Chapter 26

The bomb expert patiently awaited the final answer: "Have you decided?"

Blake looked at Jason. "Are you sure it's the white wire? Don't pull any tricks on me!"

Zhen Ai felt uneasy, glancing at Yan Su. For the first time, she believed he could tell if Jason was lying!

Yan Su, hands in his pockets, pursed his lips, quietly considering Jason.

Jason, instead of looking at the screen, gave Yan Su a meaningful gaze, his lips curling into a provocative smirk.

At that moment, Professor Li spoke up, delivering words that stunned everyone, including Jason.

"Child, hand me the scissors."

Tears streamed down Professor Li's face. "It costs millions to train a bomb disposal expert, and your parents have invested even more precious love and care in raising you. Use your skills where they're truly needed. You've done well today; don't waste your young life on my account. Hand me the scissors."

A spring breeze rustled across the ground, bringing a refreshing chill.

In the frame, the young bomb expert paused for a moment, then replied in a raw, youthful voice, "A soldier cannot retreat, sir."

Such a calm statement nearly brought Zhen Ai to tears.

Blake frowned, murmuring, "If it really does explode, we can't take down another family."

Zhen Ai caught the subtlety in his words. He didn't say "another person" but "another family." Tragedies always come in pairs, shattering entire families.

He raised his voice, ordering, "Morgan, withdraw immediately. This is a command from above!"

The supreme principle for soldiers is to follow orders without defiance.

Only then did the bomb disposal expert named Morgan hand the scissors to Professor Li and step back.

The bomb's timer continued to count down.

00:03:16

Yan Su squinted slightly, his speech suddenly speeding up threefold: 

"Your personality is arrogant and intolerant of doubt. From the very beginning, I provoked you in various ways. Subconsciously, you see me as your opponent, and your statement about the 'white wire' was directed at me. For you, serving decades in prison is far less appealing than a sensational explosion. After all, this may be your last masterpiece. Your pride won't allow you to accept a prison sentence, and your pursuit of perfection and thrill drives you to want to see it all go up in flames."

"So, you must be trying to mislead me."

Jason stood motionless, every part of him frozen in place, including his eyelashes. He had long realized that Yan Su was not simple; his emotions were unlikely to escape his notice.

At that moment, Zhen Ai was equally anxious, feeling as though she were caught in a battle between heaven and hell. She clenched her fists, biting her lips until they turned white.

Blake addressed the camera, "Then it's black—"

"Wait!" Zhen Ai suddenly shouted, losing control. Realizing her outburst, all eyes turned to her, and she felt out of place.

Her first instinct was to glance at Yan Su, only to meet his cool gaze, which held a hint of a smile.

She hadn't misread him.

He was smiling, as if he would have stopped the countdown even if she hadn't spoken.

Yan Su shifted his gaze back to Jason.

In that fleeting moment when Zhen Ai shouted, Jason's brow twitched slightly, almost imperceptibly, but it didn't escape Yan Su's attention. It was as if Blake's words had triggered a countdown for celebration, only for Zhen Ai to cut off the fireworks.

He continued, "I'm sorry; I haven't finished speaking. You're clever; you guessed that I would suspect you of misleading me, and you anticipated I would choose the opposite option. Therefore, what you said is indeed the correct answer."

"The correct answer is perfection; misleading me into activating the bomb with the right answer is the ultimate perfection!" Yan Su's smile radiated confidence. "White!"

The white wire!

Jason's face turned completely pale.

In the screen, Professor Li's hands trembled as he silently prayed for divine protection, positioning the scissors over the white wire, closing his eyes, and cutting.

The timer stopped.

Everyone finally exhaled, faces alight with joy, exchanging congratulations.

The bomb expert went back down to handle the remaining explosives.

The police officers approached Yan Su to celebrate, offering handshakes and hugs, but he coldly retreated. "Don't spread any germs!"

…

As Jason was led away, he glanced incredulously at Yan Su. "How… who are you?"

Yan Su didn't answer directly. "You took the white as the correct answer because you see yourself as the light of enlightenment?"

Jason was momentarily stunned, fully aware that Yan Su had dissected him thoroughly.

Yan Su sighed lightly. "But it has been cut!"

Jason froze, then bitterly smiled. "No one has ever understood me like this. Perhaps we could have been friends."

"I don't make friends with criminals," Yan Su replied coldly, creating distance. "Besides, I don't understand you. I'm just reasoning."

Jason was despondently led away.

Zhen Ai had planned to ask Jason how he thought of using black and white wires instead of red and blue, but she didn't get a chance to approach him.

Walking to the parking lot, she pondered Yan Su and Jason's exchange and suddenly felt playful. She leaned closer to tease him: "Jason said you understand him!"

Yan Su's expression soured. "Understanding is an emotional term. Don't misuse it."

Zhen Ai retorted, "Then you must understand very few people."

Yan Su considered it. "Yeah, quite a few."

As Zhen Ai walked beside him, she glanced at the flowers on the lawn and casually asked, "Then, do you understand me?"

After saying that, she turned her head away, pretending to admire the scenery, as if it were a casual question.

Yan Su's gaze flickered as he glanced at her.

She turned to observe the new buds along the roadside, her disheveled hair dusted with dirt and blood. He didn't find her dirty; instead, he felt an inexplicable urge to brush the grime away.

He shifted his gaze back to the road ahead and replied softly, "Not very well… but I want to."

After he finished speaking, she didn't turn back, walking ahead with light steps.

