The southern winter wind is damp and chilly.  However winter doesn’t linger for lengthy.  It makes its presence recognized and leaves like a traveller hurrying to its subsequent vacation spot. 

Just a few days until the New Yr. The temperature is step by step rising once more.  Because the snow melts, the city seems clear with out these greyish white patches on the bottom.  Individuals are spending extra time outdoor.  The town appears extra full of life and vibrant once more.  

Jian Yao walks slowly.  In contrast to the gang, her coronary heart remains to be heavy and crammed with grief. 

Bo Jinyan says the killer needs to be captured by the police right this moment. There are already rumours going round.  Individuals are anxious.  She sees a number of folks standing outdoors a store, chatting.

”I hear he goal boys.” 

“What a bastard.  Can the police discover him?” 

“Can’t enable my youngsters wander by themselves anymore.”…

……

Right this moment, Jian Yao is visiting her stepfather.  She’s about to enter the home when the telephone rings. 

It’s Li Xunran.

“Jian Yao! We’ve discovered the boy!” Li Xunran sounds drained, ”He’s nonetheless alive.  We’re dashing him to the hospital now.  However the killer escaped.  We’ve despatched each man now we have on a metropolis hunt.”

–

Jian Yao jumps onto the primary obtainable taxi.  She calls Bo Jinyan. 

Should be one other late night time.  His voice sounds muffled: “Ah… I might be there instantly.  Inform them to not mood with the crime scene.” 

–

Jian Yao arrives on the farmers market. In accordance with Li, the killer lives in an alley behind the market. 

The market normally closes round midday however due to the forthcoming New Yr, there are extra folks than normal at the moment of the day.  Jian Yao walks to the seafood part.  Recent fish is offered out, so there are much less folks on this a part of the market. She stands beside the fish tanks, ready for Bo Jinyan to reach. 

The place smells of the salty sea water and blood.  She takes a go searching.  Jian Yao calls Li. He says he’ll be there in a couple of minutes.

——

The breakthrough was discovered by the neighborhood police. In accordance with them, there’s a small {hardware} store subsequent to the market.  The proprietor’s identify is Solar Yong.  He matches the outline of the killer’s profile.  They went to his home, however nobody answered the door.   Nonetheless, they heard some noise coming from the within. 

The police acted decisively.  They broke in and noticed a boy tied up in a nook. He was utilizing his physique to hit the ground to alert the police.  

……

Li Xunran arrives on the market.  The place remains to be packed.  He works his manner cross the gang and heads in the direction of the again entrance.  From his peripheral imaginative and prescient, he notices a slim man of medium top, strolling in the direction of the again entrance steps.  He has one hand in his pants pocket.  The person appears to be very nervous.  He seems on the floor more often than not, however each on occasion, he seems up and checks out what’s occurring. 

Li’s police intuition kicks in.  Whereas his eyes are carefully following each transfer of this suspicious wanting man, he calls his mates close by for help.   

The younger man immediately seems again over at Li’s course.  Li Xunran pretends to look at the vegetable in entrance of him. However when he seems up once more, the younger man is not in sight.

Darn it! 

Instantly, Li Xunran yells out: “Solar Yong, cease!”

As he has anticipated, a determine froze, which made him stand out from the gang.  Then he begins to run.  Li Xunran runs after him, whereas yelling to the gang: “Out of the best way, police at work.”

However the place is packed, each of their paths are blocked by folks at occasions. Solar Yong pulls out a dagger from his trouser pockets and begins waving it round.  The frightened pedestrians rapidly moved out of his manner. 

Solar Yong runs in the direction of the facet entrance, which is subsequent to the seafood part. 

Everybody has moved apart, standing at a distance observing what’s taking place.  Not one of the folks dares to cease Solar Yong.  He’s getting nearer and nearer to the door. .

–

From the nook of his eyes, Li Xunran notices an individual standing by the fish tank.  That individual didn’t transfer away like the remainder of the gang. 

Jian Yao sees Solar Yong operating in the direction of her course.  Some individuals are yelling out to her: “Stand again!  Stand again! The police are attempting to arrest the individual.”    Not far behind, she sees Li Xunran attempting to catch as much as Solar Yong.

Jian Yao seems at Solar Yong.  He’s the man described by Bo Jinyan.  She immediately remembers all of the experiments she did with the blades, reducing up the corpse and the human fashions.  That is the person.  He killed and dismembered these youngsters. 

……

“Yao yao, don’t take heed to your mom. In fact policemen get drained, however we will nonetheless catch the unhealthy guys.  Daddy loves his job.”

……

Jian Yao seems up.  Not removed from the doorway comes a person in his black go well with and jacket.  He’s sporting a hat and a masks.

However she is just too busy to greet him.  She picks up a wood stick subsequent to a pillar.  The stick is normally utilized by the fishmonger to hit the fish unconscious.  She clenches the stick, stands subsequent to the glass tank and waits.  

“Lady! What are you doing?” Involved consumers behind her shout out. 

“She is so courageous!  She goes to assist catch the man.”

Jian Yao waits till Solar is coming nearer.  He’s nearly parallel to the fish tanks.  She makes use of all her power to interrupt the glass.  

A loud ‘bang’. 

Water got here gushing out from a big tank that’s about one metre excessive.  Damaged glass, fishes, oxygen pump and plenty of water rush in the direction of Solar Yong.  He makes use of his hand to dam most of it.  However the ground could be very slippery.  He skids and falls to the bottom.  

