Starting with dissecting ghost stories

What does that mean?

Was the deceased a suicide? And the scene was exactly the same as when Li Ya died?

How is that possible?

In the previous case, it was clear from the other party's methods that they had absolutely no understanding of the details of the family annihilation case.

The other party was unaware of the existence of the strange entity, unaware of the existence of the second person present, and unaware that Li Ya's suicide was staged.

But in just two or three days, the other party went from being "naive" during their first crime to realizing that there was actually a second person at the scene.

Did he realize it himself after committing the crime?

"Have you taken fingerprints for comparison? Was the person who committed suicide the same person who committed the first copycat crime? Was anything left at the scene?" Shen Xing pressed.

Generally speaking, imitators have a kind of "worship" for the object of their imitation. Under this morbid worship, they will make some "tribute" actions.

For example, they might leave traces at the scene that are identical to those in the original case, or leave their own unique mark or words. But the essence remains the same: most copycats crave attention.

Copycat offenders may have high intelligence, but their psychological state is very immature. This leads to a lack of self-identity, and while they have extremely strong self-esteem, they also have a distorted pursuit of achievement.

They not only want the world to know them, but also want their "idols" to be aware of their existence.

Some people will even take on cases that are not originally theirs during the interrogation process, as long as they think the case is "cool" enough and "worthy" of them.

To see if the copycat had discovered his presence, we can look at whether he left any "clues" at the scene. "He left behind a few words cut from a newspaper: 'Dedicated to us.'"

Did the deceased also have a criminal record?

"Yes, he was previously incarcerated for rape, and it seems he's continued committing crimes after his release. We've located several women who might be his victims, but they refuse to undergo testing with us..."

"Can I go to the site to take a look? I need to ask for leave first."

"Okay, I'll send you the address in a bit..."

Shen Xing immediately agreed to go to the scene.

Shen Xing is indeed not in a good state right now; he is starting to feel a bit annoyed.

If it were just that previous inappropriate imitation, Shen Xing wouldn't have taken it to heart at all.

Whether the other party figured out the truth or not, it doesn't affect the fact that Shen Xing is now completely safe.

As long as Shen Xing joins the Ninth Detachment's external recruitment team, he will receive a true get-out-of-jail-free card. Not to mention, there is absolutely no evidence to prove that Shen Xing killed Li Ya.

Logically speaking, as long as Shen Xing completely ignores it, the copycat should be caught soon... Premeditated and brutal killing of two people, in this time of severe crackdown, basically only the death penalty awaits him.

But it's different now.

The copycat had tied himself to Shen Xing, believing that Shen Xing was the same kind of person as him.

similar?

A vigilante upholding justice?

"spray"

Don't make me laugh.

Being forcibly bound together like this gave Shen Xing an overwhelming sense of disgust, like having to share a bed with a bunch of cockroaches.

However, after Shen Xing received the printed drawing paper from his boss, he calmed down again.

As he rode his bicycle, feeling the morning breeze on his face, Shen Xing began to ponder the irrationality of the situation.

If everything that happened was without any unusual influencing factors, and he had simply killed someone in an ordinary way, and the other person had simply imitated him in an ordinary way as a "tribute" to Shen Xing.

Shen Xing might have found him before the police, had a pleasant chat about his experience in killing, and enjoyed the other's admiration. But that's not what Shen Xing was thinking just now.

His first reaction was danger, and this sense of crisis then transformed into a deep-seated irritation, a desire to kill the other person before the police could reach them. These two differing mindsets have an unusual, indirect influence.

If there are no abnormalities, Shen Xing will be very confident that he will not reveal any flaws, so he will treat the copycat in a relatively relaxed manner.

But this is a world with unusual creatures and creations, and Shen Xing isn't sure if the other side truly knows of his existence. Shen Xing simply dislikes this feeling of the enemy being in the dark while he is in the light.

If you can inspect the scene and find nothing unusual, then just leave it to the police to handle.

Shen Xing returned to school and asked for leave from the school's logistics department. It seemed that Director Wang of the Academic Affairs Office had already spoken to the logistics department, and his leave was approved very quickly.

After confirming the address sent by Chen Liming on his phone, Shen Xing took the DV camera with the tape removed, hailed a taxi, and headed directly to the first crime scene.

The crime scene was on the edge of the old city, in a more remote area, similar to a suburban area.

After Shen Xing had the driver stop the car on the dirt road, he saw Chen Liming standing at the entrance of the alley smoking.

Upon seeing Shen Xing, Chen Liming immediately dropped his cigarette and came to greet him, leading Shen Xing into the alley while explaining the case to him.

"The copycat's previous crime scene was in the new district; this is the second case discovered, in the old district. All the victims were repeat offenders, and the lists of repeat offenders are internal files within the public security system. We suspect the copycat has some kind of channel to obtain these lists." "Relatives of police officers, relatives of file administrators, outsourced maintenance personnel for the file system..."

They are not necessarily relatives.

Chen Liming explained it this way because he didn't want to suspect his officers or people within the police system.

"There are people with serious criminal records in this city, and I've already had them kept an eye on. For someone to commit a crime over such a long distance across districts, there's a high chance he has some counter-surveillance awareness and a means of transportation."

Chen Liming set up a cordon and led Shen Xing inside. There were already many technicians taking photos as evidence. At the scene, Shen Xing saw an unexpected person who noticed him and smiled at him.

"I knew you'd be interested in this too," Wen Yan said with a smile, looking at Shen Xing. "How about we work together?"

Shen Xing twitched his facial muscles, revealing a wry smile that he had been practicing all night, and said, "Find something to do, just to distract myself." "You all know each other? Then there's no need for introductions..." Chen Liming breathed a sigh of relief.

That expert was from Lu Lingyun's side, which is why Chen Liming chose to call Shen Xing immediately.

"The fact that he specifically chose people with criminal records to commit murder shows that he is an extremely weak person. He may seem to be doing this to uphold justice, but he is actually trying to avoid feeling guilty."

As Wen Yan walked towards Shen Xing, she took off her gloves.

"He imitated a crime, and this time he really killed a criminal. In fact, what he did was a way of currying favor with the powerful. He was trying to win over the police... But this is still just a sign of weakness. He was afraid of being caught by the police, or rather, being arrested in an undignified way."

"I'm also curious, he's a copycat, but who exactly is he copying?"

Wen Yan extended his right hand to Shen Xing, smiling, and said, "Come on, tell me what your thoughts are?"

Shen Xing reached out and shook hands with him. After thinking for a moment, he said, "I'm more curious as to why he suddenly changed his imitation method. What might have influenced him? ... Uncle Wen is more professional in this regard."

Chen Liming breathed a slight sigh of relief as he watched the two men clasp hands together.

With a doctoral expert hired from outside the provincial department, plus a rising star in forensic medicine from the former provincial department... it's estimated that the case can be closed before the next victim appears! Under Chen Liming's delighted gaze.

The hands of the instigator and the murderer were clasped tightly together.