Chapter 3, The Wings of Angels Three

Shen Yexi was keen to observe this new colleague of unknown depth, so she silently moved aside a little, leaving a space for Jiang Hu.

Sheng Yao and Shen Yexi exchanged a glance, and Shen Yexi asked, "Could you be more specific?"

Shen Yexi pointed at the corpse on the ground, feeling a bit nauseous: "He cut the person in half to make these children all the same height?"

"You wait up there, I will go down and take a look." Sheng Yao took off his outer coat and threw it to Yang Man, "Don't come down, it's too dirty down there."

Sheng Yao raised her head and exchanged a glance with her. Just at that moment, a voice came from the bottom of the sewer: "Found it, someone is coming! Found it! Ugh... damn it..."

Sheng Yao smiled knowingly and shook her head: "No, I just gave Yi Ning a heads-up. Coincidentally, there are four families to visit, and they are quite busy enough, so I didn't let them come over"

He suddenly turned his head and saw Jiang Hu standing there. In the dim light, Jiang Hu's expression was unclear. The young man standing there appeared somewhat frail and a bit sorrowful

Yang Man said, "It's nothing, you just need to know that there are dead people underground." It is said that Sister Yang is concise and efficient, and she truly lives up to her reputation

I ... ... do not quite understand," Sheng Yao asked

I have studied courses in this area, Jiang Hu hesitated for a moment before responding

Yang Man waved her hand: "Really, don't go down there, you won't be able to handle this. We have dealt with inanimate objects for so many years, and even we find it hard to bear seeing this. You will need to help us process this later; you haven't seen Sheng Yao's expression just now."

He walked from the doorway to the corner of the wall, then turned back from the corner. At first, his expression was calm and serene, but as he continued to walk back and forth, it became increasingly distorted and agitated. Then his foot kicked against a piece of clothing that was originally piled in the corner, a pure white children's dress, stained with blood. The man's footsteps came to a halt.

"In fact... it's not entirely so," Jiang Hu pointed to the corpse on the ground, "After the first child, the little girl named Lu Hui, went missing, the choir replaced the lead singer, and that child had also been in the same position, yet was not kidnapped. I couldn't understand it at first, but now I do."

Shen Yexi's feet felt a bit numb, so she moved them a little: "Doctor Jiang, how deep is your understanding of criminal psychology?"

What is the location of the performance?" Sheng Yao asked

After receiving the call, Shen Yexi drove the car as if it were an airplane, racing to the scene of the incident. Yang Man was waiting for them on the ground, her face slightly pale. Upon seeing them arrive, she nodded and said, "Sheng Yao is down below, and the forensic expert has not yet begun their work. We are waiting for you to take another look at the scene—Xiao Jiang, you stay up here and do not go down."

When did you start smoking as well? I remember you used to not smoke, smoke less, tobacco is not good for women. Sheng Yao smiled slightly, lit a cigarette, and handed it to Yang Man: Stand further away, go to the upwind side, don't let the smoke bother you

In the dim light, various foul odors permeate the air, and beneath the sewer lie the remains of four children. All the skeletons are disarticulated, and the most recent one has not yet been significantly decomposed; the skin on its back has been entirely stripped away, the ribs are missing, exposing the internal organs, which several rats are gnawing at, and the child is headless

Seeing Jiang Hu still hesitating, Shen Ye Xi added, "There is no need to worry, I will have my own judgment, it is not so easy for you to mislead me, just say it, just like when you pointed out the performance location to me in the car."

Shen Yexi nodded slightly and rolled up his pant legs to squat down: "The bodies are all placed side by side here, and the distance between each person seems to have been measured with precision, very close to one another"

Sheng Yao blinked and said: "Beautiful lady, what have you misunderstood?"

Jiang Hu immediately took off his coat, rolled up the legs of his pants and the sleeves of his somewhat long shirt, and jumped in—he had never moved this swiftly before—Yang Man could no longer stop him, so she could only sigh, shrug her shoulders, step aside, and wait for Jiang Hu to rush out and vomit five seconds later.

