Chapter 3 Chapter 1 Appetite

June 10, 1999.The other side of the earth, China, Beijing. Entering early summer, God is still full of gentleness.Four plates of seasonal side dishes are placed on Mai Tao's table: hot and sour cucumber, cold bitter gourd, salted edamame, and oil-consuming lettuce. Although the dishes were in season, Mai Tao didn't have any appetite. He only ate up the plate of edamame with a cold beer, and he couldn't arouse his interest anymore. Until the number of empty wine bottles in front of him increased to seven, he looked at his watch, and it was already five o'clock in the afternoon, so he stood up and paid the bill.Then I went downstairs with a slight wobble all the way, came to the door of a small shop near the school, and shouted at the proprietress: "Here is a carton of milk and chewing gum."

Self-pouring in the afternoon brings a quiet pleasure, but after all, there will be classes in a while, so you can't talk nonsense to the students with your mouth full of alcohol.He tore a piece of chewing gum and stuffed it into his mouth, almost swallowing it whole with the milk. Mai Tao is 1.78 meters tall, and looks very strong. His strong shoulders make his denim shirt bulge outward, like two bowling balls.At this moment, he yawned lazily, stretched out his hands to scratch the hair that had been permed just at noon, and looked around casually with scattered eyes. The school gate not far away was chaotic. Most of the students were out of class and came in and out noisily in pairs and groups.Mai Tao turned his eyes to look at the wicker swaying gently in the wind, feeling empty and at a loss spontaneously.

Five minutes later, he stubbed out the cigarette butt, threw the empty box into the trash basket at the door of the store, stood up, patted the dust off his trousers, and walked towards the school gate. Sleeping...waking up...lecturing...going home...analyzing cases for the police...sleeping...waking up...damn, is this a fulfilling life?Mai Tao suddenly thought of his friend on the other side of the world, that guy... what is he doing now? Both sides of the corridor on the seventh floor of the teaching building are covered with huge portraits of psychology masters, from Freud to Jung, to Skinner, and then to China's Lin Chuanding... a pair of faces that are both familiar and unfamiliar .The eyes in the portraits include those looking directly at the corridor, some looking down at groups of students passing by, and some even looking meaningfully at the wall on the same side.Mai Tao had seen enough of these faces since he was a student, so naturally he walked through without any novelty, and pushed open the door of the office at the end.

"I'm back." The colleague in the office said, "I just had a call for you." "Really?" Mai Tao responded vaguely, and then sat down on the chair with his neck leaning against the back of the chair, exhaustion written all over his face. "Yeah, I asked her to call you on the cell phone, didn't she call?" "No, at least I didn't hear..." Mai Tao wanted to ask if it was a man or a woman, but he was too lazy to ask.Seeing this, the colleague stopped talking and continued to look down at the newspaper. Mai Tao felt upset, so he lay lazily on the table.This lying down, the eyelids and eyeballs were stuck together, unable to move.

I don't know how long I slept, but the phone on the table suddenly rang endlessly.Mai Tao woke up, unwilling to look up, and only hoped that the other party would hang up quickly.When the phone rang the sixth ring, a colleague walked in and picked up the receiver. "Mr. Mai, your phone number," the colleague lowered his voice, "it's still the same girl." "Oh..." Mai Tao reluctantly took the phone, rubbing his sleepy eyes, "Yeah... um... dinner... um? Today... no, not today... I still have classes... ...Yes, there is class..." He suddenly woke up, looked up at the hanging clock on the wall, "No, I won't tell you, I've already slept through it. Well, that's it, I'll contact you again."

