Chapter 010 Chapter 10
Fan Xue opened her eyes wide, and her originally lifeless eyes now stared straight at Xia Meng.
Xia Meng's figure was clearly reflected in those black eyes.
There was a lot of discussion at the scene.
Everyone found it incredible.
Defend Fan Xue, the known murderer, for his innocence?
How dare she!
At this moment, the young woman who suddenly appeared seemed to be standing against everyone present and against justice.
"Who is this person? What a big mouth!"
"Hey, is this some internet celebrity trying to attract attention and traffic?"
"Why doesn't such a pretty girl do anything?"
"Is she crazy? Why is she defending a murderer?"
Xia Meng did not respond to these people's questions.
Her gaze passed through the crowd and fell on the young girl sitting in the front row of the gallery.
Jiang Qiongran.
Jiang Qiongran stared at her with a complicated expression.
That dark look looked very similar to the one Xia Meng saw on Fan Xue's face when she first saw it.
There is a hint of madness in the calm.
Xia Meng's gaze did not stay on her face for too long and she quickly looked away.
Xia Meng walked up the stairs to the first row of the gallery and said to the presiding judge, "Your Honor, I can prove Fan Xue's innocence!"
The presiding judge was a middle-aged woman in her early forties with neat short hair, looking very capable.
Her face showed no emotion, only a slight frown as she stated, "This court has reviewed all the evidence in this case, and the suspect has already pleaded guilty."
Xia Meng replied firmly: "I can prove that she confessed to her crime while in an abnormal mental state."
When these words were spoken, many people at the scene were shocked.
"What does that mean? Is she trying to say that Fan Xue is a psychopath?"
"Damn! Can a mentally ill person get away with it?"
"What does this guy mean? He's received the money, right?"
"It's true that young people these days have no moral compass when it comes to money! Even though the evidence is overwhelming, they still want to help a murderer get away with it!"
"Hey! Do you know that you are aiding and abetting evil?!"
"This isn't fair!! How is this fair to those four innocent people who died? Huh??"
Some people even started shouting at Xia Meng.
The indignation of the crowds seemed to embolden each other, and they felt as if they were standing on a moral high ground amidst the crowd.
The prosecutor stood up, obviously having learned that Xia Meng was listed as a defense witness.
He said, "Defense witness Xia Meng, right? Experts have already conducted a forensic psychiatric evaluation on Fan Xue, proving that some of the scenes in her mental picture completely match the crime scene—"
Xia Meng interrupted him, eyes wide open, and asked, "Forensic psychiatric evaluation? What kind of evaluation?"
Prosecutor: “?”
He subconsciously lowered his head to look for the materials, only to find that the judicial psychiatric evaluation report that should have been included in the document was missing.
He turned his head in disbelief and looked at Zhou Qi from afar.
Zhou Qi spread his hands towards him innocently.
Last night, Wang Xiangyi signed and sent the judicial psychiatric evaluation report.
Zhou Qi originally planned to hand over these materials together with Fan Xue to the prosecutor this morning, but Xia Meng's message in the middle of the night made him change his mind. When handing them over, he quietly put the report down.
This report is not usually produced in court.
Unless this thing is key evidence, it is generally just used to go through the prescribed procedures.
However, if this report is actually produced as evidence in court and is later proven to be wrong, given the high level of public discussion surrounding the Fan Xue case, it would probably cause considerable trouble for Wang Xiangyi's professional reputation.
The relationship between Xia Meng and Wang Xiangyi is obvious. If someone investigates it, it will probably cause a lot of trouble for the master and apprentice.
It was Zhou Qi who invited these people and begged them for help, so he naturally couldn't just watch them being dragged into the quagmire.
Of course, before doing this, he also asked Wang Xiangyi's opinion.
Zhou Qi tapped the phone screen with his fingers.
An hour ago, he sent a message to Wang Xiangyi.
[If your assessment of Fan Xue differs from Xia Meng's, whose opinion do you think I should adopt?]
The question actually seems to be a way of just wanting to watch the fun and not mind getting involved.
Ask a teacher:
Who is more powerful, you or your apprentice?
If you two fight, who will win?
There is even a hidden meaning: Do you want to admit defeat now?
Zhou Qi could even imagine Wang Xiangyi's expression as he rolled his eyes to the sky.
