Profiler

CHAPTER 18

Fang Mu lay in bed all day. He didn't eat, didn't drink, didn't say a single word; just stared at the ceiling and ignored everyone. Although Du Yu was already accustomed to this sort of behavior, he had a vague feeling that something was different this time.

Tai Wei came by later that night.

When Tai Wei entered the dorm room, Du Yu was trying to convince Fang Mu to have some of the dinner he had bought for him. Tai Wei saw that a lunch tray was still sitting on Fang Mu's desk, the food long since gone cold.

Du Yu nodded at Tai Wei as he came into the room and then motioned helplessly in Fang Mu's direction.

Only a day had passed, but Fang Mu had already thinned out considerably. His chin was even sharper than usual and his eyes, still staring motionlessly at the ceiling, appeared startlingly huge.

Tai Wei sat down next to Fang Mu's bed and looked at him for several seconds. "You fasting?"

Fang Mu made no response. His eyes didn't even move.

Tai Wei chuckled and picked up Fang Mu's dinner tray. He gave it a good sniff.

"Mmm, smells delicious. Stewed chicken and potatoes with rice. What's this one?"

"Sweet and sour crispy-fried fish balls," said Du Yu, looking at Fang Mu as he answered. "It's an appetizer."

"Wow, what a considerate friend you have!" said Tai Wei. "You'd better eat this quick."

Fang Mu briefly dropped his gaze from the ceiling. "Thank you," he said quietly, and then rolled over to face the inside of the bed.

Du Yu looked at Tai Wei and shrugged helplessly. Tai Wei just smiled and waved his hand to show he didn't mind.

The three of them sat there in silence. After a little while, Du Yu picked up his backpack and water bottle and motioned to Tai Wei that he was going out. Then left, quietly shutting the door behind him.

Now it was just the two of them. Tai Wei looked at Fang Mu, who was still lying there motionless with his face to the wall. Sighing, Tai Wei pulled out a cigarette and gloomily smoked it.

By the time the cigarette had burned all the way down, Fang Mu still hadn't acknowledged his visitor in the least. At last, Tai Wei started to talk.

"Partner, I completely understand how you're feeling right now. I might be a cop, but if I had an opponent like this, I'd be just as scared as you. But scared or not, hiding out in your room all day is no kind of solution. If he wants you dead, then no matter how much you try to escape, sooner or later he's going to find you. That's why we need to strike first!"

Seeing that Fang Mu still hadn't moved, Tai Wei continued. "Today I looked over all of Ma Kai's known acquaintances and didn't find anyone suspicious; therefore, I don't think the problem came from that end. I've also already spoken with the Changhong City PSB and asked for their assistance in investigating if any of the family members or accomplices of the criminals you put away are trying to get revenge." He paused for a moment before continuing. "I know I didn't ask your permission. You're not going to be mad at me, are you?"

Suddenly Fang Mu sat up, startling Tai Wei.

"Is it possible for you to shut your mouth for even a second and not chatter on like an old woman?" Fang Mu yelled.

Doing his best to keep his cool, Tai Wei began: "I understand how you're feeling right now — "

"You don't understand shit!" said Fang Mu roughly. "I'm not afraid at all. Even if he were hiding under the bed right now with a knife in his hand I still wouldn't be afraid. This isn't the first time I've faced someone who wanted kill me, and it won't be the last!" Suddenly his voice choked with sobs. "Why did you need to kill all those people? If you want me dead then do it! Kill me right now! Why end so many lives for no reason?"

He jumped up and knocked all the books off his shelf, then fell dejectedly back onto the bed.

"Son of a bitch…" he said beneath his breath. As he closed his eyes, a tear dropped down his face and onto his pillow.

Tai Wei looked at the books scattered across the floor, and then at the frail young man lying on the bed before him. Now that he knew the real reason Fang Mu was feeling so down, he couldn't help but feel a measure of respect for the stubborn bastard.

Love and duty. No emotions were more precious than those.

Tai Wei stood up, studying the dejected student on the bed. Bending over, he slowly picked up all the books, blew the dust from their covers, and then placed them neatly back on the bookshelf. When he finished, he sat beside the bed. He fixed his eyes on Fang Mu.

"Kid, get up and eat!"

His tone was firm and absolute. All traces of his previously comforting manner were gone.

Noticing this, Fang Mu opened his eyes and looked at him.

Tai Wei didn't avoid his gaze at all. In his eyes, Fang Mu read the trust and encouragement.

As if he was giving a pistol to a diehard partner, Tai Wei placed a spoon in Fang Mu's hand.

"Partner," he said, "we've got to keep going. I don't know how many more victims he's planning on killing, but we need to do everything we can to stop him before more people die. Don't think any more about the ones who have already gone. When you're dead, you're dead; you feeling guilty is not going to bring anyone back. This is your fate, Fang Mu. Great power demands great responsibility, and it's useless to try and hide from it. Catching the killer is the best consolation you can give to his victims. But before all that," he said as he placed the food in front of Fang Mu, "at the very least, you need to not starve to death!"

Fang Mu looked at the food before him. It was still steaming a little. He looked at Tai Wei. The man's expression was deadly serious.

For several seconds the two of them stared at each other in silence. At last Fang Mu took the plate of food and began to eat ravenously.

