The night was deep, like an eternal black pool that would never disperse. Of the six people they had encountered along this journey, some lay in the forest, some were locked in the car, and one lay at You Mingxu’s feet. Those in front of and behind Gu Tiancheng had all lost their ability to move, helpless to resist.
You Mingxu glanced at him again. He still had that handsome face, broad shoulders, and narrow waist—a man whose entire being exuded a cold hardness. But she understood that he was no longer the person she had thought him to be.
“Aren’t you afraid of me?” Gu Tiancheng suddenly asked.
You Mingxu avoided looking into his eyes, which were no longer clear and profound. She looked to the side, smiled, and said, “Don’t you like me? You’re not willing to let me go, so why should I be afraid?”
He laughed abruptly, took another drag of his cigarette, and said, “You’re quite hard to figure out.”
You Mingxu spoke softly, “There are many people and things in this world that are hard to understand. Being too obsessed isn’t good—it hurts both others and yourself.” She seemed to be hinting at something. Gu Tiancheng continued smoking, staring at her, saying nothing.
“Are you the serial killer Ming Tao mentioned? The two people in Hunan, the two along the Tibet highway—did you kill them all?” You Mingxu asked.
He lowered his head and smiled, saying, “It was six.” Glancing at the man lying on the ground, still whimpering and bleeding, he added, “The police only connected four of them. The fool mentioned one extra.”
You Mingxu looked at the fool and asked, “Who is he?”
Gu Tiancheng answered, “I’m not sure. Yesterday, I needed to change cars to escape the search net. I happened to come across this fool resting by the roadside. I took advantage when he wasn’t paying attention, hit him with the car, and stole his vehicle.”
You Mingxu’s heart jumped as she immediately formed a theory. The victim count this man mentioned differed from Gu Tiancheng’s confession by just one—he knew inside information. Could he be from law enforcement? He had been able to drive independently before; perhaps he was normal then, before being hit?
You Mingxu felt a tightness in her chest—he was indeed a police officer. A perfectly good officer reduced to this state. She looked again at the man on the ground. He was conscious, eyes wide open, his face twisted in pain as he emitted low moans. Even with such a distorted expression, he wasn’t ugly—just pitiful in his helplessness.
“What’s wrong, feeling sorry for him?” Gu Tiancheng asked mockingly, noticing her gaze.
You Mingxu knew the fool’s wounds weren’t fatal and he wouldn’t be in immediate danger. She quickly gave him a reassuring look, though unsure if he could understand it, then asked, “So after you hit him, you kept him locked in the trunk. The two large suitcases never existed. A man like you traveling wouldn’t carry that much luggage. His first escape was unexpected?”
Gu Tiancheng raised his eyebrows, his dark eyes fixed on her, corners of his mouth curling into a smile: “You’re very clever.”
You Mingxu continued, “You punctured the tire to trap everyone here. When he escaped, you used it as an opportunity to blame him. I’m guessing when you punctured the tire, you unlocked the car and forgot to relock it, allowing him to crawl out?”
Gu Tiancheng raised his palm and gave two light claps: “That’s what I figured too.”
Even the fool on the ground kept his head raised, seemingly listening intently, his face no longer wrinkled, restored to its handsome state. He nodded vigorously at You Mingxu, showing a happy smile, then quickly glanced at Gu Tiancheng, muttering, “Bad person… bad person who locked me up…”
You Mingxu thought: He’s not completely foolish after all.
So the events that followed made perfect sense.
You Mingxu asked, “How did you trick Song Lan and Zou Furong out of their rooms?”
Gu Tiancheng smiled coldly, lit another cigarette, took a light drag, and said, “Zou Furong was naturally restless. Didn’t you see how she looked at me? Song Lan was a bit harder to handle, but unlike you, she wasn’t very bright. Not long after everyone went to sleep, Zou Furong said she needed to use the restroom, so I accompanied her to the forest. After dealing with her, I went back and told Song Lan that Zou Furong wasn’t feeling well and needed her to check on her, saying I couldn’t go myself. Even if they hadn’t come out on their own, I had ways to make them come out.”
