Madness of the Heart

Chapter 5 Demon Hunting (05)

The murder of two children in a café by Lu Kun had a great social impact and caused a series of panic and speculation.

Last year, in Los Angeles, the largest city closest to Dongye City, many elderly people in a community were cut their throats overnight. As soon as the news came out, people extended their own inferences that these old people were fans of square dancing, endlessly disturbing the people, relying on the old to sell the old, and occupying the life and spiritual space of the young for a long time, and eventually they brought butchers. For a time, the square dance in Los Angeles almost disappeared. Even if someone “don’t be afraid of death” continues to dance with the speakers, they must either turn the volume to the minimum or use headphones instead of the speakers.

A similar scene recurs in Dongye City, but the protagonist has changed from an old man who loves square dancing to young parents and their children.

In previous years, the summer vacation was the most noisy time in public places. A large number of children flooded into bookstores and restaurants, and they were called “locust crossing” by some shop assistants. This year, Lu Kun’s video of killing children spread rapidly, and many parents have lingering fears. They will not allow their children to go to public places to make noise for fear that they will provoke a perverted murderer like Lu Kun.

Children making noise in public places has long been a social problem that cannot be ignored. Dongye TV Station took the opportunity to conduct a grounded survey program, randomly interviewing adults of all ages in cafes, subway cars, libraries, restaurants and other places. people. All interviewees said that they have been disturbed by children more or less. When the reporter asked whether he had reminded the parents of the children, only 30 adults nodded, and the remaining 70% had different expressions and mostly smiled wryly—”Children are ignorant, and nowadays parents don’t care for their children. It’s useless to remind them, forget it. Endure it.”

Thirty percent of the interviewees who had negotiated with the parents of children also accounted for the overwhelming majority, because as the other 70 adults said, reminding is really useless, and encountering unreasonable parents can also cause physical conflict.

A woman who quit her job to prepare for the civil service exam said that she used to review in the community library and was surrounded by noisy children. She reminded once that the other party would not listen. Later, she had to rent a place in the office building.

“Parents are all adults, not stupid, their children are making trouble, can they not know? If they are competent parents, the first time the children yell in a place that should not be noisy, they will take the initiative to stop and stop Take it away if you don’t stop. Those parents who don’t care are just deliberate. They only care about their children having fun and don’t care whether they disturb others. No matter how much you remind such parents, it’s useless. Isn’t there a saying— You can’t wake up someone who pretends to be asleep. They are not pretending to be asleep, but pretending not to know, a truth.

This lady’s words were finally edited into the show, which resonated strongly. The audience thought she hit the nail on the head, sharp and keen.

But in fact, this is not the sharpest rhetoric the reporter has heard.

Two interviewees said that they wanted to kill the kid who yelled at the book cafe.

“You can’t imagine how terrible it is for children to make noise. IMHO, children who yell in public places where noise is prohibited and their parents deserve to die! They can kill our time and space without any sense of guilt, In turn, can we kill them too?”

In this case, it is of course impossible to cut into the program, but it reflects that some people are indeed troubled by children’s noise.

Public opinion continues to ferment. The vast majority of people in the society think that Lu Kun is too paranoid and his behavior is undesirable, but a very small number of people think that Lu Kun is doing a good job to eliminate harm for the people.

No matter what the outside world talks about, the case itself is very simple and clear. At the time of the incident, there were many witnesses and video surveillance. Lu Kun also pleaded guilty. Afterwards, experts have conducted two mental and psychological evaluations for him, and they believe that he does not have a mental disorder, let alone the “multiple personality” that the public speculates. A detailed physical examination proved that he had not been contaminated with any drugs or hallucinogens.

The Beicheng Branch was able to handle this case without reporting to the Criminal Investigation Bureau, but when everyone thought that the dust had settled, Lu Kun suddenly changed his previous statement and insisted that he was innocent and that he was bewitched by others to kill.

The cult terrorist attack that occurred in Los Angeles last year has sounded the alarm for the entire public security system. In that case, the cult leader used hypnosis as a weapon to kill a large number of people and even corrupted the police. Han Qu, the former SWAT captain of Los Angeles who had an affair with the cult, is still unclear.

After this case, Dongye City has an additional unwritten rule: all cases related to psychological manipulation, even if it is just a bit of a stick, must be handled by the city bureau.

Lu Kun’s sudden remarks made Wang Hao, the deputy captain of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Beicheng Branch, annoyed and had to hand the case to the city bureau.

A few days ago, he met Ming Shu on a narrow road, and left his rhetoric, explaining that Shu was not qualified to manage the case, and second that he had to order the case before he would send the case to the city bureau.

