Shi Yuanchen had finished his chicken soup and washed the bowl by the time Ansel arrived.
"Have you eaten?" was the first thing he asked as he opened the door.
Ansel wore his police cap low, obscuring his eyes and leaving only the bridge of his high nose and his mouth visible. His face was cast in shadow as he stood at the door, hands behind his back.
It was only then that Shi Yuanchen realized he was a very tall man; usually, because Ansel was always somewhat timid and hesitant, it wasn't so apparent.
Ansel tilted his head back slightly, using his baton to nudge the brim of his cap upward. He flashed a smile at Shi Yuanchen. "I’ve eaten. Let’s go, Professor."
Shi Yuanchen felt an indescribable sense of unease, like the sudden prick of a needle.
Nevertheless, he nodded. "Let me change my clothes."
Ansel stood by the door to wait for him.
As Shi Yuanchen changed, he wondered what felt so strange. Having dealt with the police and criminals for years, he possessed a keen sensitivity to subtle shifts in psyche and atmosphere. Right now, that intuition was screaming at him that something was wrong.
But he couldn't put his finger on it.
When he stepped out, Ansel straightened up from the wall he had been leaning against and held the door open for him. "After you."
Shi Yuanchen turned to watch him lock the door and suddenly noticed something. When Ansel had been leaning against the wall just now, he had been lounging lazily with his hands in his pockets, looking completely relaxed. The old Ansel had never made such a gesture.
They entered the elevator. Ansel tucked his baton under his arm, reached out to press the button for the basement, and slowly pulled on his gloves.
"Why are you carrying a baton?" Shi Yuanchen asked, keeping his tone conversational.
"Ah, this." Ansel pulled it out and gave it a little shake. "My gun is missing."
It had been stolen by Fei Zuohua. Of course, Shi Yuanchen didn't say that out loud.
"If a cop loses his gun, he might as well quit, right?" Ansel muttered to himself.
Shi Yuanchen asked, "Stolen? Could you have just forgotten where you put it?"
Ansel turned his head with a slow, deliberate motion, shifting his gaze over. The corners of his mouth curled into an arc, but it didn't feel like a smile. "Do you take me for a fool?"
Alarm bells immediately went off in Shi Yuanchen's head. He could practically smell the palpable sense of danger radiating off Ansel—the raw, predatory scent of a carnivore.
He forced himself to remain calm. The elevator stopped at the second basement level.
Ansel stepped out first and turned back to look at Shi Yuanchen. Shi Yuanchen reached for the "close door" button, saying with feigned nonchalance, "I forgot my phone. I need to go back up."
Just as the doors were about to slide shut, Ansel’s hand shot out with a *thud*, blocking them. He braced his arm against the elevator frame and looked down at Shi Yuanchen. "You won't be needing it."
Then he stepped aside to make a path. "Come."
Shi Yuanchen didn't move. "Who exactly are you?"
Ansel’s brow furrowed, a flash of ferocity gathering between his eyes. Shi Yuanchen quickly judged that this man had a foul temperament, even a streak of cruelty.
But Ansel seemed to suppress his temper, repeating himself: "Come."
Shi Yuanchen took a step forward, then seized the moment of Ansel's perceived relaxation to bolt. He hadn't run more than a few paces before he was caught.
Ansel hooked an arm around his neck from behind, covered his mouth, and dragged him backward. He kicked Shi Yuanchen’s ankle, sweeping his legs out from under him. Shi Yuanchen collapsed, which suited Ansel perfectly, making him easier to drag.
Shi Yuanchen could barely breathe. He clawed at Ansel’s arm, but to little effect.
***
Hou Qi’an woke up from a bout of dizziness. Firelight still danced before his eyes, and his ears were ringing. He lay on the ground, struggling to open his eyes, propping himself up on his arms to stand while searching for Kong Ping.
He immediately spotted Kong Ping slumped behind a fuel pump, lying on the ground with his belongings scattered everywhere.
Hou Qi’an struck his own head twice, struggling to his feet. He staggered a few steps toward Kong Ping, his vision swimming in darkness, forcing him to slow down. He glanced at the car. For some reason, although the "explosion" just now had looked violent, it felt more like a flash fire than a true blast. Having been closer to the car, he had taken a harder hit than Kong Ping.
