S.C.I. MYSTERY CASES BOOK 1 English Translation

Chapter 6 The Numbers Killer 5 - Prison

The feeling a prison gives you is never good, whether you're a prisoner or an occasional visitor.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao waited in the special visitation room for Wu Hao, who finally arrived, restrained in a straitjacket, like a rice dumpling1.

Wu Hao did not look like a taxi driver nearing his fifties, in dire straits. And he most definitely did not look like someone with mental illness. His short-sighted, and in his glasses, he looked like a well-mannered and quiet man. If it weren't for the special restraints he was wearing, one might mistaken him for a teacher or a scholar.

He slowly made his way into the visitation room, surveying the area as he did. Before taking a seat on the chair in front of the table. Then, he raised his head to scan Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang who were seated across him.

His line of sight first fell on Bai Yutang and lingered for awhile before speaking extremely slowly, "...You are a pretty good cop."

Bai Yutang locked eyes with him momentarily and said, "And you're not a very good driver."

Wu Hao chuckled slightly and turned his attention to Zhan Zhao. His gaze lingered on Zhan Zhao for a very long time. Finally, he shook his head and exclaimed in awe, "...What a perfect piece of art. You are the most perfect being that I've ever laid my eyes on in my entire life."

Just as Wu Hao was observing him, Zhan Zhao was also carefully examining him. Upon hearing his words, Zhan Zhao smiled a little and replied, "Thank you for the compliment. I'd appreciate it more if you could view as a person."

Wu Hao leaned forward slightly to get a closer look of Zhan Zhao's eyes as he commented, "They're just like two high-grade opals, the colour of amber..."

"Hey!" Bai Yutang who was one the side cut him short, snapping his fingers at Wu Hao, "Sit properly!"

Wu Hao did not move his body as told, but turned to look at Bai Yutang and remarked, "You have the scent of a carnivore."

Bai Yutang pointed to the seat behind Wu Hao, stating, "You had best sit back down immediately and stay there! Or I'll show you what a real carnivore is like!"

Wu Hao's mouth twitched a little, but he still did as he was told in the end.

Bai Yutang opened a file on the table and placed the photos in front of Wu Hao, "Take a look at these."

Wu Hao kept his upright sitting position and looked down at the pictures. After taking a quick scan of the images, he smiled meaningfully.

"You don't seem surprised at all!" Zhan Zhao said suddenly.

"Surprised? Aren't these just... normal tattoos?" Wu Hao responded casually, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Who told you that these are tattoos?" Bai Yutang asked amusedly, "Why didn't you say it was painted on?"

The smile on Wu Hao's face stiffened for a second, but his expression quickly changed to one of confusion as he asked, "Is there a difference?"

"Of course there is," Zhan Zhao lightly tapped on the table with his finger and continued, "Tattoos can't be washed off but paint can. These numbers have the exact same style and are placed in an unusual location. People seeing this for the first time would never think that these were tattoos."

Wu Hao fell silent for a moment, but still replied slowly, "My apologies. In my mind, all blue coloured patterns drawn on the body are tattoos."

"Patterns??" Bai Yutang asked as he stared intently into Wu Hao's eyes, "Why do you say that these are patterns and not numbers?"

The brief flash of panic in Wu Hao's eyes did not escape Bai Yutang's eyes. He turned to look at Zhan Zhao, as did Zhan Zhao, and the two of them exchanged a quick look.

Bai Yutang turned his vision back onto Wu Hao as he stared at the latter sternly, "I heard that you've been receiving treatment for your split personality condition. In two days, the judge will ask for the psychiatrist's evaluation. Should they determine that you are mentally ill, you won't have to be locked up in jail for the rest of your life. But instead, sent to a mental institution for treatment."

Wu Hao didn't seem to understand the sudden change of topic and was stunned for a moment.

"It seems like you are very afraid of being sent to prison?" Zhan Zhao asked, before he could respond.

"Ha... Who wouldn't be afraid of lifetime imprisonment?" Wu Hao seemed to find this amusing.

"But you're not just anyone!" Zhan Zhao replied with a smile and continued, "Putting someone with OCD2 in prison is as good as asking them to die, am I right?"

In an instant, Wu Hao lost all colour in his face.

Zhan Zhao leaned back on his seat and added, "You are a very meticulous person. Rules and order are extremely important to you. However, none of these exists in prison! All there is is a cramped space! Filled with polluted air! Germs everywhere! And surveillance cameras. You'd have to live with a lot of people..."

Zhan Zhao's words made Wu Hao suddenly restless. He trembled slightly as he shook his head profusely, "They can't... I can't stay in prison for life! I'm sick! I need treatment..."

"You are indeed ill!" Zhan Zhao proceeded to press him, "You have severe OCD which results in Mysophobia, anxiety and panic... You can always hear a voice whispering in your ear, telling you that someone is monitoring you at every corner. You can even see the germs in the around you, eroding your health away..."

"No... no... I can't go to jail... I'm sick!" Wu Hao screamed hysterically and struggled to get up.

Bai Yutang stopped the prison guards who rushed in with their stun batons. He kicked the table in front of him, causing it to hit Wu Hao square in the chest. Wu Hao fell back down onto the chair, bending over and coughing violently from the pain in his chest.

"Talk!" Bai Yutang ordered coldly.

"Cough cough... about what?" Even at this point, Wu Hao was still trying to manoeuvre his way out of this situation.

"Did you know," Zhan Zhao leaned in and asked, "that I am one of the best psychologists in the country? If I were to submit a medical assessment, declaring that you are not mentally ill at all. Wanna have a bet if the judge will be affected by me?"

Wu Hao looked at Zhan Zhao in horror. As Bai Yutang pushed the pictures in front of Wu Hao once more, "You have two options. You either come clean to us and tell us the truth, or  spend the rest of your life in prison."

Wu Hao painfully shook his head like he had lost all hope, "I can't... I can't betray... I'll be punished for betraying..."

Footnotes
1. For those who don't know how a rice dumpling (zongzi) looks like. Chinese people have a habit of describing tightly wrapped up stuff like a zongzi.↩

2. Obsessive-compulsive disorder↩