Diary

"Let me state my suspicions first," Piao Lin put down his pen, his attitude serious. "Regarding this case, based on the information we have so far, I don't think the 'Ferryman' who attacked the Profiler's home system last time is the killer who made the phone call. The 'Ferryman' account might not belong to the killer either."

Piao Lin dragged the light screen to the middle of the group, placed it next to Jue's light screen, and then brought up the chat logs given by Liu Chen.

"'Ferryman's' chat style is extremely similar to 'Snow in May's'. If you remove the IDs, I'd think they were the same person."

"That's right," Jue agreed softly. "Either 'Snow in May' is a different person, or 'Snow in May' isn't dead yet."

"But the Profiler saw 'Snow in May' commit suicide with his own eyes," Piao Lin pulled up the photos from the day the madman attacked the square. "The internal appraisal also confirmed he's really dead. It's impossible for someone to come back from the dead, which leaves only one explanation."

'Snow in May' and 'Ferryman' are both accounts controlled by the same group of people. The madman who committed suicide by car, just like Chen Xiulian, was a disposable pawn. The real manipulators are still behind the network.

"This kind of organized group crime is a lot like Mite," Jue hesitated. "But Mite didn't have any members skilled in information technology, and we completely wiped them out after the arrest operation. If it's the same people from Chen Xiulian's case causing trouble this time, then any killer we catch could just be a prelude to the next murder."

The Mite operation was a joint operation between the Docking Area's Supervisory Bureau and Black Panther. The so-called Mite was an underworld force within the Docking Area, involved in transport ship smuggling. The reason for Jue's hesitation was that the Docking Area itself is in a remote location. Criminals like the "madman" are more likely to appear in developed areas like the Light Rail District, because the network coverage there is far wider and denser than in the Docking Area.

"Liu Chen must be a key part of their plan," Piao Lin drew a circle around Liu Chen's avatar. "How he knew about the Profiler is very intriguing in itself."

"'Snow in May' gave Liu Chen information about the Profiler," Jue continued. "But 'Snow in May' obviously knew more about the Profiler. Mr. Yan's information leak might have started from Black Panther."

After Jue finished speaking, the other three people all looked at its light screen. It was rare for it to be the center of attention, so it stuttered and asked uncertainly, "Uh, did I say something wrong?"

"You said the information leak started from Black Panther," Piao Lin reminded it. "You're questioning Black Panther's information management system."

"Your father is one of Black Panther's second-generation Main God Systems," Shi Shanyan said in an impressed tone. "You're questioning your own source data."

Jue's "father" was the second-generation Main God System of the Light Rail District, Ares. Before the war, Ares was the Main Management System of the Light Rail District, the core region of the Northern Front Alliance. Its appointment came from Fu Chenghui's recommendation, and its personality had similarities to Fu Chenghui's. When the first-generation Ares was created, it was criticized for being a system developed based on Fu Chenghui. As the "God of War" from mythology, Ares played a huge role in the subsequent North-South War, quelling many protests for Fu Chenghui. Public opinion polls conducted by The Alliance showed that its representative words were "power" and "order".

Jue was not Ares's only "daughter". It was a data extension of Ares related to "order", and its personality was very different from Ares's.

"Don't make a big deal out of it," Jue said lightly. "As a 'daughter,' I have the right to question my father. This is the 'reflection setting' of the second-generation systems, and it's also a safeguard that allows us to supervise each other. Not that my questioning does any good," it said, dejected. "It never lets me finish a single complete sentence."

"You're very rare," Shi Shanyan said thoughtfully. "I've seldom seen a system like you, even in the Light Rail District."

"Could you not use 'rare' to describe it?" Piao Lin felt a little embarrassed under Shi Shanyan's gaze, but he insisted, "...People don't usually use 'rare' to describe someone, right?"

Shi Shanyan raised an eyebrow slightly. Something interesting had just happened.

In a backward place like the Docking Area, there was actually someone who sincerely treated a system as a "person". This wasn't the first time. Piao Lin's feelings for "Jue" were not at all like how one would treat an auxiliary tool, but rather like how one would treat a real companion.

