by Mi Lei
He had come back.
Yesterday evening, when Fang Mu's face had emerged from the darkness, quietly calling her name, she had thought she was hallucinating.
But he really was back. And he had brought hope back with him.
Lu Haiyan composed herself. With trembling hands, she entered three characters into the password prompt.
The password was "Lu Haitao", her brother's name.
Despite having been called Recordings, the compressed file only contained a single .doc. Lu Haiyan quickly opened the file. She had barely read the first few lines before recoiling in fear. But fear slowly gave birth to unyielding resolve.
The smoke became one with the dust and together they silently drifted through the ancestral hall.
His Type 54 still at the ready, Fang Mu descended from the stage and walked over to the bodies.
A bullet had torn into the bodyguard's stomach. All life had drained from the man's eyes.
Lu Dachun had been hit four times. One of the shots had punctured his neck. Even though he was already dead, a lively flow of blood continued to spill from the wound.
Lu Tianchang had taken a bullet between the eyes, leaving the back of his head a bloody, broken mess.
Lu Dajiang had been hit in the leg and more critically in the right side of his chest. He was propping himself against a pillar, moaning loudly. When he saw Fang Mu, he screamed in fear.
Fang Mu quickly kicked Lu Dajiang's gun out of reach and moved on to the next body.
It was Liang Sihai, staring up at the ceiling with half a face. From the looks of it, the left side of his head had been turned to a pulp by Lu Dachun's large-bore flintlock pistol. As Fang Mu kneeled down to get a closer look, he another entry wound in the left side of his chest and the right side of his abdomen. A puddle of bright red blood was steadily spreading out from underneath his body. To his surprise, Liang Sihai was still breathing. Short, ragged rasps were joined by bloody bubbles pouring from the corner of his mouth.
Fang Mu stared down at the peeled flesh, ripped muscle, and exposed skull that had once been Liang Sihai's regal face. The remaining eye painfully turned toward him.
"You…" Liang Sihai struggled to force the words past the blood in his throat.
"Don't look to me. This was all your doing." Fang Mu tapped the police ID on his chest with Ding Shucheng's pistol. The man on the badge's photo was looking down at Liang Sihai with a perpetual frown. It was Commissioner Xing Zhisen.
"Oh, oh, oh…" The light of realization spread through the mist clouding Liang Sihai's eye. Unwilling to surrender, he struggled to grab the badge off Fang Mu's chest. His hand never made it that far. Halfway to the badge, Liang Sihai's entire arm went limp and dropped to the dusty floor. His eye, too, had stopped moving as the last glimmer of light died deep within.
A deep sense of calm filled Fang Mu's heart as he slowly rose to his feet.
Suddenly, a shadow moved to his right.
Someone was rolling across the cold, dusty floor. Then, two bullets screamed past Fang Mu. He spun around to face his attacker, but he had already taken cover behind a pillar. Fang Mu followed his lead and dodged behind the nearest pillar. It turned out to be the one Lu Dajiang was leaning against.
No more than 15 feet separated Fang Mu from his attacker. They were close enough to hear each other's panting breath. Both their hearts were pounding.
"It was all one big psy-op, am I right?" Xiao Wang shouted out from behind the pillar. His words were followed by a burst of violent coughing. He continued. "Very smart. Getting us to kill each other."
Fang Mu didn't answer. He was peeking out from behind his pillar, trying to line up a shot, but Xiao Wang was completely hidden behind his cover. There was no way he would be able to hit the traitorous officer from there.
By now, Lu Dajiang had realized that he was sitting right in the line of fire. Unable to move, he began to wail in sheer panic.
"Shut up!" Xiao Wang screamed at him. His voice was teetering at the edge of sanity. "Make him shut up!"
His shout seemed to cost Xiao Wang all remaining strength. For several long moments, he could only gasp for air. As his breathing calmed, he spoke again. "I should have never made you my enemy… I should have killed you while I had the chance." Every word was now punctuated by a new round of labored panting. "When Liang Sihai mentioned recordings, I knew: This is all your doing… You fired the first shot, didn't you?"
