Catching a Turtle in a Jar

When Fang Qinghe told me that the words I spoke in front of the camera last night had been analyzed by experts, my heart instantly leapt to my throat, and I became desperate to know the results.

After all, my behavior last night had been bizarre: my whole face pressed against the lens, mumbling unintelligibly, and when I blocked the camera, it coincided precisely with the appearance of the eye on the ceiling and the embroidered shoe by the window. I couldn’t tell whether it was all just coincidence or intentional. If I could only find out what I’d said, perhaps I would have an answer.

So I looked at Fang Qinghe with anticipation. Soon, he spoke to me: “Chen Mu, before I tell you, I should remind you that people can say anything while sleepwalking—it may be linked to your dreams. So what you said can’t be taken as solid evidence and has no weight in law, so you don’t need to be too nervous.”

I nodded at Fang Qinghe, and he continued, “Of course, while it has no legal effect, these words did come from you—even if you were sleepwalking—so they are, to some degree, related to your brain’s usual activity. To say it’s completely unrelated would be impossible; after all, there’s that saying, ‘What occupies your mind by day, you’ll dream of by night.’”

At that, I grew anxious. Fang Qinghe was stressing this so much, which meant what I said while sleepwalking was likely dangerous and not in my favor. I hurriedly said to him, “Alright, Captain Fang, I understand. Just tell me what I said.”

Only then did Fang Qinghe say, “According to the experts’ interpretation, you mainly said two things in the video. The first was, ‘Kill! Kill! Kill! Good!’”

Kill! Kill! Kill! Good!

I froze when I heard this. How could that be? How could I say something like that?

To be honest, at first, I thought it impossible—I couldn’t imagine saying such a thing for no reason. But soon, I recalled the shape my mouth made in that video. Though my memory wasn’t clear, it did seem to match.

Then, all of a sudden, I remembered a dream I’d had before: Fang Lin refused to share my bed, so in my dream, I killed her...

I shivered and said to Fang Qinghe, “Maybe I really was dreaming—maybe I dreamt I was in danger, or someone was trying to kill me, so I fought back and said ‘kill, kill, kill’... What about the next thing I said?”

Fang Qinghe looked at me. “You said, ‘Continue, continue.’”

At first, I didn’t understand him, but very quickly I realized that was what I’d said in the second sentence: “Continue, continue.”

Continue what? Taken together with what I’d said before, it clearly meant to continue killing.

The thought filled me with fear. At such a critical moment in the case, I’d been caught on camera saying things like this—it was so damning for me. No wonder Fang Qinghe suddenly had Jin Ze get me out of the way and said I wouldn’t be involved in the investigation anymore. It wasn’t just because of what he’d seen on the USB drive, but also because of what I’d said in the video. If you put the two together, I really did look like a dangerous person, actively hindering the police investigation.

Even with such incriminating evidence against me, Fang Qinghe still brought me back to the cold case team and even let me know about all this. To be honest, I was deeply moved at that moment. Fang Qinghe trusted me so much—if it cost me half my life, I would still do everything I could to help him solve the case.

But soon, I realized that someone like Fang Qinghe—such a seasoned, sharp figure—wouldn’t so casually trust someone who, in theory, might be a murderer. It was more likely he had another lead, one that could clear me of suspicion, and that’s why he was willing to trust me.

With that thought, I calmed down. I said to Fang Qinghe, “Captain Fang, I really can’t explain what I said in the video while sleepwalking. All I can say is maybe I was having a nightmare. Since you trust me so much, I certainly won’t let you down. If there’s anything you need from me or any way I can cooperate, I’ll do whatever I can.”

Fang Qinghe smiled, patted my shoulder, and said, “That’s the right attitude. Actually, I’m not helping you; I just don’t want to wrong a good person, nor let an evil murderer go free.”

Then he had me leave. Outside, Jin Ze returned my phone and told me not to go yet, to just sit and think about the case, play with my phone or whatever, and that he’d take me home later in the evening. I knew they were essentially putting me under soft surveillance, which made sense given the fresh evidence against me.

