Criminal Investigation Notes Chapter 139:

Final Volu: Source of Evil

Evil is more severe than any other illness because it attacks the soul. Dostoevsky

The door opened, and Yang Yuqing looked up at the person in front of her. He was a middle-aged man, nearing fifty, and had a friendly appearance. The wall behind him was filled with certificates and trophies, representing nurous honors.

The man smiled and said, Co in, lets proceed with todays supervision.

In the world of psychology in Huadu, there was not a single person who didnt know him. He was Professor Zhang Junzhi, the supervisor for many psychological counselors.

Psychological supervision is professional guidance for psychotherapists, an essential aspect of analyzing clinical experiences and clarifying thoughts.

Zhang Junzhi had been working in the field of psychology in Huadu for nearly thirty years, nurturing countless students and training nurous psychotherapists.

Yang Yuqing and An Yuci were once his students.

The supervision room played soothing music, and a humidifier emitted a white mist with a faint fragrance.

Yang Yuqing sat down on a chair, and ever since she saw Professor Zhang, her mood had improved significantly.

Zhang Junzhi asked her, Have you been having that dream lately?

Yang Yuqing blinked her eyes and replied, I havent dread of An Yuci for a while.

Zhang Junzhi sighed, As a supervisor, I didnt expect him to do such a thing. Initially, when I recomnded him, it was with the hope of helping you. Later, I sensed that sothing was amiss and advised him, but it seed to have little effect.

Yang Yuqing said, Professor Zhang Although we study psychology, sotis the deeper we delve into it, the more we realize that we cant control soones inner world or change their future We are observers on their path of the soul, able to see the traces and warn them of dangers ahead and around them. But we cannot save them from every peril.

Yang Yuqing believed that An Yuci was a skilled pretender.

Just as they couldnt save every patient, it was understandable that Professor Zhang, as a supervisor, didnt notice An Yucis abnormality.

Professor Zhang had so many students and was busy every day. As a supervisor, he must also bear trendous pressure.

It could be said that he had dedicated his entire life to the field of psychology and had not yet married or had children.

Yang Yuqing looked a bit weary. Recent events had co one after another, making her feel a bit overwheld. Ive beco more indifferent towards life lately. Especially with Uncle Wangs recent incident He was initially a good friend of my fathers, and later he provided significant assistance to the clinic. I never expected him to

Yang Yuqing had just received the news of Deputy Director Wangs suicide. In the past, she would visit this uncle almost every year during holidays.

Not to ntion anything else, designating her psychological clinic as the designated clinic each year had solved half of the clinics business and funding issues.

Professor Zhang said, As a long-ti friend of Wang Shaogu, I also received the news quite unexpectedly. He paused and asked her, How is the clinics operation lately?

Yang Yuqing nodded, Its been alright. And thank you again for renting out the consultation room to at such a low price

Professor Zhang said, Taking care of juniors is the least I can do. Lets not waste any more ti. Lets begin todays supervision. Which patients have you encountered recently, and what are their situations?

Yang Yuqing recounted the recent patients she had encountered to Professor Zhang, and he provided guidance on her handling thods. They reviewed and analyzed each case, and he offered her so advice.

During the latter part of the session, with the scent of fragrance in the room, Yang Yuqing started to feel drowsy. It was not uncommon for this to happen during a therapy session, but falling asleep during a supervision session was highly disrespectful to the supervising teacher.

She tried to keep her eyes wide open and remain alert, but she felt her consciousness drifting away. So of her responses beca vague, and her brain seed to stop thinking. Professor Zhang had to repeat his questions for her to answer.

As they progressed, it was mostly Professor Zhang speaking while she nodded in agreent.

The instinctive response of her brain was that the teachers words made sense and were correct.

An hour quickly passed by.

When Yang Yuqing stood up, Professor Zhang asked, By the way, it seems that Officer Su hasnt co for a while?

