A madman in France? How come he's always at crime scenes!

Chapter 11 Protective Murder? Arrest them!

"Ding Hu is dead!?"

Upon returning to the police station, Zhao Anmin couldn't contain his astonishment as he stared at Sun Jin, who had come to report the situation.

"When did this happen?"

"The forensic doctor's preliminary assessment is that the time of death was between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. today." Sun Jin flipped through the briefing he had just received, speaking quickly. "The person who reported the case was the deceased's wife. She said she went out to play mahjong in the afternoon and returned home around 7 p.m. When she took out her key to open the door, she saw her husband lying in the living room."

"What's the situation at the scene?"

"There were no pry marks on the door lock, and the deceased had more than a dozen stab wounds, concentrated in the chest and abdomen." Sun Jin's expression was grim. "The murderer also cut open his mouth, from the corners of his mouth to both sides... Do you know how to handle a pig's head when slaughtering it? Just like that."

Zhao Anmin frowned.

He was stabbed more than a dozen times, his mouth was cut off, and he committed murder in his home.

This is a typical act of revenge, committed by someone you know, with a strong sense of retaliation.

This afternoon, he found a key clue in Shiqiao Village about the skeletal remains case from 15 years ago. Ding Hu and Sha Yuanbao had appeared together at Ni Dayong's door.

Then Ni Dayong happened to be away from home.

Then Ding Hu died.

What a coincidence!

"Xiao Fang."

"arrive!"

"Check Ni Dayong's whereabouts throughout the day. Access all available surveillance footage; don't miss a single minute!"

Fang Lue responded and ran out.

Zhao Anmin slammed his hand on the table.

Two heinous crimes within a week—if we can't solve these cases, we can forget about being recognized as an advanced collective this year.

"Where's Lao Zhou? Any results from the DNA analysis of the skeletal remains case?"

"Still waiting." Sun Jin glanced at his phone. "Old Zhou said he's working overtime tonight and told us not to rush him."

Zhao Anmin did not speak again.

The meeting room fell silent, with only the second hand of the wall clock ticking slowly.

If Ni Dayong's whereabouts today really match the time of Ding Hu's death, then the case will be completely clear.

But the problem is—

What about the motivation?

……

Sun Wei had been practicing law for three years and had handled dozens of cases with all sorts of clients, but this was the first time she had ever been murdered halfway through a case.

She was sitting on a plastic chair outside the interrogation room of the criminal investigation team, her expression somewhere between bewilderment and annoyance.

She had been to the police station many times in her life, but this was the first time she had acted as a "person representing the deceased," and the experience was extremely unpleasant.

To make matters worse, there was that guy named Wu Liang sitting right next to him.

"Attorney Sun, please accept my condolences."

"What's there to be sad about? It's not like I'm dead," Sun Wei retorted irritably. "Besides, that guy still owes me lawyer fees."

Wu Liang wisely shut up.

The door opened, and Sun Jin walked out. This deputy captain of the criminal investigation team was in his early fifties, and his features bore a slight resemblance to Sun Wei.

He glanced at Sun Wei, his lips moved, but in the end he just sighed.

"Dad, what's going on?" Sun Wei stood up.

Wu Liang raised his eyebrows.

Goodness, it's a father-daughter situation.

Sun Jin shook his head at Sun Wei, then looked at Wu Liang with a scrutinizing gaze.

Zhao Anmin described the lawyer as "weird".

"You're Wu Liang? Captain Zhao said you have a different opinion on Ni Dayong's testimony."

"I've done some research."

"Alright, come in too." Sun Jin pushed open the door. "Xiao Wei is waiting outside."

"Why can he go in but I can't?" Sun Wei protested.

"Because you are now representing the deceased's family as lawyer, you are required to recuse yourself procedurally," Sun Jin said in a businesslike tone. "And Attorney Wu is currently an important corroborating witness."

Sun Wei opened her mouth, but was choked and couldn't speak.

Wu Liang walked past her and said in a low voice, "Attorney Sun, our law firm is hiring later, please consider it."

"roll."

……

Inside the meeting room, the whiteboard was already covered with photos.

Ding Hu's body lay face up on the living room floor, the numerous stab wounds on his chest and abdomen a horrifying sight. Most disturbing of all was the close-up of his face.

The corners of his mouth were cut open to both sides by a sharp weapon, forming a hideous arc.

Zhao Anmin sat at the head of the conference table, flanked by Fang Lue and Sun Jin. Xiao Chen from the technical department was giving a report.