You Mingxu was silent for a moment, then said, “Is it fun toying with people like this?”
Gu Tiancheng thought for a moment and answered, “It’s alright. It was very interesting at first, but gradually became routine.”
“What about his second escape?” You Mingxu glanced at the person on the ground. “Did you deliberately release him to frame him, or did he escape on his own again?”
Gu Tiancheng’s eyes deepened with amusement: “I released him. Otherwise, how would I get you to come to the forest alone with me? They were all just props. Revealing everything to you was what I was most looking forward to. I’m quite excited.”
As he spoke, his gaze grew deeper, even brazenly tracing You Mingxu’s silhouette. He was calm as if examining prey already in his grasp.
You Mingxu bit her lip, suddenly flashing back to the recent image of him sitting outside the tent keeping watch while she closed her eyes to make a wish and rest. A hint of hatred flickered through her mind. She steadied herself, knowing that letting his words affect her emotions would be foolish. She continued, “You stole his car and wore his clothes because you both had the same men’s cologne scent—it was from his jacket. You hadn’t had time to deal with him when you met me. You just didn’t expect him to repeatedly disrupt your plans. You must have left him with Zou Furong and the others, but he escaped, carrying Song Lan out, and I encountered him. He was trying to save people. Yet he almost made me believe he was the serial killer.”
Gu Tiancheng said with some contempt, “This guy’s already a fool. You mistaking him for me was giving him too much credit.”
“I’m… I’m not!” The man on the ground suddenly shouted, his voice trembling with grievance. Gu Tiancheng laughed with a “pfft,” while You Mingxu remained silent, only giving him another firm, gentle look. This time he seemed to understand, paused, and tried hard to keep his mouth shut.
“Stop with the eye signals in front of me!” Gu Tiancheng said coldly.
You Mingxu met his gaze, and through that rigid facade, she felt she could still see the silence and pain in those eyes. She thought it strange that even at this point, there were still moments when they could understand each other with just a look.
“What kind of person are you?” You Mingxu asked slowly. “Or rather, what kind of person were you before? Why did you take this path?”
Gu Tiancheng answered flatly, “Haven’t I told you? Everything I’ve said to you was true.”
“You were a senior technical manager,” You Mingxu said. “But even if your girlfriend passed away, that shouldn’t lead to this path, should it?”
Gu Tiancheng was quiet for a while. You Mingxu noticed his face become rigid with a kind of stubborn twist. His gaze avoided her, looking to one side, and then he said, “She shouldn’t have left me.”
You Mingxu paused, then asked, “Can I have a cigarette?”
Gu Tiancheng smiled, stood up, and walked over, but didn’t get too close. He lit a cigarette and held it to her lips; she took it between them. His fingers lightly brushed her cheek. It was a silent gesture; she didn’t react, and he said nothing.
The fool on the ground, blocked by Gu Tiancheng, couldn’t see clearly. He could only look at You Mingxu, then glare hard at Gu Tiancheng.
Gu Tiancheng sat back down and chuckled to himself: “I don’t know why, but I want to tell you these things. Perhaps…” He raised his eyes to look at her: “You are my endpoint.”
You Mingxu suddenly had an insight, remembering his earlier words about not letting her go until his death. She asked, “Are you ill?”
His expression remained still, silently confirming it.
“What illness?”
He answered, “Cancer.” His tone was extremely flat as if speaking of someone else.
“Did she leave you before or after that?” You Mingxu asked.
A mocking smile appeared on Gu Tiancheng’s face: “Before. If it had been after, I might have understood.”