After a few minutes, Wang Xiangyi replied to him:
【Wang Xiangyi: Use it if you like! 】
This old man is still very arrogant despite his age.
Zhou Qi stared at these four words and laughed, then turned around and quietly took Wang Xiangyi's report back.
In fact, he believed in Wang Xiangyi's level.
According to the formal judicial appraisal process, Wang Xiangyi's approach is completely compliant, legal, reasonable and beyond reproach.
Zhou Qi thought that perhaps this case was beyond the "rules, laws, and principles", and there were some deviations that they could not have anticipated.
In the courtroom, the presiding judge asked, "Defense witness, you want to prove that Fan Xue suffered from a mental illness and committed the crime while unable to control her behavior, correct?"
Xia Meng stood in the middle of the gallery, and everyone subconsciously kept a distance from her, as if they were afraid of having anything to do with her.
She straightened her back and answered in a clear voice, "No, I want to prove Fan Xue's innocence. The real murderer is someone else."
The scene was in uproar again.
“That’s ridiculous!”
"How is this possible?"
…
"How do you want me to help you?"
Let’s go back a few minutes.
In the ward of the guide center, Li Zhou asked softly.
Xia Meng lowered her eyes and thought for a moment, then said softly, "My testimony alone is not enough for what happened last night. I need you to come forward and testify for me. In addition—"
"I have to catch Jiang Qiongran myself."
…
The court adjourned.
The presiding judge announced that due to new developments in the case, the case needed to be returned to the Criminal Investigation Center for re-evidence collection and the trial would be postponed to another day.
Wang Xiangyi had classes in the morning, so it was already afternoon when he was taken to the Black Tower.
52nd floor, Criminal Investigation Center.
The master and disciple revisited the old place and sat in Zhou Qi's office, looking at each other in surprise.
Wang Xiangyi watched Xia Meng pour a cup of tea with a shy smile and handed it to him respectfully, and he almost laughed out of anger.
He snorted, "You're quite capable. You're skipping classes and rushing to uphold justice?"
Xia Meng reached out to pat his shoulders, looking around and saying something else: "Master, are you tired? Are you thirsty? Have some tea and take a rest."
Wang Xiangyi tilted his head and looked at her.
Xia Meng and Li Zhou have already given their statements.
They told each other everything that happened last night without reservation.
——He entered the other party’s mental picture just by using the remaining mental power.
Although this is incredible, it is not without precedent.
The records of the Black Tower recorded an instance where a senior top-level guide had entered the sentinel's mental vision with a little residual mental power.
But the other party is an A-level guide with more than 30 years of experience and strong ability.
Xia Meng was originally just a graduate student in psychiatry and psychology, and had nothing to do with the guide.
Her unexpected awakening today became an important turning point in the case.
A newly awakened guide accidentally stumbled into Fan Xue's spiritual picture.
The appearance of Li Zhou became another turning point.
He was actually brought into that mental picture by Xia Meng.
The evidence they provided was crucial.
This case took a 180-degree turn.
The murderer became an innocent person; the victim became a suspect.
…
The evidence was collected separately.
Experts from the Criminal Investigation Center compared the confessions provided by the two people, ruled out the possibility that they had colluded with each other in advance, and determined that the confessions were valid.
Wang Xiangyi was once again invited to serve as a consultant on mental illness in this case.
Zhou Qi was very polite to them. This time he did not let them go to the inquiry room, but instead asked them to stay in his office.
The atmosphere here is much more relaxed than that in the inquiry room, not as depressing and tense.
But according to the rules, video should be recorded when necessary, and audio should be recorded when necessary.
Wang Xiangyi took a sip of tea and put down the cup.
Quick decision, start right away.
Wang Xiangyi asked: "What disease do you think caused Fan Xue's mental disorder?"
Xia Meng sat up straight in front of him and answered quickly with a firm tone, "It should be a symptom similar to Stockholm syndrome."
…
Stockholm syndrome, also known as hostage identification syndrome.
It is a rare mental illness that only occurs in certain circumstances.
The psychology community has not yet officially recognized this condition, but there are indeed many documented cases of this condition.
Stockholm syndrome was named after a bank robbery in Stockholm, Sweden, in which the hostages developed an emotional identification with the robbers. This was the first record of Stockholm syndrome.
There are not many records about this disease in China.
Common causes of Stockholm syndrome usually stem from the automatic protection mechanism of the human psychology.
