Chapter 136 New Case: Serial Murders
Sun Wei's sobs gradually subsided, replaced by a feeling of utter exhaustion and deep confusion. Leaning against Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu, she resembled a frightened young animal that had finally found its den. Her body was no longer trembling violently, but her eyes remained vacant as she stared into the distance, as if she didn't know where to go next or how to survive.
Jiang Ling gently patted her back, but her heart was far from as calm as it appeared.
She knew that pulling Sun Wei back from the brink of death was only the first step in a long journey. The psychological control exerted by parents with NPD is like a deep-seated ulcer, and traditional, gentle psychological counseling is like wiping a deep, constantly bleeding wound with gauze—too slow to take effect, and may even backfire because the counselor does not have a deep understanding of the nature of NPD.
This can't go on.
Jiang Ling had previously thought that the Municipal Bureau had done enough, but now it seemed that Sun Wei needed more than simple comfort and encouragement. She needed to understand from a cognitive perspective that what her parents gave her was not love, but a pathological control and exploitation.
Jiang Ling looked up at Zheng Yu: "It seems I'll have to trouble you again."
Zheng Yu recalled Jiang Ling's tireless efforts to help Xiao Yu, and nodded emphatically: "Tell me what to do, and I'll cooperate!"
"Let her stay at your place first, is that convenient?" Jiang Ling decided decisively. "Your home has a good atmosphere, let her experience firsthand what normal family interaction is like, what healthy parental love is like. That's more effective than a thousand or ten thousand words from us."
“No problem!” Zheng Yu agreed without hesitation. “My mother-in-law Liangliang has gone back to her hometown, and her room is empty. My husband will definitely welcome her!”
In the days that followed, Jiang Ling personally participated in Sun Wei's psychological reconstruction process. She did not adopt the traditional listening and empathy model, but rather acted more like a calm analyst.
She found paper and pen, and together with Sun Wei, they wrote down one by one the classic controlling statements and belittling behaviors of her father, Sun Guodong.
Jiang Ling pointed to the statement "Those who can't get into Tsinghua or Peking University are useless," and said calmly, "This is an absolute and catastrophic assessment. How many students do Tsinghua and Peking University admit each year? How many candidates are there nationwide? If you can't get in, you're useless? Does that mean 99.9% of the people in this world are useless? Does that make sense?"
Sun Wei bit her lip and shook her head.
"Then why did he say that?" Jiang Ling guided her. "Is it because he genuinely cares about your future, or because your 'failure' touched his fragile narcissistic heart, which is so sensitive to any flaws that it makes him unable to boast to outsiders, thus causing him to feel angry?"
Sun Wei remained silent, a hint of struggle flashing in her eyes.
Jiang Ling then pointed to the line, "Changing clothes and locking the door means you're keeping an eye on me; you have something to hide."
“Protecting personal privacy is a basic right of everyone, and it is protected by law. Why is it a crime in your father’s eyes? Is it because he really thinks you shouldn’t have privacy, or is it because he can’t tolerate any thoughts or actions of you that are outside his control? What he needs is not a daughter, but an appendage that is completely transparent to him and absolutely obedient.”
...
One incident after another. With calm, almost cruel words, Jiang Ling peeled away the layers of poisonous bullets wrapped in the sugar coating of "for your own good" from Sun Guodong, revealing the ugly core of control within.
Admitting that her parents didn't love her was an extremely painful process for Sun Wei, like pulling out a thorn that had grown into her flesh. But after the pain, the deep-seated confusion and self-blame in her heart began to loosen little by little.
Meanwhile, at Zheng Yu's home, Sun Wei experienced a completely different life.
Zheng Yu's husband is a gentle, middle-aged engineer. He cares whether Sun Wei is eating well, whether she is cold at night, and chats with her about interesting things from her university life. His eyes show the normal care of an elder, without any scrutiny or demands. Zheng Yu will go grocery shopping and cook with her, and will be genuinely happy when she eats an extra bowl of rice. He will patiently talk to her when she wakes up from a nightmare.