Damn, that's delicious, Fang Mu thought.

When he finished eating, Fang Mu leapt out of bed and stretched. The tightness in his chest relaxed with each breath and his whole body felt much more alert.

He then summarized some of his recent thoughts for Tai Wei. Even though he had been lying in bed, tormented by anger and guilt for the past day and night, he had still been closely analyzing the details of the case. His mind had not been idle. As he saw it, the reason the killer was targeting him had to have something to do with one of the cases he had helped solve. Even though Tai Wei had not asked his permission before contacting the Changhong City PSB, Fang Mu agreed that at present it was their only feasible lead.

"And as for the numbers," he added, "I believe they have some special significance."

"Oh?" said Tai Wei, his tone curious. "What are you thinking?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but from the five distinct crimes that have occurred so far, there have already been six victims. However, the numbers left at the crime scenes have only been one through five," Fang Mu said. "I found this strange when I first noticed it, because if the numbers corresponded to the victims, this would demonstrate that the killer was showing off and trying to provoke us. But what does it mean if the numbers actually correspond to the crimes themselves? It means that the killer doesn't care about the number of victims killed, but rather the number of crimes committed-or in other words, the number of people he has copied. With this line of thought, this number is most likely fixed, meaning that the killer probably already knows exactly how many people he is planning on copying.

"Because," Fang Mu paused, "if this is a test, then like all tests, it must have an end, at which point it will be determined whether or not I've passed." He looked calmly at Tai Wei and smiled.

Seeing the smile on the kid's lips, Tai Wei felt chilled to the bone. Since he was young, Tai Wei had experienced his share of tests, but none had ever made him feel as thoroughly terrified as this one.

To imagine taking a test where every answer had to be written with a pen dipped in blood was both terrifying and daunting. If answered correctly, then the test was over and everything was okay. But if anything was answered incorrectly, then one person was going to disappear from the world. And it probably wouldn't just stop at him or her.

And more terrifying yet, before they had even realized it was a test, each of the first five questions had been crossed out with a bloody X. They would never have the chance to get those questions correct.

"In that case," said Tai Wei, "what's the total number going to be?"

"Seven, nine, eleven," Fang Mu said, deep in thought. "It has to be an odd number. It's unlikely to be eleven, because that would make the crimes go on for too long. He's probably anxious to face-off with me, and I doubt he's patient enough to wait until then. Seven." He nodded thoughtfully. "Seven seems to be the most likely."

"Why seven?"

"I'm a psychological profiler, so I think he wants to have a bit of a psychological competition with me. And in psychology, seven is considered an unusually attractive number."

"Attractive?"

"That's right. For example, when it comes to remembering strings of numbers, people are generally able to remember one or two less or one or two more than seven. From five to nine, in other words. After nine, most people's memories become hazy. So when people try to remember fairly long chains of numbers, such as pi, for instance, they often break them up into groups. In addition, there are many notable parts of human history that happen to involve seven, such as the seven days in a week, seven notes in the diatonic scale, seven colors in the visible spectrum, seven deadly sins, the seventh…" Suddenly Fang Mu stopped talking and the color drained from his face.

"The seventh what?"

"Oh, nothing." Very quickly Fang Mu's expression returned to normal.

Tai Wei lowered his head, as if he were considering something. After some time, he looked up. "Fang Mu."

"Yeah?"

"What were you just about to say?"

Fang Mu stared at him for several seconds. Then he smiled. "I don't know. If I really am part of this test, then I must be the last part. And if I'm not part of it, then my time's going to come immediately after it's over. In short, I can't escape."

Seeing the calm look on Fang Mu's face, Tai Wei didn't know what to say. The kid was discussing his own murder in the same manner as one might discuss football or the weather or some other totally inconsequential topic. It was absurd.

Tapping the gun on his waist, Tai Wei said slowly, "I won't let anything happen to you."

Fang Mu smiled indifferently. "I hope that's the case. But like you said, this is my fate. If I really am meant to die, then there's no avoiding it."

He walked to the window and looked out. Through the frost that was already covering the glass he could vaguely make out the streetlights below, as well as the students who passed beneath them, talking and laughing loudly.

"Death," said Fang Mu quietly. "Actually, heaven has already been looking after me."

Then with one by the bed and the other at the window, the two men in Room 313 lapsed into silence. Fang Mu looked outside and Tai Wei looked at Fang Mu.

The light through the window gave him a slightly golden silhouette. After a while, Tai Wei got up and stood beside him.

"Assuming you're right," said Tai Wei slowly, "then there's still two more." He looked out at the darkening campus. Even now it was still buzzing with life.

After a long time, Fang Mu spoke. His voice was soft and sounded as if he were speaking only to himself.

"There's still two more."

The days grew colder and colder. Soon girls had no choice but to abandon their more fashionable, revealing clothing for heavier attire. And as the summer colors quietly vanished from campus, the whole place became much lonelier and more desolate.

Great swaths of leaves were now daily blown from the trees by the fierce autumn wind and floated gently to the ground. When stepped on, they crackled softly, as if not yet resigned to their fate. The day before a light snow had blanketed the ground, but now the ground was covered in mud and slowly rotting leaves. It seemed as if overnight the once bustling campus had been filled with the air of death.

