191 Collaboration

 

I glanced at Zhao Mingkun’s finger from the corner of my eyes, she was slowly pulling the trigger.

“Look.” Zhao Mingkun’s cold voice echoed in my ears. “We’re right behind a mental hospital. There is no camera here. Do you know this building? This is the hospital’s so-called Area A, it is home to people who are considered dangerous to society, psychopaths and murderers.”

I didn’t speak and continued to look at her.

“I have a story to tell you.” Zhao Mingkun smiled to reveal her white teeth. “A zoo built an enclosure for the kangaroos. Initially, the fences were 3 meters tall, the next day, the zookeepers noticed all the kangaroos were out. So they raised the fences to 5 meters but on the next day, the kangaroos came out again. They decided to raise the fences directly to 20 meters tall but the kangaroos still got out the next day.” Zhao Mingkun enjoyed telling the story quite a bit. She smiled. “Guess what happened in the end?”

I shook my head.

“The kangaroos discussed among themselves, ‘do you think the zookeepers will continue to raise the fences’?” Zhao Mingkun pinched my chin. “One of them answered, ‘They will if they forget to close the door again.”

Zhao Mingkun pointed at the wall with her left hand. “Look at this wall, it’s more than 10 meters tall. And it has an electric net. A normal person wouldn’t get over it but that doesn’t mean one can’t get under it. We’re in the old part of town. The ground we’re stepping on is very loose. Entry is easy.”

I looked down. The road underneath us was a dirt road, there was not even a layer of brick. It was entirely possible to dig a tunnel here to get into the building. I said emotionlessly, “Looks like no one has thought about that.”

Zhao Mingkun nodded.

“But why would you disguise yourself as that madwoman?” I looked at her and voiced the question in my heart. “Even after you enter Area A, you have to get into the building itself. The building at Area A only has one front door and there are guards at the door always. So you have to pretend to be a patient. You chose a female patient who had murdered her child.” I continued, “If I’m not mistaken, you did all these to meet someone, the person at the deepest room on the third floor.”

Zhao Mingkun combed her hair with her fingers. “You’re right.”

“What are you doing?” I stressed and my voice became harsh. “You know Captain Zhao is at Dong Xing City so why do you choose to return now?”

Zhao Mingkun’s smiling face turned icy. She said, “Dong Xing City is a big city. I don’t want to meet you people but sometimes it can’t be helped. All I can tell you is that I find that old man to help me find another person and that person is very scary.”

“Someone who can scare you?” I raised my brows. “Who is it?”

Zhao Mingkun didn’t answer but burst out laughing. She caressed my face and said softly, “I’m surprised you care about me, but that will not soften my heart. I told you, in my line of work, I have to be vicious. This place has no surveillance. With one pull and you’d be dead.”

I cut straight to the point. “Really? In comparison, I think you care more about me. When I entered the old man’s room, you were on the other side of the 3rd floor. When you saw my colleagues banging worriedly on the door, you knew I was being hypnotized by that old man and so you hurriedly pressed the alarm.” I looked into her eyes and said, “If not for you, I wouldn’t be myself anymore. Plus, you told me you never put bullets in your guns.”

“Try me.” Zhao Mingkun challenged.

Without hesitation, I grabbed her gun and pulled the trigger. There was a pop and nothing happened.

“It’s no fun if you guess the ending every time.” Zhao Mingkun sighed as she placed the gun back in her waistband. She shrugged. “That’s why I hate dealing with clever people. One is you and the other is your Captain Zhao. It’s always the same.”

“Is it?” I asked.

Zhao Mingkun pulled out a female cigar and handed one to me. I waved and rejected it. I didn’t smoke ladies’ cigars.

Zhao Mingkun smiled and said, “When your wife said those things on the 2nd floor, I already recognized her voice. Then I knew your real identity. You two are not grave-robbing husband and wife, you’re the police. But I still don’t get it. Why did you let me go at Lin Fen when you had the chance to catch me?”

I didn’t know how to answer. I couldn’t tell her it was because I felt a connection with her and we were kindred spirits. Thus I said, “I don’t need any reason to do the things I do.”

