Chapter 324: Connecting the Dots

Old Zhang might not understand psychology, but his years of experience told him that when someone suddenly gets angry, they’re often hiding something.

He asked Gu You, “Miss Gu, you knew about this hypnosis method. Why didn’t you mention it at the station?”

Gu You smiled, “I didn’t know the details, nor have I ever used it. I thought Old Ji would tell you. I’m not sure why he got so angry. Strange.”

“Is this hypnosis method common?”

“No, it’s not. As far as I know, only Old Ji can use it.”

Old Zhang and his partner exchanged a few words, revealing their suspicion of Ji Changxin and indicating they would come back to question him further.

That evening, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong sat in the car eating boxed meals. To their surprise, Chen Shi sent a photo showing off the dinner he made. Xu Xiaodong said, “Let’s look at his picture while we eat; it’ll improve our appetite.”

“Feel free to look at it yourself.”

At the subway entrance, a blonde-haired guy was playing the guitar, and passersby occasionally threw coins into his guitar case.

Xu Xiaodong remarked, “I envy freelancers. They can work whenever they want.”

“Maybe he envies people with stable jobs… Hey, this guy plays here every day. Maybe he saw something.”

“Saw what? We asked around all afternoon. Mention May 7th, and everyone just talks about the accident.”

“Let’s give it a shot. Investigations are often about luck.”

Lin Dongxue got out of the car, but instead of approaching directly, she bought a bottle of water, handed it and her police badge to the blonde musician. He looked up, startled, “Officer, what’s up?”

“Do you play here every day?”

“Not just here. I rotate among the nearby stations.” He took the water and drank. “Thanks! Didn’t expect the police to be so nice, much better than those urban management officers who chase me around.”

“I want to ask if you saw this girl on May 7th.” Lin Dongxue showed him a photo on her phone.

The blonde squinted at the picture, “I see a lot of kids in uniforms like this, but this girl? She doesn’t stand out. Sorry.”

Lin Dongxue felt a pang of disappointment and was about to leave when he said, “But something else did happen on May 7th.”

“I know, no need to say it,” Lin Dongxue interrupted, having heard the same story hundreds of times.

“What? You know I caught a molester that day?”

“What molester?”

“Haha, you didn’t know! How about treating me to some food, and I’ll tell you all about it.”

Lin Dongxue didn’t want to waste money, especially since her monthly salary was just over 4,000 yuan, and her bonus was recently withheld. She said, “If you don’t want to tell, that’s fine. It probably has nothing to do with my case anyway.”

“Hey, hey, I’m kidding. I don’t need food. Just listen!”

Xu Xiaodong thought the guy was harassing Lin Dongxue and approached, “What’s going on here?”

“Is he a cop too?” the blonde asked.

“Just tell us about the molester,” Lin Dongxue urged.

The blonde vividly recounted how he caught a molester. Lin Dongxue thought this had nothing to do with her case and felt it was a waste of time. Then he mentioned, “That guy, dressed in a suit and tie, looked respectable but did something so disgusting. A real hypocrite!”

“Thanks for your time, but this doesn’t help us,” Lin Dongxue said.

“Sorry… Hey, does bravery get a reward?” the blonde asked.

“Next time, you should collect evidence and call the police instead of using violence. How old was the guy? You kicked him; what if he got hurt? You could end up in jail for being a hero,” Lin Dongxue advised.

“He looked about fifty.”

“Next time, don’t be so impulsive.”

“Got it, got it.”

Back in the car, preparing to head back, Lin Dongxue recalled something and checked her phone. The webpage she had previously visited still displayed news about Ji Changxin’s molestation case from years ago.

Seeing the photo of Ji Changxin in a suit, Lin Dongxue had a sudden realization. She jumped out of the car, startling Xu Xiaodong, “What are you doing?!”

Lin Dongxue ran back to the blonde, showing him the phone, “Was this the guy? The molester?”

The blonde examined the picture, “Yeah, that’s him. Didn’t know he had a record. Turns out he’s a psychologist too!”

At that moment, Lin Dongxue felt an overwhelming sense of clarity. Ji Changxin, an experienced psychologist skilled in hypnosis, had been in the subway station. The incident there involving hypnosis and murder might be connected.

She asked the blonde to recall Ji Changxin’s clothes that day. After describing it, he added, “When he got off, his suit was torn at the back.”

“Thank you!”

At the next morning’s case briefing, Lin Dongxue shared her discovery. Old Zhang also recounted their meeting with Ji Changxin. Hearing about the physiological hypnosis method, Lin Dongxue noted, “The school guard who forgot everything had a pressure mark on his neck.”

The room buzzed with discussion, realizing the clues pointed to Ji Changxin’s involvement.

Lin Qiupu asked, “Captain Peng, any results from the autopsy?”

Peng Sijue shook his head, “The bodies were cremated, but I got a recorded autopsy from the medical university.”

“Better than nothing,” Lin Qiupu said. “Now that we know Ji Changxin can use physiological hypnosis, we should check the autopsy recording for pressure marks. Has the school’s surveillance been recovered?”

The tech team replied, “The person who deleted it wasn’t tech-savvy; we’ve recovered it.”

Lin Qiupu nodded, “Check the school and subway footage for any signs of Ji Changxin.”

The follow-up investigation was fruitful. Surveillance showed a man resembling Ji Changxin entering the school on the days of the student suicides. Subway footage also captured him.

In the autopsy recording, a fleeting image revealed a faint pressure mark on the neck, precisely on the carotid artery.

According to Lin Dongxue’s theory, Fan Lixue met Ji Changxin at the subway on May 7th. Something happened between them, prompting Ji Changxin to use his expertise to help Fan Lixue take revenge on her bullies.