CM | Chapter 5

Xu Shuo did not immediately explain things to the black-eyed man. He was still digesting all of this himself.

Based on the information and investigations gathered over the past year, this was Gu Yao’s first time taking part in a frontline operation, and it had happened purely by chance. She had originally only been there as an observer. If Chen Feiyu had not suddenly called her out by name, Xu Shuo would not have seen this scene either.

As for the year before that, Gu Yao had always kept a low profile. Even when there were cases, she had only been providing support as a behind-the-scenes expert.

Looking at Wang Meng’s expression on the screen, his reaction was like a mirror. Whether it was shock, jealousy, or wariness, all of it showed that Gu Yao’s performance today was truly rare, and had even broken from the way she had operated a year ago.

It was also understandable that Wang Meng had rejected Gu Yao’s request to take part in frontline action. If she stayed low-key, giving other people in the same field some breathing room, that would be one thing. But if she went on acting like she had today, Wang Meng could never tolerate her.

Xu Shuo tapped his fingers lightly, his gaze deep. It was not until the black-eyed man called his name twice that he finally snapped out of his thoughts. When he lifted his eyes, the sharpness in them had already faded a little, and his tone was as flat as ever.

“This Wang Meng is definitely worthy of the word ‘professional,’ but he spent half an hour and still couldn’t find a single flaw in the firewall Chen Feiyu had set up. He didn’t even know where to begin. In fact, Chen Feiyu had already given him quite a few key clues in those thirty minutes, but Wang Meng ignored them. Yet this woman, from the moment she arrived at the scene to taking over the task and building a profile, only spent about twenty minutes total. She has already basically finished everything a frontline psychological expert should do, fast, ruthless, and precise.”

The black-eyed man said, “Ge, you mean Gu Yao’s professional ability is above Wang Meng’s, but according to our information, a year ago she was at most working with Wang Meng. She was always his subordinate.”

Xu Shuo said, “Just as Chen Feiyu said earlier, academic credentials and learning ability are completely different things. Likewise, a position can’t fully prove someone’s work ability.”

After a second, he corrected himself. “What I mean isn’t her professional ability.”

The black-eyed man did not get it. “Then what is it?”

Yes, what was it?

Xu Shuo was quiet for a moment, searching in his mind for the right word. Resonance? Empathy? Or putting oneself in another’s shoes?

No, none of those words were quite accurate.

Xu Shuo suddenly said, “Xiao Chuan, let me ask you this. Your education in computer science isn’t high, and you were even expelled by your school and your company. But your actual hands-on ability is the most stunning I’ve ever seen. What do you think that kind of ability is called?”

Xiao Chuan blinked, and the dark blue shadows under his eyes seemed to twitch with it. “That’s talent, ge!”

Right, talent!

Xiao Chuan slapped his thigh and understood. “You mean this woman relies on talent? Oh, of course, talent alone still isn’t enough. She also needs acquired knowledge, training, and accumulation…”

Xu Shuo said, “There is a kind of person for whom experience is instinct. Take an experienced traffic cop, for example. From one or two hundred meters away, they can spot a car in a convoy that is using fake license plates. That kind of intuition comes from years of practical experience, and it’s extremely sharp. There is another kind of person who learns by applying what they know, like Wang Meng. He must be much more diligent and hardworking than his peers, otherwise he would never have climbed to his current position. Against an ordinary criminal, he can handle things with ease and suppress the other side. But when he runs into a special case like Chen Feiyu, the roles and positions can be reversed. And then there is a third kind of person. They are born to read people. No matter whether it is kindness, evil, or the gray areas in between, they see things clearly, judge people accurately, and their understanding of human nature and society, as well as their ability to read and understand, are far beyond ordinary people. Then, with the accumulation and inspiration of acquired knowledge, they can erupt with explosive power.”

There was no doubt that Gu Yao belonged to the third type, though of course that still needed other evidence to prove it.