Yang Yuqing was taken aback, Yes, he has been busy recently and had to reschedule twice. Ive made an appointnt with him for next Wednesday. It seems theres a new case at the police station, and hes been occupied with that.

She had sothing she didnt ntion; recently, one of the police officers who ca for treatnt inadvertently revealed to her that the case seed to be related to Deputy Director Wangs suicide. She had to ensure that the information from the police station didnt spread, so she didnt disclose it.

Professor Zhangs expression, however, didnt show surprise. It seems there have been quite a few cases recently, he said. I was just thinking about confirming the ti for our next supervision session. Im only available on Wednesday, so lets schedule our next supervision session for early next Wednesday at your clinic.

In the main office of the bureau, Lu Junchi sat across from Xu Shuang, observing her intently.

Recording the proceedings was Qu Ming. They had already switched to another case file, and the notebook in front of them had a few numbers written on it: 372.

The current case was nad after the research institute as the 372 case.

This was a marathon-style interrogation. In order to extract more information from Xu Shuang, they had been questioning her for over five hours.

At the beginning, Xu Shuang was unwilling to say too much.

Lu Junchi personally worked on her, starting with verifying the information, building a trust relationship, and then applying pressure, using the good person assumption.

Following this process, she finally began to admit her cris.

The lighting in the interrogation room was dim, and Xu Shuang lowered her head and recalled for a mont. Ive been there many tis, its on the west side of the city I rember the sign said 372 Research Institute, and the people inside referred to it as the 372 ntal Research Center.

Can you rember how you got there each ti?

My father drove there My mories of that period are very blurry. I can only recall so fragnted segnts, like individual dots. As she spoke, Xu Shuang seed sowhat restless, shaking her head in annoyance. She detested the feeling of having unclear mories, as if her brain were a cassette tape with erased magnetic properties.

How old were you at that ti?

Around twelve years old, no, maybe even younger I was still in elentary school.

How did you initially discover your abnormalities?

I have liked watching war movies since I was young. I think I was about six years old when I saw Transforrs, the scene where Optimus Pri, as the main character, was killed. It was pierced by a blade, disassembled into parts, and oil flowed out like blood. Its blue eyes dimd in that mont, and sothing in my brain suddenly stirred. I realized that I liked it, and that I was abnormal.

I enjoyed watching things being destroyed, especially explosions. I found them beautiful and satisfying. I watched many war movies repeatedly, and eventually, I started having fantasies. After my mom read one of my diary entries, she panicked and took to a psychologist. I underwent psychological counseling for about a year, but there was no improvent. Later, I was sent to 372.

Lu Junchi continued asking, What was it like there? Can you describe it?

I rember it was a white building, and people nearby called it Little White Tower. Every ti I went there, I had to go downstairs and pass through a long underground corridor. It took several minutes to walk that stretch. There were many iron doors along the corridor, and strange sounds could be heard from behind those doors.

What kind of sounds?

It was like the roaring of beasts locked in cages, the shaking of iron doors, and the grating sound of nails rubbing against the doors. It felt like there were so monsters behind those doors, ready to burst out at any mont

Are you sure those doors contained animals?

Xu Shuang shook her head. I feel like those sounds were made by humans, but I couldnt imagine under what circumstances humans would make such sounds.

Then she lowered her head and said, I feel like they hypnotized . They wanted to forget the detailed experiences, the faces of those doctors, but those mories remained vivid in my mind. It led to having nightmares for a long ti, nightmares about those doors and the people behind them. Gradually, I started rembering so things. Now that I think about it, maybe the ones inside were visitors like .

When you were there, what did they do to you?

At that ti, I was locked in a room, and there was a person wearing a white coat who kept asking various questions.

Was that person a man or a woman?

I cant rember. I just rember they wore a mask.

What kind of questions did they ask you?

