Chapter 97 A Case from Ten Years Ago

Another sudden downpour.

Raindrops hit the ground, splashing up in sprays.

Xu Zhi and Xiao Wang stood under the eaves to take shelter from the rain. Xiao Wang handed Xu Zhi a tissue, looked up at the dark sky, and said with emotion, "This rain is like the sky is falling."

Xu Zhi took the tissue and wiped his wet fingers: "On rainy days, the probability of murder increases, so we need to be mentally prepared."

"You mean, the murderer will commit another crime?" Xiao Wang looked at Xu Zhi in surprise.

"Judging from the evolution of the modus operandi, the killer's behavior pattern is in the second active phase. I just checked the weather forecast, and there will be no rain for the next two weeks. Today's rain is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him, and he will not miss this opportunity to celebrate."

Xu Zhi frowned, his gaze fixed intently on the distant rain curtain.

A perfect ending is true art; what just happened was at best a half-finished product.

This is not just a murder case, but a meticulously planned provocation. The killer chose this location and this method to let him know that the game has only just begun.

He was also very curious about what kind of surprise the killer would bring him next.

Xiao Wang gritted his teeth and cursed, "Damn it, does he think human life is just like livestock? I'm going to catch him and sentence him to death, so he'll know the fear of death."

"It's useless. The purpose of criminal law is to make perpetrators realize their mistakes and reform themselves. Even if you catch this kind of devil, he will be indifferent to life and death. Trying to punish him from a legal perspective is a joke."

Xiao Wang clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking, and said in a deep voice, "Is there really nothing we can do about him? He killed so many people, tortured each one to death, and then he just walked away from this world so easily. I don't think this is the outcome the victims wanted."

Looking at Xiao Wang's angry expression, Xu Zhi's eyes showed a hint of understanding, but more so calmness: "From an emotional perspective, punishing a person's mental world is far more painful than punishing their body. For example, killing their closest person or stealing their most precious possession can make them feel more directly that living is more painful than dying."

"But from the perspective of criminal psychology, people with antisocial personality disorder do not have the ability to empathize. They can be indifferent to everything, even their physical body. So if you want to punish their mental world, you simply cannot find a starting point, at least I don't know."

After hearing this, Xiao Wang felt extremely uncomfortable.

He remembered the White Team saying these things to him before, but he didn't understand them at the time. Now he could feel the White Team's anger.

They could capture the demon, but they couldn't punish it.

This is an extremely cruel psychological test for every law enforcement officer.

"Boom!"

A bolt of lightning streaked across the clouds.

The rain was getting heavier.

Xiao Wang noticed that Xu Zhi was staring into the distance, so he asked curiously, "What are you looking at, Captain Xu?"

Xu Zhi pointed in a direction and asked, "What's that tall spire?"

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Wang said, "I remember it was an abandoned church, and there seems to have been a case about it about ten years ago."

"What case?"

"It seems to be another indiscriminate murder case. I don't remember the specifics, but I do remember that Captain Bai has been investigating this case."

Xu Zhi's gaze was fixed on the tall spire, his expression extremely solemn.

It was as if some kind of signal was drawing him there.

He turned to Xiao Wang and said, "Wait here for me, I'll go take a look."

Xiao Wang hesitated for a moment, then quickly said, "Captain Xu, the rain is so heavy and the road is slippery, it's too dangerous. Besides, that place has been abandoned for a long time, there's nothing to see there."

Xu Zhi's eyes remained firm: "I have a feeling that the murderer will replicate his inspiration in that place again."

For some reason, he had a bad feeling about it.

Without hesitation, Xu Zhi rushed into the rain without looking back.

They ran towards the church.

"Captain Xu, wait for me."

Seeing this, Xiao Wang wanted to follow, but he was soaked to the bone after only two steps, so he had to turn back, patting the water off his body and then going to the supermarket to buy an umbrella.

As I took out my wallet to pay, my phone suddenly rang.

Xiao Wang took it out and saw that it was Yuan Jianhua calling.

He pressed the answer button, and Yuan Jianhua's voice came through the phone: "What's the situation at the scene? Any new discoveries?"

Xiao Wang gave a brief report on the situation. Yuan Jianhua was silent for a while on the other end of the phone, and then said, "What about Xu Zhi? Has anything unusual happened to him lately?"

Xiao Wang sighed: "I don't know how to describe his current state. I just saw him talking to himself in the air. This is no longer just a mental abnormality, but falls into the category of schizophrenia. I think you should talk to him properly, Director Yuan. If this continues, I'm afraid things will really get out of hand."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Yuan Jianhua said again, "You've worked hard these past few days. I'll talk to him personally tomorrow and ask him to take a break for a while. He should report to me immediately if anything happens."

"Okay, I understand, Yuanju."

Xiao Wang hung up the phone, grabbed his umbrella, and rushed after Xu Zhi.

Xu Zhi's pace quickened, rain streamed down his face, and his clothes were completely soaked, but he didn't care.

Soon, he arrived at the church entrance.

The church doors were tightly shut, with rusty chains hanging from the door knockers, indicating that no one had been there for a long time.

Xu Zhi sniffed the air; there was a faint smell of blood.

His unease grew stronger.

He took a deep breath and slowly pushed open the door.

With a creak, the door hinges emitted a harsh, scraping sound.

The interior of the church was pitch black.

The damp air smelled musty, and only a few raindrops seeped in through the broken windowpane, dripping onto the floor with a crisp sound.

Xu Zhi turned on his flashlight, and the beam swept across the ground.

Suddenly, a blinding red color came into view.

It's blood.

The bloodstains were long, stretching from the entrance into the depths of the church, as if someone had dragged someone there.

The bright red color was shocking.

Xu Zhi's heart sank. He quickly squatted down, dipped his finger in the blood, and found that the blood was fresh and still warm, obviously it had just been produced.

"Am I too late?"

Xu Zhi took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and tried his best to remain calm.

The murderer is very likely still at the scene at this point.

His hand unconsciously reached for the pistol at his waist, the cool touch making him feel a little more at ease.