoot, Fang Mu!" Tai Wei shouted. "That's what he wants you to do! Don't fall for it!"

Fang Mu's body shook. He placed his finger firmly against the trigger.       

A shot rang out.

And then another.

Tai Wei sadly looked away. It was over. Fang Mu had gotten his payback. But the price was too high. Suddenly he heard a sharp sound. A moment later something seemed to roll beneath his feet.

He looked down. It was a spent bullet shell.

He quickly looked up.

Sun Pu's head was still whole. His eyes were tightly shut and he seemed to be holding his breath, his face red from the effort.

Less than two inches above the top of his head, two shallow holes had been chipped into the cement.

Fang Mu was still in the same position, his arms outstretched and holding the gun. Smoke rose from the barrel. The clip was empty. 

After a long moment, he tore open Sun Pu's pocket and grabbed the keys. Sun Pu finally exhaled.

Looking at Sun Pu's startled face, Fang Mu smirked and stood up. He slowly and clearly said, "Is that how you wanted to die? It won't be that easy. You'll have to wait for the execution ground."

He pulled Professor Qiao's fountain pen from his pocket and waved it in front of Sun Pu's face. "You think this is just an ordinary pen?"

He turned around and walked over to Tai Wei.

Tai Wei sighed with relief. He was about to praise Fang Mu, when he saw the student do something very odd. With one hand, Fang Mu reached inside his collar and seemed to pull something out.

Sun Pu lay where he was on the floor for a few seconds, staring up at the ceiling. Suddenly his eyes went wide.

He struggled to his feet; one of his hands brushed against Fang Mu's knife.

With a surge, he seemed suddenly imbued with supernatural strength. Leaping forward, he grabbed hold of the blade and sprinted toward Fang Mu.

Tai Wei saw the attack coming. He felt his heart seize up. Just as he was about to warn Fang Mu, he was dumbstruck by the look on the student's face.

Fang Mu was gazing casually at Tai Wei, a faint smile playing across his lips.

That's right,
it seemed to say.
I know exactly what Sun Pu is doing behind my back. And I also know that he has my knife in his hand.

Calmly, in a controlled manner, Fang Mu tore the bullet from his necklace and snapped it in the pistol chamber. He gently cocked the gun. With a click, the hammer fell back into place. 

He even had time to raise an eyebrow at Tai Wei.

You still remember this bullet?
his look seemed to ask.

He turned and raised the gun. Suddenly the figure before Fang Mu wasn't merely Sun Pu; it was simultaneously – impossibly – Wu Han and Sun Pu, seemingly to merge, both raising the same knife and facing Fang Mu.

It doesn't matter who you are. This case is closed.
Fang Mu pulled the trigger.

In an instant a small hole appeared in Sun Pu's forehead and his head snapped back, absorbing the blast. A stream of blood and bone burst from the back of his skull as the bullet exited.

He fell back onto the floor.

Ding
. A brass shell struck lightly against the floor. Tai Wei's mouth was wide open, and not until the sound of the gunshot slowly disappeared from Cell 7 did it finally close. 

Fang Mu slowly placed the gun on the floor, feeling as if the last bit of strength had been pulled out of him. For a moment he looked at Sun Pu's body where it twitched on the floor.

Then he turned, unlocked Tai Wei's shackles, and helped him off the cross. The cop's whole body was stiff.

Doing his best to avoid Tai Wei's puzzled, fearful eyes, Fang Mu said quietly: "Come on; let's get out of here."

EPILOGUE

A
t the
Jiangbin
City
police lockup, Fang Mu slept peacefully for several nights. He didn't dream at all.

As he had requested, Tai Wei arranged it so that he could have his own cell. All of his meals were takeout, and each morning he was given the day's newspaper and a pack of expensive Zhonghua cigarettes.

When he didn't feel like doing anything else, Fang Mu would lie on his iron bed and look out the window, silently watching the clouds pass and day turn to night.

Occasionally Fang Mu would think of those who had passed, the things that had happened. But now he was much more at peace and it seemed like it would be difficult for anything to shake him.

So this is all that it feels like to have killed someone.

A few days later, officers from the PSB discovered an abundance of evidence in Sun Pu's home proving that he had committed all the murders. Someone was then sent to
Jiangbin
City
University
to inform them of the situation, and Meng Fanzhe's name was officially cleared. At the same time, it was determined that Fang Mu had acted in self-defense and the case was closed. Tai Wei's testimony had been the critical factor.

Fang Mu's only regret was that he had been unable to attend Professor Qiao's memorial service.

It was Tai Wei who came to let Fang Mu out of his cell.

The day was clear and bright. As Fang Mu walked out of the detention house, the sun was shining overhead. He bathed in its warmth, his whole body pleasantly tingling. Like many of those on the street around him, he couldn't help but raise his arms and stretch.

When they reached the jeep, Tai Wei gave Fang Mu his belongings, including the fountain pen. Fang Mu looked the pen over for a long time, and then placed it carefully in his breast pocket.

Tai Wei watched this and then suddenly asked: "You did all that on purpose, right?" He pointed at the pen. "That's just a regular pen."

Fang Mu didn't respond. He knew that Tai Wei hadn't mentioned what happened with the pen when he testified.

Seeing that Fang Mu wasn't going to answer, Tai Wei didn't ask anything else, just silently started the jeep.

