Criminal Psychology

There is a saying that goes, “every reunion will lead to the next separation . ” The underlying meaning of this is that reunions aren’t always a good thing .

For Lin Chen, he might not know what fate had in store for him, but he did know that waiting for a reunion was tough .

The sun had started to set, and the cafeteria was silent .

The staff at the rest stop brought in blankets, while the policewomen who had arrived earlier poured tea for the pa.s.sengers . Seeing how slowly the policewomen were moving, Lin Chen knew Xing Cong Lian had already found him .

“When will you take our statements? We want to go home already!” One of the pa.s.sengers demanded in an impatient tone .

“Right! Leaving two people here to give their statements is enough . ” Another pa.s.senger next to him chimed in .

“Please give us a moment . ” The policewoman smiled very gently . “Our colleagues from the forensic department are still processing the crime scene . Not only that, but the highway has a speed limit, so the vehicles responsible for transporting you are also stuck on the road . ”

“Wow! The forensic department, just like on TV!”

“It’s been almost two hours, and you’re not done yet?”

“What’s with all this fuss? We’re fine, it was just a kid playing a prank!”

Several of the elderly women continued to express their opinion as Lin Chen sat in a corner . The spot he chose was a bit cold but quiet . As he carefully observed everyone’s expressions, a strange feeling started to form in his gut .

When the topic of hijacking came up, everyone had indifferent expressions, as though it was something that didn’t matter . Instead of being traumatized over the event, everyone just blamed the police for making a fuss . Lin Chen’s gaze fell on a policewoman’s face as she tucked her hair behind her ear . It was odd that her beautiful face held no trace of tension or heaviness .

If that was the case, the reason why everyone was still here was because of Xing Cong Lian’s order and the fact the transportation vehicles were stuck in traffic .

Lin Chen began to feel this situation was more serious than it appeared .

He looked out the window where only green reeds stretched as far as the eye could see . When the wind blew, the reeds trembled like waves in the ocean . Lin Chen’s expression became even heavier .

The chatter died down, and soon, it became too quiet .

All of a sudden, footsteps sounded from somewhere below .  It was the sound of leather boots on the marble floor . The thuds grew louder, cementing the fact several people had just arrived downstairs .

It should be the police squad .

At this realization, Lin Chen grew nervous . It wasn’t the kind that made one’s hands sweat or body tremble, but the kind that was enough to disrupt one’s train of thought in an instant . Lin Chen felt his heartbeat speed up, and his mind blanked . Right now, he couldn’t recall any of the psychological adjustment methods he had learned back in school .

He was nervous, nervous because he knew a certain someone was coming .

Thud .

When the sound of boots reached the last step, Lin Chen instinctively raised his head .

If the feelings brought by tension was a conditional reflex without conscious reason, then when that tension faded, those feelings also disappear without a trace, like a tide .

The figure on the stairway stood tall and upright, like an isolated mountain peak standing up against the frost in a winter night .

The man’s uniform didn’t have creases, only silver stars shining on his shoulders . That man was Huang Ze .

———

Xing Cong Lian was walking into Feng Jing School when he received a phone call from w.a.n.g Chao .

“f.u.c.k! Inspector Huang is bringing that afro man to the R&R station to take statements . Hurry up! I’m afraid that my Ah Chen is going to suffer!”

w.a.n.g Chao was so fl.u.s.tered that his words came out too fast, and Xing Cong Lian couldn’t catch them . “What Inspector did you just say?”

“It’s Huang Ze, Huang Ze, Huang Ze!” w.a.n.g Chao was dying from anxiety . “I’ve already sent the shortest route to your phone! Hurry! No need to thank me for this, muah . ”

Before his words were finished, Xing Cong Lian heard his phone ping . He glanced down to check and saw that it was a new email .

“What happened, Captain?” Hearing that the voice from the speakers was anxious, Yang Dian Feng couldn’t help but ask out of concern .  

Frowning, Xing Cong Lian turned and ran towards his parked jeep .

The spring breeze outside the school carried the chatter of students along with it . On the other hand, the cafeteria was br.i.m.m.i.n.g with gossip over the arrival of the police squad .

The pa.s.sengers of the bus stood up one after another as sunlight poured in from the windows and transparent ceiling . Huang Ze stood at the entrance on the stairway, unable to hear a thing .

The sunlight was too bright, and the marble floor reflected it too . Huang Ze felt as if his eyes were being stabbed and that he was imagining things as he stood in a trance .

