My First Love is a Genius Profiler - Chapter 8

Just as Shen Anyan and Hu Bingyu were discussing the key details of the case in low voices, the elevator door suddenly opened with a crisp ding. Both women simultaneously looked up, their eyes warily fixed on the entrance.

A tall, thin man with sharp eyes stepped out of the elevator. He was wearing a dark grey jacket, his hands tucked into his pockets, and his steps were steady and forceful.

Shen Anyan’s heart gave a sudden leap; she recognized him immediately—it was Zhang Hao himself. His sharp, hawk-like eyes, identical to those in the file photo, were now cautiously scanning his surroundings.

“Zhang Hao!” Hu Bingyu instinctively shouted, quickly getting up to intercept him.

Zhang Hao clearly hadn’t expected to run into the police here and his face instantly changed color. A flash of panic and killing intent crossed his eyes, his muscles tensing. He was like a leopard poised to strike. Before Hu Bingyu could get close, he abruptly turned and ran.

“Stop! Police!” Hu Bingyu yelled while pursuing him, but Zhang Hao ignored her and sped up. His movements were agile and decisive, clearly indicating professional training.

The three people—one in front and two behind—dashed down the stairs, their footsteps echoing in the empty stairwell.

Zhang Hao was obviously very familiar with the building’s layout, and he managed to gain some distance with a few quick turns. Hu Bingyu held her ground and chased relentlessly, while Shen Anyan used her walkie-talkie to notify the officers downstairs to set up a blockade.

Their labored breathing echoed in the narrow stairwell, their heartbeats seemingly about to burst through their chests.

Zhang Hao sprinted to the first floor, saw the police surrounding the entrance, and immediately turned toward the fire escape. Seeing his maneuver, the two women exchanged a look. Hu Bingyu followed closely, while Shen Anyan circled around to cut him off. They split up tacitly, as if operating on telepathy.

“Zhang Hao, you can’t escape!” Hu Bingyu shouted, simultaneously drawing her sidearm and aiming at the figure ahead. “Surrender now, or we will take mandatory action!”

“You don’t understand anything! Those scumbags, they are the ones who deserve to die!” Zhang Hao stopped and turned to face Hu Bingyu, a flicker of madness in his eyes. His voice was full of anger and hatred, like a cornered beast.

That look of frenzy sent a shiver down Shen Anyan’s spine. She realized that Zhang Hao was completely irrational at this moment and capable of any extreme act.

“No matter the reason, you have no right to take another person’s life,” Hu Bingyu moved closer, her tone softening as she attempted to calm Zhang Hao down. “Put down the weapon and come back with us. We can talk properly and understand what you’ve been through.”

Just then, Zhang Hao suddenly pulled a small knife from his pocket and charged at Hu Bingyu. The blade glinted coldly in the dim light, like the Grim Reaper’s scythe. Hu Bingyu reacted quickly, side-stepping to evade the attack, and simultaneously grabbed Zhang Hao’s wrist, twisting hard. Her movements were clean and precise.

However, Zhang Hao was a retired special forces soldier, with skills far exceeding those of an average criminal. He quickly countered, delivering a sharp elbow strike to Hu Bingyu’s abdomen. Hu Bingyu grunted, stumbling backward. The momentary pain made it almost impossible for her to breathe.

“Bingyu!” Shen Anyan cried out, her heart feeling brutally squeezed. She rushed forward, trying to help Hu Bingyu.

Zhang Hao took the opportunity to swing the knife again. Shen Anyan barely dodged, but her left arm was still grazed, leaving a cut. Blood instantly soaked her sleeve, and a searing pain shot through her body like an electric current.

“Ah!” Shen Anyan couldn’t help but cry out in pain.

Seeing Shen Anyan injured, Hu Bingyu was immediately overcome with rage. Gritting her teeth, she seized the instant Zhang Hao retracted his knife, executing a swift sweep kick that tripped him.

The knife clattered to the floor with a crisp sound. Hu Bingyu and Shen Anyan pounced simultaneously, tackling Zhang Hao to the ground and quickly handcuffing him.