"What? Teacher Mai has a girlfriend?" Seeing him hang up the phone, the colleague asked jokingly. "Come on, come on, don't make fun of me, do I look like someone who has a girlfriend?" He casually pulled out a few textbooks he needed and put them under his arm.Taking advantage of this time, colleagues looked at his face curiously.It was a handsome face: clear features, well-defined outline, rather long eyebrows and eyes, strong, long and straight nose, only the small mouth was the only regret, but it was also a blessing for him. A little bit delicate.This colleague had learned painting, and suddenly found that if he drew a portrait of this young teacher, the closed lines can express strength and beauty.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Mai Tao asked inexplicably. "No, it's nothing." The colleague was a little embarrassed, and chuckled a few times to cover it up. Mai Tao didn't dwell on it, "Sit down, I'm late for class." After speaking, he opened the door and walked out. As soon as he entered the corridor, he immediately saw the class representative walking towards him.It was a petite southern girl, speaking with a slightly soft accent: "Oh, Mr. Mai, everyone is waiting for you, let me come and have a look." "Ah," Mai Tao nodded casually, "Actually, you wish I would not come, so that you can go out to play at night. By the way, and, haven't I said it many times, don't 'sell the teacher', 'sell the teacher' Teacher's cry, how ugly it is!"

"But you are a teacher after all," the girl argued, "how dare we call you by your first name? Besides, your lectures are the most interesting, and we all like them." "Come on, you can flatter me as soon as the term is over, don't worry, I won't deliberately make it difficult for everyone. You think I don't know, and when you get back to the dormitory, you will be 'Mai Tao', 'Mai Tao' screaming." The girl bowed her head and smiled embarrassedly, and the two continued to walk along the bright corridor. "By the way, Teacher Mai..." she said suddenly, "How do you know so many interesting cases? Is it because you often help the police analyze cases?"

"No," he hesitated, "not all, I have a friend who is considered an expert in solving crimes, and I get more stories from him." "Is he a policeman too?" "No, that guy is in America and doesn't know what to do." What is that guy doing now?This idea suddenly popped up again, Mai Tao couldn't help being a little strange.When he walked to the door of the classroom, he unexpectedly looked back at the portrait of Watson hanging on the opposite wall, and found that the eyes in the plane seemed to be staring at him, which was somewhat meaningful...

Lectures...going home...analyzing the case for the police...sleeping...waking up...a ​​new cycle begins.Of course, it is impossible for Mai Tao to realize at this time that tonight, this kind of life habit that has made him somewhat tired will be broken.Just as each of us can't predict our own future... The class lasted until 7:40 in the evening, and the night sky slowly drew down the curtain.The branches in the distance are swaying, which is not real, but the breeze blows in, and the smell of growth is everywhere, which makes people feel comfortable.Mai Tao was more relaxed than usual, not entirely because of the weather, it was also very happy to be able to get rid of those entangled girls.

