Pristine Darkness

Chapter 82

Bo Jinyan expounds further on the real butterfly killer's psyche and motivations - whoever he is, he's going to be quite a formidable opponent. Meanwhile, Jian Yao finds herself back home. In a tender moment with her family, as well as one with Bo Jinyan, we come to understand what currently drives her as well as his state of mind.

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Translator: shl

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Bo Jinyan slowly nodded. "I suspect he has seen even more images, such as those featuring violent crimes. Didn't he faint outside the cave mouth for no reason? He even had a huge lump on the back of his head. Perhaps he got a fright, or was whacked on the head by someone and lost his memories. However, these memories were never really lost; they were always deep in his memory, deep in his soul. Whenever he was confused about the future, or whenever he felt lost, those memories would stir and awaken in his subconscious mind and his dreams. Moreover, he believed that the butterfly was suggesting, hinting that he should kill someone."

They sped past rolling green hills, and the cold air on the mountain road blew in their faces. Everyone was contemplating what Bo Jinyan had said. His deductions were not without logic, and they also explained Chen Jin's love and hatred for butterflies, as well as the emergence of the real butterfly killer.

"Are you certain that 'he' will be a serial killer?" Jian Yao asked. "'He' has been quiet for so many years, and the outside world has never discovered any of his crimes. Why would he suddenly catch the attention of the police with such a high-profile case?"

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Bo Jinyan muttered to himself for a moment before replying, "If Chen Jin's memory is accurate, then he was about 15 to 20 years old at that time, and is now between 35 and 40 years old.

All this time, Feng Yuexi was able to evade capture by the police. And, he was able to hunt down Feng Yuexi and kill her without alarming the police. This evidently displays a sharp sense of observation as well as cool-headed planning and execution.

At the crime scene, he showed that he was adept at torture and skilful at murder. He kept the crime scene very clean, and was very conscious about not leaving traces behind so as to thwart investigation. All this can only be the result of a rich experience in committing crime.

He has painted that butterfly many times, and practised doing so many times, in order to be able to paint it so vividly in a limited time.

The butterfly he painted has been confirmed by biologists to strikingly resemble the Hestina Assimilis (aka 'the Red Ring Skirt'). If you look very carefully, you will find that the Papilio Maraho drawn by Chen Jin is very similar to this. Thus, we suspect that there is some connection between the two of them. It is very likely that Chen Jin has seen the Hestina Assimilis, and has also witnessed the killer's killing technique. Thereafter, his subconscious prompted him to imitate what he had already seen, and the result is the 'butterfly murder case' which is similar to the original in appearance, but not in terms of substance.

This case has shocked the entire province and is all over the news. It would be very strange if 'he' does not know about the case. Moreover, Feng Yuexi was considered Chen Jin's accomplice, and the police were hunting for her. If he was able to find out about this, it's an indication that he has been continually in close proximity to us, observing and even analysing everything. Furthermore, his killing of Feng Yuexi was probably based on two kinds of psychological impulses. One is revenge: Chen Jin imitated his method of committing crime, but Chen Jin has already been arrested by the police, so he cannot punish him. Therefore, he punished Chen Jin's accomplice. For the second kind, we cannot rule out the possibility of him wanting to 'eliminate evil'. He regards Chen Jin and Feng Yuexi as being similarly sinful, so he himself wants to enforce the law. However, no matter which mentality, for him to choose to appear before the police in such a high-profile manner, he must certainly have been provoked in some way. He does not intend to hide any longer, nor does he intend to stay quiet. The butterfly killer is now in this world."