Zheng Yu and her husband occasionally bicker over trivial matters, but they quickly make up and respect each other.
This calm, warm family atmosphere, full of respect and a sense of boundaries, slowly shone into Sun Wei's frozen heart like sunshine. For the first time, she realized that parents and children didn't have to be so hysterical; that love wasn't about exchange or control, but simply wanting the other person to be well.
One evening, Sun Wei watched Zheng Yu and her husband bickering and laughing over the TV remote. Suddenly, she whispered to Jiang Ling, who was sitting next to her, "Sister Ling, I think... I understand now. It turns out, it really wasn't my fault."
Jiang Ling watched the light gradually ignite in her eyes, knowing that the difficult process that had made her face reality had finally succeeded.
Only by recognizing the real problems and abandoning unrealistic fantasies can strength grow from within.
Not long after, the admission letter from Hunan University arrived at Zheng Yu's home. Sun Wei held the heavy envelope, not overjoyed, but with an unusual calm and determination.
She took the initiative to tell Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu, "I want to go back and settle things with them. Not to beg for their approval, but to tell them my decision."
Accompanied by Zheng Yu and a policewoman, Sun Wei returned to that suffocating home. She remained unusually calm in the face of Sun Guodong's rage and Li Shufen's tears.
"Dad, Mom, I've been accepted into Hunan University. Here's the acceptance letter. I'll go to school, apply for a loan for tuition, and earn my own living expenses by working part-time."
Sun Guodong immediately exploded: "You dare! You think you're all grown up now? You're not going anywhere without my permission! You even dare to take out a loan? Are we broke? You're a disgrace to me!"
Li Shufen cried as she reached for her hand, saying, "Weiwei, don't be stubborn. It's not like we don't have the money to support you. Why do this..."
Sun Wei gently but firmly brushed her mother's hand away, looked directly at her furious father, and spoke in a low voice, but with an unprecedented power.
“I’m not here to ask for your consent, I’m here to inform you. I’m an adult now, and the law gives me the right to decide my own life. You gave me life and raised me, and I’m grateful. But this gratitude shouldn’t be repaid with my life and happiness. The pain you’ve given me far outweighs the joy. When you get old, I will send money back on time to fulfill my filial duty, but other than that, please don’t interfere too much in my life. Let’s each go our own way.”
After saying this, she bowed deeply, then resolutely turned and left the home where she had lived for eighteen years but had never felt true warmth. Behind her were Sun Guodong's roars as he smashed things and Li Shufen's desperate cries, but those sounds could no longer shake her resolute heart.
At the end of August, watching Sun Wei drag her suitcase and walk step by step toward the ticket gate of the train station, Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu stood in the crowd and did not go up to disturb her.
"Can she handle it?" Zheng Yu was still a little worried.
“Yes, she will.” Jiang Ling’s gaze followed the shrinking figure, her tone certain. “She is more resilient than we imagine. Severing emotional ties with parents will be painful, but it is the only path to freedom.”
Jiang Ling and Zheng Yu exchanged a glance, both seeing blessings in each other's eyes.
By getting rid of her NPD-stricken parents, Sun Wei will surely have a bright and promising life that truly belongs to her.
--
September arrived quickly.
In September, Yancheng was immersed in the joy and busy preparations for the 50th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. Red lanterns and banners began to be hung along the streets, festive posters were pasted in shop windows, and the melody of "Singing for the Motherland" could be faintly heard in the air.
However, an indescribable chill quietly began to grow in a corner of the city and quickly spread.
In the western part of the city, far from the hustle and bustle of the city center, a huge garbage transfer station emits a foul odor.
At 5:30 a.m., as dawn broke, a thin mist mixed with dust and a strong stench filled the air. Old Li, the earliest-arriving sanitation worker, prepared to begin his day's sorting and cleaning.