At that time, he had the most confidence, thinking that Lu Kun was definitely over in his own hands. Unexpectedly, Lu Kun’s rhetoric changed, and the captain and the deputy bureau in charge of criminal investigation transferred the people to the city bureau before they waited for an order from the boss.

Needless to say, when Lu Kun arrived at the city bureau, he was definitely handed over to the serious case team for trial.

He was not accustomed to seeing Ming Shu. He felt that this person was garish, vain, and idiot, leaning on a face to get to where he is now. It happened that the entire serious crime team held Mingshu in their hands, boasting like a **** detective in the world. He was dissatisfied with himself, and even could not understand the crime team. He repeatedly claimed that the crime team had tossed an olive branch with him a few years earlier, but he refused.

Seeing Lu Kun being taken away, he cursed and spit fiercely.

Ming Shu stayed up all night. Although Xiao Yuan had been fed by Xiao Yuan at night, he was still mentally tired except for the excitement aroused by the case.

Sitting on the interrogation chair with handcuffs on his hands, Lu Kun was much more languished and haggard than when he killed innocents at Shuhan Cafe. His beard was shaggy, his skin was dark yellow, and his chapped lips burst into bleeding.

“You said that you committed a crime because you were bewitched.” Ming Shu stared at him, piercing his eyes with cold eyes, “Who was bewitched? How?”

In the Beicheng branch, Lu Kun almost went mad when he said the word “bewilderment”, howling like a trapped beast, looking confused, crying and laughing, yelling for injustice, a mentally ill patient, even Wang Hao was in town. Can’t help.

But at this time, when Ming Shu looked at him like this, his momentum was completely depressed, his hands were twisted together, and his cracked lips opened and closed, and he couldn’t utter a word for a long time.

Ming Shu’s index finger tapped on the table, his eyes never taken away from his face, and his voice became colder, “You can see clearly, this is not the Beicheng branch, it is the crime team of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, which specializes in dealing with people like you.”

Lu Kun involuntarily retracted his shoulders, his neck and chin stiff.

Ming Shu said: “I’ll ask again, who confuses you? How to confuse you?”

Half a minute later, Lu Kun shivered and said, “The tomb…the heart of the tomb!”

Ming Shu did not hear clearly, “What MU? Which MU?”

Fang Yuanhang, who was sitting aside, showed a surprised expression, “The heart of the tomb? The heart of the tomb, the heart of the heart?”

The red blood in Lu Kun’s eyes seemed to suddenly become alive, crawling around like a parasite.

“Yes!” He exclaimed: “It’s the heart of the tomb! She is the one who killed me!”

Ming Shu turned his face, “Do you know this person?”

“Master, have you never read novels?” Fang Yuanhang said, “The heart of the tomb is the hottest suspense novel writer in recent years, and books sell well!”

“Suspense novels?” Ming Shu really didn’t read novels. First, he was born with no literary cell, so he couldn’t like it, so he dozed off when he flipped through the book. Second, he didn’t have time, either specializing in cases or receiving professional training from special police.

“She bewitched me… I was not like this before…” Lukun said intermittently, “She instigated me to kill! Without her, I wouldn’t be what I am now!”

Ming Shu looked at Lu Kun, and gradually had counts in his heart, “What you said about’bewitching’ and’inciting’, are you referring to the novels in the heart of the tomb?”

Lu Kun nodded like a chicken pecking at the rice, “The heart of the tomb said, some people deserve to die! The law can’t punish them, we should take up weapons ourselves!”

Ming Shu sighed helplessly, “Then have you seen the heart of the tomb?”

“Master.” Fang Yuanhang said: “The heart of the tomb is just a pseudonym. As far as I know, this person has never been seen, whether he is a male or a female, and he has not disclosed whether he is in the country.”

“The heart of the tomb is a woman!” Lu Kun was excited, “I will kill people only after listening to her!”

“Hey hey hey!” Fang Yuanhang snorted, “I just read this novel, is it too deep into the play?”

Ming Shu stood up, took a condescending look at Lu Kun again, and patted Fang Yuanhang on the shoulder, which meant “I’ll leave it to you here.”

The so-called “bewilderment” turned out to be the suspect’s conjecture, and Ming Shu felt a little helpless.

This Lu Kun is a bit interesting. He pleaded guilty before, but suddenly pulled in a suspense writer. This behavior can be interpreted in many ways. If there is nothing else important, he will stay and listen to Lukun breaking through from start to finish. But now obviously can’t waste time, another more suspicious case is still waiting for him to solve.

Luo Xiangfu is 62 years old. When he was young, he taught Chinese in a township under Dongye City. He was an expert in drawing blackboard newspapers. Now he works as an officer in the Municipal Painting and Calligraphy Association. He lives with his wife Kang Yu in a long-standing residential building in Xicheng District.