But what the students found truly unsettling wasn't this bleak scenery; it was the presence of all the stern-eyed policemen constantly hurrying about.

The special investigation team had already been stationed at the campus for over a week. They could be seen in academic buildings, dining halls, dorms, and library, either in uniform or plainclothes. Many students, used to their previously unencumbered lives, felt increasingly uncomfortable, and a sense of antipathy slowly spread among the student body. Nearly every day some kind of dispute between a student and a police officer was reported to campus security. For the pair of provosts individually in charge of student affairs and campus management, every day was a headache. They each prayed for no one else to die and that the police would catch the killer as soon as possible.

Unlike his peers who were either indifferent to or annoyed by these recent developments, Fang Mu was much more concerned with the progress of the investigation. As Tai Wei had requested, no word of Fang Mu's connection to the case was being aired for the time being and all investigations into his background were conducted in secret. This allowed Fang Mu to continue searching undisturbed for clues to the sixth crime. Of course, unless he was forced to be elsewhere, Tai Wei was by the kid's side nearly every day-just in case.

Today was another busy afternoon. Fang Mu was in the reference room poring over the thick book before him while Tai Wei was sleeping soundly at the next table over, flecks of saliva hanging from the corners of his mouth.

The reference room was crowded. It was almost finals, and with everyone busy writing their term papers, students were constantly arriving to checkout books. When they saw Tai Wei passed out on the table, more than a few eyebrows were raised, and Librarian Sun kept worriedly glancing over at the brand new edition of 200 Years of Western Crime (1800–1993) propped under the policeman's head.

Fang Mu rubbed his temples in exhaustion and then flipped to the next page. While reading one of the paragraphs, his breath suddenly caught in his throat.

He quickly read it again two more times, his face reddening with excitement. He jumped out of his seat, ran over to Tai Wei, and shook him awake.

"Hey," he said, "you need to look at this."

Tai Wei leapt to his feet in surprise, saliva hanging from his mouth, one hand going to his sidearm.

"What's going on?" he cried.

At the sound of his voice, everyone in the reference room looked up in surprise. One student who had been climbing a stepladder to reach a book on the top shelf was so startled he fell to the floor.

Ignoring all the displeased looks around him, Fang Mu merely smiled apologetically at Librarian Sun, who appeared stupefied, and impatiently placed the open book in front of Tai Wei.

Buttoning the holster on his gun, Tai Wei awkwardly looked down. He immediately frowned. When he had finished reading, he took out a pack of cigarettes and placed one in his mouth. Seeing this, Fang Mu quickly pulled him out into the hall.

The two of them smoked in silence in the stairwell. When their cigarettes were half gone, Tai Wei looked at Fang Mu and asked probingly: "The Yorkshire Ripper? You think that's who the killer's going to copy next?"

"I think it's a definite possibility." Fang Mu tossed his cigarette to the floor and slowly crushed it with his foot. "You just read it yourself. That five-pound note matches him perfectly."

Tai Wei nodded and thought back on what he had just read.

Dubbed the "Yorkshire Ripper", a British man named Peter Sutcliffe had killed thirteen women between 1975 and 1980. His method of choice was to beat his victims over the head with a ball-peen hammer and then stab them in the chest with a screwdriver. After killing them, he liked to place a five-pound note in one of their hands.

"In that case, do you think the next victim will be a woman?" asked Tai Wei.

"If he's really going to copy the Yorkshire Ripper, then yes, there's no doubt about it." Saying this, Fang Mu watched a group of girls cheerfully emerge from a yoga class at the other end of the corridor.

"Well, shit," said Tai Wei, forcefully throwing his cigarette to the floor. "I'll go call everyone together and figure out some way to stop this. How many female students do you have here?"

"About four thousand."

"Christ!"

That afternoon, the more observant students noticed that some curious new people had arrived on campus and some equally curious things were taking place. Security personnel were increased in all the women's dorms and a room on the sixth floor of each was cleared out and converted into an on-duty lounge. In the women's bathhouse, the sixth shower stall was locked, as was the number six locker in the women's changing room in the gymnasium. In the academic buildings, keen-eyed, well-dressed women with a bulge at their hips could also be seen strolling near number six classrooms, women's bathrooms, and along sixth floor hallways.

All the tools belonging to the maintenance department — especially hammers and screwdrivers — were individually registered and workers were required to sign them out whenever they needed to use them. On campus, vehicles were frequently stopped and examined. Students became more concerned about their civil rights than ever before, and on several occasions their resistance turned physical. After this state of unrest persisted for another week, the police and school administrators finally held an emergency meeting. The ultimate result was that police checks would be limited to men over 30-year-old, and unless it was absolutely necessary, students would no longer be interrogated. With that, the atmosphere on campus settled down a little.

While strolling past the gymnasium one Wednesday afternoon, Fang Mu happened to glance over his shoulder. Sure enough, Tai Wei was following him a short ways back. Fang Mu couldn't help but sigh.

The sight of a policeman shadowing a student all day, every day, had already made a lot of people suspicious. Fang Mu suggested that Tai Wei take care of some of the other campus security work, saying that he didn't need to follow him all the time. "I'm going to be the final one," he had said. "So he's not going to do anything to me now." Although Tai Wei had seemed to agree, Fang Mu still constantly noticed the policeman over his shoulder.

