“I was thinking…” Wei Muran was so anxious that her lips were dry.
She pursed her lips to wet them. “If we were to follow the book, the killer in the third case would’ve also seen a psychiatrist. These three killers would’ve been influenced by this psychiatrist and are being controlled by this psychiatrist to commit these murders. I’m not sure if the psychiatrist was inspired after reading this book or—”
“That he was the author of this book all along,” a familiar voice said from the direction of the door.
Wei Muran turned to look. Qi Youxuan was standing at the entrance of Jiang Yuecheng’s office. It was a hot day but he was clad in a suit and leather shoes. He obviously came straight from Qilin.
Previously, when Qi Youxuan was assisting the police, he naturally was dressed for comfort. Wei Muran rarely saw him dressed like this.
Wei Muran was a little shocked to see him standing there like that.
The sunlight shone through Jiang Yuecheng’s office window, illuminating the walls, the ground, the desk, and the doorway.
The golden rays fell on Qi Youxuan’s body at an angle. Half of his long body stood in the light, the other half, hidden in the shadows. Half bright and half dark.
The side of his body that was exposed to the sunlight was outlined by a layer of golden light, which resulted in a sort of halo effect around his face causing the shadowy part of his body to seem even more mysterious.
Seeing Qi Youxuan’s cheeky smile, Wei Muran suddenly snapped back to her senses, only then did she realize that she was staring at him.
She cleared her throat and stood up, still a little flustered, and asked, “Why are you here? I thought you were busy?”
“After I received your call, I took care of the immediate matters at hand and came over,” said Qi Youxuan.
Wei Muran naturally did not conceal her discovery from Qi Youxuan. On her way back from purchasing the book, she gave him a call and briefly explained the situation.
She also asked for his opinion on the matter as she did not know if her hunch was right and it seemed too unbelievable.
She did not think that Qi Youxuan would actually agree with her hunch. This gave Wei Muran the confidence to bring the theory to Jiang Yuecheng.
“You know about this book?” asked Jiang Yuecheng.
Qi Youxuan sat down familiarly and nodded, “I, too, have purchased a copy of the book and browsed through it on my way here.”
Jiang Yuecheng nodded and said, “I’ll have to read this.”
His reaction acknowledged that he accepted Wei Muran’s hunch.
The two of them left Jiang Yuecheng in his office to quickly read the first three cases and the conclusion of the fourth case. He did not read the overall process of the cases, he only read the description of the cases in detail, including the way the victims died, the autopsy report and the statements of the murderers.
After approximately an hour, Jiang Yuecheng finally emerged. “Gather up everybody. I have something to say.”
Everyone huddled together in a semi-circle for a meeting.
“Muran, you’ve read this book in detail. Could you please repeat your previous assessment?” asked Jiang Yuecheng.
Wei Muran nodded and repeated what she told Jiang Yuecheng earlier.
“Which means this is basically a serial case and it’s entirely based on this book,” Zhao Yiyang exclaimed in surprise before continuing, “I would really like to meet the author. What a brilliant mind.”
“I’m more curious about the psychiatrist. If he really does exist and turns out to be the murderer.
To be able to turn a fiction novel into reality, and we were totally clueless about it. That’s amazing,” sighed Yang Shaozhan. He thought it was too implausible.
“This… is just crazy,” said Xing Jiadong unconsciously and blinked.
“Have a look.” Jiang Yuecheng handed the book to Xing Jiadong. “After reading the book, it’s hard not to believe it. It’s too much of a coincidence. Even if it was a coincidence, it can’t be this similar.”
Xing Jiadong obediently flipped open the book and read it. His frequent changes in expression when reading it was quite amusing.
“Muran, are they still working on the case in T City?” asked Jiang Yuecheng.
“Yes.” Wei Muran nodded. “They found another body this morning. I’ve yet to ask for details on the second body.”
“I’ll request permission from the Director General to see if we can combine the third case with the previous two cases. We’ll go to T City to assist with the case,” said Jiang Yuecheng as he got up to leave.
Wei Muran suddenly thought of something and hurriedly called out to him, “Sergeant Jiang, hang on a second.”
Jiang Yuecheng turned back and Wei Muran quickly said, “The murderer in the first case, Dong Zhengfeng. Didn’t he commit suicide in the psychiatric hospital?”
