Profiler

CHAPTER 28

Thanks to the sunlight filtering through the doorway, Fang Mu could see that an approximately 30-step-long cement stairway descended before him. He carefully began walking down one step at a time, but before long, the way was completely engulfed in darkness. When he looked back, he could only make out the thinnest ray of light coming from the doorway. After hesitating for several seconds, he gritted his teeth and carefully lowered one foot down until it reached the next stair. Continuing on this way for over a minute, he finally reached a section of flat cement.

His surroundings were pitch-black and terrifyingly silent. He stood in place for several seconds and did his best to look around, but in every direction it was too dark to even see his own fingers.

The darkness seemed to have a mass of its own, and as layer upon layer of it wrapped around him, Fang Mu quickly sensed its weight. His body felt heavier and heavier and his legs started to go limp.

Whether from fear or the cold air inside the bunker, Fang Mu's whole body began to tremble. He could even hear his teeth start to chatter. Suddenly, he remembered that he had his lighter in his pocket and he hurriedly pulled it out.

He flipped open the lid, flicked the wheel, and a small bright flame appeared in his hand.

No longer surrounded by darkness, Fang Mu discovered that he was standing in a large hall, roughly 360-square-feet in size.

The room was rectangular, made entirely of concrete, and empty except for some old desks stacked in the corners. A section of the wall directly in front of Fang Mu seemed a little different than the dark gray concrete around it. In the flickering light of the flame, it appeared to be a door.

The little flame actually made Fang Mu feel a lot warmer, and his body stopped shaking so violently. Pulling out his dagger, he took a deep breath and ventured forward.

It really was a door, or rather a pair of rust-covered doors shut together. Putting his hand on the crude, ice-cold door handle, he could tell it was free of dust. Someone had come that way recently.

Giving it a try, Fang Mu pulled hard on the door. It opened with an ear-piercing creak.

An even stronger odor of mold burst forth, choking him until he could barely breathe. He stood in place, holding up the thin flame of the lighter and surveying what was in front of him.

He seemed to be standing at one end of a long corridor. Suddenly he felt overcome by a nearly uncontrollable panic and his hand holding the lighter began to shake.

In the light of the flickering flame, the walls of the corridor appeared to sway. Feeling himself go lightheaded, Fang Mu quickly grabbed onto the door to steady himself.

His hand gripped the rough handle of the dagger in his palm, a contact that gradually calmed him. Composing himself, he did his best not to look at the pitch-black far end of the corridor and used the lighter to survey his surroundings.

Doors made of iron bars stood open several feet ahead of him, one on either side of the hallway. Rooms approximately 60-square-feet in size lay beyond them. Fang Mu could vaguely make out the shapes of dilapidated chairs and desks stacked inside.

A section of the arch above the door to the right had faded slightly. Looking closer, he saw that it was a heavily stained image of the KMT flag, below which was written a nearly illegible "1".

Fang Mu looked at the door on the right. The same symbol was on the arch, only this time the number "2" was written below it.

He understood. These were prison cells.

Unless he was wrong, Tai Wei should be in the fourth cell on the right.

Cell 7.

The thought of this made Fang Mu grow anxious. Raising the already burning-hot lighter, he walked slowly forward.

The floor beneath his feet was no longer cement, and as he walked, the gravel wedged in the soles of his shoes ground piercingly against its surface. It sounded like metal on metal. Looking down, he could vaguely see that he was standing atop a grate-work iron walkway.

He figured it was probably designed so that the guards at the time could monitor both floors at once.

Fang Mu continued with these thoughts as he walked forward, staring at prison cell number three. He drew closer and closer, no longer stopping. Suddenly he felt the ground change beneath his feet. Just as he realized that he had probably stepped on a section of rotting wooden floorboards, his whole body abruptly fell through.

