Skinner's Box (Fang Mu (Eastern Crimes))

by Lei Mi

"Can I do anything for them?" Luo Jiahai looked up, his face streaked with tears. "I'll do anything!"

  "The only thing you can do right now is keep yourself safe." Mr. Z reached over and squeezed Luo Jiahai's shoulder. "We all knew what we might be getting into when we decided to do this together. As I said, don't dwell on it too much. When the time comes we'll scrape some money together and give it to Mr. T's and Mr. H's families."

  Luo Jiahai wiped his eyes and nodded.

  Mr. Z smiled and pointed at the cake on the table. "I bought you that cake you wanted."

  "Oh, thank you."

  "What did you want it for? Is it your birthday or something?"

  "No, it's Shen Xiang's birthday."

  "Ah," Mr. Z said, and nodded sympathetically. "I'll leave you to it then."

  "Z," Luo Jiahai said. "My thing... When will we do it?"

  "I'm afraid we'll have to wait a while." Mr. Z sighed. "Things are way too hot right now, and J and Q won't be able to participate in any operations for quite some time. But be patient; I'll let you know when the time is ripe."

  After Mr. Z left the room was again plunged into stillness. Luo Jiahai sat staring into space for a while, and then turned his gaze to the cake box on the table. The sight of it filled him with renewed vigor.

  He tore open the lid, inserted the candles that had been included, and lit them one at a time. After he was finished he reached up to turn out the light.

  The flickering light from the candles brought a cozy atmosphere to the dark little room. Luo Jiahai stared blankly at the tiny points of light as they danced and wobbled about, blurring his eyes until they had morphed into a pretty girl in a delicate white dress. He smiled, and a pair of tears trickled down from his eyes and dripped from his chin.

  "Happy...birthday...to you... Happy...birthday...to you..."Luo Jiahai sang in almost a whisper, clapping softly along, but soon was so choked with sobs that he could not continue.

  Happy birthday, Shen Xiang…

  It dawned on Bian Ping that Fang Mu had been acting very strange over the past few days. He had spent an entire work shift at the Bureau of Civil Affairs and then the next day he had spent from morning to evening in the Household Registration Division. On the odd occasion that he had seen him in the Municipal Bureau, Fang Mu had sat quietly by himself the whole time, staring into a computer screen. Thinking he might have made an important discovery of some sort, Bian Ping had asked him what the good news was, but Fang Mu's response had been evasive. Bian Ping wondered moodily what sort of game Fang Mu was playing, but he decided to resist the urge to confront him. Instead he waited patiently for Fang Mu to come to him; after all, Bian Ping was not only his elder but his superior as well, so that had to count for something.

  When Fang Mu finally came into his office to look for him, the first words out of the young officer's mouth left Bian Ping speechless.

  "Captain, I need a gun."

  The heavy piece of iron was digging uncomfortably into Fang Mu's hip as he sat in the jeep. A little while ago, while in the armory, Fang Mu had chosen not to take one of the smaller, more compact models such as the 64 or the 66; instead he had opted for the 54, which was the largest and heaviest model available. His only reason had been that it had looked practical and reliable to him. It was not just that, however; the word among policemen on the street was that this sort of gun had a relatively low malfunction rate and was easiest to use. When the crucial moment came to pull the trigger, those things were more important than any other consideration.

  Fang Mu was carrying a gun just to play on the safe side, but in his heart he hoped with all his being that he would not need to use it.

  A loudspeaker had been installed in the tree just outside the fence in front of Angel Hall, and from it a cold metallic voice was repeating its obligatory mantra: "Becoming aware of the overall situation, actively cooperating with the work of the government, and conscientiously working toward a successful demolition and relocation—all these are every citizen's bounden duty…"

  When Sister Zhao saw Fang Mu's vehicle stopped near the gate, her tightly-knit brow loosened a little and she hurried over to greet him with a forced smile on her face. "What brings you here today?" She opened the iron gate for him. "Drive on in; don't park outside."

  Deep in thought, Fang Mu was too distracted to engage in any pleasantries. "Why?" he asked simply.