After school and get off work, Mai Tao walked home along the river bank.I am so familiar with the road that I am almost about to step out of the mark, and the shops that are constantly changing their appearance one after another.As he walked, he wondered, seeing that the summer vacation was approaching, what should he do to pass the time? Before he knew it, he had walked back to the old buildings where he lived.The third floor of a certain building is his home.The street lamp was broken, and he touched it as usual.It's also an integral part of life. As soon as Mai Tao entered the room, he planned to take a shower to wash away his fatigue, and then turn on the computer to sort out the scales accumulated in the past few days.At this moment, someone knocked on the door. "Damn it!" He cursed in a low voice, but he had to turn around and open the door. It was the aunt next door who came in, always winking, Mai Tao didn't know if this woman treated everyone like that.Seeing that it was her, he felt even more upset, so he was not very angry when he spoke, "Is there something wrong?" Unexpectedly, this woman didn't come here to chew her tongue tonight. She told Mai Tao that it was his turn to collect this month's water and electricity bills. Water bills... electricity bills... oops, the weekend that has finally come to us is about to go to waste... He looked at the wall clock, um, it's okay, it's only eight o'clock.Don't put off this trouble until tomorrow! Whether you go downstairs first or upstairs first, the distance you walk is the same.He buttoned his coat again and staggered up the stairs. On the top floor of the building, that is, the fifth floor, he stood at the entrance of the corridor and thought for a while, where do we start?Just 501, there is a young girl living in this room, it will not be boring for a long time. He walked to the door of 501, raised his hand and knocked on the door.Suddenly there was the sound of glass shattering. Ok?He was a little strange, lying on the door, and listened carefully, but there was no more movement inside. What's going on, Mai Tao was puzzled, and knocked again, but no one responded.What does it mean?Since there was a sound in the room just now, someone should be at home. He knocked on the door again, but still no one answered.At this time, he felt that it was quite normal. Maybe the girl was taking a bath, and it was impossible to run out all at once, and it was no big deal. The unfavorable start made Mai Tao feel a little unhappy.He turned around, ready to go to 502.At this moment, I suddenly heard the slight sound of footsteps coming from room 501, walking towards the door.The sound probably lasted as far as the door, but disappeared again.Mai Tao waited for the other party to ask "Who is it?" There was no further movement for a long time. A strange chill rose up in his stomach, and Mai Tao shivered.He leaned against the door, his face close to the small peep hole in the door.For a moment, the small hole through which the faint light came from the room was blocked, and someone was looking out from the inside.Vaguely, Mai Tao felt that it was a strange eyeball, observing him through the small hole.That kind of eyes seemed to stare at him like the eyes in Watson's portrait in the corridor in the evening, which made him shudder. The evening wind blew in through the half-opened window in the corridor, but it was not the familiar feeling at all.Mai Tao stood for a few seconds, hoping that the people inside could see his face clearly, and then opened the door kindly and naturally.However, after a few seconds, the eyeball behind the small hole moved away and still did not open the door. A sense of terror came to his mind, and Mai Tao warned himself that he should remain calm. He is a criminal psychologist who often follows the police in handling cases, so he should not be easily frightened.But on the other hand, he can no longer fool himself with the idea that "everything is normal." The sounds of panting and heartbeat seemed to be heard with ears. Mai Tao leaned against the wall, thinking about countermeasures. Room 501, something must have happened, did a thief come in?This is probably the most optimistic explanation, so... I've been fantasizing about being a hero, yes I've been fantasizing about it, but what can I do now?Break in?Obviously this is not appropriate, if there is nothing abnormal, how to explain it... His gaze gradually fell to the 502 house number next to him. He rushed to knock on the door of 502, looking back here from time to time. About ten seconds passed, time seemed to freeze, and room 502 did not respond. What the hell is going on here? !Am I dreaming?Or a massacre just happened, why everyone... He was seized by fear, and he didn't notice at all that the door of room 501 opened from the inside to the outside little by little. "Who is it? It's so late?" 502 finally heard a voice, and Mai Tao's heart sank.He was about to answer when he was hit hard on the back of the head with a stick. Before he could make a sound, his eyes were dizzy, and he stretched out his hand to grab the railing of the stairs in vain, trying to prevent himself from falling down. A leather shoe was kicked behind his back, his hand let go of the railing, and he fell forward, hitting his head heavily on the doorknob. In an instant, blood gushed out from his forehead. "Who, who is it?" The owner of 502 was still asking. "I..." Mai Tao half fell on the door, said so weakly, and passed out. The leather shoe behind him didn't let him go, aimed at his head, and stepped on it a few more times.It wasn't until the owner of 502 opened the door