They were about my thoughts thoughts about killing and explosions. Xu Shuang paused for a mont, then looked puzzled as she raised her head. They encouraged to record and describe everything I imagined using words and drawings, for the purpose of research.

What did you draw?

They were very grueso drawings It seed that after drawing and describing those things, I felt relieved and normal. So, in the beginning, my parents thought sending there was effective. But later on, they started encouraging to dissect small animals, from mice to rabbits.

Xu Shuang knew that her dark thoughts were nourished and grew stronger.

When did they contact you again?

It was about five years ago when a man called . He said he wanted to cooperate with them. If I cooperated, they would provide with things that satisfied my fantasies and give money. If I refused to cooperate, he would expose my secrets to others

Xu Shuang touched her hair. I was naive back then. I thought I didnt need money, and my parents already knew about my abnormality. I believed they couldnt threaten .

Speaking up to this point, she smiled bitterly and said, But later on, I got pregnant out of wedlock with my boyfriend, and we were preparing for our wedding. One day, that man suddenly left in a hurry.

He found out about those things? Lu Junchi guessed and asked.

Xu Shuang nodded her head, By that ti, the child was already four months old. I gave birth to him, becoming an unwed mother. My parents thought I brought sha to the family and refused to help . The child had a severe congenital heart disease, and I had to take care of him alone. I could hardly sleep through the night. I thought it was punishnt from the heavens. After he passed away, those people found again

The interrogation room fell silent for a few seconds.

Xu Shuang lifted her head, her gaze weary. This ti, I agreed

This was her continuous descent, turning into a devil.

Constant threats and temptations compelled her to join in.

Clearly, 372 had categorized and organized the data on the people who visited. After the children grew up, those people behind the scenes reappeared. They possessed the list of the research institute and could easily select individuals. They knew their weaknesses, their secrets, and would use money to entice them to obey commands.

Su Hui finished listening to the interrogation. During the data organizing stage, he picked up his cane and entered the adjacent office.

In the neighboring interrogation room, Yao Fei, who had finished the third round of questioning, caught up to him and followed inside. Im really thirsty. Dont you even have a water dispenser in this temporary office?

His nose twitched slightly as he looked at the cup on Su Huis desk. Whats this sll?

Qiao Ze, pour him a glass of water, Su Hui said and then picked up the thermos cup placed in the observation room, taking a sip.

The thermos cup contained pear water that Lu Junchi had brewed for him. It used fragrant pears from Xinjiang, mixed with a bit of coltsfoot powder, added rock sugar, and a few goji berries.

The water had been simred for a long ti, carrying the unique fragrance of pears and the slight bitterness of coltsfoot. It tasted mildly bitter with a touch of sweetness.

Although it couldnt completely stop the coughing, it made him feel much more comfortable.

Qiao Ze sighed and fetched a disposable paper cup, pouring Yao Fei a glass of lukewarm water.

At least, have so coffee Yao Fei took it and looked disdainfully at the plain water in his hand, then glanced at the thermos cup that Su Hui was drinking from. Afterwards, he took a look at the statent, This is pretty much the sa information I obtained. Your investigation efficiency is truly sluggish.

After Yao Fei finished speaking, he emptied the water in the cup and handed the empty paper cup to Qiao Ze. One more, please.

Qiao Ze looked up, took the empty cup, and noticed the slight fear in Yao Feis eyes. He turned to look at Su Hui, and upon Su Huis nod, he stood up and poured another glass for him.

To be honest, Qiao Ze was still unsure how to properly handle his attitude towards Yao Fei. This forr colleague of his seed both like a suspect and an informant for the police.

Director Tan and Professor Su unexpectedly approved it, providing him with a temporary access pass. During the investigation of the 372 case, they gave him a temporary office and allowed him to roam around the entire compound, even entering the offices of the Major Cris Unit.

The way Qiao Ze looked at him still carried a sense of caution, constantly guarding against him.

Su Hui also lowered his head, looking at the dossier.