  "Because I'm worried that gang of bastards might damage your vehicle." Sister Zhao made a face in the direction of the loudspeaker. "Quite a few families around here aren't going to leave without a fight. They've been smashing windows willy-nilly."

  "Ah, okay." Fang Mu picked up a thick folder from the dashboard and closed the car door behind him. "Is Teacher Zhou here?"

  "He sure is," Sister Zhao chirped. "Go on in; I'll watch your car for you."

  Fang Mu nodded his thanks, looked up at the two-story building, sighed heavily, and strode toward it.

  Teacher Zhou was in one of the children's rooms repairing a bed. When Fang Mu entered, he looked up and laughed a startled greeting. "Ah, what are you doing here?"

  Fang Mu did not smile. He said bluntly, "Teacher Zhou, you and I need to talk."

  "All right," Teacher Zhou said, seeing the seriousness written on Fang Mu's face. He motioned for him to sit. "Is it about Liao Yafan?"

  "No," Fang Mu said slowly. "It's about Shen Xiang."

  Teacher Zhou's body shook as if it had been struck by lightning, causing the wrench in his hand to clatter to the floor.

  The old man's reaction made Fang Mu feel even more convinced that his gut had been right. "You knew Shen Xiang, correct?"

  All the strength seemed to have suddenly drained from Teacher Zhou's body as he slumped against the bed frame. A long minute passed before he finally opened his mouth. "How did you know?"

  "On the night of January 23rd, you went to Dragon Peak Cemetery to visit Shen Xiang's grave, correct?"

  Teacher Zhou began to tremble. After a moment he whispered, "Give me a cigarette."

  Fang Mu got out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to him, then watched as he took one out with a shaking hand, lit it, and began puffing furiously on it.

  "Teacher Zhou," Fang Mu said, staring at his haggard eyes. "Who in the hell are you?"

  Teacher Zhou looked extremely uncomfortable. His eyes were half-closed and he was shaking his head, as if trying desperately to shake free of some memories that he had tried hard to forget.

  Fang Mu knew he would get no answer. "Zhou Zhenbang, male, born in Changhong City on September 7, 1945. In 1964, he tested into the School of Psychology at Beijing Normal University; in July 1971, he was given a teaching position at Changhong City Normal University. In 1983, the Institute of Psychology was established at the Changhong City Academy of Social Sciences, and Zhou Zhenbang was appointed its director. In 1999, Zhou Zhenbang resigned suddenly, and ever since his whereabouts have been unknown." Fang Mu closed the folder in his hands. "But from what I've been able to gather, five years ago Zhou Zhenbang changed his name to Zhou Guoqing, and later established Angel Hall orphanage. And he himself is sitting right in front of me."

  Teacher Zhou gave a wry laugh. "Well, I see you've got your facts straight."

  "The first time I ate dinner at Angel Hall, you mentioned that you had attended a lecture in the tallest, white-stoned structure at Harvard." Fang Mu retrieved a photograph from the folder. "Harvard's tallest building is the William James Hall. From the outside it resembles an office building constructed from white stones, and it also just happens to be where the psychology department is. I did a search of all the psychologists in Changhong City with the surname Zhou and had no trouble finding your information."

  "If you know so much about me, then why bother asking?"

  "What I want to know is, what exactly was the nature of your relationship with Shen Xiang?"

  Wordlessly, Teacher Zhou slid another cigarette from the pack, lit it, and sat puffing in silence. Fang Mu waited.

  When he had
finished the cigarette, Teacher Zhou exhaled heavily and lifted his head. "Little Fang, I can tell you what you want to know. But please regard this as nothing more than an old man's repentance for mistakes he made when he was young. I don't know whether or not you'll be able to forgive me after you've heard what I have to say, but you must believe me, from the day I founded Angel Hall I had already decided to use the rest of my life to atone for my sins."

  Fang Mu gazed into his turbid eyes and at once he saw tears that were both remorseful and full of sorrow. He nodded gently.

  "All right." Teacher Zhou clenched his hands into fists, as if to encourage himself to divulge an unspeakable secret. "Have you ever heard of Skinner's Box?"

  "Skinner's Box?" Fang Mu's eyes widened. "Are you talking about Burrhus Frederic Skinner?"

