The past few days Fang Mu had been mainly thinking about Deng Linyue and Meng Fanzhe, and hadn't paid much attention to the case. But now that he saw how exhausted Tai Wei looked, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Taking out a pack of Hibiscus King cigarettes, he handed one to Tai Wei and then made him a cup of strong tea.
"How about on your end? Anything strange been going on?" Looking like a dignified old man, Tai Wei sipped his tea, his cigarette still hanging from the corner of his mouth. "Of course, besides that time Deng Linyue got pissed at you outside her dorm."
Jeez...
thought Fang Mu, glaring at Tai Wei and shaking his head.
Tai Wei chuckled and continued to smoke his cigarette and drink his tea. After a moment of silence, he suddenly asked: "Fang Mu, what kind of person do you think this guy is?"
Fang Mu was taken aback. "Didn't I already tell you in detail about his probable physical and psychological characteristics?"
"You did," Tai Wei said, nodding. "There's something else, though, and I don't quite know how to put it." He gave Fang Mu a scrutinizing look. "For a while I've felt that this guy…is very similar to you."
Fang Mu said nothing. Actually, he had been thinking the same thing himself. The killer had designed each of his murders to challenge Fang Mu, which meant that he had to possess a deep of understanding of criminology, or at least think he did, and at
Jiangbin
City
University
, Fang Mu only knew of one other criminal profiler.
Fang Mu's heart fell.
Could it really be Professor Qiao?
Impossible. He immediately rejected this idea. From his professional integrity to his personal morality, Professor Qiao was exemplary. Besides, Fang Mu knew his skills were nothing compared to Professor Qiao's. There was no need for the professor to compete against him. Also, not only did these crimes require technique, they also demanded strength, and that was something that the old professor no longer possessed.
Almost 20 days had passed since the last crime and the killer had done nothing. The waiting was really akin to torture.
A gloomy atmosphere gradually fell over the room, spreading like the smoke from their cigarettes. Soon Tai Wei and Fang Mu could barely discern the other.
And, as if to mirror the haze, neither could see the man they were seeking. After a while, Tai Wei rose to his feet, sluggishly extended his arm and looked at his watch. "It's almost nine. I'm going to swing by several of the observation points to check things out. You want to come?"
Fang Mu thought about it. Having nothing else to do, he decided to go.
The police were still focusing most of their attention on the women's dormitories and areas relating to the number six. Although the observation points were all different, the policemen standing watch were all exhausted and irritable.
The nonstop battle had been going day and night for over a month. Anyone in their position would feel just as bad.
Fang Mu and Tai Wei visited several observation points, one after another, and each reported that "everything was normal." The sight of his comrades continuing to man their stations despite their obvious exhaustion was too much for Tai Wei, so he and Fang Mu went to one of the little restaurants outside the school gates and ordered several boxes of take-out food. Tai Wei even went so far as specifically asking the owner to put in a little extra meat and vegetables in the orders to back to the officers. Seeing the few sad-looking bills in Tai Wei's wallet, Fang Mu stopped at the supermarket on the way back and bought two cartons of cigarettes. He was going to buy alcohol, too, but Tai Wei stopped him. When they got back with the food, the officers were delighted. After each took a box, they leaned against the walls or crouched on the floor and immediately dug in. The male cops ate crudely, stuffing huge amounts of food that had already gone a little cold into their mouths, chewing roughly before swallowing it down. Every now and then one of them would bite into a bit of sand or small stone from the unwashed vegetables, but then just swallowed that, too. The female cops ate in a group, quietly commenting on the food and exchanging pieces back and forth – a chunk of meat for you, a bit of ribbonfish for me – that sort of thing. And when they had finished, the women still remembered to hand out tissues to all their male comrades who were about to wipe their faces on their sleeves.
But even while they ate, the cops continued to carefully scrutinize everyone who walked past. Even those who were chatting still had their ears perked, listening for any suspicious sounds.
Watching them, Fang Mu couldn't help but be filled with admiration. They were haggard and exhausted and yet still just as alert as a hunter in the forest. While passing out the cigarettes, he made sure to give two extra packs to the officer he and Deng Linyue had tricked. The man obviously didn't hold any hard feelings, giving Fang Mu a grateful smile as he took the packs.
Observing all the officers devour their food, Fang Mu felt a little hungry himself, so he and Tai Wei decided to share a box. He was astonished at how good it tasted. Even though he was eating it while leaning against a cold wall, even though the rice was far from fresh and a chilly wind was blowing all the while, Fang Mu still felt it was the most delicious meal he'd had in days.
After they ate, Tai Wei brought Fang Mu back through all the observation points once more. By the time they finished it was almost eleven that night and the campus was empty. Dormitory lights were blinking out one by one. After a long, noisy day the only sound left on campus was the cold wind.
Fang Mu and Tai Wei hurried down the empty street towards Fang Mu's dorm. Just as they arrived, Tai Wei suddenly stopped and looked behind them.
"What is it?" Fang Mu asked. He looked back. Not far away stood a lonely streetlight, illuminating the patch of street underneath. Everything else was shrouded in darkness and the campus was silent.
"Nothing," said Tai Wei. Frowning, he looked around. "I must be hearing things."
They walked single file into the dorm. When they passed the first floor bathroom, Tai Wei suddenly stopped and held his stomach. "You go on ahead," he said. "That ribbonfish wasn't fresh. I think I'm going to be sick."
Fang Mu nodded. "I've got some herbal meds in my room. You should come get some when you're done." He headed on upstairs.
