"What about the calls with Molly? You can mimic his accent, but how do you know the intimate things between them?"
"Well, that was really more challenging. Your sister isn't stupid, therefore I was always on edge every time we talk for fear of revealing any flaw." Sha Qing made a dramatic expression of distress. "So the only thing I could do was to try to keep our talk short, or make some small accidents to interrupt the call and I have survived by doing that until now. This is all thanks to Li Biqing completely pouring out all the private matters between the two of them after a single dose of a psychedelic drug; but of course, the one I'm most thankful to was you. Even if Molly became suspicious, she would never doubt that the man who was with her brother wasn't her boyfriend. At most, she would only think that the changes in Li Biqing were only caused by the new and unfamiliar environment."
Leo asked through clenched teeth, "Is Molly's boyfriend, the real Li Biqing, still alive?"
"You shouldn't be asking such a question. I'm not the type of person who willfully kills the innocent, you know." Sha Qing said in a tone as if he was suffering from some injustice.
Leo resisted the strong desire to punch the man in the face. He still had many questions and unsolved puzzles, and he was eager to figure it all out.
"Why? Why are you doing this? What's in it for you by disguising yourself just to stay by my side? Intelligence? Indeed... you were able to freely enter and leave the FBI office building with the credentials I gave you and you have obtained a lot of information about serial killers. Those details that are not open to the public can help you find and kill them one step faster, right?"
"Those are just additional benefits. I can find and kill them without relying on you guys. It's just a matter of time." Sha Qing said indifferently.
Leo said coldly, "So what exactly is it that you want? There has to be a motive for you to be doing such things!"
"Motive? Oh, don't make it sound so bad. At first, I just wanted to find an opportunity to get close to you."Sha Qing looked at him with a smile akin to that of a sunflower growing on a cold frozen soil at night- a warmth incompatible with the whole environment- which made Leo's back cold.
"Leo Lawrence, the federal agent who has chased me longer than any law enforcement officer, the one who had gotten closer to me than any police, and even brushed past me several times. I am really, really interested in you ...... I want to know if you are as upright, brave, and indestructible as you appear to be on the surface. Even the sun has sunspots, so I thought it shouldn't be difficult to dig some of your dirt, such as dereliction of duty, false public service, and filling your own pockets, right? But what I didn't expect was that you were really well behaved, even in your private life! You work like a machine- the sort that doesn't stop, at that!"
Speaking of it, Sha Qing's tone held a little bit of indignation "Damn, even if you really are the U.S. Constitution, I will turn you into a yellow comics ! The most suitable life partners for fairness-obsessed freaks like you are those white lotus type- who is kind, gentle, calm; who can take care of you but doesn't act like a mother; can help you with your work and simple, but has wisdom, right? So I gave you that white lotus and look, you got bent so easily!"
He shrugged mischievously, "How does it feel like to uncontrollably fall in love with your future brother-in-law while self-loathing but at the same time, indulging in pleasure, jerking off at the sleeping Li Biqing, agent?"
Leo's pale face went flushed in anger and shame. He then slammed Sha Qing into the wall before throwing him onto the ground, "So you were fucking making fun of me, weren't you! Pretending to be innocent and seducing me inadvertently, while gloating and watching me be in pain, unable to extricate myself from you! What the hell do you get by doing this!"
Because of his bounded hands and feet, Sha Qing couldn't move at all and had no choice but to accept the other party's attacks. The pain and dizziness from hitting the back of his head caused Sha Qing to retch violently. When the uncomfortable feeling had passed, he sat with difficulty and said with a sneer, "What do I get? A sense of satisfaction. Yes, I have always found satisfaction in work, but I am not you. Work is only a part of life. I can't just fill the entire time of my existence with blood and dead people- I have to have some fun and pastime, don't I? And that time during I was bored, ~~poof~~ you fell from the sky and landed in front of me. If I don't try to experience something new, won't it be a disappointment to God's careful arrangement?"
"And you, Leo Lawrence, you are a masterpiece! Mentally, you played right into my hands, unable to restrain your emotions and yet still tried to control yourself at all costs, not knowing how you cut such a sorry figure; physically, you couldn't escape on being attracted to me. Why do you think I want to do it with you in that cold, wet, and dark cave? So that you wouldn't be able to see my face with the mask off and the body that you've seen before. Why do you think I exhausted my physical strength to be intimate with you despite knowing the fact that the island is full of danger? Because I wouldn't be able to find a better time in the future since Molly will be coming back next month, three months ahead of schedule and my Li Biqing false identity wouldn't work when that time comes! If I had enough time, I wouldn't let you be in a short-lived relationship with Sha Qing and just feel guilty about Li Biqing- I would make you fall in love with two people at the same time and continue to waver between the two, suffer, and feel so ashamed that you will go crazy! Oh, to increase that sense of guilt, I'll even let you fuck me again. I think the effect of that wouldn't be bad. What do you think?"