Once he regained his balance, Hou Qi’an rushed to Kong Ping’s side. He knelt and patted the boy's face, leaned down to listen for a heartbeat, and pinched his nose to attempt mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.
Before he could even take a breath, Kong Ping’s mouth fell open as he broke into a fit of coughing, jolting awake.
He opened his eyes and saw Hou Qi’an. Trembling with lingering fear, he grabbed the older man's arm. "Just now... was that... what??"
Hou Qi’an nodded.
Kong Ping swallowed hard, sitting there in a daze for a long time before finally saying, "That was fucking wild..."
Hou Qi’an helped him up. "Let’s go inside and clean up. I think that gas station attendant was suspicious."
"Did you see his face? It couldn't have been Bai Shi, could it?"
Hou Qi’an gave him a helpless look. "I’m not so blind that I wouldn't recognize Bai Shi."
The two of them entered the convenience store. Kong Ping went to look for medical supplies while Hou Qi’an pulled out his phone to call Fei Zuohua, only to find it was broken.
Hou Qi’an glanced at the only cashier in the store, who was busy clipping his nails. Noticing Hou Qi’an’s gaze, the cashier lazily rolled his eyes and shifted his position.
It probably wasn't him. Hou Qi’an looked out at the burning car through the window and walked up to the counter. The cashier looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, wearing heavy black eyeliner and chewing gum. His lips moved rhythmically, making his lip ring jiggle.
Hou Qi’an pointed outside. "Something that big happened—aren't you going to call the police?"
The cashier rolled his eyes. "I’m only here for the afternoon. Not my problem."
Hou Qi’an noticed the restless frequency with which the boy was bouncing his leg. He figured the kid was likely a junkie.
"Where’s the owner?"
The cashier snorted, sounding utterly indifferent. "Don't know."
Hou Qi’an didn't waste any more words on him. He pointed to the telephone on the desk. "I need to use this."
The cashier ignored him. Hou Qi’an picked up the receiver, but as expected, there was only silence. He followed the cord and saw that the line had been severed.
Kong Ping returned, piling his purchases on the counter. The cashier gave them a cursory glance and barked out a price.
They sat at a table by the window, applying bandages while discussing their next move.
"Let me use your phone."
Kong Ping fished it out and handed it over.
Hou Qi’an tried calling Fei Zuohua, but the call wouldn't go through. He tried Shi Yuanchen, but there was no answer there either.
Seeing his grim expression, Kong Ping asked, "Did something happen to them?"
Hou Qi’an frowned, seemingly trying to recall something. He asked Kong Ping, "That guy who filled our tank—did you look up at his face at the time?"
Kong Ping nodded. "You looked too. He must be the one who did it."
"No, what I mean is," Hou Qi’an shook his head, "do you remember what he looked like?"
"How could I forget?" Kong Ping replied instinctively. "He..."
Then he stopped. He suddenly realized he couldn't answer the question. Regarding that man, he couldn't recall his height or his features. He had clearly seen him at the time, yet he had no lasting impression...
Kong Ping tried to answer, "Was he... fairly pale?"
"Was he?" Hou Qi’an shook his head. "I felt like his skin was a bit bronzed..."
The two looked at each other helplessly and gave up for the moment.
Seeing that their injuries were mostly tended to, Hou Qi’an stood up. "Regardless, something has gone wrong. We need to head back. This place isn't right; I suspect it’s one of Bai Shi’s strongholds. It’s dangerous to stay here."
Kong Ping looked past him at the cashier. "That guy..."
Hou Qi’an glanced back as well, then turned back. "I don't think he’s involved. Otherwise, they wouldn't have left him here."
Kong Ping stood up and watched as Hou Qi’an went to buy two switchblades.
He looked at Hou Qi’an suspiciously, but Hou Qi’an only said, "If they didn't succeed just now, they might try again."
He handed one to Kong Ping. "Be careful."
***
When Shi Yuanchen woke up, he smelled the scent of dust. He choked slightly but didn't dare cough out loud.
Covering his nose and mouth, he remained quiet, using the moonlight to scan his surroundings.
It was a cavernous factory, roughly the size of a football field, with an incredibly high ceiling. In the distance, there were abandoned scaffolds and a massive object that Shi Yuanchen squinted to identify as part of an airplane.