With further questioning of Xu Shuang, Dai Yuansheng, and Bi Shanyu, combined with the information Yao Fei brought them, the police now had so understanding of 372.

It was a mysterious institution.

The entire facility was transford from an old abandoned factory and located in the outskirts of Huadu. Now, that area had beco a public green space.

The institution was highly secretive, leaving hardly any information behind.

They searched the internet thoroughly but couldnt find any clear responsible person or registration information for this organization, let alone tax and financial records, not to ntion employee information or patient data.

Consequently, the police were unable to determine the specific duration of the organizations existence, its scale, or the total number of people involved.

Although they obtained so testimonies, they couldnt effectively organize the information.

After finishing the interrogation of Xu Shuang, Lu Junchi ca out of the interrogation room and took all the newly obtained data from the Major Cris Unit, handing it over to Su Hui to examine.

Qiao Ze pointed and said, I also conducted relevant internet searches, but the only thing I found was a recruitnt post from over a decade ago. That was a ti when the internet was not well-developed, and the information was posted on a local forum.

It was an old ssage with very simple content:

Hiring a large number of university students for a psychology experint during the sumr, lasting forty-five days, providing food, accommodation, and compensation. If interested, you can add for further contact and interview.

Many people inquired about the details and requirents of the experint, but the person who posted it didnt provide much response.

The term 372 appeared only once in the replies.

Soone expressed interest and asked about the location of the interview, and that account replied with, No. 372, Changyuan Road.

The roads have been redesigned now, but when we compare it with the map from twenty years ago, it should have been on Changyuan Road. It seems that 372 was nad after the location, Lu Junchi furrowed his brows. What kind of psychology experint requires a large number of students? And it seems to be secretive, with no ntion of the experints content.

Yao Fei looked at them and said, If its a psychology experint that requires multiple people, the scope could be wide, like utilizing the basent of that building He glanced at Su Hui.

Su Hui understood his implication and rubbed his forehead. I also suspect that those people wanted to conduct the Stanford Prison Experint.

Qiao Ze asked, The simulated prison experint?

Su Hui nodded.

Among various psychological experints, the Stanford Prison Experint was very famous. It simulated a real prison environnt where students played the roles of guards and prisoners.

Based on the reports and available information from that ti, the students beca deeply imrsed in their assigned roles and suffered severe physical and psychological harm.

The experint took place in 1971 and has been highly controversial within the field of psychology ever since.

There has been significant interest in this experint, with several books and even movies featuring it.

However, many people later expressed doubts about the validity of the experints results.

People believe that short-term role exchanges wouldnt have caused the results described in the original report, nor would it have disrupted peoples sanity.

Later, psychologists pointed out one after another that Professor Philip Zimbardo, who conducted the experint, exaggerated the results to gain attention, and there was a possibility of fabrication.

There were even audio recordings proving that the guards behaved cruelly under the guidance of the supervising professor, and the screaming prisoners were also performing.

It was like a reality show, so its final presentation and conclusions were not as reliable.

To prove this point and clarify the true conclusion, perhaps the best way would be to repeat the experint.

But these are just my speculations Su Hui cautiously spoke up.

Lu Junchi said, There must be people who knew about the events back then. We can gather relevant evidence.

Deputy Director Wangs sudden suicide is likely an indication that the other side is already aware. It ans our current investigative direction is correct, and they are forced into a corner, resorting to self-preservation, Yao Fei smirked. Their people are hiding and retreating. For us, now is the best ti to pursue them while we have the advantage.

What he said was true, but the rest of the Major Cris Unit felt sowhat helpless.

Old Qu muttered, It seems like there are plenty of leads, and those people provided a lot of information, but theres nothing we can follow up on.

This case was not going to be easy

TN:

Its the final showdown yall. This whole premise of a psychologist influencing people to commit cris is very similar to S.C.I. If you havent read it, are you even worthy of being a criminal investigations and psychology fan?!