Sha Qing Chapter 9

"Would you like to know what I found on the weapon?" As Dr. Clement strode into the office, he suddenly directed a question at Thea and Leo, who were in the middle of discussing the case. The older man beamed brightly, waiting for someone to widen their eyes in astonishment and ask him to continue. Having not gotten the antic.i.p.ated response, he sighed in remorse then sulkily announced, "Well, I know you all believe that the opulent, hedonistic child of the Brady family is the culprit, but you are all wrong!"

He whipped out a few pages from the folder and waved them in the air. "Take a look at this. I took a spectral a.n.a.lysis of the murder weapon, and I discovered seminal fluid on the branch that was inserted into the victim's a.n.u.s. It was quite difficult to spot because those bloodstains obscured it. Nevertheless, although the s.e.m.e.n has been mixed and diluted with the blood and the amount is infinitesimally small, this proves that the poor child has suffered s.e.xual a.s.sault before his death, or perhaps even after his death—I'm referring to the second victim, by the way. The third victim, Collin, didn't have any other signs on his body, and I not too sure of the first victim; it's very difficult to verify the situation of the first victim because too much time has pa.s.sed since he was murdered."

By now, Thea was genuinely surprised. She sifted through the files in disbelief. "It's not possible. A person who despises h.o.m.os.e.xuals that much will not have intercourse with someone of the same s.e.x… Unless the two homicide cases are unrelated… But judging from the details of each and the suspect's manner of killing, it is undoubtedly the same suspect…"

"Meaning, we've run into a huge contradiction. I tried extracting DNA from some of the remaining s.e.m.e.n I was able to collect, and after some great difficulty, I finally managed to succeed using the magnetic bead-based method. After comparing and confirming it, I have concluded that Brandy Jr. is not the true murderer." With this concrete evidence, Dr. Clement expressed to the female detective, "Thea, as much as you might hate to hear this, you've caught the wrong person this time."

Thea crumpled the report tightly in his grip and collapsed on the office chair behind her.

"If it isn't Clyde Brandy, who else could it possibly be?" Leo wondered aloud. His brows were furrowed and his lips were set in a straight line. Li Biqing's hesitant words pa.s.sed through his mind over and over again: I don't think…I don't think Clyde's the killer.

"Now I can finally grasp the true state of the murderer! Our suspect is h.o.m.os.e.xual—perhaps he is still in the closet regarding his s.e.xuality—and for strange psychological reasons, he is unable to partic.i.p.ate in s.e.xual activities like normal people. Only the corpse and blood of a gay individual will excite strong s.e.xual impulses within him, so he decided to pick a target, then torture and kill them, in order to gratify this desire." Dr. Clement turned to Leo and said, "I can't help but admire that Asian child's intuition. It was his idea about the roses that gave me a burst of insight. Please give me a chance to thank him personally. If possible, I would like to speak with him again, but I don't know if he will be very willing."

Feeling rather conflicted, Leo answered, "I'm sure he'll be more than willing, Doctor."

"There is still one point that I can't seem to put a finger on, however. Why were there no signs of s.e.xual a.s.sault on our third victim, Collin? Perhaps I should re-examine him more thoroughly…" murmured Dr. Clement, as he strode out of the office.

That evening, Leo returned to the apartment and saw Li Biqing sitting on the sofa with his legs curled up. A thick notebook rested on his knees, and he was rapidly scribbling something on the pages—the boy seemed to like writing in this position, as Leo often saw him like this. When Li Biqing heard footsteps indicating Leo's return, he glanced up, greeted the other, then buried his head again and continued writing.

Upon seeing the other's somewhat dispirited appearance, Leo began to reflect on himself for being to too harsh on the boy, especially when it came to reprimanding the kid. He knew very well that because he was too used to facing criminals, he would subconsciously speak with a callous, authoritative tone that was way too overwhelming and fierce for an ordinary boy in his early twenties to handle. Even Molly would often criticize him because of this, "Leo, if you end up speaking like that to your future girlfriend, you can certainly kiss that girlfriend of yours goodbye; you definitely won't be seeing her anymore if you keep up with this tone of yours!"

