Volume Two: Portrait - Chapter 7: Forgetting

Tai Wei was so busy that he didn't realize it was already past 10 o'clock in the evening when he remembered to send Fang Mu back. In the car, he told Fang Mu that the forensic science department had confirmed that Ma Kai's fingerprints matched the large number of fingerprints left at the crime scene. Although Ma Kai had not confessed yet, there was no problem in prosecuting him.

Fang Mu didn't say much, just gazed out the window at the night sky.

"You should go back and rest. I'll find you in a few days," Tai Wei noticed Fang Mu's tired expression.

At the school gate, Fang Mu got out of the car, said goodbye to Tai Wei, and turned to leave. Tai Wei called out, "Hey."

Fang Mu turned back.

Tai Wei leaned out of the driver's seat, resting his elbow on the car window, and stared at Fang Mu for a few seconds, a smile appearing on his face.

"You're amazing, kid."

Fang Mu smiled, waved, and walked away.

It was close to midnight now, and most of the student dormitories were pitch black. The streetlights were sparsely scattered around the campus, and in the distance, a dim yellow glow could be seen, illuminating the campus. Unknown insects could be seen flying around the light bulbs. Fang Mu walked slowly through the campus, as if his soul was wandering in the night.

Looking up, the deep blue sky was filled with twinkling stars, and in his chest was the slightly cool, fresh air.

There is a romantic saying: after people die, they become stars in the sky. They illuminate their loved ones and also their enemies.

Room 313 was dark, and Fang Mu took out his key to unlock the door, but found it was bolted from the inside.

Inside, there was a flurry of panicked voices, someone tremblingly asked, "Who's there?"

"It's me, Fang Mu."

"Oh," Du Yu visibly breathed a sigh of relief, "Just wait a moment."

A woman's voice quietly complained that she couldn't find her underwear.

Fang Mu smiled, leaned against the opposite wall, and lit a cigarette.

The hallway was dark, with only a 15-watt light bulb shining in the stairwell. The bathroom light was probably broken again, and looking in from the doorway, it was pitch black, like an open mouth.

Someone muttered in their sleep.

Someone was grinding their teeth.

The faucet in the bathroom was dripping.

Upstairs, it seemed like someone was shuffling around in slippers.

Fang Mu suddenly felt fine beads of sweat break out on his forehead, and his lips trembled as he held the cigarette.

He anxiously looked around.

The doors on both sides of the corridor were tightly shut, silent and seemingly sinister.

Fang Mu involuntarily walked to the other side of the corridor.

The doors on both sides gradually receded. Fang Mu stared intently ahead, wondering what was hidden in the darkness?

He dared not look left or right. The seemingly ordinary doors in the late-night corridor seemed to have come to life, silently watching and laughing as they witnessed this trembling wanderer step toward an unknown fate. One of those doors seemed like it could open at any moment, leading him into a tempting but deadly path.

Suddenly, a burnt smell filled his nose.

Fang Mu almost shouted out as the doors on both sides of the corridor burst into flames. A blurry figure appeared in the thick smoke not far away.

Fang Mu reached into his backpack, simultaneously retreating and frantically fumbling for the military knife.

When he finally grasped the slightly undulating handle of the knife, his heart raced even faster.

The blurry figure slowly approached him.

Fang Mu suddenly realized who it was.

No, don't.

At this moment, a door behind Fang Mu creaked open.

A drowsy, tall figure rubbed his eyes and walked out, catching sight of Fang Mu. His eyes widened as he saw Fang Mu, who had just been standing there, and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

Fang Mu recognized him as Liu Jianjun, a criminal law major.

He almost wanted to shout, "Run!" but those words were stuck in his throat.

The smoke and flames in the hallway disappeared in an instant. On the other side, it was still pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

"Nothing, just go back to sleep," Fang Mu apologized to Du Yu after sitting on the bed for a while, catching his breath.

"Kid, I thought you weren't coming back," Du Yu scratched his head and said, "I thought it was someone from the security office, and I almost got scared stiff."

Fang Mu smiled weakly.

"Are you okay? You don't look too good," Du Yu asked.

"I'm fine," Fang Mu shook his head, "You can go to sleep. Sorry for disturbing you."

Du Yu nodded apologetically and got into bed, soon the sound of snoring could be heard.

Fang Mu turned off the light and sat quietly in the darkness for a long time. When his breathing finally calmed down, he took off his clothes and crawled under the covers.

Are you here again?

A person stood silently in front of the bed, gently placing their hand on my shoulder.

"Actually, you're just like me."

Without turning around, I knew it was Wu Han, who had already changed beyond recognition.

