Chapter 190: Crossing Paths with Zhao Mingkun Again

2022-05-20

I caught a glimpse of the writing on the note and realized I recognized it—not familiar enough to call it close, but definitely not a stranger’s hand. My heart thudded in my chest, bringing back that odd rush I used to feel cheating on exams in elementary school. Xiao Liu had his attention buried in the file, oblivious to my reaction.

Xiao Liu started, “Wu Meng, here’s my take. I think there must be more than one killer—at least a man and a woman. Judging from the times the killings happened, the two cases actually overlap. If it were just one person, they would’ve finished one murder before moving on to the next.”

As much as I burned with curiosity to read what was on that note, I couldn’t forget that catching the murderer took priority. Still, I couldn’t agree with Xiao Liu’s theory about there being multiple killers. This case was different from the copycat murders in Tougouzi Village. Judging from this killer’s method, only someone seriously twisted could pull this off alone.

It isn’t easy to kill someone, let alone to go to these extremes.

While the two cases did overlap in time, the crucial moments—like when the murders actually happened—didn’t coincide. In other words, once the killer finished one job, they had time to head over and ambush someone else at a different spot. Though, this could also mean there are more victims we just don’t know about—the killer never “told” us, and we’re completely in the dark.

“So what do you think we should do next?” Xiao Liu looked at me, puzzled.

I remembered what Gu Chen once said to me—Xiao Liu probably brought all these clues to us because he was stuck and wanted our help piecing things together. Honestly, my position on this case was never that important, more of a “nice to have.”

I told Xiao Liu, “Well, at this point we can pretty much say the killer is under 1.7 meters tall, prefers black clothing, a loner…”

I trailed off, suddenly at a loss for how to sum up the killer’s personality with just a few words. They were both withdrawn and not. Fanatic and yet not. Cold and patient as a stalking leopard, but could snap like a raging tiger.

It’s almost like there are multiple people wrapped up in this one killer.

I added, “This isn’t random killing. There’s a connection between the victims. That’s our main breakthrough for now. Looking at the traces left at each scene, you can tell the killer’s leaving a message. We should focus on the victims—their jobs, family backgrounds, where they lived, their relationships—find what they have in common. Once we do, we’ll have our next target. Most serial killers—eighty percent, maybe—pick their victims following certain patterns and standards.”

“Not just anyone makes the list,” I looked Xiao Liu in the eye.

He nodded, and silence hung between us before he spoke again, a bit hesitantly. “Wu Meng, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about.”

“What’s up?” I asked.

He glanced out at the hallway. Everyone else was busy, and we were alone in the conference room. Seeing no one was watching, Xiao Liu finally seemed to relax and said, “Wu Meng, do you know why Old Bai is so focused on this case?”

“Because it’s immediately obvious we’re looking at a serial murder case,” I replied, half-joking.

Xiao Liu shook his head. “Actually, this case isn’t all that high profile. The killer’s been careful, you must’ve noticed. In a big city like Dongxing, people die every day. Old Bai is really just having the two teams compete because he wants to give Team Leader Shao a leg up…”

“Makes sense,” I said. “Back when Old Bai was still just the deputy, Team Leader Shao was already under him. Guess he’s used to relying on him.”

Xiao Liu went on, “But you know how Team Leader Shao is—free spirit to a fault. If not for the whole Zhao Mingkun business, he would’ve quit already. And then his team? They’d end up jobless, maybe have to start over with strangers, only to get sidelined. You see my point?”

I shook my head. “I don’t really care about that. Whether the paycheck’s good or not doesn’t matter to me. What are you trying to say?”

Xiao Liu looked at me, still torn, but finally he said, “Honestly, sometimes I envy people like you. You act like you’re above it all. I’m just an ordinary guy, nothing special—I can’t live up to you.”

My brow furrowed.

Xiao Liu spoke slowly. “Wu Meng, you’re out of my league when it comes to investigation. No matter how hard I try, burning the midnight oil going over evidence, I can’t beat what you get from just a single glance at the crime scene. It’s your gift, something all my effort can’t match.”

“So, I’m begging you,” his voice shook, all the more urgent, “if you do solve this, can you let me be the one who exposes the truth? That way, we can stay here in Dongxing, have a real shot at a future. But if we fail… we’ll have to leave with Team Leader Li to some small-town post, maybe never get promoted in our whole lives…”

“Just treat it as doing me a favor,” Xiao Liu pleaded, “What do you think?”

Looking at him, I couldn’t quite pin down what I felt inside—maybe disappointment. Xiao Liu seemed suddenly like a stranger. I remembered that cheerful guy who played the lottery every day, a stark contrast to the serious man in front of me now.

After a long moment, I finally said, “If I find the killer first, I’ll let you know.”

Relief flooded his face and a huge smile broke out. “Wu Meng, thank you so much. I love this work, but if I can build a better life for my family at the same time, who could fault that?”

Maybe those words would sound right coming from me, but Xiao Liu was probably just trying to convince himself.

Either way, so long as the killer is caught, who actually nabs them doesn’t really matter.

At the moment, though, my mind was fixed on the note I still held in my hands.

I’d only seen this handwriting once before, but I recognized it immediately—this was Zhao Mingkun’s handwriting.

“Midnight. Outside the psychiatric hospital.”

Earlier, I’d only caught a glimpse of the note, just a few words. Now that I took a closer look, I realized it was actually left for me. I thought back to that lady doctor who ran right into me this evening—maybe that’s when she slipped the note into my pocket.

That sense of strange familiarity earlier made sense now—the one leaving the note was none other than Zhao Mingkun, the one Team Leader Shao and Guan Zengbin have been obsessed with catching. Honestly, Zhao Mingkun was gutsy—showing up right under Team Leader Shao’s nose. One slip, and she’d have been caught.

Right now, my feelings were a tangled mess. I wasn’t sure what face I was supposed to put on for Zhao Mingkun. Excitement and fear mixed together inside me, creating a bizarre sense of anticipation.

I found Gu Chen, made up a quick excuse about running a personal errand, and drove towards the psychiatric hospital.

It was already late. The hospital wasn’t exactly remote, so I found a spot to park and started walking in its direction. I hadn’t gone far when I saw a woman standing under a streetlamp. She was dressed in a nurse’s uniform, leaning casually against an electricity pole and smoking.

Her short hair only added to her striking looks. She blew out a ribbon of smoke and turned to look at me.

“Zhao Mingkun,” I called softly from a distance.

She nodded, tossing her cigarette butt to the ground.

We both spoke at once: “What are you doing here?”

And then we both laughed.

I asked, “So that woman earlier was you? What were you doing inside the psychiatric hospital? Meeting with that old man?”

Still leaning on the pole, Zhao Mingkun cast a cool, almost superior look down at me. “Wu Meng, you’re pretty sharp,” she said.

I shrugged. “Once I saw that note, I knew that woman at the hospital reminded me of someone, but couldn’t quite place it. Guess you always gave off the same vibe. Just don’t know why you went in there.”

She didn’t answer. Instead, she stepped forward, standing right in front of me. She was only a bit shorter than me, though in heels she actually edged past my height.

Her voice was calm, almost cold. “Wu Meng, now that you know what I’m up to, and I know what you’re doing, do you really think I can let you walk away?”

Zhao Mingkun’s face was a mask of indifference.