Good and Evil Chapter Thirty-One: The Ten-Thousand-Meter Race

The quality of an object does not depend on the object itself, but on the person who uses it.

A casual remark from Zhang Lei unexpectedly became a crucial clue in cracking the case.

Human-skin masks are a type of prop that frequently appears in Hollywood films. Generally, these masks are seen only in movies and television, and rarely used in real life. Of course, the world is vast and full of oddities; everyone has a sense of curiosity, and wherever there is demand, there will be suppliers. So, these masks can be found for sale online.

Everyone stared at the mask on the computer screen, which bore an uncanny resemblance to a certain celebrity, and couldn’t help but gasp.

Earlier, when Lv Xing watched the surveillance footage, she noticed that the three suspects—each of different ages and appearances—had many similarities. For instance, all were extremely well-built and strong, and their clothing was quite similar. Second, their method of assault was identical: they attacked the victims from behind, striking the back of the head with a fist or a stone, rendering the victims unconscious or semi-conscious and unable to resist, before committing their crimes. After assaulting the victims, they would always rob them—a detail that set them apart from most rapists, who typically commit crimes for sexual gratification, with theft being an afterthought. In these eleven cases, however, the perpetrator always robbed the victims after the assault.

At first, after accepting the case, Xu Lang and his team believed it to be the work of an individual, but after investigation, they suspected it was a group. Only upon discovering the mask did they suddenly realize that these eleven cases might have been committed by a single person.

As for why the victims all claimed their attacker resembled a certain celebrity, that could be explained. First, after being assaulted, victims would suffer brief or prolonged unconsciousness; a blow to the head often leads to hallucinations, making it easy to confuse the attacker’s appearance. Second, all attacks happened at night, in poorly lit areas where the victims could only make out a general outline—details would hardly be clear. Third, the assailant wore a mask. According to the information Lv Xing found, these masks were crafted to look quite similar; at first glance, the resemblance was striking, but upon closer inspection, subtle differences remained, since everyone’s facial contours differ, and wearing a mask changes one’s appearance slightly. Hence, victims described the attacker as looking like this or that celebrity.

After thorough analysis, everyone agreed that this bold conjecture was likely the truth. However, conjecture alone was not enough; they needed evidence and experiments. Therefore, Ning Yanran instructed Lv Xing to order one of these masks online, with the cost to be reimbursed by the team. Lv Xing complied at once.

Though they now had this mask theory, other aspects of the investigation had to continue. Despite the exhaustion and hardship everyone felt—especially Zhao Hua, Zhang Lei, and the officers assigned to investigate the construction site—none dared to relax until the perpetrator was caught.

Seeing the fatigue etched on everyone’s faces, Ning Yanran said, “Let’s all go home early tonight, take a bath, get a good night’s sleep, and come in early tomorrow.”

Everyone stood, gathering their things to leave.

After they had all gone, Ning Yanran, who stayed behind, noticed that Xu Lang was still sitting in his seat. She asked, “Why aren’t you leaving?”

Xu Lang glanced at her. “Aren’t you tired?”

Ning Yanran looked at him, puzzled by his question. Still, she nodded, “I’m alright. Compared to everyone else, I’m not too tired.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Lang stood up and said, “Since you’re not tired, come out with me tonight.”

With that, he headed for the door.

Ning Yanran hurried after him, calling, “Where are we going?”

“The construction site.”

So, the two of them drove to the site, with Xu Lang at the wheel and Ning Yanran in the passenger seat.

By the time they arrived, it was already past ten in the evening. The site was long since shut down for the night, enveloped in darkness. The temporary dormitories where the workers lived were still lit, and from time to time, voices could be heard or someone would slip out to use the restroom.

Xu Lang parked the car not far from the entrance, in a spot the streetlights didn’t reach. Unless one looked carefully, the car was nearly invisible. He sat in the driver’s seat, eyes fixed on the gate, as though waiting for something.