Director Mo has done many things that defy common sense, including the establishment of the special investigation team for major cases back in the day, appointing the then twenty-six-year-old Shen Yexi as the leader, and many other matters that later proved him to be correct—could it be that allowing Jiang Hu to follow up on external duties was also one of his discreet arrangements

Jiang Hu glanced at him and shook his head: "The theory and technology of psychological profiling are not particularly mature at this time, and it has not yet been formally applied in criminal investigation work domestically. Moreover, this is not a team effort; it is solely my conjecture, which is too subjective and may lead to significant deviations, affecting your judgment"

Sheng Yao shook his head and chuckled, but the laughter quickly caught in his throat. The battle-hardened Officer Sheng was finally left stunned in place. Yang Man followed closely behind, looking in the direction of his gaze. Her finely made-up features twisted slightly as a young agent tightly covered his mouth and rushed out past the two of them. The agent who discovered the body took half a step back, allowing the two to clearly see what they had found.

There is a park behind, and I have heard that after 4 o'clock in the morning, elderly people start exercising and walking their birds there. There is a power plant nearby, and many employees live around here, with night shifts that extend to various hours. " Yang Man flipped through another stack of materials in her hand, "Do you think there might be potential witnesses?"

Jiang Hu and Sheng Yao were both a bit surprised. Shen Ye Xi, even for those who are very familiar and close to him, can sometimes seem difficult to read. It was as if he had just been indifferent to Jiang Hu, who appeared to be a rather useless expatriate, but suddenly became serious at this moment

Jiang Hu pondered for half a day, and just when they thought he was about to deliver some highly specialized remarks and were ready to listen attentively, they heard him slowly agree with Sheng Yao's initial conclusion: "What I mean to say is, this guy might not be quite normal"

Yang Man rolled her eyes and said, "Get lost!"

Sheng Yao took half a cigarette out of his pocket, glanced at Yang Man, who was flipping through the forensic autopsy report beside him, then put it back, crossing his arms in front of his chest, leaning against the utility pole. The handsome man and beautiful woman were originally quite pleasing to the eye, if not for the unfortunate sewer opening in the background

The causes of obsessive-compulsive disorder remain undefined, and those affected may find themselves compelled to engage in certain actions or thoughts; otherwise, they experience significant anxiety and unease

"Look at these children. Rather than saying they were thrown here, it is more accurate to say they were carefully arranged this way." Sheng Yao squatted beside the corpse, wearing gloves, and looked up at Shen Yexi, saying, "I really don't want to say this, but... I feel like the murderer seems to care about these children, perhaps feeling remorse or something. He placed the bodies here with great care."

The objects in his arms made a clashing sound, and the man held them as if they were treasures—those were segments of human ribs: "Mother will like you, will like you..."

Sheng Yao furrowed his brow: "Do you think this murderer might have some psychological abnormalities?"

Shen Yexi was astonished by the calmness of this dazed young scholar at that moment. He showed no signs of discomfort in the filthy sewer, as if he were accustomed to corpses and death, remaining neither panicked nor nauseated.

He stopped, carefully set down the rib he was holding, slowly crouched down, and with both hands lifted the blood-stained skirt, crying softly, "Wuwu," and spoke incoherently, saying, "I didn't mean to, I'm not a bad person, I didn't mean to, not on purpose, not on purpose, not on purpose..."

Yang Man casually draped his coat to the side and followed closely behind: "I do have a bit of a cleanliness obsession, but aren't we all just making a living here? What is there to complain about? In this organization, women must act like men, while men can only be treated like beasts. As a beast, you need not show me any gentlemanly demeanor."

How insightful

Dr. Jiang discovered that the missing children all stood in the same position during the performance before they were kidnapped

She glanced around; there were several old buildings nearby, and on the other side of the road were alleys and densely packed single-story houses. The road where the sewer was located was a dead-end alley, and it might go several days without anyone coming by: "Sheng Yao, what kind of person would throw a dead child here in such a place, without it being noticed?"

A group of detectives is searching for additional bodies in the sewer.

