Chapter 626 Personality Switch

Wang Ying said remorsefully, “I don’t know, I don’t even know the names of most of the patients, including Speechless.”

“Alright, try not to wander around lately.”

“Will Zhou Xiao be alright?”

“He’ll be fine, don’t worry.” Chen Shi assured her. After all, Speechless had gone after the director himself; Zhou Xiao’s actions might not have incited others but merely constituted aiding and abetting a crime, coupled with his mental illness, he shouldn’t end up in jail.

Walking downstairs, Lin Dongxue sighed, “Today really opened my eyes. I never thought there were such dark places in the world.”

“Yeah.”

“What did you say to her just now?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

Downstairs, they unexpectedly bumped into Zhou Xiao. Holding a cigarette, he grinned, “Back to investigate again? You guys are diligent.”

Chen Shi glanced at the cigarette in his hand and asked, “Are you here to see Wang Ying?”

“Nah, I’ve been working all day. Just came down to relax and grab a bite. Want to join?”

Chen Shi teased, “How about going to the Nine Palace again?”

“Nine Palace? When did we go there?” Zhou Xiao looked puzzled.

Chen Shi was testing him, noticing that the cigarette Zhou Xiao smoked now wasn’t the same brand he had seen on his desk before. Smokers usually stick to one brand. He suspected Zhou Xiao was in a different personality now.

Zhou Xiao recalled, “Officer Chen, are you playing with me? That day we had chopped chili fish head.”

“My mistake.”

“Haha, and you say my memory is bad. Seems like yours isn’t much better.”

This time, Zhou Xiao treated them, taking them to a nearby shop selling iron plate beef rice. They talked about the mental hospital, Zhou Xiao saying, “All I remember is being forced to take medication all day. At first, I refused, and they threatened me. Later, I didn’t dare to resist and just obediently took the pills.”

Totally different from what Wang Ying had said. Chen Shi asked, “Your personality split started from then, right? During your time there, the inner personality took over?”

Zhou Xiao bit his finger, “Probably! I began to experience memory lapses. Whenever something unreasonable happened in the hospital, I would get particularly agitated, and then I would lose consciousness. The next moment, I’d wake up in bed, sometimes with injuries, sometimes finding myself in a dark and narrow solitary confinement cell. I tried keeping records, but as I wrote, I lost track myself. Actually, I did consider dissociative identity disorder at that time, but I didn’t dare to say it. I was afraid that if I did, I’d never get out of there.”

“Don’t your family members visit you?”

“Visit me?” Zhou Xiao smiled bitterly, “Every call is about being busy. They would talk about how my younger brother is doing this and that, asking me to get well. It’s always the same old thing.”

“I heard something there. Some homeless patients were taken away to have their organs harvested for money. Did you know about this?”

“Organ harvesting?” Zhou Xiao frowned, trying to recall.

“Your alter personality was somewhat like a spiritual leader in the mental hospital. You led the resistance.”

“Is that so?”

Zhou Xiao bit his lip, as if slowly opening the floodgates of memory. Suddenly, he looked fatigued, closing his eyes, his head drooping, then suddenly lifting with subtle changes in his gaze.

“You guys are quite thorough, officers!” Zhou Xiao said with a mocking smile.

Lin Dongxue thought to herself that he might have switched personalities just now, finding it eerie how his eyes and tone changed so drastically.

Chen Shi also noticed and asked provocatively, “How should I address you now?”

“Call me whatever you want.”

“Did you give Speechless a map to find the director?”

“Did he find him?”

“That idiot killed another innocent person.”

“Tsk, if I had known, I would have helped him.”

“You’re aiding a criminal!” Chen Shi’s tone suddenly turned stern. “The death of the third victim is directly related to you. He also has a family and a career. Just because of a piece of paper from you, he’s now dead!”

Zhou Xiao played with the chopsticks absentmindedly, casually saying, “In this world, there’s no such thing as an innocent person. People hurt each other, and the bitter fruit is borne by those unrelated. After my younger brother was born, the whole family revolved around him. This kid in open-crotch pants took away everything from me. What did I do wrong? You police only see the consequences of things but never pursue the reasons behind them. If you had gone through all this, could you still stand here and speak in such a detached manner?”

“Murder has never justified reasons!”

“Haha!” Zhou Xiao laughed loudly, his expression full of contempt. “Some things, when they happen to you, you would feel that destroying the entire world to seek revenge wouldn’t be excessive. We are the miserable monsters abandoned by society. Don’t think you can get any information about Speechless from me. I won’t betray my friend!”

“This guy is a thorough antisocial personality, a dangerous individual on a psychological level.” Chen Shi listened to his hidden meanings and concluded that he might know more about Speechless.

“Has he come to see you these past few days?”

“No comment.”

“Oh right, how did you know we were police? This is our first meeting. It shows that your two personalities actually have common ground. Right now, he’s lurking beneath your consciousness, peeping into your thoughts. If you don’t tell me, he will.” Chen Shi spoke firmly.

“Haha, what a wild imagination. I’m the master of this body…”

Zhou Xiao’s right hand kept writing on the table, an address. Zhou Xiao suddenly realized and grabbed the bowl, smashing it against his right hand. “Stop! Traitor!” The bowl shattered, blood streaming as he continued writing with his bloody right hand.

“Go die!”

Zhou Xiao grabbed his right hand, smashing it on the table.

With time pressing, Chen Shi didn’t have the time to intervene. He exchanged a glance with Lin Dongxue. The diners in the restaurant were stunned, watching this man fight with himself.

Chen Shi quickly checked on his phone. There was a place called “Rehabilitation Therapy Center.” He and Lin Dongxue quickly drove there, sending the address to Lin Qiu Pu along the way.

The so-called therapy center was hidden in a community, not looking like a legitimate place. The sign on the door read “Quantum Massage, Nano Wrinkle Removal, Genetic Testing,” and other mysterious services.

An employee greeted the two. Chen Shi asked, “Do you know Qin Wanmu?”

“Why are you looking for him? He’s our manager.”

“Where is he now?”

“Why should I tell you? Are you the police?” Lin Dongxue showed her badge. The employee fell silent. Lin Dongxue repeated her question, “Where is the manager now?”

The employee pointed outside fearfully, “He went to eat. There’s a Shaanxi noodle shop across the street. He often eats there.”