The first thing Leo noticed when he entered his apartment was the deafening silence. "Li Biqing!" He shouted. He walked from the parlor to the bedroom and pa.s.sed though the kitchen and bathroom, but he still couldn"t find a trace of Molly"s younger boyfriend. However, given that his occupation required him to be sensitive to his surroundings, Leo immediately detected a subtle difference in his apartment. The inconspicuous dust covering the floors had been wiped, and the thin cobwebs hanging from the corners of the ceiling had disappeared. If not all, the dirty clothes left in the bathroom were washed, drying on the balcony, and a faint smell of fumes came from the kitchen… Except for that foreign Chinese boy, Leo didn"t believe anyone else would be so kind as to sneak into his apartment just to help him with housework.

The question was, where did the kid run off to?

He returned to the entrance, intending to leave the apartment, when the copper lock of the door suddenly clicked. The door was slowly pushed open, and soon, Li Biqing, who was casually dressed and was carrying large grocery bags, appeared in the doorway.

Leo stood face to face with the arriving person, only to find that the other was a slightly taller than he"d imagined. He was about 5 feet and 10 inches, his body was well-proportioned, but he was a bit thin, though that was probably because Asians were generally smaller and thinner than Caucasians. The instant Li Biqing saw him, he blinked in surprise, then gave a gentle, shy smile, "Leo, when did you return? Have you eaten?"

Many people joked about how most Chinese people tend to say "Have you eaten?"1 when they greet another. But it seemed to be true. Leo couldn’t help but break into a grin. He shifted back and stepped aside, welcoming him, "Come on in. Where"d you get the keys?"

Li Biqing carried the groceries into the kitchen and said, "I watch a lot of American dramas and the spare keys are usually hidden under the door mat outside, so I decided to check, and it really was hidden under a loose floor tile. I can never understand why this is such a common practice. Don"t people worry about the keys being stolen by thieves?"

Leo shrugged, "There"s an old Chinese saying, "to guard against a gentleman, not to guard against a villain"2. Good people won"t go to the door and take the key. On the other hand, if a thief really wanted to steal from your house, the keys wouldn"t matter; in fact, several locks wouldn"t be able to stop him. And besides that, many people install security systems in their homes. They just get lazy hiding their keys in different spots, or they just often forget to take them."

Li Biqing giggled as he removed everything, from food to spices, from the bag, "Americans are crude and careless. And they"re also famous for being dumb when it comes to mathematics."

"Give us some face, China boy." Leo crossed his arms over his chest and leaned his back against the counter, watching with interest as the boy rinsed the carrots and cut the tomatoes. Before this, he didn"t bother paying attention to the other party; he met the other and exchanged two sentences, but that was it. Yet today, they were chatting as if they"ve known each other for their entire life; it was, surprisingly, easy and natural. "How"d you buy all of these things? From what Molly said, you don"t seem to understand English?"

"I can still say simple words like supermarket, where, and buy. And the people on the street were kind. They showed me the way to the supermarket, and the store clerk also helped me. But most importantly, I had money, and I can understand Arabic numerals." He explained in a serious manner.

Leo grinned again. He discovered that he’d smiled more in these short ten minutes than he had in the past five days. This seemingly innocent boy wasn"t as naive as he originally believed, and he even seemed to have a dry sense of humor. We might be able to get along, Leo thought. Compared to Molly"s two ex-boyfriends, whom he beat up, this kid was definitely more pleasing.

"You can cook? Chinese cuisine?"

Li Biqing nodded. The knife in his hand glided at an unimaginable speed as he skillfully julienned the fresh green celery into thin, uniform pieces. "A bit of home cooking. Today, I planned to make Fish Fragrant Eggplant, Sweet and Sour Spare Ribs, Squid and Celery Stir Fry, and Tomato Egg Drop Soup—can you use chopsticks?"

"I"m not bad at picking up soybeans with my chopsticks. My grandmother taught me how to use them when I was young."

"Oh, look at that, you"re of Chinese descent. It seems that most mixed-blood children are very beautiful. Well, I guess it"s settled. The kids Molly and I have later in life will definitely be very beautiful."

When Leo heard him mention Molly, he asked, "When do you two plan on getting married?"

"The specific date hasn"t been set yet. I first want to attend a language school, receive my credentials, and find a formal job, since your sister said she wants to live in the United States in the future."

