Volume One (Prequel): The Seventh Reader - Chapter 10: SUO Group

A plump female office worker led Fang Mu, Wu Han, and Zhu Lao Si to Xing Zisen's office. Xing Zisen had just taken a nap on the sofa, and when the three of them entered, he quickly got up and motioned for them to sit down.

Fang Mu briefly explained their purpose and took out the English book and notebook from his bag, handing them to Xing Zisen. Xing Zisen seemed very interested and carefully examined them for a while. Finally, he raised the same question as Wu Han: one of the deceased, Song Bo, was not on the list. He looked at Fang Mu, Wu Han, and Zhu Lao Si with a probing gaze, "What do you think this implies?"

The three of them looked at each other somewhat awkwardly, and Wu Han gathered the courage to speak, "We can't be sure if this is a valuable clue, but we found it suspicious, so we brought it to you to see if it could be of any help."

Xing Zisen looked at him, "What's your name?"

"Wu Han."

Xing Zisen lowered his head to look at the list in the notebook, then raised his head again, "If I'm not mistaken, your name is Fang Mu, and you're Zhu Chengqiang, right?"

Fang Mu and Zhu Lao Si nodded.

Xing Zisen said, "All three of you are on this list. Do you think the next victim could be one of you?"

The faces of the three turned red.

"I understand your feelings, but there's no need to be overly nervous. There's currently not enough evidence to prove that these four cases were committed by the same person. So, this book and the library card may just be a coincidence," Xing Zisen noticed that Fang Mu seemed to have something to say but hesitated, so he motioned for him to speak.

"I think these several murder cases were committed by the same person," Fang Mu hesitated before saying.

"Oh? Why?" Xing Zisen raised an eyebrow.

"It's a feeling, a kind of..." Fang Mu carefully considered his words, finding it difficult to express this feeling in appropriate language. Finally, he blurted out the words that had been on his mind: "I feel like I can sense him!"

Zhu Lao Si and Wu Han looked at Fang Mu in surprise.

"Sometimes, I even feel like I am that person!" Fang Mu continued loudly, ignoring them.

Xing Zisen calmly looked at the excited young man in front of him and slowly lit a cigarette, "Do you know what you're saying?"

"I do, but it's not me. You all understand this very well."

Xing Zisen stared at Fang Mu for a while, then slowly lit a cigarette, "Then let's talk about your feelings."

Over the next half hour, Fang Mu recounted to Xing Zisen his thoughts on these several murder cases. Especially after the double murder on the playground, he felt the pleasure the killer found in killing. He emphasized a word: artistic murder.

Xing Zisen listened calmly, but inside he was repeatedly shocked by this young man. Although this description had no factual basis and could even be considered the young man's subjective speculation, using the killer's inner world as a starting point for reasoning was very bold. Although Xing Zisen had not yet decided to link the four murder cases, his guess was consistent with Fang Mu's: the killer was the same person. If this was the premise, then exploring the killer's inner world was undoubtedly crucial to solving the case.

Xing Zisen decided to keep the book and notebook as a clue for further investigation. When he sent them out, he specifically called Fang Mu over and handed him his business card, instructing him to inform him promptly if they discovered any new clues. Fang Mu hesitated for a moment but agreed.

On the way back in the car, Wu Han spoke with a mix of surprise and admiration, "Fang Mu, I didn't expect you to be so capable." Zhu Lao Si also patted Fang Mu's shoulder, "If you have any more ideas in the future, don't keep them to yourself. Speak up, and let's analyze them together."

Fang Mu didn't speak. He tightly clenched the business card in his pocket and looked out the window at the deepening dusk.

Who is that person, really?