The two have one son and are currently working in the field.

Kang Yu traveled with his sisters in late June. He returned home on July 4 and found that Luo Xiangfu was not there and the phone could not be reached. In the previous two days, Luo Xiangfu had stopped answering the phone. Kang Yu searched all the places he could find, and asked all the people Luo Xiangfu knew. They all said that they had not seen Luo Xiangfu in the past few days.

Kang Yu felt that something happened to Luo Xiangfu and called the police on the same day.

After comparing the missing persons, the man buried under the rocky ground is Luo Xiangfu.

In the homicide investigation, the identification of the victim is an extremely critical step. The vast majority of homicides occur between acquaintances, some involve interests and money, and some involve old grievances and impulse crimes.

Now, investigating Luo Xiangfu’s interpersonal relationship has become a top priority.

After Kang Yu recognized the corpse, he became calm and unreasonable. He sat in the interrogation room without saying a word. After ten minutes, a ray of red appeared in his eyes.

Ming Shu didn’t talk to her right away, and asked someone to pour a glass of water for her and accompany her quietly.

In the video sent by the police station, when Kang Yu called the police that her husband was missing, he was not too anxious. On the contrary, he was well organized. He listed a few places Luo Xiangfu might go, and finally sighed softly, guessing that Luo Xiangfu might have been killed.

The police dealing with the disappearance case were used to the emotional residents. They were very impressed by Kang Yu who was calm from beginning to end. When sending the video, he also mentioned in the way—”This aunt is a bit strange. Usually, someone in the family is missing. She couldn’t calm down much. She was fine, as if she was just waiting for this day.”

Ming Shu repeatedly watched the video and felt that Kang Yu’s reaction was indeed worthy of attention.

Looking across the country, homicides caused by conflicts between husbands and wives abound. Some have tolerated their lives for 20 to 30 years. Once they broke out, they were out of control, leading to tragic consequences.

But when Luo Xiangfu was killed, Kang Yu was not in Dongye City at all. Hotel monitoring and traffic monitoring can be used as evidence.

Kang Yu has a perfect alibi.

“When you called the police, you said Luo Xiangfu might have been killed.” Ming Shu started from the situation on the day of calling the police. “Who do you think he might have been killed?”

Kang Yu gave a very light “Ah”, “I…”

“Don’t be nervous.” Ming Shu said slowly, “I’m just thinking, if you propose’killed’, then you should have a guess in your heart.”

After a long while, Kang Yu shook his head, “Lao Luo has no mental illness and cannot be lost by himself, so the worst result is being harmed. As for who this person is, I don’t have a clue.”

This explanation obviously couldn’t convince Ming Shu. He held his chin and said, “Tell me about the last time you saw Luo Xiangfu.”

“I wouldn’t have gone on this trip.” Kang Yu picked up the tissue on the table and touched it at the end of his eyes. The tissue was not wet, and she was then held into her hand.

Ming Shu followed along and asked: “Then why did you go again later?”

Kang Yu sighed and smiled bitterly, “Lao Luo’s ears become very back when he is old, and he always can’t hear what I say to him. We are used to talking loudly at home, in fact, this way I…I am also very tired.”

“Last month, a friend from his association came to be a guest at home. I prepared some food and drink and asked him to serve it. He couldn’t hear me, so I called out loudly several times. He shook my face at that time. His face was in the evening. When my friend left, he had a big fight with me, meaning that I yelled at him in front of his friend, which made him lose face.”

At this point, tears really appeared in Kang Yu’s eyes—perhaps he finally brewed his emotions, perhaps because he was really feeling, “I’m angry, but I’ve been angry because of the back of his ears over the years. He actually felt angry. I still said that. A few days later, my friend invited me to travel to Los Angeles. I didn’t want to face Lao Luo at home, so I paid the tour fee. On the day I left, Lao Luo didn’t tell me anything, but I got up early in the morning and gave me a pot of chicken feet and duck feet. I also made cold noodles. Leave a note for us to take on the train.”

“I actually forgive him by looking at those things.” Kang Yu said more and more slowly. “Occasionally call him and prepare to cook him a good meal when he comes back. Unexpectedly…he just went like this.”

After a period of silence, Ming Shu said: “Your relationship with Luo Xiangfu doesn’t seem to be too deep.”

Kang Yu raised his head abruptly, and the light spots in his eyes flickered.

Among women in their sixties, Kang Yu is considered to be well maintained. Although the skin is somewhat sagging, but the color is good, some people believe that they are under fifty.

“I…” Kang Yu looked away after looking at Ming Shu for a second. “We have lived together for more than 30 years, so how can our relationship not be deep?”