"No... I think a more accurate way to put it is to have these children's bodies arranged neatly." Jiang Hu followed his gaze and said, "This murderer exhibits a certain degree of anxiety disorder, akin to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder may compulsively engage in behaviors that seem irrational to others, such as avoiding cracks in the pavement while walking, or insisting that everything must be arranged according to specific rules. They have a particular compulsion for 'neatness.'"

"That is to say, you can do it," Shen Yexi said in a deep voice, the insincere pretense on his face disappearing, revealing a particular sharpness. "It's alright, Doctor Jiang, you can give it a try"

Every time Yang Man sees his conflicted expression, she feels as if she must transform into a wolf, being gazed at longingly by the other party. That feeling is akin to having just snatched a lollipop from a ten-year-old child, with guilt flickering like a small flame, tormenting her already limited conscience. A few seconds later, Yang Man once again faces defeat and helplessly waves her hand.

Sheng Yao seemed to have seen something rare, her peach blossom eyes widened, and she stood up, quietly listening to him speak

The man hummed a fragmented song, a warm smile appearing on his face: "Don't be afraid, it will be over soon, Mommy loves you, Mommy likes you, little angel..."

At this time, a circle of armed police surrounded the area near the sewer.

Sheng Yao could not help but turn her head slightly and said softly, "Fortunately, the gentleman is not here."

An Yining said, "What goes around comes around," while Sheng Yao remarked, "Every item has its nemesis"

Have you heard of psychological imagery

"It was because that child was too tall," Jiang Hu said. "When I saw that performance photo, I felt that the formation was not arranged very well. It might have been due to the position of the microphone or the vocal parts. The boy who was the lead singer was taller than the other children next to him by almost half a head, nearly obscuring the entire row of children behind him. Later, the choir teacher moved him to the side and swapped his position with another lead singer, who was the second child to be kidnapped."

Jiang Hu hesitated for a moment, pausing in his steps. Shen Yexi had already greeted the forensic expert waiting nearby and resolutely jumped down into the sewer. Jiang Hu thought for a moment: "Sister Yang... I want to go down and take a look"

Sheng Yao was taken aback: "Xiao Jiang, why did you come down?"

Jiang Hu fell silent for a moment and asked Sheng Yao, "Did you not call Su Ge?"

Sheng Yao furrowed her brows, walked around, and looked down from a height at the dark, gloomy sewer: "During the day, this place is bustling with people; I suppose the best time to dispose of a body would be late at night or early in the morning"

This scene is too impactful for every parent

Yang Man waved her hand and said, "Go ahead and smoke, give me one too. This flavor—what a bastard! Not only did he harm someone else's child, but he also threw the body here. Isn't this intentional?"

The school of psychoanalysis believes that attacking others or self-harm are manifestations of the death instinct; however, I think these are pathological expressions of the mind that emerge from repression and intense psychological conflict. Before Shen Yexi had the chance to respond, a voice from behind, neither too high nor too low, was heard.

Jiang Hu also fell silent, just looking at her and then at the sewer, with a somewhat conflicted expression

Jiang Hu asked: "But I don't know anything about the situation, how can I provide guidance to you?"

Yang Man took it over and glanced at him, curling her lips: "Young Master Sheng, you truly are a treasure; even the saliva from your speech is like spring, and the raw materials for medicine, even your breath is so ambiguous that it could lead to misunderstandings"

"Are you saying that the reason these children were selected, aside from their positions, also includes their height?" Shen Yexi's gaze shifted to the bodies of the children lying side by side on the ground. As he stood up, his line of sight elevated, and he noticed something very peculiar: the feet and heads of these neatly arranged corpses were all aligned in a straight line. The heights of the children in life appeared to be quite similar, and the slight differences in distance between the severed heads and bodies were actually intended for the sake of neat arrangement. As he stood up, his line of sight elevated, and he noticed something very peculiar: the feet and heads of these neatly arranged corpses were all aligned in a straight line. The heights of the children in life appeared to be quite similar, and the slight differences in distance between the severed heads and bodies were actually intended for the sake of neat arrangement.