The special task force conducted a thorough investigation based on the list of readers from the English book and the library card, but the results were disappointing. It was a book on "International Economics and International Economic Policy" by a foreign author named Philip Jink. Since it was an original English book, not many people borrowed it, and those who did quickly returned it after a few days, likely after finding the information they needed. According to the list on the library card, readers came from the Law School and the Economics Department (besides students from these two departments, few others would be interested in this English book). Among them, the deceased Zhou Jun, Liu Weili, and Jia Feifei had all borrowed this book, but from the sequence on the list, Liu Weili was the earliest, followed by Zhou Jun, and lastly Jia Feifei. The fourth deceased, Jia Feifei's boyfriend, Song Bo, did not appear on this list. The technical investigation team carefully examined the book, trying to find any passwords or hidden messages, but found nothing. The entire book was as good as new, with only a few annotations made by the readers. Inside the special task force, the voices suggesting that the library card was just a coincidence grew louder. After further research, the special task force decided to thoroughly check all the books in the library. If they could find other library cards that listed the names of three or even four victims, it would prove that it was just a coincidence. However, the feedback from the University Library was that they had just finished organizing the library cards and had already destroyed a large batch. Although they were unable to prove conclusively that the library card was just a coincidence, no one was willing to continue the investigation.

However, the news about the "death library card" spread around the campus, and the rumors became more and more bizarre. The most popular version was that there was a book in the library that caused people to die, and everyone who borrowed that book would die. Every day, many people came to find Fang Mu, asking him to check if their names were on that list. Some fainted on the spot upon receiving the answer, while others rejoiced.

"This is not a sustainable situation," Wu Han frowned as he watched another group of people leaving Room 352 with a look of relief.

"What can we do then? That idiot from the Economics Department in his second year has come three times already. I told him the first time that his name wasn't on the library card, but he didn't believe me, as if I was out to get him," Fang Mu said wearily.

"Have you received any news from the police?" Wu Han asked.

"No," Fang Mu said somewhat disheartenedly, "I guess they think it's just a coincidence."

"What do you think?"

Fang Mu hesitated and said, "I don't think so. There must be something wrong with that library card."

Fang Mu took out the notebook again and looked at the names on it.

"Perhaps the next person to die is among these people."

Wu Han and Zhu Lao Si shuddered.

After a long silence, Zhu Lao Si raised his head, a hint of fear flashing in his eyes, "Perhaps..."

He avoided the gaze of Wu Han and Fang Mu.

"Are you saying that the killer might be among the names on this list?" Fang Mu said calmly. "I had already thought of that."

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The three of them sat in silence for a while.

"I suggest we have a meeting," Wu Han said slowly, "with everyone."

The meeting was scheduled for 4:30 in the afternoon, when the cafeteria was serving meals, so most people were there, and it was less likely to be disturbed. The meeting place was arranged in the staircase classroom on the sixth floor of the Law School. Fang Mu, Wu Han, and Zhu Lao Si informed the other people on the list. By around 4:40, everyone had arrived.

They were: Law School senior students Gao Guodong, Qi Xin; junior students Fang Mu, Wu Han, Zhu Chengqiang, Wang Jian; Economics Department junior students Chen Xi (female), Wang Pei (female), Liao Chuang; sophomore students Zou Qi, Liu Bailong.

A strange atmosphere filled the classroom. Everyone secretly glanced at each other, and those who knew each other whispered to each other. Fang Mu felt many eyes on him and felt somewhat uncomfortable, but as the initiator of the meeting, he had to stay composed.

Fang Mu cleared his throat and picked up the notebook, "I think most of us are here. I will call your name, and when I do, please stand up so we can all get to know each other."

Fang Mu started with the Law School students. Gao Guodong and Qi Xin were senior classmates who often played basketball together, so they were quite familiar with each other. As for Wu Han and Zhu Chengqiang, there was no need to say more. When he called Wang Jian's name, no one spoke. After calling it a second time, a gloomy-looking male student in the corner lazily responded.

In fact, Fang Mu recognized him; he had transferred to their class just this year. The Law School had a special class known as the base class. The students in this class were recruited separately and, after completing four years, they could directly pursue a master's degree. Of course, competition for this class was fierce, with ten percent being eliminated through exams at the end of each year, and those eliminated were placed in other regular classes. Correspondingly, students from regular classes could enter this base class through exams. Wang Jian had been eliminated from the base class in the exam last year and was placed in Fang Mu's class. However, this guy hadn't been attending classes much this semester, so although Fang Mu recognized him, they weren't close.

After finishing the list, Fang Mu let out a long sigh, as if it had been a difficult task. Indeed, among these eleven people, perhaps the next victim was among them. This list felt like an invitation to hell, instilling fear in everyone.