With her hands bound behind her, You Mingxu could only hold the cigarette with her mouth, taking a slow drag, feeling the tobacco’s taste gradually spread through her throat and chest, just like the night—silently, imperceptibly full of confusion. Perhaps because her posture was somewhat awkward, Gu Tiancheng laughed softly and said, “You could crawl over here and smoke from mine. Guaranteed to be more comfortable.”
You Mingxu pretended not to understand his suggestion. The man on the ground quickly shook his head: “No, no…” Gu Tiancheng glanced at him and said, “Indeed, I didn’t hit any vital spots. Police officers have good physical conditioning—he’s already becoming lively again.”
You Mingxu immediately spoke up, trying to divert his attention: “Why did she leave you? A man like you—successful in your career, good-looking, charismatic. Unless she was blind.”
These words seemed to please Gu Tiancheng. He smiled and sighed: “Yes, unless she was blind.” He seemed to fall into memories, his face momentarily quiet, his eyes flashing confusion and sadness. He said, “You probably haven’t been in love with someone for a long time. No matter how good things are, when people are together too long, they might not cherish it anymore. I was tired of the nine-to-five life, tired of working for others and watching their faces. I started my own business, also for a better future. The economic environment was bad—it wasn’t that I lacked ability. She didn’t understand what pressure a man faces in society. When she saw I had lost everything, she wanted to break up. She ran off with my former boss, that short man who only knew how to network, knew nothing about the profession and was jealous of my talent. Tell me, isn’t she shallow and stupid?”
You Mingxu thought for a moment, then nodded: “Indeed shallow. A man without money won’t do, I absolutely wouldn’t be with a penniless man either. But you were a potential stock—that’s different. She should have at least given you another chance.”
Gu Tiancheng smiled and said, “You’re quite practical.”
You Mingxu: “That’s right.”
He took a drag of his cigarette, looking at her through the thin white smoke: “I don’t dislike your practicality.”
You Mingxu didn’t respond, instead asking, “Did you kill her?”
Gu Tiancheng was silent for a moment, then answered: “It was an accident. But at that time, I wasn’t planning to give up on life, nor did I plan to go to prison. I still wanted to try hard and prove I could succeed. Later I had to dismember her, find a way to burn her. The police had no evidence; in their files, she’s still missing.”
“So that’s when it started?” You Mingxu asked.
Though the question seemed abrupt, Gu Tiancheng understood. He smiled and nodded: “Yes. At first, my mind was empty when I did it. Later I gradually discovered that the feeling was actually quite exhilarating. Like completely releasing myself. Seeing her burn to ashes, I felt more relaxed than ever before. Later I ate a little bit each day, ate her ashes. It made me feel very secure.”
He pointed to his chest: “She’s here, inside my body.”
You Mingxu struggled to control the faint nausea and horror in her heart, saying, “Yes, people always talk about empathy, but it’s impossible. Others can’t understand how each person finds their sense of fulfillment.”
Gu Tiancheng gazed at her deeply, again with an intimate, doting smile: “You’re very good at pleasing me. Actually, since meeting you, you’ve seemed somewhat like my kind.”
You Mingxu just smiled and said, “Then what happened? Didn’t you plan to keep trying? Why did you give up later?”
Gu Tiancheng’s expression was faint, again showing that look of indifference to everything in the world: “Later I went to another company seeking work. I was willing to temporarily endure depending on others and watching their faces. Those few months I brought the department’s performance to new heights, but others took the credit. By year’s end, when the company wasn’t doing well, I was on the layoff list. Ha, they laid me off. Tell me, was the problem with me, or with this world?” Without waiting for You Mingxu to answer, his gaze grew dark as he answered himself: “It wasn’t my problem, it wasn’t my fault. Otherwise, how would I later be diagnosed with cancer?”
“Then what?”
“Then…” He smiled, “It’s strange when a person is about to die, they want to understand themselves better. I began to miss the feeling of killing. I also read many books on criminal psychology and decided to become a serial killer. Criminal psychology experts set a standard of killing four people. So, I decided to kill five, or more.”