Su Hui listened carefully, confirming that he had not misheard.

Indeed, she had visited the 372 Psychological Research Institute.

From the images, it could be deduced that this was when Chen Xuexian was in her early teens, clearly not yet an adult.

In the photos that Lu Junchi and Su Hui obtained from Chen Xuexian’s aunt’s house, Chen Xuexian appeared to be quite young.

This being the forty-ninth time, it indicated that she had been visiting this psychological research institute for several years.

If forty-nine represents the number of visits, then 132 could be Chen Xuexian’s identification number. Many people have come here before.

Su Hui squinted his eyes, tilted his head, and tried hard to hear the conversation in the video.

The others also remained silent, watching the contents of the recording without saying a word.

The girl across hesitated for a moment and spoke with a trembling voice, “Hello…”

“Let me see…” the woman flipped through the records. “You initially came here because while playing a game, you helped one boy push another child down a dry well… Later, you stole a book from a classmate and placed it on another student’s desk, provoking them.”

Chen Xuexian murmured in agreement and then whispered, “I just thought it was fun.”

“It’s okay. I’m not a doctor. Even if I know these things, I won’t blame you or think you’re strange. You did it on purpose. Did you want them to fight?” the woman asked.

Chen Xuexian nodded, “I’ve seen the animal kingdom, where two wolves fight for the position of alpha. One of them tore open the other’s belly…”

“Do you want to see the same thing?” the woman asked.

Chen Xuexian nodded again.

The woman asked, “Has anything happened around you recently?”

Chen Xuexian lowered her head and said, “Yes…”

The female doctor asked, “What happened?”

Chen Xuexian spoke but perhaps because of the poor audio, it was difficult to hear.

The female doctor brought out a doll and said, “Can you show me what he did on the doll?”

Chen Xuexian nodded. From the angle of the screen, she undressed the doll, and the other actions were unclear.

The female doctor paused and asked, “Did you tell any other adults about this?”

Chen Xuexian shook her head and then nodded, saying softly, “I told my mom. She doesn’t want me to talk about it. I often have nightmares, and when I wake up, my heart beats fast.”

Su Hui watched the video, furrowing his brow lightly. Suddenly, he found the answer he had been searching for. In Chen Xuexian’s case, he had always felt that there was a missing trigger in her psychological changes.

Now he knew—it was premature intrusion.

The female doctor took out a set of brushes and paper, saying, “You can draw those things.”

Chen Xuexian obediently complied, drawing on the paper. Then she looked up and asked, “Sister, he said he likes me, but I’m scared. Is this what adults call love?”

The female doctor shook her head. “No, this isn’t love. It’s just a form of need.”

The female doctor quickly obtained the drawings Chen Xuexian had made, then inquired about her family situation. Finally, she took out a mental assessment form for Chen Xuexian to fill out and showed her some pictures and read a passage from a book.

After about half an hour of conversation, Chen Xuexian left, and the screen went dark.

After a while, the screen brightened again, and a figure wearing a mask and hat walked in and sat across from the female doctor.

Judging from the physique, this person might be a middle-aged man. He spoke and communicated with the female doctor, “How is Chen Xuexian’s mental condition?”

“The forty-ninth psychological evaluation has been completed. Currently, the psychological assessment is at Grade A, relatively stable, but she is a potential high-risk individual. However…”

The female doctor hesitated, took out a file from the desk, along with a few CT scan images of the brain, and finally showed the man the girl’s drawing. “It seems she has experienced assault. Should we report this to the police or communicate with her parents?”

The man examined everything and pondered for a moment before saying, “No need. We are neither the police nor her therapists. Our mission and purpose are to document her psychological changes as an ordinary person. Besides, I believe that with the onset of adolescence, we can further induce her…”

Upon hearing this, everyone in the room became indignant, and Lu Junchi clenched his right fist.

These people, under the guise of research, knew about these things but didn’t report them. In their eyes, those people were nothing more than test subjects.

They were just like that, watching a life slip into the abyss.

The female doctor remained silent for a moment and said, “In comparison, I am more concerned about Visitor 107.” As she spoke, she pulled out a stack of documents. “I believe his level of danger is at S…”

Qiao Ze pressed pause and then zoomed in on the image. There was a blurry name on top, and he used software to enhance the image, revealing a three-word name, the first word being somewhat complex.

There was also a drawing next to it, with easily identifiable content—a woman’s head.