Most importantly, this ability absolutely had not been awakened in just this short year. A year ago, Gu Yao had been completely unknown. That could only mean one thing, she had been hiding her sharp edge all along.

If not for that accident, which had severely damaged both her body and her memory, she probably would not have forgotten this matter.

Xiao Chuan said, “Ge, you mean she was able to hit the crucial point in such a short time, gain Chen Feiyu’s trust, and make Chen Feiyu develop empathy toward her because she has an extraordinary talent for criminal psychology and for understanding criminals? Uh, then will that affect what we have to do next…”

Xu Shuo was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Water can carry a boat, and water can also overturn it. Whether it’s memory damage or criminal talent, both are double-edged swords. As long as it’s used the right way, this woman will become a sharp weapon.”

…

While Xu Shuo and Xiao Chuan were talking, the scene captured by the drone also underwent an astonishing change.

At the same time, the crime scene.

Gu Yao asked the key question, “Chen Feiyu, have you already found your next target?”

She even added an explanation to the question, that you even believed it would be enough to replace the sense of accomplishment from your first murder, but to prove that, you could only rely on practice.

Chen Feiyu did not answer. He stared at Gu Yao intently for a moment, and just as everyone held their breath, he suddenly revealed a strange smile.

“We’ve talked for so long, and I still don’t know your name.”

As soon as he said that, Wang Meng immediately grew tense. He desperately wanted to know the answer that would come next, and the police officers who had already requested armed support also held their breath, gripping their equipment and staying on guard.

Only Gu Yao was not disrupted by Chen Feiyu at all. “My name is Gu Yao.”

“Gu Yao, about fifteen minutes ago, I seemed to see my ex-wife come in. Is she on the fifth floor?”

“Yes, she is here.”

“According to our agreement, you should let me see her. Otherwise, I won’t let Liu Yu go.”

Gu Yao narrowed her eyes. Ever since she had seen Liu Yu hanging by the eaves half an hour ago, she had had a strange feeling.

Chen Feiyu did not have any offensive weapons on him, and there was also a fire rescue air cushion on the ground directly below Liu Yu, who was being held hostage. In a normal fall, there would be a risk of broken bones, concussion, even death, though the greater possibility was that she would survive. Chen Feiyu should know that. So why had he not prepared a knife as leverage, something he could use to threaten Liu Yu’s life and negotiate with the police?

The answer was probably only one, Liu Yu’s fear of heights was extremely severe. She could even fall into a near-death state from acrophobia, and she might even have a heart condition.

Thinking of this, Gu Yao turned her head and, for the first time, took her eyes off Chen Feiyu. She asked Wang Meng behind her, “How severe is Liu Yu’s acrophobia? Does she have any history of heart disease, or any family history of hereditary heart disease?”

Wang Meng froze. “Yes, her grandmother and her father both had heart disease.”

The air seemed to solidify.

Gu Yao glared at Wang Meng. “How could you only say something this important now?”

Wang Meng had just opened his mouth to argue back when Gu Yao had already turned around and looked at Chen Feiyu, her expression instantly shifting into calmness.

“Chen Feiyu, your target is not Liu Yu. If Liu Yu has a heart attack because of what you’re doing, you won’t get any pleasure from the slaughter. You’re a smart man. Don’t you think doing such pointless work is insulting your intelligence?”

Gu Yao did not mention a word about the law’s coming judgment against Chen Feiyu, nor did she say anything like telling him to put down the butcher’s knife and try to fight for a few points with the judge instead. Every angle of her analysis was from Chen Feiyu’s own perspective.

Although Chen Feiyu’s education level was not high, he had enough knowledge from self-study to be very full of himself and arrogant. For criminals like him, once they reached a certain level, what they pursued was no longer just the act of killing. They did not care about sentencing or how many lives they took. Their crimes would keep escalating through practice, and they even came to regard them as works of art.

Chen Feiyu had a certain obsessive need toward his own work. He aimed for perfection and naturally would never allow any flaw to exist. Gu Yao’s words had undoubtedly struck exactly where he cared.