So I sat quietly in a corner, once again just an observer as Jin Ze and the others worked the case.

Around three in the afternoon, I saw Fang Qinghe suddenly gather Jin Ze and the others, then rush out the door—they must have found something new and were heading out on a call.

This time, they didn’t take me. They left an officer in the office, ostensibly as a contact, but really just to watch me.

Jin Ze and the others were gone for several hours. It was almost seven in the evening by the time they returned, my stomach already rumbling with hunger. Judging by how busy they were, they must have made progress.

Soon, Jin Ze came to me and said he’d take me home. Once in his car, I said, “I really don’t feel like going home tonight. I’m thinking of getting a hotel room. I’m afraid that faceless creep, Liu Qinglong, might really come after me.”

Jin Ze replied bluntly, “There’s no way—Liu Qinglong is already in custody. Besides, you have to stay at home tonight. We’ve already deployed officers there in secret. If any suspects show up, it’ll be to our advantage. Chen Mu, it’s an old saying, but it holds true: the most dangerous place is the safest. You’ve had scary things happen at home, but never any real danger to your life. So don’t be too nervous—just act as if nothing’s happened.”

Jin Ze’s reasoning was sound. I’d never actually been in mortal danger, and since he said there was already a deployment at my building, it was clear they were setting a trap and I was the bait. So, of course, I had to go home and play my part.

Jin Ze went with me to the supermarket to buy some daily necessities and food. On the way back, I couldn’t help but ask, “Jin Ze, I saw you all rush out this afternoon. Did you find something?”

As soon as I asked, Jin Ze glanced at me with a meaningful look. I quickly clarified, “Ah, don’t get me wrong, I’m just curious. I really want this case solved as soon as possible, so I want to know more so I can help you all think it through.”

Jin Ze didn’t conceal anything from me. “There is progress—a big breakthrough. We found out Liu Qinglong has a son named Liu She, who happens to be the godson of Fang Lin’s foster father, Fang Gaoming. We suspect Liu Qinglong and his son were working together. They committed this string of murders both to avenge Fang Gaoming and, possibly, to get back at the S Organization Fang Lin belonged to. We also uncovered another lead: Liu Qinglong is a medical doctor, highly skilled, and was once approached by a powerful group who wanted to recruit him. He refused, so they disfigured his face in revenge. I suspect that group is the S Organization I previously guessed at. Remember the last line in Fang Lin’s diary? ‘They came for me. I am no longer alone...’ ‘They’ should be the S Organization—Fang Lin joined them. So Liu Qinglong and his son went on a rampage of revenge. But Liu She is still missing; for now, one of them is in the open, the other in the shadows.”

Hearing this, I realized it all made sense. Yet, somehow, I still felt something was off. I couldn’t shake the feeling that Liu Qinglong, the faceless man, shouldn’t have been exposed and captured so easily. It seemed almost deliberate.

In the end, I went home alone. Jin Ze told me to leave my phone on the nightstand and contact him immediately if anything happened, assuring me there was already a deployment in place and that I could relax.

After returning home, I made myself some noodles and went to shower and sleep.

Strangely enough, even though I was so frightened, I fell asleep quickly. Maybe my neurosis was getting worse.

In my sleep, I suddenly felt as though someone was standing at the head of my bed, looking down at me. My instincts told me it was Liu Qinglong.

I snapped my eyes open, but there was no one there.

I told myself I was just too tense and tried to go back to sleep. But in that instant, I suddenly noticed the eye on the ceiling had reappeared...

I nearly cried out, but managed to stifle it, pretending to have seen nothing and going on as if I were sleeping.

I wrapped myself up in the blanket, hiding inside, and sent Jin Ze a text: “The voyeur at Zheng Wei’s place is back. Come quickly!”

After sending the message, I pretended to sleep. Several minutes passed. Peeking through narrowed eyes at the ceiling, I saw the eye was still there.

At the same time, I seemed to hear the sound of a door opening upstairs. I breathed a sigh of relief—Jin Ze must have gone to Zheng Wei’s place. Now, at last, they could catch the voyeur in the act!