He drove his small transfer vehicle toward the mountain of garbage. The headlights pierced the dimness, illuminating the haphazardly piled waste. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to an unusual color next to a pile of black plastic bags—an unnatural, stiff paleness.
Curiosity drove him to move closer.
The next second, it felt as if all the blood in his body froze instantly!
That wasn't a plastic mannequin, it was a person! A nearly naked young woman, abandoned next to a garbage dump in an extremely distorted and unnatural pose.
Her eyes were wide open in terror, her pupils already dilated, yet frozen in the boundless fear of her final moments. Her pale skin was covered in filth, but even more jarring were the crisscrossing, deep, bone-revealing wounds—mainly concentrated on her chest and abdomen. The edges of the wounds were rough and everted, not like those caused by a sharp blade, but rather as if they had been frantically cut and stabbed by some heavy, crude tool. Large patches of dark red scabs and grime surrounded the wounds, clearly indicating a massive amount of bleeding.
Old Li felt a churning in his stomach, vomited with a "whoosh," his legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground, his teeth chattering, screaming as he scrambled to his feet, "Dead...dead! Murder—"
A piercing scream shattered the silence of the early morning.
The scene was quickly cordoned off by police officers from the local police station who rushed to the scene. Then, members of the Criminal Investigation Detachment's First Brigade, along with the Technical Team and forensic doctors, arrived. Even these veteran detectives, accustomed to various crime scenes, were still taken aback by the sight before them.
The lights from the technical team illuminated the filthy place brightly. Taking photos, recording videos, setting up warning lines... the procedures were carried out methodically, but everyone's face was unusually solemn.
"This is terrible!" The young forensic assistant couldn't help but turn his head away.
Forensic pathologist Lao Chen squatted beside the body, his brow furrowed, carefully examining it: "The time of death was probably between 10 pm last night and 1 am this morning. The fatal wound was likely this blow to the heart, but the method of the attack..."
He paused, then pointed to the wounds: "Look, the edges of the wounds are very irregular, the depths are different, and the angles are chaotic. The killer definitely didn't use a professional knife; it looks like some kind of makeshift tool. We can't confirm exactly what kind of tool it was, but judging from the wounds, the tool wasn't sharp. The attack showed a clear tendency towards excessive killing, filled with anger and catharsis. There were ligature marks on the wrists, ankles, and neck, and some skin was peeled off. The body was severely dehydrated, suggesting that the victim was imprisoned and subjected to inhuman torture before the attack."
The head of the technical team added, "The traces at the scene were very well preserved. In addition to the victim's, we also extracted at least two clear shoe prints that did not belong here, size 44, with the pattern of a sneaker sole, next to the body. There were also messy drag marks and several fingerprints that appeared to be left by the murderer. The murderer seemed to be in a hurry, or rather, very unprofessional, but extremely cruel."
When Lei Xiao arrived at the scene, he was met with this hellish sight and the preliminary investigation results. His face was ashen, and he issued the order: "Strictly control the flow of information! The technicians must dig three feet into the ground to find the evidence! The interview team, using this place as the center, should reach out to everyone who might have seen or heard anything unusual! Damn it, this has to happen before National Day..."
The news was kept under control within a very small circle, but horrifying rumors such as "a skinned female corpse was found at the garbage station in the west of the city" still spread quietly in a small area, adding a subtle unease to the joyous atmosphere of the whole city welcoming the National Day.
Just two days later, this unease turned into actual panic.
The second case occurred in an abandoned park in the eastern suburbs.
The victim was a night school student who was taking a shortcut home at night. Her abdomen had been repeatedly stabbed, showing signs of rupture, with some internal organs missing, and the wounds were numerous and haphazard. The body was partially covered under fallen leaves, a hasty and careless attempt to conceal it. Hair not belonging to the victim, a pile of vomit, and a crushed, cheap plastic lighter were found at the scene.