Chen Feiyu subconsciously looked at Liu Yu. Her face had already lost all color, and her breathing could barely be felt.

Chen Feiyu reached out a hand and touched Liu Yu’s neck. Her pulse was weak, and with the two fainting spells just now, the strain on her heart had already exceeded its limit.

Frowning, Chen Feiyu pulled his gaze away in disgust. “My condition is very simple. I want to see my ex-wife and ask her a few questions myself. Then I will naturally let Liu Yu go.”

Gu Yao did not even hesitate. “No. You have to let Liu Yu go first.”

Wang Meng immediately panicked. “Liu Yu is in critical condition. You can’t keep delaying anymore. If the hostage is put in any life-threatening danger, can you bear that responsibility?!”

Without another word, Wang Meng used the communicator in his hand to contact the police on the fifth floor. “Hurry up and bring Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife over. He agrees to let her go…”

But before he could finish, Wang Meng suddenly felt the world go dark. His body toppled backward uncontrollably. By the time he reacted, his butt had already hit the ground. Stars burst before his eyes, a wave of dizziness crashed through his head, and his brain was rattling with a clatter.

Only after he came back to himself did Wang Meng feel a sharp pain in his nose. It hurt so much that he bared his teeth, his eyes filled with tears, and he could not say a single word. He could only squint through a narrow slit and see Gu Yao standing in front of him, looking down at him. She was shaking out her hand, her face full of cold disdain.

Only then did Wang Meng understand what had happened, Gu Yao had punched him squarely on the bridge of the nose!

The police officers beside them were also caught off guard, but they reacted quickly and caught Wang Meng in time, otherwise he would have fallen even worse. One of them was already checking Wang Meng’s injuries. His nasal bone was not broken, but it was definitely fractured. Gu Yao had truly used all her strength in that punch.

Everyone was shocked that this seemingly thin, pale woman could suddenly burst out with an attacking force that even men would fear. But even at that moment, she had not shown the slightest anger. Her only purpose was to make Wang Meng shut up.

Gu Yao blew on the already swollen knuckle on the back of her hand. It hurt too. She would need to rub some medicinal wine on it later to disperse the bruising.

But she had not forgotten the important matter. Gu Yao spoke into the Bluetooth earpiece. “Don’t bring Chen Feiyu’s…”

A police officer stepped forward to stop Gu Yao. “This mission is extremely important. One decision from you could very likely put the hostage’s life in danger. Letting Chen Feiyu talk to his ex-wife is the only breakthrough we have right now. Neither you nor we can predict whether the hostage can hold out until the armed backup gets here. If something happens to her before then, no one could shoulder those consequences.”

This officer was the deputy team leader of this precinct, surnamed Fang. In the earlier occasions when Wang Meng had provoked Gu Yao, the one who had pulled Wang Meng to the rear was Deputy Fang. Among all the police officers on site, he was the first to realize what the situation meant, and he was also the one who had secretly ordered the female officer to contact outside support as quickly as possible.

Gu Yao paused. She looked at Deputy Fang, then at the rooftop door. The figures of Qin Song, Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife, and two police officers were faintly visible there, clearly waiting for the final instruction.

Gu Yao fell silent for a few seconds, then quickly made her decision between the two deadlocked options.

Based on her analysis, she did not agree with letting Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife show her face. Just as she had analyzed earlier, Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife was the switch that would ignite Chen Feiyu, and she was Chen Feiyu’s next target.

After Chen Feiyu and his ex-wife divorced, his ex-wife must have hidden herself away so that Chen Feiyu could not find her. Chen Feiyu could only use this method, using the police’s help to dig her out. During his exchange with Wang Meng, Chen Feiyu had always played the role of a cowardly man, so Wang Meng had completely failed to notice the bloodthirst hiding beneath him, which was why he had notified the police to bring Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife to the scene.

All of this was Chen Feiyu’s trap.