Jiang Yuecheng nodded and Wei Muran’s expression became solemn. “The murderer of the first case in the book also committed suicide in a psychiatric hospital. The murderer in the second case died in prison. I remember from the book, it was determined that the second murderer was killed in an accident when arguing with another inmate. The police suspected foul play, but they could only speculate as there was no proof. Only after the psychologist was finally arrested, that they could prove that it wasn’t an accident. He had him killed to eliminate any evidence the second murderer had against him.”
“If that’s the case, then Li Niancheng’s life is in danger,” responded Zhao Yiyang quickly.
Wei Muran nodded.
“Yiyang, take Jiadong with you to find Li Niancheng and ensure that he’s safe. Ask him who was his psychiatrist. I’ll request permission from the Director General,” said Jiang Yuecheng hurriedly and left without delay.
If approved, they would have a legitimate reason to make contact with T City and officially be involved in the case.
Wei Muran and Yang Shaozhan remained in the office. Yang Shaozhan did not remain idle. He did not need to be ordered by Jiang Yuecheng and had started checking up on all registered psychiatrists in B City. It was too broad to check nationwide, but from the previous two cases, Dong Zhengfeng and Li Niancheng were born and raised in B City. They had not lived elsewhere for long periods of time, nor did they regularly visit other places. The psychiatrist should be based in B City.
Moreover, it is unlikely that those two would go to an unlicensed psychiatrist.
Wei Muran had nothing to do and was restless. It would be better to assign her some work to distract her.
Qi Youxuan saw this and said, “I’ll give Yang Shaoqun a call. He wanted me to help. If I asked him, he would tell me the details.”
Wei Muran perked up as soon as she heard that and looked at him with twinkling eyes.
Qi Youxuan laughed and massaged her hair. Wei Muran blushed but did not get angry. She coyly took out her cellphone, pulled up Yang Shaoqun’s number, and dialed.
It seemed quite busy over there, the phone rang for quite a while before Yang Shaoqun answered. Qi Youxuan heard him called out familiarly, “Muran ah!”
“It’s me, Qi Youxuan,” said Qi Youxuan plainly.
Yang Shaoqun was extremely excited!
‘Wei Muran is so reliable. I just called her this morning and am already received Qi Youxuan’s reply in the afternoon’ he thought.
“Mr. Qi!” said Yang Shaoqun excitedly. It was like finally meeting the anonymous person that saved your life. This caused Qi Youxuan to feel a little sweaty.
“Muran told me you’ve found another female body, could you tell me the details?” asked Qi Youxuan.
Even though Qi Youxuan could not see it, Yang Shaoqun still nodded his head vigorously at the other end of the phone, anxiously wanting to spill out everything he knew.
“Yes, yes, of course,” said Yang Shaoqun. Everyone was out investigating then, and it had been a very busy day. When Yang Shaoqun answered the phone, he was questioning the victim’s mother. Only Zhang Shanfei was left to question her.
“The victim’s name is Cao Keya, a nurse at Cihui Hospital’s internal medicine department in T City. The cause of death was asphyxiation. Her body was found this morning in her bathtub at home. According to the forensic pathologist, her mouth had traces that it was covered with tape. There were many fresh needle puncture holes on her body, about the thickness of knitting needles or barbeque skewers. Based on the blood patterns, the forensic pathologist determined that the wounds were inflicted prior to her death and that the victim was conscious at the time. Then, the tape was wrapped around her nose and mouth, and her body submerged in the bathtub. She didn’t drown but was suffocated by the tape.
“The victim was naked when she was discovered submerged in the bathtub. The bathtub was filled to the brim with water, but there was only a thin stream of water from the faucet. According to the forensic pathologist, the time of death was approximately twelve-thirty midnight to one-thirty. The water was left flowing overnight. As the flow of water was slow, it didn’t fill the bathtub quickly. In the morning, the downstairs neighbor realized that it was leaking and came up and rang the doorbell but there was no response. They then called maintenance and the police.”
“Apart from the puncture holes, there were no signs that the victim was violated. There were also no traces of the killer’s DNA. We just received the autopsy report and we’re now investigating the victim’s relationships, but we have no lead so far. We’re at the victim’s mother’s house right now,” said Yang Shaoqun.
