Chapter 25 Born a Bad Seed

Evening self-study session ended.

Lu Chi boarded the bus.

Today's classes left him feeling somewhat exhausted. He's too hyperactive and doesn't like noisy places, especially during morning and evening self-study sessions, where the constant chatter is quite irritating.

At lunchtime, he preferred to stay in the quiet classroom rather than the noisy cafeteria.

Even if he sits alone, at least his ears are at peace. Such a choice might seem a bit eccentric to outsiders, but it doesn't matter to him.

Only in that specific environment can he feel a sense of satisfaction.

He is a man of few words, and has been so since childhood.

As a result, he didn't start speaking until he was three years old, and even when he was five, he still stuttered and couldn't even pronounce simple sentences fluently.

It wasn't until he was sent to school and watched cartoons with other children his age in kindergarten, where everyone was laughing heartily at the cat and mouse, that things changed.

He stood alone in the corner, staring blankly at the screen, his expression one of utter bewilderment.

He didn't understand why they were laughing.

Shouldn't it be exciting when a cat catches a mouse?

Her little heart was filled with confusion.

Later, his parents took him to see many doctors, who all said it was a congenital defect. He couldn't have emotions like other people, and he couldn't understand other people's emotions.

Everything changed after that.

His parents looked at him like he was a monster, and his classmates all kept their distance from him, treating him as an oddball.

Is it just because he can't smile?

If that's the case, then he has already learned to laugh.

Does that prove he's not a monster?

Lu Chi sat leaning against the car window, looking at his reflection in the glass. After a long while, a stiff, faint smile appeared on his lips.

...

Bai Xiao gradually snapped out of his daze, looking at the windowpane.

He looked down at the cigarette that had already burned out in his hand.

Before he knew it, he had been standing there for half an hour.

Bai Xiao rubbed his temples, turned around and went into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and rinsed his face with cold water to clear his head.

When he returned to his seat, Xu Zhi walked in carrying takeout and placed a box of fried noodles on the table: "Master, time for a midnight snack!"

Bai Xiao glanced down at his watch, wiped the water off his hands with a tissue, and said casually, "27 minutes and 34 seconds, two and a half minutes faster than last time, still passable."

"Thank you, Master!" Xu Zhi couldn't wait to open the lid, pick up a mouthful of fried noodles, and stuff it into his mouth: "Hmm... Master, as you instructed, I took Lu Yao's phone to the technical department for investigation. She has been in frequent contact with someone named 'Past Events with the Wind' recently, and this 'Past Events with the Wind' transfers money to her every few days. The words he says reveal that he wants to meet her, but he has refused."

"Have you investigated 'Past Events Gone with the Wind'?" Bai Xiao asked again.

"An investigation revealed that the man's name is Zhao Qiangdong, 34 years old, from Jiangcheng, and he works as a chef at a hotel."

Bai Xiao said, "Summon him over tomorrow and ask him for details."

"I understand, Master."

Bai Xiao continued eating.

Xu Zhi suddenly remembered something and couldn't help but say, "By the way, Master, there's something I need to report to you. The technical department found some videos of animal cruelty on the victim's phone, and I made a copy of them."

"Let me see."

"No, Master, you're eating!"

"Who am I, your master? I've seen all sorts of big scenes, why would I be afraid to watch this?" Bai Xiao said, snatching the USB drive from Xu Zhi's hand, plugging it into the computer, and then pressing the play button.

The video was shot from a very tricky angle, and the perpetrator's face was not captured. Only the tails of several stray cats were chopped off, their fur was stripped off, and their internal organs were dug out and placed next to them. The whole scene was extremely bloody and chilling.

Bai Xiao watched the video and remained silent for a long time.

Xu Zhi glanced at his expression, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "There are many more videos like this, including things like pulling teeth and gouging out eyes. The scenes are too bloody, so I won't show them to you. Although these videos don't constitute criminal offenses, they are still infuriating to watch."

He sighed and continued, "How can such a beautiful girl be so vicious! She does such inhuman things behind people's backs."

“Some people are born devils. It has nothing to do with their appearance, but it has a direct relationship with their genes,” Bai Xiao said indifferently.

Xu Zhi immediately replied, "I know that. Weiwei told me about it. Medically, it's called supermale syndrome, also known as XYY syndrome."

As we all know, the chromosomes of ordinary men are XY, and the chromosomes of ordinary women are XX. In rare cases, the two chromosomes can undergo gene mutations, resulting in an extra chromosome compared to the average person. This is also called XYY syndrome or XXX syndrome.

According to the Merck Manual of Clinical Practice, children with both syndromes do not have typical symptoms. They are no different from normal people in terms of intelligence, but they have some emotional impairments, weaker language skills, and are unable to control their emotions normally, often experiencing anxiety, depression, irritability, etc.

They are born devils, with a destructive urge from a young age.

The parents of such children must discipline them strictly, otherwise they will inevitably become dangerous elements in society when they grow up.

“There’s a high probability that criminal genes are inherited from parents. Go investigate Lu Yao’s family situation tomorrow,” Bai Xiao said.

"You mean a revenge killing?" Xu Zhi's eyes lit up immediately.

If Lu Yao's parents have criminal records, then this is very likely a meticulously planned revenge killing. After all, similar cases have occurred in China, where a mother was beaten to death, her son endured it for twenty years, and then on New Year's Eve, he murdered the entire family of three who were his enemies.

Xu Zhi thought about it more and more and felt that it was possible, and couldn't help but sigh: "It has to be my master, who can wake me up from my dream."

Now there are two more clues.

One possibility is that Zhao Qiangdong, whom the victim chatted with online, was involved in a crime of passion; the other possibility is that the victim's parents had criminal records, which could indicate a revenge killing.

Both had criminal motives!

"Alright, you should go back and get some rest!" Bai Xiao waved his hand.

“Master, I feel full of energy right now. How about I watch the surveillance footage with you for a while longer?” Xu Zhi said excitedly.

"I've never seen you this enthusiastic before?" Bai Xiao glanced at him.

"Hehe, isn't it because I was worried that you, Master, would get tired?" Xu Zhi said with a fawning smile.

Bai Xiao said irritably, "Stop flattering me and get lost. Don't be late for me tomorrow morning!"

"Yes, sir!" Xu Zhi immediately straightened his back, saluted, and retreated with a grin.

Bai Xiao smiled helplessly, ate a couple of bites of rice, and continued to stare at the monitor on the computer screen.