Around noon that day, Fang Mu had received an unexpected call from Xing Zhisen of the Changhong City PSB. Old Xing was the same as always. After barely a word of greeting, he immediately asked Fang Mu how the investigation was going. He then told him flatly that they had already looked into all the old cases Fang Mu had helped solve and they had turned up nothing. Although Old Xing ended the call by telling Fang Mu to take care of himself and that if he needed anything, not to hesitate calling, Fang Mu still felt a little disheartened. After anxiously circling his room for a few minutes, he decided that he might as well go out.

At that moment, several members of the student union were hanging a posting on the bulletin board outside the gymnasium when Fang Mu got there. Liu Jianjun was among them. The poster was huge, and on it a basketball player was leaping towards the hoop, ball in hand. Fang Mu recognized him as Su Jun, star of the provincial basketball team. Because the bulletin board's aluminum frame was a little uneven, the poster would not lie flat. With a hammer in hand, one of the students had climbed up a ladder and was pounding the frame back in place.

Instantly a plainclothes cop appeared beneath him. With a cold look in his eyes, he asked, "Where's the registration slip for that hammer?"

Glancing contemptuously down at him, the student said, "I don't have one."

Liu Jianjun, who was helping to hold up the poster, quickly explained. "It doesn't belong to the maintenance department. It's from our dorm."

As soon as he heard this, the cop walked over and pulled on the student's pant leg. "Get down."

"What do you think you're doing?" yelled the student.

"Give me your student ID card!"

"I don't have it!" returned the student, shaking the cop off his leg.

The cop's face went dark and he kicked at the ladder. "Get down here!"

The student staggered atop the ladder, nearly falling. Now he, too, was enraged. "You trying to kill me?" he yelled, pointing the hammer at the cop's face. "You can't catch the killer, so you've decided to throw your weight around with the students, huh? You guys are real brave. How the hell did our country produce trash like you?"

The cop's face immediately set hard as steel. He reached up and pulled the student off the ladder.

Fang Mu hurriedly tried to break it up, but before he could say anything, Tai Wei had sprinted over and grabbed the cop, who had just begun rolling up his sleeves.

"What's going on?" Tai Wei asked the student. "Where's your student ID?"

By now the student was a little afraid. "I didn't bring it," he said quietly.

Liu Jianjun quickly spoke up. "He's a chemistry major. His name is Qin Dahai. I can vouch for him."

"And who are you?" asked Tai Wei.

"I'm at the law school. My name is Liu Jianjun." He pointed at Fang Mu. "He can vouch for me."

Fang Mu quickly turned to Tai Wei and nodded.

"Then whose hammer is this?" said Tai Wei, looking at Fang Mu.

"Our dorm's," he said.

Tai Wei took the hammer and weighed it in his hand for a moment. Then he passed it back. "Keep an eye on it. Don't lend it out and don't lose it. I hope you can support our work here."

"Yes, sir," said Liu Jianjun, quickly nodding his head. He pulled on the sleeve of the other student. The miffed student softly and reluctantly said, "Yes, sir."

The plainclothes cop was still livid. Patting him on the shoulder, Tai Wei said, "All right, go on and get back to work."

"These little brats," muttered the cop, still fuming. "We work from dawn to dusk to protect them and the bastards still don't — "

"Enough!" yelled Tai Wei, cutting him off. "Get back on patrol."

"Yes, sir!" The cop glared once more at the student, and then spun around and walked off.

When he was some distance away, Tai Wei shook his head and sighed. "It's not their fault. They've been working day and night recently. Now they're exhausted, so it's no wonder tempers are flaring a little."

Fang Mu smiled to show he understood. When he turned back around, he saw that Liu Jianjun and the other students were still awkwardly standing around. He hurried to smooth things over.

"What are you guys up to? Is some event coming up?"

Liu Jianjun gave a big smile. "Tomorrow night the provincial basketball team is going to play our school team in a friendly match." He pointed at the poster. "Su Jun will be there, too. You know the guy's on the national team, right?"

"Whoa! That's awesome." Fang Mu couldn't help but feel a little envious.

"Man, I told you! You should have joined the team. You could be competing against one of the top players in the country."

"I wouldn't have a chance," said Fang Mu, laughing and playing it cool, although inside he really wished he could take part as well.

He looked back at Tai Wei. The guy was frowning deeply. Fang Mu knew exactly what he was thinking. Working security at an event this big would be astronomically difficult. There would be a ton of spectators and a million things to watch for. The scene did not lend itself to being easily controlled. If they messed up, the killer could use this as an opportunity to strike.

Of course, none of this had occurred to Liu Jianjun.

"Tomorrow you'll have to come and cheer me on!" he said, glowing with excitement.

By then Tai Wei had already started walking away. Fang Mu gave Liu Jianjun a quick "I'll be there", and hurried to catch up with Tai Wei.

"How the hell did the school not tell us about this sooner?" asked Tai Wei angrily. He shook his head and waved Fang Mu away. "You get back to your dorm. I need to go and figure out how we're going to secure this thing. Oh, and be careful."

Having no choice, Fang Mu just nodded and said, "Okay."

The following evening, the basketball game began on schedule in the school gymnasium.