Shi Shanyan's expression was slightly apologetic as he said, "My apologies."

"No need to apologize, it's not a big deal," Jue whispered to Piao Lin. "You're too sensitive."

Yan Junxun had no interest in participating in these topics. His perception of systems was different from that of ordinary people, and that complex emotion made it impossible for him to join in such a lighthearted conversation normally. He wrote the two words "goodbye" on a blank piece of paper, circled them, and then fell into his usual silence.

Jue's suspicion wasn't wrong, but rather than saying the madman knew about Yan Junxun, it was more accurate to say the madman knew about Artemis. The madman tried to use a certain tactic to provoke Yan Junxun, and he almost succeeded, but unfortunately, Yan Junxun adjusted very quickly.

To some extent, Shi Shanyan had helped Yan Junxun a great deal. He completely overshadowed the madman with his own personality, leaving Yan Junxun no time to dwell on the madman's words.

Yan Junxun felt that the "madman" and Mite were completely different. When he helped Jiang Lian arrest the Mite group, he was hidden within the Supervisory Bureau. No one noticed him, let alone targeted him.

The "madman" might be from the Light Rail District, or even from a place where Yan Junxun once stayed.

Fu Chenghui's attitude toward the madman was also worth pondering. He acted as if he didn't care much about the matter, only making a few phone calls, as if just offering verbal condolences.

Yan Junxun put down his pen. He gazed at the photo in the corner of the light screen; it was a comparison Jue had made.

Why were you chosen by the madman?

Yan Junxun silently asked the killer.

Is it because you can't control your exhibitionism? Because you're smarter than Chen Xiulian? Or is it because you also want to leap from a tall building?

A paper frog suddenly hopped onto Yan Junxun's arm. Yan Junxun immediately looked at Shi Shanyan.

"A friendly colleague is talking to you." Shi Shanyan tilted his head, motioning for Yan Junxun to look at Piao Lin.

"...Sorry," Yan Junxun shifted his gaze and asked, "What did you just say to me?"

Under Yan Junxun's gaze, Piao Lin asked again, "What should I call you?"

"Yan Junxun."

"I know your name is Yan Junxun." Piao Lin finally noticed what was special about Yan Junxun.

He seemed like a child, approaching problems with a very pure attitude. Black and white, simple and direct. This was different from how he behaved on a case, which made it easy for him to be labeled as difficult to get along with.

Piao Lin raised his fingers slightly, gesturing as he said, "I mean..." He stopped halfway, gave up under Yan Junxun's stare, and said directly, "...I'll call you Xiao Xun. You look younger than me."

"Yan Junxun" had never been broken down like that. In Yan Junxun's mind, the name was more like a designation. But he didn't care; whether Piao Lin called him "Yan Junxun" or "7-001", he could accept it. His name was not important.

Piao Lin continued, "Regardless of whether there's a mastermind behind this case, we have to catch the killer now. You heard him. He said on the call that he's going to kill again, and I don't think he's bluffing."

Jue asked them, "Can I draw the curtains?"

After receiving an affirmative answer, the curtains in the investigation room were drawn. It enlarged its light screen to make the photos clearer.

"First, let's look at the diary we obtained."

[May 4, 2160, sunny with no wind! Very hot. I went to the liangpi shop at the intersection and ate a serving of liangpi, had no money. The lady boss cursed at me! She spat phlegm, my new shoes got dirty. I was very angry, I hit her. I hit her! I walked home. I'm so hot! Hot! But I feel very excited. I took off my clothes, naked! I took a nap, dreamed of prey! The prey told me to kill her! I woke up, took my knife, and went to find her! I hunted successfully! The prey reacted very slowly!!! Stupid pig, so disgusting!!! I made her eat, she kept! kept screaming while she ate! So noisy! I educated her for a long time! She recognized her mistake, so good! She can die!]

Yan Junxun stared at the word "hot." For some reason, he felt it wasn't describing the weather, but something else.

"Sadomasochistic tendencies are an extreme manifestation," Shi Shanyan explained to Yan Junxun, keeping his voice very low. "Sexual impulses are a reliable basis for feeling one's own existence(1). Sometimes, people who have experienced trauma in childhood will sexualize their pain as a means of regulating their state."

