CH 6

The two guards went out and closed the door from the outside.

The room was silent for a while, only the light on top casting on the man’s facial features on the opposite. Su Hui felt the figure in front of him was blurry, the two eye sockets were sunken deeply like a skeleton in hell.

Looking at Su Lian, Song Rongjiang smiled cruelty, his two tiger teeth were sharp. “You shouldn’t let them remove the shackles.”

Su Lian raised his head, there was confusion in his eyes as he looked at the other party. “Why do you say that?”

“The shackles can’t trap me.” Song Rongjia smiled, he stuck out his tongue, licked his teeth, snapped his fingers, and hummed a sound lightly. “Before those waste prison guards rush in, I can strangle you easily just like strangling a bird.”

Su Hui indulged him by listening with his right ear. The interrogation room was very quiet. He successfully captured Song Rongjiang’s words, thus he asked, “The same as when you strangled those women?”

Half a year ago, Song Rongjiang killed at least two women. They both got beaten and strangled to death, the method was extremely vicious.

Su Hui lowered his head, still sorting out the information. He said indifferently, “You can have a try. It will be difficult to strangle a man who has an Adam apple with hands.”

When Su Hui said this, he took the mini recorder out from the backpack and pressed the record button in front of the man.

He didn’t take the other party’s words as a death threat. It was as if he was giving a suggestion and discussing it politely with the man.

Song Rongjiang stared at the thin figure in front of him with bloodshot eyes. “Aren’t you afraid?”

For ordinary people, facing a murderer who had killed several people, they would show some emotions, either anger or fear. However, Su Hui was different, Song Rongjiang couldn’t see anything at all.

Su Hui replied, “There is nothing to be afraid of even if it’s death. After the first death, there is no other.“

The person in front of him was a pervert murderer, fierce, cruel, hysterical, and moody. Su Hui had seen this sentence in the man’s belongings, it was copied on a sticky note. Besides, this sentence was also very suitable for Su Hui himself.

He had already died once, thus he had no fear of death.

“You’ve seen what I left…” Song Rongjiang was stunned for a moment, his heart moved, then he nodded. “Yes, they can’t give me the death penalty again.”

Su Lian said, “I see you copied a lot of poems, many of which are about death, and I like them very much. For example, And death shall have no dominion.“

The man finally smiled, he looked at the person in front of him. “Dylan Thomas…”

These two poems seemed to suddenly shorten the distance between them. Song Rongjiang’s strong sense of rejection involuntarily faded.

Before becoming a killer, Song Rongjiang had some good feelings for literature and art. He would copy the poems of famous poets into his notebooks and sticky notes.

Those things had long been merged into his life and became a part of his soul.

“Hello Song Rongjiang, my name is Su Hui.” Su Hui made a simple opening, he clasped his hands together as if chatting with a friend. “I don’t know you well enough, hence I’m here to have a chat with you.”

Song Rongjiang sat upright and finally willing to talk, “Interesting, I’ve been locked for a few months already but my parents haven’t been here. You’re the first person who came to visit me. Say, who are you? What do you do? Reporter? Police? Lawyer? What are you here for?”

Before Su Lian could ask, he had already started asking as if he was checking the household registration.

Su Lian looked at him with those beautiful eyes. “I’m a criminology teacher, I’m here just to have a conversation with you.”

“Teacher? Conversation?” Song Rongjiang laughed until he was out of breath. “What? You want to educate and persuade me before I’m executed? It would be more useful to send a priest or a monk.”

Su Hui shook his head, then lowered his head. He covered his mouth with his hands and coughed a few times. “No, I’m not here to persuade you, but to understand you. I think your criminal behavior is a typical case, so I applied for authority. I want you to be my research object, that’s why I’m here to have some chat with you.”

There was nothing better to get to know the murderer than meeting him in person.

Today’s meeting was approved by the police, the prison supervisor, and the Criminology Department.

The police and the prison supervisor approved it rather quickly. On the contrary, it was the academy that Su Hui wasted some time in order to go through the process. Now there was still half a month before the man was executed, which meant he had at most two more chances to meet the other party.

He must fully understand the man in front of him in this short period of time.

“Research object?” Song Rongjiang stared at Su Hui and sneered in contempt. He felt like he was being treated as a white mouse. “I’m already a dying person, why do you think I’ll cooperate with you?”

