Capítulo 90: Chapter 90
Zhen Ai stood in the corner of the wall, turning to look back. At eleven in the morning, the police immediately plunged into intense work based on the first sketch of an unidentified suspect released by the BAU.
Perhaps it was her first time witnessing a profiler using psychological analysis to depict a suspect, but Zhen Ai subconsciously found it somewhat mystical. Upon seriously reflecting on everyone's analysis, she realized that each perspective had its merits. However, on closer inspection, she felt that analyzing psychology through behavior, while fascinating, was inevitably too absolute.
Zhen Ai did not voice her doubts, yet she was very interested in Yan Su's theory about "sexual fantasies"—lips, ears...
She looked up at him and asked, "Then, what about the nose? Does the nose have any sexual connotations?"
Yan Su curled the corners of his lips, quite fond of Zhen Ai's curiosity; this indifferent girl was only curious about him.
Although he was used to talking to himself, unconcerned about whether anyone listened, and indifferent to whether people around him thought he was strange or boring, the girl he liked not only liked him but was also interested in the things he liked, which naturally brought him a unique joy.
He told her, "Nations that rely on hunting place great importance on the nose, which represents the sense of smell. They believe that the size of the nose symbolizes a person's sexual desire—men's noses are better if they're a bit larger, while women's should be petite..."
As he spoke, his gaze descended, landing on her delicately shaped nose.
At nearly the same moment, Zhen Ai discreetly glanced at his nose, tall and handsome, with perfect contours. What had previously seemed just part of his exquisite features now took on a hint of sensuality.
Does this really have to do with sex?
Is his also as beautiful and sexy?
Zhen Ai was momentarily stunned, her own peculiar thoughts causing her to turn a bit red.
Yan Su looked down at her and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Startled, Zhen Ai naturally didn't dare to express her true thoughts and reflexively replied, "Ahem, dear, you don't have a big nose like Pinocchio."
"Because I don't lie." Yan Su also reflexively answered honestly, and only afterward realized he misunderstood. Meanwhile, Zhen Ai, upon saying it, also recognized the double meaning behind her words and immediately blushed, averting her gaze.
Yan Su didn't mind; he leaned closer and said, "Ai, this has no scientific basis, so don't worry. I've already told you, I'm really not asexual."
Zhen Ai turned her head away, "I'm not worried."
Once spoken, it felt even stranger. She simply lowered her head and stopped speaking.
Yan Su observed her flushed face, smiling slightly, lost in thought. The day after tomorrow was coming; if it weren't for the sudden case, he should be taking her to Hampton now.
No matter what, the date he picked was a once-in-a-lifetime event.
He wouldn't let anything affect him, affect them.
Zhen Ai had no idea what was in Yan Su's mind, thinking he was seriously contemplating the case. She hesitated for a few seconds and said, "Dear, I feel that there are actually quite a few people who fit this profile. Just going out to catch someone is too random."
He came back to his senses and replied, "Don't worry, this is just the first step. BAU members will continue gathering information to enrich the profile further. This is not a one-time event. Besides, they're more thorough than you might think."
"I'm not worried about that," Zhen Ai said, slightly anxious, blurting out, "I'm worried about you. Dear, this profile is simply identical to you."
Yan Su was not surprised; he had seen it earlier and didn't expect Zhen Ai to have noticed as well and to be worried for him.
"Everything will be fine," he ruffled her hair.
"I think it should be fine," Zhen Ai slowly nodded, "Also, I always feel that since the murderer is so clever and understands criminal psychology, is it possible that all of this is just him hiding his own nature, deliberately manufactured? Just like students doing exercises according to textbooks. It's possible that the real murderer isn't as the profile suggests, because the profile was designed by the murderer as a textbook for us to analyze, not a reflection of his true nature."
Her wisdom always brightened his perspective.
Yan Su smiled faintly: "I think the same way."
Encouraged, Zhen Ai excitedly asked, "So how do we find him?"
Yan Su pursed his lips:
"Unfortunately, if it is the situation we suspect, then everything we've analyzed so far is likely unrelated to the murderer."
He understood very clearly that this murderer was not merely following the textbook but had innovatively designed a killer's profile that completely resembled Yan Su himself.
It was as if the murderer was saying to him: S.A.YAN, this is my profile of you!