Quite frankly, he didn't care if he ended up offending his future girlfriend—at least, he didn't care at the moment. However, he surprisingly didn't want this pure and gentle boy before him to feel bad or uncomfortable.

Leo sat himself down on the other side of the sofa, and after a moment's hesitation, he finally said, "I'm sorry. My att.i.tude towards you yesterday was uncalled for."

"I accept your apology." Li Biqing sullenly replied. "But I still can't intervene, right?"

"That's correct." Before the other got up and went back to his room, Leo added, "But you can still collaborate."

"…Huh?" Li Biqing stopped in his steps and stared at him.

"Dr. Clement said he wanted to talk to you. I believe it concerns the case."

Pleasantly surprised, the Chinese boy's mouth stretched into bright smile. "Really? Leo, is this your way of making it up for me? Thank you! And also…I don't need your apology anymore; I'll give that back to you!"

Leo broke out into chuckles, "You don't have to give me my own apology back. Would you like to visit the FBI office building tomorrow after cla.s.s?"

As if he couldn't contain his overwhelming joy any longer, Li Biqing merrily bounced in the air, then pounced on the Leo, and began softly hitting the other's chest out of excitement. "This is so great! I've always wanted to visit there!"

When Li Biqing threw himself on Leo, Leo reflexively tried to kick him away, but after realizing what he was about to do, he instantly forced himself to calm down. After having restrained his instincts, he jokingly shouted. "This is an attack on an officer!" Putting on an act, Leo fell to the ground, then grabbed the other and lightly pinned him against the floor.

"Argh, you caught me!" Li Biqing extended his wrists, and complacently replied, "What's the sentence, officer?"

Leo couldn't help but smile. "You are sentenced to an hour of community service—the location? The kitchen!"

"Aye aye, officer!" Li Biqing hopped back up to wear his slipped and happily skipped over to the kitchen.

After school the next day, Leo kept his promise, and drove to the university gates to take Li Biqing to the FBI office. Having entered the busy, yet organized office building, Li Biqing, this Chinese boy who always followed rules like an obedient child, also couldn't seem to suppress the curiosity in him, and he began to glance all around; his large eyes s.h.i.+ned with great interest as they darted around the place.

Once Li Biqing stepped into Leo's office, the federal agents quickly pulled the curtains to cover up the myriad of photos posted on the bulletin before he could see them.

At this, Li Biqing curiously inquired, "What's up with those pictures?"

"They're related to my case." Leo answered vaguely.

"The Serial-Killer killer case?"

"Mhm." Leo grunted, frowning; he obviously didn't want to discuss such matters with the other. Fortunately, Dr. Clement, with his silver hair and disheveled appearance, rudely pushed the door open, and swiftly walked in with the vitality of a vigorous young male. He stopped before Li Biqing and stuck out his hand, "You've come, kiddo! Has Leo thanked you for me?"

Li Biqing shook hands with him, and with the utmost respect, said, "I have not done anything that deserves your grat.i.tude, Doctor. As one of the leading experts in criminal psychology, you are an existence that amateurs like us, who only possess curiosity but no knowledge, look up to. You have my utmost respect, and it is such an honor."

"Not bad. The way you compliment others is extremely pleasant; I could listen to you all day!" Dr. Clement laughed heartily and patted the boy on the shoulder. "Take a seat. How about we chat for a while."

Li Biqing reservedly seated himself on the sofa. Intending to excuse himself out of the room so that the two could talk privately amongst themselves, Leo announced that he would leave to get a drink; however, he was stopped by the older man, "Leo, it seems I'll be troubling you a bit; when you come back with your coffee, be sure to bring your partner and Theo along with you. I want to chat with you all."

Thereupon, three upright federal agents, a reputable criminal psychology expert, and a young Chinese university student who was currently taking English language cla.s.ses, gathered together in an office at the FBI building and launched a crucial discussion, breaking down all the clues and details of the case, in order to solve the mystery surrounding the campus serial killer—of course, only when the murderer has been caught and brought to justice, will everyone finally realize just how valuable having such a conversation is.

