Chapter 74 True redemption is turning away from sin.

He was greeted with a dazed reply from Shen Zhenzhu: "...Okay." Then, Shen Zhenzhu slumped onto the single bed prepared for her.

The backyard villa garden, right next to the lake, was extremely cold and gloomy despite the lack of wind.

Fu Panxia lifted the entire curtain, revealing the floor covered with red candles, each as thick as a baby's arm, some nearly burned out. The flowing wax resembled the blood and tears of the victims.

The two-story wooden villa is located at the midpoint of an inverted cross, with a long and narrow backyard forming the top of the inverted cross, which is opposite the front yard to form a cross.

On the inverted pentagram altar, the candlelight flickered, casting Fu Panxia's distorted shadow onto the mottled lake surface.

"Stop killing people, Pan Xia." Fu Shengnan lay in a water tank, her face pale, surrounded by thirteen white candles. The pungent smell inside made her dizzy.

"We promised not to kill anyone again!" Fu Shengnan shouted as Fu Panxia approached. "Is anyone there?! Is anyone there?!"

In addition, there are four other locations that are arranged like the human head, torso, and upper limbs, surrounded by thirteen white candles, while Fu Shengnan is placed in the candles representing the "lower limbs".

Above the head, besides the white candle, there is an empty pottery vessel, which is the gift that was retrieved from Chen Zhenzhu.

“No one will find this place, sister.” Fu Panxia looked at Fu Shengnan struggling in the water vat that resembled a coffin and said with a joyful smile:

"Finally, our little sister will have legs to fly far away. I gave my life, and you gave your legs. After today, I can keep you here. Please take good care of our little sister for me. This is my chance to atone for your sins, understand?"

Fu Shengnan lost her left leg while she was unconscious, and now that leg is beside her, soaking in formalin. Soon, her right leg will be the same.

"Your life? What life do you want?" Fu Shengnan saw Fu Panxia push in the operating trolley and drip anesthetic into her nose. She shouted, "I know you are Fenfen. I won't leave, okay? Don't kill people. If you can't control yourself and want to kill people, then kill me. Please don't hurt anyone else."

Shen Zhenzhu, who was still pretending to be asleep, was about to get up when she heard Fu Shengnan's voice, and then she heard her say "they," but she didn't see the other victim. She noticed that Fu Panxia was paying attention to the surroundings, so she quickly closed her eyes and listened to what he was saying, hoping to find a clue.

The wind finally picked up at night. Chen Zhenzhu had rushed out in the afternoon wearing a light green police shirt, and she shivered.

In late autumn in Liancheng, the temperature difference between day and night is significant. While Fu Panxia was talking to Fu Shengnan, she secretly reached out and pulled up the sheet under her body to barely cover her stomach. Although her belly button wasn't at the golden ratio point, she still had to take care of herself.

The shadows of the sycamore trees above her head swayed, and Chen Zhenzhu, focused on covering her belly, did not notice anything unusual.

"Kill me! Kill me if you want!" Fu Shengnan was still shouting.

Ignoring Fu Shengnan's shouts, Fu Panxia felt a gust of wind and turned to look at the candles in the formation. Several of them were on the verge of going out, but fortunately they hadn't been extinguished.

Seeing Shen Zhenzhu lying unconscious on the bed, with the wind blowing a corner of the sheet over her, Fu Panxia turned her gaze to a spot by the lake.

"Brother, is it almost time? You forgot to buy me shrimp balls." "Fenfen" said coquettishly from inside Fu Panxia's body, "Brother, how can your sister not understand you?"

"That's just how she is, don't mind her. From now on, she'll be by your side, so just be yourself. Sing if you want to sing, paint if you want to paint, go abroad if you want to go abroad."

Fu Panxia returned to the villa, opened the passage to the secret basement, and took out two glass barrels filled with formalin. He placed the floating body on the head and torso.