"The deceased suffered sixteen stab wounds, concentrated in the chest and abdomen, none of which were fatal. The cause of death was excessive blood loss, and the forensic doctor determined the time of death to be between 2 PM and 4 PM today."

"The door lock showed no signs of being pried open, the scene was not disturbed, and all valuables were still there. The murderer was not after money."

Zhao Anmin turned to Wu Liang: "I'm sorry, Attorney Wu, I called you here so late because you met with Ni Dayong this afternoon. Tell me your assessment, and we will settle your payment according to the normal consultation fee and overtime pay."

Fang Lue turned his head in confusion.

Did our police station used to pay overtime?

Wu Liang didn't rush to answer. He borrowed a pen from Sun Jin and circled the close-up of the hideous face.

"Look here, why did the murderer deliberately stab the victim twice in the mouth?"

"Let's take revenge," Fang Lue guessed.

"Perhaps, but I think this seemingly meaningless outburst precisely indicates that the killer has something he doesn't want Ding Hu to say." Wu Liang emphasized the horrific scene in the photo.

"In criminal psychology, this falls under the category of preemptive attack to eliminate the threat source, also known as protective murder."

Fang Lue instinctively asked, "What does 'protective murder' mean?"

"Have you ever heard the saying, Officer Fang, that the best way to eliminate fear is to face it?"

Fang Lue nodded.

"Yes, but that's normal human logic." Wu Liang changed the subject. "In the killer's logic, fear isn't an emotional issue, but a physical one. As long as the source of the threat is physically eliminated, the fear will naturally disappear; that's called safe behavior."

Xiao Chen, who had only recently joined the technical department, looked visibly confused upon hearing this.

Zhao Anmin noticed: "Xiao Chen, just say what the problem is."

Xiao Chen hesitated for a moment: "I just don't understand. If a murderer kills someone, isn't he afraid? Shouldn't a normal person be even more terrified after committing murder?"

Wu Liang glanced at him.

"Officer Chen, let me tell you a story."

Xiao Chen subconsciously sat up straight.

"When I was in college, there was a stray cat downstairs in my dorm that was very friendly. But there was a guy in the dorm next door who was terrified of cats. Every time he passed by the spot where the cat was sitting, he would rather take a longer route and walk an extra 100 meters."

"One day, a cat ran into his dorm room. None of his roommates were there; he was all alone. The cat sat on his bed and wouldn't leave. He was too scared to go near it, and too scared to chase it away. In the end, he could only call the dorm manager, his voice trembling."

"And then?"

"Later, the dorm supervisor took the cat away. But from that day on, every time the boy went out, he would check whether the dorm door was closed properly and whether the windows were left open, checking several times. One time, he suddenly woke up in the middle of the night and insisted that he heard a cat meowing. The next day, he went and killed the cat."

Wu Liang looked at Xiao Chen.

"Think about it, isn't this behavior strange?"

"Is the thing that boy is afraid of really that cat?"

Wu Liang did not wait for Xiao Chen's reply.

"No, what he was afraid of was the very idea of ​​'losing control.' The cat appearing on his bed meant that his safety boundaries had been breached. He thought that closing the dorm room door would keep the cat out, but reality proved him wrong."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen's mouth dropped open: "Isn't this the same principle as the protective murder you mentioned?"

"Yes." Wu Liang pointed to the whiteboard. "The killer's logic is exactly the same as that boy's. A certain sentence or action of the deceased broke the killer's safety boundary. The killer realized that as long as this person is alive, his safety could be broken again at any time."

"So he wants to eliminate the source of the threat."

Silence fell over the conference table.

Zhao Anmin was the first to react: "So there's some kind of connection between the murderer and Ding Hu..."

"A symbiotic relationship," Wu Liang continued, "unhealthy, unbalanced, but it must be maintained. Once it breaks down, one party will see the other as a threat."

Fang Lue suddenly realized: "I understand! There must be some inseparable connection between the White Bone Case and Ding Hu!"

Wu Liang nodded in satisfaction. The young man's skills have improved significantly.

"But the murderer can't wait any longer. Three days have passed since the skeleton incident. As a villager of Shiqiao Village, the murderer must have some information. If the body is identified, he will only be in a more passive position."

As soon as he finished speaking, the conference room door was suddenly pushed open.

Forensic pathologist Lao Zhou stood at the door, holding a report in his hand. He hadn't even had time to take off his white coat and was panting heavily.

"Team Leader Zhao! The DNA comparison results are in! The skeleton in the ditch is Sha Yuanbao!"

Zhao Anmin grabbed the walkie-talkie from the table.

"Attention everyone! Destination: Ni Dayong, Shiqiao Village. Depart immediately!"