LOVE ME IF YOU DARE [when he comes, close your eyes]

Chapter 10

This is a vacant piece of land in the countryside. It is off the beaten track. A pile of old junk sits amongst the trees and overgrown grass.

Bo Jinyan parks his car on the side of a dirt road and walks over.

The police are everywhere. The place has been thoroughly searched. There are pits on the ground. One of them has two policemen standing next to it. Bo Jinyan walks up and sees a huge black plastic bag next to the pit. Further back, there are a few more similar looking bags, where the police are examining the content inside. They look very intense and at the same time, sad.

Jian Yao's heart sinks.

Li walks up to Bo Jinyan: "The dismembered body parts belong to a total of eight boys. Estimated time of death for the most recent body is around one week. We need further testing to determine how long the other bodies have been there, but we think the earliest murder would have occurred more than 12 months ago."

Bo Jinyan nods and starts walking towards the bags.

Jian Yao asks: "Can I stay here?"

Both men look at her at the same time.

Li sees her slightly pale face: "Why don't you wait in the car?"

Bo Jinyan keeps his hands in his coat pocket to keep warm. He bents down slightly and looks at her at 'eye level': "Are you afraid?"

Jian Yao softly replies: "I don't want to see."

Bo Jinyan says mockingly:"Ah! Woman!"

Li is surprised at his comment. Experience tells Jian Yao that there's more to come. Sure enough, she hears his voice that carries no feelings: "What a tragedy."

Jian Yao looks at him: "Whatever. I do not want to see." And she turns away.

Li is a little stunned by the way they relate to each other. He takes a look at Jian Yao and walks on with Bo Jinyan.

-

Bo Jinyan squats on the ground, He is looking through the items in the bag wearing a pair of gloves. Li squats next to him.

The body parts are cut very neatly. The surface of the cuts are tidy. Skins are still intact. Each body is cut into seven pieces, including the limbs and torso.

Li says "According to preliminary forensic test results: The cause of death is asphyxia. There are bruises on their necks, caused by commonly available nylon strings. The body is then cut into pieces. We are unable to determine what tools were used for the dismembering. Other than that, the victims suffer no other injuries."

Another police officer asks: "Professor, you said yesterday that the murderer's desires will be reflected on the bodies. So what does the murderer want?"