The room was casually furnished, with only a sofa and a TV set. Rubbish was strewn all over the floor and the curtains were drawn.
Xiaotao and I explored the rest of the unit, heading to the room in the back. We found many secretly taken photos stuck on the walls, including the four victims and their husbands, the officer who was impersonated and some people I had never seen before.
Xiaotao pointed to one of the photos and said, "The owner of that restaurant is on there."
"This man is rather professional!" I said, opening a cabinet filled with wigs, fake beards, clothing and shoes from all walks of life, and a voice-altering device.
Additionally, there was silicone padding used in cosmetic surgery clinics, possibly used to change his body shape by wrapping them around him.
"Let’s leave first and get some officers to monitor the place," I suggested.
When we exited, I noticed a broken mechanical pencil lead on the floor, caused by the opening of the door. The Imitator must have placed it on the door hinge. "This guy is so cautious! You stay here and call your men. I’ll run down and purchase a lead refill."
I dashed downstairs but found no convenience stores nearby. In the midst of my search, I received a call from Xiaotao. "Song Yang, a man just passed by and left after glancing at me!"
"Describe him!"
"His clothes were dirty and he looked like a migrant worker with a toolbox in his hand," answered Xiaotao.
My heart sank, "That’s probably him. I'll go after him now!"
I turned around and used Cave Vision to detect clues within the crowd. As I passed an alley, I noticed a puddle on the ground and a trail of footprints extending into the lane. Rushing in, I found a migrant worker's clothes lying on the ground.
The Imitator had changed out of his clothes here so he could be anyone now. I called Xiaotao, "It's too late to call for reinforcements! He’s our guy,” I declared. “Come down so we can look for him together. I'm in the alley diagonal to the building."
A while later, Xiaotao arrived with several officers, having successfully called all the available traffic police in the vicinity.
"Thank you, everyone, for coming. If we catch the suspect, you’ll get a share of the bonus!" Xiaotao announced.
An auxiliary officer asked, "What distinct characteristics does the suspect have?"
"The suspect should be a middle-aged man of about 175 centimeters. He’s good at hiding himself in different getups,” I surmised. “You should pay close attention to old people, beggars and porters–those who usually go unnoticed."
When everyone had dispersed, Xiaotao and I walked through the alley and came to the street. Looking at the passers-by going back and forth, I was at a loss.
"Do you think he’ll dress up as an auxiliary police officer?" asked Xiaotao.
"I examined everyone earlier and the murderer isn’t among them.”
I suggested we spread out and keep our cell phones on call. As I walked down the street, I kept my gaze fixed on every passing face and noticed a beggar on the side. The beggar didn’t shy away from my direct stare, shaking his broken bowl in my direction instead. "Show some pity!"
I was about to walk away when a thought suddenly crossed my mind. Turning around, I leaned in towards the beggar, grabbed a handful of money from his broken bowl and sniffed. "You played the role perfectly but there’s still a tiny flaw," I sneered.
The beggar turned a deaf ear and shook his bowl.
"Opposite you is a thriving fried chicken restaurant. If restaurant patrons throw you their change, it’s reasonable to say that the money you receive should have the heavy smell of oil and chicken. But I don’t smell anything!"
I intentionally said this so that Xiaotao would know our specific location through the phone.
The beggar raised his blank eyes, "I don't know what you’re talking about."
"You can keep pretending. I don’t mind!" I scoffed.
He suddenly threw the broken bowl into my face, scattering the coins all over me. Taking advantage of my distraught, he got up and fled. I subconsciously reached out my hand and tried to block his path. But by the time I composed myself, the man had already infiltrated the crowd. I chased after him, shouting, "He's running east! Quick, surround him!"
As I made my way through the crowd, I bumped into passers-by. After a while, when the beggar disappeared, I noticed dirty and worn-out clothes thrown on the ground.
Heart burning with frustration, I saw Xiaotao running towards me. "Song Yang, an officer saw him fleeing west into an alley!"
Upon hearing this, I turned into the alley on my left. After turning the corner, I found the alley empty. When I looked up, I was greeted by the sight of the Imitator in a delivery boy’s uniform climbing up the wall with his bare hands.
With the time constraint, he didn’t have the chance to remove his makeup.
Seeing that he was about to get away, I concentrated on activating the Eyes of Yama. Soon, the Imitator let out a miserable scream and fell from a height as if he had seen a ghost.
I looked straight into his eyes and the Imitator fell to the ground, writhing in pain, tears streaming down his fearful face. His expression was one of utter terror as if he was facing the most horrifying nightmare in the world.
"Don't come any closer! Stay back!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.
This was my first time using the Eyes of Yama in actual combat. The period in which I maintained the ability lasted longer than my practice in the hospital. Using this ability for a long time caused insufficient blood flow to the brain. My vision would eventually go black and I would suffer from dizziness. These negative effects were also known as backlash.
My intense gaze drove the Imitator to the point of collapse. When I finally stopped using the Eyes of Yama, he huddled up and shivered, appearing to have completely given up all intention of escaping. I wrapped my hands around my head, trying to stop the throbbing.
Right then, Xiaotao and several officers crashed into the scene from two separate directions. After handcuffing the Imitator, Xiaotao noticed my abnormality and asked, "Did he attack you?"
"No, it’s probably a sequela of the operation," I muttered.
Xiaotao looked concerned, "You’ve tired yourself out these past two days. Go home and rest!"
"I’m alright," I said, shaking my head.
I turned to the Imitator’s ordinary face, devoid of any distinctive features whatsoever. His eyes were hollow as if the man had lost his soul.
"Thanks for the hard work!” Xiaotao addressed the officers. “Please tell me your badge numbers. I will report your contributions to the bureau."
While the officers rejoiced, I approached the Imitator. "We finally meet!"
He smiled, "We finally meet!"
"Stop messing around!" I furrowed my brows.
"Stop messing around!" he echoed.
I was shocked to find his impersonation of me so alike. "Forget your little tricks!” I sneered. “I'll see you back at the station in a bit!"
"Forget your little tricks! I'll see you back at the station in a bit!" he repeated after me.
The officers soon came to escort the Imitator to the police car. Using the Eyes of Yama left me spent. As soon as I got into the car, I leaned back against the seat and rubbed my nose bridge.
"Song Yang, why don’t you take a nap?" Xiaotao suggested, worry evident in her eyes.
I shook my head. It wasn’t only physically exhausting. The feeling was hard to describe; it was as if my brain was heavy and swollen. When we passed by a convenience store, the milk on display in the refrigerator was so tempting I insisted we stopped to get a bottle.
Thankfully, Xiaotao got down and bought me a large bottle of milk. As the cold milk slipped down my throat and into my stomach, the discomfort in my head gradually eased and I felt as snug as a bug.