How You Can Sue Me for My Crimes in Dreams

Humans have many behaviors that are akin to conditioned reflexes.

They mostly manifest during sudden events when a person is calm and their mind isn’t occupied with complicated thoughts.

Here’s an example.

When making a phone call, for instance, most people will exhibit two types of unconscious behaviors.

One, picking at things. When on the phone with someone close, a person’s hands get restless. They might pick at their clothes or something else, completely unaware of the action the entire time.

Two, catching things.

If you hand something to a person while they’re on the phone, they will subconsciously take it.

This was the exact behavior Xu Huo was exploiting.

He bypassed the conscious mind, first letting the subject’s thoughts relax, then used an abrupt question to probe the subconscious directly.

The conscious mind will lie, but...

The subconscious won’t!

So...

”How did you know the dead deserved to die?”

Wang Hu’s question was like a sharp blade plunging deep into the man’s heart.

In that instant, Jiang Hai’s already pallid face grew even paler. He was like a withered leaf in the wind, trembling and ready to fall at any moment.

”Officer, I...”

”Hold on. There’s something I’ve been wondering about for a long time.”

Xu Huo suddenly spoke up, interrupting him. He forced himself to be stone-hearted and watched the man in silence.

”The murderers’ process can be divided into two main parts.”

”One, the murders—that is, wiping out the entire family.”

”Two, making the bombs. That is, after killing the family, they made bombs and then took the bodies to a densely populated area to be detonated.”

”As for this second act, the entire Linlan City police force, and even the officers providing remote guidance from the provincial level, have been wracking their brains for almost twenty-four hours, and no one has been able to come up with an answer.”

The act of murder is often straightforward, yet they performed this second, seemingly redundant, step.

For intellectuals capable of making custom bombs, this is a major contradiction.

In such an extremely self-serving environment, it’s impossible that all six of them would agree to an action that brought them no ’benefit’ whatsoever!

But they did it anyway, which conversely means...

”They did this for a purpose, and that purpose was a benefit—an advantage.”

”It could be emotional satisfaction, or it could be a direct financial gain.”

”But it would never be a pointless act!”

Xu Huo gestured for Jiang Hai to sit down and listen to him.

Jiang Hai’s face was pale and weak. His breathing was a little ragged, and his expression held a hint of pleading.

”So, it must have had a purpose.”

”Emotional? Their emotional release was clearly at the bloody, chaotic crime scene. The bombs wouldn’t have provided any emotional release.”

”Then it must be material. But what kind of material gain could a bomb bring?”

”I don’t know, but I do know that the chain of events following the explosion must be what allows the murderers to obtain that benefit!”

What was the reaction in Linlan City after the explosions?

It was like a drop of water splashing into a pan of scorching oil.

Instant pandemonium!

The eyes of the entire nation were focused here, with the highest echelons of the Capital City watching around the clock!

Tourists, terrified, fled the city in a hurry. Municipal leaders worked around the clock, sleepless, to handle the crisis.

The Capital City dispatched two teams. One went to the provincial department to meet directly with the person in charge and Zhang Jian. The second team didn’t even announce their arrival, heading straight for the crime scene to supervise...

You could say the two explosions thrust the once-obscure Linlan City into the national spotlight!

Everyone was on pins and needles—literally on pins and needles!

”Public opinion. In other words, eyeballs. The only thing the explosions could bring was the attention and focus of others.”

”I considered this line of thinking before, but I couldn’t find anything in it that would benefit the murderers.”

Xu Huo stared at the man before him, speaking calmly as he laid out his train of thought.

His voice wasn’t loud, but in the sealed detention room, it was perfectly clear.

”For the murderers, the attention from public opinion does far more harm than good.”

”However, then I started thinking...”

”What if the benefit they wanted wasn’t for themselves, but for... other people’s sake?”

As Xu Huo spoke those three words, Jiang Hai’s heart skipped a beat.

Jiang Hai didn’t speak. His lips trembled slightly as he stood frozen to the spot.

”They were already dead men walking, so they weren’t afraid to die again. Using bombs was irrelevant to them; whether they did or not, their own fates were sealed.”

”But it’s different for *other people*.”