“Alright, Fenfen, stop talking. Your brother will put you back together first, and then you can live a happy life. Don’t be afraid of Mom and Dad; they can’t hurt you anymore.” Fu Panxia’s lips curled into an incredulous smile. He donned a black robe and chanted in a low, hoarse voice, mixing Latin incantations:

"Per sanguuinem, per spiritum, per mortem...surge"

"It's the best time to watch the selva oscura."

Prepare to rise up, with blood, with soul, with death.

Halfway through our lives, having lost my way, I found myself in a dark, dense forest.

“Natus est mortem!”

To live in the face of death!

He chanted the incantation over and over, unable to contain his excitement and fervor. He picked up the earthenware basin and strode toward the sunken pearl.

He pushed the bed containing the pearl to the position of the head, and then unexpectedly brought out a head fixation device from the altar. This was a tool used for craniotomy in Central Europe, and he made one in imitation.

It's now clearly up to Shen Zhenzhu to put her on the spot.

Shen Zhenzhu was still thinking about how she would be the one to save the beauty, but she never expected that she would be the first one to get stabbed!

Fu Panxia's lips moved as she frantically chanted, "Or orri, orri, morte! Natus est mortem!"

Fu Panxia sprinkled a handful of powder mixed with sulfur, human bone powder, and crow blood into the copper basin, and flames suddenly shot up, billowing out black smoke.

He grabbed Shen Zhenzhu's shoulders, trying to fix her head to the brace. But Shen Zhenzhu was not very big, but her bones were very strong, as if she weighed a thousand pounds.

Fu Panxia didn't see that Shen Zhenzhu was secretly clinging to the edge of the bed, refusing to let go no matter what. Seeing that time was running out, he hurriedly pulled her away with all his might.

Seeing this, the usually quiet "Fenfen" panicked: "Kill her! Kill her! Let me kill her!"

Fu Panxia pressed her left hand down on her outstretched right hand to prevent "Fenfen" from choking Zhenzhu: "You have to listen to me. I'll only kill you if I say so!"

Shen Zhenzhu secretly squinted her eyes, pondering the right moment to make her move. She only opened her eyes for a moment before immediately closing them again.

My goodness, guess who she saw in the sycamore tree after passing Fu Panxia!

A large, dark shadow crouched quietly in the tree; no one knew when it had arrived!

"Fenfen" shouted in a shrill voice, "She just opened her eyes! You've been fooled, she wasn't asleep!"

Fu Panxia turned her head sharply and stood motionless on top of Shen Zhenzhu's head, her two eyes twitching wildly as if trying to reclaim her gaze.

Fu Panxia continued chanting strange Latin incantations, and even more bizarrely, he could also make a second sound, "Fenfen," urging at the same time: "Kill her, quickly take the knife and kill her!"

Fu Panxia knew that Shen Zhenzhu was an excellent criminal police officer. To prevent any unforeseen complications, seeing that the black smoke from the copper basin was decreasing, she pulled out a silver knife from the basin: "Alright, kill her and then take it!"

Shen Zhenzhu's scalp tightened, and she clenched her fist, ready to attack, when suddenly a voice looked down at her and said, "Fu Panxia, ​​did I give you permission to hurt her?"

Suddenly a gust of wind swept down from above, and a tall figure descended from the sky!

The next second, Shen Zhenzhu, who should have been unconscious on the hospital bed, woke up and, supporting herself on the bed with one hand, kicked Fu Panxia in the face. Caught off guard, Fu Panxia staggered back a few steps and crashed into the sycamore tree!

Shen Zhenzhu said angrily, "I won't allow it from anyone!"

At the same time, Lu Ye, Zhou Chuanxi, Zhao Qiqi, Wu Zhongguo and others rushed over from all directions by the lake and quickly subdued Fu Panxia.

Just when everyone thought they had captured him easily, Shen Zhenzhu shouted, "Be careful, he might set himself on fire!"

Just as Fu Panxia approached her, she smelled a strong odor of gasoline!

Shen Zhenzhu shouted, "His robes have been soaked in gasoline! Spread them out!"

Fu Panxia twisted her body and shouted to the sky, "Almighty God, I offer myself to you, please let Fenfen live even in the face of death!!"

