Chapter 38: Chapter 37: Madman! Madman! Madman
Criminals in this world fall into three broad categories.
Ordinary people, the mentally ill, and... lunatics!
What’s the difference between the mentally ill and a lunatic? The former is an illness; the latter is extremity, a perversion!
Sun Jiang, the "Modern Jesus," was an ordinary person. Sun Jian of the "Flesh Processing Plant" was a lunatic!
And in this case, the killer is also a...
"Lunatic!!!"
The moment he understood, Xu Huo’s expression turned incredibly dark. Fury burned in his eyes as he stared intently at the beggar before him.
"What lunatic?" Li Jianye frowned.
"You’ve found a breakthrough!?"
Xu Huo took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions. Then, to Li Jianye’s astonishment, he gave a slight nod.
"You really found it!?"
Li Jianye’s pupils contracted. He straightened up instinctively, his face growing serious.
"What’s going on?"
"Captain Li, do you remember the theory the police came up with back at the office, the one that resulted from the conflicting information between the two crime scenes?"
Xu Huo spoke in a low voice. He crouched down and used a branch to draw two symbols on the dirt path, representing the two locations.
"I remember."
Li Jianye nodded. The discovery of the second crime scene had brought the police investigation to a standstill, leaving them with no idea where to focus their efforts.
"Yes. The first and second incidents, if you disregard certain factors, are completely different."
"The contrast between them is baffling."
Xu Huo nodded, then pointed to the beggar in front of them.
"Now, the third crime scene has appeared."
"Judging from the stab wounds on his back alone, it’s highly likely they’re the same as those on Zhao Lian from the second crime scene. This suggests the killer is acting with a purpose. The conflicting information, however, suggests that purpose has changed."
"In other words, after killing the first victim, Chen Li, the killer’s motive suddenly changed for some unknown reason, leading to the appearance of the second and third victims!"
After hearing this, Li Jianye thought for a moment and nodded.
Let’s take an example.
A person kills someone in a fit of rage. After the murder, they find several hundred thousand in cash. Their mind is then clouded by greed, and they become someone who kills only for money. The M.O. in both murders is the same, but the motives are completely different.
So... in this current case, no matter how it has evolved, there must be a common thread!
Just like how a murder of rage leads to a subsequent murder for profit, the common thread is the disappearance of property after the killing.
"In any serial murder case, the core motivation never changes!"
"The same is true for this case. There must be a common thread between the first and second incidents!"
Xu Huo thought for a moment, the train of thought in his mind becoming clearer.
He began to guide Li Jianye.
"It’s a process of elimination."
"For now, let’s treat the two murders as separate cases and then eliminate the differences between them."
First, let’s lay out all the information.
Knowing the victim versus not knowing them, a planned crime by an acquaintance versus a sudden homicidal impulse, luring the victim versus a surprise attack...
These are all smoke and mirrors!
Messy, useless distractions!
Once all the messy information is eliminated, only one commonality remains.
"The radio station!?"
Li Jianye’s brows knitted together, the confusion in his eyes deepening.
"The common thread is the radio station!?"
The M.O.s are different, the victims are different, their personal details are different—but no matter what, all three cases still share one commonality.
And that is the notification to the radio station after each murder!
"The three cases have nothing in common, except that the killer contacts the radio station after each murder."
Xu Huo nodded.
"But... why would a radio station cause someone’s motive for murder to change?"
Li Jianye mulled it over for a moment but couldn’t find a reason.
"The police have investigated all of the station’s recent broadcasts. None of their activities have changed. The most recent change was just a host swap half a month ago."
Li Jianye’s brow furrowed. "If the radio station is the reason, then what was its role in the first murder?"
The motive for murder lies with the radio station.
Two different motives, connected to the same radio station. But a radio station is an inanimate object. How could it possibly influence someone’s thinking, making them jump from one motive to another?
"No, the radio station isn’t an inanimate object..."
Xu Huo suddenly interjected. He paused, then continued:
"This involves something else."
"Positive upward progression!"
If you killed someone and got hundreds of thousands, you would become addicted. Killing one person earns you more money than you could make in decades of honest work.
This upward rush, coupled with the dopamine released by the brain, feels euphoric!
But what if you kill someone and only get a few bucks?
What if you get less and less each time? A dollar for the third, fifty cents for the fourth, while the price remains the same—the death penalty!
Would you still kill for money then?
The scales of justice would tip. The weight on the scale that outweighs the law would be insufficient. You’d feel it wasn’t worth it and give up.
The killer hasn’t given up, which can only mean his reason is still progressing upwards!
The weight of his justification for murder is constantly increasing. That’s what allows it to outweigh the law, compelling him to kill, and he enjoys it!
So...
"The radio station, there must be a positive upward progression involved!"
"The kind of progression a killer needs!"
Xu Huo said in a low voice.
"Only the emotional value provided by this progression will cause more dopamine to be released each time, making a person sink deeper and deeper!"
Let’s use poker as an example.
When poker becomes unrestrained and serves your every whim, letting you do whatever you want.
Phase one: You find beautiful women and handsome men to play wild games of poker with.
But this is just the retaliatory indulgence of the ’newly rich’—acting out because you suddenly have something you could never attain before.
Over time, your passion will fade. You’ll build up a tolerance for this kind of activity, but people need stimulation.
Thus, phase two emerges.
Seeking thrills!
Building on phase one, you start trying other variations of poker, like S&M, or playing outdoors, or even three- or four-person games with "sisters."
And after breaking through the thrill-seeking of phase two, phase three appears.
Crossing the ultimate line!
Like on that certain island abroad, the publicly available files are full of people like this.
They’ve long since lost their passion for ordinary poker. Only by crossing the ultimate line can they feel a thrill!
This case is just like that.
"The radio station must facilitate some kind of escalating activity!"
"And it’s precisely this escalation that, in all likelihood, is giving the killer a rush by causing his brain to release dopamine!"
Xu Huo spoke again in a low voice.
Only escalation can make someone continue without stopping.
It makes them strive even harder!
Have you ever striven for something like that?
Put in that kind of effort over the years?
Who knows. But the killer certainly has!
After the first murder, the second victim died two days later. The third died one day after that.
That is his effort!
But...
"Where is this escalation from the radio station evident?"
Li Jianye asked with a frown.
"Between the first murder and the appearance of the second victim!"
Xu Huo said gravely, his eyes cold and sharp.
"During that time, the radio station..."
"What happened?"