In the shadows to his west, two people were talking.
Zhou Linyuan tossed his police cap onto the ground and began unbuttoning his shirt with slow, deliberate movements. He cast a sidelong glance at Lu Mingyue. "So, you’re saying the plan changed. Bai Shi said not to kill him. What then?"
Lu Mingyue sneezed. He was soaked to the bone and looking around. "Is there a towel I can use? I'm freezing to death..."
Zhou Linyuan tossed a towel from his backpack to him and continued changing. He stripped off the police uniform and put on a loose jacket.
"Anyway, that's how it is." Lu Mingyue dried his hair and draped the towel over his shoulders. He sat on a chair and spread his palms. "He only said not to kill him. He didn't say anything about what comes after."
Zhou Linyuan put on a Yankee baseball cap. "Did he go back to Number 19?"
"Probably. Pei Cangyu is still there."
At the mention of that name, Zhou Linyuan let out a disdainful laugh. He turned to look at Shi Yuanchen, who was lying in the distance. "He can't expect me to just leave him here, can he?"
Lu Mingyue looked up at him. "Yeah. Don't worry about it. Leave the rest to me."
Zhou Linyuan studied him for a moment, then walked toward the exit, looking at a car parked by the door. "You drove this car to lure Fei Zuohua to District 15, and then Bai Shi was supposed to kill him there. Right?"
Lu Mingyue nodded.
Zhou Linyuan turned back. "I was supposed to kill Shi Yuanchen here." He checked his watch. "By this time, those two kids should be dead too, right?"
"Right," Lu Mingyue nodded again.
"If the plan changed and I don't kill Shi Yuanchen, what about the others?"
Lu Mingyue said nothing.
Zhou Linyuan looked at him. "You said the plan changed and told me not to act yet, so I brought him here to wait for you. Now that you're here, I'll ask you straight: is this an order from Bai Shi?"
Lu Mingyue stared at him and smiled. "You know I’m the one who listens to Bai Shi the most."
Zhou Linyuan didn't answer. He turned and walked toward Shi Yuanchen. Lu Mingyue quickly stood up and followed.
Shi Yuanchen hurried to shrink back and continue feigning sleep, but Zhou Linyuan didn't seem to care about his state. He simply kicked Shi Yuanchen’s knee.
Lu Mingyue stood beside him. "You don't need to worry about things here anymore. You should get going too, otherwise, when the time comes..."
Zhou Linyuan turned to look at Lu Mingyue, his gaze icy. The words Lu Mingyue was about to say died in his throat.
Zhou Linyuan pulled out his phone to make a call, spoke briefly, and hung up. He was about the same height as Lu Mingyue. He turned to face him and placed a hand on Lu Mingyue’s shoulder.
"Tao Feng says those two aren't dead."
Lu Mingyue raised an eyebrow. "That lucky?"
Zhou Linyuan’s grip tightened. "He said the gas canister was empty and failed to explode; it only caught fire. He’s following them now."
Lu Mingyue’s gaze shifted slightly, and he smiled again. "Could this be the will of heaven?"
Zhou Linyuan clearly had no interest in joking. He stared at Lu Mingyue. "You turned coat."
"Bullshit." Lu Mingyue’s expression turned stern. "What do you know? Don't give me that crap."
Zhou Linyuan took a step back and kicked Shi Yuanchen again, gesturing to Lu Mingyue. "Then you do it."
Lu Mingyue frowned. "I told you, Bai Shi said—"
Zhou Linyuan grabbed Lu Mingyue’s collar and yanked him close. "If I see Bai Shi and find out you lied, your end will be miserable. I guarantee it."
With that, Zhou Linyuan kicked Shi Yuanchen once more. "Stop faking it. Get up."
Shi Yuanchen hesitated for a moment before slowly opening his eyes. He propped himself up against the wall. On the other side, Lu Mingyue was already holding a multi-layered folding knife. Zhou Linyuan watched silently from behind him.
Lu Mingyue threw the knife onto the ground. "Zhou Linyuan, what’s your deal? My word is final. Who are you to threaten me?"
Zhou Linyuan had no interest in further entanglement. If they hadn't cut off all contact at the final stage of the operation for safety and to prevent second-guessing—like a lit rocket that must reach its destination—he could have contacted Bai Shi right now.
