Chapter 88, Fourth Stage

When Xiao Wang entered the office, he saw Xu Zhi lying on the chair, sleeping with his head tilted to one side.

The computer screen was still lit, and the notebook was filled with densely packed clues and analyses, including criminal motives, behavioral patterns, comfort zones, psychological activities, and even profiles of the murderer's age and height.

Xu Zhi used to enjoy chatting with others, but now he hardly speaks at all. He has become silent and reserved, and his workload is at its maximum, spending almost 24 hours a day investigating cases.

Xiao Wang was a little worried. If things continued like this, he was afraid that Xu Zhi would exhaust himself before he could catch the murderer.

"Captain Xu, go back and rest for a bit," Xiao Wang said softly as he walked to his side.

Xu Zhi rubbed his eyes and yawned: "What time is it?"

"It's almost noon," Xiao Wang said. "You've been working overtime for ten hours straight. Go eat something and go back to sleep. Your health is the most important thing."

Xu Zhi glanced at the bottom of the computer screen and saw that it was indeed eleven o'clock.

He rubbed his temples helplessly, feeling a sharp pain. He unconsciously grabbed the cup on the table, staggered to his feet, and said, "I'll go make myself a cup of coffee."

Just as he stood up, he lost his footing and staggered involuntarily. Xiao Wang, who was next to him, quickly reached out to support him: "I'll go to the bar for you, you rest for a while."

"Okay, thank you for your trouble." Xu Zhi was exhausted, but managed a weak smile.

Xiao Wang sighed helplessly, his heart filled with worry for Xu Zhi. He hesitated for a moment, then finally picked up the warm coffee cup and slowly walked towards the coffee machine in the corner.

Xu Zhi sat in a chair, sunlight streaming in through the gaps in the blinds, and his eyes squinted slightly.

I just felt a sudden dizziness and headache.

He took two vitamin pills out of his pocket and swallowed them. Only after the bitter taste slowly subsided did he feel a little more awake. He didn't know what was wrong with him these past two days; he was always feeling sleepy.

Just then, the office door was gently pushed open.

Yuan Jianhua walked in and saw Xu Zhi sitting in a chair in a daze. He sighed and couldn't help but ask, "Did you stay up late again last night?"

Xu Zhi looked up and forced a smile: "I originally planned to go home in the middle of the night, but somehow I fell asleep."

Yuan Jianhua looked at his tired face and sighed, "I'll go make you a cup of coffee."

"No need, Xiao Wang has already made it for me."

"Didn't Xiao Wang take the day off today?" Yuan Jianhua looked at him in surprise.

“I just saw…” Xu Zhi hadn’t finished speaking when he looked at the empty coffee machine in the corner and the cups on the table.

He was stunned for a moment.

He clearly remembered that Xiao Wang was just here a moment ago.

Why did they suddenly disappear?

Seeing his condition, Yuan Jianhua frowned, walked to the coffee machine, poured him a cup, and gently placed it on his desk: "I'll approve a week's leave for you. Go back and get some rest. If this continues, I'm worried about your health."

Xu Zhi picked up his coffee cup and took a small sip: "I'm fine."

Yuan Jianhua looked at him quietly: "Your condition is no longer suitable for continuing to work."

Xu Zhi smiled and said, "I know what I'm doing, don't worry."

Seeing this, Yuan Jianhua couldn't say anything more, so he could only shake his head helplessly and leave, then go outside to make a phone call.

After he left, Xu Zhicai refocused his attention on the computer, picked up his cup and took another sip. The dark liquid, with a slightly bitter taste, spread across his tongue.

Time slips away unnoticed.

In the afternoon, Xiao Wang hurriedly walked into the office and was surprised to see Xu Zhi still working: "Captain Xu, you're still here?"

Xu Zhi looked up, his eyes showing some fatigue: "You've come at the right time. I just remembered some details and wanted to go back to the hotel crime scene to take another look."

"Captain Xu, how about I take you home to rest for a bit? We can talk about the crime scene after you've calmed down. If this continues, your body might not break down, but mine will." Xiao Wang said helplessly. He had finally gotten a day off, but then Director Yuan called him back to work. He felt like he was Xu Zhi's full-time caretaker, running back and forth almost non-stop.

"I'm fine," Xu Zhi said calmly.

Brother, I need to speak with you!

Xiao Wang could only mutter these words to himself. He knew Xu Zhi's stubbornness and understood that persuading him at this moment would be of little use. This personality was almost exactly the same as his master, Bai Xiao.

"Okay, I'll go get the car then." Xiao Wang sighed, and despite his reluctance, he took the car keys and turned to leave.

As the car drove out of the police station, the trees on both sides of the street shimmered green in the sunlight, but Xu Zhi's gaze remained fixed on the road ahead, as if he were thinking about something.

"Captain Xu, what are you thinking about?" Xiao Wang glanced at him out of the corner of his eye and asked cautiously, trying to ease the oppressive atmosphere through discussion.

“The case of Zhao Qiangdong and Lu Yao is not simple,” Xu Zhi said.

"Didn't you analyze it earlier? Both victims were psychopaths, and the killer's actions were like those of a righteous judge, using crime to judge criminals," Xiao Wang said.

Xu Zhi nodded slightly, his tone calm: "He's not judging criminals, he's hunting."

"Hunting?" Xiao Wang looked at him with some doubt.

Xu Zhi nodded: "When a wild animal is hungry, it needs to hunt to fill its stomach. The murderer is an addict, and whenever his addiction kicks in, he also needs to hunt. From the perspective of criminal psychology, the psychological pattern of this kind of murderer has three stages: change, evolution, and adaptation."

“The first stage of criminals is often timid and cautious, and they only commit crimes in their comfort zone. After the cooling-off period, they will enter the second stage, change locations, and commit crimes randomly. At this time, the methods of committing crimes tend to be artistic and ritualistic, and the frequency of killing is relatively high. When they reach the third stage and gradually adapt, they will hide for a long time and commit crimes again after several years or ten years.”

"But neither of these two cases showed the sense of ritual you mentioned. Could it be that the murderer is still in the first stage?" Xiao Wang asked疑惑地.

“No, he has already reached the fourth stage,” Xu Zhi said calmly.

"There's a fourth stage?" Xiao Wang looked at Xu Zhi in surprise.

“It’s not mentioned in criminal psychology, but I believe it exists. You can think of it this way: crime is like leveling up in a game. As you level up, you lose experience, so you need a more powerful monster to level up. Ordinary prey is no longer enough for him; he needs more delicious and exciting prey,” Xu Zhi explained.

"I understand now. That's why he chooses to prey on his own kind. Only by hunting his own kind can he get a greater thrill." Xiao Wang suddenly realized.

Xu Zhi remained silent, his gaze fixed straight ahead.

It is terrifyingly profound.