The patient's initial conflict, hostility, fear and terror towards the perpetrator who hurt him gradually lead to a liking for the perpetrator, sympathy and identification with the perpetrator's situation, and even an alliance with the perpetrator to form a harmonious and friendly cooperative relationship.
This is Xia Meng's judgment of Fan Xue.
Only this can explain why she took the blame for Jiang Qiongran.
Xia Meng even wrote a 5,000-word analysis report. She handed it to Wang Xiangyi and said, "Take a look first. I'll explain it to you at the same time!"
Yesterday, after that false mental picture was shattered, the shattered fragments carried her and Li Zhou into another world.
There is Fan Xue’s true spiritual picture.
There, they finally got a glimpse of the truth behind this serial murder case -
…
Fan Xue and Jiang Qiongran are both students at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. One is a sophomore in the law department, and the other is a senior in the fine arts department. They should have no connection with each other.
The turning point came two months ago when Fan Xue joined an interest group at BGI.
Jiang Qiongran and her boyfriend are also in that club, and Jiang Qiongran is the vice president.
The subsequent developments are very similar to the plots of some youth campus novels.
Beautiful school beauties naturally attract countless attention wherever they go, like the moon surrounded by stars.
Especially those eyes that should have been on Jiang Qiongran.
It’s a pity that the emotional tug-of-war between the boy and the girl in the campus story, which happened between Fan Xue and Jiang Qiongran, was interpreted as "Fatal Woman".
No one could have imagined that Jiang Qiongran was actually a serial killer hiding in the campus.
Xia Meng spoke eloquently, "Unlike the previous four cases, Jiang Qiongran planned to find a scapegoat this time. So she chose Fan Xue and kidnapped her. Then, she took advantage of Fan Xue's Stockholm syndrome and made her take the blame for her, helping her escape."
Wang Xiangyi listened quietly.
Hearing this, he suddenly asked, "How does Jiang Qiongran know that she will succeed? Can Stockholm syndrome be contracted just by wishing it? Besides, Fan Xue has received higher education, has a clear mind, and is determined. The probability of her being controlled by someone is extremely low."
Wang Xiangyi pointed out the key point very clearly.
Xia Meng was stuck.
Indeed, this is also what she can never understand.
The conditions that trigger Stockholm syndrome are very strict, basically occurring in some extreme environments.
Is Fan Xue really that easy to control?
Moreover, does Jiang Qiongran really have this ability?
Xia Meng asked herself, even though she was a psychology major, she was not so sure.
Therefore, the logical chain in this report is not very strict.
On the contrary, it is somewhat imaginative and a little immature.
Wang Xiangyi showed a profound expression. He placed Xia Meng's report on the coffee table, put his index and middle fingers together, and tapped the cover: "Think about it again."
This expression and tone were just like when Xia Meng usually asked him for advice when she encountered a difficult problem.
He never told her the answer directly, but guided her thinking and let her find the answer bit by bit.
Xia Meng blinked: "Teacher, have you come to a conclusion?"
Wang Xiangyi snorted arrogantly.
On the way here, he had already seen the evidence submitted by her and Li Zhou, and also saw the new perspective opened up by Xia Meng.
Stockholm syndrome, indeed possible.
But, that shouldn’t be entirely true.
Relying on his decades of experience in the industry, Wang Xiangyi thought two steps further and quickly came up with the correct solution.
He took out his cell phone, tapped a few times, and sent a message to Xia Meng.
That was the preliminary assessment he wrote after reading the latest information on the road.
I gave Zhou Qifa the instruction before arriving.
Xia Meng took out her cell phone and took a look.
She: "Pseudo-Stockholm syndrome caused by sentinel dependency?"
Pseudo-Stockholm syndrome?
What is sentinel dependency?
Xia Meng had two question marks in her mind.
It was obvious that this was the first time she had heard of these two terms.
She looked at her master blankly.
Wang Xiangyi didn't answer. He leisurely picked up the teacup and took a sip.
He usually doesn't answer this kind of question directly, but usually asks her to look up the information herself, so that she can have a deeper impression.
What's more, this time she was very close to the correct answer.
He believed she could figure it out on her own.
Xia Meng tacitly did not ask any further questions and simply lowered her head to check on her phone.
Wang Xiangyi's gaze fell on her, and he sighed secretly.
Just by using a tiny bit of contaminated mental power, he was able to directly break through the mental barrier between the sentinels and step into other people's mental images as if he were in an empty space.