The gymnasium was a fully functioning sports arena, with a court that conformed to international standards and retractable bleachers that could seat over 2,000 people. Although the game wasn't set to begin until 7:30, by 6 p.m. students had already filled every seat and even the aisles were packed tight.

Zou Tuanjie and the rest of the diehard fans had long since hurried to the stadium and saved seats, two of which belonged to Du Yu and Fang Mu. The two of them waited until nearly 7 p.m. to begin strolling over to the stadium. As they reached the stadium steps, Fang Mu saw Deng Linyue and a group of girls walk past, chatting happily. A teacher standing nearby yelled impatiently, "Let's go, let's go! What took you ladies so long? Hurry up and get changed."

"Cheerleaders," said Du Yu, staring at all the gorgeously dressed girls. He grinned. "With beauties like that cheering him on, Liu Jianjun will be showing off for sure."

After squeezing through the jam-packed crowd and stepping on more feet than they could count, Fang Mu and Du Yu finally arrived at their seats. Before they could catch their breath, the sound of whistles and excited applause filled the stadium, followed by an earth-shattering roar. Looking up, Fang Mu saw a pack of scantily-clad girls run out to center court and begin dancing, with Deng Linyue in the lead.

At once everyone's attention shifted from thoughts of the game about start to the sight of the girls' legs, particularly their thighs. Du Yu's mouth was hanging wide open and his eyes were fixed straight ahead. Fang Mu found this hilarious and he reached over and handed him a tissue.

"What's this for?" asked Du Yu.

"To wipe the saliva off your mouth."

Du Yu laughed and socked Fang Mu on the arm.

After a few minutes, the cheerleaders' dance routine ended. A very loud and clear noise sounded overhead, announcing that the game was about to start.

Suddenly, as the announcer began to speak, all the lights in the gymnasium went out, save for the spotlight, which shined brightly on the entrance to the court. The players from the provincial team appeared first. They ran out under the light, one enormous athlete after another, as their familiar names echoed throughout the gymnasium. They stood imposingly across center court. The last to emerge was Su Jun, the member of the national team, and as soon as his name was announced, the crowd erupted, screaming and whistling so loud that it seemed the roof would blow off the building.

Next came the members of the JiangbinCityUniversity team. As they entered the arena under the glare of the spotlight, they appeared much more flustered than their professional counterparts. One point guard even slipped and fell as he was about to reach the court, causing the whole crowd to laugh good-naturedly. As team captain, Liu Jianjun was last to enter, and Fang Mu noticed that when he appeared the cheerleaders seemed to scream extraordinarily loud. Liu Jianjun made a point to grandstand as he ran out, waving at all the spectators.

The game began. Although the members of the provincial team were treating it like a practice match, the play was obviously one-sided. Compared to the professionals — whose average height was around 6'4" — the students looked tiny, clumsy, and scared. At the end of the first quarter, the provincial team was already leading 35-6.

When the second quarter started, the provincial team eased up, rarely using their physical superiority to drive to the hoop. Instead, they hung around the perimeter and launched jump shots. At the same time, the school team's offense started to pick up. Leading the attack was Liu Jianjun, playing especially ferocious. One time he even hit a turnaround jumper while being guarded by Su Jun himself. In retaliation, when it came time to block, Su Jun made no more than a symbolic effort, his tiptoes never leaving the floor. Fang Mu noticed that every time Liu Jianjun scored, he would face the screaming, dancing cheerleaders and fiercely pound the left side of his chest. Looking closer, Fang Mu saw that unlike his teammates, Liu Jianjun had drawn a big "D" onto his jersey, right over his heart, using what appeared to be felt-tip marker.

D for Deng, thought Fang Mu, smiling to himself. This guy…

At halftime, the provincial team still held a significant lead. But the student spectators didn't care at all about who won or lost. For them, the most important thing was seeing their sports heroes in person. They were excited to learn a dunk performance would take place during halftime, and of course the professionals would be the stars of the show. However, what made the crowd proudest was the news that a fellow student would be joining the show. This student was none other than Liu Jianjun. Although only 6'1", he could jump astonishingly high.

Liu Jianjun made three attempts. Although he missed one, his other two dunks were brilliant. After each, he turned toward the cheerleaders, roared once, and pounded his left breast. The cheerleaders responded with high-pitched screams. Frequently they would nudge Deng Linyue, looks of envy in their eyes. For her part, Deng Linyue kept fairly cool. But although she was hardly going wild with outward excitement, her eyes never left Liu Jianjun.

The second half began. Perhaps because he had been so active during the first two quarters, Liu Jianjun seemed a little sluggish at first, so the coach subbed him out to take a breath. Rather than heading straight for the bench, however, Liu Jianjun walked over to where the cheerleaders were and said something to Deng Linyue. Her expression seemed a little surprised, but she still nodded her head, blushing slightly.

"Aw, you don't have a chance anymore," grumbled Du Yu as he watched what was happening on the sidelines. "This guy's really stolen the show tonight."

"So what?" said Fang Mu. "You're such a broken record, always going on and on about something I never even cared about to begin with!" He stood up. "Let me by."

"Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom. Why, did you think I was trying to find a place to be alone so I could cry over my broken heart?"

