Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang drive to the address of professor Xu's private clinic that Chen Jing provided. They wander about the area and make their way to a street of low-end bars.
Bai Yutang's car would attract too much attention, so they parked somewhere further away and strolled over.
That area is filled with local gangsters, bars, clubs...sensual places. Most people on the streets here are young, dressed bizarrely.
Zhan Zhao is checking the unit number when Bai Yutang suddenly pulled him closer to himself and puts his arms around him.
"What's that for?" Zhan Zhao jerks his shoulder and glares at him.
"Hush." Bai Yutang murmurs, "Don't look back, someone is following us."
....! ...
"How are we exposed so quickly?" Zhan Zhao asked in surprise.
Bai Yutang smiled, "Probably not what you are thinking of."
"What do you mean?" Zhan Zhao gave him a confused look.
"You will see." Bai Yutang pulled him into an empty alley.
They hear footsteps behind them, it sounds disordered, like there is more than one person.
Bai Yutang halts his steps and two men sprint up to them while another two stopped behind them. The four of them fans out and traps Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang in the centre.
Zhan Zhao observes the gang, they are all twenty-something youngsters in punk outfits, their body tattooed and sporting bizarre hairstyles —- Cosplay??
"You seem rich." One of them sizes Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang up, "Lend me some cash."
Zhan Zhao tries to hold back his laughter. A police captain is getting extorted, this is probably a first for Bai Yutang.
"It's okay if you don't have any money." Another gangster reaches out smirking, "We can also have some fun together..." His hand heading straight for Zhan Zhao's jaw.
Before anyone could react, Bai Yutang has already taken hold of that gangster's hand, twisting it into an unnatural angle with a loud crackling sound — it's broken.
"AHHH." The gangster falls onto the ground cradling his arm, screaming in pain.
The other three waves of panic immediately.
Bai Yutang asked Zhan Zhao, "Do you still remember the moves I taught you?"
Zhan Zhao nods eagerly, a real fight, actual combat! This is a rare chance!
Bai Yutang shakes his head in resignation and beckons his hands at the three gangsters.
The gangsters exchange a look and the leader yells, "Get him..." And all three of them charge towards them.
Bai Yutang steps forward, dodging one and blocks the other two's advances.
The one that was dodged goes straight for Zhan Zhao.
Zhan Zhao repeats Bai Yutang's teachings in his head, "Time yourself, put your right foot forward quickly, use your right arm to follow your opponent's forearm movement, grab hold of your opponent's left shoulder with your left hand, your left foot step forward against the outside of your opponent's left leg, turn your body around, pull down your hands towards the right, and throw your opponent's body forward."
With a loud thud, the gangster flies out and got a mouthful of mud.
Yay~ Zhan Zhao holds up a small fist pump. He turned around to see Bai Yutang has already taken care of the other two gangsters and is staring back at him.
Bai Yutang sees the adorable expression of 'That was fun, I want to do it again' on Zhan Zhao's face. He really wants to pull Zhan Zhao over and kiss him, but... Never mind, he will probably get punched.
He picks up a random gangster from the floor, "Do you still want to continue?"
"Cough... No... please, no more." The gangster begs while coughing.
"This address." Bai Yutang lifts the gangster up, Zhan Zhao also closes in with interest as well, "Is it around the area?"
The gangster squints his eyes at the address and nods, "Yes...Yes, it's in the house over there."
Bai Yutang lets go of the guy and the whole gang flees immediately. Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao have no interest in pursuing them and head straight for the house instead.
It's a two-storey house, the tattered roll-up gate is half open, inside is the pitch black corridor.
Bai Yutang peeks into the corridor and retrieves his torchlight from his pocket. He turns back at Zhan Zhao and murmurs, "Be careful!"
"Okay." Zhan Zhao nods and follows him.
The two of them walks into the corridor. According to Chen Jing, the clinic is on the second floor.
They move up the stairs carefully, unlike the pitch darkness on the first floor, there are dim lights leaking out of the second floor.
Switching off his torchlight, Bai Yutang stops, blocking Zhan Zhao's way.
Zhan Zhao looks at him in confusion, Bai Yutang pulls out his gun and points at his own nose. Zhan Zhao takes a sniff at the air, there's indeed a heavy scent — the smell of blood
He pulls out his gun as well and gives Bai Yutang an anxious look.
The two of them part ways and closes into the room from different sides.