Leo stared at the young man"s face as he spoke. His face was calm and focused as he concentrated on slicing the meat on the cutting board. Perhaps it was because of the reserved and introverted nature of Asians that he failed to properly deduce the other"s true feelings, but Leo found it rather difficult perceiving the young man"s emotions; he couldn"t quite figure out what he thinking. However, he was willing to travel far away from his home and come to America just to live together with Molly, so what else could this be, other than "love"?

He"s smart, charming, and independent, and his older sister, who’s always had a problem with her eyes (since she always seemed to be attracted to tasteless men), finally found a good, capable man. Leo wanted to cry tears of joy.

A while later, they gathered around the table to eat dinner. Compared to the bland food served in Chinese restaurants, the home-cooked soup and three vegetable dishes were delicious. All of the dishes as well as the entire rice pot was soon emptied out, completely wiped clean by the two people. When the meal was over, Li Biqing subconsciously picked up the plates, bowls, and chopsticks and headed to the kitchen to wash them. Seeing this, Leo couldn"t help but question, "Do you do all of the ch.o.r.es when you"re with Molly?"

Li Biqing nodded, "In my hometown, the men do all the housework."

"And the women?"

"Go for a walk outside, shop, play mahjong…"

Leo sighed deeply, "I can already imagine how happy Molly will be once she marries you."

It was rare for Leo not to go back to the office after he ate, but that"s exactly what he did after dinner. Instead of returning to the office to work overtime, he sat at the desk in his bedroom and carefully browsed through the numerous files on his laptop, trying to sort the ma.s.sive amount of information related to the case. He would click, drag, and connect the fragmented pieces of evidence on the screen, piecing them together like a jigsaw puzzle, and finally, he finished modeling another figure of Sha Qing.

Three copies of simulated images, each presenting a different appearance, hung on the wall behind the desk. They were the last things he saw before going to sleep, and they were also the first things he laid eyes on the moment he woke up. Every night, they would haunt his dreams, laughing, talking, roaming about…the hunt was never-ending; it repeated itself again, and again, and again. In his dream, he seemed to be an trainee following after a faceless shadow, speculating at its every turn, studying its every expression, observing its every movement, watching as the knife penetrated flesh, seeing the blood splatter all over, it was all so vivid, as if he committed such actions with his very own hands. This often caused him to wake up drenched in cold sweat.

Every case was like this… How could he possibly leave these cold-blooded killers, these cruel murderers, these callous scoundrels at large? For all cases that he"s handled, it was only after the perpetrators were either shot and killed or arrested that he could truly sleep in peace. "Stop forcing yourself to chase the killer into the darkness, and you"ll soon come to realize that there are still brighter and beautiful things in life that you can seek." Old Kenneth often patted him on the shoulder while stating this line. He tried so hard to follow his good advice, but he just couldn"t do it.

The darkness enveloped these heartless killers. It was their b.l.o.o.d.y asylum, always protecting them with its shrouding cruelty. If he didn"t follow them into the abyss, how could he dispel the dark fog and reveal the truth behind the spilled blood?

Leo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them, his eyes were filled with indestructible resolve.

Approximately three hours had pa.s.sed, possibly more. Leo felt his mind become chaotic; he needed a refreshing drink. There was an old stove-top coffee maker in the apartment, but he didn"t have the time or patience to set everything up and wait, so he had no choice but to settle for instant coffee. Although it was sweet, it was still better than the free coffee served in office buildings.

He closed the laptop, rubbed his face with his palm, then got up and left the bedroom. The clock on the wall showed that it was half past midnight. The lamp on the coffee table in the living room was lit, and a dark figure huddled on the sofa. Leo instantly became tense and alert, and he automatically reached for the gun secured at the back of his waist. Only after he came to his senses did he pause. The apartment now had an additional tenant.

"You haven"t slept yet?" Leo called out, sauntering over.

Li Biqing was dressed comfortably in a loose sky blue sweater and white track pants. His feet were bare, and he curled his legs on the sofa. A thick notebook was spread open across his knees, and a pencil was held in his right hand. Still biting on the rubber end of the pencil, he raised his head to look up at Leo. "No…writing something…" He seemed to have realized that his actions were somewhat childish, so he quickly took the pencil out of his mouth, placed it in the open book to keep his page, and then closed the notebook.