After briefly introducing the important details pertinent to the case to Li Biqing, Dr. Clement blindingly smiled and asked, "Alrighty, kiddo! I see you've been contemplating for quite a while. Tell us what you're thinking about. Those raw, uninterrupted, intense ideas are like the first fireworks exploding in your brain, igniting a chain reaction of creativity. Quickly seize those brilliant sparks that come in that instant—that is your inspiration! Albert Einstein once said, 'Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration; but that one percent is extremely important, even more so than the ninety-nine percent.1'"

Li Biqing hesitated, before whispering, "I'm afraid that my unrealistic ideas will mislead you to an incorrect conclusion…"

"Oh, no, no, no, certainly not!" Dr. Clement denied, wagging his index finger. "Don't overestimate your influence on others. We possess enough reason to reach our own judgments and conclusions. Everything you say right now is merely your own opinion, or outlook, on this case. While we may be listening to it, we may not necessarily be using it as a reference or as a basis for our case."

"Alright. Even though it will sound rather awkward, I will be more comfortable speaking with this," stated Li Biqing as he pulled out his pocket translator from his bookbag. Although his English had improved considerably, he still had difficulties when it came to unfamiliar and more complicated, obscure terms.

He took a deep breath, clearing his mind and relaxing his body, then softly exhaled and slowly began, enunciating every word, "Now, I am the campus serial killer."

This opening sentence had the phrase "If I was the serial killer" omitted, and instead jumped straight into a first-person perspective, allowing the individual to perfectly embody the role of the serial killer rather than simply imagine the role. At this, Leo subconsciously knitted his brows. On the other hand, Dr. Clement's eyes, which were hidden behind his thick lenses, began to twinkle with sheer antic.i.p.ation.

"Before unraveling my true nature, it is necessary to look back at my childhood: I was 70% more likely to suffer psychologically abuse, 40% more likely be subject to psychical and s.e.xual abuse, and there was also a 50% chance that my parents had a history of mental illness as well as criminal records. I had an extremely controlling mother who would punish me severely for even the most trivial mistakes and wrong-doings, from accidentally wetting the bed to cutting cla.s.s. She would discipline me with her hands and belt and would even lock me up in the dark bas.e.m.e.nt, which in turn, resulted in my fear of women since childhood, my inability to communicate with the opposite s.e.x, and my inability to feel love. My father, on the other hand, was either away from the house or drinking his life away. He was always irascible, and indifferent to my own life. Whenever I was s.e.xually hara.s.sed by the boy next door, he never helped me once. Instead, he beat me and cursed at me, ridiculed me, calling me a sissy. He encouraged me to use violence, to retaliate and beat the other black and blue; otherwise, I could not be considered a man—I believe I was only eight or nine at the time.

"No matter how many times I moved houses, my situation would never improve. It was like there was no escape from this cursed fate of mine. I soon began adopting a rebellious behavior, exhibiting signs of a psychos.e.xual disorder. I was disgusted with women and disliked—no, despised them. I was attracted to males, but I also felt threatened by the strength they possessed. Terror of being unable to control other males' strength and power would constantly haunt me, so I wasn't able to engage in s.e.xual acts like normal individuals. And so, I started seeking pleasure in injured bodies and corpses—at first, it was with sparrows, stray cats and abandoned dogs. I would hurt them on purpose, deliberately stab them with branches and eventually cut off their heads. My parents couldn't have cared any less once they found out; they simply thought that's how boys my age usually played.

"I couldn't get along with my cla.s.smates at school. They all thought I was weird. My situation improved greatly at around seventh or eighth grade, because it was then that I discovered people cannot just live in their own world, in their own bubble; they had to communicate, socialize with others. When I began wearing an approachable, ever-so-enthusiastic, confident mask, people were obviously such much kinder to me. There were many girls and boys were extremely friendly towards me, some even confessed to me. In fact, I even tried to date one of them, but unfortunately, I was still unable to have normal s.e.x with them.