The room door is not closed tightly, only shut lightly.
Bai Yutang nudges the door open, the light inside the room is dull crimson and he is immediately overwhelmed with a strong smell of blood. Zhan Zhao frowns, no matter who it is, the person would not still be alive after so much bleeding.
The two of them slides into the room and are immediately shocked by the scene in front of them.
They spot professor Xu lying flat on the ground, his throat cut, the entire floor is covered in blood. From the colour and the coagulation of the blood, he has been dead for at least 24 hours.
As colleagues who have worked together, Zhan Zhao couldn't bear to see professor Xu in this state, he turns his head away.
Bai Yutang does a quick check of the room and calls the S.C.I. a team in resignation.
This sinister house is surrounded by police vehicles in no time, barricading the curious public from the house. Zhan Zhao is sitting in the police vehicle, deep in thoughts. Bai Yutang opens a can of hot coffee for him, "Are you alright?"
Zhan Zhao accepts the coffee, holding it with both hands, feeling the warmth from the can warding off the coldness surrounding him, "What do you think?"
Bai Yutang sighs and sits down next to him, "It feels like things have gone out of control."
"I thought that once we find professor Xu, we would be able to close this case. But he ended up murdered." Zhan Zhao takes a sip at his coffee, "This taste like crap."
"That Dr Zhang is a suspect." Bai Yutang takes the coffee out of Zhan Zhao's hand, "It tastes like crap?" He tries a sip, and tosses the coffee away, frowning, "Like this can of coffee, I bought it for drinking, but it is more useful as a hand-warmer compared to for drinking."
Zhan Zhao chuckles, lowering his head.
"What are you laughing at? Stupid cat!" Bai Yutang scratches his head.
"The way you comfort people is terrible!" Zhan Zhao looks up, "Being logical doesn't suit you at all."
"But you still laughed!" Bai Yutang nudges him with his shoulder, "I am good at everything!"
...
"Cap, we are done surveying the area."
Bai Yutang nods, "Found anything useful?"
Wang Chao shakes his head, "Nothing, not even the murder weapon."
"What about Zhang Long?" Zhan Zhao asks.
"I called him just now, he hasn't found Dr Zhang yet, he's still working on it." Wang Chao answers, "Xu Qing them are still at the school...That guy seems to have evaporated from the face of the earth."
"Keep looking, stay sharp."
"Yes, Sir."
Just when he was ready to leave, Bai Yutang's phone rings suddenly. Picking his phone up, Bai Yutang is startled at the caller ID, "It's from commissioner Bao."
"Hello. Commissioner?"
...
The phone call only lasted for ten seconds, but Bai Yutang's face is filled with alarm and shock.
"What's wrong?" Zhan Zhao rarely see Bai Yutang like this, he has a bad feeling, "What happened?"
Bai Yutang puts his phone down and gazes over at Zhan Zhao, "Zhao Jue escaped."
"...What?!..." Zhan Zhao almost jumps, "How...how is that possible?"
"Commissioner Bao asked us to go over first. Let's go, cat." Bai Yutang tugs Zhan Zhao along with him towards his car, he yells back at Wang Chao, "Get some people and follow me."
The trip normally would take three hours, but Bai Yutang took only an hour to get there. Zhan Zhao knows how stressed Bai Yutang is just from the way he is driving his car like a plane.
Once they reach the research centre, they head straight for Zhao Jue's cell.
Bao Zheng is smoking outside the room, judging from all the cigarette butts on the floor, he had been here for quite a while.
"How did this happen?" Looking at the empty cell, Bai Yutang asks Bao Zheng.
"We got him in the film." Bringing the two to the control room, Bao Zheng turns on the monitor: The image is clear enough, the person who brought Zhao Jue out is Dr Zhang.
"Zhang Boyi, forty-two years old, famous psychologist, he is one of the researchers in the research centre, so he has access to the cell." Bao Zheng puts out his cigarette, "He knows the place well, he got Zhao Jue out when the guards are changing shift."
Bao Zheng takes a look at Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao's tightly knitted brows, "You two don't have to be too worked up over this, we will put out an arrest warrant for him. I asked you to come because I wanted Xiao Zhan to take a look at Zhao Jue's room."
"His room?" Zhan Zhao looks confused.
"Hm." Bao Zheng chuckles, "Didn't you notice something wrong with it the last time?"