Moments later, Fang Mu was outside the gymnasium. Compared to the noise and excitement of the arena, the gymnasium corridor felt unusually desolate. He hurried toward the bathroom, wanting to get back as soon as possible so he could keep enjoying the game. Rounding one corner, he nearly bumped into two stern-looking policemen in SWAT gear. Seeing them, his spirits fell.

You can't relax now, he told himself grudgingly. The killer is still out there somewhere.

In a flash, all that was going on in the gymnasium no longer meant a thing to him. He even forgot that he had been heading to the bathroom. Instead he just stood there, watching the two policemen walk away until they disappeared around the corner.

He looked out the window beside him. Although it was pitch-black outside, he could still make out a police car parked beside the gymnasium, its red and blue lights flashing soundlessly.

After watching it for a few moments, he turned and walked slowly and distractedly back to the arena. Once he'd returned to his seat he could no longer focus on the game. Scanning the bleachers, he spotted one plainclothes cop after another. Although they appeared to be moving carelessly through the crowd, they were still wary: nerves taut as a bowstring, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

Fang Mu glanced back. Sure enough, Tai Wei was in the bleachers behind him. Seeing Fang Mu looking at him, Tai Wei made a small wave.

Expressionlessly, Fang Mu turned forward again. He didn't know why, but his spirits had sunk within him.

After the game ended, Liu Jianjun and Su Jun were both voted MVP. Gripping his trophy, Liu Jianjun waved at the whole crowd, his face glowing with happiness. Next it was time for both teams to take group pictures. Camera flashes lit up the stadium.

Most of the spectators had already begun to leave, with only the most diehard fans waiting behind to get Su Jun's autograph, Du Yu among them. Since Fang Mu wanted to get back early, he waved goodbye to Du Yu and left.

It was cold outside, especially after leaving the hot, jam-packed arena, and Fang Mu couldn't help but shiver. He noticed Tai Wei standing nearby, hands clasped behind his back.

Seeing Fang Mu, Tai Wei waved him over. "Got a cigarette?" he immediately asked.

Fang Mu nodded.

"Give me two, one for me and one for him," said Tai Wei, pointing at the plainclothes cop standing beside him.

Fang Mu took out two cigarettes and handed them over. He lit one for himself.

For a while the three of them smoked in silence, each taking deep drags. At last Tai Wei said, "Damn, I was going nuts out here. We just got out of the stadium, but had no cigarettes, and there was no way I could leave and go buy a pack." He pointed at the flood of people leaving the arena.

Fang Mu thought for a second, and then passed him his half-full pack. "Take this."

Tai Wei accepted it without a word of thanks. "Where are you off to?"

"Back to the dorm."

"By yourself?"

"By myself."

Tai Wei thought for a moment and then said, "Don't go back yet; wait here with me. When all this is finished I'll take you back."

Fang Mu was about to refuse when Tai Wei waved his hand conclusively, as if to say it had already been decided.

After everyone had left, Fang Mu went with Tai Wei as he circled the campus, mostly paying attention to several women's dormitories and various areas where couples were known to meet up. Fang Mu felt extremely awkward patrolling these latter areas, like he was no different than a Peeping Tom. By the time Tai Wei yawned and said he would take Fang Mu back to his dorm, nearly an hour had passed.

As the two of them walked past the gymnasium, chatting casually, Fang Mu happened to glance in its direction. He immediately stopped walking.

"Look!"

Tai Wei looked to where he was pointing. Dim light could be seen through the gymnasium's blue glass windows. "It looks like it's coming from the basketball court," Tai Wei said, glancing at his watch. "The place should have been cleared out a long time ago. What are people still doing inside?"

They exchanged a look and then hurried toward the gymnasium doors.

While toweling off her wet hair, Deng Linyue stared absently at the "9" nailed to the door of her locker.

During the game just now, Liu Jianjun had told her to wait for him alone in the gymnasium afterwards.

What was he planning? Deng Linyue felt a little nervous.

To be honest, Deng Linyue felt all right about Liu Jianjun, but she didn't like him in that way. Although a lot of people mistakenly thought she was his girlfriend, he had yet to express his feelings.

Perhaps tonight, she thought, he will say those three words to me.

Outside the locker room, she could hear the teacher supervisor organizing the changing room keys.

"Three, four, five…seven, eight, ten, eleven… Wait, where's nine? Who's using number nine?"

"Deng Linyue," Deng Linyue called. As soon as she spoke, someone knocked on the door to the locker room.

"Linyue, you're not ready yet?"

"I'm going to stay a little longer," she yelled toward the door. "You all go on without me."

"Such a dillydally! Tomorrow you'll have to bring the key to the student union yourself," the teacher decided.

Deng Linyue heard the teacher and all of her fellow cheerleaders walk away.

She continued on about her tasks. When she was all ready, she left the locker room and locked it behind her.

As she did, her cell phone beeped. It was a text from Liu Jianjun.

"I'm waiting for you at the basketball court, " it read.

Taking a deep breath, Deng Linyue pulled on her backpack and left the locker room.

The basketball court was completely empty, which made the huge space feel incredibly vast.

Deng Linyue glanced at the stands all around her. There was no sign of Liu Jianjun. "Where is he?" she muttered to herself, strolling aimlessly to center court.

Peng… peng… peng!