With an enormous crash, Fang Mu and the boards he had been standing on dropped heavily to the bottom floor of the bunker. He landed abruptly. He'd fallen hard, and for several seconds his chest hurt so much he couldn't breathe. After writhing in pain on the cement floor for some time, he finally forced himself to breathe out, and then a moment later he began to cough violently.

With difficulty he managed to stop coughing. He sat up, still gasping for air. The fall had knocked his glasses off and dust was in his eyes. Fiercely rubbing his eyes with one hand, he grasped about blindly with the other for his glasses. All wasn't lost; he quickly grabbed hold of his dagger.

Holding it, he felt a little more at ease. Soon he found his lighter as well.

Flicking on the lighter, Fang Mu shined it overhead. Approximately nine feet above him was a large rectangular hole, from which descended a metal ladder.

It had once been used for people to travel from floor to floor. Originally, there had likely been a removable metal lid, which had disappeared by the time the bunker was discovered by the CCP. Fearing that someone might accidentally fall through, several boards had been placed over the opening. Over time, the damp atmosphere had rotted the boards, making them weak.

Fang Mu stretched his arms and legs, deciding he had not been badly hurt. He looked around.

He was in the water dungeon. He found he was standing atop a cement platform before an enormous cement pool at least six feet deep. The pool was completely empty except for a number of iron rings that Fang Mu could faintly make out attached to the pool walls. He knew they had probably been used to shackle prisoners back when the place was still in operation.

He could see another pool farther ahead. He walked slowly toward it along the platform, guided by the faint light of the flame. Gradually the outline of the second pool began to sharpen.

Suddenly something at the bottom of the pool took shape. Fang Mu carefully stepped closer.

Amid the darkness, the object looked like some kind of box. Tightening his grip on the knife, he cautiously walked closer. When he was standing directly opposite it, he extended his hand holding the lighter as far as it would go, simultaneously straining to see what it was below.

His breath caught in his throat, and his heartbeat started to race as the object took definition.

It was an iron cage. And someone was sprawled inside. He tried to compose himself. Shakily he yelled, "Hello?"

In the vastness of the water dungeon, the sound was infinitely amplified. Bouncing off the walls, it echoed back at him with terrifying clarity. But the person in the cage didn't move at all.

Who was he?

And was he still alive? These questions ran through Fang Mu's mind as he used his lighter to illuminate his surroundings. The flame didn't reveal any stairs leading into the pool. After hesitating for a moment, he squatted down and shined the bottom of the pool. He gritted his teeth and leapt inside. He landed with an awkward thud.

The pool was deeper than he had imagined and his legs shook with pain. He decided it best not to walk immediately over, so he squatted down and listened for any sounds of movement, at the same time quickly illuminating his surroundings with the lighter. Once he was certain that the place was empty, he slowly stood up, gripped his dagger, and carefully advanced on the cage. He had been right. Someone was lying inside.

In the faint light of the lighter flame, he couldn't be certain whether it was a man or a woman. Straining to see the person more clearly, he cautiously approached.

Was it Tai Wei? It didn't seem like it. This person was a little shorter, a little heavier.

Who was it? As he drew closer to the cage, the person's outline became more defined.

It was a man, curled on his side, with his back to Fang Mu. Something about his gray sweater looked very familiar…

The flickering flame shone on the man's gray hair.

Fang Mu's eyes went wide as he hoped against hope.

Throwing caution to the wind, he ran to the other side of the cage and squatted down. He held the lighter flame up to the man's face.

It was Professor Qiao.

For a moment, Fang Mu didn't know whether he was startled or relieved, disheartened or enraged. Kneeling down, he shook the cage as hard as he could. "Professor Qiao!" he yelled. "Professor Qiao!"

His hair disheveled and face so thin he no longer looked like himself, Professor Qiao rocked back and forth in time with Fang Mu's movements. His tightly shut eyes never opened.

Was he dead?

No, please no!

Fang Mu reached inside the cage and placed his fingers beneath Professor Qiao's nose. Fortunately, he was still breathing, if faintly.

