S.C.I.谜案集 Mystery Special Criminal Investigation Novel [𝕮𝖔𝖒𝖕𝖑𝖊𝖙𝖊𝖉✔]

Murderer 16 Academic

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang have only come up with speculation, but to prove that Xu and Zhang actually killed someone, they still need shreds of evidence.
In addition, professor Xu and Dr Zhan are both highly regarded in academia. Why spend all these efforts to kill an ordinary student? And what does it have to do with Zhan Zhao, is what Bai Yutang cares about the most.
The two of them decide to stay put and watch how it unfolds first. Bai Yutang gets Zhang Long to dig deeper into Professor Xu and Dr Zhang's background.
The tech team has set up pinhole cameras on level 13 and Xu Qing has arranged for surveillance around the school. After which, the police left the University.
By the time Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang return to S.C.I. office, the sky has already turned dark.
Jiang Ping is busy on his computer. He has scanned the paper pieces Wang Chao and the rest brought back from Wu Hao's place and is working on image recovery analysis.
Gongsun comes out of the autopsy room with a piece of bread in his mouth and holding Li Feifan's autopsy report.
He has found a grey spot on Li Feifan's neck and signs of skin damage, likely caused by a taser.
This further supports Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang's theory.
Zhao Hu asks in alarm, "Gongsun, were you eating while doing the autopsy?"
Gongsun turns around to look at him, chuckles chillingly and leans closer to say in a hair-raising tone, "Eating what?"
Zhao Hu yelps, "Oh my god" in fear and runs off.
The entire team decides to overtime in S.C.I. since none of them felt like sleeping.
Zhan Zhao has been on his computer typing the moment he returned to his office. Bai Yutang makes a round in the office and follows into Zhan Zhao's office.
"Have you not seen the sign outside?" Zhan Zhao points at the 'Do Not Disturb" sign outside of the door.
"I saw." Bai Yutang sits down opposite Zhan Zhao, "Doesn't it say 'Welcome'?"
Rage! Zhan Zhao decides to ignore him and continues typing.
"What are you writing? Horror novel again?" Bai Yutang moves closer.
"When have I ever written novels? Those were research papers." Zhan Zhao stresses.
"Hmm..." Bai Yutang picks up some books on Zhan Zhao's desk at random, "Look at these book titles, The Nature of Psychopathic Tendency. Reason and Barbarism. Dissection, Dismemberment and Disposal of bodies..."
Bai Yutang throws the books back onto Zhan Zhao's table like they were cockroaches, "Are these not horror novels?"
Zhan Zhao rolls his eyes at him vigorously, "Get out! You are distracting me."
Bai Yutang leans in even closer, "What have you been working on? You have been writing a lot this couple of days."
Zhan Zhao continues to type without looking up, "It's about OCD. I have published a few pieces on the-International Journal of Psychology and gotten pretty good responses. My editor wants me to write them into a book."
"OCD?" Bai Yutang slouches onto the desk and puts his hands against his chin, "What's the difference between OCD and mental illness?"
Zhan Zhao would very much like to throw the mouse at his nose, "The only thing you can tell the difference is between a living man and a dead person!"
Bai Yutang grins at Zhan Zhao's annoyed expression and starts to look up and down the desk and the bookshelves, "Is that the <International Journal of Psychology>?" He points at a few thick magazines on the bookshelf.
"Yep." Zhan Zhao takes a quick look and nods.
Bai Yutang collects the magazines from the bookshelf and starts to flip through, "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Psychological Suggestions?"
Zhan Zhao gives him another look, "Yep, that's the one."
Bai Yutang reads silently for some time before asking, "Cat, is this in English?"
Zhan Zhao frowns, continues to write and ignores him.
"Why do they look like English words separately, but don't read like English in a sentence?" Bai Yutang falls back into his seat holding the magazine, "The effect of suggestion on a normal individual is minimal, but for OCD patients it could be extreme. However, most people in the world have OCD on the subconscious level."
Bai Yutang finishes the sentence with an open mouth, "Is this even human language anymore?"
Zhan Zhao crinkles his nose and looks at him as if he is illiterate, "In writing it is. But coming from your mouth, it doesn't sound so much like it anymore."
Bai Yutang shrugs and continues, "For an OCD patient, once one is able to find the root for his disorder, suggestion can be used easily to change the patient's subconscious..." He shakes his head, "what does this mean?"
"It means what it says." Zhan Zhao takes a sip of his tea and looks out of the office door, "Don't you have anything else better to do?"
But Bai Yutang seems fascinated by the article, he asks Zhan Zhao, "You mean, by using suggestion on someone with OCD, it can cause hallucinations?"
"Yep." Zhan Zhao nods, "For those with a weaker will, it can directly disrupt his line of thoughts and beliefs. Or even cognition breakdown for the serious cases."
"Oh? Prove it!" Bai Yutang points at his own nose, "Cause a breakdown."
Zhan Zhao looks at him, tilting his head and then shakes his head, "You don't fulfil the criteria."
"What criteria?" Bai Yutang asks.