But Deputy Fang’s words also made sense. No matter how long they dragged out the negotiation with Chen Feiyu, Gu Yao could do it. As long as the armed backup arrived, Chen Feiyu would lose his right to speak. But could Liu Yu hold out until that moment?

Thinking of this, Gu Yao said softly to Deputy Fang, “Before that, there is one thing I hope everyone can understand. Chen Feiyu’s target is his ex-wife. The moment she appears, she will become the object of his attack. I don’t know what method Chen Feiyu will use to strike, but judging from the current situation, he must have made preparations. So I suggest letting his ex-wife stand behind me, using me as a shield. I hope that can buy us a little more time to rescue the hostage.”

Deputy Fang frowned. “Are you confident? If we use you as a shield, then we would also be very passive.”

Gu Yao said, “Chen Feiyu’s target is very clear. Causing one more death is not his intention. He’s not committing a crime of passion either. Otherwise, he could just have taken a knife into a crowd and stabbed however many people he could. And from the way things went just now, Chen Feiyu still had something unfinished in his conversation with me, so he definitely does not want me dead.”

Deputy Fang hesitated for a few seconds, then looked again toward Liu Yu under the eaves. He knew time was not waiting for them, and he had to make a decision as quickly as possible.

The situation now was that the lives of three women, both inside and outside the scene, were tied to the same rope, Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife, Liu Yu, and Gu Yao. Liu Yu had already passed out, and Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife was terrified. Both of them were meat on the chopping board. So rather than placing the bet on Chen Feiyu and his ex-wife’s negotiation, it would be better to place it on Gu Yao. At the very least, it had already happened several times just now that Gu Yao had successfully suppressed Chen Feiyu’s emotions.

Thinking of this, Deputy Fang nodded solemnly and reminded her, “No matter what, make sure your own safety comes first. The moment you notice Chen Feiyu showing any aggressive behavior, you must stop immediately.”

Gu Yao said, “Okay.”

Just then, news also came through the communicator, armed rescue had arrived at the scene!

With the firefighters’ help, two armed police officers came to a family living on the fifth floor and planned to reach the rooftop through the window and along the outer wall, then circle behind Chen Feiyu. That way they could both back up the precariously hanging Liu Yu and subdue Chen Feiyu at the critical moment. Several other armed police officers also arrived at the fifth-floor rooftop door, ready to act from the front and draw Chen Feiyu’s attention away.

However, this deployment would take some time. The two armed officers who climbed out through the window, while ensuring their own safety, would need ten minutes to successfully reach the point of action.

Deputy Fang quickly informed Gu Yao, “You need to stall for ten minutes. Can you do it?”

Gu Yao nodded.

Right after that, the police officers brought Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife out.

Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife looked extremely tense and anxious. Her face had turned white. She did not dare look in Chen Feiyu’s direction and kept her head lowered, shrinking back as the police officers helped her into the crowd.

Chen Feiyu’s expression changed instantly too, his gaze trying to cut through the blockage in front of him and lock onto his ex-wife.

Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife came up to Gu Yao, and Gu Yao shifted sideways to block her, hiding most of her body behind herself before turning to look at Chen Feiyu.

Gu Yao said, “Chen Feiyu, considering that your ex-wife’s mental state is very unstable right now, whatever questions you have next can be asked to me. I will then let her tell me the answers, and I will pass them on to you.”

Chen Feiyu subconsciously rejected this arrangement of using her as a relay. “Why?”

Gu Yao was just as straightforward. “You can think of it as psychological counseling. You and your ex-wife have some conflict that needs to be resolved. I can not only help you pass along your words, I can also provide some professional opinions along the way. That’s also a form of academic exchange. What do you think?”

After thinking for a moment, Chen Feiyu actually accepted it. There were some things he also wanted to hear Gu Yao’s take on.

The next three-way conversation moved very quickly.

Chen Feiyu said, “My first question is, does she already have someone new and is she planning to get married?”

Gu Yao slightly turned her head and said to the woman behind her, “Did you hear the question?”

Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife trembled. “I heard it.”

“The answer?”

“Yes… yes, but… not that fast… not yet…”

Gu Yao turned back to Chen Feiyu. “There is indeed someone else, but they have not reached the point of talking about marriage yet.”

Chen Feiyu sneered. “Did this other person appear before we got divorced, or after?”

Gu Yao used the same method and looked back at Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife again.

Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife explained, “Before the divorce… we already knew each other… but at that time we were just… friends.”

Gu Yao said to Chen Feiyu, “Your ex-wife did not cheat.”

Chen Feiyu shouted, “I asked whether he was someone she met before the divorce or after!”

Gu Yao took a breath. “Before the divorce.”

Chen Feiyu’s eyes widened, bloodshot with rage. “Then is the daughter mine?!”

This time, before Gu Yao could relay the question, Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife suddenly raised her head and cried out very emotionally, “Of course she’s yours!”

At that very moment, Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife also exposed the other half of her body, desperately wanting to prove her innocence.

Gu Yao’s heart tightened, and she quickly pulled the woman back while spreading her arms, watching Chen Feiyu warily.

As expected, Chen Feiyu once again made the posture of a lion pouncing on an antelope.

Gu Yao said, “Chen Feiyu, your daughter is your biological child! I understand your suspicion toward your ex-wife, but that can be determined entirely through a DNA test, not by wild guesses. Please put away your malice for now. The source of that malice is extremely stupid, and it is simply insulting your intelligence!”

Chen Feiyu took several deep breaths, then said, “She looks down on me.”

This time, his conversation partner was Gu Yao, and he spoke in a declarative tone.

After a second, Chen Feiyu corrected his own “slip of the tongue.” “No, that’s humiliation.”

By this point, Gu Yao had once again confirmed her judgment. Even if Chen Feiyu was physically a normal man, he could not enjoy the pleasure brought by normal sex. In spirit, he had long been castrated by his mother. He shared a psychological resonance with his father, who had died young, so in marriage he had always played the same role as his father, using violence and control to seize the upper hand. But when his wife divorced him, hid somewhere he could not see her, and was even suspected by him of cheating, the fortress he had built in his heart collapsed instantly, revealing the “impotent” self wrapped inside.

Gu Yao put one hand behind her back and made a gesture, meaning to take Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife away. Deputy Fang saw it and quickly grabbed Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife by the elbow, signaling her to move slowly.

At the same time, Gu Yao continued to ask Chen Feiyu, “Humiliation? Just like the way your mother treated you?”

Chen Feiyu laughed, and that smile was full of sorrow. “They said that someone like me, a beast, doesn’t deserve to live, doesn’t deserve to get married, and doesn’t deserve to have children.”

Gu Yao said, “They? You mean the first person who said this to you was your mother, and then your ex-wife.”

Chen Feiyu said nothing. He only turned his face away, as if forcibly enduring those memories.

Gu Yao once again denied what she had just thought in her heart.

No, Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife should not have said those words. Otherwise she would already be a pile of bones by now. Or maybe there was another woman involved here, or perhaps Chen Feiyu’s mother had once brainwashed his ex-wife in exactly that way.

Gu Yao shifted the focus. “When your mother said those words, you couldn’t control yourself. You wanted her to shut up, to disappear, and you wanted release. So, you killed her.”

Chen Feiyu laughed again. It looked worse than crying. “Have you ever heard a line online, ‘Just thinking that becoming a parent doesn’t require an exam is enough to make your scalp crawl.'”

Gu Yao subconsciously closed her eyes. Her scalp tingled. For a moment, her mind flashed with the image of her mother, Li Huiru, but it vanished very quickly.

Chen Feiyu began murmuring to himself, “Irresponsible birth and raising is equal to murder. I did kill my mother, but before that, she had already killed me a hundred times. She herself was a slave, imprisoned for her entire life by my father’s violence and her own mental problems. The only person she could drag down with her was me. She passed judgment on me in her own way. Only by killing her could I leave that prison, only then could I gain freedom… The one who truly didn’t deserve to have children was actually her!”

