Enforcer Manual
Chapter 823 - 819: Approaching Dumb Bird_2

Chapter 823: Chapter 819: Approaching Dumb Bird_2

"Lu Xiang, do you still remember what I once told you? Human nature is very hard to change."

Catherine continued, "For serial killers, even if they might go into hiding due to external pressures for a while, they will eventually slip up, because that’s their nature. They can’t resist the temptation of killing... You’re the same; you can’t forever suppress your own curiosity. Solving cases is what you truly want to do."

"But not right now."

Lu Xiang shook her head, "Now I have to ensure the safety of my subordinates."

Of course, that was the more official explanation.

The actual reason was that the fourth district was full of lights and wines, and a Dumb Bird had gotten overly excited on the phone on her first day in the fourth district, even boasting that she was a Jinx Star.

She clearly needed a good teaching.

Moreover, as long as she stayed by that Dumb Bird’s side, cases would naturally come knocking on their door.

"I understand."

After moving her gaze between Lu Xiang and Song Lan a few times, Catherine didn’t pursue the matter further, and transferred her digital business card to the other party, "This is my personal contact information. If you change your mind, you can contact me anytime."

Having said that, she left the villa, returned to her hover car, and left them with her graceful silhouette.

"Director, is this really okay?"

After Catherine had left, Zhuang Chi whispered, "Your teacher is a high official at the Bureau of Special Case Investigation. If you could solve this case, maybe she would recommend you for a position in the bureau."

Zhuang Chi also felt that with the director’s abilities, staying in the seventeenth district was truly a waste of talent.

Usually, the cases they encountered were straightforward gang fights and retaliatory killings, hardly ever requiring knowledge of crime psychology. Even Captain Doug, a rough-and-tumble sort, was fully capable of handling detective work.

Lu Xiang gave her a sidelong glance, "Who said I wanted to work in the bureau?"

"... Everyone, everyone in the department is saying that."

Zhuang Chi shrank her neck, silently shifting the blame away.

Everyone remembered the scene when Lu Xiang showed up for her first day of work; that day, the director’s face was as cold as if it could freeze a layer of frost on the department’s windows. It wasn’t until later, after a visit to the logistics department, that she began, for some unknown reasons, to gradually integrate into the life of the seventeenth district.

"Stop indulging in baseless rumors. If the killer could easily take down a Five Stars rescuer, what makes you think you won’t be killed by the killer during the investigation?"

"... It’s, it’s Roger."

"Roger?"

"Roger said he’s practiced a new finishing move that should be able to keep us safe."

"Fine, leave the case to the bureau to handle."

Lu Xiang helplessly massaged her forehead, "You all stay peacefully in the villa. I still have some things to discuss with Song Lan."

Saying this, she gave Song Lan a look, and he immediately understood to follow her up the stairs, leaving the others downstairs exchanging confused glances.

The two returned to the guest room allotted to Song Lan by Sean Grant, one after the other, and Lu Xiang, who was following behind, immediately locked the door upon entering, making the atmosphere in the room suddenly tense.

Song Lan’s heart tightened.

Facing the more severe crisis before him now, the recent cases in the fourth district paled in comparison.

Not long ago, he had made audacious remarks over the phone, and now, Lu Xiang had directly booked a flight and chased after him to the fourth district.

The director was truly a woman of action.

As Lu Xiang stepped closer, he decided to follow the maxim prominently displayed in the seventeenth district Law Enforcers department—leniency to those who confess, severity to those who resist.

"Director, I believe there has been a misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding? Are you referring to blowing a hole in Black Sand’s chest or calling me a ’Jinx Star’ over the phone?"

"The phone."

Song Lan replied immediately.

He never believed there was any misunderstanding about Black Sand’s death; he was the only one who had seen through to the truth.

Certainly, Black Sand must have lost his footing while inviting him to experience the family hot spring, tragically sustaining an injury to his chest.

Where there’s a lot of moisture, it’s easy to slip, and taking a fall at the hot spring isn’t anything novel.

As for the phone call, it involves some sensitive electronic equipment, making it very susceptible to misunderstandings.

"So tell me, what kind of misunderstandings can there be with a phone call?"

Lu Xiang raised an eyebrow.

"The call we made that day was a long-distance one. With long-distance calls, the farther away you are, the more likely it is for the signal to be poor. Sometimes inevitably some static comes through, and from a scientific perspective, this static..."

"What about this static?"

"Reporting to my superior, I can’t make up any more excuses."

Song Lan resigned to his fate, as the saying goes, true bravery is facing a bleak life head-on.

"Then sit down."

Lu Xiang pointed to the edge of the bed and asked Song Lan to sit down.

She hadn’t expected Teacher Catherine to come knocking, which indeed disrupted her plan to seek accountability to a certain extent.

There was one point where the teacher wasn’t wrong—human nature is indeed hard to change.

"Next up is the interrogation phase."

Lu Xiang cleared her throat. Sitting across from her now was the serial killer who had committed a series of murders, fitting many of the crime psychology definitions for such individuals.

"First question, why do you always opt for stabbing through the chest?"

This had almost become Song Lan’s signature method, and Lu Xiang knew full well that he was entirely capable of making the bodies disappear without a trace if he wished, until the filming of "Master of Rescuers" was over, and their group left Quadrant Four, with no one able to find the body of "Black Sand".

Yet he chose an ostentatious approach.

Letting "Black Sand" fall in his own home’s hot spring, still wearing the exoskeleton armor he prided himself on.

"Generally speaking, when a murderer adopts the same method, it’s often to convey some message. Some wish to see themselves become famous, to see the murders they committed being discussed on TV and in newspapers, which greatly satisfies their narcissistic personality; others are mocking local law enforcement, treating these cases as a display of local law enforcement’s incompetence. So what about you?"

Before that moment, Lu Xiang had never truly profiled Song Lan, but just then, she suddenly felt she was entering Song Lan’s inner world.

"...Maybe this way they suffer less pain?"

Song Lan, who had never analyzed himself, replied uncertainly.

To him, this question was not much different from "why do you eat with chopsticks."

However, he could confirm one thing, "I never thought of conveying any message through them.

The passing of a life also implies the imminent end of sins or friendships.

"So you’re also not sure."

Lu Xiang’s expression became somewhat subtle upon receiving the answer, as if she had realized something. She then pursued, "So, what did you feel when your hand went through their chests? Some people derive a sense of power from killing, feeling like they are playing the role of God as they deprive others of life and becoming obsessed with this sensation."

"No feeling."

After pondering for a moment, Song Lan said.

There was no sadness, no joy; like wiping one’s mouth with a napkin after a meal, signifying the end of an affair.

"I see."

Lu Xiang nodded, understanding, and didn’t press further.

"How did the test go?"

In response to Song Lan’s question, Lu Xiang didn’t answer directly. Instead, she said, "Teacher Catherine mentioned a case about a serial killer during one of her lectures. He was one of the most cunning criminals the Bureau had encountered. Catching him cost the Bureau a lot, and Teacher Catherine asked him the same question after he was arrested."

"What did he say?"

"His answer was the same as yours," Lu Xiang replied. "Just like eating and drinking, nothing special" were his exact words. And when he was arrested, he already carried the lives of hundreds on his shoulders."

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.