Zhan Zhao finally shifts his attention away from his laptop and stares at Bai Yutang, "It needs to be someone with weaker willpower, less logical and poorer in communication skills."
Bai Yutang considers, "So someone more cowardly, absent-minded and stupid?"
Zhan Zhao thought about it in a disgusting expression but nods anyway.
Bai Yutang grins in satisfaction, "Then that's easy." He yells out to outside, "Zhao Hu."
...
Zhan Zhao spots Zhao Hu running in cheerfully from afar and asks Bai Yutang in surprise, "What do you want to do?"
Bai Yutang smiles, "There is no need to cause a breakdown. Just confuse him will do."  He pulls Zhao Hu in the office and seats him down in front of Zhan Zhao.
He closes the door and draws the curtain.
Zhao Hu looks confused. He looks up at Zhan Zhao and then Bai Yutang, "Cap? What's going on?"
Bai Yutang winks at Zhan Zhao, meaning 'this one fulfils the criteria'.
Zhan Zhao sighed in resignation and looks at Zhao Hu in pity.
Bai Yutang raises his chin at Zhan Zhao in a challenge, "If you can't do it, then you are lying."
Zhan Zhao looks at Bai Yutang's incredibly smug expression and clenched his teeth before looking at Zhao Hu, thinking, 'Well, do it for science.' Poor Zhao Hu has now become an experiment.
"Zhao Hu, are you really Zhao Hu?" Zhan Zhao closes his laptop and asks Zhao Hu seriously.
"Huh?" Zhao Hu blinks, "Dr Zhan, what do you mean?"
Zhan Zhao wears a grave expression, "Are you really Zhao Hu?"
Zhao Hu shudders uncontrollably and turns his head to ask Bai Yutang, "Cap? What's wrong?"
Bai Yutang holds back his laughter and says sternly, "Answer the question."
Nodding in fear, Zhao Hu says shakily, "Y... Yes."
"Based on what evidence?" Zhan Zhao continues to ask.
"...? My... personal ID?" Zhao Hu reaches in a pocket to fetch his wallet.
Zhan Zhao slams the table, "What evidence do you have that proves you are the same Zhao Hu as yesterday?"
......
Zhao Hu opens his mouth stupidly, "Yesterday... Yesterday and... Today... There's a difference?"
Zhan Zhao says, "I recall your grandfather has passed away?"
"... Ah. Yes..." Zhao Hu nods but he isn't following Zhan Zhao's train of thoughts anymore.
"Are you sure you had a grandfather?" Zhan Zhao asks.
......
Zhao Hu has begun to get confused, "That... Didn't I just say it? He...he passed away, already."
Zhan Zhao slams the table forcefully again, "Who can prove it?"
Zhao Hu almost jumps, "I... I can prove it, and my parents..."
Zhan Zhao sits back down and takes a sip of his tea, "You mean, you have memories about him?"
"Yes! Yes!" Zhao Hu nods immediately.
"Then what if the memory is fake?"
....
"Fake?" Zhao Hu's eyes are looking like they have spiralled in them, he looks at Zhan Zhao guilelessly.
Zhan Zhao continues slowly, "Think about it. What if, your grandfather has never existed. You and your family have been implanted with memories of your grandfather. Can you say for sure your grandfather has existed?"
Zhao Hu widens his eyes and looks at Zhan Zhao in shock.
Zhan Zhao continues, "This is like people claiming aliens exist, but where's the evidence?"
"... I... I don't know?" Zhao Hu moves his mouth, not knowing what to do.
"Maybe you are an alien?" Zhan Zhao stares into Zhao Hu's eyes.
......
Zhao Hu looks like he just got strafed by AK47.
Bai Yutang waves his hands on the side, meaning, 'That's enough, he is already plenty confused.'
Zhan Zhao refuses with a firm look, thinking, 'This is just the start. I have to let you know what I'm capable of today.'
"Maybe, your whole family are aliens, just that you have been implanted with human memories and believe you are humans instead." Zhan Zhao smiles meaningfully, "Or maybe, Zhao Hu of yesterday has already dead. And the person here today is not Zhao Hu, but someone implanted with Zhao Hu's memories. Can you prove me wrong?"
After a moment of silence, Zhao Hu howls "Ahh", leaping out of his chair and out of Zhan Zhao's office. He grabs onto Wang Chao walking towards him and wails, "Who am I?! Who am I?! I don't want to be an alien!!"
...
The whole office freezes collectively...
Bai Yutang might have hurt himself laughing against the bookshelves.
Zhan Zhao folds his sleeve up elegantly. A tiger who doesn't roar would be mistaken as a sickly cat. He sits back down and opens his laptop to continue writing.
After Bai Yutang has laughed enough, he left Zhan Zhao's office. Not long after, he returns with a whole stack of files and drops them in front of Zhan Zhao.
Zhan Zhao looks up and sees that they are the files of the victims of this 'Number Killer' case.
Bai Yutang asks meaningfully, "Cat, see if these folks fulfil the criteria for OCD and psychological suggestion."
Zhan Zhao blinks and looks at Bai Yutang in understanding, "Oh, mouse, that's genius."