As he spoke, he took out a lighter, intending to set himself on fire. However, the next second, Gu Yanzheng kicked him hard, and Fu Panxia rolled to the lakeside and stopped.

Then Lu Ye pounced on him, pinned his hands down, and together with Zhao Qiqi, removed his black robe from his left and right sides.

Wu Zhongguo shouted, "Quickly throw it into the lake and rinse it!"

Shen Zhenzhu also shouted, "There should be another victim in the lake. Please search!"

Fu Panxia turned around in disbelief, being dragged towards the lake. He exclaimed in astonishment, "Chen Zhenzhu, what happened to you—"

He immediately shut his mouth, then heard Shen Zhenzhu excitedly shout, "The victim really was hidden in the lake! Start the search immediately!!"

Wu Zhongguo gave her a thumbs up and exclaimed, "You're really something!"

Shen Zhenzhu was shivering in the autumn wind and was looking for something to wrap herself in. After Gu Yanzheng finished searching by the lake, he strode over, took off his coat and draped it over her: "I saw you shivering in the tree and thought you were scared."

Shen Zhenzhu looked at Gu Yanzheng in disbelief and joked, "You think I'm afraid of him? Haha, are you getting senile?"

Gu Yanzheng froze, then said, "I'll go take a look over there."

Wu Zhongguo choked on his own saliva and coughed loudly. Before Gu Yanzheng could speak, he ran to the door to call Professor Qi over.

There are many things here, and they've never seen many of them before. They're unsure if they might damage anything, so it would be better to have an expert handle it.

"Are you Shen Zhenzhu?" A weak figure wrapped in a blanket was being carried on a stretcher.

"Are you Fu Shengnan?" Shen Zhenzhu saw her at a glance... She actually greeted her while holding a severed thigh leg, and her skin immediately tightened: "Hello, President Fu, it's an honor to meet you."

Fu Shengnan didn't want to lose her left leg, but the medical staff said it might be possible to reattach it. She didn't care whether the leg could be reattached; what mattered to her was her brother's crime.

“Pan Xia Ta…”

Shen Zhenzhu said decisively, "Don't worry, there will be legal consequences!"

After saying that, she wanted to slap herself. Fu Shengnan was someone who would give her life for her younger brother.

"..." Fu Shengnan said weakly and dejectedly, "It's nothing, thank you."

After thinking for a moment, Shen Zhenzhu added, "However, he is a genuine psychopath, so perhaps there are other measures."

Fu Shengnan looked up: "Really?"

Shen Zhenzhu said, "However... both of his personalities were involved in the murder, and both have antisocial tendencies, so the law will not grant him a reduced sentence or probation."

"..." Fu Shengnan became even more dejected: "I know, he harmed so many people, he deserved to die."

"..." Shen Zhenzhu felt she must have taken the wrong medicine today; Fu Panxia must have poisoned her! She really wanted to comfort Fu Shengnan.

"Sister Pearl, we found Du Jun in the water cage by the lake! She's still alive!" Zhao Qiqi shouted from afar. "Don't worry!"

However, Lu Ye did not reassure Shen Zhenzhu. Amidst the bustling rescue scene, he enthusiastically picked up the ceramic basin, pointed to the empty space inside, and said, "Hey, do you know what was originally supposed to be put in here?"

Judging from his expression, Shen Zhenzhu didn't know, nor did she want to know.

Lu Ye laughed and said, "Fu Panxia actually prepared such a big thing to put your brain in, hahaha. He really idolizes you."

"..." Shen Zhenzhu was about to leave when she suddenly turned around and froze: "What are you doing?!"

Wu Zhongguo led his men to clean up the scene, accompanied by Professor Qi, who had come from afar. The two of them said in unison, "You're full of brains!"

"Huh?" Chen Zhenzhu was dumbfounded.

Are you speaking human language?

"I will never accept flowers from others again." Chen Zhenzhu squatted at the door, watching her colleagues from the trace evidence department and the forensic medicine department busy at work, and complained to Zhao Qiqi, "People can't learn by being taught, but they can learn by doing. Sigh, people's hearts are treacherous."