Zhao Mingkun nodded. “In that case, since you let me go last time, I saved you this time. We don’t owe each other anymore. Next time, we meet, I won’t let you go so easily anymore, Mr. cop. Of course, you can try to arrest me now provided that you can catch me first.”

“I knew it was you when I saw the note,” I said. “If I wanted to arrest you, you would be arrested already.”

Zhao Mingkun was silent before she suddenly said in a serious tone, “But I’d advise you to stay away from me, it’s bad luck to stick close to me.”

I asked, “Is there a relationship between us?”

“What?” Zhao Mingkun looked at me.

“I feel a sense of familiarity from you.” I said seriously, “I felt that at Lin Fen, or else I wouldn’t have let you go.”

Zhao Mingkun laughed until she had tears in her eyes. “Kid, you didn’t really fall for me, did you?”

I didn’t answer but pressed, “Zhao Mingkun, do you know something about me? Since I returned from Lin Fen, I’ve been thinking about it. That day, the way and tone of your speech were very vague. Captain Zhao said you are Si Hwacheng’s adopted daughter so you must have grown up at Elm Town and Elm Town is not far from Qing Cheng Prison.”

Zhao Mingkun stopped laughing, “You have such great imagination. I was only playing at Lin Fen, I don’t know you. And I am serious, you better don’t meddle in the business between me and Zhao Shilin again or you will regret it.”

“Regret?” I repeated. “That will happen after the fact. And curiosity always comes before regret.”

After a pause, I continued, “When we met at Lin Fen, you were looking for Lai San but it was interrupted by a case. Are you here to find him again?”

Zhao Mingkun answered, “No, it’s for someone crazier than Lai San.”

Instantly the masked youth who called himself Wu Zui appeared in my mind. He had defeated me twice. With that in mind, I slowly uttered, “The man is wearing a mask and his name is Wu Zui?”

Zhao Mingkun’s expression shifted when she heard that. “You’ve met him?”

I nodded. “He escaped from me.”

Zhao Mingkun’s jaws were sharp and she added swiftly, “My advice is still the same, this field is not for you.”

I asked, “You went to that old man to find Wu Zui?”

Zhao Mingkun studied me for a long time before she explained, “Yes, and it seems like you still don’t know this. Before Wu Zui put on the mask, he studied psychology and criminology with this old man so he is Wu Zui’s teacher.”

That was a revelation for me. No wonder the chief nurse said this old man was very dangerous. But how did Zhao Mingkun know this detail that even the police did not? Why was she trying to locate Wu Zui?

“You seem to know a lot.” I offered. “Would you like to collaborate?”

“Collaborate?” Zhao Mingkun looked at me with confusion.

I nodded sincerely. “I’ll be collaborating with you personally. You know my identity, I’ll be able to help you from the inside.”

“Then what do you need from me?” Zhao Mingkun was intrigued.

I told her, “Help me with the cases, help me find my background, and help me investigate Wu Zui.”

“You sure have a lot of demands.” Zhao Mingkun toyed with her lighter.

I nodded and then tilted my head, “But it’s fully worth it.”

Zhao Mingkun nodded. It looked like she was about to say something but she changed her mind at the last minute. In the end, she only said, “I can accept your terms but if you have any news on Wu Zui, you need to share with me. Deal?”

“Deal,” I said.

“it’s nice dealing with clever people.” Zhao Mingkun touched my face. “If I have news, I’ll have my way of contacting you, so be prepared to be harassed by me every once in a while.”

I said, “Now, I need your help with a case.”

“You’ve already learned to order me around so soon?” Zhao Mingkun hugged her chest.

I said seriously, “I need you to check something for me.”

“What is it?” She asked.

I handed a note to her. “I wrote this in the car ride over.”

“Such cunningness.” She accepted the note.

I returned the praise. “The same can be said about you.”

Zhao Mingkun walked away and then turned around with melancholy. “Sometimes I feel like people like us deserve to die and no one would have pitied us.”