Everyone at the scene held their breath and stared fixedly at Chen Feiyu.

Yet Chen Feiyu was completely unmoved. While speaking, he slowly got down from the railing where he had been sitting for a long time, stood up, and looked at Gu Yao.

Then an eerie smile appeared on his face.

“Heh, heh, I know what you’re doing.”

Gu Yao was startled, realizing what was about to happen before anyone else did.

Chen Feiyu, castrated and with the switch already flipped, had terrifying execution ability!

Gu Yao shouted, “Take her away!”

At that moment, Chen Feiyu had already rushed quickly toward his ex-wife. His action speed was extremely fast, and his burst power was astonishing. He was not only agile but also incredibly strong. Everything happened too suddenly, and no one on the scene had the confidence to subdue him immediately.

In that instant, Gu Yao’s body reacted even faster than her mind. The moment the police officers fully moved to protect Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife, the armed police officers also rushed onto the rooftop, trying to salvage the situation. But there were too many people at the scene, and they could not open fire recklessly.

Just then, Gu Yao threw herself out and blocked Chen Feiyu’s path.

Chen Feiyu’s movement was stopped.

At that critical moment, Chen Feiyu and Gu Yao’s eyes met at close range.

The next second, a flash of white swept past under Gu Yao’s eyes. Chen Feiyu now had a long, sharpened iron nail in his hand.

This was the weapon he had hidden. He had never once thought of self-defense. With his strength, as long as he grabbed his target for a few seconds, that iron nail would be driven into the target’s vital neck area.

The moment Gu Yao understood that, Chen Feiyu had already seized her from behind, using her as a shield, one hand pinning her body in place while the other clamped down on the soft cartilage beneath her jaw.

Gu Yao immediately struggled to breathe. She coughed, and her vision went black.

Very quickly, she experienced what people called a “near-death” state.

At the same time, Qin Song, Wang Meng, and Chen Feiyu’s ex-wife were also taken to the rear by the police and protected there. On the other side, the officers outside the fifth-floor window were about to climb onto the rooftop, ready to rescue Liu Yu.

Three armed police officers also came to the front of Chen Feiyu and Gu Yao, aiming their guns at the target.

Qin Song shouted from behind, “Chen Feiyu, she can barely breathe anymore!”

The armed officers noticed it too and quickly negotiated with Chen Feiyu, telling him to loosen his grip on the hostage first.

Gu Yao could not hear their conversation very clearly. She only felt the pressure on her neck gradually loosen a little, and her hearing and vision slowly started to recover as air rushed into her airway.

Gu Yao heard someone by her ear say, “I have a friend. He’s in prison, and he needs someone to talk to, just like I do. Would you be willing to help him?”

Gu Yao gave a very slight nod.

“You have to promise not to tell anyone.”

Gu Yao nodded again.

Time was running out. Liu Yu in the back had already been rescued, and Chen Feiyu’s back was completely exposed.

Yet Chen Feiyu had no intention of protecting himself. He was only smiling.

“I believe you, and I’m very grateful for this meeting. Too bad, there won’t be a next time…”

The moment those words fell, Gu Yao felt the restraint on her vanish. Chen Feiyu pushed against her back, sending her crashing heavily toward the ground.

Immediately after that, two huge bangs sounded in her ear, gunshots.

Gu Yao instinctively turned back, and saw in shock this scene, Chen Feiyu’s neck was gushing bright red blood. The iron nail in his hand had already been driven in solidly, with only the head still left outside. He had been hit in the hand and the leg by bullets. The police had done it to break his attacking power, but they were still one step too late.

Gu Yao stared at Chen Feiyu’s face without blinking, as if she could see that tightly strained expression gradually relax. Even the corners of his lips seemed to curl up a little.

Chen Feiyu had finally been freed.

By his own way.