After Sha Qing's long speech, the answer he got from the dark-haired agent was a hailstorm of punches and kicks.
Leo tried his best to beat him as hard as he could, and the feeling of his fist hitting the other's flesh kept his heart, which was in severe pain and distortion after being infused with the man's venomous words, from exploding into pieces at that moment.
He was like a terminal patient depending on opioids, sparing no effort to seize a moment of euphoria away from the pain. He had no time to take any professional regulations or the human rights of suspects into account. All he knew was that if he doesn't do it, he's going to die of pain.
The man on the floor had no way to resist Leo's continuous strikes, and could only curl his body tightly to try to protect his vitals, and spit out words intermittently amidst pain and ache: "That's an ugly look, agent, really....terrible ...... Is the gun on your waist just for show? Or are you still in love with me? Oh, for the sake of you being so affectionate, I should have let you do me a few more times ......"
His mad provocation completely ignited the other man's anger, enough to burn all his reason in an instant.
Leo drew his gun from the holster, pulled the safety catch, and if someone hadn't immediately held his arm from behind, the bullet would have been discharged.
"Don't shoot! Calm down! Leo! Leo!" Rob, who heard the commotion at an earlier time, rushed into the room as soon as he saw that the situation had taken a turn for the worse and stopped him while shouting, "One shot and your career will be ruined!"
" It's already ruined!" Leo roared back in a louder voice, "Don't you see it? I've been completely ruined by this bitch!" He dropped the gun, hugged Rob, and broke into a wretched sob.
This was the first time Rob heard him cry. It sounded so sad and tragic, like a wounded beast abandoned by its entire group, wailing in anger, resentment, and despair.
Overwhelmed with curiosity, he dismissed the crowd and listened from the corner outside of the room alone some time after Leo sent him out. Although the cause and effect were not completely clear, he understood that Sha Qing and Li Biqing were the same people. Amidst the unimaginable emotion and bitterness, he looked down at the man curled up on the floor--
Sha Qing was laughing. Even though his body was full of bruises, he couldn't stop his laughter- a deep, choked-up laughter.
It's a crazy ...... world, Rob thought blankly. However, an agent and a killer, law enforcement and murder - the outcome wasn't too surprising for two diametrically opposing identities, was it?
It's just that... the guy with the calm and gentle eyes, clean and soft smile, the person who would secretly pour out all the dishes and recook them just because he unintentionally said out loud "it's too salty", the man who was focused on helping Kenson with the criminal psychological profile even during his rest time... He didn't believe that all of that was just for the disguise.
Even if there was only a faint shadow, he also felt that that Li Biqing really existed in this world.
At least that's what he sincerely hoped for - not only for Leo, but also for the vague but inextinguishable eternal light in the darkness.
.
.
.
Daniel waited at the entrance of the cave that led to the sea for half an hour until he was sure that Sha Qing would not follow him, until the desire to survive beat his heart like a hammer. He then finally gave up that little hope, jumped into the waves, dived down the cliff, found the satellite phone in the waterproof bag, and dialed the corresponding number.
The person on the other end of the line told him to swim a mile due south, where the seaplane would be waiting for him. Daniel used the compass in the waterproof bag to calibrate the direction, then swam through the waves. After nearly an hour, he finally arrived at the place where the plane was parked and climbed up exhaustedly.
The pilot, a middle-aged man with curly hair who appeared to be of Middle Eastern descent, couldn't resist asking after seeing that Daniel had already caught his breath, "Where's the yellow guy who hired me earlier? He said he'd pay the other half of the renting cost after all is done."
Daniel said coldly, "He can't come. I'll take care of the remaining balance. Hurry up and take off!"
The man, whether it was out of professional ethics or a fondness for the half of the considerable amount of money, hesitated, "Why don't we wait a little longer?"
"Wait my ass!"Daniel suddenly burst into rage, "If someone from the island finds us, no one will be able to leave!" He suddenly pulled out the dagger from the side of his leg and pressed it against the pilot's waist: "Either you get a knife or $1500, your choice!"
Without saying another word, the man immediately pulled the lever.
The plane glided for some distance and as it gradually lifted off, Daniel retrieved his dagger, looked down from the porthole at the Pacific Ocean, which was as blue as the sky, then at the two green islands that were like twin stars. He muttered a prayer that he had forgotten most of the words to, and kissed the bent index finger on his fisted hands.
See you, Sha Qing. Hopefully, we'll meet again someday, he thought silently, then lifted his head to look at the thick clouds in the distant sky.
He knew that he would soon return to the bustling city, back to where he was once a prominent figure- with large sums of money, the blood of his enemies, inflated lust, vicious means- and that his heart that had been warm and soft for the past few short days would then completely turn into a cold and hardened stone when that time comes.