The woman's fingers were slender and soft, making Yin Feng feel quite comfortable. He obediently raised his body but kept his arms resting on the back of her chair. He realized he really liked this feeling.
"Their leader..." Yin Feng said, "didn't transmit evil to them, but 'goodness.' He told them they were doing the right thing, perhaps even that they were atoning for their sins. He told them that through such 'Punishing Evil,' their psychological wounds would be healed. Everything he gave them appeared positive, benevolent, and beautiful. That's why we see those people living peacefully and harmoniously together in one house. They're so loyal and steadfast to the organization, willing to die without regret. They think 'he' has cured them, but in reality, they're heading down an even more twisted path in life."
You Mingxu twirled a small empty teacup between her fingers: "'He'?"
Any group must have a leader. It's just that this organization's leader had previously left no traces at all. You couldn't even imagine what he might look like. But now, with six members dead, combined with the conclusions of criminal investigation experts and Yin Feng's analysis, that 'he' seemed to be taking on a vague outline.
You Mingxu thought again of the person You Yingjun had once mentioned—he said he always felt someone was watching him, threatening him, making him feel oppressed and fearful. Could this person have been Wei Lan, who had been lurking by his side? But judging by Yin Feng's series of actions in capturing Wei Lan, she didn't believe Wei Lan could have exerted such a powerful deterrent effect over Yin Feng.
Could it be 'him'?
Had Yin Feng sensed his existence? Could they have had some interaction?
Yin Feng returned to sit opposite her, seeming to sense her doubts. He said: "Regarding that leader, I have some analytical deductions too."
"Go on."
"Second." He said calmly.
You Mingxu didn't immediately understand and frowned slightly, but he had already shifted the topic: "He's probably not very young. Judging by the age range of the people gathered around him and his influence over these mature criminals, he's likely between 30-50 years old."
Thinking about this point, You Mingxu immediately agreed. Age represents the maturity of experience and thought structures. A young person could be a criminal genius, but to understand the psychological states and life ups-and-downs of people like Gu Tiancheng and Xiang Rong, and even to brainwash and influence them, would require someone with substantial life experience.
"Second point: He harbors extreme hatred toward guilty people and must have suffered very unjust treatment and blows. He must have lost something he cherished most in life."
You Mingxu nodded. That made perfect sense.
"Third point: He doesn't trust the judicial system and police. But judging by the organization members' attitude toward police so far, he doesn't hate police either."
You Mingxu thought about it—indeed. All their actions had been conducted secretly, and the six guilty people they'd killed before had been disguised as suicides or accidents, clearly wanting to avoid police suspicion.
"Fourth point: He's very intelligent, particularly skilled at controlling others' psychology and emotions. He's also quite wealthy."
"Hmm."
Then Yin Feng suddenly smiled and said: "Fifth, why do you think he targeted me? And why would he expend so much effort on me?"You Mingxu didn't look into his eyes, focusing instead on the buttons of his shirt, the clear lines of his neck, and his pale jawline.
"Why?" she asked.
"Don't you think what he's doing feels somewhat familiar?" Yin Feng said.
You Mingxu lifted her gaze to meet his.
There was a faint smile at the corners of his mouth, but his eyes remained still.
A sudden tremor ran through You Mingxu's heart as she realized what he meant. He could tell from her expression that she had caught on. He took a sip of tea and said, "He is doing something similar to what I do, yet different."
Tuya, Lao Jiu, Xiao Yan, Guan Jun... each of them had once been sinners, each had once harbored good intentions but were crushed and destroyed by life. It was Yin Feng who helped them regain their confidence. Yin Feng "collected" each of them, keeping them by his side, ensuring they no longer committed crimes. Though these people around him still occasionally exuded an air of wickedness and operated in the gray areas of the law, Yin Feng held their souls in his grasp. He was the shackle that stood between them and crime.
"Why... why do you do this?" You Mingxu blurted out, a question she had long wanted to ask.
Yin Feng looked at her quietly and said, "Perhaps it's because I wish to devote my life to the belief: refrain from all evil, practice all good."
You Mingxu couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. Such a lofty statement, coming from Yin Feng's lips. He always seemed to live coldly and capriciously, but when he spoke like this, you felt that if he said it was so, then it was so.
The two of them fell silent for a moment before Yin Feng spoke first, "So, he targeted me, did those things to me, not because he had chosen me, as we originally thought. Instead, he is comparing himself to me, competing with me."
You Mingxu was taken aback.
Yin Feng sneered, "Comparing whose beliefs are the truth. Comparing who can bring true forgiveness and rebirth to sinners. And what is the best way to test this? By using me as the subject, destroying me, harming me. If I can't withstand it and become a sinner, then they will have achieved their most crucial step. Once the door to crime is opened, it can never be closed. Next, they can guide me to become a 'Punisher.' That's why, when they learned that I had 'killed' you, they couldn't wait to reveal their flaws—because this is exactly what 'he' has been waiting to see."
You Mingxu pondered for a moment and had to admit that although this "competition" was unimaginable, it held a strange persuasiveness.
Only this would align with the logic of a psychopath.
"Your methods do share similarities," You Mingxu said.
"Indeed," Yin Feng replied, spinning the lid of his teacup, producing a crisp, delicate clinking sound. "In this vast universe, with all the variations of human life, I just happen to share the same path as him. It's as if... he and I share the same blood flowing in our veins."
You Mingxu felt as though a string in her heart had been plucked by his words. She remained silent. He, too, watched her quietly. After a while, he suddenly smiled and changed the subject, "Enough analysis of the case. Are you tired after a day at work? Let me accompany you for a walk downstairs?"
You Mingxu didn't answer. Instead, she picked up the teapot, refilled her own cup, and then filled his as well. He watched her movements intently.She smiled faintly and said, "Let's return to the matter at hand. So from the very beginning, you had planned a trap for Wei Lan to fall into. That girl you were holding was just to provoke me and stir up conflict..."
Yin Feng interrupted her, "When did I hold anyone?"
You Mingxu didn't argue with him about this and continued, "What you said to me earlier was also part of the plan, wasn't it? Premeditated?"
Her expression remained calm, but Yin Feng stared into her eyes and asked, "Which words?"
Without changing her expression, You Mingxu said, "The words about you wanting to return to my side."
Yin Feng fell silent for a moment, then slowly leaned back in his chair. Without looking at her, he stared at the teapot between them on the table and said, "That was indeed planned, to set the stage for provoking you later. But it was also true."
You Mingxu said nothing.
The room fell into extreme silence. Only the sound of the wind outside the window and faint bird calls from afar could be heard.
Then You Mingxu heard Yin Feng say, "I've been waiting for days. Why haven't you asked me whether those two reports are real? You Mingxu, I was born this kind of person. I can live well and succeed, but no one has ever truly felt my heart, and I can't feel others either. In the past, my relationships with women never lasted long. None of them could give me a sense of excitement or security. I was with them just for the noise, but in reality, I found it utterly boring."
"Over the years, I've endured long periods of loneliness, always suppressing some impulse that even I don't understand. I tried my utmost to prevent myself from heading toward it. The result of long-term mental repression was that, under their persecution and provocation, I became You Yingjun. You Yingjun was my last resort of escape—both from them and from something deep within myself."
"But now, I've still returned. I don't know what we experienced during that time, but those innate, intensely uncontrollable, and highly unstable desires suddenly became concrete."
"My desire is you."
"So I want you to know exactly what kind of person I am. Can you still accept someone like me? Are you willing to try being with me?"
—End of Volume 4 《Don't Look Back》—
Volume 6 《Barrier Mountains》
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