a week later.
It is already winter. The sky is grey and the trees are bare. The streets are full of people wrapped up and in a hurry.
Su Mian was wearing a red down jacket, long boots, and black hair. Standing in this winter scene, Pingting became more and more dazzling. And standing behind her were three more eye-catching men: Han Chen, Leng Mian, and Nag.
Han Chen and Lengmian are the typical jacket party in the criminal police, and they are thick cotton jackets in cold weather. It's just that they have a good figure and can wear well, so they are always more fashionable and handsome than ordinary criminal police. Nagging was fascinated by their ears and eyes. Recently, they stopped wearing big padded jackets with Zhou Xiaozhuan, and started wearing masculine casual jackets. So the three of them are standing in a row now, which is really eye-catching.
A gust of cold wind blew, and Su Mian shivered a little, then stretched out her hand to wrap her collar tightly.
"Cold?" A low and clear voice.
His shoulders sank, and Han Chen hugged him into his arms. His jacket was open casually, and he wrapped her in it. As soon as Su Mian looked up, she saw his elegant eyebrows and slender neck. She was wearing a thin sweater under her jacket, but her body was much warmer than hers. Su Mian simply wrapped her arms around his waist, thinking that it would be nice to have a strong detective boyfriend. The key is that he is still very fond of people, and he still looks so stylish.
"Come on here!" Naggar stretched his neck, "Xiao Zhuan, let's get out of the hospital. If we have to wait downstairs, it's really slow."
Everyone laughed. In front of the door of the inpatient department building, Zhou Xiaozhuan was wearing a bright blue padded jacket, carrying a handbag, and came out with his head poking out. Seeing them, he laughed.
Taking the luggage from Xiao Zhuan's hand coldly, Han Chen patted him on the shoulder, not much nonsense. Nagging leaned over and looked at him up and down: "It's all complete? Did you pull any parts? Don't you get dizzy or dizzy? Can you really return to the battlefield to fight perverts?"
Xiao Zhuan slapped his chest: "Yes! I have been fighting penicillin, flavin, gentamicin, etc. for a week, my whole body is full of strength! Now even if the army of letters from a to z comes, I can bring them down, sir! "
This time even the cold face smiled. Su Mian tilted her head and looked at him, "Xiao Zhuan, why do I think you've been hospitalized for a week and your face is still round? You can grow fat like this? Tsk tsk..."
Xiao Zhuan strode forward with them and replied, "Of course! In order to get better soon, I eat two big bowls of rice every meal." He moved his head to Su Mian's side again, "By the way, this hospital canteen The braised pork is so delicious! You must try it next time."
"Is that so? Then I have to go!" Su Mian likes to eat braised pork the most, and she suddenly became energetic. As soon as his neck tightened, Han Chen carried him back into his arms and stayed there.
"What nonsense?" A faint tone.
Su Mian immediately stopped, "Bah bah bah" loudly spit a few saliva on the ground, then looked at him as if to please. When Xiao Zhuan saw it, he also came to add saliva.
Nagging and grim face have been laughing. A smile also flashed in Han Chen's eyes, he hugged Su Mian's waist, and said, "Let's go to dinner."
—
The sedan drove in the bleak streetscape, with trees and pedestrians retreating in turn. The corner of Su Mian's mouth was still smiling, looking out the window, but she was a little stunned.
Another quiet day.
Following that day's bombing, a city-wide manhunt continued despite police issuing a Class A warrant. Those three people disappeared without a trace, no crime was committed, and no new information was sent to the police.
The city appears to have regained its serenity. But discussions about them are spreading at a faster rate in every corner of the Internet and reality. People are so eager to discuss everything about the mysterious killer group, as if they are afraid of their appearance, and they are looking forward to their return.
And their week-long silence seemed to give the illusion that it would disappear forever.
But it was like the brief, bewildering calm before the storm.
Dinner at a restaurant by the lake. Lake and moonlight, elegant fragrance. The five of them were eating and drinking from the sea as usual, and they were very happy. There is also karaoke equipment in the private room. After eating, Nagau and Xiao Zhuan took the microphone, raised their voices, and called out a ghost crying at the lake.
Leng Nian lit a cigarette, sat on the edge and smoked slowly, laughing from time to time.
Born into death, is it not a kind of drunken life and dream death.
Han Chen and Su Mian walked out of the private room and slowly paced along the winding bamboo corridor on the lake. In such a season, very few people come to the lake. There are also no lights in the bamboo porch. The black water seemed to have no end in sight. Occasionally there are one or two lights on the opposite bank, reflecting the hazy shoreline, but it seems more empty and distant than the darkness.
The two walked all the way to the center of the lake and found a bench to sit down. The wind was a bit strong, but it was refreshing. Su Mian closed her jacket, leaned into Han Chen's arms, and took a long breath.
Han Chen put one arm on her shoulder and held hers with the other. Su Mian only rested for a while, then began to pinch his fingers in the dark. Han Chen didn't react, but she rubbed against his collar and neck from time to time, and she could always feel the warm breath on his body. Maybe it was too dark and quiet around him, and his breath was even more palpitating.
After pinching for a while, she was stunned. In response, it was the ring on the ring finger of his left hand.
"Why do you still wear it all day?" She asked a silly question, in fact, it was mainly because she had nothing to wear now, and the necklace paired with him was cut into pieces. But he still wears it all day long, and doesn't seem to take it off when he takes a shower and sleeps.
He tilted his head to look at her.
"Well. Why do you say I wear it all day? Itchy hands?"
The low and sloppy voice made Su Mian chuckle, and then muttered, "But I don't." Anyway, she had nothing to do, so she simply turned on the light on her phone and took a picture of his hand.