“Zhang Hao, you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used as evidence in court,” Hu Bingyu sternly told the man, before immediately turning her gaze to Shen Anyan’s bleeding left arm, her voice softening instantly. “Anyan, you’re hurt. We need to take care of that wound right away.”

“It’s nothing, just a minor cut. Solving the case is what matters most,” Shen Anyan gently shook her head.

“Shen Profiler, are you an idiot? He’s a retired special forces soldier!” Hu Bingyu complained, her eyes filled with worry. She carefully examined Shen Anyan’s wound, afraid of hurting her.

“Mmm… But I didn’t want you to get hurt,” Shen Anyan offered a warm, sunlit smile.

In that moment, Hu Bingyu felt a rush of warmth in her chest, a feeling that felt searingly hot, melting the eight years of ice and seeming to seep into every crevice of her heart. She looked into Shen Anyan’s eyes and suddenly realized that she had fallen for her all over again.

The two women jointly escorted Zhang Hao to the police car. It was noon, and the sunlight cast mottled reflections on the car’s metal surface. Shen Anyan looked out the window, the city’s hustle and bustle seemingly cut off from them. At this moment, she felt an inexplicable sense of calm. Although the case had seemingly concluded, she knew that the truth might still be hidden deeper, waiting for them to uncover it.

Back at the precinct, Hu Bingyu insisted on treating Shen Anyan’s wound first. In the infirmary, Hu Bingyu meticulously cleaned Shen Anyan’s cut, her movements as gentle as if she were handling a precious treasure.

“Does it hurt?” Hu Bingyu asked softly, her eyes full of concern.

“With you here, it doesn’t hurt,” Shen Anyan quietly replied, a subtle glimmer in her dark pupils.

Hu Bingyu paused her movements and looked up, meeting Shen Anyan’s gaze. Their eyes locked, as if countless words were being exchanged through their look. In that moment, all the tension and fatigue dissipated, leaving only tenderness and reliance.

“Thank you, Anyan.”

“I know you must have had many complaints about me over the past eight years, but my feelings for you have never changed,” Shen Anyan gently stroked Hu Bingyu’s cheek. At this moment, she only wanted to tell her how she felt.

Hu Bingyu nodded, her eyes glistening with tears. She took a deep breath and continued to bandage Shen Anyan’s wound. The room was silent, save for the soft sound of gauze rubbing.

A week after the case was supposedly solved, a sense of ease permeated the SOI office.

Wang Li stood in the center of the office, his face beaming with pride as he announced the decision to close the case. Li Siqi was busy organizing the case files; stacks of heavy folders were neatly arranged by her nimble hands. She carefully packed these files, which embodied the team’s hard work, into archival boxes, preparing them for permanent storage in the archive.

Shen Anyan stood alone by the corridor window, her gaze distant as she looked outside. The sky was grey, as if covered by a thin veil. The cold wind occasionally seeped through the window gaps, bringing a touch of chill that made people tighten their collars. But Shen Anyan’s expression was exceptionally focused, as if she were contemplating something important.

“Xiao Shen, what are you spacing out about here?” Li Siqi walked over, carrying a stack of documents. Seeing Shen Anyan alone by the window, she greeted her warmly. Her voice jolted Shen Anyan from her reverie.

Shen Anyan slowly turned around, her eyes resting on the documents in Li Siqi’s arms. A complex emotion flickered in her eyes as she said, “Judging from these records, Zhang Hao seems to believe he was executing some kind of justice. He views himself as a hero punishing evil, not a cold-blooded killer.”

“Sigh, no matter how nasty those people’s mouths were, it’s not reason enough to kill them. I really don’t understand how these psychopaths think…” Li Siqi sighed and shook her head, her tone filled with confusion and distaste for the criminal acts.

