As the fat man's right leg bone was pulled free from the skin and tissue, I felt my stomach churn violently. The food I'd eaten earlier surged up into my mouth. Just as I was about to throw up, I clamped a hand over my mouth and bolted into Sun Fatty's private bathroom. Hugging the toilet, I let out a loud "Waaagh" and vomited out everything I had inside me from the past few days.
By the time there was nothing left in my stomach to throw up, Sun Fatty came in, handing me a pack of tissues."Lazi," he said, patting my back, "not to brag, but you made it all the way to the second leg. The first time I saw this, I puked the moment that guy's intestines started slipping out…"
Before he even finished speaking, I was dry-heaving again, hugging the toilet with a vengeance. Finally, when I truly had nothing left to retch, I turned to him and gasped,"Sun Dasheng, you bastard… couldn't you have warned me beforehand? Why drag me into this just to suffer with you?"
Sun Fatty chuckled while patting my back."You should be grateful. When I puked, no one handed me tissues or patted my back. Not to brag, but I could barely stand when I came out—I had to hold onto the wall just to walk. At least you've got me to prop you up."
As he spoke, he helped me back to the main office. Just thinking about what I had just seen was enough to make my legs go weak. If it weren't for Sun Fatty's support, I probably would've had to cling to the wall too.
Before stepping back out, I asked nervously,"Da Sheng, tell me the truth—does it get worse from here? If it does, let's just skip to the end."
Sun Fatty laughed."Don't worry, it eases up from here. It's basically like skinning pigs at a slaughterhouse. Not to brag, but after six or seven replays, you kind of get used to it. I'm just watching for the fine details now."
As he spoke, he brought me back to the desk. On-screen, the fat man had already become a blood-drenched skeleton. He sat where Guangren had previously been bound, having stripped the flesh from his body. Using the dagger, he was carving the bones into thin, sharp needles.
Guangren, meanwhile, had spread the peeled skin flat on the floor, wiping the blood off it with the fat man's underwear. The two of them were each busy with their own gruesome tasks, without interfering with one another. The scene was still far too grotesque for me—I couldn't bear to watch it closely. After a few glances, I turned my eyes away and asked,"Da Sheng, where the hell did this video come from? Don't tell me Wu Rendi gave it to you."
Sun Fatty chuckled again."Old Wu? I'd be lucky if he left me alone for five minutes." He paused, glanced at the screen, then said,"After everything yesterday, I went to Chief Gao's office to sort through his things. Found this in his computer. I'm guessing it was a contingency plan he left when the Bureau building was constructed. Even though only Old Wu could go down to the fifth sublevel, Chief Gao knew exactly what was going on down there."
I was stunned."Gao Liang planted a camera down there? Would Wu Rendi know about that?"
Sun Fatty waved his hand dismissively."Ninety percent sure he did. He just never said anything. Not to brag, but if someone else was keeping an eye on Guangren for him, Old Wu probably welcomed it."
As he spoke, Sun Fatty pulled out a few more discs and waved them in front of me."There are a few more—some even have your pretty face in them. Want me to save you a copy for old times' sake?"
"Old times, my ass!" I reached to snatch the discs from him, but something changed on the screen again, catching my attention.
Guangren had arranged the slabs of flesh he had stripped from the fat man into a few strange, ritual-like symbols. He then dipped into the fat man's blood and wrote several glyphs on the floor. Next, he took the white hair he'd shaved from his head earlier and glued it onto the skeleton's skull. Finally, he draped the fat man's clothing over the skeleton—this was exactly what I had seen later when I came running down to the fifth sublevel.
Once everything was ready, Guangren picked up the flayed skin and, like donning a biohazard suit, slipped his own body into it. He stretched it tight and fastened it with the sharpened bone needles. Then he put on the fat man's clothing.
Just like that, a "living and breathing" fat man appeared.
He took a few steps to get a feel for the skin, then suddenly turned and grinned directly at the camera, baring his teeth. He said something—too quickly to read from his lips—then turned and walked out of the frame.
I was shocked."How did Guangren know there was a camera? That kind of surveillance device wasn't something he should've even known existed!"