When they reached the school gates later, something suddenly occurred to Tai Wei.

"Oh, that's right." He searched in his pockets as the jeep sat at the school entry. "I meant to give this to you, too."

He handed something to Fang Mu. It was the dagger. 

Fang Mu didn't immediately take it from him. For a few seconds he just stared at it, not saying a word. Finally he grabbed it.

"I'm gonna head back," he said, his voice low. Then he hopped out of the vehicle.

After he had gone a few steps toward the gates, Tai Wei called out to him.

This guy is always like this, huh?
thought Fang Mu.

He turned around.

Frowning, Tai Wei looked into his eyes.   

After a long moment, he asked: "You remember how I once recommended that you become a cop?"

"Yeah."

Tai Wei looked down, thinking deeply about something. A few seconds later, he looked back up. In a determined tone, he said, "I take it back."

He drove off.

Fang Mu watched the jeep disappear into the distance. Then he smiled, turned, and walked through the gate.

Today was the last day of finals. Unable to wait any longer, the students who had finished their tests had already packed their stuff into boxes and were heading to the train station. Amid this crowd of homeward-bound students, Fang Mu walked slowly toward Dormitory 5.

When he was back inside Room 304, Fang Mu sat on the bed and looked at all the papers still stacked on the desk. Touching them, he found they were covered with dust.

After sitting in silence for a while, he began to organize his things.

At this point he had finished everything he needed to do. There was no reason to stay here any longer. That afternoon he would go to the graduate student office and apply to switch dorms.

Fang Mu didn't have much stuff, and before long he had packed all of it up. After brushing the dust from his hands, he grabbed his washbasin and towel and then opened the door.

He frowned.

A bunch of people were standing in the hallway, Du Yu among them. They were all looking at Fang Mu as he walked out of the room.

He was stunned.

Du Yu walked over and stood in front of him. He looked at him for several seconds, and then at Room 304.

"You packed your stuff?" he asked, turning back to Fang Mu. "You're leaving here?"

"Yeah," Fang Mu said. Not wanting to have to say anything else, he walked past Du Yu.

"Hey!" Du Yu called from behind him. "What about your promise?"

Fang Mu turned back around. "What?"

Du Yu gave him a cold look. "You promised me that when you found the killer I would be the first to know."

Fang Mu was briefly taken aback. Shaking his head, he smirked and then turned to go.

"You're just gonna leave like this?"

Unable to help himself, Fang Mu was about to say, "What else do you want me to do?" but when he turned around, he saw that Du Yu was smiling at him.

"What if someone else like Sun Pu appears? What are we supposed to do then?" Du Yu, nudged Zou Tuanjie, who was standing beside him. Taking the hint, Zou Tuanjie winked at Fang Mu and then waved the guys around him into Room 304.

Du Yu was still looking at Fang Mu as he had before. "So, you have to stay."

He slowly walked over to Fang Mu as their dorm-mates bustled about around them, moving Fang Mu's stuff back into Room 313.

Du Yu stood in front of Fang Mu for a moment, and then gave him a sudden punch to the shoulder.      

"There's some more good news. Liu Jianjun called me today. He's doing a lot better, and says he'll probably be back real soon."

Two months later.

Winter was already almost over. Still wearing a thick cotton coat, Fang Mu walked through Changhong City Teacher's College campus. Before long he was drenched with perspiration.

Liu Jianjun had just sent Fang Mu a text message, telling him happily that he was already able to walk slowly on his own. As Fang Mu smelled the sweet scent of trees budding in the air, his mood felt just as brilliant as the weather.

The ice had already thawed on
Jing
Lake
and Fang Mu could see the water drift back and forth like fine gauze. On the opposite bank where a patch of willow trees had once stood, there was now a small store. Its loudspeaker was playing a familiar song:
Boundless as the Sea and Sky
.

"I chased you through the wind and rain, I lost you in the mist, the sea and sky will never change, but will we stay the same…? "

Fang Mu found a rock on the bank of the lake and sat down. He thought of how he had looked two years ago, when he had to walk around with a cane. A smile came to his lips.

"In the blink of an eye I lost myself, and the love in my heart grew dim – Who will still love me…? "

He pulled the knife from his pocket and looked it over.

The bottom of the dark-green handle used to be bumpy from having been burnt in the flames. Now the material had already been made smooth and shiny from the caress of his hand.

He unsheathed the blade and its sharp edge glinted in the sunlight. Gently, Fang Mu ran his thumb along the serrated edge, feeling the ridges against his skin.

The knife had already followed two owners, had witnessed too many things. Back when it was gradually put together on some crude assembly line, it probably never expected that it would lead such a full life.

Now it just lay in Fang Mu's hands, happily enjoying its owner's attentions, as if it had already forgotten what a terrifying weapon it had been when held by those two other people.

In the end, a knife was just a knife.

Why must people hold them responsible for so much?

Fang Mu laughed quietly.
What does a knife know about responsibility? In the final analysis, only we can take the blame.

He stood up, weighed the knife in his hand, and then suddenly launched it over the lake.

The knife shone in the sunlight as it arced through the air. Then with a
plop
it dropped beneath the water. A few small ripples drifted out from the spot, but soon the lake was just as placid as before.

Goodbye, Wu Han.

（
To be continued
）