"I began experimenting with all sorts of taboo, unconventional ventures, from bondage to SM, but it wasn't enough, not nearly enough. The emptiness of being unable to climax was simply maddening! Then one fateful day, I took a decisive step—I attacked one of the boys I was supposed to go on a date with, stabbing him with branches, injuring him. The blood from his wounds, the twisted expression on his face, his wretched cries of pain, oh, how of that made me feel an unprecedented feeling of exhilaration! I continued to hurt him and torment him, just as how I treated those poor, incapacitated animals when I was young. Having s.e.x with him as he was dying made me feel safe and satisfied; I felt like I was in control of everything. It wasn't long before I came inside a corpse that still emitted the heat of a live human being. In the end, I sharpened a long branch and pierced him through the place where we were both connected to each other just seconds ago. A perfect finale for this act of pa.s.sion; and so, the curtains finally closed to this fervent lovemaking…"

A blazing fire stirred within the depths of the Chinese boy's eyes, a dark excitement shrouded his expression, only revealing the malicious features underneath. The ghost of the murderer had come to life from the scene and possessed the boy's body. With every grim look, every crooked sneer, every disturbing whisper, and every feral growl, a dark, insane and sinister air pervaded the entire room.

Years of professionalism were nearly forced to caved under this overwhelming malevolent pressure. Thea automatically reached behind her and touched the handle of the gun that was hanging from her waist. Cold sweat had long soaked her undergarments.

Rob, who was standing beside the sofa, subconsciously retreated two steps. His palms pressed hard against the hard surface of the walnut wood desk, underneath which lay a hidden red b.u.t.ton that would immediately alert other officers.

With his legs propped up and his posture leaned back, Leo seemed to relaxing. He stared straight at the speaker; his eyes never strayed from the other's figure. His face remained void of emotion. But if anyone touched his shoulders would discover that his entire body was incredibly tense, like a taut string that was on the verge of snapping.

Only Dr. Clement was truly care-free, casually pouring himself another cup of coffee, then sipping on it leisurely.

The evil monologue continued: "Having tasted the experience of an o.r.g.a.s.m for the first time, I was so scared, yet so excited. I feared that the police would break down my door and enter my house one day. But months soon pa.s.sed, and that day never arrived. At long last, the fear consuming me, finally left my heart. Urged by an inexplicable craving, I decided to do it once again. I scattered the j.a.panese rose petals I prepared in advance—I was inspired by the bouquet I brought with me on our last date. That sissy insisted that I deliver him some flowers, and I concluded, that this wasn't such a bad idea. The remnants of a b.l.o.o.d.y rose on a beautiful corpse, what an appropriate finale before the curtains closed and the audience applauded, wouldn't you say?"

The boy narrowed his eyes as he scanned the room; his chilling gazed pierced holes into every individual within the room. Cold, apathetic, cruel, yet full of seductive charm. He resembled a terrifying beauty with a black heart who could make people's souls shudder with a glance, like the haunting image of a crimson rose in full bloom on top of an eerie, decayed gravestone.

At the very instant, Leo jumped to his feet, but Dr. Clement immediately grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the couch.

"Not bad, not bad at all! If I had to be honest, your talent for criminal psychology far exceeded my expectations." Grinning from ear to ear, the silver-haired old man began clapping loudly. "I had originally wanted to show you my report of the criminal's psychological state in this serial killing case, but I suppose that it's unnecessary now—our viewpoint is more than 70% similar in regard to this case. Naturally, I may have been slightly more cautious and tamer in some aspects, but you are practically br.i.m.m.i.n.g with fearlessness; your imagination is quite brazen and daring, and only with the bold ingenuity and energy of youths like you can such masterpieces be created!"

"Leo, you've brought me an outstanding protégé." He patted the shoulder of the black-haired agent with great pleasure and grat.i.tude, then turned to asked Li Biqing, "Kiddo, after completing your studies, if you still are interested in this type of work, I will gladly write you a letter of recommendation and let you work with me, how's that sound?"

"I couldn't ask for anything else." Li Biqing smiled bashfully. Within few seconds after making his speech, he was able to completely separate himself from his previous state of excitement. That soft, chestnut-colored hair, that smooth, fair skin, those pure, delicate facial features. His dark aura quietly receded, and there wasn't a single trace of it; it was as if the one who played the scene, who vanished so silently was a completely different person, not the kind boy before them. As they were coming to an agreement, Dr. Clement even sneaked a peek at Leo and revealed a mischievous look that said, "I didn't intervene. It was you who decided to invite him here in the first place. You didn't have to invite him, you know."