Pocketing his knife, Fang Mu grabbed onto the cage with one hand, while using the other to press his thumb against Professor Qiao's philtrum, digging in as hard as he could, hoping to apply the proper pressure. (Translator’s note: The philtrum is the indented spot between a person's mouth and nose. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is considered a very important acupressure point.)

"Wake up, Professor Qiao, wake up…"

After what seemed to Fang Mu to be an agonizingly long time, Professor Qiao's hand moved slightly and a faint sound emerged from his lips.

Overjoyed, Fang Mu hurried to support Professor Qiao's head and then struggled to raise him to a sitting position.

Coughing, Professor Qiao leaned weakly against the bars of the cage.

After the coughing fit ended, he gasped for breath. "Water…water…" he mumbled, once more closing his eyes.

Water? Where can I find water around here? Agitated, Fang Mu looked around. In the corner of the cage he spied a bottle of water. He hurriedly reached in and grabbed it. He sighed with relief; there was still about half left. After twisting off the cap, he supported Professor Qiao's upper body with one arm while he used the other hand to raise the bottle to Professor Qiao's lips.

Once he had gulped down several mouthfuls of water, Professor Qiao's breathing relaxed slightly, and his eyes slowly opened.

Professor Qiao's eyes, which had once been bright with keen intelligence, were now dazed and glassy. He slowly turned them to look at Fang Mu. After staring at him dully for several seconds, he finally recognized him.

"It's you?"

"It's me, Professor Qiao, it's Fang Mu." He quickly asked, "How did you end up here, sir?"

Professor Qiao shook his head, his lips curling into a bitter smile.

"Aye, don't ask." He sighed. "I'm old…an old fool. I thought I could convince him to turn himself in. I thought he was still the same obedient, diligent student from all those years ago."

"You mean Sun Pu, right?"

"Oh? So you know then?" Professor Qiao was momentarily stunned. Then he laughed faintly. "I really was right about you."

"Save your energy, Professor Qiao. I'm going to get you out of here!" Helping him to lean against the bars, Fang Mu stood and looked the cage over more thoroughly.

With Professor Qiao inside, the cage had to weigh well over 200 pounds. Moving it would be extremely difficult, not to mention getting it out of the pool and up onto the first floor. His only chance was to open the lock, get Professor Qiao out, and then decide on his next step.

After locating the lock, Fang Mu weighed it in his hand. The thing was solid. Pulling out his knife, he inserted the point into the keyhole and fiddled with it lightly. It wasn't going to work. Not only would this not open the lock, it would likely break the knife as well.

He raised his lighter and looked around. The place was empty; there was nothing around that could be used to get the lock open.

After thinking for a moment, Fang Mu remembered the prison cells full of chairs and desks on the first floor. There had to be an iron bar or something along those lines inside one of them. Squatting back down in front of Professor Qiao, he said, "Wait one moment, sir. I'm going to go find something to get this cage open."

But before the words had even left his mouth, he heard something rumble overhead.

A beam of light shot down, illuminating Fang Mu's face.

Dizzy from the light, Fang Mu quickly shielded his eyes with his hand and looked up.

There was a square opening in the ceiling overhead. Through it shone a flashlight beam.

Someone else was in the bunker.

Even though his vision was blurry from the light, Fang Mu could still vaguely make out that it was a man.

"Who are you?"

Fang Mu's heart began to beat fast. Was it the police?

The man didn't answer, just chuckled darkly.

In an instant, an ice-cold feeling gripped Fang Mu's heart. He knew exactly who it was.

Before he could think anything further, something else appeared in the man's hand and then a terrible-smelling liquid came pouring down.

Although Fang Mu dodged back instinctively, one of his sleeves was still soaked with the stuff. But Professor Qiao had nowhere to hide and was drenched all over.

Fang Mu sniffed his sleeve. A chill ran through his body.

