Chapter 123

It was approaching two o’clock in the morning, and outside the police car, the officers were still busy.

Inside the car, Lu Siyu continued his analysis. “For most cases of split personality, the personality switch is uncontrollable. Only with the emergence of a stressor will a fixed transformation occur.”

As he spoke, Lu Siyu intertwined his fingers and rested his chin on the sharpened fingertips. “The stressor for the perpetrator should be sexuality because violence no longer satisfies his inner desires. This is when the secondary personality emerges. Although the culprit appeared in the case, there were no direct signs of invasion, and the forensic team inferred that the culprit may have some functional disorders.”

He paused for a moment before continuing, “In other words, he can only rely on extreme methods to achieve ultimate pleasure. When he urgently needs it, a personality shift occurs.”

Listening nearby, Song Wen furrowed his brows. “So, what are the characteristics of these two personalities now?”

If Zhuang Yi’s previous theory was incorrect, they should profile the perpetrator again.

“Although the violent personality is indeed violent, it’s also simple-minded, physically strong, and retains a hint of conscience. He may appear quiet and honest on the surface, but when provoked, he exhibits violent tendencies. The other personality is the deviant one, extremely calm, more intelligent than the primary personality, and more ruthless…”

Lu Siyu deliberately slowed his pace, allowing Zhuang Yi to digest these deductions. “The perpetrator may have faced some setbacks in childhood, leading to confusion and distortion regarding women, makeup, maternal love, and sex. The secondary personality self-identifies as a calm, confident, and elegant individual, ultimately manifested in a distinctive criminal modus operandi.”

Zhuang Yi nodded as he listened, murmuring, “So, the secondary personality of the perpetrator would manipulate the police and view the victims as playthings.”

“The act of covering the victim’s face with clothing is just the perpetrator’s personal signature. I think this behavior may be related to the perpetrator’s personal experiences, which misled you.” Despite his wet clothes clinging to his body, conveying a sense of coldness, Lu Siyu’s mind became clearer.

“The violent personality is like powerful limbs, while the deviant personality is like a calm brain. Both personalities vie for control of the body, but it’s evident that the deviant personality is gradually gaining dominance. His appearances are becoming more frequent, and it’s possible that in this murder, the deviant personality planned everything from start to finish, without the need for the violent personality’s intervention.”

Song Wen often heard Lu Siyu analyze such cases and had grown accustomed to his extraordinary intelligence. His voice was calm and cold, entirely different from Zhuang Yi’s usually sensational style, yet it carried a convincing power.

At this moment, Zhuang Yi’s face was filled with astonishment and shock. As Lu Siyu spoke confidently, he seemed to emit a radiance, possessing a compelling charm.

“I was able to think of these things because Captain Song reminded me,” Lu Siyu said, looking up at Song Wen.

Song Wen asked, “Was it my suggestion of the possibility of split personality during the last meeting that inspired you?”

Lu Siyu’s beautiful eyes met his. “Not only that, you also pointed out something earlier. In the first case we encountered, the marks on Li Ling’s neck were significantly more pronounced than in other cases, indicating repeated strangulation. It wasn’t until today that I realized, that was because the perpetrator, after being stimulated, triggered the emergence of the secondary personality, leading to cognitive confusion during the personality switch. In other words, during that particular act of violence, the chaotic interchange of the two personalities caused him to occasionally forget his purpose, where he was, and what he was doing, resulting in repeated violence.”

In other words, during the killing of Li Ling, both personalities were still unstable and confused, intersecting with each other. As the case progressed, his deviant personality became increasingly dominant, gradually taking control of the body.

Lu Siyu paused for a few seconds before summarizing, “Most individuals with split personality disorder or multiple personalities have imperfect childhoods. His deviant personality should have formed early on, lying dormant for many years, rarely appearing. I’m not sure what triggered him, perhaps it was from the first case, or maybe even earlier, awakening his deviant personality. It was the emergence of this secondary personality that turned him into a murderer.”

Zhuang Yi asked again, “So why did the perpetrator wear makeup? And why did he apply makeup to the victims?”