He didn't want her to worry, so he didn't say much.
But Zhen Ai didn't press further, though she was very aware in her heart.
The truly unidentified suspect, with such high intelligence, would design a murder game that mirrors Yan Su, pulling all the clues towards him while thoroughly covering up any information related to himself.
How could such a person be caught?
Yan Su looked at her intently for a moment, understanding her thoughts at once. He smiled warmly and reassured her, "Ai, really don't worry about me. I will catch him soon because I've already identified his omissions."
Zhen Ai's eyes sparkled as she looked up at him, "Is it the writer's heart issue? When I saw Laise talking to Cooper earlier, your expression seemed off."
He was a bit happy inside but didn't show it:
"Yes, the writer's death feels particularly discordant. He wasn't humiliated; that stands in stark contrast to the experiences of others.
Others were part of a perfect design and collection, but he was not.
Moreover, the heart, being the most vital organ in the body, should hold a more profound meaning."
His rapid speech nearly overwhelmed Zhen Ai, who frowned and said, "More profound? Isn't the heart synonymous with love? People always say 'I give you my heart' when expressing feelings."
Yan Su froze for a second, as if awakened, and suddenly, all the information connected: "Ai, do you still remember the writer's first sentence in the video where he confessed?"
The writer said, "I have nothing to confess to you."
"Your..."
His first words were in communication with the murderer;
He wasn't afraid; he knew the murderer;
The video wasn't edited; throughout the process he never attempted to reveal information about the murderer; it was clear that they not only knew each other but were close, close enough that even at death, he didn't want to retaliate against the murderer;
Perhaps the murderer felt similarly, which is why he didn't torture him, shot him right away, and because he wanted to give him a dignified death, he concurrently forfeited the opportunity to continue humiliating the other four.
"Ai, I think I know who the murderer is," he narrowed his gaze and walked toward the meeting room.
Zhen Ai followed up, "Who? Who is the murderer?"
"It's simple. What reveals the identity of the killer isn't the textbook cases of abuse and murder, but the mistakes they made," Yan Su spoke rapidly. "The killer was interrupted during the murder. Why was the writer able to interfere with him? The killer needed to kill the writer—so why did he spare him? And how could the writer, a former agent, be subdued so easily?"
Zhen Ai froze in shock, stopping abruptly. "Are you saying... Suki? She was here just now, and she went to the morgue!"
Yan Su hesitated for a moment, then sprinted back toward the morgue.
He rushed inside, but the room was empty—no one in sight. Five bodies lay silently under white sheets, still and undisturbed.
Yan Su's expression darkened as he walked over and pulled back the sheet covering the writer.
Zhen Ai widened her eyes in disbelief—the writer's heart had been placed back into his chest cavity, which had been empty before.
Her mind buzzed, and a clear realization hit her: Suki killed him, disposed of the body, and then brought the audio recordings to Yan Su to ask for his help finding these people. Was her true goal to drag Yan Su into this?
Whether Yan Su had reached the same conclusion, she didn't know. He covered the writer back up and ran out of the morgue. Zhen Ai followed him, searching throughout the police station, even rushing outside to the street, but Suki was nowhere to be seen.
Yan Su returned to the station and relayed everything about Suki's visit to Rheid and the others.
A heavy silence fell over the conference room.
At last, Laise broke the tension: "Mr. Yan, why did you hide such important information from us for so long?"
Yan Su replied calmly: "Because I was considering whether the personal affairs of the kindergarten teacher and Suki were related to this case."
Laise's face darkened with sarcasm. "And now? Are they related?"
Yan Su gave him a glance. "Sir, we cannot judge a process based on the outcome."
"You—!" Laise was almost choking on his frustration.
At that moment, Lopez entered the room and presented the information they had just gathered on Suki:
Suki came from a happy family, had a cheerful personality, and excelled in academics. She graduated from West Point and went straight into the CIA, completing several classified missions with distinction. Her psychological evaluations were consistently positive, and she had recently passed a promotion assessment, earning a short vacation. She was in a stable relationship with her boyfriend, and the two had planned to go on vacation together. The last contact anyone had with her was the previous day, when she spoke cheerfully with a colleague about the beauty of Yellowstone Park.