Fang Mu smiled as he reached from behind the pillar to move Lu Dajiang somewhere safer. The moment Fang Mu grabbed hold of him, the villager screamed in excruciating agony.
"Make him shut up!" Xiao Wang roared. "I want to talk to you in peace and quiet!" His voice broke on the last word. Again he had to struggle to catch his failing breath. "Talk to me, dammit!" His voice now sounded strangely distorted. "That recording you supposedly have isn't real, is it? It's just another fake, like Zheng Lin's, am I right?"
Fang Mu chuckled. "You're right."
Zheng Lin, Young Hai, and Little Zhan's work had not been in vain. Fang Mu had taken a still from their video and given it to Pei Lan, who had then passed it on to Liang Sihai.
Xiao Wang joined his laughter. He sounded jubilant to have figured it out. "Want to know how I know? Because I have Jing Xu's tapes."
Fang Mu's smile froze on his face. "What did you say?" His voice was shrill.
Xiao Wang laughed. He could not have been more proud of himself. "You remember when we went to buy you a new cell phone? While you were at the register, I installed a very useful little gadget in your phone… I heard everything you and Jing Xu talked about in his apartment. It's a shame it broke when you fell into the river, otherwise—"
"You killed Jing Xu and took the tapes?" Fang Mu's voice held disbelief.
"Yes." Xiao Wang cut to the chase. "I still need to thank you for helping me clean the scene afterwards." He burst into breathless, rasping laughter.
Fang Mu ground his teeth hard enough to hurt. Squeezing his eyes shut, he asked, "Why are you telling me all this?"
To his surprise, Xiao Wang didn't offer an immediate retort.
The seconds ticked by and still there wasn't even a rasp from Xiao Wang.
Had he run away? Fang Mu cautiously leaned out from behind the pillar. The loud crack of a gunshot rang out, then another. Fang Mu threw himself back behind cover, crouching. He had just made it back to safety when he noticed that Lu Dajiang had gone limp.
One bullet had ripped through Lu Dajiang's left temple, the other had pierced his cheek. Steaming brain matter and blood slowly slid down the pillar.
Before Fang Mu could take it all in, he heard a loud clang. It was a Type 92, landing in the middle of the hall.
"Now, it's just you and me." Xiao Wang's voice was fading fast. "You can come over here; that was my gun."
After a moment's hesitation, Fang Mu got up, readied his pistol, and cautiously walked over.
Xiao Wang was leaning against the pillar, his legs sprawled out in front of him. There were two holes in his leather jacket. The sweater underneath was already soaked full of blood.
"Relax," Xiao Wang said as he awkwardly twisted his lolling head to see Fang Mu. With a feeble smile, he asked, "Do you have a smoke?"
Fang Mu took a pack from his pocket and tossed it toward him.
It was a painful struggle, but Xiao Wang managed to pull out a cigarette and stick it between his bloodless lips. After a few tries, he managed to light it. He only inhaled twice before a violent bout of coughing shook his entire body. His head flopped and blood sprayed from his mouth, spattering the pillar.
Fang Mu moved to support him, but before he could reach down, Xiao Wang had already caught himself.
Realizing Fang Mu's intention, a weak smile spread across Xiao Wang's pale face. "I fucking love you, too. It's a shame… A shame we won't be working together." He mustered his final reserves and propped himself up. "I'm dying. For old times' sake, will you do me one last favor?"
Fang Mu stared a
t him in silence. He nodded.
"I kept those tapes, just in case I ran into trouble with Liang Sihai; I guess I won't be needing them anymore. You can have them." Xiao Wang smiled bitterly. "But only under one condition."
Fang Mu nodded. "What do you want?"
Xiao Wang slowly and painfully reached into his pocket and handed Fang Mu a key. "It's for the Beikai Fitness Club, locker six-sixty-three." The last trace of color was draining from his face. Looking up across the battlefield that the ancestral hall had become, he said, "Come up with a good explanation for all this. Anything will do. Just promise me that you'll tell them that I died in the line of duty. I want to be cremated wearing my uniform."