“The perpetrator harbors hatred towards women, as evidenced by numerous acts of violence. However, he is highly skilled in makeup, which I believe stems from his self-perception.” Lu Siyu continued his analysis.

“The perpetrator may have had innate functional impairments, so he was different from normal people since childhood. He may have lost his mother at a young age. Makeup represents gender reversal for him; he is reminiscing about his mother while reflecting on himself. He doesn’t see himself as a complete man and hopes to become a woman, using a female identity to escape reality. He views makeup as a sacred and romantic process, akin to the transformation of a caterpillar into a butterfly.”

“Makeup is a means for the victim to achieve the perfect woman in the perpetrator’s mind. During this process, he hopes the woman is alive and quiet enough. In the dark of night, under the light, he meticulously paints the woman’s face. Then he begins strangling her; as she awakens and struggles, he achieves ultimate satisfaction. He substitutes physiological needs with this process.”

By now, Lu Siyu had analyzed all the details and processes of the case. Some were inferred, some were not yet confirmed, but most had a theoretical basis, and all explanations sounded plausible.

“Your theory is fascinating, but… why are you… telling me all this…” Zhuang Yi said, tightening his hand clenched on his pants, which didn’t escape Lu Siyu’s notice.

Seeing his hesitation, Lu Siyu continued, “I believe some of your deductions are correct. It’s just that reality is more complex. The girl was rescued, and we’ll soon have new testimony to confirm my thoughts.”

If his theory was confirmed, it would prove that this profile was closer to the perpetrator.

Song Wen had been listening to their conversation and now looked at Lu Siyu, realizing what Lu Siyu intended to do.

“Indeed,” Lu Siyu spoke up. “Professor Zhuang, if most of what I’m saying now is confirmed, I hope you can face the media and provide a new, complete profile of the killer.”

The situation had escalated to this point, with the police pushed to the brink. It was better to lay all the information out in the open, let everyone join in the hunt for this deranged killer.

“But… these are all your deductions… to have me say them out loud, isn’t that…” Zhuang Yi hesitated, feeling like a poor student suddenly handed a perfect test paper. Right now, he indeed needed such a polished answer. If this answer was correct, it could even be his lifeline. However, he wasn’t sure about doing this, as it relied on someone else’s analysis.

“For me, it’s not a problem. I’m just a cop, hoping to catch the killer,” Lu Siyu lifted his head, his gaze piercing. “I think your term ‘night owl and night butterfly’ could be turned around and applied quite fittingly.”

Lu Siyu had never sought personal gain. Initially, he only wanted his thoughts to be validated. But now, the correctness of his thoughts didn’t matter. He seemed to have been infected by Song Wen…

In the past, he seemed like a lost soul in this world, living aimlessly, indifferent to life and death, only living for one purpose. But being around Song Wen, he slowly started to care, and started to look at ordinary people. Suddenly, he became interested in this detective game. With each case accumulating, he was aroused by the desire to win, wanting to use his identity as a policeman to save more people.

He wanted to catch this killer.

Currently, the killer probably thought he had killed four people and should be at his most proud and arrogant. Like an overinflated balloon, he only needed a pin to expose his true nature.

The killer would soon find out that the fourth girl hadn’t died. By then, he would become frantic.

To ring the bell, you must be the one who tied it. Previously, Zhuang Yi had already attracted the killer’s attention. Let him provide a correct profile; it would have a much greater deterrent effect on the killer.

Lu Siyu didn’t care about how Zhuang Yi would handle his crisis or whether he would suffer damage to his reputation. However, he wanted to use Zhuang Yi’s influence to attract more attention, crush the killer’s confidence, and expose him.

If the profile was accurate, they might even be able to identify that person among millions.

After listening to Lu Siyu’s words, Zhuang Yi pursed his lips. Song Wen could see his final hesitation and spoke, “Only the three of us know about today’s conversation.”

Zhuang Yi knew that the best way to salvage his reputation was to revise the previous profile and provide a correct answer.

With that in mind, he glanced out the window. Outside was still pitch black, everyone was busy, and no one paid attention to the car parked in the corner.

Finally, Zhuang Yi nodded. “Okay, we’ll wait for the testimony of the surviving girl. If everything checks out, I can do it.”