Entering directly from the front yard to the back yard, Shen Zhenzhu didn't realize how large the area of ​​Fu Panxia's ritual was. It wasn't until Professor Qi came over and told her that she understood that the area including the hillside and the lakeside was within his "spellcasting" range.

Even more terrifying is that Fu Panxia is eyeing her brain!

“Fu Shengnan confessed on Fu Panxia’s behalf. This wasn’t the first time they had performed a resurrection ritual; they had failed once before.” Gu Yanzheng brought Fu Panxia back again: “Now, tell me, where are the other victims?”

Fu Panxia was making incoherent noises. The blow of defeat, the panic of being captured, and the anger of being tricked by Shen Zhenzhu made him fight with "Fenfen" for control of his body.

"Shen Zhenzhu, how are you going to notify them... Waaaaah, sister, save Fenfen! Fenfen is going to die! Fenfen is scared—!!"

Fu Panxia, ​​with his neck stiff, struggled and fought with his hands and feet, and the police officers next to him had to support him.

In the end, Fu Panxia regained her primary personality and defeated the secondary personality "Fenfen." She glared at Chen Zhenzhu with hatred and said, "You've been plotting against me all along."

Shen Zhenzhu laughed in anger at his counterattack, pointed to her head and said, "No wonder you noticed my hair from the first time we met. Turns out you weren't looking at my hair. And you still say I schemed against you?"

Fu Panxia shook her neck frantically, letting out a shrill scream: "You wicked woman, we should have killed you long ago! When did you lie to us!"

Shen Zhenzhu quietly took a step back and saw Gu Yanzheng walk over and grab Fu Panxia's arm with his big hand. She said with relief, "I made the call in front of you. The number '4131' corresponds to the letters '氵' and '古' in the Wubi input method, which is an identification code. I'm quite surprised that Brother Zheng was able to find this lake so quickly!"

Fu Panxia made angry, panting noises, sounding more like a wild beast than a human.

Gu Yanzheng's gaze fell on Professor Qi, who was in the distance instructing his students on their research: "Thanks to Professor Qi for selecting the three most suitable locations for the resurrection ceremony, the first, second, and third teams worked overtime for free, all guarding their respective locations. I was very lucky to have met you."

Feeling the leader's concerned gaze, Shen Zhenzhu looked around shyly and said, "Actually, I wasn't right either. I acted on my own. But I missed my chance, and I might not be able to save Fu Shengnan and Du Jun. You can criticize me, but please go somewhere where no one is around, okay?"

Even junior officials have to save face.

Gu Yanzheng was amused by her. Looking at Chen Zhenzhu, who was wearing his large olive green coat, he reached out and ruffled her hair. "I won't criticize you, I'm just a little worried. But what you said just now is very true. No one has the right to allow others to hurt you. I misspoke in a moment of panic. I apologize to you. With your words, I feel at ease wherever I go."

"Of course, I love myself the most." Not only did she avoid being criticized by her boss, but she also received an apology from him. Chen Zhenzhu said smugly, "But don't apologize, I know you won't allow it."

"Report, two... female corpses were found in the basement." A young policeman looked extremely pale. After saying this, he didn't bother to ask Gu Yanzheng any questions and ran to the corner to vomit.

Two?

Shen Zhenzhu could roughly guess what it was, and exchanged a glance with Gu Yanzheng. Gu Yanzheng called another police officer to take Fu Panxia away, while he and Shen Zhenzhu went to the basement.

The cold, damp basement was covered in white tiles from floor to ceiling, and the 40-square-meter space had a pungent smell of formaldehyde.

Nearly half of the space is occupied by a concrete pool. On the other side is a women's goods counter, which contains all kinds of wigs, dresses, underwear, high heels and so on.

The yellowish formalin liquid sloshed slightly in the cement pool. Chen Zhenzhu took the mask from Lu Xiaobao and immediately handed one to Gu Yanzheng.

Gu Yanzheng took it and said softly, "Thank you." The mask covered half of his face, but it couldn't hide his cool and handsome appearance.