Those things were still in his mind, whether it was torture to extort a confession or sweet words, it wasn’t useful. He looked at the handsome young man in front of him, wondering where the other party got this confidence from.

Su Hui responded to the question, “I’ve read your information, the news reports, as well the confession typed by the police and the interrogation record before…”

Song Rongjiang said with resistance, “Then you can look at those. It’s written in great detail, and I’ve confessed everything, there is nothing to talk about.”

Su Hui didn’t speak, he spread out the newspapers in front of the man. Shocking titles were written in each of the newspapers.

“A Woman was Killed in Huadu.”

“Perverted Murderer Killed Two Women in a Row.”

“Another young lady is missing, suspecting the murderer is committing another crime.”

“Taxi Murderer Song Rongjiang Has Finally Arrested.”

“Huadu Taxi Murderer received a Death Penalty in the First Trial.”

“Song Rongjiang will be executed within a month.”

The newspapers were sorted by Su Hui long ago and were arranged in chronological order. Song Rongjiang picked up those newspapers, he gulped unconsciously while his hands were slightly trembling, not out of guilt but out of excitement.

At first, Song Rongjiang paid no attention to these newspapers.

Once he came across a news report about his crime, he felt completely different at that time. Reading those pieces of news, he seemed to get double pleasure. Since then, he consciously began to search the news related to him and checked other people’s judgment about his behavior.

Every paragraph was written in the report describing the process of his crime as well as analyzing made him quiver with excitement.

Song Rongjiang had carefully read the first few reports before, he had also cut them and collected them. He was so familiar with those reports that he could almost recite them. The latter ones were published after he was arrested.

Su Hui waited quietly for Song Rongjiang to look at the news reports. He couldn’t see the other party’s expression clearly, but he could rule out that Song Rongjiang was extremely focused.

Song Rongjiang glanced up for a moment and said, “So, they wrote it like this…” He frowned. “However…”

“However, you think they didn’t write enough, it was short, the page layout is small and it’s also different…” Su Hui mercilessly exposed Song Rongjiang’s inner thoughts.

The latest news reports were about the rule of law, there were only a few lines about Song Rongjiang’s matter, mentioning that he would be sentenced to death, and the missing girl Pei Weiwei was still being searched.

The media loved to forget and chased after the site traffic, whether it was the stars or those perverted murderers, it was the same.

Su Hui revealed Song Rongjiang’s desire again. “You want a bigger page and more attention.”

Song Rongjiang listened without saying anything. That was the pride he still maintained even though he was in prison.

He had always been mediocre in his life, but he was unwilling to accept this mediocre life. He had never thought he would become famous for murder, it was a pity that it’s an evil reputation.

Then, Song Rongjiang saw a pile of photos on the side, which were taken by the police at the scene where the body was thrown. He stretched his hand, wanting to take them, and looked over carefully.

Su Hui reached out and held down the photo with an emotionless face. “If you cooperate with me, I can say hello to the prison guard and leave you a physical evidence photo.”

Song Rongjiang wanted those photos to ‘reminisce’ about his crime. He withdrew his hand, still hesitating. In the end, he folded his arms and said, “What do you exactly want to talk about?”

“Talk about your story and your growth experience. You are a serial killer, and a very special representative, studying you is important for criminology.” Su Hui started indifferently, “From the information I have so far, your confession isn’t very detailed, the person who wrote these reports didn’t understand your behavior and inner world.”

Song Rongjiang smiled silently, without denying, he lowered his head and played with the mini recorder that Su Hui had placed on the table.

Su Hui became serious, his eyes that could confuse people’s minds were like a magic power. He whispered, “They haven’t touched the real you yet. If you just die like this, I think it’s a pity for you.”

“Touch my inner world?” Having said this, Song Rongjiang seemed to become a little interested. “Then, do you think you can do it?”

Su Hui nodded. “I want to give it a try. I will write about you in my thesis, analyze your behavior, and let more people know about you…”

Also, let more people beware of this beast.

He needed to talk to this murderer by exploring the dark place where the light hadn’t yet reached through.

Song Rongjiang lifted his chin. “If you can get me a pack of cigarettes, I will have a talk with you.”

This was already expected by Su Lian. Therefore, he drooped his head, showing a faint charming smile on his calm and delicate face.

The author has something to say:

And death shall have no dominion—“And death shall have no dominion” —Dylan Thomas.

After the first death, there is no other. — “A Refusal to Mourn the Death, by Fire, of a Child in London” —Dylan Thomas.