No, I'm not like you!

Four days after Ma Kai's arrest, he finally spoke up and readily admitted to the four murders. However, he insisted that his motive for killing and drinking blood was self-preservation, as he, just like his father and brother, suffered from severe anemia. The detention center specifically had a doctor conduct a physical examination, which proved that his blood was completely normal. Due to the clear facts and substantial evidence, the city bureau decided to quickly transfer him to the prosecutor's office for prosecution.

Tai Wei briefly informed Fang Mu of the progress of the case over the phone. Fang Mu requested to have a meeting with Ma Kai. Tai Wei hesitated, but ultimately agreed.

The meeting was arranged in a visiting room at the detention center. Tai Wei suggested accompanying Fang Mu, but Fang Mu insisted on meeting Ma Kai alone. Tai Wei couldn't persuade him otherwise and had no choice but to agree. As he escorted Fang Mu in, Tai Wei repeatedly reminded him to be careful.

"We've arranged a single cell for this guy in the detention center. Why? On his first night in, he attacked other inmates and bit someone's throat without letting go. There was no choice but to put him in a single cell."

The visiting room only had a table and two chairs, all fixed to the floor. There were no windows, only an iron door. Tai Wei pointed to a red button on the iron door and said, "We'll be next door. When the conversation is over, press this, and we'll come and take you out." He paused for a moment, "If there's any danger, press this, understand?"

Fang Mu nodded.

Tai Wei looked Fang Mu up and down, "Also, you didn't bring any weapons, did you?"

Fang Mu thought for a moment, reached into his backpack, took out the military knife, and handed it to Tai Wei.

"What are you doing with this?" Tai Wei took the knife, frowned, and examined it, "I'll have to confiscate this for now and return it to you later."

He raised a finger and made a threatening expression, "Technically, this is a controlled weapon, understand?"

Fang Mu smiled without saying a word.

Tai Wei put the knife in his pocket, "Sit for a while, I'll go get the person."

A few minutes later, there was a grating sound of shackles and the scraping of feet against the ground outside the door.

Ma Kai was led into the visiting room by two guards, walking unsteadily. They pressed him into the chair opposite Fang Mu, and just as they were about to shackle his hands and feet to the table and chair, Fang Mu said, "Don't shackle him."

"No, this won't do," Tai Wei straightforwardly refused.

Fang Mu pulled Tai Wei aside and said in a low voice, "I need him to completely relax in order to get what I want."

According to the available information, although Ma Kai lost his mother at a young age, he had grown up normally until the age of 26. After graduating from high school, he went directly to university, where, apart from failing one exam, he had no other blemishes in his life. After graduating from university, he worked as a salesperson in a small company. Although he had very few social interactions, he did not show any signs of mental disorder. He had been in a relationship once, which ultimately ended without any issues. If Ma Kai had been traveling along a normal and smooth path before the age of 26, something extraordinary must have happened after that, changing his life and resulting in the deaths of many innocent people.

What Fang Mu wanted to explore was his mental journey over the past two years, which was the answer to all the mysteries in the case.

"No, this guy is very dangerous. I have to be responsible for your safety."

"I'll be fine. If there's any trouble, I'll press the button."

Tai Wei looked at Fang Mu, hesitated for a moment, and signaled to the two guards not to shackle Ma Kai. He then walked over to Ma Kai, sternly saying, "Be honest, do you hear me!"

After Tai Wei and the two guards left the iron door, Fang Mu returned to the table and pressed the record button on the recorder.

"Your name is Ma Kai? Hello, I'm from the Behavioral Science Department of the city bureau," Fang Mu originally intended to say that he was from the television station, but at the last moment, he decided to make up an identity on the spot.

There was no response from the other party, and he continued to hang his head.

"Can you hear me? Ma Kai, please lift your head," Fang Mu raised his voice, trying to sound as calm as possible.

Ma Kai slowly raised his head.

Fang Mu held his breath.

What kind of eyes were those! Under the glaring incandescent light above his head, Ma Kai's eyes were completely gray, as if they had no pupils at all, like two tombstones embedded in his face, devoid of any signs of life.

In the silent and desolate cemetery, the stillness of the mist; the swaying of the branches in the wind; the distant and faint sight of broken bricks and tiles, for a moment, Fang Mu felt as if he were trapped in an inescapable nightmare, and he could almost hear the distant tolling of a death knell and the mournful cries of crows.

Fang Mu and Ma Kai locked eyes for several seconds until he lowered his head again, and Fang Mu slowly exhaled.