It was for this very reason that he was so resistant to a last-minute change of orders.
It had never happened before.
Zhou Linyuan turned and strode toward Shi Yuanchen. Shi Yuanchen couldn't even react as he watched the tall man approach like a god of death, radiating a foul aura that smelled of assassins and butchers.
Lu Mingyue raised his voice. "The police are coming."
Zhou Linyuan’s footsteps stopped abruptly. He looked back at Lu Mingyue.
"Fei Zuohua isn't dead. I drove that car; it has a tracker. They’ll be here soon."
Zhou Linyuan didn't just frown; he was genuinely incensed. "You rented a car with a tracker?"
"On purpose," Lu Mingyue said, laying it all out. "Leave while you still can."
"Why did you betray us?"
Lu Mingyue sighed. "Just go."
Seeing that he wouldn't answer, Zhou Linyuan didn't wait any longer. He continued toward Shi Yuanchen. He was a man who completed his missions, and now, he was going to kill.
Lu Mingyue stepped in front of him and grabbed his arm. "Zhou Linyuan, can't you see? Bai Shi is going to lose this time."
Zhou Linyuan coldly shook him off, utterly indifferent.
Lu Mingyue lowered his head in resignation.
"I’ve seen Pei Cangyu."
Zhou Linyuan and Shi Yuanchen both froze.
Shi Yuanchen whipped his head around, staring at Lu Mingyue. "What did you say? You what?"
Lu Mingyue looked at them with dead eyes. "I said, I saw him. Last week. Just the two of us."
***
Bai Shi left District 15 and drove toward his new safe house. He opened the last text message Zhou Linyuan had sent him earlier that day.
*“The water cup has your fingerprints. The knife was already in the room.”*
When Bai Shi saw it, he knew Zhou Linyuan was back.
But more importantly, things were becoming impossible to explain.
He couldn't explain his own presence while explaining Pei Cangyu’s appearance—unless Pei Cangyu was willing to testify that they had been together by mutual consent the whole way, that it was just a trip.
Bai Shi parked at a street corner and lit a cigarette.
Pei Cangyu wouldn't come out to testify to "mutual consent." Bai Shi remembered the expression on his face when he watched him bury a body and understood. At the very most, Pei Cangyu would manage to look away.
Bai Shi sat in the car for a while, opening the window to let the smoke out.
He looked toward this "temporary residence." Though he had many such places, the ones Pei Cangyu went to were always the good ones—at least there was no need to worry about food or shelter.
He saw Pei Cangyu’s nervous silhouette flickering by the window, looking out at something. The lights in Bai Shi’s car were off, so he wasn't worried about being seen.
A moment later, a red-haired girl ran up to Pei Cangyu and said something. Pei Cangyu looked even more anxious and reached out to pull the curtains shut.
Bai Shi finished his cigarette, flicked it out the window, and drove away.
He had somewhere to be.
Getting through the cordoned-off neighborhood wasn't easy. Consequently, Prophes was genuinely shocked when he saw Bai Shi.
Bai Shi had just climbed in and was sitting on the windowsill. "Anyone home?"
Prophes was cleaning his shotgun. He stared blankly at the elusive Bai Shi before reacting and shaking his head. "Only me."
Bai Shi hopped down from the windowsill and wandered around the house.
"You're allowed to live back here now?"
"Yes." Prophes carefully wiped the gun. "I only sleep here at night. I work during the day."
Bai Shi nodded and sat down in the same spot where they had first negotiated.
Prophes inconspicuously adjusted the barrel of the gun toward Bai Shi, just to be safe, before asking in a flat tone, "What do you want?"
Bai Shi looked at him and smiled. "The police say the cup on the table is mine."
Prophes nodded. "I heard. When did you go up there?"
"The problem is," Bai Shi spread his hands, "I never went up."
"Then why was your cup there?"
Bai Shi didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "Do you think I’m the killer?"
Prophes looked into his eyes. "I don't know. Are you?"
Bai Shi leaned back against the sofa, exhaled toward the ceiling, and looked at him again. "Where are you planning to go?"
Prophes’s eyes shifted. "I have no plans to go out."
Bai Shi laughed. "Since you’re being so dishonest, let’s lay our cards on the table."