“But in your reaction, I don’t see much sadness.” Ming Shu’s tone of voice was almost unchanged, and the flat and straightforward narration was shocking.

“Do you suspect that I killed my husband? How is this possible?” Kang Yu leaned forward and raised his eyebrows. “I am not such a person. Why should I kill him?”

Ming Shu shook his head, “I am asking this not because I suspect you. Luo Xiangfu was killed and his body was thrown away, and you are his close relatives. If we want to investigate the case, we must deal with you and look for clues from you. I said this, do you understand?”

Kang Yu was startled first, then nodded nervously.

When Ming Shu looked at people seriously, there was an indescribable charm in his eyes and expressions, coupled with the voice that deliberately imitated Xiao Yuan, he could easily disarm the person he was watching.

“I’m going to visit your house now.” Ming Shu said, “Let’s talk in detail on the way.”

Kang Yu looked difficult, and finally nodded, “Yeah.”

The community where Luo Xiangfu lives is backed by a farmer’s market. It has a large flow of people and a complex composition of personnel. The community does not have professional property management. During the day, all three doors are open. Only a few grandparents from the neighborhood committee take turns guarding at the gate. But this post is nothing, the grandfathers play chess and the aunts play cards, regardless of whether strangers enter the community. In order to take shortcuts, motorcycles and wild three wheels outside often pass through the community, sometimes even small trucks drive inside. Occasionally, an aunt scolded and the drivers didn’t take it seriously.

Mingshu observed for a while, and his colleague ran and said that there are only two cameras in the community still available, one at the entrance and exit of Building 2, and one at the west gate.

Unfortunately, Luo Xiangfu lives in Building 4.

“Take out the videos captured by the two cameras recently.” Ming Shu ordered: “Focus on the camera of Ximen.”

Upon hearing this, Kang Yu wanted to speak but stopped.

Ming Shu looked at her, “What do you want to say?”

“That…” Kang Yu hesitated: “Lao Luo never enters or exits from Ximen. He thinks Ximen is facing the farmer’s market and it is dirty and messy. It is impossible for Ximen’s camera to capture him.

Ming Shu was silent for a while, but the meaning was unclear and said: “It’s okay, it’s always necessary to check.”

Building 4, 4-4, is the home of Kang Yu and Luo Xiangfu.

The Trace Inspection Division entered first. Xiao Man was visibly startled when he saw the house number. He turned his head to look at Ming Shu, but Ming Shu raised his hand to signal him to avoid desertions and seize the time to work.

There are three rooms and one living room in the room. Unexpectedly, Kang and Luo sleep in separate rooms.

Kang Yu was a little embarrassed, “Our work and rest schedules are different.”

Ming Shu looked around the living room and caught a subtle weirdness. It is not uncommon for middle-aged and elderly couples to sleep in separate rooms, but if you want to ask why, the wife will most likely complain about her husband’s snoring and body odor. But what Kang Yu mentioned was the difference in work and rest time.

For a couple who have lived together for decades, can their work and rest time conflict to the extent that they sleep in separate rooms?

“Luo Xiangfu’s work and rest disturbed you until you rest?” Ming Shu asked.

“He slept very late.” Kang Yu said: “He always sorts out the photos he takes in the middle of the night.”

“Luo Xiangfu likes photography?” Ming Shu had already seen the “long guns and short cannons” in the glass cabinet of the study.

The popular saying is “SLR will ruin a lifetime, and photography will be poor for three generations.” Luo Xiangfu, as the secretary of the Municipal Painting and Calligraphy Association, is also keen on photography, and he seems to have a lot of art.

But Kang Yu’s eyes inadvertently revealed dissatisfaction, contempt, and disdain, “What photography? Take some messy things and come back.”

Ming Shu cared: “A mess?”

“All young girls!” Kang Yu was indignant, his emotions fluctuated even more than when he learned of Luo Xiangfu’s murder.

“Team Ming!” Yi Fei shouted in front of the computer, “Come here.”

Ming Shu walked over, and at a glance saw the rugged beauty on the screen.

“It turns out to be a street photographer.” Yi Fei clicked the mouse, and the photos of different young women changed quickly. “There are at least thousands of them.”

“He does this all day long!” Kang Yu said, “Everyone said that I married an honest man, saying that he doesn’t smoke, drink, has no bad minds, and spends his free time on painting and calligraphy. He is educated and an intellectual. But what do you guys look at now? Others asked him to produce works, earn extra money, and help appraise them. He pushed them all the way, holding a camera and went outside to take pictures of girls. During the day, sometimes at night, without sleeping, staring at them. You say, what is it like to be old and disrespectful?”