It’s previous midnight.  There was misty rain all evening. 

Bo JinYan comes out from the toilet in his black pyjamas.  His hair, nonetheless damp, is combed behind his ears.  He takes a have a look at the mattress.  Jyao is sleeping together with her head buried within the pillow.  Her lengthy hair scattered on the white mattress sheets.  

He appears to be like at her for some time.  Then he walks over to the window.  Drops of water types and drips down on the window because the gentle rain hits the glass. He provides Fu ZiYu a name.

Fu ZiYu doesn’t sound happy: “Have you learnt what time it’s? I’ve to carry out an operation at 9am tomorrow!”

Bo JinYan appears to be like on the clock on the wall, and solutions precisely: “1:20am.”  He says with none guilt or disgrace in his voice.  

However Fu ZiYu is aware of he’s calling for a cause at this hour, so he asks: “…. What’s bothering you?”

“We’ve misplaced him.” Bo JinYan says in a low voice, “He vows to commit extra critical crimes.  He could be concentrating on people who find themselves near me.  Please watch out.”

Fu ZiYu is quiet for some time, then he says: “Okay.  I’ll.  Don’t fear about me. How are you and Jian yao doing?”

Bo JinYan solutions: “I’m high quality. However Jian yao…. considered one of her good mates might have turn into the Flower Cannibal’s sufferer.”

Fu ZiYu provides a small sigh: “Please ship my regards.”   

“Will do.”

Fu ZiYu says to him: “I do know you might be preoccupied with the case.  However as a boyfriend, be sure you spend extra time together with her and luxury her.”

His phrases are what Bo JinYan has in thoughts.  He frowns. 

Fu ZiYu waits for a response.  However whenhe does not get one for greater than a minute, he ask: “What’s it?”

Bo JinYan asks faintly: “What ought to I do to consolation her?

He sees her grieving for her greatest good friend.   However this genius/pure born lover is working out of concepts. 

Fu ZiYu smiles. He thinks for some time, then says: “Easy.  When she is feeling down, sing to her.  I assure she’s going to snort.”

Bo JinYan  reveals disbelief on his face: “No method?!”  Then he hangs up.

Jian yao pushes herself to take a seat up on the mattress.  She is awake.  Her eyes are nonetheless swollen from all of the crying she did yesterday, her face appears to be like pale beneath the sunshine. 

“Jinyan.” She calls him softly.  

Bo JinYan walks over and sits down beside her.

He’s as good-looking as ever.  His black eyes wanting gently at her. He’s involved about her.  

“Are you feeling higher now?” He asks with a heat voice.  

Jian yao nods: ‘Sure, higher.”

“Then give me a kiss.”

Jian yao’s voice remains to be slightly coarse: “Are you a child?”

Bo JinYan appears to be like at her:  “Yesterday, you left at the very least one litre of tears on my shirt – who’s the child?”

She remembers Li Xun Ran.  The crime scene.  Li Xun Ran’s empty home, his police uniform hanging in his room….

Her coronary heart aches once more.  She tells herself to be courageous. There’s nonetheless hope.  They didn’t discover a physique.

She lifts up her head to take a look at Bo JinYan: “Have you ever by no means cried in your life?”

“No.”  He replies: “Ever since I used to be a toddler.  As far I can keep in mind, I’ve by no means shed a tear.”

Jian yao appears to be like at his face. She tries to think about Bo JinYan as a child, by no means shed a tear.

Plenty of previous recollections immediately come again to Bo JinYan.  He frowns and and continues: “However the tragic factor is, lots of people cried in entrance of me.”

It took Jian yao a second to grasp what he’s making an attempt to say.  

So, the person that may’t cry, don’t wish to see different folks shedding tears in entrance of him both.

However….

Aside from the tears of pleasure from these whom have been saved by him, the others in all probability cried as a result of  of his sharp thoughtless feedback.  

However in fact she wouldn’t inform him that.    She reaches out her hand to hug him from behind.

Bo JinYan clearly enjoys the intimacy.  She sits quietly, together with her face evenly touching his again. 

Jian yao asks softly: “These six month…. how did you survive it?”

Bo JinYan pauses for some time, then he lies down on mattress and scoop her into his arms: “Simply.. a day at a time, in keeping with my plans.  Nothing particular about that.  As for the accidents, that’s only a value that I needed to pay.”  