At first, Ning Yanran watched with him, but after more than two hours of waiting and seeing no one emerge, she began to feel drowsy. Though she hadn’t been out investigating, every clue the team found had to be weighed and analyzed by her before the next steps could be planned, which was exhausting in its own right. She reclined her seat a bit, curled up, and closed her eyes for a nap.

Meanwhile, Xu Lang kept his gaze on the entrance.

Time crawled by. Unbeknownst to them, it was already past four in the morning. Xu Lang’s eyes began to burn with fatigue, and he was feeling sleepy, when suddenly, someone appeared from the construction site—dressed all in black and carrying several cement bags, contents unknown.

The figure moved quickly and silently, head lowered, eyes on the ground, glancing around warily now and then.

After leaving the gate, the person looked left and right, then set off in one direction.

At a single glance, Xu Lang recognized him as the same man he had chased that night. Seeing the man about to disappear, Xu Lang slapped Ning Yanran’s leg, jolting her awake. She sat up with a start, looked around in confusion, and asked Xu Lang, “What’s going on?”

Xu Lang pointed at the receding figure. “Someone’s here. Call for backup, quickly.”

“Who is it?” Ning Yanran was still groggy.

Xu Lang was already out of the car, unbuckling his seatbelt. “The suspect.”

He stamped the ground, then took off after the man.

Seeing Xu Lang dash away, Ning Yanran snapped to full alert. She grabbed her phone, called the detective team for reinforcements, and then, seeing that Xu Lang and the suspect had vanished, moved to the driver’s seat, started the car, and followed, turning on the radio to report her location.

Xu Lang pursued the man on foot. At first, the suspect seemed unaware, but as Xu Lang drew closer, he realized something was amiss and bolted.

Xu Lang cursed under his breath and gave chase. Initially, they maintained a certain distance, but as Xu Lang closed in, the man would sprint away, widening the gap again. This repeated several times, and finally, Xu Lang stopped trying to close the distance, keeping a steady pace behind.

The man in black avoided the main roads, darting into side paths and alleys, then back onto the road, only to turn off again at the next opportunity. For Xu Lang, unfamiliar with the area, this was exhausting—he nearly lost the man several times.

In this fashion, one fled while the other pursued. After more than twenty minutes, both were slowing down, but neither stopped.

Xu Lang cursed inwardly, “Damn it, if you can run this well, why aren’t you an athlete instead of a robber and rapist?”

In summer, the sun rises early; by five, the sky was already brightening. By now, one could see the surroundings clearly. Xu Lang had first spotted the suspect around four; it was now five—he could only imagine how far they had run.

Xu Lang now got a good look at the man: dark skin, strong build, black T-shirt, loose track pants, black canvas shoes. The cement bags were gone, discarded somewhere. This matched the man seen in the surveillance videos.

Another ten minutes passed. Both men were nearly spent, yet neither stopped.

Back at the police academy, Xu Lang had been the five-kilometer cross-country champion of his class. Four years ago, he had set a departmental record: an eight-kilometer run carrying sixty pounds. While maybe not quite military level, it was close. Now, Xu Lang’s lungs burned with each breath, his chest aching. Though he hadn’t trained that hard since graduation, he often ran with weights for exercise. The fact that even he was nearly out of stamina showed just how far they’d gone.

Five more minutes passed. By now, daylight was full, and Xu Lang found himself in a desolate area, with few houses nearby and only the occasional dog barking in the distance.

Suddenly, the man in black stopped, turned, and pulled a knife from his pocket. One hand braced on his knee, the other brandishing the blade at Xu Lang, gasping for breath.

Xu Lang halted a hundred meters away, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. He raised his head and saw the man’s face clearly at last—strikingly similar to a well-known celebrity. What puzzled Xu Lang, however, was that while he himself was drenched in sweat, the man’s face was dry—not a bead of sweat, nor a trace of post-exercise flush. If not for the man’s soaked T-shirt and heaving chest, Xu Lang would have suspected he was some kind of tireless monster.

