Chapter 408: Zhao Mingkun

2022-05-20

I have no idea how long the journey took. All I know is that I drifted in and out of consciousness the whole way, my hands and feet shackled with iron chains. I could hear people around me whispering. After all the terrible things I’ve done, part of me hoped they’d just give me a swift end and put an end to this miserable life.

But that’s not how things turned out. I can’t shake the feeling I’ve been here before, like some memory on the edge of my mind.

Finally, I came face to face with my adversary. I’ve heard his name more than once—Shao Shilin. For some reason, he felt strangely familiar. Sitting beside him were the rest of the Special Investigation Team: Guan Zengbin, Mary, Gu Chen, and most importantly, Wu Meng.

Except for Liu Jian, whom I killed, everyone was present.

Shao Shilin stared at me for a full five minutes before finally speaking. “Wu Zui, we finally meet.”

“Yeah,” I replied.

His face was unreadable. “Wu Zui, I never imagined you and Wu Meng would look exactly alike. I imagined countless possibilities when I set this trap, but I never expected this moment—that you’d be here listening to me. But what I truly didn’t expect was that you and Wu Meng are actually twins.”

I stayed silent.

Shao Shilin went on. “But the two of you couldn’t be more different. All this time, I kept wondering why you always targeted Wu Meng, so I dug into his past. It led me to things that happened more than twenty years ago. If not for a strange twist of fate, if your parents hadn’t handed you both to Shi Huacheng…”

He sighed. “Then none of this would’ve happened. The higher-ups would’ve known those two fallen comrades still had children left behind. Wu Zui, you wouldn’t have ended up here.”

My face remained blank. I said, “But here we are. After killing so many people, all I want now is to die quickly. Don’t pity me, I don’t need it. I’m guilty—just kill me and get it over with. Don’t drag this out.”

Shao Shilin shook his head. “Looks like you’ve really given up on living.”

“Cut the nonsense,” I said flatly.

He nodded. “Fine, then tell us. From the very beginning—how did it all start…”

For the next several hours, I told them everything, starting with my first crime. I explained how I turned Wu Meng into a psychiatric patient, and kept going, all the way until I killed Liu Jian in that apartment and got caught. In that window of time, I smoked twenty cigarettes and drank three bottles of water. I’d killed too many people—by the end, my mouth was dry and my throat sore.

When I finished, the Special Investigation Team across from me sat in heavy silence. Finally, Mary spoke up: “After killing so many people, even dying a hundred times wouldn’t be enough.”

Guan Zengbin’s face twisted with rage. “You’re right. He kept me captive for three months. Living through that was worse than death. Thankfully, if it weren’t for Wu Meng, I…”

His voice trailed off as he began to sob softly.

“But it’s over now.” Wu Meng gently patted Guan Zengbin’s arm and said, “It’s really over. Things will get better from here. It’s finally finished.”

At this, Gu Chen let out a shaky sigh. “I’m going for a smoke. This place is suffocating.”

Shao Shilin looked at him and smiled. “Go ahead.”

“Shi Huacheng is dead. Wu Zui is caught. But there’s one more person left.” Shao Shilin almost seemed to be talking to himself, but his voice carried to each of us. “Now the only one still at large is Zhao Mingkun. But don’t worry—we’ll catch Zhao Mingkun soon enough.”

For some reason, hearing the name Zhao Mingkun sent a strange shiver through me. It was as if this person mattered to me in a way I couldn’t explain.

“Will you really catch her?” Wu Meng asked.

“I know you’ve gotten close to her these days,” Shao Shilin said, staring at Wu Meng. “But since you caught Wu Zui, I’ll let that slide. Consider your merits enough to offset it. But if you try to interfere when I go after Zhao Mingkun, then you’re walking a dangerous path. Got it?”

He clapped Wu Meng on the shoulder. “You need to understand—‘lay down your butcher’s knife and become a Buddha’ isn’t fair to those who struggled so hard to reach their peace. No matter how much good she’s done to atone, the past can’t just be erased. Once you cross that line, there’s no going back.”

“I understand.” Wu Meng nodded hard.