He says it so evenly.  Jian yao is aware of it should have been very tough.  She is each unhappy however happy with him.   Regardless of how tough it was, he can dismiss it, identical to that.

————————

It’s virtually daybreak.  The rain is getting heavier.  The quietness is damaged by rolling rumbling sound of thunder from afar. 

Bo JinYan opens his eyes.  The room remains to be darkish.  Jian yao is resting in his arms, sleeping soundly.  Her face appears extra relaxed.  She is just not frowning anymore. And the puffiness round her eyes has light too.  

He appears to be like at her quietly, and the query she requested earlier comes again to him: “These six months… how did you survive it?”

A number of unimaginable and dreadful scenes come to thoughts:  swimming pools of blood in every single place, dismembered physique components, trays of human flesh, blood that flows down alongside his again and drips right into a glass on a regular basis…

He closes his eye and leans to smell her hair.  The recent perfume helps to clear his thoughts.  He goes again to sleep.

He doesn’t wish to inform her about his previous.  The reality is simply too painful for her to bear.  There’s no want for her to know.

——————

The subsequent morning.  Police convention room.

It’s greater than 24 hours for the reason that disappearance of Li Xun Ran.  The police have deployed numerous officers to look the neighbouring cities.  Freeway checkpoints are arrange, and there’s an alert for all police places of work throughout the nation.

The textual content message Bo JinYan acquired traced again to a cell phone that’s left within the rubbles of the firework manufacturing unit.  It was put in with a program to mechanically ship out the textual content at a preset time.  As anticipated, there’s no fingerprint.  It’s one other useless finish.

Across the convention desk, everybody appears to be like involved.  The workforce chief of the particular workforce asks Bo JinYan: “Professor Bo, what do you assume his subsequent step might be?”

Bo JinYan  is carrying a black go well with with some time shirt.  He stands up and says: “There isn’t any such factor as an ideal crime.  There are solely evidences that we now have not found. It’s the primary time he’s personally committing against the law.  He’ll want time to plan and put together.  I assume that take between ten to twenty days.”

One of many officers asks: “Professor, why is it between ten to twenty days?”

Bo JinYan  solutions calmly: “ I did an estimate.  If it was me who was planning a sophisticated and complex crime, it might take ten days.”

Jian yao might be the one individual there who don’t doubt Bo JinYan’s estimation.  She writes down the numbers in her observe e-book: “10 to twenty days.”

Then, Anam, who’s quietly sitting on the nook of the room engaged on his laptop computer immediately speaks: “I discovered one thing.”

Anam picks up the distant.  The projector reveals a picture on display screen.

It reveals the again of a black SUV driving on the street.  Anam explains: “I managed to enlarge the picture to present us a registration plate – T05893.”

All of the police recognise the background of the place the automobile is as effectively: “It’s on the street to the fireworks manufacturing unit.”  

Anam nods: “There are three different surveillance cameras on that street.  All have been broken.”  That is an previous digital camera put in a few years in the past.  It’s hidden behind a tree, in a secluded location.  However due to its age and placement, the pictures are fairly blurry.  It took me some time to sharpen the picture.’

“I’ve checked out the automobile.” He continues: “It belongs to an area automobile rental firm.  The one who booked it used a false identify to register, and he by no means confirmed his face to the workers.”

Bo JinYan appears to be like at Jian yao.  He appears to have considered one thing.  Jian yao appears to grasp what his practice of thought….

One of many previous officers says: “Maybe Li Xun Ran lured the prison to the manufacturing unit.  The fireworks manufacturing unit, previous practice station… Throughout the “Killer Machine” case, Li Xun Ran was in charged of recording the areas of all of the surveillance cameras.  He is aware of the place each digital camera is…”

Everyone seems to be quiet.  Jian yao’s coronary heart remains to be aching.  She sits down quietly.

He’s within the fingers of a crafty prison.  His life is at risk.  And he’s making an attempt his greatest to go away clues for them.

Bo JinYan  turns to ask Anam: “The place is the automobile now?”  He says calmly.  He appears to make sure that Anam has discovered the situation of this automobile.  

And Anam doesn’t disappoint him.  He provides his first smile since Jian yao and the others have met him.  When he smiles, two lovable dimples seem on every cheek.  

He reveals the following picture.

It’s the entry to a freeway.  It’s late at evening.  There are usually not plenty of automobiles within the image.  And it’s darkish, they will’t see who the motive force is.  However the signboards are shiny.  They’ll clearly learn it’s the freeway that results in the Outer Harbour Ferry Terminal.  The path to get to Hong Kong.