What a terrifying talent this is?
How private is the realm of the mental landscape?
In order to protect their own spiritual realm, the sentinels will build high barriers on the periphery to block the prying and invasion of all external spiritual forces.
It's like a door.
Anyone who comes to this door must knock politely and get permission from the owner of the room before entering.
But what about her?
You can enter the house without being invited.
The key is that she is not fully awakened.
Wang Xiangyi frowned and looked at his phone.
A few minutes ago, several people contacted him at the same time. Zhou Qi and several fellow apprentices who also worked at the Black Tower sent him messages, saying that they wanted to invite Xia Meng to work at the Black Tower and hoped that he could help introduce her and say a few good words for her.
snort!
He introduced a ghost!
Wang Xiangyi thought unhappily.
Having too much talent is not necessarily a good thing.
Especially in a place like the Black Tower.
He looked at Xia Meng with complicated eyes.
If he had known this, when Zhou Qi sent people to bring them here by force yesterday, he would have let them knock her out and send her back to school.
At that time, he wanted to protect her, but he didn't expect that he would drag her into this series of events.
Although he usually dislikes this disciple, anyone with a discerning eye can see that he actually loves her very much.
His wife often joked that he was raising her like a half-daughter.
If he was really her father, he would never agree to let her enter the Black Tower.
Unfortunately, this evil disciple is a Husky.
If you are not careful for a moment, you will lose it.
…
Xia Meng put down her phone.
Wang Xiangyi raised his eyebrows and asked, "Any conclusions?"
Xia Meng raised her index finger and shook it: "No conclusion, but I do have some insights."
Wang Xiangyi: "How do you say that?"
Xia Meng rubbed her chin with her index finger.
Sentinel dependency is a common psychological disorder that occurs specifically in sentinels.
The sentinel's mental state is extremely volatile and requires frequent and periodic comfort from the guide.
Therefore, they naturally have a physiological need for the guide's spiritual power.
If we look at it from the pyramid of Maslow's hierarchy of needs (Note 1), it can be classified into the most basic survival needs of food, clothing, housing, and medical care.
Jiang Qiongran took advantage of Fan Xue's natural need for mental strength as a sentinel, so he had to open the door to her and let her in openly.
Once she successfully invaded Fan Xue's mental picture, mental control, fabricating illusions, framing others... became a natural process.
Fan Xue did not become Jiang Qiongran's accomplice and take the blame for her because of the influence of Stockholm syndrome.
Rather, it was because he was influenced and bewitched by the guide's spiritual power that he was forced to become Jiang Qiongran's puppet and scapegoat.
Xia Meng had never come into contact with a sentinel before, so she didn't think about it in this way at first.
The triggering conditions for Stockholm syndrome are very strict, but if it is under the influence of sentinel dependency, it is indeed more reasonable and more logical.
Lao Wang is indeed worthy of being Lao Wang.
Old ginger is still spicy.
Xia Meng rested her chin on her hand and smiled at Wang Xiangyi.
"My takeaway is that, as it turns out, guides are perhaps even more dangerous than sentinels. You must treat everyone equally and not be biased against sentinels."
Wang Xiangyi: "...Then you are also a guide now."
Speaking of this, Xia Meng almost wanted to scratch her head.
She still couldn't understand why she suddenly awakened and became a guide when she was fine.
Wang Xiangyi reached out and picked up the report she handed over, then threw it back into her arms: "Okay, go back and write another one for me."
Xia Meng agreed obediently.
Isn’t it just writing a report?
Hardworking Xiao Xia! Fearless!
Wang Xiangyi stood up and was about to leave when he paused and said, "Oh, by the way, don't tell anyone that I was your teacher when you gave that messed up report. I can't afford to lose face."
Xia Meng stuck out her tongue and quickly replied, "Yes, you are right. I have only learned a little bit from you, Master. Today I am showing off my skills in front of an expert."
Wang Xiangyi has always been soft-hearted and not hard-headed. Seeing this, his tone softened unconsciously and he snorted, "Little guy, how many years have you been with me? You still have a lot to learn."
Xia Meng smiled happily when she heard this.
She said with a smile, "That's great! I thought you were going to use this opportunity to expel me from the sect! Now I feel relieved!"
Wang Xiangyi: “…”
Oops, missed opportunity!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