However he solely stayed down for a couple of seconds.  He struggles up once more.  He seems at Jian Yao angrily.  

Somebody takes the wood stick from Jian Yao’s hand from behind.

She seems as much as see a well-known tall determine.  He walks in the direction of Solar Yong.  

The subsequent scene took Jian Yao utterly abruptly.   Bo Jinyan, wanting prim and correct in a go well with, calmly raises the stick and hit Solar Yong at the back of the neck.

Solar Yong falls unconscious to the bottom. 

Bo Jinyan throws the follow the bottom.  He takes out a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes his hand.   

Li  catches up.  He crouches beside Solar Yong to briefly look at him.  He seems up at Bo Jinyan: ” Why did you knock him unconscious?”

Bo Jinyan: “What?  Do you anticipate me to overpower him with my very own power and pin him to the bottom like a police officer?”

Li Xunran turns round and appears at Jian Yao: “Nicely executed!”

Bo Jinyan additionally turns to take a look at her: “Why didn’t you simply hit him instantly?  With the velocity he was going, even a delicate wave with stick is sufficient to knock him out.”

Jian Yao takes a look at Bo Jinyan – She has by no means scolded anybody earlier than, not to mention hitting.  She doesn’t have the nerves to confront him head on.  

–

Solar Yong is taken to the police station for interrogation.  The alley close to Solar Yong’s home is surrounded by police vehicles and cops.  Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao walks by way of the blockade into Solar Yong’s property. 

Then Jian Yao stops: “Wait a minute.”

She walks over to Li’s automotive and takes out a primary assist package. 

There are two small items of damaged glass caught in her proper hand. They aren’t critical cuts, however they’re nonetheless painful.   She stands close to the automobile,  pulls out the items of glass and coat the wound with a layer of iodine. 

Whereas she is doing this,  Bo Jinyan stands ready along with his fingers in his pocket.  

She reaches out to him, then fingers him the Band-Help: “Assist.”

Bo Jinyan takes his fingers out of his pockets reluctantly.  

Though he’s not the persistence and caring sort, his contact is delicate and delicate.   Going through her, he holds her wrists.  Her hand is on prime of his wrist.  She rests her fingers on his arm.  He feels the chilly pores and skin of her fingers…

“Do not tickle me.” He immediately whispers a sentence.

Jian Yao is taken abruptly:”Ah?  I didn’t tickle you.”

Bo Jinyan raises his darkish seems to take a look at her.  He lets go of her hand: “Come on, let’s not waste anymore time.”

Jian Yao seems that the graceful Band-Help on her hand.  

–

Solar Yong’s home is a single storey dwelling.  The place is damp and darkish, with outdated and outdated furnishings.  The forensics crew has accomplished what they wanted to do.  

Earlier, a younger neighborhood police arrived on the scene and located that all the things in the home is as described by Bo Jinyan – the killing machine, violent movies and books, eroded bloody blades…

They stroll as much as the killing machine.  As Bo Jinyan has predicted, the machine could be very tough in comparison with the one Bo Jinyan assembled.  The blades,although, seems sharp and lethal.

Jian Yao is about to take some footage together with her digicam.  Bo Jinyan takes off his coat, and lies down beneath the blades on the killing machine.

Jian Yao: “What are you doing?”

He closes his eyes: “ To really feel…”

Jian Yao is speechless.  She takes a couple of footage and passes the digicam to Bo Jinyan.

He will get up, and smiles at her.  His slender eyes shining like a star.

He reaches his arms to seize Jian Yao’s wrist.  Jian Yao’s coronary heart jumps due to this surprising transfer:” What are you doing now?”

He pulls her nearer in the direction of him.

He replies with a straight voice: “Clearly I am too huge.  You might be about the identical dimension because the victims.  You lie down right here in order that I can have a look.  

Jian Yao breaks away from him.  

Simply as she is about to protest, the younger neighborhood police comes over to Bo Jinyan: “Professor, I additionally discovered some phrases scribbled in blood beneath the mattress.”

Bo Jinyan takes a glance.  It seems like a set of random numbers.

Bo Jinyan asks: “Anyplace else?”

One of many cops replies: “We’ll do an intensive inspection of your entire home.”

Bo Jinyan nods: “Let me know upon getting executed the search.”  

Jian Yao thinks to herself.  Bo Jinyan talked about earlier than that Solar Yong desires of being a killer machine.  Maybe these numbers are a part of his fantasies. 

–

Two days later.  

They only obtained a name from the detention centre.  Solar Yong developed a excessive fever whereas in custody.  He died this morning.  Apparently, he’s struggling for some critical sickness all this time. 

His sins, his fantasies, his killing machine, these mysterious figures.  These are all issues of the previous now.  

Bo Jinyan Interviews the survivor.  His assertion added extra inquiries to the case.  He informed the police he has been begging Solar Yong to not kill him.  And unusually sufficient, Solar Yong obliged.  There was as soon as he was put beneath the killing machine. Out of desperation, he informed Solar Yong: “Sir, should you don’t kill me, I’ll deal with you want you might be my father.  Whenever you die of outdated age, I might be your son to organise your funeral.”  And it’s this assertion that saved him from the blades.  

The whole lot is again to regular,  however this case will go away a scar on this little city that’s normally peaceable and quiet.  

The case has formally closed.  Jian Yao’s job as Bo Jinyan’s assistant has come to an finish.