Fang Mu looked from the key in his hand and back to Xiao Wang's face. He slowly, but firmly shook his head. "No."
Xiao Wang's half-closed eyes flew open. "Why?"
"Old Xing, Ding Shucheng, Zheng Lin, Young Hai, and Little Zhan." Tears welled up in Fang Mu's eyes. "They all died to save others. You, you're just dying." He stood straighter and looked down at Xiao Wang. "You are nothing like them. You don't deserve to die as a police officer."
Fang Mu pushed the key into his pocket, turned and walked away.
"No, Fang Mu, I beg you… Fang Mu… I beg you!" Xiao Wang spent his last breath desperately calling out behind him.
Fang Mu didn't look back.
The shouts grew ever weaker with each of his steps. As he pushed the ancestral hall's door open, they finally died.
The villagers had gathered in front of the ancestral hall. As Fang Mu emerged, one of them screamed in shock. Fang Mu let his gaze wander across the crowd. The once-murderous mob had become a mass of frightened faces. Should they be forgiven? Or should they be punished? Fang Mu couldn't find an answer in his heart.
He only knew that in a few short hours, the sun would rise again and bring light to this dark corner of China.
Maybe the light would pierce down into the earth and illuminate the Dragon Tail Cave and the blind fish would open their eyes, and then the waters below would again flow, silent and undisturbed.
Fang Mu was drained and weary, but he was smiling.
Epilogue
Hear the Wind Sing
On December 28, a multiple homicide occurred in Lu Village, Dragon Tail Township. A total of six bodies were recovered from the scene. Most had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. As the investigators set out to examine and identify the bodies, they were surprised to find a Changhong City police officer, Xiao Wang, among the dead. Further investigation revealed that three of the other deceased had suffered gunshot wounds caused by Xiao Wang's Type 92. After all the bullets had been retrieved and their trajectories analyzed, only a single bullet remained that could not be matched to any of the guns found at the scene.
Local residents were questioned and their testimony provided the investigators with a critical lead: According to witnesses, a Mr. Fang was seen leaving the scene. The villagers were able to provide the police with a detailed description of this person of interest and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
At four a.m. on December 29, a van without license plates drove past the Changhong City Municipal Bureau. It briefly stopped and a sack was dropped onto the sidewalk. The van then sped away. When the officers on duty inspected the sack, they were surprised to find an unconscious, middle-aged man inside. The man was identified as Jin Yongyu, a fugitive wanted on multiple serious charges, including homicide. After being taken into custody, Jin Yongyu repeatedly claimed to have been kidnapped and held captive by an unknown group. He could, however, describe neither the location where he was allegedly held nor a single one of his kidnappers. Jin Yongyu claimed that this was due to the fact that he had been blindfolded for the entire stretch of his captivity.
On December 30, a USB storage medium was delivered to both the Changhong City People's Procuratorate and the Discipline Inspection Commission. According to inside sources, the memory sticks contained shocking revelations that involved numerous high-ranking officials. The identity of the whistleblower remains a mystery.
December 31, Changhong City Airport.
Pei Lan's tall, slender frame drew the eyes of both travelers and airport staff, but a wig and sunglasses successfully concealed her true identity. She was waiting, an elegant pull along bag by her side. Every so often she would glance down at her watch and then anxiously stare into the endless throngs mulling through the airport.
When the airport's PA system again urged all passengers for the flight bound for Tokyo to immediately board the plane, Pei Lan finally decided to go. Pulling the bag behind her, she slowly walked toward the security gate.
Suddenly, she felt somebody grab hold of her bag. Startled, she spun around. It only took a glimpse for a smile to spread across her entire face.
"I thought you wouldn't come," she said, shaking her head.
"I ran into some trouble on the way." Fang Mu shared her smile. "Looks like I just made it."
There was no more need for words; their eyes said it all. Each gaze captured the other, engraving memories for a lifetime.
Somewhere in the busy hall of the airport, a familiar English song was playing.
"Happy New Year, Happy New Year, Happy new year to you all…"
Fang Mu's smile suddenly broadened. "Happy New Year."
There was a twinkle in Pei Lan's eyes. "Happy New Year."
