Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 26 Ghost Hotline - Serial Murder Case 6
"The murderer should be a woman," Tan Jiaxian concluded.

"In my dream, the murderer stood very close to the first victim. I could see the victim's face clearly before it was fully light. The victim was pale, with deep eye bags, but his eyes were bright, so he must have been awake."

"I don't know if she was crying or laughing, or both, but she seemed to know what was going to happen next. She was very compliant and didn't seem to have any aversion to being killed. It was more like a relief."

"After pushing the person off the building, the murderer deliberately stayed in the same spot for a while. His heavy mood suddenly became light and cheerful when he saw the body."

As for why it was inferred to be female, it's because—

“When she pushed the deceased’s shoulder, her exposed fingers and wrists were very thin, her nails were a bit long, and when she leaned over the railing and looked down, the wind blew her long hair.”

When they first heard about the real-life version of "capturing a criminal through a dream," most people in the meeting room were incredulous, and their skepticism was clearly written on their faces.

"Your dream was so vivid? You can even remember the details of the wind blowing through your hair?"

Tan Jia nodded with a flat expression.

This was a description she had embellished; in reality, she felt a slight itch on her neck as the wind blew the killer's hair.

However, this sounds too bizarre. Killers usually have complex and intense emotions when they commit murder, making it difficult for them to remember such a trivial itch.

And the fact that she can remember it is like her being able to sit on the rooftop after committing murder and say, "It's so windy today, I should get a haircut." She's more like the murderer than the murderer herself.

She's just a concerned citizen, so she should just say what a concerned citizen should say.

"Qu Li was pushed downstairs by the murderer so obediently?" Zheng Yan wondered. "Chen Yingying did not struggle when she was hanged by the murderer. Could it be that the murderer was actually inducing the victim to cooperate with the murder? Three years ago, there was a case in the neighboring province where a cult member was induced to self-immolate and ascend to heaven. Most of these murderers are mental patients."

Tan Ming: "But why did she call to warn us? Multiple personality disorder, one personality committing murder and another trying to stop it?"

Seeing that they were just going along with their thoughts, Xiao Chen and the others exchanged glances, and he hesitated to speak to Zheng Yan.

"Captain Zheng, this..."

Is it really believable?
In Mi Junfang's case, Tan Jia's dream only supplemented some details they had overlooked. At that time, all they lacked was evidence. If anyone had a flash of inspiration and mentioned a useful clue, they could easily investigate it.

But this serial murder case is different. The whole case is complicated and every second counts. It's hard to accept that she's talking nonsense and wants to change the current direction of the investigation.

What if the direction is wrong and the time is wasted, giving the murderer time to kill more people?
Isn't this just grasping at straws when you're desperate?
Many people thought this way, and they all frowned as they looked at Tan Jia, as if he were a charlatan.

Tan Jia could guess what they were thinking, but she neither lied nor forced them to cooperate, so she didn't care about their gazes.

"I'm just telling you what I dreamed about; you can decide what to do next. But if needed, I can help in any way I can."

After saying that, he sat down and leaned back in his chair, staring at the photos of the two deceased on the whiteboard. Sometime later, he pulled out a lump of dough and kneaded it.

Her demeanor was calmer than anyone else's, and after a few more glances, she really did start to give off the feeling of a master.

Xiao Chen glanced around and asked her, "You can really dream about a crime scene after seeing a corpse? Why don't you take another look at Chen Yingying..."

“I’m not a dream-clicking machine,” Tan Jia immediately rejected the suggestion.

It was also said: "Moreover, it can be guessed that Chen Yingying's reaction was similar to Qu Li's. Even if she was not struggling because of the effects of the drugs when she died, her mood suddenly became cheerful two days before her death. She even ordered a dish that exceeded her usual spending level and smiled at others, which is not a sign of improvement for a patient with depression. Rather, it is a sign that the situation has deteriorated rapidly. She also believed that death was a relief."

