by Zhou HaoHui
Pei realised that he was still staring at the tapes inside the evidence bag.
‘If you can read the English on those cases, you’ll understand exactly what I mean,’ Huang prompted.
Pei squinted at one of the tape cases for several seconds but wasn’t able to make sense of what he was reading. He turned to Ms Mu. ‘How’s your English?’
‘Decent enough.’ She held out her hand.
Pei handed her the bag with a sheepish look. ‘I haven’t used a single English word since college.’
Ms Mu shrugged nonchalantly. She studied the J-card insert from one of the cassettes for a minute and then began to translate.
‘It’s a 1992 compilation by a record label called Roadrunner. The text on the insert reads something like: “The most prominent characteristic of heavy-metal lyrics is their fascination with death, violence and sexual desire… They are an exquisite expression of Nietzsche’s musings on the abyss… Those who immerse themselves in this music will bear witness as death triumphs over good, the foundations of civilisation crumble, humankind’s innate violence wins out and the world is consumed by lust… You can numb your senses with nihilism, but you will never be able to escape the shadow of death that shrouds everything… The only way to redemption is to savour the taste of death through metal.”’
‘You put my old English professor to shame,’ Huang said approvingly. ‘Unfortunately, we were so focused on getting fingerprints and other trace evidence from these tapes that we barely even noted what was printed on them. I had the text on the inserts translated after I listened to them, but by then our investigations window had long since closed. If we’d had someone like you on our task force, Ms Mu, things might have turned out quite differently!’
‘“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. If you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you”,’ Pei recited.
‘We’ve already looked into the abyss,’ Huang said in a tone as cold as ice. ‘It’s in these cassettes.’
Ms Mu’s attention was distracted. She set the cassette gently on the coffee table. ‘If that’s true,’ she murmured, ‘then it would appear that Feng’s emotional world was far deeper and more complex than that of the majority of her peers. Perhaps she found it impossible to relate to her fellow students. Why else would she have come across as so detached and solitary? If she had interests of her own, it would follow that she had a small group of likeminded friends. Those interactions must have taken place off campus. In a different circle, she might have shown a completely different side of herself. And judging from her alternative taste in music, she probably had some equally alternative life experiences.’
‘Precisely!’ Huang exclaimed. ‘You’ve practically read my mind. But unlike you, I’ve got no psychology expertise so I have to rely on gut instinct. Here’s my theory.’ He straightened himself in his seat. ‘The victim and the killer got to know one another through heavy metal. They may even have met at the music shop that sold those da kou dai. They became friends. The two of them talked about violence, sex, even death. For Feng Chunling, the lyrics were simply fantasies, as they are for most people. But for the killer, they were a way of exploring his twisted urges. Then one day, for whatever reason – perhaps following an unexpected argument or even a sexual rejection – the killer couldn’t control his urges any longer. He took out all of those pent-up impulses on the victim. Rape, murder, mutilation – he enacted one horrific crime after another. And maybe, just maybe, this music was playing in his head the entire time.’
Huang watched Pei and Ms Mu as he spoke, eagerly anticipating their responses.
The clock on the wall ticked away the seconds in silence. Finally, Ms Mu responded.
‘If it really was a psychopathic murder like you say, the killer’s primary purpose would have been to extract a unique sense of pleasure through the transgressive act of murder. All our research into similar cases indicates that for a killer this kind of pleasure is hard to resist. It’s addicting. They will carry on murdering until they’re caught. We call them serial killers.’
‘It sounds even more plausible when you put it like that,’ Huang said, nodding thoughtfully. ‘Now I’m even more confident that I can catch this prey of mine. It’s been ten years since Feng’s murder. The killer has to be itching to pull off another one. My bar just so happens to be the ideal place for the bastard to release his urges. He’ll be able to unleash his violent and lustful compulsions, and all to his favourite music. So long as I continue running this bar, he’ll come here sooner or later.’
Pei rose, his hands up, as if to call for time out. ‘While I understand why you’ve laid this bait for him,’ he said, ‘your profile of the killer is based on conjecture and nothing more. Logically speaking, you still lack solid supporting evidence. These tapes have given you plenty to hypothesise about, but there could be many different possible profiles for the killer. I’m not convinced that this bar is a guaranteed way of enticing him into the open.’
Huang’s eyebrows rose and fell as he appeared to consider this. Pei wondered if he’d got through to him. But Huang was not discouraged. His eyes lit up again.
‘Even if there’s a 1 per cent chance, I’m not giving up! I admit it, strictly speaking, the performances downstairs aren’t exactly legal. But I can’t afford to concern myself with things like that. I need to satisfy my conscience. It’s all because of that bastard. When I do get my hands on him, I won’t give a damn what the law does with me!’
‘I won’t give a damn what the law does with me!’ Captain Pei stiffened as Huang’s words sank in. Sitting across from him was a man who was willing to break the law in order to punish evil. It was a chillingly familiar MO.
Was this man his enemy or not?
And if not, then what did that say about Eumenides?