Before the police could sort out the clues, on the third night, the third case occurred deep in a shantytown in the north of the city that was slated for demolition.
A female factory worker was attacked while walking home alone at night in an alley without streetlights. The victim also died a gruesome death, with a deep cut to her neck, almost decapitated, but the knife was clearly not sharp enough, leaving a horrific jagged wound.
The scene also contained messy footprints, a cheap button that may have fallen off during the struggle, and half a blurry palm print.
Unlike the previous two cases, there were some symbols written in blood next to the body. The characters were distorted and messy, with several large "X"s drawn on them, making it impossible to see what they meant.
Three murders within a week! All victims were women walking alone at night! The methods of death were extremely cruel.
This time, the news could no longer be kept secret.
"Another one! I heard he died an even more gruesome death!"
"They specifically target women who are alone at night!"
"Was it done by the same person?"
"I heard they skinned people, disemboweled them, and beheaded them. It's terrifying! Don't go out tonight!"
Panic spread like wildfire among the citizens, especially among women.
As evening approached, the number of pedestrians on the street decreased significantly, and women were even fewer. Taxi and motorcycle taxi business suddenly picked up, but the drivers were also on edge, fearing they might be murdered if they went out at night.
Various versions of the rumors spread through word of mouth, public telephones, and even the newly emerging online chat rooms and BBS forums, embellished and exaggerated.
"A deranged serial killer," "a woman-killer," "a foreigner," "the police are helpless"... These words hung over Yancheng like a dark cloud, washing away the festive atmosphere before National Day and replacing it with fear and suspicion that permeated the entire city.
Reporters from newspapers and television stations began to camp out in front of the Municipal Public Security Bureau every day, demanding an explanation. The victim's family, dressed in mourning clothes, knelt in front of the Municipal Government building, crying out for justice and demanding retribution. Calls from higher-ups came one after another, their language increasingly harsh, the pressure to solve the case within a limited time weighing heavily on the hearts of every police officer involved.
The conference room of the Criminal Investigation Division was filled with smoke, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe. The blackboard was covered with information about three cases, the clues a jumbled mess, seemingly pointing in a certain direction, yet always shrouded in mystery.
Lei Xiao's eyes were bloodshot, and his voice was hoarse from staying up late and anxiety.
"Let's start by analyzing the existing evidence. The shoe prints were compared; they're from the most common type of canvas shoe and a sports shoe, with huge sales volume, making it impossible to trace. The fingerprints and palm prints are incomplete; the data center did a comparison, but there were no results. It's possible the perpetrator has no prior criminal record, or it could be a case of itinerant crime that we don't have in our database, or the fingerprints might be too unclear to be compared. Buttons and lighters are the most ordinary items, their origins are untraceable. In short... even the technical team and the data center are currently at a loss!"
Lei Xiao gritted his teeth and said, "The garbage station in the west of the city, the abandoned park in the eastern suburbs, and the shantytown in the north of the city—the crime scenes are hundreds of miles apart, seemingly scattered and without any discernible pattern. What exactly is the murderer trying to do? What is his motive? Will he continue to commit crimes? When will he strike? Where will he strike? We've investigated for four days and found nothing!"
Traditional investigations and door-to-door inquiries are like searching for a needle in a haystack, progressing very slowly in a vast sea of people and with no discernible pattern to the perpetrator's behavior. Every minute of delay increases the risk of finding the next victim and intensifies public panic.
Lei Xiao slammed his hand on the table, making the ashtray jump. "We're like headless flies, running around everywhere without a single clue about the killer. National Day is just around the corner. If another case breaks out then... how can I face this police uniform? How can we explain this to the people!"
He was panting heavily as his gaze swept over the tired and anxious faces in the conference room.
We must seize the time and use all our resources to find the murderer who created panic and harmed three women from the vast sea of people!
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