Leo looked at him with a complicated gaze. Countless, chaotic thoughts ran through his mind. His mind was a mess, like a congested street where all traffic lights were malfunctioning, causing all vehicles to run awry, creating havoc in the vicinity. This Chinese boy who currently lived with him, Molly's little boyfriend. The moment he laid eyes on him, Leo's first impression of the other was that he was a pure child. He had this tender, naïve air to him, making him seem much younger than his age.  The other person truly was too young. Whenever Leo interacted with him, he would subconsciously take the role of an older senior aiding his significantly younger junior.  The relations.h.i.+p they held wasn't one that a brother-in-law had with his older sister's future husband, where the brother-in-law would help his sister's future husband with whatever he can without much care or thought; it was more like that of close biological brothers, where the elder brother constantly protected and spoiled his gullible, innocent younger brother.

It was only after today Leo discovered this boy had such an incredibly wise and sharp side to him. This huge disparity made him feel somewhat at a loss for a moment… Leo ma.s.saged his aching temples with his fingers, and eventually decided to temporarily set these feelings aside. After organizing his thoughts and composing himself again, he downed a whole cup of coffee in one breath.

"Just now…You literally scared the s.h.i.+t out of me… I nearly pulled out my gun on you." Rob softly grumbled to Li Biqing.

Feeling awfully embarra.s.sed and guilty, the other apologized, "I'm sorry. I'm always like this. Whenever I enter that state, I can't seem to control it."

"There are two more questions I would like to hear your opinion on." Dr. Clement's interruption saved him from further embarra.s.sment. "First, why are there no signs of s.e.xual a.s.sault on Collin?"

Li Biqing mulled over this for a while, then declared, "Because he wasn't the murderer's true target. Personally, I'm thinking that the second campus murder raised too much attention and stirred a lot of controversy, that the murdered started feeling uneasy. With all the rumors and speculations running rampant, he perceptively exploited the public's opinion and decided to choose a suitable target in order to s.h.i.+ft the blame and divert the attention from himself by scapegoating an innocent individual."

"So, you're saying Clyde was the scapegoat? And his carefully-chosen target was Collin, who had a huge fight with Clyde in front of everyone just hours before?" Thea suddenly came to a realization.

Li Biqing nodded.

"Now, for the second question. When do you believe is the most suitable time to release Clyde Brandy?"

This time, Li Biqing answer was quite simple. "If I was able to make that decision, I would release him in a few days. If he is kept in custody, the murderer will not make a move during this time. After two or three years, a final verdict will be reached. The hapless Clyde may end up serving an extremely long sentence that he won't be able to even complete in this lifetime, all because of the pressure of the public and their 'call for justice'. After that, the murderer can then move states, change his ident.i.ty, and once again go back to his old ways.

"However, if Clyde is released on the basis of insufficient evidence, then the murderer will become more nervous. In order to push the blame on him again, the murderer will probably try to kill again within a short amount of time. I'm guessing the next target will be someone similar to Collin, someone who was in a serious conflict with Clyde. The police can closely, but secretly monitor these individuals and capture the killer on the fourth attempt. Of course, this method has its advantages, as well as its disadvantages. The obvious disadvantage is the one we wish to avoid at all cost. Many lives are at stake; if the police fail to protect these targeted individuals, an innocent life would be lost."

He helplessly spread out his palms and shrugged. "This is the only way I can think of. As for how the police wish to deal with it, that is their own choice; they should do as they see fit."

Dr. Clement nodded and said, "Thank you for your opinion. Today's conversation will end here. That was indeed a pleasant afternoon tea time." He set his coffee cup down, stood up, and walked to the doorway of the office, before turning back and saying, "Oh, Leo, send this darling child home. Afterwards, we'll all gather around for one last chat."

1天才就是1%的灵感加上99%的汗水，但那1%的灵感是最重要的，甚至比那99%的汗水都要重要. According to many Chinese sites, there is apparently a second part to Einstein quote, suggesting that inspiration is more important than hard work; however, many English sites only have the first half of the quote, suggesting that effort is more important. I've always known the quote as the latter (with only one part to it); I never knew some variations included a second part to the quote or another interpretation, so this is quite new to me…