It was gasoline.

The man above disappeared, leaving only the square opening. A thin beam of light shed down from it, as if it were a single eye, watching them with evil intent.

For a moment Fang Mu was scared stiff. Then he scrambled toward the cage."Professor Qiao…"

"Stay back!" said Professor Qiao sternly.

Fang Mu stood where he was, not daring to move, not daring to flick on his lighter.

Amid the darkness, he stared stiffly at the cage only a few steps away. He could faintly see that Professor Qiao was slowly sitting up, his eyes alive, as if he were pondering some difficult problem.

After several seconds, Professor Qiao spoke. "Fang Mu," he said, knocking against the bars of the cage. "You once saw someone burned to death, correct?"

Taken aback, Fang Mu couldn't help but respond. "Yes."

Professor Qiao snorted. "So that's what this is," he muttered to himself. "No wonder he kept me alive this whole time." His voice rose. "Fang Mu, will you listen to me?"

"Yes."

"Good. Sun Pu is probably going to return very soon. Now don't go anywhere and listen to me." Professor Qiao's voice slowed. "Previously I once criticized you very harshly for helping the police to solve a crime. Do you remember?"

"Yes, I remember."

"I'm old, so old that I didn't dare let my best student put himself to the test, fearing that I would make the same mistake twice." Professor Qiao paused for a moment. "I admit that I was mistaken. You and Sun Pu are different. Therefore you must make it out of here alive. No matter what, you need to stop him."

"Professor Qiao…"

"Are you listening?" Professor Qiao barked in a stronger tone.

"I'm listening," Fang Mu said, forcing the words out through growing despair.

"Good, you're a good kid." Professor Qiao seemed to have used up all his energy and his voice grew softer and softer. "Now go. Get out of here as fast as you can."

Tears filled Fang Mu's eyes as he realized that this would be the last time he would ever speak to Professor Qiao. He took two steps back, watching through blurry vision as the professor slumped against the bars of the cage.

He ran forward and knelt beside the cage. "Professor Qiao, Professor Qiao…" The tears burned a hot steam down Fang Mu's face. "I can't let you stay here alone…"

"You really won't listen," said Professor Qiao, his voice unusually gentle. "Are you crying? It seems you're not as outstanding as I thought."

A rough, bony hand stroked Fang Mu's face in the dark.

"There's nothing scary about death," Professor Qiao said softly. "What's scary is living without a soul. Sun Pu is a soulless person. That's the biggest difference between you and him. Now go and do what you have to do, using your own methods." A burst of evil laughter echoed from overhead.

Fang Mu looked up. The dark figure was once more looking down through the opening.

He brought his hand up, light coming with the movement. He was holding a mass of burning paper.

"No!" Before the words had even left Fang Mu's mouth, the flaming mass had already dropped from the man's hand.

Fang Mu watched wide-eyed as the paper floated closer down to them, twirling, burning, frequently giving off sparks that spun in the air like a beautiful dance of death.

An enormous force suddenly pushed hard into his chest, knocking him back nearly six feet.

In that instant the flaming mass fell through the bars of the cage.

The flaming paper ignited into a ball of fire, roaring flaming light into the previously pitch-black water dungeon.

There was a brief cry from Professor Qiao and then nothing more. He twisted amid the raging flames, his hands tightly gripping the bars of the cage, his whole body shaking.

Fang Mu watched from where he had fallen, watching open-mouthed as Professor Qiao struggled amid the flames.

A scorched odor filled the air…that old familiar scent.

The scent of death.

Suddenly, everything around Fang Mu disappeared. The water dungeon, the cage, Professor Qiao, all of it vanished without a trace…

He was standing in a flaming hallway.

The doors on either side of him were ablaze. He could see the burnt and twisted bodies of Fourth Brother and Wang Jian lying in Room 352.

Where am I?

