Chapter 182 - 180: The Year the Murderer Disappeared (First Update)

Chapter 182: Chapter 180: The Year the Murderer Disappeared (First Update)

Xiao Yi paused briefly, and then Xu Jing continued: "When we investigated the case of Zheng Shouyan before, I told you about this type of serial killer. It’s a murderer who commits multiple crimes and kills several victims in a series, and they often have certain patterns and preferences in their actions which are not easily changed, especially regarding their killing frequency and methods.

If there are changes in their crime patterns, it is highly likely related to a personal lifestyle change or a psychological transformation, such as Zheng Shouyan suddenly speeding up his killings because he discovered he had diabetes and realized he didn’t have long to live, which unleashed his suppressed murderous desires."

Although Xu Jing was a forensic doctor, she often collaborated with the police in investigations. The department she often worked with had an outstanding criminal psychologist, and Xu Jing, exposed to their discussions, learned something about psychological crimes.

Xiao Yi quickly understood her meaning, "This Smiling Killer resurfaced after a year of dormancy, not only shortening the interval between each crime but also changing his methods significantly."

"Exactly, and these changes are not minor. If his initial crimes could be classified as rape and murder, the later ones are sheer torture murders."

Xiao Yi couldn’t help but ask, "What’s the difference between these types of cases?"

To him, they were all murder cases, only the latter was more brutal.

Xu Jing thought for a while and replied, "The perpetrator of a rape and murder case usually commits the crime driven by sexual desires... In simple terms, he develops an urge towards a woman, and thus commits the crime. However, torturers focus less on the victims themselves and more on the act of torture. For them, having relations with their victims is usually a side issue."

Some serial killers are even impotent or disinterested in having relations with their victims because the torture itself is more compelling than the victim ever could be.

Even though it’s not Xiao Yi’s first time discussing case details with Xu Jing, and they had solved rape cases together before, he still found something indescribably intriguing about how freely she spoke of intimate relations between men and women. He cleared his throat and said, "So do you believe the perpetrator underwent significant changes, which led to these modifications in behavior? The major transformation probably occurred during the year he suddenly disappeared."

However, Xu Jing still felt there was something not quite right.

But for now, the most plausible explanation was indeed this.

She pondered, "The abrupt disappearance for a year is fascinating. From the way he resumed his crimes afterward, it shows his criminal urge hadn’t waned. So during the fourth year of Tianxi, why did he suddenly stop? I tend to think that something prevented him from committing crimes, or perhaps that event caused a significant change in his later criminal style."

There are too many reasons why a criminal might suddenly disappear—illness, leaving the Western Capital for some reason, he actually killed someone but wasn’t found out by the authorities, or perhaps he committed a crime and was imprisoned, making him unable to commit further crimes...

Based on the information she currently possessed, it was impossible to reach a definitive conclusion.

Xiao Yi silently watched her, seeing her deeply engrossed in thought, he softly said: "If you’re interested, I’ll have the records related to this case brought over. You’ll have to wait for Chang Xiao to finish his classes anyway; in the meantime, you can review the case files."

Xu Jing’s eyes lit up involuntarily.

She had been fretting over what to do while waiting for Chang Xiao, but now she didn’t have to worry anymore.

Seeing her like this, Xiao Yi chuckled lowly, and summoned a servant to bring over all the case files related to this case.

Soon, the two servants who had just left returned, carrying two piles of case files stacked like mountains on trays, placing them on the table.

With such a big case, the amount of related information was certainly considerable. Xu Jing picked out the autopsies of the five victims and started reading through them quietly.

Xiao Yi glanced at her, gestured for some pastries to be brought, and took up a file, beginning to read it closely.

For a moment, the small pavilion was so quiet that only the sound of the wind moving through the leaves, the distant footsteps of servants, and the occasional splash of koi jumping out of the pond could be heard. The early autumn weather was dry yet pleasant, and occasionally the wind would pass over skin like a mother’s gentle hands, brushing a child’s body through golden sunlight.

At some point, Xu Jing unconsciously looked up, finding herself slightly taken aback at Xiao Yi, surprisingly relaxed, leaning against the chair back, one hand holding a file, the other gently stroking the tea cup on the table surface.

She didn’t know when it started, but she found she could ignore the influence of the original host’s memories and view this place, and the man before her, with a kind of calm detachment.

As if sensing Xu Jing’s gaze, Xiao Yi suddenly looked up, his deep black eyes quietly observing her, and asked, "What’s the matter?"

Xu Jing pushed down the inexplicable thoughts from the depths of her heart, shook her head, and said: "I’ve finished reading the autopsies of these victims, and indeed, as Vice Minister Xiao said, the horrific state of the last three victims can’t be compared to the first two, but there are certain consistent injuries among them. For example, the burns, stick wounds, and manual injuries are similarly distributed, and their fingernails and toenails were completely pulled out. The forensic doctor determined the nails were removed with tools like pliers, and each of the three victims had a chunk of skin forcibly ripped from their chests."

The most horrific part was, those injuries were clearly inflicted while they were still alive, meaning the victims were conscious during their torture.

After a pause, she continued, "I initially considered another possibility, that perhaps the last three victims, like Wang Wuniang, were killed by someone mimicking the Smiling Killer."

Xiao Yi looked at her and asked, "So do you think it’s a copycat crime?"

"No," Xu Jing shook her head, "I compared the sewing technique of the red line stitched on the lips of all five victims; their methods and the resulting stitches are quite similar. The perpetrator clearly had a knack for sewing, the stitches were very fine and orderly, which would be hard for a copycat to replicate.

Moreover, skilled male sewers are rare, and I think this can be a breakthrough point in our future investigations."

Which only further highlighted how clumsy the mimicry was that killed Wang Wuniang.

Wang Wuniang’s mouth stitches were messy and coarse, obviously not the work of the Smiling Killer.

But apart from that, she temporarily couldn’t find any other clues from the autopsies.

She was about to reach for another file when Xiao Huai’an’s excited voice called out, "Mom, Dad! I’m done with my classes. Mr. Wen said my handwriting has improved today!"

Xu Jing was momentarily stunned; had a whole hour already passed? It felt far too quick.

She could only suppress her eager desire, stand up, and embrace the little one who rushed over.

Xiao Yi, perceiving her thoughts, refilled her cup with tea casually and said: "If you want to continue reading, you can stay a while longer. I don’t have anything else today, but if you need to go back, you can come back and review the files when you have the time."

Xu Jing was somewhat regretful, but she also knew these files were confidential government documents and couldn’t be taken home. After thinking it over, she said: "I have some things to do at home, I’ll come back when I have the time."