Chapter 327: The Dark Night

Gu You slowly retreated into the consultation room and said, “I can admit that I am the butterfly that started the storm, but every step you’ve taken to get here was your own choice. Ji Changxin, you are a pathetic clown. Your biggest failure in life is that your wife and daughter left you. You tried to control your life but found you were powerless. So you chose this girl, played the savior by eliminating those who bullied her, and acted as her spiritual father. Doesn’t it feel satisfying?”

Ji Changxin’s lips trembled. He stepped into the consultation room, gritting his teeth. “Do you know how I analyze you? You appear arrogant, cold, and excellent on the outside, but inside, you are a pig longing to be whipped. You hide dark secrets in your heart. You never seriously managed this consultation room. You are always distracted. You came to this city with a different purpose… Are you searching for someone you once lost?”

Gu You sneered. The two experts at analyzing minds were ruthlessly exposing each other.

Ji Changxin clenched the iron rod in his hand. “Why do you hate me so much? Why did you ruin me like this!”

“I just hate people who don’t follow the rules. You are the scum of this industry, so I can’t tolerate you,” Gu You said coldly.

Ji Changxin laughed, raising the blood-stained iron rod. “The events of the past few days have taught me a valuable lesson: no matter how deep your knowledge and wisdom, it’s all useless against this!”

Realizing that Ji Changxin was about to attack, Gu You suddenly grabbed a handful of sand from a potted plant and threw it at his face. Ji Changxin screamed and swung the iron rod wildly, smashing the light fixtures and wall panels.

Gu You rushed into the office, using a newspaper rack to block the door, and quickly called the police. Ji Changxin violently rammed the door, breaking it and bursting in.

Gu You grabbed something from the drawer. When Ji Changxin charged at her, she jabbed him with a stun gun. Ji Changxin convulsed, but the stun gun had not been used for a long time, and the charge only lasted ten seconds.

Recovering, Ji Changxin struck Gu You on the shoulder with the iron rod, and she collapsed. He wasn’t planning to kill her immediately. Kneeling down, he pressed his thumb against Gu You’s carotid artery, beginning to hypnotize her.

Soon, Gu You’s eyes became vacant as she entered a deep hypnotic state. Ji Changxin reached into her collar, groping her breast, but she did not react.

This was something Ji Changxin had long wanted to do, but now was not the time. He knew the police were looking for him. He had accepted his fate but still wanted to struggle a bit.

The events of the past two days made Ji Changxin realize his power. Before being caught, he had a list of people to kill—those who had looked down on, deceived, and bullied him.

Gu You was right. Ji Changxin longed to control his life. He studied hard from a young age, got into a prestigious university, tried to please his professors, and stayed up late writing papers. But following societal rules, he never truly controlled his life.

Now he understood that controlling everything was easy. Humans are despicable creatures; if you kill a few, they will fear you and obey you!

The police were getting closer. Ji Changxin could hear them coming up the stairs. He handed the iron rod to Gu You and ordered, “Swing it at the door and don’t stop until I tell you to.”

A cold smile seemed to appear on Gu You’s lips. Ji Changxin sensed something was wrong and was about to snatch back the rod when Gu You swung it fiercely. Ji Changxin screamed and fell to the ground, hot blood streaming from his head. He clutched his wound and asked, “Why weren’t you hypnotized?”

Gu You pointed to her temple. “To set up the evidence, I had another psychologist hypnotize me. His commands are still in my head. You can’t hypnotize someone who is already hypnotized, just like you can’t make a sleeping person fall asleep!”

“Damn woman!” Ji Changxin was furious, wondering why he kept falling into this woman’s trap.

He struggled to stand and resist, but the police had already burst in, guns drawn. “Don’t move!”

Ji Changxin reluctantly raised his hands, allowing the police to cuff him. Gu You quickly checked on her colleague and called an ambulance. The police asked, “Miss Gu, are your injuries severe? Can you come with us to make a statement?”

Gu You replied, “Can this person be taken directly to the city bureau?”

When Ji Changxin was taken to the city bureau, Lin Qiupu and others were surprised that he was captured so easily. But the case wasn’t over. Fan Lixue and Han Jingming were still missing.

In the interrogation room, Lin Qiupu asked Ji Changxin, “Did you hypnotize Han Jingming with a suggestion?”

Ji Changxin sneered and started humming the tune of “The Dark Night.” “Yes, as soon as she hears this sound, she will go to a place and jump from there!”

“Where?”

“Do you think I will tell you?”

Lin Qiupu slammed the table. “Ji Changxin, don’t be foolish! You killed the first five girls, but Han Jingming is different. She was called out by Fan Lixue. If she dies, it’s like this girl has killed someone. You consider her your daughter. Can you bear to see her go to jail?”

Ji Changxin’s expression wavered for a moment, then returned to indifference. “It’s her own choice. I just put the button in front of her.”

No matter how Lin Qiupu pressed him, Ji Changxin refused to talk. Lin Qiupu had no choice but to send the police to search. Given that Han Jingming had been missing for five hours, Lin Qiupu thought it unnecessary to search near her home. She must have gone to a far place.

Meanwhile, Lin Dongxue and Xu Xiaodong were at Fan Lixue’s house. They had been running around all day without even a sip of water. Fan Lixue’s mother was weeping bitterly. After receiving Lin Qiupu’s message, Lin Dongxue finally managed to calm her down and asked where the two kids might go.

Fan’s mother said, “They were in the same school district, so they went to the same elementary and middle schools. Could they have gone to the elementary school?”

Lin Dongxue replied, “Unlikely. Han Jingming has been gone for five hours. It must be a farther place, one that Fan Lixue also knows… Now it’s already dark, and the place is probably open to the public.”

Xu Xiaodong said, “A park?”

Lin Dongxue felt a headache. There were so many parks in Long’an; searching them all would take too long.

Fan’s mother suddenly said, “Go check the unfinished buildings on Madang Road… No, I’ll go with you!”