12. Begging for Mercy

Who am I, and where did I come from?

When I learned that I had no blood relation to my parents, this question consumed my mind. I felt an unbearable pain, as if I were the world’s abandoned child.

In my confusion and despair, Jin Ze said to me, “Chen Mu, I understand how you feel right now. But as I’ve said before, we cannot choose our past, but we can shape our future. Since you’ve been given this rare chance to be a good person, you must cherish it. Don’t let down those who care about you, and especially don’t disappoint yourself.”

I forced myself to calm down, then replied, “Jin Ze, judging from the current situation, the murderer’s motive seems clear. These cases were deliberately staged for me to see. He wants me to endure the pain I forgot after losing my memory. By confronting these horrifying truths, he’s trying to break me. So, I don’t think he’s really my parents or any relatives. I actually suspect that the killer might be the baby who was switched with me at birth. Because I took his place, he’s seeking revenge. Unfortunately, all the doctors and nurses involved back then have died. If we could find out who that swapped baby really is, it would likely speed up solving the case.”

Jin Ze narrowed his eyes and looked at me deeply. After a pause, he said, “Chen Mu, your thinking is as sharp as ever. I also initially believed the same, but the deeper we delve into the case, the more I feel this series of crimes isn’t baseless. Previously, I said these cases are unrelated to the murder game cases, but now I think I might have been wrong. There must be some connection between the two, though I can’t say what exactly. Judging from your father’s behavior, he is no ordinary bricklayer. I suspect he and that perverted man who was with him had some ties to Dawn back then. If we investigate this case thoroughly and merge it with the murder game cases, it could reveal some earth-shattering secrets.”

Listening to Jin Ze, I admired him more and more. His reasoning always surpassed mine; he always saw further beyond my base understanding.

Just then, Jin Ze suddenly said, “Chen Mu, the video I showed you earlier wasn’t complete. There’s another crucial part. But I want you to promise me that after watching it, you’ll tell me the truth.”

I nodded, feeling something was off. Soon, Jin Ze pulled another data card from his pocket, connected it to the computer, and played the footage. What I saw shocked me deeply.

At first, the surveillance footage looked like the previous camera’s recording, but about half an hour earlier, I suddenly sat up in bed. At that time, I was alone in the room; Gao Bing had left and never returned.

After sitting up, I immediately turned toward the corner of the wall and covered the camera. Only after blocking it did I leave, but I returned to the room shortly after.

This last return was clearly different from before. I seemed dazed, staggering as I walked, then collapsed back to sleep.

Why did I cover the camera? And how did I even know it was there?

While I was puzzled, Jin Ze spoke: “Chen Mu, don’t you notice that the ‘you’ in this video appears in two different states? Though I’m not a specialist in mental health, I can tell that part of you in the footage wasn’t sleepwalking—like when you whispered into Gao Bing’s ear or when you covered the camera.”

I understood Jin Ze’s point and asked, “Could it be that my perverted personality emerges when I’m sleepwalking?”

Jin Ze continued, “I’ve researched a lot. Even if it’s dissociative identity disorder, the alternate personality should retain memories of what they did. But think carefully—when your perverted personality appears, do you have any memory of what it did?”

I replied bluntly, “But when that personality comes out, it’s not me anymore. How would I know? You should ask that personality, not me.”

Jin Ze said, “That’s precisely the crux of the matter. In fact, you’ve never shown signs of dissociative identity disorder in front of us. Many assumptions are just speculation or based on the footage. It’s almost as if your perverted personality is avoiding us. Is this a coincidence or deliberate?”

I was confused by Jin Ze’s words but sensed he was hinting at something very important. So I asked him directly what he meant.

He shook his head slightly and said, “This is just my hypothesis, and it might change the whole course of the case. So for now, I can’t explain everything clearly. I just want to ask you one thing—be honest with me. Do you have absolutely no memory at all of your sleepwalking and the things you did during it? Not even a faint, hazy recollection?”

I answered honestly, “I really don’t remember anything. If I hadn’t seen the footage, I wouldn’t believe it myself. By the way, there should be many cameras outside, right? After I left the room, where did I go?”

Jin Ze said, “You went to the bathroom, but coincidentally, the camera near the bathroom was broken. We don’t know if Gao Bing had something to do with that. Well, I’ve asked all I wanted. You should rest now—I have to track down Gao Bing and handle other matters.”

Jin Ze left, and I was wide awake, pondering what he meant. What was he really trying to tell me?

Just then, my phone suddenly buzzed loudly, startling me. At first, I thought it was a message from the stalker, but it was just a text.

The message read: Chen Mu, I’m Gao Bing. I’ve done what you asked. I’m waiting for you on the rooftop of Tianshui Building. If the police find out about our meeting, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life. Because once the police know, your death will be near.

I thought it over and decided I couldn’t act rashly—there was precedent for that. Honestly, I feared Gao Bing might be right. After all, I did talk to him while sleepwalking last night. I was afraid I'd be digging my own grave, or worse.

So, I resolved to meet Gao Bing myself and pretend to be that perverted personality to see what kind of deal we had struck.

But I still prepared a backup plan: I scheduled an email to Jin Ze informing him I was going to the rooftop of Tianshui Building to meet Gao Bing. The email would send half an hour later, giving me the chance to recall it if things went wrong.

I left the police station. The police trusted me more now, and I didn’t sense anyone tailing me. Soon, I arrived at Tianshui Building and went straight to the rooftop. It was just before six in the morning; the sky was still dim but visibility was good. I saw someone not far away.

But this person wasn’t standing normally. He was standing inside a water tank, a little away from the rooftop railing, desperately reaching out to grab the railing, trying to climb out.

I was puzzled. How could a living person be trapped inside a water tank? What was in there? Glue, maybe?

I approached cautiously. When I got close, I saw it was really Gao Bing. There was no glue inside, only some liquid—what it was, I didn’t know.

Next to the tank on the ground lay a phone. The message I received earlier was indeed from Gao Bing.

I immediately called out, “Gao Bing, what’s going on? Why are you in the water tank? What do you want from me?”

As soon as I spoke, Gao Bing noticed me. In a pained voice, he said, “Chen Mu, why did you lie to me? Why are you hurting me? Are you the killer? Please, just spare me. I’ll do anything you ask. I can even go undercover for you…”