It was dark all around, except for his hand, which looked more slender and skeletonized under the light. The half-old platinum ring was a little distressed to see that it was actually called Su Mian. Touching his finger, gently touching it, reluctant to let go.
But men and women, the senses are always different. Han Chen felt a little impetuous when touched by her delicate and soft fingers. This woman is radiant and radiant, but there is always a kind of childish sexiness when it comes to men and women. After a while, he lowered his head and smiled in the dark, and in the end he pulled his hand back: "I have something for you."
It was a very common sentence, but it made Su Mian's heart skip a beat.
She had just touched his ring and complained that she didn't. Now he suddenly said that he has something for her
And at this moment, this situation. Only the two of them stayed in the middle of this water far away from the world.
Su Mian's heart suddenly thumped and accelerated.
In such a cold night, there was a dense heat that enveloped her face.
Did he... ask for marriage
So suddenly.
Seeing that Han Chen let go of her, he reached into his arms, as if he was about to pull something out of his jacket. Su Mian couldn't bear it anymore, her mouth opened wide. The light on the phone was still on. Seeing her bright smile, Han Chen smiled and asked, "What are you smiling at?"
Su Mian: "Hehe. Take it, take it."
Han Chen glanced at her, as if he understood something, and after a pause, he slowly took out... a portfolio from his arms.
Su Mian: "…"
Han Chen threw the portfolio into her arms, but hugged him tighter, clasped her chin with his fingers, and looked down at her. That voice was also low and bewitching: "What do you think I'm going to give you?"
Su Mian: "... Get out of here!" He is such a smart person, didn't he ask him knowingly
"I won't propose," he said again.
Su Mian opened her eyes wide and grabbed his collar, "Why?"
He let her protest, spread his arms on the back of the chair, and looked ahead: "I asked for it long ago, and you agreed. After you restore your identity, you can get the certificate directly." At this point, he smiled, sideways. Looking at her: "Am I lacking in heart, ask again?"
Su Mian turned her head and looked aside, "If you don't ask, don't ask, it's rare!" After a while, she couldn't help but smile.
—
What Han Chen gave to Su Mian was an unexpected document.
It turned out that after Xu Nanbai fell off the cliff that day, the police notified his family and colleagues in Beijing, and also searched his residence. Han Chen also had a buddy at the Beijing police station. He discovered this document by accident and was brought to Lan City today.
In fact, it is not Xu Nanbai's information. It was an old diary of his father, Professor Xu Muhua.
Xu Muhua. A well-known expert in criminal psychology in China, Su Mian was also a professor at the National Public Security University. A few days ago, when Han Chen and Su Mian returned to Beijing, they saw his file at the Public Security University. According to file records, he died of illness in the year of the April 20 case.
But they didn't know at the time that Xu Muhua also participated in the investigation of the seven-member group case that year-this is probably what Beijing kept secret.
To this day, I saw this diary.
After returning to the dormitory that night, Su Mian sat alone under the lamp and read the diary in detail.
"On October 9, 2008, I received an invitation from the Ministry of Public Security to join the investigation team for a series of recent serial murders..."
"The criminals are extremely ruthless. Together with my best disciples, I have made portraits of several of them. But they are not ordinary serial killers, they are very organized and planned gangsters. Even if there are portraits, there is no way to find them. to them…”
Seeing this, Su Mian's heart moved. On the one hand, she and Han Chen had suspected that the bloody battle between the police and the Seven-Man Group was probably related to Xu Nanbai's mutiny. Now seeing his father in such an important position in the investigation of the case further confirms the original speculation. On the other hand, I wonder if the "most capable disciple" mentioned by Professor Xu is... is she? The predicament that Professor Xu described back then was so similar to what she encountered now.
Criminal minds are not everything. They already have details of a; for l and r, she can even describe their preferences and characteristics. But they are too trained and too good at stealth. You know how you wipe your mouth with a scented handkerchief even when you take a sip of water, he hides and you can't find him.
Looking further down, Su Mian believed even more that she was Professor Xu's disciple back then. Because the portraits he made of several killers were exactly the same as what she had done before. Even the language and phrasing are similar. She must have been influenced by the professor back then.
It made her a little sentimental.
Another stranger yet familiar.
Another person who died shortly after the case. Although the archive records are dead.
Scrolling down further, there is nothing to gain except adding some more detailed details to her portrait. Diary ended on March 15, 2009. That is, one month before the 420 major case. That day, Professor Xu just recorded the weather and his diet.
But the last few words he wrote caught Su Mian's attention.
"Before, there has never been such a team-based serial killer in China. Even if there are overseas, they are not as well-trained and competent as they are. I have always wanted to make accurate portraits of everyone to help the task force catch Murderer. One, two, three... I've made more than a dozen portraits, but I haven't caught a few people. I've been thinking lately, is my thinking wrong
If they were an impeccable team, how many people would I draw? Who is it? "
—
Su Mian didn't sleep well that night. In the vague mind, the words in Professor Xu's diary kept appearing over and over again. I vaguely felt that an idea was about to break out of the cocoon, but I couldn't grasp it.
As a result, it was not dawn, and Han Chen, who was sleeping, was woken up by this woman. As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw that she had two dark circles under her eyes, looking at her with piercing energy.
"Han Chen! I understand what Professor Xu said! I have a new idea! How many people do I want to draw? Who is it? Not three people, but one person! Not their respective portraits, but to draw this A portrait of the organization!"
Han Chen frowned slightly: "A portrait of the organization?"
"Yes!" Su Mian's eyes became gloomy, "Do you still remember what Xu Nanbai said? 'My life has already ended. It didn't really start to burn until I met him'. This organization only reflects the temperament of one person, A person's soul. Make a portrait of the organization, make a portrait of that person..."
She paused: "The portrait of the seventh person-s around them."