Shen Anyan continued her thoughtful analysis: “Zhang Hao is a retired special forces soldier, his mental and physical fortitude are certainly superior to the average person. Though his family background isn’t wealthy, it’s considered moderately comfortable. He owns two properties in the city center, is a permanent employee at Unicom with good benefits, and has worked there for five years. There are no records of similar assault incidents in his previous police files…”

She paused, her brows furrowed. “There must be a deeper reason for him to become like this. Tang Yu is his wife, and they’ve only been married for six months and have no children…”

Before Shen Anyan could finish, she suddenly seemed to grasp a crucial clue, her eyes lighting up instantly. Without waiting for Li Siqi’s reaction, she quickly hurried toward the elevator.

“Anyan, what’s wrong?” The elevator door happened to open, and Hu Bingyu stepped out, almost colliding with the rushing Shen Anyan.

“Let’s go! We need to rush to Zhang Hao’s house and see if we can find new evidence!” Shen Anyan urgently grabbed Hu Bingyu’s hand.

Hu Bingyu was startled by Shen Anyan’s sudden action but followed her into the elevator nonetheless. As the door slowly closed, Hu Bingyu couldn’t help but ask, “Did you discover a new lead?”

Shen Anyan nodded, her expression serious: “I still feel that there are aspects of this case that don’t add up. Zhang Hao’s behavior is too extreme, which doesn’t conform to the progressive nature of the criminal model. Although Zhang Hao is an orphan, his childhood shows no obvious signs of trauma. As an outstanding retired special forces soldier, he possesses extremely strong anti-surveillance capabilities. I don’t believe he would be foolish enough to personally call and verbally abuse Li Mei at the Unicom building. In the first two cases, he handled everything cleanly and efficiently; there was no need to draw attention to himself in the third case…”

The elevator door opened, and the two women quickly walked toward the parking lot. Hu Bingyu got into the driver’s seat, and Shen Anyan sat in the passenger seat. The car sped out of the precinct, heading rapidly in the direction of Zhang Hao’s home.

“Then who do you think made that call?” Hu Bingyu asked curiously, focused on driving.

Shen Anyan took a deep breath and slowly said, “I suspect it was Tang Yu. She likely knew Zhang Hao was the killer long ago, and that abusive call was a clue she intentionally left for the police. From the moment we entered the office, she was deliberately—consciously or unconsciously—drawing the focus onto herself.”

“Tang Yu? Then why didn’t she just call the police directly? Wouldn’t it have been simpler to just report Zhang Hao?” Hu Bingyu’s eyes widened in astonishment.

“Bingyu, this matter might be much more complicated than we think,” Shen Anyan’s tone became even more serious. “Tang Yu might very well be the mastermind behind this entire case, and Zhang Hao was merely her tool for murder.”

“That can’t be right,” Hu Bingyu was even more confused. “If Tang Yu is the mastermind, why would she lead the police to arrest Zhang Hao? Wouldn’t that be self-sabotage?”

Shen Anyan explained, “Tang Yu is likely a high-intelligence psychopath. According to the records, Tang Yu had two previous husbands, and these three husbands share one thing in common: they were all orphans, they all owned some property, their marriage to Tang Yu lasted less than a year, and they had no children. I suspect she exploited the psychological vulnerabilities of these men to execute her criminal plan.”

Shen Anyan’s voice grew more urgent. “She might be a serial instigator, using these men’s longing for a family and their sense of isolation to manipulate them.”

Hu Bingyu gasped, her face turning pale: “You mean, this isn’t the first time Tang Yu has done this?”

“It’s highly possible. Tang Yu’s first husband, Chen Ming, died unexpectedly eight months after they married. The cause of death was a fall from a building. Her second husband, Wang Qiang, was in a car accident ten months into their marriage. Both ‘accidents’ resulted in her receiving large insurance payouts and the full inheritance of their assets. Are these truly just coincidences?”

“Oh my God,” Hu Bingyu gripped the steering wheel, a sense of dread rising in her heart. “If it’s true what you’re saying, then Tang Yu is simply a cold-blooded monster!”

“Exactly, and she’s probably already prepared to flee,” Shen Anyan said urgently. “We must find her as quickly as possible, or she might disappear again and continue her crimes.”

The car sped through the night. Both Shen Anyan and Hu Bingyu felt a sense of urgency. They knew a race against time was about to begin, and it might be their only chance to stop a dangerous criminal from continuing her evil deeds.