"I came today," Fang Mu did his best to sound calm, "because I'm very interested in you. If you don't mind, I would like to talk to you about everything you've done."

Ma Kai seemed indifferent and did not speak, his hands clasped between his legs, and Fang Mu noticed that he was swaying slightly back and forth with a rhythmic motion.

He is trying to distract himself.

Instinctive evasion.

"You have received a higher education, and perhaps you are aware that my personal opinion will not have any impact on the court's judgment," Fang Mu said slowly, "But I can sense that you have an unknown pain in your heart. If you don't want this pain to torment you to death, and if you want those who misunderstand you to know the truth, then please believe me and tell me."

Ma Kai seemed indifferent, and after a few seconds, he raised his head again, "Many people think I'm a murderous demon, right?"

Fang Mu nodded.

Ma Kai seemed to smile bitterly and shook his head, "You don't know, I didn't want to kill."

"Why do you say that?"

Ma Kai remained silent, staring blankly at the white wall behind Fang Mu, and his body started to sway back and forth slightly.

Fang Mu thought for a moment, took out a pack of cigarettes, and offered one to Ma Kai, "Do you want one?"

Ma Kai raised his head, staring at the cigarette in front of him, and shook his head slowly, a hint of disdain in his eyes.

Fang Mu lit a cigarette, taking several deep puffs, and a large cloud of smoke filled the space between him and Ma Kai. Fang Mu could feel Ma Kai's gaze following the smoke, finally settling on the cigarette by his lips.

"Smoking is harmful to health," he suddenly said in a dry tone.

"Oh, and how is your health?" Fang Mu immediately seized on this topic.

"Not good," Ma Kai shook his head.

"What's wrong with you?"

Ma Kai's facial muscles twitched a few times, and he shifted his gaze away from Fang Mu's face, speaking softly, "I have severe anemia."

"But a doctor has already examined you, and your blood is completely normal."

"They don't know anything!" Ma Kai's voice suddenly rose, sitting up straight, and his hands suddenly pulled out from between his legs, "I know my illness best! My father died of leukemia, and my brother did too. I, I'm going to dry up completely, like a mummy. I know."

"You don't believe the doctor's diagnosis?"

"They're all liars, they want me to die. They won't help me. I offered them money, asking for a blood transfusion! But they said no. What's the logic behind that? When my father was lying in the hospital bed, his face was getting paler and paler, I knew that his blood was slowly drying up. But after the transfusion, he could walk, eat, and talk to me. Why won't they give me a transfusion? They want me to die, I know it."

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"What are you going to do?"

"I won't die. I won't end up like my father and brother, lying in bed until the oil runs out. I won't, I'm going to save myself!"

Fang Mu's head was suddenly covered in fine beads of sweat, and his lips trembled as he held the cigarette.

He looked around in panic.

I can't look at his eyes anymore.

"I can't look at these ordinary doors in the late-night corridor anymore."

Suddenly, there was a burnt smell.

Fang Mu almost screamed out, but the doors on both sides of the corridor suddenly burst into flames. A blurry figure appeared in the thick smoke not far away.

Fang Mu reached into his backpack, simultaneously retreating and frantically fumbling for the military knife.

When he finally grasped the slightly undulating handle of the knife, his heart raced even faster.

The blurry figure slowly approached him.

Fang Mu suddenly realized who it was.

No, don't.

At this moment, a door behind Fang Mu creaked open.

A drowsy, tall figure rubbed his eyes and walked out, catching sight of Fang Mu. His eyes widened as he saw Fang Mu, who had just been standing there, and exclaimed, "What are you doing?"

Fang Mu recognized him as Liu Jianjun, a criminal law major.

He almost wanted to shout, "Run!" but those words were stuck in his throat.

The smoke and flames in the hallway disappeared in an instant. On the other side, it was still pitch black, and nothing could be seen.

"What's wrong? You're going to be okay, right?" Liu Jianjun said, looking at Fang Mu.

Fang Mu felt her eyes burning into him as she ran past him. "I'm sorry," Fang Mu sat on the bed, panting, and looked up at Du Yu.

"You, kid, I thought you weren't coming back," Du Yu scratched his head and said, "I thought it was someone from the security office, and I almost got scared stiff."

"Sorry," Fang Mu said as he lay down on the bed, "I disturbed you."

Du Yu nodded apologetically and got into bed, soon the sound of snoring could be heard.

Fang Mu turned off the light and sat quietly in the darkness for a long time. When his breathing finally calmed down, he took off his clothes and crawled under the covers.

Are you here again?

A person stood silently in front of the bed, gently placing their hand on my shoulder.

"Actually, you're just like me."

