Case Files Chapter 32: Angel of Death (12)

Translated by Vivian of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

In the morning, Guan Jin’s gaze swept past Wen JingHan’s waist area like a searchlight.

Wen JingHan slowly turned around and smiled faintly. “Guan Jin, what is it, did you suddenly realize that your cute and venerable leader is worthy of your worship?”

Guan Jin couldn’t suppress his gossipiness, and he wasn’t to be outdone. “Last night, when Lu YunYang called you to report the situation, I heard some very special sounds coming from your end.”

The office suddenly quieted down, and everyone’s radars turned on immediately; there was news!

Wen JingHan raised an eyebrow lightly and took out his phone. Sure enough, there was a missed call. Last night, he had been punishing a certain unruly devil that had violated their rule of getting into bed at midnight. Well, fine, they had actually been punishing each other. Thus, he had completely forgotten to answer the phone. Nine thirty?

“Were you the one who made those sounds?” Back in the day, Guan Jin hadn’t been very picky, and he would be infatuated for a while with the first attractive person he saw. Although he knew that Wen JingHan was not to be trifled with, he was still upset over the fact that Wen JingHan had beat him to calling him out.

Wen JingHan narrowed his eyes slightly. “You got off work at six yesterday and then went home, right?”

Guan Jin was taken aback. “So what if I did?”

“When I received YunYang’s call, it was nine thirty. At nine thirty, you were already home, so if you heard the sounds coming from YunYang’s phone, then you must’ve been together with YunYang at the time, in your house.”

Everyone’s radars switched directions at once and focused on the new point of gossip: Guan Jin and Lu YunYang.

Lu YunYang said lightly, “Yes, I slept at Little Jin’s place last night.”

Guan Jin’s face immediately turned green. “What do you mean, slept at my place?!”

“I just went there to sleep.”

Guan Jin was speechless, and felt like he would only dig himself into a deeper hole at this rate.

“Oh, right, there was a typhoon yesterday, and by the way that gale was blowing, you must’ve figured that it was more convenient to stay at Guan Jin’s place, right?” Zheng Fei felt very proud of his reasoning ability.

“Exactly!” Guan Jin rushed to reply. Fortunately, there was an oblivious one, or else wouldn’t his illustrious reputation get ruined in one go? Although that sham of a psychic didn’t look too bad, he wasn’t to Guan Jin’s taste, and Guan Jin never ate things that didn’t look good. Thus, he completely forgot that in everyone else’s eyes, he was the one being eaten.

Wen JingHan, who had easily sent his opponent to the center of the gossip, stood off to the side and watched happily. He wanted to play with him? Guan Jin still needed some more practice.

*****

“So you’re saying that the killer is abnormally bent on covering the victims’ faces. But then why wouldn’t he prepare some things in advance rather than draw upon what he had nearby?” asked Wen JingHan.

“I think that this behavior is because of the killer’s paranoia, but it only comes following the victim’s death. Before, the killer didn’t have similar thoughts, but after he kills, he can’t help but perform this ‘ritual’ before leaving,” explained Lu YunYang.

“So does that mean that, deep down, he still repels the act of murdering someone?” said Gu Xiang.

“That’s very likely. Many serial killers actually live a tormented life, since they know that their actions are wrong, but they can’t control themselves. Thus, they enjoy the rush of killing, but they also feel afflicted by this.”

“Yesterday, I also listened to recordings that Wu Meng secretly took of the people in the hospital discussing the case.” Guan Jin said, “I discovered that on the day of or the day before the two victims from Hospital Three, as well Lei Jing, who was saved, died, they had some dispute with the patients. However, Du XiaoYue wasn’t from Hospital Three, and the people at the clinic can’t remember whether or not she had a dispute with a patient. Moreover, even if she did, how could the killer have known? Could he really be a patient that went to both Hospital Three and the clinic for a checkup?”

Everyone fell silent.

Wen JingHan shook his head. “That’s not very likely. The nurses at Hospital Three all work in inpatient care, so normal patients wouldn’t be able to go there. Moreover, the probability of a patient living in all of those three nurses’ wards is too small, and people would’ve definitely remembered.”