As Xu Lang readied himself to approach, the man stood straight, waved the knife threateningly, eyes fixed on Xu Lang, making it clear: Do not come closer.

Xu Lang stopped where he was.

Just as he halted, the man suddenly turned and fled—gone was any sign of bravado.

“What the hell, are you playing with me?” Xu Lang muttered.

The suspect’s sudden flight caught Xu Lang off guard. With a knife in hand, Xu Lang dared not approach rashly. He looked around for a branch or something to use as a weapon, but finding none, he settled for a palm-sized stone, weighing it in his hand. Seeing the suspect now dozens of meters away, Xu Lang took off running after him.

As the man was about to escape, Xu Lang surged forward, swung his arm, and hurled the stone at the back of the man’s head.

Perhaps it was luck, or perhaps even fate had had enough of this man’s crimes—the stone traced a perfect arc and struck the man squarely on the back of the head.

With a muffled grunt, the man in black collapsed face-first to the ground, the knife falling from his hand.

Xu Lang hurried over, slowing as he neared. When the suspect showed no reaction, he remained cautious, kicking the knife away before reaching for his handcuffs—only then remembering he was no longer a policeman and didn’t have any.

He knelt, checked for a pulse—there was one. The man hadn’t been killed, just knocked out. Xu Lang let out a sigh of relief, plopped down, and, worried the suspect might wake and flee again, simply sat on the man’s back.

After catching his breath, Xu Lang checked his phone and saw countless missed calls, mostly from Ning Yanran. He dialed her back.

As soon as the call connected, her anxious voice came through the line. “Xu Lang, where are you? Why didn’t you answer… Did you catch the suspect?”

After her barrage of questions, Xu Lang replied, “Caught him. Sitting on him right now.”

“Really? You caught him?” Ning Yanran’s excitement was palpable.

“Lang, where are you? We’ll come pick you up.” Li Lei’s voice came over the line.

Xu Lang looked around, realizing he had no idea where they were. “I don’t know.”

There were exclamations of surprise from the other end, from Li Lei, Ning Yanran, Zhang Lei, and the others.

Xu Lang could only smile wryly. He’d been so focused on the chase, he had no idea where they’d ended up.

Looking around, Xu Lang spotted an elderly man, hunched, carrying a basket full of grass. He called out, “Sir! Sir! Where are we?”

The old man, seemingly hard of hearing, looked up, saw Xu Lang, then noticed the man lying under him. He hesitated, then asked loudly, “What did you say?”

Xu Lang, exasperated, repeated, “Sir, where is this place?”

“Huh? I haven’t had breakfast yet,” the old man replied.

“No, sir, I mean, what is this place?”

“Eh? My surname is Qiao.”

Xu Lang was speechless.

Old Qiao finally approached and asked, “Young man, what did you say?”

Xu Lang had no choice but to raise his voice, “Sir, I’m asking, where is this place?”

Old Qiao gave him a look and said, “Why are you shouting? I’m not deaf.”

Laughter burst from Zhang Lei on the phone. The whole team, listening in, couldn’t help but laugh at the exchange.

Old Qiao eyed Xu Lang, but instead of answering, he asked, “What do you do, young man?”

“I’m a policeman. Sir, where are we?” Xu Lang answered at a normal volume this time.

“Policeman? You don’t look it,” Old Qiao muttered, but finally told Xu Lang where they were.

It turned out they had left S City and were now in Qiao Family Village, Fengshui County, Y City—over sixteen kilometers from the construction site. Only then did everyone realize how far Xu Lang and the suspect had run.

After giving Ning Yanran the address, there was a long silence on the phone, until Zhang Lei finally said, “Lang, you’re a beast—run like a horse, don’t you?”

“Get lost! Hurry and come get me. And bring food—I’m starving.”