  "Yes," Teacher Zhou exclaimed, taken aback. "Are you sure you're just a regular cop?"

  Fang Mu did not answer. Skinner had been one of America's most renowned psychologists and behaviorists. He had opposed the idea that psychoanalysis was the only method worth using to probe a person's psyche, and advocated predicting and controlling human behavior rather than speculating on human psychological states and processes. He proposed a theory of "operant conditioning," believing that people and other animals would behave in certain fixed ways in reaction to their environment in order to achieve specific goals. When a behavior resulted in an external reward, then that behavior would reemerge in the future with increasing frequency; when it resulted in something unfavorable, then that behavior would diminish or completely disappear. Thus, according to this theory, people could manipulate the outcome of certain behaviors by way of positive or negative reinforcement and thereby gradually correct those behaviors. These were the basics of Skinner's behavior modification theory. His earliest use of the theory had been on animals, and to that end he had created what was to become known as the "Skinner Box." The box contained such devices as levers, a feeding tray, and tiny pedals. Skinner would place an animal – usually a pigeon or a mouse – inside the box and study its behavior in reaction to specific stimuli. Rumor had it that he had even used his own daughter as a test subject and had placed her in a large version of the box.

  But what could such a controversial scientist have to do with the cases?

  "The '80s and '90s were a period during which intellectual thought, having been restricted for so many years, suddenly erupted." Teacher Zhou seemed to be staring at something far away, as if recalling a great era of excitement and enthusiasm. "I had wasted too much of my life during the Cultural Revolution. You might imagine my excitement when I finally had a chance to pursue my aspirations. Life is but a handful of overly-hurried years, and what scholar does not desire to leave his theories and writings for later generations to study? So, after I took over as director at the Institute of Psychology, I chose to dedicate myself to a project which, at the time, I believed could change the course of human evolution—the Indoctrination Field Scheme."

  "Indoctrination field? What does that mean?"

  "The results of Skinner's experiments led him to believe that so-called 'free will' did not exist in humans, and that our actions are controlled purely by reinforcement mechanisms. Although this theory was heavily criticized, it has in fact benefited later generations, " Teacher Zhou said. "Desensitization therapy and flooding therapy, used to treat people suffering from phobias and anxiety disorders, are both based on Skinner's behaviorism theory. Skinner dreamed of building a human society on the foundations of behavioral engineering and using his brand of 'radical' behaviorism to control people's behavior. Truth be told, I was intensely interested in this, because during the Cultural Revolution I had witnessed far too many acts that went completely against human nature. I very much wanted to learn what exactly had caused the entire nation to succumb to a collective disorder. If I could discover that illusive and mysterious force, then we could thoroughly reinforce and strengthen humanity's social nature in order to build a better world. And so we envisioned the construction of a great project, a great arena that could externally influence human behavior and this we named the Indoctrination Field."

  "You mean..."Fang Mu suddenly felt nauseated."You mean using drills and training to foster certain personality traits, and thereby influence behavior—just like training animals?"

  "I understand your revulsion." Teacher Zhou closed his eyes. "I also know that this scheme is unethical. But for me, academic success was just too enticing of a force. At the time I rationalized that even if I might be reviled by future generations the way Skinner was, as long as I could make a contribution by exploring the mystery of being human, it would be worth it. So, I decided to go ahead and initiate the Indoctrination Field Scheme."

  At some point the sky outside the window had begun to darken. An ominous line of black clouds drifted slowly over to cover the city and snow seemed eminent. The cramped little room dimmed even further, leaving the two men's faces obscured in shadow but for the hot orange dots at the ends of their cigarettes.