that he quickly rushed down the corridor. And the owner of that room saw a face that he would never forget in his whole life: that face was covered with indistinct blood or some dark liquid, and it was still flowing, only two eyes were viciously looking at him. Exuding a ferocious look.In addition to being terrified, the owner of the house couldn't help but be thrown out of his wits just by that stare. Half of Mai Tao's body was limp on the floor... In Room 302, which is the room where Mai Tao lived, the phone rang non-stop. On the other side of the earth, at four o'clock in the morning Pacific time in the United States.Seth Waller hung up the phone reluctantly, staring blankly at the two wall clocks on the wall.Strange, where did that guy go at this hour... The woman on the bed rolled over lightly and grabbed his arm, her voice was indistinct, "Why, wake up so early..." Seth leaned over and kissed her on the lips, and the woman embraced his neck, and said softly, "If I didn't miss the annual vacation, I would also like to visit China with you." "There will be such a day..." When he said this, his expression was a little strange. "By the way," the woman said after a long kiss, "did you know? Your boss called me today?" "Who? Jonathan... sir?" Seth frowned. "What's the matter, baby?" The woman caressed his long black hair, and her eyes flicked across his face in confusion, "Look at your nervous look, as if he is your rival in love. " "What did he say?" Seth was unimpressed. "What else can I say," the woman said coquettishly, "Tell me that you are going to travel in China, he has personally gone through the formalities, so I can rest assured. Otherwise, I will wonder if you are looking for other women!" "Yeah." Seth's expression eased a lot, but he didn't want to stay on the bed anymore. He walked to the window, opened the curtain, and looked up at the moonlight. The charming moonlight shone on his gloveless left arm, casting a weird shadow on the floor of the room... "Mr. Mai, are you alright?" The host helped Mai Tao, and told his wife, "Hurry up and get some gauze, Mr. Mai was attacked." "I...it's okay," he finally regained consciousness, "call the police first." "Okay, okay," the hostess brought the medicine box, put it aside immediately, ran to the phone, and stopped halfway, "Mr. Mai, do you want to call an ambulance first?" "No, I'm fine!" He struggled to stand up, "Something happened to 501." ... Room 501 was pitch black.The two men fumbled for a long time but couldn't find the switch.Mai Tao lit the lighter, and the small flame danced, illuminating the space a few meters in front of him. "Don't touch anything," he ordered, and then walked in cautiously with the owner next door. There was a strange smell in the air, it didn't seem like blood.There is still some kind of movement in the room, I don't know where it came from, it just keeps "chicking". By the light of the fire, the two slowly moved in.As for the layout of this room, because they are similar with minor differences, they finally have some understanding.Mai Tao gently opened the door with the back of his hand and entered the bedroom. The bedroom was in chaos, with a lot of debris scattered on the floor, and the bed in the distance could not be seen clearly.The two walked over anxiously. Something crumbled under Mai Tao's feet, he quickly lowered his head to look, it was some fragments of glass, and this was the sound he heard at first. At this time, the lighter was already very hot, but Mai Tao still didn't realize it. When the two of them came to the bed, it was so bulging that they couldn't see anything clearly.Mai Tao just squatted down, intending to see what happened, when suddenly, the room was lit up, and his heart trembled suddenly. "It's me," said the host, "I saw the lamp on the bedside table..." "Huh..." Mai Tao took a long breath, he found that the light was quite dim, and everything in the room seemed a little distorted under the dim light. There was no one on the bed, and after half a minute, neither of them dared to look under the bed.Mai Tao suddenly noticed some bloodstains beside the bed, and these bloodstains extended outwards.This is a bit confusing.They had to follow along the blood trail.Shadows were cast on the walls, forming distorted images. On the right side of the hallway, the so-called foyer, the bloodstain was interrupted by a door.Mai Tao suddenly discovered a problem that he had overlooked before: the sound of "Ka Ke" seemed to come from behind this door. Because it was beyond the range of the lamp in the bedroom, it was dark again, so he had to light the lighter again. The situation behind the door was vaguely projected: this is the kitchen, something seemed to be moving, and the sound became clear. At the same time, both of them saw a human figure beside the kitchen counter.They looked at each other and hurried in. "Miss Wang? You..." Mai Tao's words were swallowed in his throat, and he was so frightened that he could never speak them again. The firelight reflected this scene: a woman was lying on the console, with bruises around her neck; her head was immersed in a certain glass container; the water in this container had been heated and boiled, constantly The steaming water surface pushed up the half-closed lid of the container, making a "cracking" sound. With the effect of the light, or the refraction of the dynamic water, the woman's hair kept twisting, and her already swollen face seemed to keep shaking too. Her protruding and thick lips were half opened and half opened, like a head A goldfish facing down, blowing bubbles at the bottom of the glass tank...