Chapter 191: Life’s Not Worth Much for People Like Us

2022-05-20

Out of the corner of my eye, I watched Zhao Mingkun’s finger tighten slowly on the trigger.

“Look,” Zhao Mingkun’s cold voice whispered right by my ear, “we’re behind the psychiatric hospital, in an alley with no cameras. Do you know what’s over there? That’s Area A of the hospital. Everyone in there could kill a person on a whim.”

I kept silent, my gaze fixed on Zhao Mingkun.

“Let me tell you a little story.” Zhao Mingkun broke into a grin, flashing a set of perfect white teeth. “At a zoo, they built an enclosure for kangaroos. The fence was three meters tall. But the next day, all the kangaroos had escaped. So they raised the fence to five meters. Yet the kangaroos still got out. Frustrated, they made it twenty meters high. But guess what? The kangaroos escaped again the very next day.”

She seemed genuinely amused by her own story, laughing as she went on. “So, can you guess why?”

I shook my head.

“The kangaroos all wondered, ‘Will they raise the fence again tomorrow?’ Then one answered, ‘Doesn’t matter—as long as they keep forgetting to close the gate.'”

With her left hand, Zhao Mingkun pointed at the wall. “See that wall? It’s at least ten meters high, lined with electric fencing. Ordinary folks couldn’t hope to get in. But there are always other ways in this world. This is the old part of town. Under our feet? There’s no proper protection. Digging a passage under here would be simple enough.”

I glanced down. The ground was just packed dirt, not even a layer of red bricks. This place was a true blind spot; no one would ever expect someone to stir up trouble here. If someone dug a tunnel from here inside, it wasn’t impossible at all.

“Looks like everyone overlooked this option,” I said, my face blank.

Zhao Mingkun nodded. “Exactly.”

“Why did you disguise yourself as that psychiatric patient and go in there?” I looked at Zhao Mingkun, voicing the question that had been on my mind. “To get further, you’d have to enter the secure ward, but Area A only has one main entrance and it’s guarded. So to get in, you had to play the part of a patient. You chose the woman who killed a child. You’ve had everything mapped out, haven’t you?”

I went on, “If I’m right, you went in looking for someone—the person all the way at the end of the third floor.”

Zhao Mingkun ran her hand through her hair. “That’s right.”

“What are you trying to do?” My tone grew harsh, coming out rough. “You knew Team Leader Shao was in Dongxing City. Why come here and risk making a scene?”

Her playful look froze and turned chilly. “Dongxing City is a big place. I don’t really want to cross paths with you, but sometimes you don’t have a choice. I’m only here to find an old man—nothing more. And this person… he’s dangerous.”

“Someone you actually fear?” I raised an eyebrow. “Who is it?”

Zhao Mingkun didn’t answer. Instead, she burst out laughing, reaching over to touch my face as she spoke softly, “Didn’t expect you to worry about me. But that won’t stop me from pulling the trigger. Like I said, you have to be ruthless in this business. And here? There’s no surveillance.”

I cut right to the chase. “Is that so? Funny, I think you’re the one who’s worried about me. When I went inside, you were already on the opposite side of the third floor. You saw my colleague pounding on the door like mad, and knew right away I’d been hypnotized by the old man, so you hurried to hit the alarm.”

“If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t have made it out alive.” My gaze met Zhao Mingkun’s directly, unwavering.

“Always spoiling the ending makes things boring,” Zhao Mingkun said with a sigh, shaking her head. “That’s why I don’t like dealing with clever people like you and your Team Leader Shao. You’re both the same.”

“Is that so?” I asked.

Zhao Mingkun pulled a slender woman’s cigarette from her pocket, lighting it up. She offered me one.

I waved her off, signaling I didn’t smoke those.

She just smiled. “On the second floor, when your ‘wife’ spoke, I recognized her voice instantly. That moment, I knew exactly who you were. You’re not a couple, just plainclothes police. What I don’t get is why you let me go back in Linfen, when you had the chance to catch me.”

That question left me at a loss for words. I couldn’t exactly say it was because I saw something of myself in her—we’re cut from the same cloth.

“I guess I just don’t bother with reasons for my actions,” I said at last.