"As you all know, there have been a series of murders on campus in the past three months, with four students killed. I found this book and a library card in the library, and three of the four deceased students, Zhou Jun, Liu Weili, and Jia Feifei, had borrowed this book."

Although everyone in the room knew about this, most of them shivered after hearing Fang Mu's words.

"I don't know what connection this library card has to these murders, but personally, I feel this is not a coincidence. Of course, I really hope it is, so I want to remind everyone," Fang Mu glanced at each person's face, "Our lives are at stake, and we need to be extremely vigilant, even for a one-in-a-million chance."

A cold laugh came from the corner. Fang Mu looked in that direction, and Wang Jian shook his head with a smile.

Fang Mu retracted his gaze, "I know some of you are skeptical about why I think this way. I'll tell you, I'm not a police officer, and solving cases is not my job. I don't need any evidence. I am not trying to conceal anything. This is all based on my intuition. I don't expect everyone to trust me, but I hope everyone can raise their vigilance, because the next victim could very well be among us," he paused for a moment, and the room was as silent as the dead, "One person's power is limited, so I hope everyone can help each other, protect each other, and try not to act alone whenever possible. If you find anything suspicious around you, report it immediately. In short, we need to stick together as a group. Perhaps in this way, we," he licked his dry lips, "can save our own lives."

"But why can't we have the police protect us?" a female student from the Economics Department asked. Fang Mu remembered her name was Wang Pei.

"As far as I know, the police haven't made much progress on this case, and they don't believe the library card has anything to do with these murders," Wu Han said calmly. "In other words, what we're discussing here today is nothing but nonsense in their eyes."

"So what should we do?" Zou Qi from the Economics Department's second year asked.

"Just as I said earlier, try not to act alone, especially at night. Wherever you go, try to have someone with you. If you notice anything suspicious, report it immediately," Fang Mu paused, "It's best if we split into two groups, one for the Economics Department and one for the Law School. If it's not too much trouble, each group should stay together as much as possible, except for attending classes and sleeping. It would be more convenient if someone from the Economics Department could lead that group and keep in touch."

"I won't do it," a male student from the Economics Department stood up and said. Fang Mu remembered his name was Liao Chuang. "I live in the city, and I go home after classes every day. Besides, this is too absurd."

"Alright, you may leave," Fang Mu said with a stern expression. "If anyone thinks I'm talking nonsense, you can leave." He looked at Wang Jian, who kept his head down and remained seated without moving.

Liao Chuang walked out angrily and slammed the door. The others looked at each other, and no one moved.

In the following hour, Fang Mu and the remaining people discussed their plans and contact information for the future. They decided to follow Fang Mu's suggestion and split into two groups. Fang Mu would be responsible for coordinating the Law School group, while Chen Xi volunteered to lead the Economics Department group. They agreed to stay together as much as possible, meeting at the cafeteria at 5 pm every day to check attendance and exchange information about the day's events. Fang Mu and Chen Xi exchanged their dormitory phone numbers and pager numbers. Finally, someone suggested giving the small group a name, and Liu Bailong blurted out, "Let's call it the SUO Group." Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, he added, "save us ourselves." Everyone cheered in agreement.

After the meeting, Fang Mu, Wu Han, and Zhu Lao Si left the staircase classroom. Fang Mu felt a bit tired but also excited, as if he had just accomplished something extraordinary. The three of them walked slowly through the darkening campus, shoulder to shoulder, with a sense of camaraderie and shared life and death.

"Now that everyone is united and looking out for each other, it will be difficult for the killer to strike," Zhu Lao Si said, looking up at the sky.

"Yes, and..." Fang Mu hesitated.

"Are you thinking that if the killer is really among this list, it's good to restrain him?" Wu Han said.

Fang Mu smiled somewhat embarrassedly, admitting it.

"To be honest, have you ever suspected me and Zhu Lao Si?" Wu Han turned to ask.

Fang Mu thought for a moment and said, "No, have you?"

Wu Han and Zhu Lao Si exchanged a smile, "No, as always, you don't have the guts! Haha."

The moon above seemed to suddenly shine brighter.