“I was thinking…” Wei Muran was so anxious that her lips were dry.
She pursed her lips to wet them. “If we were to follow the book, the killer in the third case would’ve also seen a psychiatrist. These three killers would’ve been influenced by this psychiatrist and are being controlled by this psychiatrist to commit these murders. I’m not sure if the psychiatrist was inspired after reading this book or—”
“That he was the author of this book all along,” a familiar voice said from the direction of the door.
Wei Muran turned to look. Qi Youxuan was standing at the entrance of Jiang Yuecheng’s office. It was a hot day but he was clad in a suit and leather shoes. He obviously came straight from Qilin.
Previously, when Qi Youxuan was assisting the police, he naturally was dressed for comfort. Wei Muran rarely saw him dressed like this.
Wei Muran was a little shocked to see him standing there like that.
The sunlight shone through Jiang Yuecheng’s office window, illuminating the walls, the ground, the desk, and the doorway.
The golden rays fell on Qi Youxuan’s body at an angle. Half of his long body stood in the light, the other half, hidden in the shadows. Half bright and half dark.
The side of his body that was exposed to the sunlight was outlined by a layer of golden light, which resulted in a sort of halo effect around his face causing the shadowy part of his body to seem even more mysterious.
Seeing Qi Youxuan’s cheeky smile, Wei Muran suddenly snapped back to her senses, only then did she realize that she was staring at him.
She cleared her throat and stood up, still a little flustered, and asked, “Why are you here? I thought you were busy?”
“After I received your call, I took care of the immediate matters at hand and came over,” said Qi Youxuan.
Wei Muran naturally did not conceal her discovery from Qi Youxuan. On her way back from purchasing the book, she gave him a call and briefly explained the situation.
She also asked for his opinion on the matter as she did not know if her hunch was right and it seemed too unbelievable.
She did not think that Qi Youxuan would actually agree with her hunch. This gave Wei Muran the confidence to bring the theory to Jiang Yuecheng.
“You know about this book?” asked Jiang Yuecheng.
Qi Youxuan sat down familiarly and nodded, “I, too, have purchased a copy of the book and browsed through it on my way here.”
Jiang Yuecheng nodded and said, “I’ll have to read this.”
His reaction acknowledged that he accepted Wei Muran’s hunch.
The two of them left Jiang Yuecheng in his office to quickly read the first three cases and the conclusion of the fourth case. He did not read the overall process of the cases, he only read the description of the cases in detail, including the way the victims died, the autopsy report and the statements of the murderers.
After approximately an hour, Jiang Yuecheng finally emerged. “Gather up everybody. I have something to say.”
Everyone huddled together in a semi-circle for a meeting.
“Muran, you’ve read this book in detail. Could you please repeat your previous assessment?” asked Jiang Yuecheng.
Wei Muran nodded and repeated what she told Jiang Yuecheng earlier.
“Which means this is basically a serial case and it’s entirely based on this book,” Zhao Yiyang exclaimed in surprise before continuing, “I would really like to meet the author. What a brilliant mind.”
“I’m more curious about the psychiatrist. If he really does exist and turns out to be the murderer.
To be able to turn a fiction novel into reality, and we were totally clueless about it. That’s amazing,” sighed Yang Shaozhan. He thought it was too implausible.
“This… is just crazy,” said Xing Jiadong unconsciously and blinked.
“Have a look.” Jiang Yuecheng handed the book to Xing Jiadong. “After reading the book, it’s hard not to believe it. It’s too much of a coincidence. Even if it was a coincidence, it can’t be this similar.”
Xing Jiadong obediently flipped open the book and read it. His frequent changes in expression when reading it was quite amusing.
“Muran, are they still working on the case in T City?” asked Jiang Yuecheng.
“Yes.” Wei Muran nodded. “They found another body this morning. I’ve yet to ask for details on the second body.”
“I’ll request permission from the Director General to see if we can combine the third case with the previous two cases. We’ll go to T City to assist with the case,” said Jiang Yuecheng as he got up to leave.
Wei Muran suddenly thought of something and hurriedly called out to him, “Sergeant Jiang, hang on a second.”
Jiang Yuecheng turned back and Wei Muran quickly said, “The murderer in the first case, Dong Zhengfeng. Didn’t he commit suicide in the psychiatric hospital?”