Lu Junchi said, “Based on the information, it seems like it’s Fu Yunchu’s…”

Everything finally connected. Fu Yunchu and Chen Xuexian were indeed both former visitors of 372. It’s possible that among the killers they encountered before, some had also been here.

The female doctor wanted to say something, but the man interrupted, saying, “You don’t have to worry too much. We will make arrangements.”

Afterward, they discussed their work for a while. The female doctor seemed to have finished her work. She tiredly took off her mask, walked over to the camera, and pressed the pause button, freezing the frame on her face.

The entire video lasted about forty minutes, and after watching it, everyone remained silent.

Su Hui lowered his head. He wore a slightly thick white shirt, followed by a casual slim suit and a coat. Despite that, in this air-conditioned room, goosebumps still formed on his arms…

It wasn’t a terrifying scene, but it sent chills down his spine.

The people in the office fell into silence. Finally, Yao Fei reacted first, clapping his hands and saying, “Congratulations, you’ve finally obtained crucial evidence.”

The significance of this information, brought out from the fire scene years ago, was extraordinary.

Without this evidence, all they had was the testimonies of the parties involved, but this piece could be considered direct evidence.

They couldn’t determine the specific time of this recorded video, but based on the scene, it was over a decade ago.

Moreover, this footage was directly related to the individuals they knew.

Su Hui recalled the article he had written back then, and this video recording was several years older than his article.

Why did this mysterious psychological research institute disappear because of a big fire? Did they escape during the fire?

Su Hui squinted his eyes and looked at the woman on the screen, trying to see more clearly. “I feel like I’ve seen this woman somewhere before…”

After taking off the mask, he could see the woman’s face clearly. She had long hair and delicate features, appearing very gentle.

Lu Junchi asked, “Have you seen her before?”

Su Hui lowered his head and thought, searching his memory. Then he shook his head. “I don’t think so.”

The footage was over a decade old, and if this woman was still alive, she would be between thirty and forty years old. He didn’t recall such a woman in his impression.

But he couldn’t explain why this woman seemed somewhat familiar.

Qiao Ze analyzed, “Although we only see the back of that man, he feels more like the person behind the scenes.”

Lu Junchi nodded. “Analyze the video data, including identity information, and see if we can gather any more information.”

Su Hui pondered for a moment and added, “I suspect that the people in the video may have changed their identities. You can also investigate individuals of similar age and gender in Huadu or nearby who are involved in psychological research.”

Then Lu Junchi instructed, “Qiao Ze, quickly convert this data into a digital format and save an electronic copy before submitting it to the evidence room.”

He lowered his head and whispered in a voice only two people could hear, “Make multiple copies of the disc. Submit one, keep one in the archive, and each of you, Qiao Ze and Old Qu, make a backup copy. Give me the remaining copy.”

Obtaining this disc was somewhat fortuitous, and if the other party found out, they would definitely want to destroy it.

Electronic files are easily deletable and unreliable. The best method is to keep multiple copies.

They couldn’t confirm whether there were people from the other side in the General Bureau besides Deputy Director Wang. Such crucial evidence must not encounter any issues.

Qiao Ze replied, “Understood.”

Then Lu Junchi went to find Director Tan and showed him this footage as well.

Director Tan was also extremely shocked after watching the footage.

The two of them discussed the next direction of investigation and the allocation of personnel.

Director Tan planned to have four sketch artists and some police officers conduct a specialized investigation into Case 372, while the Major Crimes Unit would dispatch personnel as needed to handle other recent major cases.

After having lunch, Lu Junchi assigned the tasks and in the afternoon, he had Qiao Ze and Zheng Bai drive a car while he drove Su Hui to the Yuqing Clinic.

The Yuqing Clinic wasn’t far from the General Bureau, and in no time, the two cars were parked in the downstairs parking lot.

Lu Junchi applied the brakes and said, “I suddenly feel that everything we have investigated so far on this road is related to psychology and some related content… If you’re going to the clinic today, it’s best to be cautious.”

Perhaps it was because they had just watched that video segment, but Lu Junchi was somewhat wary of these psychological matters, and the female doctor in the image reminded him of Yang Yuqing.

Su Hui pondered for a moment and replied, “I’ve been here many times before, and every time it was Yang Yuqing who treated me. She has been quite helpful. You guys are investigating nearby, so there shouldn’t be any problems…”

Last time when An Yuci was involved, the police had thoroughly checked all the clinic doctors’ information and confirmed that there were no suspects. It should be safe here.