Prophes instinctively gripped the barrel of the gun, then let go, offering a small smile. "What cards are you laying down?"
"The police said the knife was already in the room. That only further confirms that anyone who appeared at the scene could have killed him; there was no need to prepare a weapon in advance."
Prophes nodded.
"On the night in question, around the time of death, the only person who entered the room—if we don't count that cup and exclude those whose timing doesn't fit—was Vanessa. She admitted as much, though she didn't say what she was doing there. Right?"
Prophes watched him.
Bai Shi sat up straight. "In other words, if my cup hadn't interfered, the killer would be Vanessa."
Prophes interjected, "But your cup *was* there. You went up. You just haven't admitted it."
Bai Shi ignored him. "Vanessa. That was your deduction."
"So?"
Bai Shi narrowed his eyes. "How did you know that knife was bought at the 'corner store'? Why not a department store? Why not a kitchenware shop?"
Prophes suddenly stiffened.
"You did it, didn't you? You killed him."
Prophes turned pale. His lips moved as if trying to form a smile, but failed.
Bai Shi continued, "I understand. You prepared for so long, calculated for so long. You’re exhausted. You're at the end of your rope."
"I don't know what you're talking—"
"You killed him and framed Vanessa." Bai Shi leaned back. "That was your plan. You and the Mayor couldn't reach an agreement for some reason, and this girl was getting older and harder to control. So you decided to kill two birds with one stone. If I’m not mistaken, you wouldn't let her fall into the hands of the police either, lest she say something disadvantageous to you. Knowing your usual methods, I suspect you planned to kill her and then stage a suicide."
Prophes was about to speak, but Bai Shi raised a hand to silence him.
"You were planning to go out. Were you going to kill her?"
Prophes didn't move.
"Stop pretending." Bai Shi pointed toward the door. "The alarm lock is already open." He pointed to the room doors. "The bedroom doors are all closed, the keys have been pulled. All the power in this house is off except for this desk lamp."
Bai Shi leaned forward. "You were planning to go out with your shotgun."
Prophes stared at Bai Shi for a long time, still saying nothing.
"You know where she is. She called you, didn't she?"
Prophes finally moved, shaking his head slightly. "No. She called her classmate. I found out through them." He forced a smile. "She’s started making friends. That’s dangerous."
"You were going with a gun, planning to make a scene in the neighborhood. That way, when the police knock and no one comes out to surrender, they’ll automatically assume they can shoot the 'killer' on sight."
Prophes didn't deny it.
"You were planning to frame Pei Cangyu."
Prophes seemed to lose his strength, letting out a slow, heavy sigh as he leaned back against his chair, stroking his gun.
For a long time, he remained motionless. The ticking of the second hand was agonizingly loud. Finally, he sat up and looked at Bai Shi.
"What do you want?"
"I don't plan on letting you go."
Prophes lowered his head and shook it.
The neighborhood was deathly quiet. The pale moonlight filtered in, and the distant sound of a dog barking could be heard. Only this spot in the room was lit. The silence of the night was like a phantom, wordlessly rising up to choke Prophes, threatening to drag him back into his bottomless, shitty life of being despised. The thought made him break out in a cold sweat.
He gripped the gun again and looked up at Bai Shi. He still had a gun, after all.
He tried to negotiate. "Look, I was planning to frame her, not you. I wasn't the one who planted the cup."
Bai Shi nodded. "I know."
Prophes frowned. He watched as Bai Shi’s expression became inscrutable, almost tinged with sadness. Thinking he hadn't been clear, he repeated, "In the original plan, the police should have investigated Vanessa. I don't know why you got dragged into it."
Bai Shi gave a dull nod and said, "It wasn't you. It was Pei Cangyu."
Prophes froze, thinking he had misheard.
"It felt strange at the time." Bai Shi looked out the window, the moonlight turning his face stark white. "That was my cup from the bar."
Prophes struggled to process this, unable to believe it. "...Are you sure it was... him?"
Bai Shi slowly pulled a round object from his pocket. With a *clack*, it fell from his hand onto the table.
"His button." Bai Shi smiled, but there was no mirth in it, only a profound sense of powerlessness. He looked up at Prophes. "I found it on the windowsill."
***