“Well then, since you let me go last time, and I saved you this time, we’re even now,” Zhao Mingkun replied. “Next time, I won’t go easy on you. Of course, you could try to arrest me right now—if you think you can manage it.”

“Once I saw your handwriting on the note, I knew it had to be you,” I said. “If I’d really wanted to catch you, you’d already be in handcuffs.”

Suddenly, Zhao Mingkun fell silent. After a moment, she said coldly, “Still, you’d better keep your distance from me. Nothing good comes from getting involved with someone like me.”

“Is there something between us?” I asked.

“What?” Zhao Mingkun gave me a strange look.

“I can’t shake the feeling there’s a weird sense of familiarity between us,” I said with quiet seriousness. “I noticed it back in Linfen—otherwise, I wouldn’t have let you walk.”

Zhao Mingkun burst out laughing, her eyes watering from the effort. “What is it, little brother? You’re not actually in love with me, are you?”

I didn’t answer, pressing her instead. “Zhao Mingkun, do you know something about me? Ever since we got back from Linfen, I’ve been turning this over in my mind. That day, the way you talked… it felt ambiguous. Team Leader Shao said you’re Shi Huacheng’s adopted daughter, so you’ve always lived in Yuzhou, and that’s not far from Qingcheng.”

She stopped laughing and replied, “You really do let your imagination run wild. Back in Linfen, I was just having fun—it had nothing to do with who you are. But let me warn you again: stay out of things between me and Shao Shilin. Otherwise, you will regret it.”

“Regret?” I echoed. “That’s something you reckon with after things go wrong. But curiosity always comes before regret.”

I paused, then went on, “Back in Linfen, you were looking for Lai San. Because of a case, you never saw him. This time, you’re probably still after the same guy.”

“No,” Zhao Mingkun replied, “someone even crazier than Lai San.”

A name flashed through my mind—the masked young man called Wu Zui, the one who had beaten me every time we’d faced off.

I spoke slowly. “That masked man… his name is Wu Zui?”

Hearing this, Zhao Mingkun’s expression changed. “You’ve met him?”

I nodded. “He slipped away.”

Zhao Mingkun’s look turned frosty and she spoke quickly, “Like I said, this place isn’t for you.”

I asked, “So you’re looking for that old man, just to find Wu Zui?”

Zhao Mingkun studied me for a long time before finally saying, “That’s right. But it seems you really don’t know. Wu Zui learned psychology from that old man before he ever wore a mask. In other words, the old man’s his teacher.”

It never occurred to me that the old man was Wu Zui’s mentor. No wonder the Head Nurse called him dangerous. But if not even we knew that, how did Zhao Mingkun? Just how much did she really know about Wu Zui? Why was she searching for him?

“You seem to know a lot,” I said to Zhao Mingkun. “Want to work together?”

“Work together?” She gave me a skeptical look.

I nodded seriously. “You know who I am. I can help. Let’s cooperate—just the two of us.”

“And what do you want from me?” Zhao Mingkun seemed tempted.

“Help me solve cases. Investigate my past. Look into Wu Zui,” I told her.

“Quite a list,” she said, spinning a lighter between her fingers.

I grinned and tilted my head. “Nothing comes free—but it’s worth it.”

She nodded as though about to say something, but swallowed it back. In the end, she replied, “I can agree to those terms. But if you hear anything about Wu Zui, you have to tell me too. Deal?”

“Deal,” I said.

“Talking to someone clever isn’t so bad,” Zhao Mingkun joked, brushing her hand across my face. “If anything comes up, I’ll find you. Don’t worry—I’ll be checking in on you from time to time!” She laughed.

“Since that’s settled, I have a case that needs your help,” I said.

“Getting bossy so soon?” Zhao Mingkun teased, folding her arms.

I answered seriously, “I need you to check something for me.”

“What is it?” she asked.

I handed the note to Zhao Mingkun. “Wrote this in the car earlier—and keep an eye on the area while you’re at it.”

“So cunning,” Zhao Mingkun muttered, taking the note.

I gave her a half-mocking bow. “Takes one to know one.”

She took a few steps away, then shot me a look of disgust over her shoulder. “Sometimes I really think people like us… life’s just not worth much.”