After the frail beauty went to the countryside, she went crazy with scientific research.

Chapter 256, Episode 0269: The Horror of PUA

The story begins a month ago.

Uh, no, to really go into detail, we have to start from what happened two years ago when Wang Xiaoxiang had her accident.

When Wang Xiaoxiang got into trouble, Captain Wang did consider reporting it to the police, but in the end he didn't. The police couldn't handle this kind of thing. Zhao Jiao hadn't laid a hand on Wang Xiaoxiang, so they couldn't even file a case, let alone arrest or convict her.

But not taking the straight road doesn't mean there aren't winding roads. Captain Wang himself used to be an investigator, and his brothers came from all walks of life. When they learned that their friend's daughter had been bullied, which one of them wouldn't want to help her get revenge?
That's right. Even though he has left the team now, he can't betray the green uniform he once wore. He can't do illegal things, so Captain Wang didn't retaliate against Zhao Jiao in private. Instead, he wanted to find evidence of Zhao Jiao's illegal crimes and make him pay the price in accordance with the law.

While Captain Wang was investigating on his own, he also sought help from a brother who had enlisted with him before, namely ZW Lan Chengbo from the Special Operations Regiment.

Lan Chengbo didn't initially think it would be too complicated. He had seen and heard of scum like Zhao Jiao who deceived innocent young girls. On the contrary, he had seen and heard far too many of them. They were just using the same old tricks to take advantage of young girls who hadn't seen much of the world and had little life experience.

So Lan Chengbo didn't take it seriously at first, thinking it wasn't a difficult task, and just helped Captain Wang investigate on his own.

But as they continued their investigation, something seemed amiss.

Seventeen girls, including Wang Xiaoxiang, developed mental abnormalities after having frequent contact with Zhao Jiao. One of them committed suicide, six still contemplate suicide from time to time, and the others have all experienced drastic personality changes.

The once cheerful became insecure and sensitive; the once gentle and lovely became ugly; the once generous and kind became mean and estranged.

Of these seventeen people, even a fool could see that they were related to Zhao Jiao, yet there was absolutely no evidence that Zhao Jiao had done anything wrong.

This is so wrong.

Lan Chengbo felt a chill run down his spine. Could it be that Zhao Jiao had the ability to control people?

Regardless of whether he possesses such extraordinary abilities, this person is a destabilizing factor in society.

To take it a step further, what if this person used this skill in the military?

The thought is terrifying!

Lan Chengbo felt uneasy after thinking about it for a long time, so he reported the matter to the authorities.

After that, Huo Han also felt that this person was an unstable factor, so he handed over the training to others and personally led a team to investigate Zhao Jiao.

Now Zhao Jiao is being watched all the time, and this watching has uncovered his next plan.

Zhao Jiao indeed set his sights on the military.

He felt that girls from both the city and the countryside were too easy to seduce, offering no challenge. But the girls in the military were different; they were raised with strict discipline and rules. If he could even fool such girls...

That's the real challenge.

Zhao Jiao first set his sights on a soldier in a cultural troupe, but later gave up for some reason and turned his attention to a communications soldier.

He had already taken the initiative to contact the communications soldier several times. The communications soldier was somewhat naive and had developed a liking for him, even saving the one-of-a-kind cans of food issued by the army for him.

It's hard to say whether she was lucky or unlucky, because at this moment Zhao Jiao shifted his target again.

It was Lin Yuexi!
Zhao Jiao did not publicly acknowledge his relationship with the communications soldier; they only said they were half-siblings. Zhao Jiao would often use this relationship to visit the communications soldier at the entrance of the military corps.

One day, Lin Yuexi was passing by the main gate on her way back from the research institute when Zhao Jiao happened to be looking at the communications soldier and saw him from afar.

Lin Yuexi's beauty was undeniable, but Zhao Jiao's main reason for turning his attention to her wasn't that, but rather the presence of a guard accompanying her. Zhao Jiao subtly inquired about Lin Yuexi's identity from the communications soldier, and as he suspected, she was indeed the commander's daughter [the communications soldier was unaware of Lin Yuexi's true identity].

One was an ordinary communications soldier, and the other was the daughter of the highest-ranking officer in the corps. It goes without saying which one was more challenging.

Zhao Jiao decisively abandoned the communications soldier and instead prepared to win over Lin Yuexi.

If there are levels to a stern face, Huo Han's expression at this moment is at the diamond level.

"Zhao Jiao is very good at winning people's hearts. His words and gestures are very much like those of someone who has been specially trained. He is good at guiding and comforting people. He never reveals his purpose. Even if you put a recording device on him at home, you can't find a single fault in him."

Lin Yuexi fell silent. Why did this sound so much like a scheming, manipulative woman?
It's almost certain that this person understands psychology.

However, there is very little knowledge about psychology in China right now.

Lin Yuexi doesn't know much about psychology either; she herself has some mental issues from her past life.

However, she still told Huo Han what she knew.

"I'm not very familiar with what you're talking about, but it sounds a bit like PUA, which is mind control. PUA manipulators suppress the confidence and personality of their manipulated subjects over a long period of time, restrict their thoughts and behaviors, and cause them to doubt themselves. In severe cases, it can even lead to depression. In short, it's about suppressing you in the name of loving you."

"Step by step, I isolate you from the whole world, making you rely on him/her wholeheartedly."

“PUA emotional manipulators usually start by creating multiple different personas and packaging themselves and their social media accounts according to different styles to highlight their characteristics such as understanding life, having good taste, and being caring. Then they find the corresponding target groups, use different methods to approach them, and take the opportunity to further develop the relationship.”

"A slap followed by a sweet treat—it's a tried-and-true tactic, and it just works."

In addition, should I confess my feelings first?
Impossible. The day the time is right is the day I entice the other person to confess their feelings.

This is a common PUA tactic: "seduction and confession" and "hot and cold tactics." PUA manipulators first attract the target's attention and create strong emotional fluctuations by acting hot and cold, or even "disappearing briefly." When the time is right, they lure the target into confessing their feelings, drawing them into their trap.

"When a person's emotions and spirit are controlled by another person, whether that person wants to destroy you or make you successful, it is no longer a matter for you."

Although Huo Han's face remained calm, he was already trembling with fear.

When most people hear about PUA, they might just think, "Wow, that's scary."

Sitting in his seat, all that comes to mind is the word 'horror'.

What if someone uses this kind of PUA on someone in the team, and our mole/undercover agent gets PUA'd?

Huo Han pursed his lips. "Is there a way to prevent or remove this?"

Lin Yuexi shook her head helplessly, then nodded.

Huo Han was initially disappointed, then...?

Does it exist or not?
"As I just said, I don't understand psychology. What I'm saying is just from books I've read. As for how to solve it or how to prevent it, I really don't know."

"However, M already has psychologists, and they take this quite seriously. Many of them are from their own country, so it's not like we can't bring them back."

She was just saying that this area isn't being taken seriously in China right now.