  "Only I and my immediate assistant knew about the scheme, " Teacher Zhou continued. "Our first step was to select a few people to be test subjects; most of them were kids from ordinary families. Every year a number of graduate students would come to the Institute of Psychology to do internships. I asked some of these interns to follow the test subjects and take impartial notes on their daily lives, but I did not tell them why. Meanwhile, I secretly recruited some volunteers from the community. These, too, were just ordinary people, and after putting them through a rigorous series of interviews, I made sure that none of them knew each other or had even the most indirect of connections to one another. After observing the test subjects for a period of time, I arranged for the volunteers to manufacture some sudden occurrences in the subjects' lives, such as making them witness sexual behavior, or be suddenly embraced by someone, or be taken to a pitch-black location and left, etcetera, etcetera. After each incident occurred, I had the specific volunteer sign a confidentiality agreement and then compensated him with a monetary reward, and then I severed all ties with that person. Once this step was complete, I dismissed all the interns involved in observing the test subjects and replaced them with new interns who would observe the test subjects' reactions and post-occurrence behavior. The reasons and details were not divulged to these new interns, either, of course. In this way I could ensure that no one would know the purpose and process of the experiment."

  Fang Mu frowned. "Let me see if I understand what you're saying. You mean, you artificially manufactured some events in the test subjects' lives?"

  "Correct." Teacher Zhou seemed to struggle to spit the word out. "That way I could make the test subjects think the way I wanted them to think, act the way I wanted them to act. In other words, force them to experience the lives I had chosen for them."

  Fang Mu's gaze had fallen to the wooden floorboards. He looked up suddenly and studied the old man. His body was slumped against the bed frame and the wall, chin hanging down against his frail chest, looking for all the world like a child caught in the act of doing something naughty. But who could have imagined, Fang Mu wondered, that this man's heart had ever harbored evil intentions?

  "What happened next?"

  "There were five people total in the first batch of test subjects. Apart from the child who witnessed a sexual act, none of the others exhibited any intense, long-term emotional reactions, so ten years later I selected a second batch of test subjects. I was full of confidence at the time; my plan was to allow this scheme to continue in the long term, and allow myself twenty or twenty-five years to complete the experiment. If all went well, I would have accomplished a feat the likes of which anyone in the academic world would be envious. Skinner had proved how helpful positive reinforcement could be in establishing good behavior, and I would prove how equally effective punishment could be in molding a person's thoughts and actions. But exactly two years later, the unexpected happened…"

  "What was it?" Fang Mu asked.
/>   Teacher Zhou let out a sigh and gently thumped his forehead against the railing of the bed. "While I was reading over a report from an intern who had been following one of the test subjects, it occurred to me that that particular test subject had had an extremely strange emotional reaction, one much more intense than I would have imagined likely. My assistant was the one in charge of this test subject, so I asked him about the report. At first he was evasive, but when I pushed him on the matter, he finally admitted that there had been a problem with the community volunteer involved—not only had he not acted within the experiment's guidelines, he had actually raped the girl...

  "Shen Xiang?" Fang Mu blurted.

  "Yes." A tear rolled down each of Teacher Zhou's pale cheeks. "The news shocked me to the very fiber of my being. I stayed in my office for the rest of the day. I began to doubt whether what I had been doing could be considered true scientific research or not, and for the first time I considered abandoning the whole project. But my mind was made up once and for all by what happened next."

  "Which was?"

  Teacher Zhou, slumped against the bed railing, was now sobbing so hard he was unable to continue. As Fang Mu glared at the tearful old man, he did not know which he felt more, loathing or sympathy.

  After a long time, Teacher Zhou's sobs finally subsided. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve and said, voice quavering, "One of the children, after we experimented on him, couldn't bear the terror in his heart, so he killed himself. The child's name was Weiwei…"

  "What?" Fang Mu jumped to his feet. "Sister Zhao's son?"

  "Yes," Teacher Zhou said, peering at Fang Mu with eyes that seemed to be begging for him to charge over and beat him into oblivion. "After Weiwei died, I decided to completely abandon the Indoctrination Field Scheme. I destroyed all record of the experiment, including the several treatises on which I had worked so long and hard. After that I resigned from my position as director, for I no longer felt I deserved recognition as a psychologist. I changed my name and completely withdrew from all the social circles in which I had been involved, then bought this piece of land and built the orphanage. Then I brought Sister Zhao here, who was on the verge of emotional collapse. I had done irreparable harm to so many children; all I wanted to do was nurture as many kids as I could who had been abandoned or deeply hurt. My hope was that if I could help enough children, I might atone for the horrible mistakes of my youth."