Lu YunYang felt something flash in his mind, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. He thought for a moment and said, “If a patient hates a nurse because of a dispute, they might take revenge on the person who they were in conflict with, but becoming a serial killer who kills indiscriminately is not very likely. Serial killers usually become the way they are because of their life experience, especially obstacles from shaping their personality in their childhood, leading to personality or mental disorders. 

“Then, since people have different maturing processes, these lurking causes might be concealed for a lifetime, but some will be triggered, leading to a devastating outcome. In other words, we need to focus on the motive behind the killer’s murders. I think that, in this killer’s childhood and life, there must’ve been a female healthcare worker whom he detested but held authority over him. Thus, when he kills people, he uses a lot of strength, but he’s still a little scared. It’s very likely his mother or a female guardian.”

“In that case, Little Bai, find all of the files of the doctors and nurses at Hospital Three and look through them one by one with Ding Ding. Focus on the men, and look at the state of their family. If there’s anything suspicious or fits the description, then write them down.”

*****

Guan Jin ate lunch and went to the terrace on the third floor by himself. He drank some coffee as he gazed at the building across the street, and he had an impulse to take sight.

He slowly raised his arm, but before he could get very far, a voice sounded. “Oh, are you exercising?”

Guan Jin put his arm down with a dark expression. “You’re here all the time, don’t you need to teach a class or do research?”

Lu YunYang put his hands on the railing. “It’s July right now, so it’s summer break. I just finished my last project, so my job right now is just to gather data for the next one.”

Guan Jin turned around and leaned against the railing. “Just now, you said that a killer becomes a killer because of their childhood experience?”

“Their childhood experience occupies a big part of it. Childhood is the key period of time in which people’s personalities are shaped, and any shadows at that time will leave a mark in a person’s personality, maybe even following them for their entire life.”

“So people only murder and commit arson because of childhood misfortunes, so they can’t control themselves, so it should be forgiven?”

“No. A lot of people had miserable childhoods, but they can’t free themselves, even as adults. These people are very pitiful, but they still cannot be forgiven. Some people were very happy in their childhood, but when they grow up, they still become rapists and criminals. A lot of others turn their childhood misfortunes into motivation. They overcome obstacles and obtain happiness. One can’t choose their childhood, but they also can’t use it as an excuse to avoid taking responsibility for their actions.”

Guan Jin was silent for a while. Then, he said in self-ridicule, “Hmph, then should I thank the heavens? I had a miserable childhood, and from the moment I opened my eyes, I only saw a very dark world, but after I grew up, I became a glorious police officer.”

“That means that you’re very amazing.” Lu YunYang’s eyes flashed. “What did you major in in college?”

Guan Jin was baffled by this sudden change in topic. “How would I know? I lost my memory.”

“You haven’t even looked at your own files yet?”

“…”  As someone who hadn’t been registered in the household registration system for over thirty years, he had never thought of doing this.

“You majored in history, and your grades were very outstanding.”

The corner of Guan Jin’s mouth twitched. What a suitable major, it truly plays to Guan Jin’s strength: memorization. When he left, should he use his amazing memory to become a professor?

Lu YunYang suddenly got closer to him and whispered in his ear, “So it turns out you like that type.”

Guan Jin was startled, and he pushed him away. “What do you mean? What does the type I like have to do with you?”

“I heard that you used to be very withdrawn. Does it have something to do with your fear when you discovered your sexual orientation?”

Guan Jin narrowed his eyes. “You can go ask the past me.” Anyway, he stopped existing long ago.

Lu YunYang sighed. “Little Jin, two bottoms can’t have a future.”

He had struck a chord, and Guan Jin made to punch him.

Lu YunYang blocked his weak punch and said bitterly, “He already has a man, and that person is impossible to shake. You’d best give up.”

Guan Jin drew a deep breath, gave him the middle finger, and hissed, “None of your fucking business!”

Guan Jin walked back in, fuming, but he was subconsciously pondering, even if he could take that evildoer, Wen JingHan, down, he reckoned he was probably brutal and greedy. When he thought about how Wen JingHan, who was always tormenting others, was being topped by another man, Guan Jin suddenly felt a little better.

 

Lu YunYang stood on the terrace by himself and lit a cigarette, slowly taking a puff. Guan Jin had said that, from the moment he opened his eyes, he had seen a very dark world. But since he had lost his memory, how could he remember what it felt like when he was young?