Without turning around, I knew it was Wu Han, who had already changed beyond recognition.

No, I'm not like you!

Four days after Ma Kai's arrest, he finally spoke up and readily admitted to the four murders. However, he insisted that his motive for killing and drinking blood was self-preservation, as he, just like his father and brother, suffered from severe anemia. The detention center specifically had a doctor conduct a physical examination, which proved that his blood was completely normal. Due to the clear facts and substantial evidence, the city bureau decided to quickly transfer him to the prosecutor's office for prosecution.

Fang Mu was informed of the progress of the case over the phone by Tai Wei. Fang Mu requested to have a meeting with Ma Kai. Tai Wei hesitated, but ultimately agreed.

The meeting was arranged in a visiting room at the detention center. Tai Wei suggested accompanying Fang Mu, but Fang Mu insisted on meeting Ma Kai alone. Tai Wei couldn't persuade him otherwise and had no choice but to agree.

Fang Mu was escorted into the visiting room, and shortly after, the door was shut and locked. Fang Mu pressed the button on the recorder and began the conversation.

Suddenly, the door burst open, and a group of guards rushed in, pulling Ma Kai off Fang Mu.

Tai Wei quickly pulled Fang Mu to his

"A serial killer with no organizational skills has some typical characteristics. For example, poor social skills; emotional anxiety; inability to engage in skilled work; often born as the youngest child in the family; living alone, often near the crime scene; lack of interest in the news media, and so on. Therefore, I deduce that the murderer likely lives near the crime scene, and the Hongyuan district is an old city area in this city, with few commercial housing. Furthermore, given his mental state, he cannot engage in high-income professions, so his economic ability does not allow him to purchase commercial housing. Therefore, he is very likely to live in the house left to him by his parents, who were originally employees of state-owned enterprises, as in the past only state-owned enterprises would have the welfare of housing allocation.

Fang Mu flicked away the cigarette ash, "So, to sum up, the murderer is likely to be under 30 years old, very thin, untidy, living near the crime scene, the offspring of a state-owned enterprise employee, and a person with severe mental disorders."

Tai Wei stared at Fang Mu in astonishment for a long time before coming to his senses.

"Oh my god, you got it all right."

"Really?" Fang Mu smiled faintly, "Initially, I misjudged the relationship between the crime and blood. I thought his anxiety towards blood originated from the weather."

"I remember you said the murderer might be wearing a thick coat that day when the first case was reported."

"Yes, it was just after winter when the first case occurred, and I thought he might be afraid of blood freezing, so he might take some additional measures to keep warm, such as wearing thick clothes. Later, when I saw the scene where Tong Hui was killed, I felt that it might stem from delusions about his own blood 'deficiency.'"

Seeing Tai Wei still in awe, Fang Mu smiled and said, "I'm not that amazing. There are many things about this case that I don't understand, such as how he chooses his victims, why he mutilates them, why he mixes blood with other substances, and why he took Tong Hui away from the initial crime scene, among many others."

"Oh..." Tai Wei suddenly realized, "So when you talked to Ma Kai, you asked him those questions?"

"Yes."

"Empirical research." Tai Wei looked at Fang Mu thoughtfully, "Bro, do you want to be a criminologist in the future?"

Fang Mu was taken aback, "No. I haven't thought about that."

"Then why..." Tai Wei finally asked the question that had been bothering him for a long time, "are you so interested in these things?"

Fang Mu's expression darkened, and it took him a long time to finally speak, "I don't know."

Coming out of the small restaurant, slightly tipsy Tai Wei patted Fang Mu's shoulder, "Bro, you've helped me a lot, if you want any reward, just say it!"

Fang Mu shook his head with a smile, "No need."

"No! You must!" Tai Wei said in a rough voice, "Material reward? Or should I write a commendation letter to your school? Oh, maybe I don't need to write it, heh heh."

Fang Mu was about to ask why, but Tai Wei took out his wallet, and his face darkened, "Tai Wei, we're friends, right?"

Tai Wei vigorously nodded.

"If you really consider me a friend, don't do this."

Tai Wei scratched his head, pondered for a while, and seemed to make a big decision as he reached for his waist, took out a spare magazine from the gun holster, and handed a bullet to Fang Mu.

"What's this for?" Fang Mu asked in surprise.

"For us police, the best friend is our own gun." He solemnly put the bullet in Fang Mu's hand and held it, "I can't give you the gun, but I'll give you a bullet as a memento."

Fang Mu thought to himself, "Bro, don't you think this is unlucky? This sounds like 'here, have a peanut.'"

