Chapter 12

"A depraved person obsessed with the womb... I think this professor's analysis makes some sense," Zhang said as he played Professor Bai's video during the morning meeting."No matter how reasonable the analysis is, it's useless if it doesn't help us catch the killer!" an old policeman complained. "It's all just for show, trying to attract attention."

Fang Rui felt irritated. The professor's comments were undoubtedly a provocation to the killer. This could potentially stimulate the killer to strike again or take some action to retaliate against Professor Bai.

"That's true. I've heard this Professor Bai isn't such a good person himself. He not only has a history of academic fraud," Zhang perked up at the chance to gossip, "but it's said he's had unclear relationships with quite a few female students. He's even going through a divorce because of his infidelity. What a person of poor character!"

Fang Rui instructed, "Old Chen, take two people and keep a close watch on this Professor Bai for the next few days. Prevent any accidents from happening to him."

"Ah, these people just create more trouble for us!"

Fang Rui turned to Lin Sen, "Consultant Lin, can you profile the killer now?"

But Lin Sen looked towards Mu Mian instead: "Medical Examiner Mu, why do you think the killer designed a surgery to make those pregnant women give birth to a cat?"

Mu Mian, who had been absentmindedly drawing, looked up at Lin Sen in confusion when she heard her name called.

After a few seconds, she spoke softly, "To answer that question is very simple."

Everyone in the meeting room turned their gaze towards Mu Mian.

Only Fang Rui remained calm, sipping his water.

"We just need to catch the killer, interrogate him harshly, and make him tell us the answer!"

"..."

Lin Sen handed Mu Mian two pieces of paper: "Medical Examiner Mu, could you please draw the crime scenes of the two murders for me?"

Lin Sen had noticed that Mu Mian wasn't particularly skilled at analyzing criminal psychology, but her thinking was pure, allowing her to objectively interpret the information left by the killer at the crime scenes.

"Alright."

Mu Mian had been forced to take various psychological tests since childhood, one of which was a drawing test, so her drawing skills were excellent and she could draw very quickly.

Although her photorealistic style of drawing was a major obstacle for psychological experts trying to analyze her mind, it now vividly recreated the bloody crime scenes, even more impactful than photographs.

"We may have been looking at this from the wrong angle before. We've been focusing on the victims and the cats, but what if we shift our perspective to the children..."

Fang Rui asked, "You think the killer's real targets are the children in the victims' wombs?"

Lin Sen continued his analysis, "From the children's perspective, both victims were unfit mothers. They had unstable marriages, were easily angered, and had poor interpersonal relationships. All of this suggests their children wouldn't have had happy childhoods."

Fang Rui pondered for a moment, "So, the killer likely had an unhappy childhood and is using his own mother as a template to select targets?"

"Yes. The killer probably imagines himself as a savior. He hopes those unhappy children can be born as cats instead. For some reason, he believes being a cat would be happier than being human."

Zhang exclaimed, "How is that possible?"

Lin Sen explained, "The killer's desire to kill stems from an abnormal need system and a long-term, distorted fantasy that continues to develop. This kind of fantasy is difficult for normal people to understand or empathize with."

"This killer belongs to a special category of serial killers that we generally call 'mercy angels.' This type of killer usually murders victims with the purpose of saving them or releasing them from suffering. This type of serial killer is likely to be a medical professional."

Lin Sen provided a psychological profile of the killer:

"The killer is male, around 25-35 years old, has worked in the medical field, likely in obstetrics and gynecology, but has recently stopped working or resigned for some reason.

He grew up in a single-parent family. His mother was the other woman in an affair, had a volatile temper, and may have frequently abused him, resulting in a very unhappy childhood. His family likely kept cats. His mother probably passed away within the last year, causing him to have a mental breakdown."

Fang Rui quickly discovered that both victims had prenatal check-ups at the same hospital, but they had different attending physicians and their check-up times didn't overlap, so there was no connection between them.

Fang Rui and Zhang immediately went to investigate at Anqi Obstetrics and Gynecology Hospital.

The hospital was very cooperative, quickly producing the prenatal records of both victims and bringing in the two attending physicians to assist with the investigation.

"Lu Yaoyao initially had her prenatal check-ups at the Provincial Hospital. Why did she suddenly switch to your hospital five months ago?" Fang Rui quickly spotted the discrepancy.

Lu Yaoyao's attending physician laughed awkwardly, "Maybe she felt our private hospital offered better service."

"Please answer truthfully!"

"Lu Yaoyao came to our hospital wanting an abortion. Our hospital is known for its expertise in this area. The surgery was even scheduled, but she changed her mind later. Perhaps she felt our hospital's service was better, so she continued her prenatal care with us."

"Did Li Yan also consider having an abortion?"

"Yes! I remember her very clearly. She kept scheduling abortion procedures and then canceling them. This happened several times."

"Why did they want abortions?"

"How would we know?"

"You're doctors. Don't you ask why they want to terminate their pregnancies?" Fang Rui stared at the two doctors. "Please answer honestly."

"Well... it might be because they were carrying girls. They both wanted to have sons, but when they found out they were having daughters, they wanted to abort. Later, for some reason, they both changed their minds."

The doctor, seeming to remember something, hastily added, "Our hospital didn't disclose the gender of the fetuses. I don't know how they found out."

Fang Rui requested a list of all medical staff from the hospital, including those who had left in recent years.

After verifying one by one, most of the people on the list had alibis. The small portion without alibis were still being investigated.

"Boss, why do you think they suddenly decided not to abort? Could the killer's mother have also favored boys over girls? Could the killer be a woman?" Zhang followed behind Fang Rui, chattering like a sparrow.

Fang Rui interrupted Zhang's rambling: "I suspect the killer persuaded them to change their minds, which means the killer is likely a medical professional from this hospital. We need to screen the people on the list again." Sᴇaʀᴄh thᴇ n0vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.