Qin An and his men first pulled out a "female corpse" and placed it on a transparent plastic sheet. The head belonged to an actress in an arts troupe, adorned with fashionable eyeliner and lip liner. Below the head was a naked, obese, and greasy torso with an appendectomy scar on the abdomen. The upper limbs were slender and fair like a young girl's, while the lower limbs were robust, with a palm-sized burn mark on the left leg, and the feet were thick, likely exceeding size 40.

The joints were roughly sewn with medical-grade catgut, and the swollen, whitish skin of the flesh turned pale through the stitches, revealing ghastly flesh buds.

"Both of the assembled corpses had their eyes gouged out." Qin An had the second "female corpse" retrieved, and said with a look of utter despair, "Judging by appearances, there are more than ten victims."

The other body was even more horrifying than the one before them, a hideous doll hastily pieced together as if in a fit of rage. The cuts on the neck were of varying depths, and the stark white cervical vertebrae stood out abruptly to one side. The woman, whose face was rotting, still wore gold earrings, which, judging from their style, were from many years ago.

The torso looked as if it had been violently cut off from someone else's body. The left chest was flat, with skin covered in bruises and horseshoe burns, while the right side was fair and full, with the chest cruelly dissected open, the ribs sticking out one by one, and the abdomen stuffed with blackened hospital sterile gauze.

His limbs were uneven, his left hand was painted with bright red nail polish, his right hand was rough and dark, and his palm had thick calluses...

Overwhelmed by the countless images, Shen Zhenzhu took a few steps back. Soon, a warm and lively body approached from behind, and a large hand comforted her back: "Are you alright?"

Shen Zhenzhu glanced away, trying to reject the cruel dismemberment scene in the Heavenly Eye's recollection, and turned her gaze to the cement pool, where she saw a few strands of long hair floating on the formalin liquid.

Someone in the room let out a deep sigh.

"Boss! Fu Panxia tried to bite her tongue to commit suicide but was restrained!" Zhou Chuanxi ran downstairs and gasped when he saw the "female corpse" on the ground: "What kind of monster is this!"

Gu Yanzheng said, "It's all Fu Panxia's doing!"

Despite her headache, Shen Zhenzhu followed him into the yard. She saw a pool of blood on the ground in the backyard, and Zhao Qiqi stuffed a cotton glove into Fu Panxia's mouth.

Fu Panxia sobbed through incomprehensible words, letting out screams from her throat.

"Take him to the hospital," Gu Yanzheng said, frowning. "Don't let him die like this."

Fu Panxia's bloodshot eyes stared at Chen Zhenzhu, his neck convulsing and shaking wildly. Zhao Qiqi couldn't hold him down in time and made him spit out the cotton glove from his mouth. He heard him mumble with half of his tongue sticking out, "It's all your fault...*...&%...&It's all your fault!!"

Shen Zhenzhu didn't even look at him, and turned away.

***

"Wow, this has caused quite a stir in society." A few days later, Lu Ye read aloud from the newspaper to Shen Zhenzhu and the others in his office: "'This case involves serial murders committed by individuals with dual personality disorder, and will face multiple challenges in terms of law, medicine, and social understanding.'"

Zhou Chuanxi has also been studying the nature of the case these past few days. Pointing to the article of the Criminal Law, he said: "'A mentally ill person who causes harmful consequences when unable to recognize or control their own behavior, and whose actions are confirmed through legal procedures, shall not bear criminal responsibility.'"

As soon as he finished speaking, a discussion broke out in the office.

Zhao Qiqi had witnessed the scene of the reassembled corpses and knew that Fu Panxia had also coveted Pearl's brains. She said angrily, "So how can he get away with harming so many people? Pearl was almost killed by him. If Pearl hadn't been smart, the consequences would have been unimaginable!"