Everyone seems to be surprised.  If ‘he’ has thrown down his problem to warfare, why is he going to Hong Kong? 

—————-

Fifteen days later.  

Cresent Metropolis, California.  USA.  Pelican Bay Jail.

At twilight, the fields and forest appear to be they’re lined by a gray veil.  The jail are dotted with guards patrolling the  jail that holds a number of the most infamous criminals within the US.

Jyao and BJY are standing on the garden outdoors the jail.  There are a number of representatives from the Chinese language embassy and the FBI with them – they’re ready to see Tommy.

Since ‘he’ ‘disappeared’ to Hong Kong, it’s even more durable to trace him.  Two weeks has handed.  Little progress has been made.  

It’s possible ‘he’ will commit against the law anytime.  It’s like time bomb ready to blow up.

The evening winds are brisk and chilly.  Jian yao zips up her jacket.  Bo JinYan  has an extended black trench coat. He appears to be like at her: “Wait outdoors once I discuss to Tommy.”   

Jian yao nods: “Watch out.”

The guard opens the gate for Bo JinYan.

—————

A room with out window.  Skinny concrete partitions.  A metallic yellow door with a sequence of advanced locks on it. 

Jian Yao and others stands contained in the room subsequent to this cell.  There’s a a method glass to allow them to observe the interactions between Bo JinYan  and Tommy.

Bo JinYan is sitting alone beneath a blazing white gentle.  He appears to be like calm and picked up.  Two guards are standing on the door.  

Then slowly, a younger white man in yellow jail uniform reveals up.  

He isn’t how Jian yao has anticipated.  He appears to be like extra ‘mild’ and cleanly shaven than that within the photos in Bo JinYan’s recordsdata at dwelling.  

However whenever you look into his eyes, your coronary heart might be startled.

These blue eyes, is the color of a nonetheless blue lake.  There’s a smile on his face, like he doesn’t  care about something on this planet. His gaze is totally chilly.  It’s a pair of eyes that belong to a serial killer.

Tommy sits reverse Bo JinYan.  The guards depart and shut the door behind them.  Solely Bo JinYan  and Tommy are left within the room.  

Bo JinYan  appears to be like at him: “Hello.”

Tommy reveals a smile: “Hello.”

The 2 of them then retains quiet.  Bo JinYan  don’t appear to be in a rush to ask him any questions.

“You’re completely different.” Tommy says to him. 

Bo JinYan  appears to be like at him.  He stays quiet. 

Tommy laughs: “There’s a scent of a girl on you.”

On the opposite aspect of the glass, Jian yao’s coronary heart tightens.  Then she hears Tommy says: “I wish to see her.  If she reveals up, I’ll let you know the id of the individual you might be searching for.”

(Additional story – His voice 1)

Within the two weeks that Li Xun Ran was lacking, Jian yao discovered it onerous to sleep typically.  She would toss and switch all evening, excited about her good good friend. When her fidgety woke him up, he seemed gently at her frowned brows.  He wished there have been one thing that he may do to make her really feel higher.

One evening, Jian yao was half asleep when she heard some voice.  It seemed like somebody singing.  It’s a well-liked music.  She was not absolutely aware, and she will’t actually keep in mind what’s the identify of the music, although it does sound very acquainted.  However she additionally thought the tune sounded humorous. It’s like each observe was sung fallacious.  She subconsciously needed to inform the person who his singing was off, and that it’s virtually painful to take heed to his singing…. 

The subsequent morning, when Jian yao awakened, Bo JinYan  was already off the bed and adjusted.  He was in his white shirt and trousers, wanting sensible standing beside the mattress. He smiled at her: “Did you sleep effectively final evening?”

Jian yao sat on mattress, and shook her head: “No.  I dreamt of the Flower Cannibal.” 

Bo JinYan  is startled. He seemed involved.  Then Jian yao continued: “I dreamt that he was singing in my ears.”

Bo JinYan  has no expressions on his face: “Oh, how was it?”

Jian yao seemed like there’s nonetheless lingering worry in her: “To make use of the time period you say on a regular basis – it was a catastrophe.” 

Bo JinYan  stored quiet for some time.  Then with a barely blushed face, he began to stroll out of the room. Jian yao heard his voice coming from the hall: “I guarantee you.  You’ll by no means hear him sing once more.”