Someone slowly stood up against the wall. It was Sun Mei. She no longer looked human. She opened her arms. Bones were sticking out. The strips of clothing still covering her bloody flesh smoked and fell to the floor, piece by piece.

"Don't kill anyone else…"

Sun Mei rocked back and forth as she walked slowly toward Fang Mu.

"Don't kill anyone else…"

Why did you have to bring me back?

Why?

Hold me, said an unknown voice. It doesn't matter if you're Sun Mei or Wu Han, I just need to feel the warmth.

Even if it's the feeling of death.

All these years, all this death. I'm already too tired.

Please let me give up.

"Are you listening?" That stern voice. He knew it was Professor Qiao.

"Ahh!" An earth-shattering cry burst from Fang Mu's chest.

With it, everything in front of his eyes disappeared.

Once more he was back in the ice-cold water dungeon. The flame inside the cage was already much smaller. Only a portion of Professor Qiao's body was still burning.

Fang Mu struggled to sit up. He stared silently at the flaming cage before him.

Goodbye, professor.

Fang Mu's tears were already gone. He would not cry again. He pulled the knife from his pocket and tossed away the burdensome sheath. He no longer felt cold at all.

From the light of the flames, he could see the opening above through which he'd fallen. It wasn't far away. The cold-looking ladder stood there silently.

Fang Mu hurried to it. He quickly climbed the rust-covered rungs and looked at the black corridor overhead.

Get up there, he said to himself.

Even if hell is waiting for you.

A few seconds later, Fang Mu once more reached the first floor corridor.

The flames from the water dungeon below lit up the previously dark hallway. Without hesitating, he hurried toward the far end of the corridor.

Cell 3… Cell 5…

Past Cell 5, the corridor came to an end. In front of him was an iron door.

Was Cell 7 on the other side?

Grabbing the door handle, he pulled with all his strength.

The door rumbled open and Fang Mu's eyes were once more met with darkness.

Flicking on his lighter, he discovered that he seemed to have reached the end of the bunker.

Before him stood a cement wall, with a door to either side of it. Unlike the barred doors on the previous cells, these were made of solid iron. The floor was also no longer a wrought-iron see-through walkway, but was made of cement, with a three-square-foot removable iron lid at its center. Beside it sat a plastic barrel. A small amount of red liquid was still inside.

Fang Mu's hands trembled slightly. This was where the gasoline had come from.

Composing himself, he raised his lighter and looked at the number on the door to the right.

7. Just as he'd thought.

He walked over and stood before door number seven for several seconds. At last, he took a deep breath and pushed it open.

The space before him was suddenly filled with bright light. Having grown accustomed to the darkness, Fang Mu couldn't help but shield his eyes.

"Welcome!"

The voice was icy and coming from somewhere in front of him.

Dropping his hand, Fang Mu looked toward the sound of the voice.

Smiling thinly, Sun Pu leaned against the opposite wall, aiming a pistol in Fang Mu's direction.

"You've reached the core of the bunker, Cell Seven." He nodded at something to the side. "The torture room."

Beside him stood a large iron cross on which Tai Wei was bound, hands and legs. Yellow tape covered his mouth. He was staring at Fang Mu, struggling desperately. Although he tried to speak, his words were unintelligible.

"What's wrong? Do you want to say hi to your friend?" Sun Pu laughed darkly. "Or are you begging him to save you?"

He made a show of sighing sorrowfully. "But I'm afraid that our hero won't even be able to protect himself. What do you say to that, shidi?" His attention turned from Tai Wei to Fang Mu. "How did you like my present just now? It was nice, wasn't it?"

Fang Mu stared at him without expression. After a few seconds, he calmly looked away and sized up the room.

Cell 7 was the same size as the other cells, but it was filled with a number of strange iron racks and chairs. There were two ventilation openings in the cement ceiling, allowing the sun to shine through. This was why the room was so bright.

After looking the room over, Fang Mu turned his attention back to Sun Pu. "Not bad," he said. "You planned this all the way from one to seven. It must have taken a lot of thought."

