Captain Lu was aloof again today.

Chapter 135 Death Instinct

Go to school, graduate, get a job.

Many people seem to live their lives in this routine.

All the hard work and studying is for the day when we can finally get ahead, find a glamorous job, and start the next stage of our lives.

According to Li Lirong, Li Linlu graduated from a prestigious university, and finding a good job was not difficult for her.

Why is she unwilling to go out to work and only wants to stay at home?
That may be the crux of the problem.

Just when everyone thought the case would be closed as a suicide, a forensic officer came out of the room and said with a frown.

"Captain Lu, we searched the entire room but couldn't find the deceased Li Linlu's cell phone."

Mobile phones: humanity's best companion in the 21st century.

The fact that Li Linlu's phone was not found at the scene raises several possibilities and doesn't necessarily prove anything.

But the police's duty is to eliminate every possibility and find the final, definitive conclusion.

Her phone is missing. She may have thrown it away before committing suicide, or... it may have been taken away by someone who was at the scene.

If a second person had existed here, then there are many possibilities.

Was he an facilitator or a bystander?
Or perhaps, the mastermind?
Did he have a legal obligation to provide assistance? Did he have any contractual relationship with the deceased?

...All these speculations urgently need to be confirmed.

This seemingly simple suicide case does indeed contain many suspicious points.

Lu Jingming frowned and instructed Xiao Song: "Find a few colleagues to search the trash cans in the apartment building and the surrounding green areas to see if you can find Li Linlu's phone."

Despite it being hard and tiring work, Xiao Song looked relieved. He chuckled and pulled his arm away from Li Lirong's grip, then quickly made his escape.

Li Lirong looked at Lu Jingming through teary eyes: "Officer, the fact that my daughter's phone wasn't found, does that mean she was murdered?"

Lu Jingming frowned slightly and lowered his eyes, as if he was thinking about how to explain.

He's not exactly a good communicator.

Wei Qingsong continued, "We will try to find her phone and uncover the truth. Ms. Li, you can try calling your daughter's phone number to see if her phone was lost or if there's something else going on."

After being reminded, Li Lirong suddenly realized what was happening and quickly took out her phone to dial a number.

The phone was on, but no one answered.

Li Lirong looked at Wei Qingsong for help.

When a person is in a state of extreme sadness and pain, it is impossible for them to think calmly.

Wei Qingsong had no choice but to say again, "Try it a few more times."

"Ah, okay." Li Lirong did as she was told.

She paced back and forth in the living room, dialing the number countless times, until suddenly, the call was answered.

Li Lirong's pupils suddenly dilated, and she subconsciously looked at Wei Qingsong. Wei Qingsong raised her chin, indicating that she should answer the call.

With trembling hands, she put the receiver to her ear: "Hello, I am Li Linlu's mother. Why is my daughter's phone with you?"

There was no response from the other end, and after a moment of silence, the call was disconnected.

Li Lirong was a little surprised. She quickly dialed again, but the phone was already switched off.

"What should I do... Officer, my daughter must have been murdered, she must have! Otherwise, why isn't this person answering my calls?"

This phone call was indeed a bit strange, but it's possible that Li Linlu threw her phone away and someone picked it up, and that the person who picked it up didn't want to return it.

Lu Jingming had the technical investigation team try to locate the phone, and then planned to go with Chen Jin to check around the stairwell for clues.

The apartment building where Li Lirong lives has an elevator, and the stairwells are covered in dust, with no footprints of anyone coming or going.

Having obtained no significant clues, the group decided to go to the security room to check the surveillance footage.

On the way, Chen Jin scratched his head, completely baffled: "Actually, I don't understand either. Why do people commit suicide? Isn't it good to be alive? There is hope in being alive."

“Perhaps, for someone who has decided to commit suicide, living means there is no hope,” Wei Qingsong explained, following his logic.

Chen Jin was even more confused: "Then wouldn't death mean even less hope?"

Wei Qingsong nodded in agreement, and then said, "But driven by the death instinct, people can't think that much."

Chen Jin was completely bewildered: "Death instinct? What's that? I've only ever heard of humans having a survival instinct, never a death instinct."

"The death instinct, also known as the destructive impulse or the aggressive instinct, was proposed by psychologist Sigmund Freud. He believed that the death instinct, like the life instinct, is an innate human instinct," Wei Qingsong explained.

Chen Jin seemed to understand something: "If the life instinct is about seeking to live, then the death instinct is about wanting to die?"

“Well…” Wei Qingsong drawled, seemingly finding it difficult to explain the question. She thought for a moment and then said, “Life instinct and death instinct are indeed relative, but what you said is not entirely accurate.”

"The life instinct is not just the simple desire to live, but also includes the instinct for self and the sexual instinct. Human survival, development and evolution are all included in it. Eating, breathing, excretion, singing, dancing and listening to music are all life instincts."

"The death instinct is not simply about wanting to die. Suicide, murder, and aggression are all driven by the death instinct. All behaviors that represent destruction and destructiveness are driven by the death instinct."

Seeing Chen Jin tugging at his hair in distress, Wei Qingsong gasped.

To save his precarious hairline, Wei Qingsong closed his eyes slightly and gave a concise example: "Let's put it this way, everyone has times of adversity. Sometimes you are very angry, and you smash cups, kick tables, and push things at home. After doing these things, you feel that your anger has disappeared a lot and you have a strange sense of pleasure. At this time, you are being driven by the death instinct."

“These behaviors all represent destruction and destructiveness, but this is a shallow form of external destruction. At least it won’t harm yourself or others. If this external destruction deepens, it may lead to actions that hurt or kill others.” Wei Qingsong’s gaze deepened slightly. “Sometimes, the death instinct is inward. When the tendency to destroy and destructive turns inward, it can lead to self-harm or even suicide.”

"Most of the time, the life instinct and the death instinct coexist in the human mind, fighting against each other and maintaining a delicate balance. If this balance is broken and the death instinct takes the lead, the desire to destroy and wreak havoc will arise."

Chen Jin suddenly realized: "I understand now. Whether it's murder or suicide, it's all driven by the death instinct."

Wei Qingsong nodded and added, "Not only that, it also includes self-condemnation, self-punishment, and the like."

Chen Jin asked curiously, "Sister Wei, you said that most of the time the life instinct and the death instinct are in conflict with each other, so when does the death instinct gain the upper hand?"

Miss Wei's science popularization time~
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(End of this chapter)