Bloody Romance: I, the big troublemaker, Zhong Yuemin!

"There is a sequence in learning, and there is specialization in skills," Zhong Yuemin said pretentiously:

"Captain Wang, those students in your publicity department should be submitting poetry or prose, right? This type of writing does require a high level of literary talent and personal cultivation. I write novels, similar to the ones the vendors outside talk about. It doesn't require flowery writing or a solid foundation. As long as you can write and recognize words and tell a good story, that's enough. It's about getting back to basics. In fact, many great writers, in the later stages of their writing careers, will intentionally abandon flowery rhetoric and instead write in the most approachable, easy-to-understand, plain language."

"Heh, you're really boastful, are you, Writer Zhong, already a great writer?"

“I don’t dare to call myself a great writer. I have achieved a little, but I still need to learn a lot from my predecessors.”

"You're so serious. Not only is it a book, but it's also sold hundreds of thousands of copies. It's so famous, we should have seen it, right? Is there a physical copy?"

Zhong Yuemin stood up and went to the desk beside him to get two books and gave them to the two of them.

"Captain Liu, Captain Wang, this is a gift from me to you. You can take a look at it in your free time."

Liu Daqiang took the book and saw the title, his eyes popped out of his head in surprise.

"Yuemin, don't tell me that you wrote this book 'Bright Sword'?"

"Isn't there a writer's name on it? It should be Zhong Yuemin."

"...No, there are many people with the same name. Is it really...really you?"

Zhong Yuemin nodded. "There's no need for me to act big in front of you two detectives. This is completely true."

Liu Daqiang swallowed his saliva and said suddenly:

"I was wondering about that 1000 bounty, and you donated it to our branch without batting an eye. So you're really not short of money."

Wang Jun asked, "Captain Liu, why is this book so popular?"

"It's probably the hottest-selling book in Beijing right now. Director Zhang from our bureau, during a meeting analyzing the safe theft at the machinery factory, used the book's protagonist, Li Yunlong, to inspire us. He said, 'When encountering a narrow road, the brave prevail.' We vow to bring the suspect to justice."

Wang Jun nodded, "Then I really have to take a closer look."

Zhong Yuemin asked, "Captain Liu, did you encounter any problems with the case when you came here today?"

"How did you know that? You're a master of predictions."

"Captain Liu, please stop praising me," Zhong Yuemin said.

"You two are criminal police officers, busy all day long. You can't just come here to visit and catch up. It must be about a case."

"I told you to stop talking!"

Liu Daqiang sighed.

"Actually, I'm quite helpless too. This position of Criminal Police Captain might not be my cup of tea. I've only been in office for a month or so, and first there was the theft of 200,000 yuan from the machinery factory, which really got me into a state of panic. If it weren't for Yuemin's reminder, it's still unclear whether the case could be solved. After finally solving the case, I barely had time to catch my breath when another home invasion and rape and murder case popped up. It's really not quiet at all."

"Home invasion, rape, and murder? Right in Xicheng District?"

"Not just that. Strictly speaking, the earliest incident happened around this time last year. A burglar broke into a home in Chaoyang, Dongcheng District. However, the female victim wasn't raped, only suffered minor injuries. The home's belongings were damaged, and the suspect fled in a panic."

Liu Daqiang said:

"We combined this burglary with the rape and murder case in Liutiao Hutong, Xicheng District, because they share many similarities. Both occurred late at night, the victims were either alone or no one else was home that night, and the methods used to break into the homes were both technically based on unlocking. Furthermore, the descriptions of the suspect's build, appearance, and accent given by over a decade of female victims over the following year suggest the same suspect was responsible."

"More than ten victims?" Zhong Yuemin asked:

"Captain Liu, are you saying that in just over a year, this murderer has committed so many crimes?"

"Much more than that!"

Wang Jun interrupted,

"What Captain Liu just mentioned were simple burglaries, with the victims suffering only minor injuries. But in the following seven or eight cases, burglaries weren't considered burglaries anymore, but they escalated into rape and murder. Based on the information our police currently have, we've confirmed eight victims. Including this latest case, that makes nine. There are definitely more victims we haven't identified yet, and I can't even count them on both hands."

Zhong Yuemin was shocked. This was simply a butcher.

"Captain Wang, how come such a sensational serial home invasion rape and murder case wasn't reported in the newspapers? That shouldn't be the case. I haven't heard of it at all."

Wang Jun said:

"This isn't something to be ashamed of, so why are you making such a big fuss about it? Things are already chaotic enough out there. If this kind of heinous case were to be published, it would probably cause panic. The higher-ups are suppressing this. Yuemin, you're not an outsider. Just keep this to yourself and don't tell anyone else."

Zhong Yuemin nodded.

"Captain Liu, Captain Wang, you two didn't come here today to ask me to solve the case, did you? I don't have the ability to do that."

He was not being modest. He had no memory of the case and was completely in the dark.

Liu Daqiang took out a stack of case files from his bag and placed them in front of the man.

"I didn't ask you to solve the case. I just asked you to help analyze the suspect's character, his mentality, his thoughts, and his state of mind. How should I put it? I want you to create a general and vivid image of the murderer, and give him a more intuitive and three-dimensional description."

Zhong Yuemin laughed bitterly, "Captain Liu, you should consult a psychologist, right? I don't understand any of this."

"Don't be modest or pressured. Read the file first and tell us your opinion."

"Is this considered confidential? I think it's appropriate?"

"If the case can't be solved, what's the point of keeping it secret? See."

Zhong Yuemin said nothing more and picked up the file to look through it. He spent more than an hour looking at it. There were too many things to read. Liu Daqiang and the other man sat on the side and did not disturb him. He just smoked one cigarette after another without stopping. His addiction to smoking was too strong. His eyes were blurry from the smoke. It was probably because of the torture of the cases. It was indeed a stressful job. If he didn't smoke to relieve the pressure, he would really suffocate.

After reading it, Liu Daqiang hurriedly asked:

"How is it? Any progress?"

Zhong Yuemin said:

"Captain Liu, could you first tell me how your police department conducted their investigation and the scope of their initial search for the murderer?"

Liu Daqiang said:

"This suspect was able to kill so many people in just over a year, and he's also skilled at lock picking. This level of mental fortitude is probably something most people wouldn't possess. Our initial investigation focused on individuals within our jurisdiction who have a criminal record, especially those with burglary history, who are skilled at lock picking, and who were released from prison around the time of the crimes. These individuals are our key targets."

"Did you find anything?"

"There were a few, but after further investigation, they were all ruled out. There are no more leads at the moment."

Seeing him deep in thought, Liu Daqiang said:

"Yuemin, judging by your expression, are we here at the police station and we've got the general direction wrong again?"