Seeing that Fang Mu appeared to be neither angry nor frightened, Sun Pu seemed a little puzzled. As he looked at Fang Mu, whose behavior was more like that of a curious tourist, his smile started to come a little forced. "That's right," he said. "I just hoped that after all my hard work you wouldn't let me down."

Fang Mu actually smiled. "Is that so? Then what did you hope I'd do?"

Sun Pu's smile disappeared at once. "What did I hope you'd do?" He cocked the pistol. "Why don't you tell me?"

Struggling violently, Tai Wei bellowed something from behind the tape. His wrists had already begun to bleed from the strain.

Fang Mu glanced over at him, still smiling. "Die?" He laughed. "You're not the first person who's wanted to kill me." He paused. "And I'm afraid you won't be the last."

"Oh?" Sun Pu made an exaggerated show of surprise. "Who do you think is going to come save you?" He stomped his foot. "That old piece of shit down there?"

Raising his arm, he pointed the gun barrel at Fang Mu. "The facts have shown that you're nothing more than an overconfident, conceited little fool."

"Really?" Fang Mu stared at the muzzle of the gun. "Is that why you wanted to kill me?" His eyes moved from the gun to Sun Pu's face. "You're jealous of me," he said softly, "isn't that right, shixiong?"

Sun Pu immediately paled.

"Ever since you killed Qu Weiqiang, I've understood what kind of person you are. To cut off a goalie's hands is to deprive him of his power. You're jealous of my intellect, aren't you?"

"Shut up!"

Seeming not to hear, Fang Mu continued unabated. "It started at that assembly, didn't it? When you saw me invited to the stage like a hero while you, just an insignificant librarian, could do nothing but huddle in the corner and watch, lying to yourself that those honors belonged to you!"

"Shut up!"

Again Tai Wei cried out unintelligibly. Looking at him, Fang Mu saw the pleading, worried look that filled his eyes, clearly begging Fang Mu to stop talking.

"So you schemed and schemed, wanting to compete against me one on one." Fang Mu gritted his teeth and slowly stepped backward. "You killed one person after another, all to prove that I was not as good of a criminal profiler as you. But did you really win? Do you really not have nightmares when you sleep at night? Are you still able to make love to your girlfriend? Or did Thomas Gill already turn you…?" Fang Mu smirked, and then his voice abruptly turned serious. "Well? Am I right, shixiong?"

Sun Pu's face suddenly twitched and he pulled the trigger.

Fang Mu instantly dove to the side. At nearly the same moment, he heard the gunshot. A bullet flew past his cheek and smashed into the door of Cell 8.

With no time to think, Fang Mu spun around and sprinted out of the room, pushed open the iron door, and burst into the corridor.

Another bullet cracked from the gun and whizzed into the door.

With his heart nearly bursting from his chest, Fang Mu ran down the corridor and ducked into Cell 5. Panting, he leaned against the wall and tried to catch his breath.

Hurried steps sounded from the corridor outside. Just as they passed the door to his cell, they stopped.

Holding his breath, Fang Mu listened closely.

Sun Pu stood there, breathing heavily. After a few seconds, he laughed. "You made me lose control, shidi." He paused. "Truly disgraceful, no? A shixiong should always be better at keeping his cool than his shidi."

Two gunshots rang out.

Fang Mu quickly calculated; at most Sun Pu had only five bullets left.

Sun Pu knew this, too. The darkness was the best cover he could hope for. Standing in the inky hallway, he didn't dare act rashly. Raising the gun, he listened for movement.

"Where are you, shidi?" he yelled. "Don't hide like a little rat!"

As the echo from his voice slowly vanished, Sun Pu held his breath and listened closely, but no sounds emerged from the darkness.

He laughed wickedly. "Speaking of rats," he said, cautiously stepping forward, "did you like the ones I left for you at Meng Fanzhe's house?"