"However, I think there's a problem with the timing of this release."

Xiao Chen immediately asked, "What's the problem?"

"Qu Li fell back into her past nightmares after meeting Peng Siyan, so she wanted to escape. But why did Chen Yingying suddenly want to die after maintaining the status quo for several years? Did something happen that caused her to self-harm three months ago? Did she also encounter the person who caused her depression back then?" Tan Ming: "It's possible. But we've investigated. She doesn't work, doesn't go out, and no one has seen her interacting with anyone. We can only guess that she met someone online. We'll need to find her phone or wait for people to go to her hometown and find her parents and relatives to get more information."

As if on cue, the police officers who were visiting Chen Yingying's hometown called to report a piece of information they had just uncovered—

"Chen Yingying has reported the crime twice. More than six years ago, she accused someone of rape, and three years ago, she accused someone of stealing her information to take out online loans, but in the end, nothing came of it."

Online lending? The technical team immediately contacted the cyber police to investigate, and they actually found something.

"Chen Yingying took out a nude loan online more than three years ago, accumulating 110,000 yuan in loans, which she only paid off six months ago."

After a few seconds of processing, Xiao Chen asked in surprise, "So someone used her photo and identity information to take out online loans, and the online lending institutions actually gave her the money? And in the end, she still has to repay the money herself?"

“That person never intended to repay the loan, so the debt collectors harassed Chen Yingying every day and even threatened to post her photos online.”

It's probably because of this incident that her depression worsened.

Zheng Yan asked, "Who were the defendants in those two cases?"

"It's the same person, named Feng Yang. The first time I sued him, both of them were minors at the time, and it seems they were in a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. There was surveillance footage proving that Chen Yingying went with him willingly, so no verdict was handed down. The second time, Feng Yang denied that he did it, and the address for the online loan that was found at the time was indeed not his home, so the matter was dropped."

What a despicable scumbag! Who else has those photos besides him? And he won't even admit it.

Zheng Yan: "Judging from this, Chen Yingying is more likely to be the typical victim chosen by the murderer. Let's continue to investigate Feng Yang to see if he has recently contacted Chen Yingying."

The person on the other end of the phone said, "We can't reach that person. He should still be a senior in college, but the school's counselor said he didn't come to class today."

The people in the second team looked sideways. What did that mean? Feng Yang had also disappeared?

After Qu Li fell to her death, Peng Siyan, who had bullied her, disappeared without a trace. Now that Chen Yingying has hanged herself, Feng Yang, who also bullied her, is nowhere to be found either. Is it a coincidence or...?

"Where is the surveillance footage that proves Chen Yingying went with Feng Yang voluntarily?" Tan Jia suddenly asked.

"Back then, there weren't many places with surveillance cameras in Chen Yingying's hometown, were there? She voluntarily followed the camera, but then called the police afterwards. Are the surveillance cameras in that area really reliable? Did she really follow the camera voluntarily at the time?"

The unwillingness of the disadvantaged is always packaged as willingness by the powerful, which is all too common among women.

Minors, voluntary versus involuntary, sexual assault... Anyone with experience in handling cases can immediately think of one thing.

Obedience potion circulating on the black market.

Its active ingredient is gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), which is the culprit in many rape cases and is known as one of the "three major dating drugs" along with ketamine and MDMA.

Tan Ming jumped up and said, "I know what drug Chen Yingying was given!"

Forensic pathologist Lao Li also realized what was happening: "I immediately conducted targeted tests."

This was a hard-won and valid lead, and they were just about to be happy when the phone rang urgently with a sharp tone.

The discussion was put on hold, and a heavy atmosphere spread like water up to one's chest, pressing down on one's heartbeat.

Zheng Yan answered the phone. The voice on the other end was completely different from the one last night, but the content was extremely similar.

"You're too slow. There will be a third person tomorrow."

(End of this chapter)