Jiang Yuecheng nodded and Wei Muran’s expression became solemn. “The murderer of the first case in the book also committed suicide in a psychiatric hospital. The murderer in the second case died in prison. I remember from the book, it was determined that the second murderer was killed in an accident when arguing with another inmate. The police suspected foul play, but they could only speculate as there was no proof. Only after the psychologist was finally arrested, that they could prove that it wasn’t an accident. He had him killed to eliminate any evidence the second murderer had against him.”
“If that’s the case, then Li Niancheng’s life is in danger,” responded Zhao Yiyang quickly.
Wei Muran nodded.
“Yiyang, take Jiadong with you to find Li Niancheng and ensure that he’s safe. Ask him who was his psychiatrist. I’ll request permission from the Director General,” said Jiang Yuecheng hurriedly and left without delay.
If approved, they would have a legitimate reason to make contact with T City and officially be involved in the case.
Wei Muran and Yang Shaozhan remained in the office. Yang Shaozhan did not remain idle. He did not need to be ordered by Jiang Yuecheng and had started checking up on all registered psychiatrists in B City. It was too broad to check nationwide, but from the previous two cases, Dong Zhengfeng and Li Niancheng were born and raised in B City. They had not lived elsewhere for long periods of time, nor did they regularly visit other places. The psychiatrist should be based in B City.
Moreover, it is unlikely that those two would go to an unlicensed psychiatrist.
Wei Muran had nothing to do and was restless. It would be better to assign her some work to distract her.
Qi Youxuan saw this and said, “I’ll give Yang Shaoqun a call. He wanted me to help. If I asked him, he would tell me the details.”
Wei Muran perked up as soon as she heard that and looked at him with twinkling eyes.
Qi Youxuan laughed and massaged her hair. Wei Muran blushed but did not get angry. She coyly took out her cellphone, pulled up Yang Shaoqun’s number, and dialed.
It seemed quite busy over there, the phone rang for quite a while before Yang Shaoqun answered. Qi Youxuan heard him called out familiarly, “Muran ah!”
“It’s me, Qi Youxuan,” said Qi Youxuan plainly.
Yang Shaoqun was extremely excited!
‘Wei Muran is so reliable. I just called her this morning and am already received Qi Youxuan’s reply in the afternoon’ he thought.
“Mr. Qi!” said Yang Shaoqun excitedly. It was like finally meeting the anonymous person that saved your life. This caused Qi Youxuan to feel a little sweaty.
“Muran told me you’ve found another female body, could you tell me the details?” asked Qi Youxuan.
Even though Qi Youxuan could not see it, Yang Shaoqun still nodded his head vigorously at the other end of the phone, anxiously wanting to spill out everything he knew.
“Yes, yes, of course,” said Yang Shaoqun. Everyone was out investigating then, and it had been a very busy day. When Yang Shaoqun answered the phone, he was questioning the victim’s mother. Only Zhang Shanfei was left to question her.
“The victim’s name is Cao Keya, a nurse at Cihui Hospital’s internal medicine department in T City. The cause of death was asphyxiation. Her body was found this morning in her bathtub at home. According to the forensic pathologist, her mouth had traces that it was covered with tape. There were many fresh needle puncture holes on her body, about the thickness of knitting needles or barbeque skewers. Based on the blood patterns, the forensic pathologist determined that the wounds were inflicted prior to her death and that the victim was conscious at the time. Then, the tape was wrapped around her nose and mouth, and her body submerged in the bathtub. She didn’t drown but was suffocated by the tape.
“The victim was naked when she was discovered submerged in the bathtub. The bathtub was filled to the brim with water, but there was only a thin stream of water from the faucet. According to the forensic pathologist, the time of death was approximately twelve-thirty midnight to one-thirty. The water was left flowing overnight. As the flow of water was slow, it didn’t fill the bathtub quickly. In the morning, the downstairs neighbor realized that it was leaking and came up and rang the doorbell but there was no response. They then called maintenance and the police.”
“Apart from the puncture holes, there were no signs that the victim was violated. There were also no traces of the killer’s DNA. We just received the autopsy report and we’re now investigating the victim’s relationships, but we have no lead so far. We’re at the victim’s mother’s house right now,” said Yang Shaoqun.
