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墨書 Inktalez
I finally understood this point, and at the same time realized Liu's erroneous investigative direction. The murderer cannot be multiple people; there is only one murderer. Just like an actor who immerses themselves in their role to perform better, the murderer truly sees themselves as the victim every time they write a story.
The person capable of this is either a perfect actor or a thoroughly deranged psychopath, which we generally refer to as having a personality disorder.
Heraclitus once said that a person cannot step into the same river twice, and similarly, a patient with a personality disorder cannot simultaneously embody two different identities. In other words, while we heard several different voices conversing in the sewer, these voices never appeared together at the same time.
It was as if when the man's voice rang out, the girl's cries ceased. If this is the case, it indicates that this murderer's personality disorder has reached an advanced stage. From my analysis of the situation in the sewer, there are at least four personalities within the murderer.
A young man, a girl, a young woman, and a man named Yama. This type of personality disorder is related to one's living environment and inner growth. When the id can no longer face the problems it encounters and there is no one around to solve those problems, someone will always emerge to say to you, "Don't be afraid; I'm here."
And that person speaking to you is none other than yourself.
If no one can help you, then create someone who can help yourself.
Thinking of this, I turned to Gu Chen and said, "Although Liu didn't tell us what connections exist between the victims, he found clues on those bowls. What do you think those bowls could reveal to Liu? Could they hold some secrets? But at that time, all we saw were fragments."
Gu Chen leaned his entire body against the railing and rubbed his temple as he replied, "Aside from being old and worn out, I don't see anything particularly special about them."
"Then old and worn are the characteristics of these bowls," I turned away and leaned against the railing, murmuring, "Old and worn..."
Suddenly, a crucial point struck me. Realizing this, I rushed to Mary's dormitory door and began banging on it. On my tenth attempt to knock, the door finally swung open, revealing an irate Mary standing before me. "What do you want? It's late at night; can't you let people sleep?"
Looking at Mary's disheveled hair and gloomy expression, I said, "I woke you up because I need you to save someone. Check the hometowns of the victims immediately. If I'm correct, these people lived nearby several years or even over a decade ago."
Mary shot me an annoyed look before yawning widely. "You better hope your theory is right; otherwise, I'll punch your brain out!"
With that, Mary beckoned for Gu Chen and me to come inside.
Mary opened her computer, which had been carelessly tossed on the floor, and began typing something.
I looked at the computer I had picked up from the ground, surprised. "Isn't this computer provided by the department? There probably aren't many like it in Our Country. Aren't you afraid of breaking it by just leaving it on the floor?"
While searching for information about several individuals, Mary replied, "If this computer were that easy to break, it wouldn't be worth much. Even if you dropped it from the Sixth Floor, it would still work. It can even function underwater. Plus, it's resistant to both cold and heat; no matter how high or low the temperature is, it will still operate."
As she spoke, Mary found the data on several victims and set up a comparison chart. I watched as data rapidly processed on the computer screen, and soon a map appeared before my eyes, displaying a pattern.
In the first case, two white-collar workers from a company died. In the second case, a family of three perished. In the third story, three residents from Happiness District lost their lives. These individuals were scattered throughout Dongxing City, and there seemed to be no connection between them.
Before long, three points appeared on the map. We understood that these marked the places where the individuals had lived.
After observing for a moment, Mary said, "Even though they all lived in Dongxing City, they couldn't possibly be neighbors. Driving one centimeter on this map would take at least an hour, and over a decade ago, when Dongxing City was still developing, there weren't many people with cars. If they were walking or biking, it would take two or three hours at least."
At this point, Mary stood up and darkly said to me, "Wu Meng, if you're uncertain about something, don't wake people up in the middle of the night. Don't you know that beauty comes from sleep? Get out."
With a loud bang, the door slammed shut behind her as Gu Chen and I exchanged glances outside.
Gu Chen scratched his head and asked, "What did you find out?"
I tugged at my hair while pacing outside the door. "At least these people are all locals from Dongxing City. But if they are locals, they should be wealthy by now; just the compensation from relocations could make anyone a millionaire. Yet none of them are rich."
Suddenly Gu Chen slapped his forehead and said to me, "Right! Wu Meng, in the description of the third story, the murderer mentioned the mindset of residents in Happiness District. They wanted to be relocated but no one showed interest in that area. The Old Town District is even beyond the Fifth Ring Road; just as mentioned in the story later on, Dongxing City's prosperity has nothing to do with those from Old Town."
I furrowed my brow; Gu Chen's reminder jolted my memory. Indeed, in the story, residents of Happiness District were waiting for relocation but had never been relocated. In Dongxing City, only the oldest districts remained untouched under the pretense of protecting historical buildings; in reality, it was because Old Town District was neither near rivers nor seas and couldn't develop further.
Later, the name "Dongxing City" may have simply been a continuation of the original name. In contrast, "Old Town" resembled a surrounding countryside.
Even though these people lived in Old Town, it still took at least an hour to drive there. So, what connection did they have? Over a decade ago, within the Old Town District, the Murderer must have had some interaction with these people. But what exactly was that interaction?
In the second story and the Third Story, the children were only six or seven years old, while the Murderer was at least in their twenties. What kind of connection could these children possibly have had with the Murderer?
With this thought in mind, I knocked on Mary's door again. As it opened, a pillow flew out as well. I watched as the soft pillow headed straight for my head, and just then, two fingers pinched it mid-air. I turned to see Gu Chen looking quite pleased with himself.
"Impressive skills, hero," I said.
Gu Chen smiled and replied, "It feels like there's nothing I can't catch."
Mary shouted, "Aren't you two done yet?"
I peeked out from behind the pillow and said to Mary, "Give me a map of Old Town District."
Mary extended her fist and warned, "I'll only tell you this: if there's a next time, it won't be a pillow that gets thrown."
With that, Mary snatched back the feather pillow that Gu Chen had been holding between his fingers.
After a moment, the map of Old Town District appeared before us.
This time, all three red dots were indeed within the boundaries of Old Town, which indicated the connection between the Victims.
"Here!" I pointed to a location on the map of Old Town.
The two of them looked at the computer and said in unison, “Old Town Cultural Center? What happened here?”
I glanced at them and shared my speculation: “We all know that Dongxing City has developed because of strong support from above, transforming this village into a major city. Although it may not compare to the capital, it is still one of the top cities in the country.”
“That's right,” Mary said. “I visited Dongxing City seven years ago, and back then, it was still Dongxing County.”
I replied, “At that time, the entertainment options for the people of Dongxing County were nowhere near what they are now. The only place for entertainment was probably this so-called cultural center. Victim's family background, age, gender, and work environment are all irrelevant; the only connection seems to be that it originated here.”
“So what exactly happened?” Gu Chen turned to me and asked. “And isn’t this probability a bit too much? Is there really a chance?”
I nodded seriously. “When all impossibilities are eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. I believe these people died without ever knowing why. However, for someone with a split Personality, they tend to be suspicious, distrustful of others, jealous, sensitive, irritable, resentful, and even arrogant.”
“But what could make the Murderer remember for so many years and not spare even the children who were infants at the time?” Gu Chen posed another question.
I paused for a moment before responding to Gu Chen: “I think the reason why the Murderer can switch between being a man and a woman is likely tied to the deepest secret hidden within them. As they grew older, their sensitivity and resentment increased, leading them to want to eliminate those who once knew this secret.”
“Even though those people may have long forgotten about it.”
I looked at both of them and shared my thoughts.
“He or she must be an Intersex Person.”
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