"..." Zhan Zhao turns around to glare at Bai Yutang.
Bai Yutang shakes his hand quickly, "I didn't say anything."
Bao Zheng shakes his head, "Although I'm older than I used to be, I'm not blind. The two of you are acting so secretively, it doesn't take a genius to figure out what you are up to."
Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchange a look and lower their head in embarrassment.
"Now, the two of you, be careful, especially Xiao Zhan." Bao Zheng stops them who are heading out, "And your brother."
Bai Yutang looks nervous immediately, "You think, Zhao Jue will try to harm cat and my brother?"
Bao Zheng nods.
...
"My brother discovered his secret back then, that I can understand, but, the cat has no connection with him whatsoever." Bai Yutang seems rather worked up, "Why would he try to harm cat?"
Zhan Zhao tugs Bai Yutang back, "Yutang, calm down."
Bai Yutang jerks away and continues, "What happened back then? Why didn't you say anything? What's there that you can't tell us?"
Bao Zheng grins at the pissed off Bai Yutang and worried Zhan Zhao behind him suddenly.
He lets go a long sigh, "Twenty years ago, I have seen scenes like this as well."
"...?..." Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang exchange a look and turn back at Bao Zheng in confusion.
Bao Zheng pulls a chair over and sits down, "Back then, Yunwen and I were like this as well, easily agitated. Zhao Jue would always be the one holding us back and helping us to come up with solutions. It isn't because the thing that happened was a secret... but because we really don't want to mention it again." He lights yet another cigarette, "Do you know, why Zhao Jue has killed so many?"
The two shakes their head, Bao Zheng smiles bitterly, "Because back then, police works were very traditional. Zhao Jue's idea of using psychological analysis would always come under criticism. He recommended setting up a special department for psychological analysis and recruit specialised psychologists to work on criminal profiles many times...But it was scorned upon every single time."
"He wanted to prove that psychology works, that's why he went to kill people?" Zhan Zhao asks.
"Yep." Bao Zheng inhales, "He used psychological suggestion to kill, then use psychological analysis to save those people... He made a fool out of those who used to mock at him."
Bai Yutang has calmed down by now, "He wants to harm Zhan Zhao, because of jealousy?"
Bao Zheng nods, "Do you know what is the last thing he said before being fitted with the silencer?" He inhales again, "He said he is jealous, jealous of me, of Yunwen, of everyone...He said a genius, must find a stage for himself if not, the genius will live in more misery than those fools. Everything he did, was to create a stage for himself, that's all."
Hearing Bao Zheng's words, Zhan Zhao seems to be in a daze, "If, the psychology research centre already existed back then, if such department was already established..."
Bao Zheng nods, "Then he would be just like you."
...Bao Zheng falls into silence, seems to be lost in his memory. Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao note the regret and sorrow in his eyes. An expression, Bai Yutang is very familiar with. He has watched it for over twenty years, his old man would make this face often, while smoking and deep in thoughts...filled with endless regret and sorrow. When he was younger, he thought it looked super manly, but now that he recalls it, he was fortunate.
"Smokeless." Bai Yutang tells Bao Zheng, "It's bad for you." He leaves with Zhan Zhao after speaking.
They return to Zhao Jue's room, Zhan Zhao walks in and starts to examine the room carefully. He seats himself on the red chair and flips through all the sketches that Zhao Jue has left behind. Bai Yutang sits outside and gazes at Zhan Zhao inside the room dully. Time passes slowly as the sky outside turns white.
Zhan Zhao stands up and leaves the cell.
"Cat?" Bai Yutang notices Zhan Zhao's paleness, he seems to be in discomfort. Bai Yutang walks up to Zhan Zhao, while Zhan Zhao shudders, "Cat!"
He reaches out to catch Zhan Zhao's falling body, "Cat, what's wrong?"
Bai Yutang pulled Zhan Zhao into his embrace and touches his face gently, "What's wrong? Exhausted?"
"No..." Zhan Zhao holds onto Bai Yutang weakly, "Lock...lock the room. Don't look at those drawings."
"What's wrong with it?" Bai Yutang asked in confusion.
"Gather...everyone in the research centre, they need psychotherapy." Zhan Zhao calms his breath, and colours start to return to his face, "Zhao Jue has sketched psychological suggestions into his drawings...Those who have viewed the drawings often are likely to commit suicide, or murder..."