A rhythmic, banging sound suddenly echoed within the gymnasium, startling Deng Linyue. Looking around again, she saw that a basketball had been launched from up in the stands and was now bouncing on the court.

When the ball bounced over to her she stopped it with her foot and picked it up. It was a brand-new Spalding. Deng Linyue + Liu Jianjun was written in gold on each of its eight sections. It was beautiful.

Deng Linyue smiled to herself. This boy really was quite thoughtful.

Just then, Chyi Chin's The Moon Represents My Heart began to play over the loudspeakers. (Translators’ note: Chyi Chin, a famous Chinese pop music star.)

In the enormous arena, the sound of his magnetic voice filled the air:

"You ask how deep my love's for you… How much do I love you? …My feelings are true, my love is deep, the moon represents my heart…"

Deng Linyue looked up at the broadcast booth above the stands. A light was on inside, and she could see someone standing there and waving at her.

It was Liu Jianjun.

Before long the song ended and after a few seconds of silence, she heard Liu Jianjun's voice reverberating throughout the arena.

"Linyue, today has been a very special day for me," he said. "Not just because I got to compete with my idol on the same court, but more importantly, because today I will tell the girl I love how I feel about her…" His sweet-sounding voice was amplified by the loudspeakers, giving it an unexpectedly soul-stirring charm.

Looking up at the vague figure in the broadcast booth, Deng Linyue felt as if her whole body was filling with happiness.

Love. This was love.

What girl wasn't a little vain? It nearly made her blush. What girl wouldn't want her boyfriend to be tall and handsome? What girl could resist a romantic offensive like this?

"Linyue, I — "

A sudden, sharp bang split the air.

Suddenly all the lights in the arena went out and Liu Jianjun's heartfelt words abruptly stopped.

Plunged at once into darkness, Deng Linyue was momentarily stunned. At a loss, she waited for several seconds and then shakily called out, "Liu Jianjun…?"

The broadcast booth was pitch black as well. There was no response.

She cried out several times. In the vast, open gymnasium, her voice echoed back and forth, the sound frighteningly clear.

"Don't scare me!" she yelled, on the verge of tears. "I don't like it!"

Suddenly a spotlight switched on. The pale beam shined all the way from the top of the stands to the court, enveloping Deng Linyue.

Blinded by the light, she cupped a hand over her eyes and looked to where it was coming from.

Uncertain, she thought she saw someone walking down the stands.

Then the sound of steady footsteps reached her ears and she knew she hadn't been wrong.

"Liu Jianjun, is that you?"

The figure didn't respond, just kept walking towards her, neither fast nor slow. With the spotlight beam shining behind him, Deng Linyue couldn't make out his face, but she could tell it was a man.

As he drew closer, Deng Linyue was finally able to determine that it wasn't Liu Jianjun; this man was nearly half a head shorter than him.

"Who…who are you?" she wanted to run, but her legs felt too weak to move.

When at last the man stepped onto the basketball court, she could now see that he was wearing a black windbreaker and was carrying something in one hand.

Twenty feet, fifteen feet, ten feet…

As the man drew closer and closer, Deng Linyue's whole body began to shake. At last she saw his face.

The black hood of the windbreaker covered the upper half of his face, while his nose and mouth were tightly hidden behind a surgical mask.

She saw his mouth move behind the mask, but he wasn't speaking — it looked like he was smiling.

At last Deng Linyue reacted. With a cry of alarm, she threw the basketball at the man, and then turned and ran.

But the man was too fast. He leaped forward and grabbed hold of her hair. He raised his other hand and savagely brought it down to strike her.

But Deng Linyue's hair was still damp from her shower and it slipped out of his hand. The hammer that was supposed to come crashing down on her head instead smashed into her shoulder.

She gasped in pain. Her legs went limp and she collapsed to the floor.

Laughing darkly, as if amused, the man slowly stepped to her.

She tried to scramble away in terror, her arms and legs flailing protectively. "I'm begging you, don't…"

The man was completely unmoved. He stepped to her and put one foot on her leg and raised the hammer again.

"Stop!"

Like a thunderclap, a voice roared from the arena entrance, followed by a bang. A bullet shot through the air, nearly hitting the man.

The surprised man's attention went to the entrance.

Two figures there sprinted towards him. With no left time to think, he turned and fled.

When the two figures reached the terrified and cowering Deng Linyue, one of them yelled, "You wait here!" Then pistol in hand, he took off after the man.

Shaking, Deng Linyue felt someone help her up into a sitting position. Her whole body was in pain. Lacking even an ounce of strength, she could do nothing but lean softly against the person behind her. Struggling to look back, she saw it was Fang Mu, his face filled with worry.

"It's you?" His voice was surprised. "Are you okay?"

She feebly shook her head.

"Where are you hurt?"

"My…my shoulder…"

He sighed with relief. With some effort he knelt down and helped her to lean against his chest. He grabbed his dagger and dragged the sheath off the blade with his teeth.

Deng Linyue closed her eyes halfway, content with her rescuer. Her body suddenly drained of energy, she lay limply against his chest.

But Fang Mu hadn't relaxed in the least. Gripping the dagger handle tightly, he felt his palm fill with sweat. Before long it seemed like the thing would slip out of his hand.

Another gunshot ripped through the gymnasium. Fang Mu and Deng Linyue both jumped in surprise, but then silence followed.

