Chapter 568: The Monologue of a Deviant

They crossed the road into the city park, deserted at night. Everyone dispersed to search, finding only homeless people camping in corners who hadn’t seen anyone suspicious enter.

At the intersection, police called in. The fire was under control; inside the burning truck, they found a female corpse, likely the one stolen from the hospital, her arms already severed.

Another call came from the park’s exit. No one had left through there; pedestrians and vendors confirmed it.

“You stay here!” Lin Dongxue surveyed the vast, silent park, feeling perplexed. She spotted Chen Shi standing by a small lake, lost in thought. Approaching him, he gestured for silence and pointed to footprints in the nearby grass.

“No way!” Lin Dongxue whispered.

“Shoot into the water and see,” Chen Shi suggested.

Lin Dongxue hesitantly pulled out her pistol, fired into the air. Other officers rushed over at the sound.

“Are you okay?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“Yeah, seems like he was bluffing,” an officer replied.

“Don’t pull stunts like that again. You worried me for nothing,” Lin Dongxue scolded.

“I promise!” Chen Shi grinned.

Officers gathered by the lake. Chen Shi explained, “Fire more shots; scare him out of the water!”

“You’re sure about this? Is this your deductive reasoning again?” Lin Dongxue asked.

“No, it’s process of elimination. The park is vast; if he vanished from sight, this spot is the only place we haven’t searched,” Chen Shi explained.

Officers fired into the sky repeatedly. Bubbles surfaced, revealing a man emerging from the water, cradling a limbless mummy. Around his neck hung freshly severed female arms, a bizarre sight.

“Li Xiang, your tricks are exhausted!” Chen Shi remarked.

Li Xiang wiped his face, angrily retorting, “Do you have to push us this far? Can’t this world tolerate even genuine love? You’re all executioners!”

“Genuine love? Dare you say that with three corpses in your home? Playing around like a harem, can you honestly tell your companion there’s genuine love?” Chen Shi challenged.

Li Xiang glanced at the mummy in his arms. “Even so, I only love Peipei. Kill me; death crosses the boundary of life, forever with Peipei!”

“Cut the drama. Wasn’t it your aunt you burned?” Chen Shi pressed.

“So what? She shouldn’t have found out my secret and nagged me about it!” Li Xiang snapped. “She crossed the line, so I had to shut her up. Seeing her body… I was confused. How should I handle this? Of course, I had no interest in my old and ugly aunt’s corpse. I’m not that kind of deviant… If she disappeared, I couldn’t explain to her family, and dismembering her would’ve been easily discovered. So, I set a fire and let her ashes fly, and the police found nothing! But how did you know?”

Respecting Wei Yi’s privacy, Chen Shi ignored the question. “Police know everything. The net of heaven is wide but sparse, understand?”

Li Xiang sneered, “Surely someone saw it. Nonsense. You only suspect me because who else would think of hiding Peipei in a burnt house… I’ve said everything. Can I see Peipei one last time, just once, please?”

“You’re hopeless,” Chen Shi replied.

Li Xiang rattled his handcuffs loudly. “You’re still discriminating against me, you lot!”

Standing up, Chen Shi said, “Why shouldn’t we discriminate? You keep calling us ordinary folk, but we can openly love. You have to hide in the shadows, like cockroaches in dark corners, satisfying your twisted pleasures. No matter how confidently you posture, deep down, you know you’re different. Your rage when killing proved that. As an outsider, either conceal yourself thoroughly, spend effort and cost to disguise your twisted source of happiness, or don’t complain when exposed. Don’t expect sympathy from others. Ordinary folks can’t even understand each other; who will give precious sympathy to you?”

Li Xiang stared, lips trembling, speechless.

Before leaving, Chen Shi added, “By the way, a meaningful piece of advice for you: in prison, don’t flaunt your bizarre fetishes everywhere. It’s not your fan club; otherwise, you’ll have a very painful time.”