False evidence

Chapter 12 Physiognomy
After figuring out the situation, the monkey couldn't help but complain, "Can humans and animals be compared? Isn't what you're doing a bit ridiculous?"

I said, "Let me tell you responsibly, humans aren't that different from some animals. The key point is that you just heard about it, right? Three cases in a row, three mothers and daughters. The murderer is very likely to have psychological problems."

I've taken a few psychology classes, though they were... animal psychology. But take cats, for example. Domesticated pets are pampered and spoiled. If someone slaps them even a little, they can feel wronged for days.

In comparison, stray cats are somewhat 'psychologically disturbed.' We had a case where a stray cat had its leg broken by a car and was in excruciating pain. When it had no other choice, it bit off the broken leg at the root!

Gao He said, "This analogy is quite apt. The murderer is indeed psychologically abnormal. Once injured, while his mind is stimulated, his physical tolerance to pain will likely increase... or rather, become numb! As long as the pain can be relieved and he can survive, whether he is a doctor or not is irrelevant."

I nodded. "The key is that many drugs used on animals are also effective on humans, but they have more severe side effects."

Gao He scratched his head vigorously and gave Lin Dan a clear wink.

Lin Dan hesitated for a moment, then said to me very solemnly, "To prevent further victims, I personally hope that you can assist us to the greatest extent possible. As I just said, the killer has started to lose control. In fact, just the night before last, two more victims were added!"

The monkey said, "I just don't understand. Sanqi is just a veterinarian, and he hasn't even graduated yet. Besides what he just said, how else can he help you?"

Lin Dan suddenly raised his voice: "He had an obligation to help us catch the murderer! He saved two people, but at the same time he stabbed the murderer, causing the murderer to lose control! He used the spokes to stab the murderer in the eye area, and the new victim, a 22-year-old girl, had her eyes stabbed with the temple of her own glasses!"

The monkey and I both shuddered at the same time.

Gao He tapped the table, signaling Lin Dan to calm down, then suddenly changed the subject and asked me, "What are your thoughts on metaphysics?"

The monkey asked in surprise, "How did we get onto metaphysics again?"

Gao He touched his nose, still staring at me, and said, "I am a thorough materialist, but I also believe that there is indeed metaphysics beyond science. For example, feng shui, and physiognomy. Even in Western countries, there are many similar things."

"Physiognomy? Reading people's faces?" My mind suddenly skipped a beat.

Gao He said, "You must still remember why we first met. Have you ever thought that if Yang Wudao hadn't shown up, given your situation at the time, it would have been really difficult for you to get away so quickly?"

I remember every detail you mentioned. You gave Yang Wudao a boxed lunch and five yuan, and he did you such a huge favor. The key thing is—I remember he told you the first time you met him that he was a fortune teller!

Seeing Gao He nod at me with a tight-lipped expression, I suddenly felt as if I had been awakened.

Gao He seemed to be getting more and more excited, rubbing his hands together, and continued, "To investigate the case, we went to Yang Wudao's house. There we found a picture frame. You must have seen those photos too; to any normal person—they're not normal."

To put it simply, you mentioned before at the bureau that you are squeamish about blood, but you were able to provide emergency treatment to the injured person that night because you had seen even more gruesome scenes in your dream, which caused your psychological defenses to expand considerably.

I believe that before that, you certainly didn't have the ability to dream and foresee the 'future'. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gone to that old alleyway, paying rent for nothing and getting yourself into a lot of trouble, right?
In your account, three "special" things happened after you went to Elephant Trunk Alley. Aside from dreaming about the crime scene and the old beggar giving you a spoke, it seems that only Yang Wudao's photos were truly special.

Can I assume that Yang Wudao isn't crazy? He was telling you the truth; he really is a fortune teller! He knew he was about to die, and you kindly gave him a meal. He thought you were a good person and decided to take you on as his apprentice!
He himself doesn't have the opportunity or time to personally teach you, so his photos serve as a special kind of self-study material!

"Clap clap clap..."

I couldn't help but applaud him. "Your memory is amazing, and your analytical skills are superb."

Gao He raised an eyebrow: "So?" I stared at his face for a while, then smiled wryly: "The truth is, I really can't read faces, otherwise I would at least tell you when this case will be solved. By the way, more than one of you must have seen those photos. Did any of you learn anything from them?"

Gao He's lips curled into a sneer. "I've wasted so much breath, and you still won't help?"

Lin Dan's phone, which was on the table, suddenly vibrated. I glanced at it instinctively and saw her frowning as she rejected the call.

Seeing her somewhat complicated expression, it was as if a bolt of lightning had suddenly struck my mind.

After a brief moment of confusion, she blurted out, "Officer Lin, is the woman who stole your boyfriend your best friend? Is she from a single-parent family?"

Lin Dan seemed not to have reacted yet, but Gao He suddenly leaned forward: "What do you want to say?"

Meeting his sharp gaze, I immediately calmed down considerably.

Gao He tapped the table twice with his hand, neither too hard nor too soft:

“Sanqi, you’re not a child anymore. You’re a man, a member of society. You must have a sense of responsibility! Eight victims, six lives lost. The girl you saved will be disabled even if she recovers! I sincerely hope you can provide us with as much help as possible!”

"Alright, that's enough." I got up and walked out, instinctively feeling myself sinking into a confusing vortex, not the life I longed for...

Reaching the door, she finally couldn't help but stop and turn back, saying, "Officer Lin, you'd better call that 'scumbag.' If his purpose in calling you just now was to get back together with you, then... that woman he just abandoned and her mother might be the killer's next target."

On the way back, the monkey impatiently chased after me and asked, "You're really good at reading faces? You can really tell who the murderer is... no, you can even tell who the next victim will be?"

I didn't say anything until we got back to the clinic, then I told him, "Brother Monkey, we're brothers, I won't lie to you. A lot of strange things have happened to me lately. For example, you said I hadn't left the house for three days. Actually, all I remember is seeing a big white fox with green eyes in the yard last night. I was so scared that I barely slept all night. When you came to knock on the door, I found out that three days had already passed."

I nodded and said, "I have to admit, that guy surnamed Gao is really awesome, his analytical and reasoning abilities are superb. What he said really cleared up a lot of my confusion. But... as for fortune telling, Brother Monkey, don't you think that's a bit far-fetched?"

Why do you think it's absurd?

The monkey waved his hand exaggeratedly, "Speaking of foxes, although the environment is severely damaged nowadays, if you go east from here, there are forests and wild areas. It's not that strange if a fox runs into the yard. As for physiognomy, that's something passed down from our ancestors for thousands of years. How can you say that's nonsense?"

Seeing that he was getting more and more excited, my mind was also thrown into disarray, so I quickly stopped him and said, "Don't talk about physiognomy yet, talk about foxes first. Have you ever seen a fox that can change size?"

"Tch, vixen, vixen, can change size..."

The monkey clearly hadn't thought things through when it said that, and when it realized what it meant, its expression turned to astonishment.

Just as I was about to say something more, I suddenly noticed that his eyes slowly moved elsewhere, and the expression in his eyes became quite strange.

I instinctively turned my head and followed his gaze, and my heart skipped a beat.

I actually saw a fox face!

(End of this chapter)