At that moment, the trees lining the road had just begun to sprout tender buds. The spring breeze blew gently, and among the fine new greens, she walked with her black hair and white clothes, hands clasped behind her, head held high with pride.

Yan Su followed behind, watching her, and suddenly smiled to himself.

For some reason, he felt unusually good today…

On the way to the hospital, Yan Su received a phone call. He had forgotten his Bluetooth headset, and since traffic laws prohibit using a handheld phone while driving, he opted for the car system.

Before he could speak, the caller's stern and slightly reprimanding voice came through: "What have you done today?!"

The furious tone startled Zhen Ai. Who would dare speak to Yan Su like that?

Her first thought was that it must be Yan Su's father, but the person was speaking in English.

Cautiously, she leaned in for a better look, and the screen displayed "Professor Hill."

She had never heard of him.

What surprised Zhen Ai even more was Yan Su's reaction.

He focused intently on the road, his expression calm as he said, "I was wrong."

On the other end, Professor Hill's voice softened a bit but still held a lot of anger: "Wrong about what?"

"The Columbia University bombing case. I shouldn't have independently created a psychological profile for an unknown individual." His tone was steady, devoid of his usual arrogance.

Zhen Ai stiffened in the passenger seat, guessing that Professor Hill was likely Yan Su's instructor. Ugh, witnessing a teacher reprimanding a student was too awkward.

But when she stole a glance at Yan Su in the rearview mirror, she was surprised to see no sign of resentment or embarrassment on his face. Instead, he appeared quite sincere: "I exaggerated the role of psychology in criminal investigations. Without any extra clues, I relied solely on criminal psychology. Moreover, I created the profile alone before the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit arrived, without consulting or referencing anyone. That was very dangerous and unscientific."

His apology was heartfelt, yet Professor Hill became increasingly furious, nearly scolding him: "You knew what you were doing! I see you've enjoyed too much applause and have become arrogant! You're going backward instead of forward!"

Yan Su's face turned red. After a long silence, he said, "This is the first time, and it will be the last..."

Before he could finish, Professor Hill hung up.

Yan Su continued to drive, lightly pressing his lips together, his face turning even redder.

Zhen Ai had never seen him blush from shame before, and she felt so awkward that she wanted to jump out of the car to leave him in peace.

Oh no, she should have pretended to be asleep! Why did she have to overhear this painfully awkward phone call?

For the next ten minutes, the car was enveloped in silence.

He kept a stern face, seemingly focused on driving, but his handsome face appeared colder than usual. It seemed he was angry—though it looked more like he was angry at himself.

Zhen Ai had intended to remain silent, but after waiting for a while, she felt he was calming down. She also felt sorry for him after Professor Hill's harsh reprimand.

In the end, she wanted to comfort him, so she softly said, "It was because of you that Jason was caught and the second explosion was prevented."

"That was only ten percent luck," Yan Su replied calmly.

"Ah?"

"Today, everything aligned perfectly for the case to be solved smoothly. If not, I might not have reflected on the mistakes I made today. That would be dangerous."

"Errors? You mean..." Zhen Ai recalled their earlier conversation and blurted out, "Not waiting for the FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit and over-relying on criminal psychology?"

She realized how abrupt her comment was after saying it.

He didn't seem to mind and even joked, "Nice summarization!"

"At least Professor Hill reprimanded me. Otherwise, if I unconsciously formed that habit, it could kill me or others in the future."

Zhen Ai's heart trembled.

After that merciless scolding, he felt entirely grateful towards Professor Hill?

How broad-minded he must be!

She suddenly wanted to be involved, whispering, "Can you... tell me about those two mistakes?"

Yan Su's expression relaxed slightly as he explained:

"First, when creating the profile at the scene, I mentioned retaining the right to make a couple of errors. If there had been a complete and professional team, the members could have supplemented and corrected each other. Incomplete information could lead to wasted time or misidentifying suspects.

Although everything about Jason matched my description, we cannot validate the correctness of the process through the results.

I was indeed impulsive today.

Second, I overly relied on criminal psychology and behavioral profiling."

Zhen Ai was puzzled. "But I think it's amazing and correct!"

He replied succinctly, "In today's society, many normal and harmless people can often exhibit abnormal psychology or behaviors."

Zhen Ai paused, finally recognizing the issue.

When she heard Yan Su's description, she thought of her brother. In fact, she realized she was also a bit similar. But would she retaliate against society by blowing up innocent people?

She wouldn't.

"Psychological profiling can only narrow down the scope; it cannot identify a criminal. The FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit has to revise the profile repeatedly based on forensic, legal, and informational investigations. No case is ever solved in one go.

The FBI requires team members to have over ten years of experience. You can see how cautious they are about this fascinating discipline."

Yan Su stated this in a formal manner, the red hue on his face gradually fading but replaced by a hint of self-reproach and shame.

"Professor Hill has always told me that in the field of catching criminals, there is never a single miraculous discipline or a god-like nemesis of criminals. What exists is everyone's collective effort. He is right, and I forgot that today."

Zhen Ai took a deep breath upon hearing this.

Thankfully, there are always these selfless and meticulous people. In this world, there aren't that many heroes, but there also aren't that many injustices.

"I don't even know what happened to me today," he said with a self-deprecating smile, falling silent again.

Zhen Ai's heart sank. She turned her head to gaze out at the flowing scenery, her brows furrowing slightly.

Is it because of the promise he made to her?