You Mingxu recalled what Yin Feng had said during the Chen Zhaoci case: it’s precisely because they’re victims that they’re more likely to be unable to move past their trauma and become perpetrators themselves. This thought startled her—if the apprentice was indeed a victim, that would align perfectly with the Punisher organization’s requirements.
Xu Mengshan, having spent more time with Yin Feng and You Mingxu, seemed to grasp their thinking and nodded, “I’ll have someone look into it right away.”
Yin Feng then said, “That’s one possibility. There’s another—the apprentice might not be connected to the old cases at all. He could just be an obsessed crime enthusiast. But for some reason, we don’t know yet, he’s particularly fixated on the Xu Baping case and is determined to prove he can execute it more perfectly. You all investigate the first lead for now. If that yields nothing, we’ll try approaching from this other angle.”
—
Xu Mengshan’s investigation into children connected to the old cases quickly produced results.
The situation was surprisingly straightforward.
Back then, two victims had left behind children—a five-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl. They’d located the five-year-old boy, but his physical appearance didn’t match the killer’s, and he had a solid alibi.
As for Xu Baping, how could such a loner have had children around him? His relatives had a few children, but they’d grown distant from his family long ago. During the incidents, those children weren’t even in the city. Xu Mengshan had thoroughly checked their circumstances and alibis—none matched.
In other words, this lead was a dead end.
When Xu Mengshan reported the results to Yin Feng, he added, “Too much time has passed. As for other unforeseen circumstances—like children who might have accidentally witnessed the scenes, or whether neighbors of the killer and victims had children—we can’t investigate thoroughly. Many have relocated due to demolition and redevelopment.”
Yin Feng didn’t seem surprised. He nodded and said, “Having you investigate this was just hoping for a shortcut. It’s fine if nothing turns up. Whether or not he’s connected to the old cases, he’s a crime enthusiast. Given his familiarity and obsession with Xu Baping, he must have left behavioral evidence somewhere. We’ll discuss how to investigate that later. Axu, have you found any patterns among the victims?”
You Mingxu replied, “Still investigating.”
Yin Feng smiled and nodded, “I think we’re getting close.”
These words sent a slight tremor through Xu Mengshan and You Mingxu’s hearts.
Indeed, they felt the same way. Originally, this had been a particularly troublesome case without any direction—the killer hidden in a vast sea of humanity, with no apparent connection to the victims. But now, with multiple lines of investigation running parallel and Yin Feng’s repeated analyses, although they hadn’t found concrete evidence, the killer’s profile—appearance, preferences, personality, mentality—seemed to be gradually taking shape before them. It felt like they were separated from the truth by only a thin paper window, which might tear open at any moment, leading them to the killer.
A man in his twenties, tall and thin, seemingly ordinary but highly conceited.
He targeted female massage therapists in bathhouses through some underlying methods. He had some connection that let him become familiar with the victims’ habits and personalities.
He might be connected to the cases from years ago.
He was an obsessed crime enthusiast, determined to prove he could perfect and optimize these cases.
…
“Next…” Yin Feng said, “Three cobblers with their wits combined surpass Zhuge Liang. Let’s brainstorm. Previously, we deduced his personality traits from the apprentice killer’s actions. Now, let’s predict what behaviors he might exhibit based on those personality traits. Once we know what he might do, we might figure out how to catch him.”