He thought he just saw Lin Chen .

But, Lin Chen’s body should be in the river and his soul in Hua Street’s cemetery…

Despite this, Lin Chen stood among the pa.s.sengers, his eyes clear and hair shining in the sun .

Huang Ze wanted to laugh .

He watched as Lin Chen put down the paper cup in his hand and fixed his scarf that was wrapped around an elderly beside him . He said something that seemed to rea.s.sure the other before making his way to Huang Ze .

It was Lin Chen, alright . No matter what the situation he was in, whether it be him telling a lie or being hit on the spot, his expression forever remained undeterred and unapologetic .

As Lin Chen drew closer, Huang Ze’s clenched fist squeezed even tighter .

Finally, Lin Chen stopped before him .

When Huang Ze saw Lin Chen’s calm eyes, he could no longer restrain his anger and punched Lin Chen .

Huang Ze was born strong, and with all his strength packed into this punch, he caused Lin Chen to stagger back two steps, holding his cheek . However, this wasn’t enough to curb his fury . He clenched his fist and prepared to swing again .

The police officers around them had never seen Huang Ze acting this fierce . They were all scared stupid, no one even thought of trying to diffuse the situation .

Everyone watched as Huang Ze swung his fist for another hit, only to change direction midway and switch to gripping Lin Chen’s shoulder .

After being punched, Lin Chen stood in a daze for several seconds . When he returned to his senses, his ears were still ringing from the recoil, and he could taste blood in his mouth .

His face was pressed against something firm and clothed, and when he heard heartbeats, he realized that he was being held in Huang Ze’s arms .

“How are you not dead?” Huang Ze whispered in his ear .

He heard Huang Ze’s voice catch mid-sentence, but couldn’t understand why .

Lin Chen felt strangely embarra.s.sed . He didn’t know where to put his hands, and Huang Ze showed no signs of letting go .

Finally, a question rescued him . “Hey! Are you Lin Chen?”

The voice came from the man standing behind Huang Ze . His hair was a disorderly kind of curly, almost covering his eyes, and was easily the man’s most defining feature .

As though waking up from a dream, Huang Ze, all of a sudden, pushed Lin Chen away from himself .

Holding his cheek, Lin Chen looked up . All he could see was the mystery man’s fluffy hair .

“You didn’t die, huh . Inspector Huang was grieving for a long time, you know?” The man’s tone was light and casual as if he had predicted this long ago .

“Whoops, forgot to introduce myself . The name is Zhe, Jiang Zhe . ” Seeing how Lin Chen didn’t respond and appeared to be stupefied, a trace of irony appeared in Jiang Zhe’s face . “I’m Hong Jing City Bureau’s psychology consultant . ”

Oh, it turned out to be Xing Cong Lian’s colleague .

Lin Chen nodded and reached out to shake the other’s hand .

Jiang Zhe, however, didn’t reciprocate . “The suspicion on you in case 1111 hasn’t been cleared yet . I won’t shake hands with a potential murderer . ”

Jiang Zhe’s voice was loud, causing all eyes in the hall to turn to Lin Chen .

Oh, it’s Huang Ze’s friend .

Lin Chen took back his hand and bowed politely . Seeing how he had already greeted them and had nothing else to say, he retreated back to his seat .

“What are you even doing here? Is this hijacking case related to you? Apparently you still want to be famous, I guess!”

Jiang Zhe fired question after question, forcing Lin Chen to stop and turn around . Looking at Jiang Zhe’s slightly raised eyebrows and taunting smirk, Lin Chen thought for a moment before replying seriously, “No, I just happened to pa.s.s by, and unfortunately became a victim . ”

His voice was as quiet and steady as ever . At times, this voice calmed people . But other times, it only fueled people’s anger .

“Oh, you say you’re a victim, hmm . You were also a victim in the previous case with Feng Pei Lin . I saw the file .  You fell into the river to still remain a victim! How is it that your intuition is so sharp, yet you didn’t know someone was watching you for three years? You just helped Feng Pei Lin escape, and that idiot cop doesn’t even doubt you!”

Jiang Zhe spoke quickly, and his voice was ice cold . The gla.s.s window seemed to shake from the volume of his voice . Speaking too loud tired him out, though, so he paused to take a break .

At this time, a very light and casual voice drifted up from below . “Oi, Consultant Jiang, it’s not very nice to speak ill of someone behind their back . ”

Jiang Zhe was shocked .

And so was Lin Chen when he recognized who the voice belonged to .