Neither was sure what it meant. A lone gunshot?

Had the killer been hit?

Fang Mu looked around nervously. Besides the nearby spotlight beam, everything else was obscured. On the dark bleachers, it seemed as if a million hidden creatures were leaping and dancing. He did his utmost to pick up any suspicious sounds from his surroundings, but besides his and Deng Linyue's breathing, the gymnasium was silent.

When his eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, he saw that a basketball was sitting in front of him.

"It was just you in here?" asked Fang Mu, lightly shaking Deng Linyue.

She weakly opened her eyes. "No. Liu Jianjun is here, too."

"Where is he?" he asked quickly.

She feebly waved a hand toward the top of the stands. "In the broadcast booth."

He had to go check it out. He tried to gently but hastily place Deng Linyue back the floor.

With newfound strength, she grabbed tightly onto his shirt. "Don't go, don't go. Don't leave me here, I'm begging you!"

He struggled for a moment, but was unable to free himself. He was about to get angry when someone's urgent footsteps sounded behind him. Gripping the knife, he quickly spun around. Several flashlights shined in his eyes.

"Whoever's there, drop it!" someone called.

Fang Mu heard the sound of guns being cocked. He quickly put his hands up. "It's me, Fang Mu."

Several people ran forward. Fang Mu saw that the man in the lead was the plainclothes cop who had argued with the student on the ladder the day before.

He shined his flashlight at Fang Mu and Deng Linyue. "It's you? What's going on? Where's Tai Wei?"

Fang Mu didn't have time to answer him. Pointing up at the broadcast booth, he said, "Quick, someone's still up there."

The plainclothes cop signaled to the officer beside him. "You, follow me!"

Then the two of them sprinted up the bleachers, guns in hand.

Watching them duck inside the broadcast booth, Fang Mu silently prayed: Don't let him be dead. Please don't let him be dead.

Their flashlight beams swayed inside the booth.

When everything was silent for a while, Fang Mu could wait no longer.

He yelled up to the booth. "How is he?"

The plainclothes cop stuck his head out of the booth. "He's fine. Still alive."

Fang Mu sighed with relief, and then turned to the two cops beside him. "Tai Wei ran that way after the killer. You guys need to go help him!"

"No need."

One hand over his face, Tai Wei emerged from the darkness. He was holding something in his other hand. He looked up to the officers in the booth. "Turn on the lights!"

A few seconds later there was a rumble and the arena was suddenly bright as day.

For the first time Fang Mu got a clear look at Tai Wei. His face was bleeding and in his hand he held something long and slender wrapped in tissue.

Did he get him? Fang Mu wondered. What happened to his face? What's he holding?

With so many questions flooding his mind, he found himself momentarily unable to say anything.

Tai Wei also didn't look like was in the mood to immediately explain anything. Frowning, he watched his two fellow officers struggle to carry Liu Jianjun down to the court.

"How is he?"

"He's fine; just out cold."

Tai Wei looked over the half-comatose Deng Linyue. The worry in his expression eased when he saw her.

He told the four policemen to get the two injured students to the hospital as fast as possible, and then turned and showed Fang Mu what was in his hand.

It was a screwdriver.

They looked at one another in silence.

It was the Yorkshire Ripper, just as they had expected.

"Shit, that guy ran fast as hell and he definitely knew his way around the gymnasium," Tai Wei said. "I was chasing him toward an intersection when I saw him turn and hurl something at me. I ducked my head but still didn't dodge it." He pointed at his gashed face. The wound had opened across his cheekbone and was still oozing blood. "I fired at him in surprise, but I think I missed. Anyway, slowing down those few steps was all it took. In a second he had rounded the corner and was gone." He shook his head, clearly annoyed.

He nodded to the screwdriver. "Afterward, I turned around and picked this thing up."

Fang Mu looked at the tool, seemingly deep in thought. Suddenly he pointed at something next to Tai Wei's feet. "What's that?"

Tai Wei bent over and picked the object up. It was a key fastened to a small iron fob by a rubber band. The word Women was written on the fob. Tai Wei turned the key over.

"Six?" said Tai Wei.

"Nine?" said Fang Mu, standing beside him.

They looked at one another. Was it 6 or was it 9?

"This thing…" Fang Mu looked again at the key. "It seems to be a key for the women's locker room."

"The women's locker room?" said Tai Wei at once. "Then it must be nine, because the number six changing room is definitely locked."

Fang Mu thought for a moment, and then took the key and walked off.

Tai Wei followed Fang Mu into the women's locker room. After looking high and low, Fang Mu found locker six. He tried the key in it, but it didn't open.

"Hey, over here there's another number six," said Tai Wei with surprise. He pointed at one of the lockers.

Fang Mu walked over. Nailed to the outside of the metal locker was the number six. He slipped his key inside, and it opened with only the slightest bit of effort.

He pushed lightly on the number. It absurdly spun round and round: 6, 9, 6, 9…

Tai Wei walked over and took a closer look. He discovered that the top of the two rivets holding the number in place had been unscrewed.

"This locker was originally number nine," he said, looking at Fang Mu. "Then someone got tricky and switched it to six."

Six…6.

The corners of Fang Mu's mouth curled into a faint smile.

That someone didn't get his way this time.