Squinting, he took stock of his surroundings. "I was originally going to use them to help Meng Fanzhe overcome his fear; I never expected that I would actually end up using them on his mother. You are the reason she died, shidi." His tone brimmed with derision. "If you hadn't been speaking on the phone so loudly in the library hallway, you would have been able to find that letter and catch me a long time ago." He laughed. "Then Zhang Yao and Professor Qiao would still be alive, no?"

At once Fang Mu felt all the blood rush to his head. In that instant, he wanted more than anything to rush into the corridor and stab Sun Pu to death.

Seeming to hear Fang Mu's quickening breath, Sun Pu did his utmost to figure out what direction that minute sound was coming from.

"Angry? Then come out here. Let's see if you're able to avenge their deaths."

Hearing this actually made Fang Mu calm down. Forcing himself to breathe more slowly, he leaned against the wall and didn't move.

Sun Pu listened again. Unable to determine Fang Mu's position, he continued his taunting."Do you still remember Meng Fanzhe?" He feigned a sorrowful sigh. "What an unlucky kid. You know, I actually liked him a lot, and really did try to help him. It was such a shame that you and Tai Wei had to give me such a scare that night." He paused. "That's right, I have to admit it, you scared me. I was a little panicked, so what could I do but sacrifice the kid? But you have to acknowledge that it was an effective trick. Meng Fanzhe always was such an obedient kid." He chuckled. "Do you admire me, shidi?"

Fang Mu slowly crouched down and, very gently, felt around with his hand. He soon touched something that felt like the broken leg of a desk.

"When did you guess it was me?" Sun Pu asked, inching forward. "When I began teaching Professor Qiao's class?" He laughed easily. "I knew that was a bit of a risk, but the teacher's lectern is just too enticing for me. Can you understand that?" He took a few steps and stopped, then did so again, all the while paying close attention to the noises around him.

Fang Mu gently pulled on the desk leg. Realizing that it wasn't heavy at all, he quietly picked it up and then stepped cautiously to the cell entrance.

One, two, three…

Fang Mu suddenly burst out of the cell, hurling the desk leg in the direction of the iron door. He immediately slipped into Cell 6.

By the time Sun Pu heard the noise it was already too late. The desk leg smashed forcefully into his nose, the stunning pain making his vision swim. Protecting his face with one hand, he took a few steps back and fired two shots.

Those twin shots rang out.

In the light of the muzzle flash, Sun Pu discovered that the corridor was empty.

Shamed into anger, he rushed forward. Swiftly realizing this unwise, he hurriedly squatted down.

His nose burned and his eyes stung. Something hot was trickling out of his nostrils and down his face. When he wiped it away, his hand came away sticky and sickly sweet.

"Well done…" Sun Pu said, restraining his anger. He forced a smile. "You're cleverer than I thought, shidi." Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he continued. "You made me bleed, kid. Lucky for you I'm not Ma Kai, otherwise I'd suck all the blood out of your body!"

Startled, Fang Mu couldn't help but say, "Ma Kai?"

The sound gave away his position.

Realizing immediately that Fang Mu was up ahead in Cell 6, Sun Pu gripped his pistol and cautiously drew closer.

"Surprised? That's right; Ma Kai was once my patient, just like Meng Fanzhe. He was ripe for research, but sadly he didn't trust me and ran off after only a few sessions. Later," Sun Pu said, pressing himself against the wall and slowly feeling for the doorway, "when I heard someone was going around killing people and sucking their blood, I knew it had to be him. Do you know what a pleasant surprise that was? I thought that I had finally found an opportunity to prove myself again. I never expected that you would get there first…" He finally felt what seemed to be the doorway. He could faintly hear Fang Mu breathing rapidly inside.

He was on the other side of the wall, right beside the doorway.

"That should make you understand how much I hate you!" Sun Pu burst through the door and spun to the right. At the same instant he aimed and fired at the space just beside the doorway.

