The Brain Science Case 10

Chapter 10: Paranoid Delusions – 10

“Hey! You won’t smash it.”

Yingli let out an exaggerated sigh. “Not many people use film cameras these days. That’s not a new roll of film in there, is it? What did you shoot? The third scene, the perfect composition of bloodstains, the yellow dress, and the green grass? Especially since it was midday, the lighting was great, wasn’t it?” She wore an almost pathological smile.

What… what is she talking about? “Miss Tang?”

She slowly walked toward them, the sharp gaze behind her lenses fixed on Su Yijie. “The second one was in a dim alley in the morning. How did you find that place? Did you use black-and-white film? Were you trying to capture a noir-like black-and-white image? Or were you trying to express a kind of thrilling tranquility?”

“You’re wrong! I used color film!” he answered, a strange smile on his face, his eyes flashing with a crazed light. “The red of the bricks and the white floral pattern, in the dim alley, with the beaded bracelet as an accent… It was exquisite! Their deaths created beautiful works of art!”

“Then you’re even less likely to smash it. If you break it or the film gets exposed, your work will never be seen by anyone.”

His grip on the camera visibly wavered. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’ve known about your perverse exhibitionism and your pedophilia for a long time! You even have to make your girlfriend dress up like a little girl to get aroused, don’t you? That’s why you kept the bracelet, so you could project your fantasies about little girls onto her!”

In the instant their eyes met, it was as if she could see right through him. “Did I hit the mark? As I thought…” Yingli pushed up her glasses.

“The brain doesn’t lie.”

As if on cue, the little girl bit down hard on his arm.

He yelped in pain, cursed, and violently threw the girl away from him.

The little girl hit the ground hard, her pitiful cries like a needle pricking Zhou Jinglin’s nerves.

“Now!” Yingli shouted, rushing forward to protect the girl.

Gunsmoke filled the air. Zhou Jinglin fired a shot at his arm, and the camera flew from his grasp.

No! His work!

Su Yijie desperately reached for the camera but couldn’t get it. As he lost his balance, she had already charged forward and tackled him.

“Got you!”

He was pinned face down on the ground, quickly handcuffed, and had no choice but to surrender.

Yingli silently picked up the camera.

“No… don’t destroy it!”

“Destroy it? What are you talking about?”

“This will be preserved as evidence against you at your trial… It will be excellent proof.” She dusted off the camera. “And then, the photos will be sealed away, and no. one. will. ever. see. them. again.”

Su Yijie did not show a look of devastated despair.

Because he was no longer able to react.

“You scum!”

Zhou Jinglin slammed her fist into the back of his head.

Another punch. Yingli heard the sound of his forehead hitting the ground.

She flipped him over. “You don’t deserve… you don’t deserve to live in this world!”

Another punch. His nose was broken.

“Repent for the girls you killed!”

Another punch. The corner of his eye was split open.

“Repent!”

Another punch.

“That’s enough! Stop hitting him!”

Yingli grabbed her right arm tightly; her knuckles were clearly injured. “You’ll kill him!”

“Don’t stop me… get away!” Zhou Jinglin turned, her face flushed, veins bulging, her glaring eyes devoid of any reason.

Yingli shouted sharply, “Remember that you are a police officer!”

Her fist raised high, tears welled in her eyes.

“I know you feel for the girls who died! But even if you beat him to death with your own hands, they won’t come back!”

Yingli used her body to block her arm, gently pressing one hand to her forehead as she said softly, “You’ve already done so well… He is not the one who hurt you! Let him go. Let the court handle it.”

The sound of sirens grew closer. She gritted her teeth and finally let go of Su Yijie’s collar, shoving Yingli away at the same time.

[August 19th, 2:03 PM. The serial child murderer, Su Yijie, is officially arrested.]

The little girl was still wailing, but a woman had already rushed over and was holding her tightly.

Yingli found a small pool of blood on the ground and approached the woman. “Don’t worry. Let me see where she’s hurt…”

The bleeding was coming from her head. After examining the wound, Yingli said, “It’s best to take her to a hospital for a check-up. I’ll contact a doctor I know to help… She’ll be alright.”

The girl’s mother clutched her daughter tightly, nodding blankly.

**

With the arrival of the police and ambulance, the entire case finally came to a close.

In the van, the police found more evidence belonging to the three victims, including skin flakes, hair, and bodily fluids. Along with the developed photos and film, Su Yijie was charged with multiple crimes, including abduction, child abuse, statutory rape, and murder.

Zhuang Jinbi’s testimony confirmed the high accuracy of Yingli’s profile. Except for his actual age of forty-five, almost everything else matched.

The burn mark on the first victim’s pubis was confirmed to have been caused by Zhuang Jinbi. High on marijuana and alcohol, she had stumbled into the darkroom and, in her impaired state, had used the victim on the table as an ashtray… Too afraid to defy Su Yijie, she was nearly beaten to death. However, the beaded bracelet she later possessed unexpectedly became the key piece of evidence, cleverly connecting the two cases.

The day after the suspect’s arrest, Zhou Jinglin returned the beaded bracelet to the family.

“It was Wenqi who helped us find the killer.” A single sentence brought tears to the girl’s parents’ eyes once again.

The pain of losing a beloved daughter could not be erased. Zhou Jinglin could only hope that catching the killer and bringing the truth to light would offer the family some small measure of comfort.

The successful capture of the suspect before he could abduct a fourth girl was largely due to her and Yingli’s accurate judgment. In addition to receiving a commendation, Fang Zijun had also specifically “forced” her to take a day off.

“Why does this feel like a punishment?” was her first thought upon hearing about the “day off.”

But she did deserve to be punished. Beating a suspect was against regulations. However, Fang Zijun had only given her a gentle reprimand, and not only did he not punish her, but he also told her to get her right hand bandaged.

It was Tao Qianya who secretly told her that Yingli had put in a good word for her.

Although she received most of the credit for catching the killer, she couldn’t help but feel that Tang Yingli was the one who had truly stolen the show.

Having solved a major case, she should have been relaxed, but she had been dealing with cases almost every day since joining the Criminal Investigation Division. Suddenly being stuck at home, she had no idea what to do. She yawned as she flipped through the channels on the TV. Unexpectedly, her phone rang.

An unknown number… “Hello?”

‘Officer Zhou!’ Huh? That voice… ‘I’m at the department store right now, shopping, and I have too many things… Could I trouble you to come over for a bit?’

Her eyes widened.

Tang. Ying. Li