With that, Xu Lang hung up. Seeing Old Qiao still standing there, clearly unconvinced he was a policeman—after all, most officers wore uniforms and carried badges and handcuffs, while Xu Lang wore a T-shirt, shorts, and sneakers, and was sitting on top of someone—Xu Lang took out a crumpled pack of cigarettes, offered one to Old Qiao, and lit them both up.

The two sat and chatted. Xu Lang learned that Old Qiao was seventy-three, lived alone in the village ahead, had two sons, three daughters, and a wife five years his junior, who was in poor health. All five children had settled in Y City and visited occasionally. Despite his age and stooped back, Old Qiao still raised pigs and was out early gathering feed for them.

Old Qiao, in turn, asked about Xu Lang’s presence. Xu Lang didn’t mention the man beneath him was a rapist and robber, instead saying he’d chased a thief this far, not wanting Old Qiao to know the truth and possibly take matters into his own hands—people of his generation believed rapists deserved to be beaten or drowned.

Back when Xu Lang was still with the detective squad, he’d handled a case in an S City village—a rapist there had been caught and beaten by the whole village, then locked in a cage. If not for the police arriving in time, he would have been killed.

After forty minutes of waiting, several police cars arrived, sirens blaring. Before they came, the suspect had regained consciousness, only for Xu Lang to knock him out again, making Old Qiao even more suspicious of Xu Lang’s identity.

When the police arrived—Ning Yanran, Li Lei, and others from S City, as well as local officers from Fengshui County—they were all stunned to see Xu Lang sitting on the suspect.

As soon as they approached, Xu Lang stood up, and the suspect tried to escape, only for Xu Lang to stomp him back down, raising a cloud of dust.

Zhang Lei and the others quickly cuffed the suspect and loaded him into the police car.

Seeing the uniforms and official vehicles, Old Qiao finally believed Xu Lang was a real policeman.

After exchanging a few words with Old Qiao, Xu Lang got in the car. The local officers, who knew Old Qiao, helped carry his basket of pig feed and escorted him back to his village.

Once inside, Zhao Hua handed Xu Lang a cold breakfast and a bottle of mineral water. Xu Lang accepted without ceremony, wolfing down the food and water before letting out a satisfied burp.

When the officer who had taken Old Qiao home returned, they set off. Li Lei drove, with Ning Yanran in the passenger seat, Xu Lang and Zhao Hua in back, and Zhang Lei with the other S City officers escorting the suspect in another car.

After eating, Xu Lang noticed everyone staring at him. “Is there something on my face?” he asked, rubbing his face.

The others shook their heads. Finally, Zhao Hua couldn’t help but ask, “Lang, can you tell us how you ended up running all the way from S City to Y City?”

Xu Lang lit a cigarette and replied, “I don’t know. He ran, so I chased. And here we are.”

The three fell silent, at a loss for words.

While marveling at how far Xu Lang had run, and his endurance, they became all the more curious about the suspect. If Xu Lang hadn’t insisted that Ning Yanran accompany him to the site, they might never have found the suspect. If Xu Lang hadn’t been so relentless, the suspect might have gotten away. Sooner or later, he would have been caught, but not so quickly.

On the way back, Xu Lang didn’t sleep. Instead, he had Li Lei retrace their path, and along the way, they found the cement bags in the roadside grass. Inside were several cell phones, gold and silver jewelry, and various bags—the crucial evidence needed to break the case.

Without these key items, it would be hard to get the suspect to talk.

They didn’t return directly to S City but first went to Fengshui County in Y City to complete the required procedures for cross-jurisdictional arrest.

Only after all the paperwork was done did they bring the suspect back to S City.

When they were finally on their way, Xu Lang collapsed on the back seat and fell asleep, while Zhao Hua moved to Zhang Lei’s car.

After getting in, Ning Yanran looked at the sleeping Xu Lang, her eyes softening, lost in thought.