“I always feel that these psychology people, just like the criminal psychology sketch artists, have their own circle, and they also influence each other,” Lu Junchi insisted. “It’s better for you to set up an emergency contact on your phone.”

“I already have. Just press the switch five times.” Su Hui pressed the switch a few times, and Lu Junchi’s phone immediately rang beside him.

After Lu Junchi hung up the call, Su Hui added, “But I think you’re right. It’s still necessary to be cautious. I’ll call you on the phone once I’m inside.”

Yang Yuqing was a frail woman and his psychotherapist. Su Hui reflected that he shouldn’t let his guard down because of this. Lu Junchi’s approach was correct; it was an exceptional time, and he needed to protect himself.

Lu Junchi nodded, finally feeling relieved.

As the conversation reached this point, Lu Junchi was about to open the car door but then remembered something. He asked Su Hui, “By the way, do you know why the Yuqing Clinic is the cooperative clinic of the Huadu General Bureau?”

Su Hui shook his head and asked, “Why? Are there any screening criteria?”

Since he joined the Huadu General Bureau, it seemed that the cooperative clinic for the police had always been the Yuqing Mental Clinic, where all the officers’ psychological evaluations and subsequent treatments took place. The newly joined officers took it for granted without questioning the reason.

Lu Junchi explained, “I also heard Old Qu mention it in the past. It seems that Yang Yuqing’s father was a former senior police officer in the municipal bureau who sacrificed himself in a mission. Yang Yuqing studied psychology and opened the Yuqing Clinic. The old leaders wanted to take care of her, so they placed the psychological assessments of the officers here.”

“Then I’ll ask her when I go in.” Su Hui took out his phone, dialed the number, and hid the phone. Lu Junchi put on a wireless earphone, and the two of them finally got out of the car and went inside.

The psychological clinic was as usual, and Nurse Jin Qiu received them. She quickly finished the registration and pointed, saying, “Mr. Su, please go in first. Dr. Yang is preparing and will be with you shortly.”

Su Hui followed the other nurses inside, entering the same consultation room as before. He had been here too many times, and in Yang Yuqing’s absence, Su Hui did what he always did. He placed his cane aside and lay down on the treatment chair.

Soft music filled the room, and the familiar environment unintentionally calmed Su Hui down.

Suddenly, he caught a strong fragrance in the air, reminiscent of rich fruity scent, pleasant but somewhat pungent.

Su Hui felt that Yang Yuqing must have changed the aromatherapy on the patient’s pillow. 

However, the scent was overpowering, almost stinging his eyes. He blinked and closed his eyes.

The music in the room continued to play.

Su Hui breathed quietly, deeply affected by the fragrance. It smelled like fruit and sugar, initially sweet but gradually becoming somewhat nauseating.

After smelling it for a while, Su Hui began to feel a bit queasy. He turned his head to the side while his body remained lying flat. He wondered why Yang Yuqing hadn’t arrived yet.

Maintaining this position for a few minutes, Su Hui couldn’t bear the overwhelming scent any longer. He felt like he was about to vomit if he continued smelling it, so he tried to sit up from the treatment chair.

However, his body was too weak in its usual state, his brain a bit dizzy. Although he was conscious, he seemed to have lost control of his body.

Suddenly, Su Hui realized that some kind of drug had been sprayed on the pillow. It didn’t smell like ether, but it could still induce unconsciousness. It was most likely ether or n-butanol…

Before this, Su Hui had come to this place regularly, almost every time, and it was considered a safe area. He thought he had taken precautions, but he had still been negligent.

He hadn’t expected that Yang Yuqing’s clinic would have a direct connection to 372.

Even more surprising, in the midst of the police pursuit, those people took advantage of this opportunity to act in this way.

During this consultation, he had fallen directly into their trap.

Su Hui wanted to move, even just to make a sound, to alert the nearby Lu Junchi and other officers. But he couldn’t do it. He had completely lost control of his body, unable to speak or make any movements.

Su Hui lay on the treatment bed, feeling as if he were lying on the surface of the sea, constantly sinking, descending into the deep ocean.

Yet, in that dizziness and nausea, he unexpectedly experienced an unprecedented sense of excitement.

His consciousness seemed extraordinarily clear, and then Su Hui suddenly remembered where he had seen that woman before…

TN:

Well this chapter is f*ckin messed up! These people are sick. Do you think things could have turned out differently for these guys if they hadn’t been instigated or manipulated by the psychopaths. This kind of begs the old age question: Are psychopaths born or made?