She also recalled that during the Chen Zhaoci case, Yin Feng had said: It is precisely because they are victims that they find it harder to move past their trauma, turning into perpetrators instead. At this thought, her heart skipped a beat—if the apprentice truly had a victim background, that would align even more closely with the Punisher Organization's requirements.
Having spent considerable time with Yin Feng and You Mingxu, Xu Mengshan had developed some intuitive understanding. He nodded and said, "I'll send someone to investigate immediately."
Yin Feng then remarked, "That's one possibility. There's another: the apprentice may not necessarily be connected to the original case. He could simply be a fervent crime enthusiast. But for reasons unknown to us, he has developed a particular obsession with the Xu Baping case, striving to prove he can execute it more perfectly. Let's pursue the first lead for now. If it yields no results, we'll explore this angle."
——
Xu Mengshan began investigating children of appropriate age connected to the original case and soon obtained results.
The situation was remarkably straightforward.
Back then, two victims had left behind children: a 5-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl. The 5-year-old boy had been located, but neither his physical appearance nor build matched the perpetrator's, and he had a solid alibi.
As for Xu Baping, he was a loner—how could there have been a child around him? His relatives did have a few children, but they had long been estranged. At the time of the crime, those children were not in the city. Xu Mengshan meticulously verified their profiles and alibis, but none matched.
In other words, this lead yielded nothing.
When Xu Mengshan reported the results to Yin Feng, he added, "Too much time has passed. Whether there were other unforeseeable circumstances—like a child accidentally witnessing the scene, or whether the perpetrator or victims' neighbors had children—is impossible to investigate thoroughly now. Many have relocated due to demolition."
Yin Feng wasn't particularly surprised. He nodded and said, "Having you investigate this was merely to see if we could take a shortcut. It's fine if nothing turns up. Whether he's connected to the original case or not, he's a crime enthusiast. Given his familiarity and focus on Xu Baping, I believe he must have left behind behavioral evidence. We'll discuss how to investigate that later. A Xu, have you identified the pattern among the victims?"
You Mingxu replied, "Still working on it."
Yin Feng smiled and nodded. "I think it should be soon."
At these words, both Xu Mengshan and You Mingxu felt a slight tremor.
Indeed, they shared the same sentiment. Initially, this had been a baffling and highly challenging case—the perpetrator completely hidden among the masses, with no apparent connection to the victims. But now, with multiple lines of inquiry progressing and Yin Feng's repeated profiling, even without concrete clues, the perpetrator's outline—his appearance, preferences, personality, and mindset—seemed to be gradually taking shape before them. It felt as though a layer of paper covered the surroundings, and at any moment, a breakthrough could occur, leading to the killer's capture.
A man in his twenties, tall and lean, seemingly ordinary but with an inflated sense of self-importance.
Through some covert means, he had targeted female massage therapists at bathhouses. He also had some channel to familiarize himself with the victims' personalities and habits.
He might be connected to the case from years ago.He was a fervent crime enthusiast, determined to prove that he could perfectly optimize this case.
...
"Next..." Yin Feng said, "Three cobblers with their wits combined surpass Zhuge Liang, the mastermind. Let's brainstorm. Previously, we've been summarizing his personality traits based on the actions the Apprentice Killer has already taken. Now, let's predict what kind of behaviors he might exhibit based on his personality traits. Once we know what actions he might take, perhaps we can figure out a way to catch him."
OpenNovel