Eyes that are the same as those of evil

Chapter 173 The Hand of God 26
The more they analyze it, the more serious the matter becomes; what they have found so far is probably just the tip of the iceberg.

Zheng Yan posted photos of the victims and murderers from the three cases on the whiteboard, connected them with lines, and then wrote down all the known clues.

"Now we know that the mastermind's intention may have been to guide some people with early characteristics of the killer into becoming the real killer."

"He may think he is God, with a strong sense of dominance and no compassion, treating people as mere game characters. But this also suggests that he may be like Kuang Fan, someone with psychological/mental problems, and his fighting ability is probably not high."

“He had been to Kwong Fan’s clinic and likely came from a good family, so he was targeted by Kwong Fan. That’s when he realized that Kwong Fan had hero syndrome.”

They now have nearly a month's worth of surveillance footage from the clinic, patient records from three years ago, and the verbal description from the girl who nearly jumped off the building three years ago, but no other clues.

The person who submitted the report three years ago can no longer be found, and it is currently unknown whether anyone else knows who recommended the Skinner box to the Jiang couple.

However, Tan Jia had two clues that he had deduced.

“Brother, you said before that the Jiang family might have been led to Kuang Fan’s clinic. If that’s the case, why would he lead the twins’ family to Kuang Fan for treatment? Is it because he knows about Kuang Fan’s ‘great achievements’ over the past three years, and knows that some of Kuang Fan’s actions could escalate the Jiang family’s situation again? Then he must have been around Kuang Fan recently.”

"Furthermore, how did he learn that Huang Yilin was infertile after contracting brucellosis? It is very likely that he was also at the hospital when Huang Yilin was receiving treatment, and only then did he begin to observe Huang Yilin."

Huang Yilin and Kuang Fan have no connection with the Jiang family. Apart from meeting by chance, she can't think of any reason why the mastermind would choose him.

Without saying a word, Zheng Yan recorded everything and then said, "There aren't many directional clues. For now, we'll focus our investigation on the surveillance footage and medical records from the mental health clinic, and then investigate the social relationships of Huang Yilin, Kuang Fan, and the Jiang family one by one."

"Also, arrange for Zhou Yan and the girl who almost jumped off the building to come and identify the photo."

The technical team had already processed the surveillance footage and found screenshots of four people who fit the profile.

They acted quickly. Tan Jia sat in front of the computer and checked the medical records, hoping to find someone who matched the profile of the killer.

As she looked at the case, she drifted off into thought, remembering Lin Zhiyue—in fact, his experiences and mental state were quite similar to those in the case.

If the doctor the Lin family found for him back then was someone like Kuang Fan, their meeting place might have been on the legal news screen, with him on TV and her off-screen.

Childhood trauma, taciturnity, mental health issues, and a stubborn personality—well, from the perspective of the mastermind behind the crime, codenamed "The Hand of God," these do indeed fit the early characteristics of criminals.

Tan Jia shook his head and continued looking at the documents.

Just then, the police officers who were guarding the hospital called to say that the twins had woken up.

……

The hospital smelled unpleasant from the disinfectant, and it wasn't exactly quiet.

The twins' screams were truly ear-piercing. Their voices had become a little hoarse from screaming for so long, and when they started screaming again, it sounded like fingernails were frantically scraping against a blackboard, making you feel like their throats were about to tear and they were about to cough up blood.

Upon entering the ward, Tan Jia noticed that the two children had once again huddled together in a corner, refusing to let anyone approach.

Outside the hospital bed were several people who looked like relatives of the Jiang family. One of them, an elderly man, sat on the ground crying in a daze, while the others seemed helpless and didn't know what to do.

Tan Ming sighed beside her and whispered, "Grandchildren killed their own sons and daughters, and it was because they were abused by their own sons and daughters. I really don't know how to face this situation." Tan Jia looked at the expressions of those people and calmly said, "Do you think this could be the next human experiment by the mastermind behind it all?"

Tan Ming subconsciously looked around and it seemed that there really was a pair of eyes watching them. He didn't see any suspicious people around, so he said, "You scared me. Whether it is or not, I hope we can catch the person today."

If he continues to be so suspicious, he'll really start to think that person is God.

As they approached, they noticed that the Jiang family didn't have many relatives. Judging from their clothes and demeanor, they were from wealthy and educated families, but now everyone's faces showed sorrow and bewilderment, as if they had been toyed with by fate.

The person squatting at the front, comforting the children, was Tan Jia's aunt, Tan Xuehui. She spoke very patiently, moved her position little by little, and finally managed to hold the twins. She gently patted and coaxed them, and the piercing screams finally subsided.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Taking the opportunity, Tan Ming pulled the Jiang family aside and asked them if they knew about the child being abused by his parents, especially the existence of that box.

The twins' grandparents were silent for a while before coldly saying, "We don't have a good relationship. They take care of the children themselves and rarely let us interfere."

"The box, is it that big toy room? I know, last time I went to their house, I saw the child lying there playing with toys."

Tan Ming could only explain the main purpose of the box, ignoring their stiff and incredulous expressions, and continued to ask, "It's said that someone recommended that box to them. Do you know who that person is? Have they mentioned it?"

They really do know.

"...I think I mentioned it before. It was a highly educated young man who said they were researching a box that could be used for children's behavioral education... The couple were both highly educated and accomplished. They hated people who were less capable than themselves giving them pointers and only liked to listen to those who were more capable. If they heard something they didn't understand, they were more willing to believe it."

He turned his face away and took a deep breath to suppress the emotions rising in his throat.

Highly educated? Tan Jia and Tan Ming exchanged a glance.

Given the Jiang couple's personalities, they certainly wouldn't believe someone casually shouting that they are highly educated in the neighborhood. Therefore, the place where they met the mastermind behind the murder must have been a place with a strong academic atmosphere, a place that could corroborate the murderer's words and actions.

For example, a cutting-edge forum, an academic conference, a lecture by a prominent figure, etc.

Upon further questioning of the Jiang family, it was learned that the two deceased individuals did indeed frequently participate in such activities.

Tan Jia turned to Tan Ming and said, "Participants should have proof of entry and exit, such as a participant badge, or a record on their social media."

Tan Ming said he understood and immediately called to have someone search the twins' house, and then had the technical team check the deceased couple's cell phones.

Sure enough, more than three years ago, the Jiang couple attended a cutting-edge forum on organizational behavior, which discussed social simulators, and many big names from home and abroad were present.

They seemed to have gotten in because of a client's connections; they left photos on site, and the smiles on their faces were much more genuine than when they were with the child.

Tan Ming compared the list of forum participants with the list of patients at the mental health clinic and identified a suspicious person.

Yan Shulin, a boy who just turned twenty-one.

　The real culprit has surfaced. Can you guess why he did this, and what his intentions were?
　　(This was my initial intention in this case; it's a classic case of making a plate of dumplings for a dish of vinegar.)
　　(End of this chapter)