Lei Mi - Profiler

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.