The gunshot echoed into the space ahead.

As the bullet flashed from the end of the gun, Sun Pu saw that the direction he had fired in was empty.

Before he could react, Fang Mu leapt from his crouched position at the foot of the wall. He smashed headlong into Sun Pu's chest.

Sun Pu squeezed the trigger and two more bullets burst from the end of the gun. He lost his balance, falling backwards to the floor.

The collision left Fang Mu dizzy as well. Feeling his legs go weak, he fell heavily to the floor.

Across from him, Sun Pu squeezed the trigger again, but the gun clicked emptily.

Relief flooded Fang Mu.

Now you've got no more bullets.

Holding his blade, Fang Mu slowly stood up, pulling out the lighter and flicking it on.

With a small whiff, a little flame appeared in his hand. Despite its size, it clearly illuminated their surroundings.

Sun Pu sat on the ground a few feet away. His face was shining with sweat and he was madly searching for something on his body.

Gripping the knife, Fang Mu walked closer and closer.

Sun Pu tried to scoot back, mumbling, "Don't…don't…"

Seeing the fear and despair in his eyes, Fang Mu felt a burst of retribution.

"Are you scared?" He slowed his steps. "Did the people you killed ever ask you for mercy? Did they?"

"I'm begging you…don't kill me…please…" Sun Pu's voice sounded like he was crying and his eyes seemed to fill with tears.

But in a flash, that penitent look was replaced with a cunning smirk. He suddenly stopped moving backwards. With one hand, he popped the empty magazine out of the gun and snapped another new clip in with the other.

Fang Mu froze. He had more bullets!

He instinctively hurled the lighter at Sun Pu and then turned and ran.

In the blink of an eye, Sun Pu had loaded the ammunition, cocked the gun, and fired two shots in Fang Mu's retreating direction.

Fang Mu felt the bullets whistle past him and slam against the iron bars of the cell across the hallway. Another shot roared from behind him and the bullet smashed into the floor beside his foot.

Fang Mu sprinted to the iron door at the far entrance of the corridor and pushed it as hard as he could, but it wouldn't budge. He felt the door. An iron lock had been placed over the handle.

Behind him another gunshot cracked out. Another bullet struck the door beside him, sending up sparks.

Diving out of the way, Fang Mu scrambled into Cell 1. Having seen Fang Mu escape into Cell 1, Sun Pu slowly stood up and felt the floor around his feet until he found the lighter. He walked down the corridor.

When he reached the entrance to Cell 1, he flicked on the lighter.

One side of the room was stacked with old, broken-down desks and chairs. The other side was empty.

Sun Pu chuckled, unable to contain his satisfaction. "Tai Wei had an extra clip on him. You didn't know?"

Fang Mu was lying behind the desks and chairs, his heart filled with fear and hatred.

Damn, I was too careless.

"You want to try again, shidi?" Sun Pu asked, sounding as if he thought victory was already assured. "Will you still not admit that you've lost?"

Fang Mu's knife hand began to tremble. His opponent still had three bullets and he knew where Fang Mu was hiding. His death was just a matter of time.

Is this how it's going to end?

"Are you really going to be this stubborn?" Sun Pu sighed dramatically. "You're just like that old fool, you know that?"

Professor Qiao…

"Do what you have to do, using your own methods."

"That's right, I am like Professor Qiao," Fang Mu said, slowly and carefully climbing to his feet. He pressed himself against the wall in the narrow space between it and the desks. "But do you know what the difference is between us and you?"

"Oh?" Sun Pu sounded a little surprised. "What difference is that?"

"You really are an excellent psychological profiler," Fang Mu said, keeping an eye on the light in the doorway. "But you're soulless. Therefore you lack the sense of duty and respect that your profession demands. Everything you've done has been for yourself alone. We, on the other hand, are willing to sacrifice our own lives to protect those of others."

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."