"I know." Yan Junxun also kept his voice very low.

"But people's sexual fantasies and reaction patterns differ," Shi Shanyan pulled out another piece of paper and folded it casually. "A scent I like can arouse me, whereas you might not be affected by scents but are instead aroused by provocative words." His fingers were nimble as he folded the paper. "In short, this guy is an extremist beyond your imagination."

"Because he's imitating sex?" Yan Junxun felt very thirsty; he blamed it on the weather. He didn't refute Shi Shanyan, because Shi Shanyan had said it was a hypothetical example, and he didn't want to seem so passive on this issue again: "He might be impotent, which is why he has to resort to such extreme methods to achieve his 'educational purpose'."

"Then our views are diametrically opposed," Shi Shanyan placed the folded little monster on the table and pushed it toward Yan Junxun with his finger. "He has a normal sex drive, he's just particularly extreme in how he arouses it. He... for every..." Shi Shanyan chose his words carefully, "victim, he subjected them to prolonged torture."

"I think both your ideas are possible," Piao Lin didn't notice the look they exchanged, tapping his pen. "The killer in this case inserted foreign objects into every victim. This act can be seen as him venting his frustration over impotence, or as an alternative fetish. If we want to know which it is, we first need to know how he grew up." He waved his pen at them. "Unfortunately, right now we don't even know who he is or where he is."

He will expose himself.

Yan Junxun said to Jue, "Next diary entry."

[December 20, 2160, overcast with heavy snow! Too cold. I slept at the construction site, nobody. Nobody! Everyone went to war. I heard the sound of artillery shells in the middle of the night, so scary. The news said a Southern Front spy infiltrated us, with a gun! Can they give me a shot? Mom, I hear thunder! I was walking on the street, remembered the liangpi shop went out of business! Serves it right! I was very hungry, I saw prey also wandering the street. She made eye contact with me! She smiled at me, I decided to educate her! I entered her room, she wanted to take off her clothes. I don't like her like this!!! Don't take them off! I stopped her! I made her eat, she was very obedient! But she kept trying to take off her clothes! I educated her, she finally came to her senses. So good, she can die!]

"It seems like he targeted the second victim on a whim," Piao Lin frowned at the diary entries. "Look at what he said, 'She made eye contact with me.' He killed her just because of eye contact."

"He had already called her 'prey' before they made eye contact." Yan Junxun's gaze lingered on the word "eat."

What did "eat" mean? Combined with the crime scene photos, the killer called the beatings "education," so "eating" must mean inserting foreign objects. In fact, the term "prey" itself exposed some of the killer's thoughts; he saw himself as a being of a higher order than his victims.

"This is when you have to think about the benefits of round-the-clock surveillance," Jue said. "This kind of dangerous individual should be monitored. He has no self-control at all."

"You'd have to put him in prison first," Shi Shanyan said, drawing two bean-like dots for eyes on the little paper monster. "Your father also made a similar proposal. But this is a difficult matter. I don't think even a higher-level system can identify a potential killer who hasn't committed a crime. You can only act after they've committed a crime, which is basically consistent with the procedures upheld by human order."

"Murder is unpredictable, but murderers can be," Jue answered seriously. "My dad has written works on this subject..."

"(2)Ares's theory of the 'born criminal' insists that some people's criminal traits are innate, that criminals are neither changed nor shaped by their environment..." Shi Shanyan lowered his voice, so as not to sound like he was attacking Jue. "This is one of its reasons for promoting a surveillance society and purifying the population, but unfortunately, it doesn't seem very feasible."

"But it's still a viewpoint worth noting," Jue wasn't angry. It said, "I'll turn to the next entry."

The third diary entry was very special. It was too brief, so brief that it wasn't in the killer's usual style. No exclamation marks, no smudges, not even any of the trivial psychological processes. Just this one sentence.

[April 14, 2163, nice weather, I killed her.]

Author has something to say:

(1) From Nancy McWilliams' Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure. Related discussions also reference this book.

(2)Ares's claims reference Stanton E. Samenow's Inside the Criminal Mind