The stairwell was eerily quiet. Every now and then he could hear the faint sound of water running through the pipes. He had been walking all night and now his legs ached a little, so he climbed the stairs slowly, listening to his footsteps echo throughout the stairwell.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps that didn't belong to him.
The steps were coming from somewhere nearby. They were moving neither fast nor slow, and sounded almost careless.
When Fang Mu reached the second floor landing, he stopped and listened closely.
At once the sound of footsteps vanished, as if they had never been there.
Fang Mu held his breath and listened. After a few seconds, he stepped forward and began again slowly climbing the stairs.
Sure enough, the other footsteps started up again as well.
As Fang Mu climbed, he held onto the handrail and glanced down. He could see a long, thin shadow swaying on the stairs between the first and second floor, moving slowly higher.
Fang Mu felt all the hairs on his body stand up. There was no time to think. He bolted up the stairs as fast as he could and into the third floor hallway. When he reached the door to Room 313, his room, he hesitated for a moment, and then ran past it to the far end of the hall. There was a low wall next to Room 320 that was big enough to hide behind. When he passed Room 318, he saw a large shattered mirror leaning against the wall beside the door. The broken mirror had been left outside for the cleaning people to deal with, as was customary. Fang Mu leaned down and grabbed a decent-sized piece and then kept going. When he reached the low wall, he placed the mirror across the hall beside the door to Room 321 and angled it so it reflected the other end of the hallway. Positioned this way, when he crouched down behind the wall he could see what was happening in the rest of hall without revealing his location.
After a few seconds, a vague figure appeared in the mirror.
He was walking at a steady pace and appeared to be about 5'9" and very thin. He kept one hand inside his pocket while the other swun
g f
reely back and forth at his side.
For some reason, Fang Mu suddenly felt that the figure looked extremely familiar.
All the while the figure continued to walk closer and closer. Then, without any warning, he stopped. Judging from his position, Fang Mu guessed that he was standing outside Room 313.
The person stood there for several seconds, and then suddenly extended one arm and began moving it across the door.
Fang Mu frowned, wondering what was the man was doing.
Looking into the blurry mirror, he did his best to determine what was going on, but he still couldn't make it out. Taking advantage of the fact that the person was still facing the door, Fang Mu quickly popped his head out.
It was Meng Fanzhe.
Fang Mu sighed with relief and came out of his hiding place.
"Hey, it's you."
Meng Fanzhe snapped his head around and stared blankly at Fang Mu approaching.
Fang Mu was taken aback. It had only been a few days, but Meng Fanzhe already looked a lot more haggard than the last time he'd seen him. His face was deathly pale, the skin around his eyes dark, and his cheeks sunken. His hair, which looked like it hadn't been washed in a long time, stood up in tufts all over his head.
Fang Mu's eyes fell to the hand that Meng Fanzhe had just been moving across the door. In his long, thin fingers he held a felt marker.
At once Fang Mu thought of the five-pointed star. He stopped walking. He asked guardedly, "What are you doing?"
Seeming not to hear, Meng Fanzhe just continued staring dully at him.
Fang Mu cautiously took another step toward him. "Meng Fanzhe, what are you doing?"
Before Fang Mu's very eyes, Meng Fanzhe's empty, lifeless eyes suddenly filled with wild ferocity. The muscles in his face twisted. He opened his mouth, revealing frighteningly white teeth, and let out a deep, animalistic roar.
"Aghh!"
Fang Mu was so startled that he jumped back two steps. Before he could say anything, Meng Fanzhe pulled out the hand that had been in his pocket the whole time. In it was a huge box-cutter.
Fang Mu's senses alerted. "What are you…?"
Meng Fanzhe flicked his finger and the blade shot out, glittering coldly. Gripping the knife, he muttered something and began walking toward Fang Mu. Suddenly he raised his arm overhead, the blade catching the light, and then lunged forward.
As Meng Fanzhe's arm swung down, Fang Mu leapt back, feeling the blade whistle past his nose and then slice through the fabric of his jacket. "Are you out of your mind, Meng Fanzhe?" he shouted, dodging backwards. "It's me, Fang Mu!"
But his words were useless. Seeing that his previous attempt had fallen short, Meng Fanzhe raised the knife again and went straight for Fang Mu's neck.
Fang Mu hurriedly ducked down, avoiding the blade, and then darted behind Meng Fanzhe and kicked him savagely in the back of the knee.
Meng Fanzhe fell forward onto the floor. Immediately Fang Mu leapt forward to pin him down, but Meng Fanzhe was too fast. Before even standing up, he swung the blade backwards.
Fang Mu tried to dodge, but he was a second too late. The knife edge sliced one of his fingers. Blood spurted.
Meng Fanzhe got to his feet and advanced on Fang Mu, growling under his breath. In the overhead light, Fang Mu could clearly see Meng Fanzhe's clenched jaw and the white froth surrounding his mouth, much like a mad dog. Squeezing his bleeding finger, Fang Mu hastily walked backwards.
Suddenly the sound of hurried footsteps came from behind him. He spun around. From out of the darkness at the other end of the corridor appeared Tai Wei, one hand going to his sidearm as he ran toward them.
In the blink of an eye, Tai Wei was beside him. With a taut face, the cop pulled Fang Mu behind him and raised the gun. "You all right?" he asked. Without waiting for an answer, he yelled toward Meng Fanzhe, "I'm a police officer! Put the knife down now!"
This had no effect on Meng Fanzhe. He seemed oblivious to Tai Wei. He just kept staring at Fang Mu and continued to walk closer, closing the distance between them.