They held each other's gaze in silence.
After several long moments, Fang Mu broke the silence. "What are your plans?"
"I'm going to Japan," she quietly said. "And from there on to America. I want to take some more acting courses. Then, I will begin a new life."
"Will you come back?" he asked.
"I don't know." A note of sadness tinged her voice, but it was just a flicker, gone as quickly as it had come. "Who can say what the future will bring?"
He nodded. Suddenly, his smile turned mischievous. "You need to give me an autograph. When you're a big star, it will be worth a ton." He quickly produced a notepad and pen. When he looked up to hand them to her, tears were already streaming down Pei Lan's face.
Before he could do or say anything, she had wrapped her arms around him. For a moment, he hesitated, but then he let the notepad and pen fall to the floor and opened his arms to return her tight embrace. He could feel her shoulders tremble.
To the constant stream of passengers passing through the security gate, they were just another couple, saying their goodbyes. What they didn't know was that their embrace was not one of love, nor was it even one of friendship. Their embrace was a symbol of a deeper connection; of the simple truth that they would never forget each other.
She leaned up to whisper into his ear. "Take care of yourself... You really must take care of yourself."
With that, she let go, took her pull along bag and walked toward the security gate. She never looked back.
Fang Mu stood motionless as he watched her disappear to the other side of the security gate. The warmth of her body faded to a memory. When it was gone, he turned and slowly walked toward the exit.
Outside the airport, the hectic blue-red flash of police lights was already waiting for him. A dozen police cars surrounded the main entrance. Bian Ping was standing next to one of the cars, his body protected by the vehicle's door. He was staring straight at Fang Mu, a mess of emotions playing across his face.
Fang Mu put his hands up into the air and slowly walked toward the waiting officers. There was nothing but calm in his face and firm resolve in his step.
Fang Mu readily gave the investigators an account why he had been at the Lu Village ancestral hall that day. When he was asked about the unaccounted for 7.62 caliber bullet, Fang Mu insisted that he had no idea who might have fired it. As there was no evidence that corroborated his statements, the investigating officers decided to subject Fang Mu to a polygraph test.
The examiner they called upon was Han Weiming.
The pre-test interview was scheduled to take place in Meeting Roo
m 3 of the Municipal Bureau. Months ago – it felt like years – he had been in that very room chatting and laughing with Xing Zhisen and Han Weiming. It was a happy memory on the surface, but sadness lurked below. It also left Fang Mu with a deep sense of dread.
It would be Han Weiming, and he would see right through his lies and expose the secrets beneath.
The door opened and Han Weiming entered. He looked as relaxed as ever. The polygraph expert sat down across from Fang Mu and studied him for a few seconds.
"It seems we were fated to meet again," he quipped with a friendly smile.
Fang Mu returned his smile, but did not answer.
"You're half a polygraph expert yourself by now." Han Weiming lit himself a cigarette, then he pushed the pack toward Fang Mu. "How about it? Do you want a refresher course on the basics?"
"No need." Fang Mu shook his head.
Han Weiming carefully watched Fang Mu's every move. His eyes lingered on the many fresh scars that covered Fang Mu's body that he could see. The smile slowly faded from Han Weiming's face.
After a long silence, he finally released Fang Mu from his gaze to concentrate on his cigarette. The cigarette smoked to a butt, he stubbed it into the ashtray. With a soft sigh, the polygraph expert looked back up.
"Let's get down to business then." A bright light seemed to flash across Han Weiming's eyes as he rested his elbows on the table. "In your current state, do you feel that you will be a viable candidate for a psychological testing procedure?"
Fang Mu nodded slightly. "Absolutely."
There was no point delaying the inevitable.
Han Weiming suddenly smiled again. "You really are a hard case, boy." He sounded strangely pleased.
His gaze wandered back to the scars on Fang Mu's forehead. "You've been tempered." Han Weiming seemed to be speaking in slow-motion, stressing every single word. "They would've taken you at the KGB."
With a bitter smile, Fang Mu reached for a cigarette. His hand was halfway across the table when his mind made it all the way.