Shen Zhenzhu waved for him to sit down and said to Zhou Chuanxi, "Brother Xi, look at the next clause: 'Intermittent mental patients who commit crimes while mentally sound should bear criminal responsibility.' In Fu Panxia's case, if his primary personality, 'Fu Panxia,' refused to commit the murder and did not participate in the crime while in control of the body, he might have escaped the law. But he not only participated, he was the mastermind. Let's treat him and 'Fenfen' as two separate individuals. Their involvement in the murder and dismemberment constitutes a conspiracy, and they can be sentenced to death with immediate execution."

Wu Zhongguo, with his experience, discussed while holding a teacup: "I also think it will be the death penalty. There is still a societal misconception about crimes committed by mentally ill people. Many law enforcement officers think they are faking their insanity, and some ignorant people have been brainwashed by media reports, believing that they are possessed by evil spirits. But no matter what, the fact of serial killings exists, the number of victims is more than ten, and he even targeted a deputy section chief in the public security system. He deserves to die."

"In cases of murder committed by mentally ill individuals, different judgments can be made due to differences in judicial understanding. I've spoken with colleagues from the procuratorate, and they want to prosecute them on the grounds of 'antisocial personality disorder.' In fact, both Fu Panxia and 'Fenfen' exhibit antisocial tendencies, so prosecuting them in this way is not a bad approach." Gu Yanzheng put down his newspaper. These past few days, the case has been the talk of the town, and the provincial department has also inquired about it several times.

“It’s almost the end of the year, and another year has been tough. No matter how he defends himself, he can’t escape the death penalty.” Shen Zhenzhu said with certainty, “Even if we are strict with the execution of the death penalty now, those two pieced-together corpses and their families will not let him escape easily. In the end, everyone has done their best. Let’s live the rest of our lives well.”

"Is Shen Zhenzhu here?" A young woman holding flowers stood at the entrance of the Criminal Investigation Team and said hesitantly, "Section Chief Shen? Someone bought flowers and asked me to deliver them."

"No!" Shen Zhenzhu darted behind Gu Yanzheng, tugging at his clothes and saying, "Quick, quick, help me refuse!"

"Once bitten by a snake, twice shy," Lu Ye said, walking over and taking the flowers from the girl's hand. "Who sent these?"

The florist, blushing as she handed over the flowers, noticed everyone in the office staring at her. "A lady surnamed Du said you saved her."

"Okay, thank you." Lu Ye held the bouquet and smelled it, then turned to Shen Zhenzhu and said, "It's Du Jun."

"Whether it's Du Jun, Zhang Jun, or Li Jun, please don't bring the flowers over, they're giving me the creeps." Shen Zhenzhu hid behind Gu Yanzheng, his tall figure completely obscuring her.

Gu Yanzheng couldn't help but chuckle at Lu Ye's pathetic appearance. He gestured to Lu Ye and said, "Send it to Director Liu's office. He always says he envies our nice office environment. Let him enjoy the fragrance of flowers too."

Lu Ye walked up to Shen Zhenzhu's crystal vase, about to remove the flowers inside, when Shen Zhenzhu and Gu Yanzheng exclaimed in unison, "Don't move!"

Gu Yanzheng turned around, pulled out the junior cadre, and asked in a low voice, "Aren't you afraid of this?"

Chen Zhenzhu said softly, "There's definitely nothing wrong with what Brother Zheng bought."

Gu Yanzheng paused for a moment, then said to Lu Ye expressionlessly, "Take your dirty hands off."

Lu Ye opened his palm and said, "Why do flowers have to be divided into different grades? I know it was a gift from the boss, so I won't throw it away. I'll just tease her."

Zhao Qiqi asked naively, "Who did Brother Zheng give it to?"

Gu Yanzheng looked at him as if he were a fool. Wu Zhongguo, carrying a golden-edged gladiolus, walked between them with a smile and said, "They're all for me. Right, Captain Gu?"

Gu Yanzheng gritted his teeth, turned around and left.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Pearl: Brother Zheng really respects Uncle Wu! [Let me see...]

See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope!

***

Per sanguuinem......quoting and translating Dante's Divine Comedy.

Intermittent mental illness patients... This chapter cites articles from the Criminal Law, and has been modified with reference to Criminal Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, and online sources.