Yin Feng's words didn't sit well with You Mingxu. He had jumped straight to conclusions too quickly. As a criminal police officer, she prioritized evidence and had only a superficial understanding of criminal psychology.
However, she wouldn't let any of this show on her face.
She merely crossed her legs in the opposite direction and replied arrogantly, "Explain why."
But Yin Feng was distracted. His gaze had been captured by those slender, pale legs. He hadn't paid much attention before because You Mingxu always looked beautiful. But now, with her slight movement, he noticed she was wearing sleepwear.
Her so-called sleepwear was just an oversized cotton T-shirt and a pair of shorts. Yet Yin Feng could tell at a glance (though he didn't know how he knew) that she hadn't bothered to wear a bra. The curves under the T-shirt swayed subtly, occasionally revealing outlines. The shorts were meant for outdoor wear—essentially hot pants that reached the top of her thighs. Under the light, her legs glowed with a pearly sheen, their skin visibly smooth. Unlike delicate, fragile women, her slender legs showed well-toned, symmetrical lines from exercise. Yin Feng thought such lines were the most beautiful.
After mentally appraising her for a while, Yin Feng suddenly received a sharp flick on the head. He looked up to see You Mingxu's fierce expression: "What are you staring at? I asked you a question!"
Only then did Yin Feng snap out of it. Rubbing his head, he felt both embarrassed and secretly pleased.
You Mingxu wasn't blind—she had noticed the kid staring intently at her legs.
Hmph, at least he has good taste. But what does he know about women? At most, he probably thinks my legs look like sweet cotton candy. What a waste of a look!
Yin Feng's attention returned to the deductions he had written. When he engaged in reasoning, his mind felt like multiple rivers flowing swiftly together, distinct and crystal clear. This sensation was truly refreshing, sweeping away the usual muddled and oppressive feeling in his head.
"Whether Xie Huifang was his specific target or not, she was carefully chosen. The crime process shows he is meticulous and highly methodical, so the possibility of him randomly picking someone and killing them on a whim is very low. He must have conducted repeated surveillance and reconnaissance beforehand, mastering Xie Huifang's routines, and finally chose to strike at noon when she was home alone. He just didn't expect the children to return that day.
So far, no security guards or residents have reported seeing any suspicious individuals. This means his disguise was effective—even during multiple reconnaissance trips or leaving the neighborhood carrying a bag with bloodstained clothes, he didn't attract attention. At noon, the busiest people entering and leaving the neighborhood are students and parents. He blended in among them.
From the crime process, the buildings in this neighborhood are very close together. If Xie Huifang had cried for help, someone would have heard. But she didn't. There's only one explanation: the killer entered the house and first gained control over the children. It's even possible that one of the children let him in. And the least suspicious, most unsuspecting type of visitor is a minor."After controlling the child, he threatened Xie Huifang, preventing her from calling for help, then proceeded to control and ultimately kill her. The number of people capable of killing a mother in front of her children and then proceeding to murder the children themselves is extremely, extremely small. Therefore, I infer that he himself lacks a sense of family and ethical values, meaning he received very little parental or elder affection from a young age. As a result, he possesses no empathy or sympathy for the bond between mother and child.
After committing the murders, he performed a completely meaningless act—dragging all the bodies to the kitchen and stacking them under the table. Such behavior is nothing more than a futile attempt to cover up the truth. This actually reflects a very simplistic mindset of concealment. An adult would not do this, even if filled with fear and guilt, because they would know it serves no purpose. Only a child, who lacks a complete understanding of society and is highly self-centered, would carry out such a formalistic action.
Additionally, although he demonstrated composure under pressure and decisiveness, the chaotic bloodstains, footprints, and the act of concealing the bodies at the scene all lead one to believe that this was his first offense.
Last time, we already deduced that if none of the acquaintances had the conditions to commit the crime, then the perpetrator was likely a stranger. A stranger who, during the crime, exhibited intense hatred, acted without mercy, and treated Xie Huifang as a substitute for their actual enemy—coupled with family issues that left them devoid of empathy and sympathy—must be someone with highly volatile emotions and a distorted psyche.
You Mingxu gazed at the man speaking so fluently before her, feeling both familiar and unfamiliar with him. His conclusions immediately churned in her mind, and she found herself thinking they made a lot of sense.
After Yin Feng finished speaking, he fell into his usual daze for a moment, as he too was somewhat unaccustomed to this version of himself. Those thoughts and deductions seemed to arise uncontrollably, as if his brain, having undergone extensive training and refinement in the past, had completed them on its own. He felt this sense of division, as well as his own familiarity and adjustment to it.
You Mingxu said, "In Xu Jiayuan's case, all acquaintances have been ruled out as suspects, and we're also investigating in the direction of a stranger. What are the odds of two stranger homicides occurring in the same period and the same area?"
Yin Feng's eyes suddenly flickered with a hint of excitement, and he said with noticeable agitation, "It's possible. Have you heard of the Mankun Group in the United States? A leader named Mankun, almost cult-like, controlled a large number of teenagers, allowing them to commit crimes and murders at will. And domestically, a few years ago, there was the Seven-Man Gang that made your police force pale at the mention—similar to the Mankun Group, they were also controlled by the same leader. When they first formed over a decade ago, they were quite young, with several core killers being teenagers..."
A string seemed to tighten in You Mingxu's ears as she repeated the word he had just said: "...Teenagers?"
Two cases, two troubled teenagers. Was it a coincidence?Yin Feng, however, seemed to have completely retreated into his own world: "Adolescent psychology is the most chaotic. They are filled with curiosity and identity-seeking regarding sex, work, religion, and relationships. That's why they are the easiest to shape and control—they are the most typical mob! Wow, this story setup is thrilling—a stranger controlling a group of teenagers under long-term stress, making them hunt down strangers over trivial matters. They are all his shadows; he is their godfather..."
You Mingxu initially listened with great focus but gradually sensed something odd. She looked up and saw the excitement in Yin Feng's eyes, as if he had entered his own world.
Story setup? Was he writing a novel in his head?
You Mingxu slapped the back of his head: "Snap out of it! Focus on the real issue."
OpenNovel