Nevertheless, he carefully placed the bullet in his pocket and then waved to Tai Wei, "I'm going back, drive carefully."

Just as Fang Mu took a few steps, Tai Wei called out, "Hey."

Fang Mu turned to look at Tai Wei.

Tai Wei stared at him as if appraising him for a few seconds, and said solemnly, "Fang Mu, have you ever considered becoming a police officer in the future?"

"No!" Fang Mu said firmly. Then he left without looking back.

Tai Wei felt a little disappointed, opened the car door, started the engine, and saw the "Five Prohibitions" hanging on the rearview mirror, praying not to encounter police inspection.

Instead of going back to the dormitory, Fang Mu went to the public bus stop at the school gate. He hid behind the sign and only jumped on the No. 315 bus when he saw Tai Wei's jeep drive away.

When the bus arrived at Changsheng Road, Fang Mu got off. Not far to the north, he arrived at Yanshou Street, a street in J City specializing in funeral supplies. Changsheng, Yanshou, yet every household had paper figures and funeral wreaths at their doorsteps. There were too many things in this world that did not live up to their names.

Twenty minutes later, Fang Mu boarded the returning school bus with a bulky black plastic bag.

1 a.m.

Fang Mu quietly climbed to the seventh floor, and the black plastic bag in his hand made an annoying sound from time to time. This floor was the female dormitory, and if someone unlucky came out to use the bathroom at this time, they would surely be scared to death.

Fang Mu carefully opened the window leading to the rooftop, tossed the plastic bag inside, and then silently jumped onto the rooftop, heading straight to the northeast corner.

The night was good, with a gentle breeze that sounded like murmurs. In the northeast corner of the rooftop, there was a heap of sand mixed with a lot of black paper ash. Fang Mu squatted down, opened the plastic bag, and took out bundles of paper for burning. He lit them with a lighter, and a small fire quietly started burning on the midnight rooftop.

The campus at midnight was unusually quiet. Most people were either indulging in sweet or terrifying dreams, and no one, human or ghost, had seen the strange memorial on the rooftop of Building B of South Garden Five at J University, despite it not being the first time.

Fang Mu lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and placed it on a brick near him. Then he lit another one, took a deep breath, exhaled slowly, and the smoke rose in the firelight, like a delicate veil swaying and then disappearing into the night sky.

A gust of wind blew, lifting a few pieces of paper ash that lightly stuck to Fang Mu's face. He brushed them away, but his hands were left with black marks, and his face probably didn't look much better.

He chuckled softly.

Is that you, Chen Xi?

Alright, I won't cry anymore.

Fang Mu stood up and threw several bundles of paper into the fire. Turning to look, the cigarette on the ground was almost burned out.

Give one to Wang Jian. Light another one for himself.

The pile of fire slowly diminished, leaving only a heap of smoldering ashes. Fang Mu covered the ashes with sand and took out another pile of paper from the plastic bag, lighting it with the lighter.

Just as the corner of the rooftop that had just returned to darkness was illuminated by a small pile of firelight, Fang Mu's eyes were no longer filled with tears, his lips were tight, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, and his face showed an inscrutable expression.

Sun Mei, I'm here to see you.

Although it was difficult to say that Fang Mu had any affection for Sun Mei from start to finish, it couldn't be denied that this unfortunate woman had saved him twice.

Whether it was lucky or unlucky, let it stay in this life. Just like these swirling paper ashes, spinning, shattering, let it be. Love in the next life, just remember to be happy.

Fang Mu held the last bunch of burning paper in his hand for a long time, only throwing it into the fire when it was about to go out.

I hope you're happier over there. Wu Han.

Back in the dormitory, Fang Mu felt an indescribable exhaustion but also an incomparable lightness of heart.

Every time he paid tribute to the deceased, Fang Mu would have this feeling, as if the heavy burden on his shoulders had lightened a little bit.

Fang Mu sat listlessly at the table, the clear moonlight outside the window. The light seemed to have texture, gently and softly covering Fang Mu's body. The cool breeze blew in, brushing his face comfortably, as if it had pierced through his body, making him transparent and clear. Fang Mu leaned his head against the railing, and his eyelids grew heavier...

A few minutes later, Fang Mu suddenly woke up. Du Yu on the opposite bed was speaking in his sleep, "The ribs in the B cafeteria are delicious!"

Fang Mu rubbed his temples, leaned over, and turned on the computer.

The heavy sound of the chassis started, and after a few seconds, he opened a folder named "Ma Kai" on the hard drive.

Fang Mu's face appeared somewhat blue under the monitor's light, and his eyes became cold, tired, and extremely sharp once again."