Leo went inside the kitchen and brewed himself a cup of instant coffee. Then, he poked his head out and asked, "Do you want some coffee?"

"No thanks, I already brewed some black tea."

"Chinese black tea?"

"Lapsang Souchong3. You want to try some?"

"Yeah, sure. Coffee doesn"t have much of an effect on me these days."

Li Biqing leaned over and climbed onto the armrest of the sofa, stretching his torso and arms to reach the table and make some tea.  Apparently, he was feeling very lethargic; he didn"t even want to move his legs. The dim light outlined the contours of his lean body under his thin sweater,  his slender neck, his thin waist, his firm b.u.t.tocks; his beautifully arched body was curved to perfection.

Leo thought he looked like a lazy cat stretching on the sofa. Perhaps women who came across this scene would be enchanted by his apparent seductive pose, but for him, this pose simply evoked a gratifying sense of laziness, a nostalgic feel of a sitting near a burning fireplace during a winter"s night, reclining on a soft pillow while basking in the rays of the sun, indulging in a delightful afternoon tea, sipping on peppermint tea and snacking on blueberry m.u.f.fins…or something like that. It gave off warmth and comfort, the feeling of family.

Maybe this was the feeling that made Molly fall in love with him, Leo thought.

With a cup of black tea in hand, he sat on the other end of the sofa, then discovered several books piled on top of the coffee table. He flipped through the books. Although the novels were written in Chinese, and he couldn"t recognize any of the characters, the covers looked very familiar. After studying them carefully, he was sure he"d read the English editions before.

"…Bedside Whispers, as well as Broken Chrysalis, Fallen b.u.t.terfly, and The Last Wing4? The entire trilogy? This was Roy Lee"s masterpiece. So it turns out you"re a fan of crime novels too. You know, I love this guy. Not only is he a best-selling author, but his knowledge in criminal psychology is profound and that"s without being taught by anyone. Everyone in our office recommends checking out these works, along with The Masterpiece Collection of Alfred Hitchc.o.c.k, Silence of the Lambs, and The Bone Collector."

"You keep these kinds of books in the office? You guys" tastes are really heavy." Li Biqing stared at him with wide eyes.

Leo smiled, but he didn"t explain. Instead, he asked, "There"s only one thing I could never quite understand, and maybe you can give a proper explanation—in Bedside Whispers, who was the true murderer? Was it the older twin brother? Or was it the younger twin brother"s second personality?"

"No," Li Biqing answered without hesitation. "There was never a dual personality in the first place, and the so-called elder brother was also made up by him. He was the one who poured sugar into the fuel tank of the neighbor"s car, hanged their dog, killed the man of the house with a golf club, dismembered the wife and left her head at the windowsill so she could still watch her young daughter be violated…all of these were done solely by him. In the beginning, he created the illusion of twins. In reality, one man flawlessly played the roles of two brothers, making people believe there were twins living together in one house. He even managed to tamper with the hospital"s birth records. From the window, the neighbors would see two brothers sitting directly across from each other at the dining table. However, they could only see the face of one of the brothers; the other, whose back was turned towards them, was actually a custom-made tailor"s dummy. After the murder was exposed, he fabricated a tale of the elder brother"s escape. Finally, the jury was deceived, and for him, that just meant a smooth escape from criminal sanctions."

"But, in the end, the brother really did appear. So what happened there then?"

"Ever heard that old saying: "A doubting heart gives rise to dark devils"5? If you continuously believe that something unreal truly exists, then one day, it just might come true, simply because you yourself will try to find a way to make it come true. He originally created a twin brother as a lie meant to deceive others, but eventually, that same dark fantasy swallowed him whole. He hypnotized himself, created a ghost in his heart—a ghost of the brother who stood at his bedside, whispering to him every night, constantly reminding him of his sins."

Leo pondered for a while, then nodded his head in agreement, "He used clever tricks to escape from criminals sanctions, but he couldn"t escape from his inner demon. A person who can"t distinguish fantasy from reality isn"t far from the brink of insanity."

"And madness also represents self-destruction." Li Biqing added.