”Once the nature of the case changes, then, barring any surprises... everything related to the case will be thoroughly investigated. Any ’unsatisfactory’ elements will have massive resources thrown at them until they are resolved.”

”Just like you people.”

Xu Huo watched him, his eyes devoid of any emotion.

Mockery? Sorrow? Pity? There was none of it.

”My guess is, the reason for the explosions... has to do with the Mutual Aid Association.”

”Yes. As long as the case becomes high-profile enough, generates enough public outcry, and gets enough attention from the higher-ups, then the problems you people are facing will no longer be problems.”

With that, Xu Huo fell silent.

Everyone stared at Jiang Hai, who was now slumped in his chair.

Jiang Hai felt like he was suffocating. The air around him seemed to thin, pressing in on him, making it impossible to breathe.

”Tell me. The files on the six murderers—who were they?”

Xu Huo asked slowly.

Jiang Hai’s lips moved for a moment, but still, no words came out.

”It’s useless not to talk. The Mutual Aid Association doesn’t have that many members. Even if you don’t say anything, someone else will.”

”And even if no one talks, the police will still sink their teeth into the Mutual Aid Association and eventually track them down.”

”And once we identify the six of them, the police will be able to deduce the location of the third murder scene!”

”The time it takes to finally solve this case...”

Looking at Jiang Hai, Xu Huo stated a fact that was, for him, very unfortunate.

”Will be locked in at under thirty-six hours.”

At this, Jiang Hai still didn’t speak.

He sat in the chair as if in a vegetative state, completely motionless.

One second... two seconds... three seconds...

Five minutes passed, and not a single sound broke the silence in the detention room.

The silence was terrifying.

Jiang Hai said nothing and didn’t move.

Xu Huo sighed and was about to get up and leave, but unexpectedly...

”Off... Officer...”

Xu Huo froze and looked back to see that the previously catatonic Jiang Hai was now staring at him and Wang Hu with bloodshot eyes.

”This case...”

”Can’t we just... drop the investigation?”

He pleaded, trembling, his eyes full of sorrow.

The comical clown makeup was streaked and ruined by his tears, his gaunt face resembling an old man with one foot in the grave.

Wang Hu and the others didn’t answer, remaining silent.

”I’m begging you, Officer, please, drop it. I’m begging you...”

Tears streamed from Jiang Hai’s eyes as if a dam had broken.

”THUD!”

He dropped to his knees on the ground, facing Wang Hu and pleading desperately.

”We just want to live...”

”We just want to live! My daughter... she’s only eight and she has leukemia. I have it too. Where are we supposed to get the money for treatment? I can die, but if I die, what will happen to my daughter...?”

”I’ve already given up on my own treatment. I have to save money, I have to get her treated, but where’s the money...?”

”My daughter is only eight years old!”

He scrambled on his knees to Wang Hu’s side, his fingers, no different from gnarled twigs, clutching tightly at Wang Hu’s clothing.

”Mr. Jiang, get up. Please, don’t be like this.”

Wang Hu looked down and squatted, his voice heavy. He reached out and took hold of Jiang Hai, trying to pull him to his feet.

But this man, who weighed less than 120 pounds, now seemed to possess an immense weight, and Wang Hu couldn’t pull him up no matter how he tried.

”Please, I’m begging you, stop the investigation! Stop it! I’ll kowtow to you, please, I just want my daughter to live, I just want her to live...”

As he spoke, the man, in his thirties, began slamming his head forcefully against the floor.

Once. Twice. Three times...

”Mr. Jiang, stop this! Let’s talk this out, we can talk this out!”

”Let’s get you up and we’ll talk...”

Wang Hu’s expression hardened. At that moment, a fire of frustration seemed to ignite in his chest, leaving him feeling utterly stifled.

’When did it come to this? Relying on murderers just to survive...’

’When did it come to the point where they’re not begging us to solve the case faster, but to stop investigating altogether...’

Wang Hu clenched his fists, wanting to pull the man up first, but...

No matter how Wang Hu, Xu Huo, and Qian Hua tried to stop him, bloody prints still appeared on the floor.

”Please, I’m begging you, I’m kowtowing to you, just stop the investigation...”