12
BLOOD IN THE OFFICE
11:25 p.m.
Downtown Chengdu
The Longyu Corporation was headquartered in a massive twenty-seven-storey edifice known simply as the Longyu Building. Although midnight was just half an hour away, the building’s windows blazed with light. Security was extremely tight and the eighteenth floor was all but impenetrable. A guard was stationed at every corner of the hallway, and there were all manner of additional security measures in place between the lift doors and the security gate at the end of the corridor – everything from cutting-edge cameras to motion sensors and metal detectors.
The security hub was on the first floor. It was lined with banks of security monitors showing live feeds of the building’s every entrance, exit, lift, corridor, hall and room. Anyone stationed inside the security hub could be aware of what was occurring in every single corner of the building. Tonight there were four men in there, all of them dressed in black. They stood in a line parallel to the screens, their eyes glued to their respective quadrant of monitors. Behind them were Brother Hua and Brother Long
Brother Hua and Brother Long were both staring at one particular image. At first glance it appeared to be twice the size of the other monitors, but it was actually formed of two adjacent screens. The image displayed was the interior of what had once been the eighteenth-floor office. Due to the room’s large size, two cameras were needed to provide the panoramic image displayed. The tightly monitored room was formerly Mayor Deng’s private office but had now been converted into a bedroom.
The bedroom was brightly lit. Mayor Deng’s original desk, chairs and other furniture were still in place, but two beds had also been brought in. One was set against the eastern wall and the other was on the opposite side.
On one bed, a man as thin as a signpost was sleeping deeply. On the other, a comically plump man was snoring away.
Brother Long’s eyes were tinged with red as he stood there watching. He let out a long yawn.
‘Tired?’ Brother Hua asked gently, keeping his eyes on the screen.
‘I’m fine,’ Long answered. He rubbed his face with both h
ands.
‘There’s no reason for you to push yourself so hard. I’m watching the monitors – it doesn’t need two of us.’
‘Even so, I feel responsible. I can’t afford to cut myself any slack. We’ve already lost Mayor Deng – if we lose Vice President Lin as well, the Longyu Corporation is done for.’ Long continued to watch the plump man on the screen, the Longyu Corporation’s Vice President Lin.
Brother Hua chuckled. ‘You don’t trust me to handle this on my own, do you?’
Long smiled tightly. ‘How can you say that? Lots of our colleagues were there when Mayor Deng was murdered – no one blames you for what happened. I’m not here because I doubt you, I’m here because I need to familiarise myself with this building’s security system. How else will I be able to take some of the burden off you in the future?’ He patted Hua’s shoulder in a deliberate display of camaraderie.
Hua brushed his hand away. ‘That’s enough. Stay focused and just follow orders.’
‘Of course.’
Hua glanced at the time in the corner of the screen. ‘Less than half an hour left,’ he muttered.
‘I’m telling you, this guy is not going to win. How could he possibly sneak through security this tight? Only a ghost could make it into that room undetected.’
‘We can’t afford to be complacent,’ Hua said, shaking his head. ‘The closer we get to the deadline, the more vigilant we need to be. He could very well be waiting until the last moment to make his move.’
‘I’m more worried about him not coming! If he so much as sets a foot in this building, I’ll skin him alive and burn him as a funerary offering to Mayor Deng.’
Brother Hua made no response. He just kept his eyes fixed on the screens. The two men on the eighteenth floor were still fast asleep. Except for the time display flickering in the corner, everything inside the room was dead still.
Then, without warning, the screens went dark.
‘What the hell just happened?’ Brother Long shrieked.
‘We lost power,’ Brother Hua said.
They soon realised the extent of the power loss. The monitors hadn’t just gone dark – the entire security hub had been plunged into blackness.
‘Something’s wrong!’ Long yelled. He leapt out of his chair in the dark, only to realise that he had no idea where the exit was. ‘What do we do now, Hua?’
Hua felt his way to the wall until his fingers closed around a thin chain. He yanked it, and the window blinds swept open. Artificial light streamed through the window, filling the room with a dim glow.
Brother Long could now see Hua’s face, which only looked more grotesque in the light. ‘The other buildings have power,’ Long whispered. His heart sank. ‘Zhao, Song, follow me!’ He rushed to the door and two black-suited men followed close behind. Another two stood watching Hua, awaiting instruction.
‘Nobody move!’ Hua roared.
Long turned and stared numbly at him.
Hua’s expression was utterly serious but completely calm. He took out a two-way radio. ‘Jie?’ he said into the radio.
‘This is Jie,’ replied the head monitor for the eighteenth floor.
‘What’s the situation like up there?’
‘We’ve just lost all power.’
‘I’m aware of that,’ Hua said. ‘I’m asking whether you’ve noticed anything else.’
‘Nothing at the moment.’
A collective sigh resounded through the security hub.
‘Do you have any light up there?’ Hua asked.
‘Two of us have emergency flashlights. We’re all clear at the moment.’
‘Excellent. No matter what happens, it’s imperative that you keep guarding the door to the office. Don’t let anyone inside. Do I make myself clear?’