“Now that everything’s been confessed, in two days our job will be done.” Shao Shilin looked around at everyone. “After we finish this case, I’m giving you all a month off. Go travel, relax a little, and when you come back we’ll regroup the Special Investigation Team…”

He paused suddenly and gave a bitter smile. “But Xiao Liu will never be able to return. He finally got transferred back, and never even had one day to rest. Liu Jian is a role model for every one of us.”

“Come on, let’s grab a drink,” Shao Shilin said as he led the way out.

“By the way,” Shao Shilin turned to Mary. “Is your husband done with his assignment soon? It’s been ages since I saw him.”

Mary nodded. “He’ll be back in two days.”

“Good,” Shao Shilin smiled. “We’re all in our thirties and forties now. Sooner or later, it’ll be the younger generation’s world.”

For some reason, I thought I could hear sadness hidden in Shao Shilin’s laughter.

Two days later, I was taken to court. I’d confessed everything, and if nothing unexpected happened, it wouldn’t be long before I disappeared from this world for good. Maybe I was never meant to be born. All I brought others was suffering and death—maybe only by dying could I make amends for all those restless souls.

The whole trip took about two hours.

It was raining lightly when we left. The air was cold and damp.

“So this is the notorious Wu Zui?” someone asked.

“He looks so out of it, you’d never guess he’s a killer,” came another voice.

“You can never judge a person by appearances,” the first one replied.

“This trip should go off without a hitch…”

Just as those words left their lips, a deafening explosion rocked the outside, like a bomb going off right next to us. Thick black smoke poured in, filling the air with a harsh, acrid stench.

I heard the radio in the car blaring. “All units, we need backup! All units, backup needed!”

“Don’t forget, we’re transporting the killer Wu Zui!” the driver shouted.

“Didn’t you hear my orders?” the voice crackled over the radio. “When I say ‘all units,’ I mean ALL units. Do you understand?”

“Is someone here to rescue me?” The thought confused me. All my former followers are dead—who on earth would risk everything to break me out?

“Let’s go!”

Outside, black smoke still billowed. I tried to see what was happening, but the handcuffs kept me tightly chained to the vehicle. I couldn’t get a proper look at what was going on.

My thoughts raced in a panic. I had no idea what was happening.

Just then, a woman in a black bodysuit leapt onto the vehicle. I focused on her face, and realized it was Zhao Mingkun. Was she here to rescue me? But why? Zhao Mingkun has always hated me—so why would she risk everything for this?

“Zhao Mingkun?” I called out. “What are you doing here?”

She held a length of wire in her hand, picking the lock as she answered, “I’m here to save you, Wu Meng.”

I shook my head. “You’ve got the wrong person. I’m Wu Zui, not Wu Meng.”

With a click, the cuffs fell away from my wrists.

“Even if everyone else can’t tell you apart, I can,” Zhao Mingkun said. “I really didn’t expect even Shao Shilin would be fooled by Wu Zui. Come on, let’s go.”

“I’m really not Wu Meng,” I insisted, refusing to move. “I’m guilty. I just want to die now.”

With a sharp smack to the head, Zhao Mingkun dragged me along. Smoke churned all around us, strange noises echoing from the distance. She pulled me through the chaos, and soon we reached a manhole cover near the sewer. Zhao Mingkun glanced around, then lifted the cover.

Together, we climbed down into the sewer. She carefully replaced the manhole lid.

“I’ve already scouted out these tunnels. Follow me. I told you ages ago not to get mixed up in these things, but you never listen.” She kept walking, her voice steady. “Wu Meng, one day you’re going to be the death of me.”

I shook my head. “I’ve told you a thousand times—I’m not Wu Meng.”

All at once, she twisted my arm behind my back in a practiced hold, then yanked down my pants. As she did, Zhao Mingkun said, “I watched both of you grow up. You may look and sound exactly the same, but you have a birthmark on your backside. Snap out of it! Your so-called guilt delusion is nonsense. Everything comes down to how you face it.”

“You ARE Wu Meng!”

Her words came fast and certain. “You ARE Wu Meng. I don’t want you to die. If you were gone, there’d be no one left in the world to remember me. I wouldn’t be able to fly off and turn into a star.”

“Wu Meng!”

My head spun, memories swirling. I saw faces, scenes, fragments of my life, all rushing past at once.

“Move!” Zhao Mingkun shouted.