"But now that you said this, I can"t stop thinking about this guy who wasn"t brought to justice," Leo spat. "You have no idea how much I hate movies and novels where the murderers escape and the incompetent police are left helpless. These are the kinds of things that mislead the public!"

Li Biqing laughed, "Feels like your three views are broken, right? Then again, it"s because the audience loves to eat these kinds of tropes. I mean, everyone has their own inner beast that is bound by the chains of morality and the constraints of law. How to find a balance between nature’s animalistic savagery and humanity"s social standards is a matter that everyone deals with in their life."

So that means that Sha Qing broke free from his heart’s chains of morality and laws and released the beast that chose its prey to eat?

Well, regardless, thanks to all that endless hype surrounding American films featuring superheroes like Spiderman, Batman, and Green Arrow, many people now believed that Sha Qing"s motive for killing was just another, slightly distorted form of justice, that he was simply keen on playing the role of "a vigilante". By targeting other serial killers, society was less p.r.o.ne to danger and the number of serial killers roaming on the streets were reduced. However, Leo still scoffed at all of this.

He would rather say that the criminal motive of Sha Qing stemmed from a psychological stress reaction following a traumatic experience. This guy was once a victim exposed to violence and murder, which may have started from childhood. Choosing serial killers as his target was, simply, his way of exacting vengeance. Perhaps in the early stages, his mentality was not as twisted, but as time went on, every killing gradually brought him a sense of satisfaction. Soon, he"ll be unable to tame that ferocious beast he let loose, and eventually, it’ll go crazy in search of blood, and it’ll slaughter everything in its path!

Madness ultimately amounts to self-destruction, but Leo decided he couldn’t wait until that point to apprehend him. If he did, the people would end up paying a heavy price!

Maybe I should go back and check the timeline. The Behavioral a.n.a.lysis Unit concluded that Sha Qing is between the ages of twenty and twenty-eight years. In that case, I should look up all serial killings in the states that took place within these past two decades… Leo was lost in his thoughts.

Who knows how much time pa.s.sed, but when he finally recovered from his train of thought, the hot tea inside the porcelain pot had long gone cold. He stood up, rolled his stiff shoulders, and found Li Biqing still curled on the sofa with his head bowed. Though he certainly wasn"t in any position to talk, he couldn"t help but advise, "You"re still not asleep? It"s almost three o"clock. Always staying up this late is bad for your health."

The other side was motionless and unresponsive.

Leo looked closer. He fell asleep nestled on the sofa with his arms huddled and his knees pulled up to his chest. The lamp"s light shined on his glossy chestnut-colored hair that hung down, softly covering his eyes. His breathing was low and steady.

Sleeping in fetal position’s another indication of a person"s insecurity; it most often signified a subconscious vulnerability and yearning. Leo recalled what some psychologists mentioned before, and an inexplicable gentleness suddenly welled up from the bottom of his heart. He bent down and picked Li Biqing up, carrying him like a sleeping child, supporting his body with one arm and allowing his head to rest comfortably on his other arm. He swiftly walked over to the guest bedroom, lightly put him down on the bed, and quietly tucked him in.

The ingenuous Asian boy slept so soundly. Leo sat at the edge of the bed and stared at him, the faint flickers of envy pa.s.sed through his eyes. He returned to his own bedroom and wearily lay down on his bed. For the first time in many days, he didn"t look at the simulated portraits on the walls. He just turned off the lights and prepared to go to sleep.

Half an hour later, Leo suddenly slipped out from under his blankets and strode into the bathroom. He pulled out a small, unlabeled white bottle from the medicine cabinet and hesitated for a moment before shaking out two, oval pills. He popped them into his mouth, swallowed them, and then headed back to his bed.

With the help of sleeping pills, his insomnia was temporarily cured. In the pitch-black darkness, drowsiness finally descended upon him, and he closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

1吃了吗—Long story short: The literal translation of what LBQ said, "chi le ma", is "Have you eaten". But "chi le ma" actually means "How do you do?" Here"s an .
2防君子不防小人— Fáng jūnzǐ bù fáng xiǎo rén
3Also known as Zheng Shan Xiao Zhong.
4Yeah, these aren"t real books, so don"t bother searching for them. However, if you do happen to find them, then…wow…what a coincidence…
5l疑心生暗鬼—"Suspicions create imaginary fears/A suspicious heart will see imaginary ghosts."