‘Crystal clear, sir!’
‘Contact me if anything happens.’ Brother Hua lowered the radio and looked over at the two men in black, who had still not moved from their positions in front of the darkened monitors. ‘Do you know the location of the backup generator?’
‘Yes, sir,’ both men answered almost simultaneously.
Hua waved at them. ‘Get moving, both of you! You have three minutes.’
Without saying another word, the two men strode off, their footsteps echoing down the hall.
Hua turned to Brother Long.
Although Long was older and taller than Hua, Hua’s imposing presence made Long feel tiny. Summoning up his courage, he said, ‘The situation has changed. Why are we staying here? We need to assist upstairs!’
‘There’s no power in this entire building,’ Hua said. ‘How long do you think it’ll take to climb the stairs all the way to the eighteenth floor?’
‘Well…’ Long flushed, then ventured a guess. ‘Thirty-five minutes, maybe.’
‘Thirty-five minutes? Even if you did manage it, you’d be panting and wheezing by the end. And groping your way through the dark, you’d be a sitting duck for an ambush. What’s the use of running up there? There are dozens of people already standing guard on the eighteenth floor. The office’s iron double doors are sealed tight and we have the keys. Nobody can get in, so what’s there to panic about? Don’t you see, that’s exactly what our adversary wants us to do. If we lose our heads, he’ll have an opportunity.’
Cold sweat poured down Brother Long’s back as he considered what could happen next. What if he did run up the stairway and came across the killer? He resisted the urge to shiver. ‘So what do we do now?’ he asked.
‘We stick to our plan,’ Brother Hua said firmly. ‘The backup generator will kick in at any moment. Our job is to hold this position and make sure that no outside force interferes.’
He strode back to his chair and sat down. Seeing no better course of action, Long followed suit.
Behind them, the two remaining black-suited men waited in silence. Several minutes passed. Then with a dull hum, the building’s lights flickered back to life.
The security monitors had begun to glow, but their screens showed no more than grey blotches. Without uttering a word, the four men gazed at the displays until the images slowly began to sharpen into distinct shapes.
Brother Hua stared at the two monitors in the corner, his eyes so wide that Brother Long wondered if they might pop out of their sockets.
‘How the hell did this happen?’ Hua said, his voice barely louder than a whisper.
The footage on the monitor showed that the door was still shut and the lights were on. The occupants of the two beds were still fast asleep. Everything looked just as it had before the power had cut out, except for one detail. There was a third person standing in the room.
The new arrival approached the bed next to the western wall. He walked with a distinct swagger. His right hand stretched up towards the light and they saw a small, thin object glittering between his fingers.
‘What should we do, Brother Hua?’ Long asked. His knuckles were white as he gripped the arms of his chair.
Brother Hua had no answer. At that instant, the monitors went blank once more. For the second time that night, darkness swallowed the Longyu Building.
*
3 November, 12:45 a.m.
A chorus of sirens pierced the night air. Police vehicles circled the Longyu Building, which had already been cordoned off with yellow tape. Dozens of officers stood watch on both sides of the tape, making sure that the general public didn’t cross it. Captain Pei and his second-in-command, Lieutenant Yin, along with a handful of the criminal police’s finest, sprinted up to the building’s eighteenth floor.
An assembly of men in black suits stood in the hall. Two figures emerged from the front of the group to greet the approaching officers.
‘Hello again, Captain Pei,’ Brother Hua said quietly.
‘Are you the one who called this in?’ Pei asked.
‘I am,’ Hua said, nodding. ‘Neither of them were breathing. Rather than call for an ambulance, I thought it best to phone the police directly.’
Hua
’s face seemed oddly drawn, as though his features were still processing the deaths of the two men. His speech, however, was measured and assured.
‘What makes you think that Eumenides is behind this?’
Without uttering a word, Hua handed Pei a sheet of white paper. Lieutenant Yin stepped forward and shone his flashlight onto the printed text.
Death Notice
THE ACCUSED: Vice President Lin Henggan, Vice President Meng Fangliang
CRIMES: Collusion with organised crime
DATE OF PUNISHMENT: 2 November
EXECUTIONER: Eumenides
Pei stared at the strip of paper, his lips tightening. Then he fixed his gaze on Brother Hua.
‘When did you receive this death notice?’
‘Two days ago,’ Hua replied coolly.
‘Why didn’t you report it to the police?’
‘The police?’ Hua’s nostrils flared in anger. ‘Have you forgotten how Mayor Deng died?’
An image of the recent tragedy in the airport waiting room flashed into Pei’s head. An enraged Hua charging towards the officer who had just killed not only his employer but his father figure.
‘What are you police officers good for, exactly?’ Hua spat.
Pei sighed uneasily. His former captain, Han Hao, had shot and killed Mayor Deng, the very man they’d been trying to protect. He could understand why Hua had been loath to involve the police this time. But Pei wasn’t going to get tangled up in the past. He would concentrate on the crime at hand.
‘Is anyone still in there?’ he asked, peering past the open door of the office.