The Unlikely Sage

Janice looked at Peter Justin lying on the bed, with one of his hands handcuffed to the bedpost. All his weapons had been taken by Michael. The way he lay there, especially with one leg crossed over the other, resembled that of a mafia boss taking a leisurely rest.

Her task was to monitor Peter Justin, and if he exhibited any suspicious behavior, she was authorized to shoot.

"Little girl, could you help me with these handcuffs?" Peter flashed a mischievous grin at Janice.

"Is that how you talk to girls?" Janice responded coldly.

"I'm just talking to a fool who thinks she's a cop."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Janice toyed with her gun and took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Pass me some of that," Peter sat up, pointing at Janice's hot chocolate.

"Here," Janice tossed him a bottle of water.

"Do you have any conscience? I asked for your hot chocolate, not some bland water," Peter's face contorted in a mock pout, but Janice couldn't be bothered to look.

"I think neither of us has the right to speak of 'conscience'," Janice shrugged, her face showing a hint of melancholy, perhaps recalling her previous thoughts of killing Brian.

"You're wrong. No matter how despicable someone is, they have a conscience. They just lock it away for their desires," Peter laughed as if hearing a joke.

"Do people with a conscience kill?" Janice suddenly felt that the man in front of her seemed to know something, asking in surprise but with a hint of bitterness.

"The act of killing is hard to define," Peter set down the bottle, looking intrigued. Janice suddenly felt that the man before her wasn't just a low-life thug but a noble sage.

"Some judge by the outcome, believing murder is a crime deserving punishment; others judge by the motive, thinking some killings are forgivable because of heartbreaking reasons. Sherlock Holmes once said, 'When law fails to provide justice, private revenge becomes just, even noble.' How you judge me doesn't matter, and the death penalty means nothing to me."

Peter's words struck a chord with Janice.

"What kind of person are you?" Janice suddenly pondered.

Peter's face turned serious upon hearing her question.

"...Well... I think those who judge solely by outcome or motive are fools. Judging by outcome makes one heartless, and by motive makes one naive."

"To me, the process matters most."

"It's like baking a cake. Every ingredient must be in the right proportion as per the recipe. The order of adding ingredients, the sequence, everything matters. A mistake in any step, and the cake turns out to be trash."

"So, I focus on the process. No matter how heartbreaking the motive or how dire the outcome, I only see how one commits the act."

That's how one should judge a person!

...

Listening to the man's words, Janice found it hard to believe that this seemingly uneducated thug had such profound insights.

"May I ask another question?" Janice asked cautiously, her eyes inadvertently showing a hint of submission, her posture becoming humble.

"Go ahead; it'll help pass the time," Peter shrugged. The gravity on his face disappeared, replaced by a relaxed smile, the kind that could easily make a girl's heart flutter.

"There's this guy who killed everyone in a town. Judging just by the process, do you think he deserves forgiveness?" Janice was referring to Brian.

She was from that town, the sole survivor. Her parents had been killed by Brian. She couldn't forgive him. Later, seeing Brian willing to save her from an impending death sentence, she became uncertain about forgiving him.

The man before her seemed to have an answer.

"Miss, you haven't told me the details. Just saying a guy killed everyone doesn't give me enough to judge," Peter looked at Janice with a puzzled expression.

"He'll have to tell me himself then; otherwise, I can't determine if he deserves forgiveness," Peter shook his head and lay back, preparing to sleep.

Janice paused, understanding his implication, and let him continue sleeping.