After hearing this, everyone had the same thought: This woman couldn't be more different from the psychological profile they had created.
Zhen Ai felt a growing sense of unease in her chest. What was really going on here?
Why did it feel as if Yan Su was being carefully led into someone's trap, step by step?
Yan Su remained composed and asked, "In the classified missions Suki completed, was there a rescue operation involving a place called the Holy Gold Club?"
Lopez scanned his notes and shook his head slowly. "No, nothing like that."
Zhen Ai's heart sank. Could everything Suki said at Yan Su's house have been a lie? The kindergarten teacher's video, the writer's disappearance, the audio of screaming, the confession video—was it all...
A plot to frame Yan Su?
Even Suki's identity seemed flawless, perfectly contradicting the psychological profile of the killer.
For the first time in a long while, Zhen Ai felt a deep chill from within, one that made her shiver uncontrollably.
Under the table, Yan Su reached out and tightly grasped her hand, silently assuring her not to worry.
She looked up at him. His handsome side profile remained calm and composed, as always—completely unruffled and in control.
Yan Su addressed the BAU members with his usual composure: "This is exactly what I expected."
Those words inexplicably eased Zhen Ai's heart. Yan Su's unwavering confidence always made her feel that no problem was beyond his grasp.
Lopez frowned. "What do you mean?"
Yan Su recounted his earlier conversation with Zhen Ai:
"In this serial murder case, the incorrect options, the methods of abuse, and the symbolic meaning of the organs and sexual acts—it's all a carefully crafted psychological profile exercise. This was meticulously designed. The person behind it didn't ask us to create a profile; they're challenging us. They've drawn their own picture, and they want us to follow their steps in our analysis. But the person we identify through the profile won't be the real killer. That's why the profile and the actual killer don't match."
Rheid clapped his hands. "That explains why the victims didn't have bite marks! First, it would reveal the killer's gender, and second, CIA agents have dental records on file!"
Cooper frowned. "But what if the killer intentionally designed it that way?" He looked gravely at Yan Su. "Are you saying that even though Suki doesn't fit the profile, she could still be the killer?"
"Yes. However," Yan Su said, "the person who designed this game isn't the one carrying it out. Suki is the killer, but she's not the mastermind."
Nell frowned. "What?"
Yan Su explained: "The person who designed this game possesses exceptional intelligence, control, and management skills. If they were executing the murders, there wouldn't have been any mistakes. Suki executed the abuse and murders perfectly, but the mistake was the writer."
The room fell silent again. Rheid's mind raced to keep up with Yan Su's logic. "The mastermind behind this game taught Suki every step, like a teacher guiding a student. Suki learned from her 'teacher' and followed the instructions step by step to carry out the killings."
"Exactly," Yan Su confirmed. "Since Suki obediently followed the teacher's instructions, her behavior doesn't match the psychological profile we developed."
Lopez, overwhelmed, held his head in his hands. "If you're right, S.A., then we're dealing with someone incredibly intelligent and twisted—and we might never catch them."
Laise's tone turned strange. "Well, Mr. Yan, I'm quite impressed that you could come up with something so brilliant and twisted. It's almost as if... your thinking is exactly like theirs."
Yan Su ignored the insinuation. "We need to find Suki immediately. She's the only lead we have to uncover the mastermind behind this."
Laise didn't relent. "A mastermind who gives orders from behind the scenes without getting their hands dirty? Mr. Yan, can you explain why such a powerful agent like Suki would obediently follow this mastermind's instructions and commit these crimes?"
The implication was clear: Your story doesn't make sense—it can't be trusted.
Yan Su remained silent for a moment. "I can guess, but I can't say."
Laise snorted in disdain and said no more.
Zhen Ai didn't understand why Yan Su wouldn't explain, but she suspected that, in his stubborn way, he believed some things were better left unsaid—even if it made others doubt him more.
She lowered her head, feeling a twinge of pain in her heart.
After some further discussion, Yan Su excused himself and left with Zhen Ai.
Watching their departing figures, Laise narrowed his eyes and raised his brows. "Haven't you noticed? It seems like Yan Su has been leading our analysis this whole time."
Nell turned to him. "Hmm?"
Laise frowned deeply. "When Yan Su introduced the young lady with him earlier, do you remember what he said?"
"He said... she's his student."
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