Sun Fatty squinted at the screen."Guangren was down there for over thirty years. Not much else to look at. You think he wouldn't figure something out just from staring at it? Even if he didn't know it was a surveillance camera, he could tell that little black lens was meant to watch him."
After a brief pause, Sun Fatty continued, "I showed the end of the video to the Ximen—he said Guangren's words were: 'I'm gone. If you've got the guts, come find me.' Not to brag, but that's one arrogant bastard. Lazi, are you sure Old Wu really stripped him of his powers? Doesn't look like it to me. If he's this fierce after being crippled, imagine what he was like in full form."
While he rambled on, I glanced at the timestamp on the final frame. From the moment the fat man appeared to when the "fat man" left, only about twelve minutes had passed. After that, Guangren—disguised as the fat man—rejoined me and Hao Zhengyi, and used the chaos of the battle to quietly slip away.
After we finished watching the footage, Sun Fatty leaned back in his chair and looked at me. "Lazi, now let's talk about Old Wu's reaction when he found out Guangren escaped."
That reminded me—Wu Rendi's reaction had indeed struck me as odd. I was just about to discuss it when Sun Fatty cut in,"Let me guess—he just gave you a little scare, then…"
I blinked. "Then he stopped taking it seriously and told me to look for Guangren half-heartedly for a couple years… is that what you were gonna say?" I asked, staring at him.
Sun Fatty narrowed his eyes and grinned. "Exactly. Wu Rendi had Guangren locked up under his feet for decades. Couldn't kill him, couldn't release him, and had to feed him medicine every three years just to help him survive his periods of weakness. Not to brag, Lazi, but do you know why he gave Guangren to you?"
He didn't wait for my reply and answered himself,"One word: fed up. To Old Wu, Guangren had become a giant piece of chicken rib—no meat, not worth chewing, but too much of a hassle to throw away. Thanks to you, Guangren ran off, and now Old Wu can finally breathe easy. You think he's gonna go chasing him all over the world? Don't make me laugh."
I frowned and immediately asked,"But aren't you worried Guangren might recover his powers and come back to take revenge on Old Wu?"
Sun Fatty gave me a crooked smile. "If Guangren was capable of that, would he have spent all those years hiding overseas in the first place? Knowing his personality, I'm betting that now he's free, he'll find a hole and hide in it forever. Not to brag, but forget trying to get even with Old Wu—just hearing the name Wu Rendi probably gives him full-body spasms. He's probably already packing to move again."
He lit a cigarette and handed me one. After taking a puff, he blinked and said,"Lazi, things are a bit hectic around the Bureau right now. After Chief Gao's funeral the day after tomorrow, I might disappear for a few days. Keep an eye on things for me. If anything happens, wait until I'm back."
Hearing the veiled tone in his words, I couldn't help but feel uneasy."Dasheng, take me with you. I might not be much help, but at least I can lend a hand."
He waved it off with a laugh."Relax. It's nothing dangerous. I can handle it myself. If things go smoothly, I'll be back the same day. Just do me a favor—keep a close eye on Old Wu. Don't let him ditch early."
I wasn't too sure about that."Come on. Old Wu just promised you he'd stay until Chief Gao's touqi. He's not going to suddenly bail."
But the moment I said that, Sun Fatty scrunched his face into a bitter grimace."Lazi, not to brag, but if Wu Rendi ever started doing things by the book, he wouldn't be Wu Rendi anymore."
Even Sun Fatty got a headache just thinking about Wu Rendi.
Right then, Wang Lu knocked on the door and entered with a sticky note listing a few names. She told Sun Fatty that the Ministry's task force had finalized their list of personnel—they'd be arriving at the Bureau tomorrow. Secretary Yang had called in a few favors to get an early look at the list, but he didn't dare show up at the Bureau in the middle of the night, so he passed it to Wang Lu by phone. Now she wanted to discuss with Sun Fatty how best to receive the task force.
It wasn't really my place to stay during that conversation, so I exchanged a few polite words with Secretary Wang and said goodbye to Sun Fatty before heading out of his office.