Ji Chenjiao had encountered many vicious and brutal murderers. For the most part, they all shared similar characteristics: they would painstakingly conceal their crimes, flatly deny everything until the police presented decisive evidence, and finally, upon seeing the writing on the wall, after a brief moment of shock, they would quickly calm down—as if they had known from the start that this was a road of no return.

“But I don’t regret it, and don’t you dare delude yourselves into thinking I’ll apologize,” Dan Jin smiled faintly. “I did nothing wrong. I’ve spent my life accomplishing nothing, trapped among ants. The most correct thing I ever did was kill Deng Zi’an, and people like Deng Zi’an.”

“I am far more outstanding than you police officers. I protected many women. Are you police capable of that?”

The detective accompanying the interrogation shouted, “You!”

Ji Chenjiao interjected, “Keep talking.”

“Hahaha, Officer Ji still has the most class,” Dan Jin let out a strange laugh. “Is calling the police useful? If we don’t kill them, they’ll only go out and hurt women even more severely!”

“My sister was ruined by people like that! She was only twenty-six, such a wonderful age. But in the prime of her life, she was ravaged by scum. The police didn’t care, the school didn’t care, society didn’t care, even our parents didn’t care! So, it fell to me, her brother, to take revenge.”

Watching Dan Jin’s emotional and impassioned “speech,” Ji Chenjiao suddenly felt a strange sense of dissonance. Dan Jin’s words sounded as if they had been prepared for a long time; even the emotions seemed rehearsed.

But why?

Based on Dan Jin’s description, Xi Wan quickly found a body in the New District. Tests confirmed it was the missing Deng Zi’an, and the fatal wound matched Dan Jin’s account perfectly.

The suspect confessed, the physical evidence was ample, and the Floating Corpse Case of Shengui Bridge, which had shocked the city, was declared solved. Along with it, two missing persons cases were also resolved. Zhong Cheng, who had been framed, was cleared of all charges.

Ji Chenjiao had withstood immense pressure to divert the investigation from a seemingly correct path onto a seemingly wrong one. Before he could even write the closing report, he was praised by Xie Qing.

The case was solved, almost flawlessly. The twists and turns within it were worthy of being a textbook example. But Dan Jin’s final, speech-like confession made him feel that perhaps something had been missed.

There was also the point about Dan Jin sending a private message to Jaco. Dan Jin had explained it multiple times, but was his explanation necessarily the truth?

However, the current situation was different from Zhong Cheng’s. Zhong Cheng hadn’t confessed, and there were still suspicious points about Wei Xuyan, so Ji dared to take a risky path and investigate to the end.

Now, the case was completely clear. He had reached the bottom; there was nothing left to investigate. As for the missing Xu Jiajia, in all likelihood, it was unrelated to this case.

Because this series of cases had a huge impact, the Municipal Bureau soon released a case briefing. The briefing was concise and objective, yet upon release, it still attracted a torrent of skepticism.

There had already been many analysis posts online, and Dan Jin’s motive had long been thoroughly interpreted. The public wanted to see the police analyze the details, but the police could not publish specific details of the crime.

This created an unsolvable problem. The Major Crimes Unit had worked overtime to solve a serial murder case in the shortest possible time, yet they were being cursed online for “under-the-table operations” and a lack of transparency.

Shen Xi felt incredibly aggrieved and slumped onto the sofa. “I’m tired. Just destroy the world!”

Xi Wan smacked him on the head with a file folder. “Why are you getting discouraged? Don’t worry about what they say online; we have a clear conscience. Go, find your brother and get him to treat us to a meal.”

At the mention of food, Shen Xi wasn’t tired anymore. He trotted over to Ji Chenjiao. “Bro, the case is solved. Shouldn’t you treat us to a big meal?”

Ji Chenjiao had already booked a table at a beef hotpot restaurant. Just as he sent the address to Liang Wenxian, he suddenly noticed an article appearing online that appeared to be a self-narration by Dan Jin.

Dan Jin had been in custody for a while, so he couldn’t have posted it now. Ji Chenjiao immediately told Shen Xi to trace the address.

Work again. Shen Xi made a crying face at Xi Wan and started working.

The article was indeed written by Dan Jin. He had set a timed post on his office computer. The countdown began the day Ji Chenjiao took him away from the factory.

Written from the perspective of the victimized girl’s brother, the article bitterly denounced the “hunters” and described in detail the bloody and cruel process of how he killed the three men. The entire piece mentioned the name Dan Jing (his sister) multiple times, while giving only a one-sided summary of the atrocities committed by Deng Zi’an and the others.

Reading the article, Ji Chenjiao felt the same sensation he had during the interrogation. Back then, Dan Jin was acting for him; now, Dan Jin was acting for the netizens.

Soon, public opinion was detonated by the article. The feeling of the vast majority of readers was consistent: Deng Zi’an and his ilk were wicked, but they didn’t deserve to die, while the avenger was a chilling demon.

Increasingly, voices began to emerge calling the victimized girl a demon as well.

Previously, many people thought the killer was inciting gender opposition and was a terrifying extremist. Now, with Dan Jin’s article out, this view was solidified.

The voices condemning the “hunters” were like water drops on scorching earth, evaporating instantly. Meanwhile, the voices condemning women grew louder and louder. Many bloggers who called for women’s independence and strength were implicated; some struggled to speak out, while others were abused into leaving the internet.

Things had fermented to a point beyond the scope of a homicide case. Public opinion departments would have to guide the resolution from here.

Ji Chenjiao was still sitting in the office when he suddenly received a message from Ling Lie: [Xia Chengshi, our water pipe burst!]

[Image] [Image] [Image] [Your roommate has drowned!]

Ji Chenjiao rushed home. It was the bathtub faucet that had broken; once turned on, it couldn’t be turned off. When Ji Chenjiao arrived, water had long since overflowed from the bathtub. Ling Lie, pant legs rolled up, was frantically scooping water off the floor with a plastic bucket to stop it from crossing the threshold into the living room.

Ji Chenjiao had been in a terrible mood, but seeing Ling Lie in such a sorry state, he suddenly felt a bit lighter. He quickly grabbed the toolbox and a spare faucet from the balcony closet, took off his shoes and socks, and waded in. Even though he was stepping in water, he still felt unbearably hot. He turned back and roared, “You didn’t turn on the AC again!”

Ling Lie dropped the bucket and ran. “I’ll turn it on, I’ll turn it on! Is 17°C okay for you?”

Ji Chenjiao suppressed his anger. “26°C!”

“Alrighty!”

The most troublesome part of changing a faucet was that the water kept spraying. Before Ji Chenjiao could even remove the broken one, he was already soaked through. Ling Lie ran back in, holding a large towel, and heroically covered the space in front of Ji Chenjiao.

Ji Chenjiao: “?”

Ling Lie said plausibly, “This way it won’t spray in your face.”

“Spray…” Ji Chenjiao’s eyebrow twitched. “Then how am I supposed to see to change it?”

Ling Lie thought for a moment and lifted the towel higher. “How about this?”

Ji Chenjiao wanted to say, I’m already soaked like this, isn’t this superfluous? But Ling Lie’s action gave him an indescribable sense of pleasure. Fine, let him block it.

Ten minutes later, the faucet was finally off.

Neither of them had a dry spot on them; they needed to shower immediately. Ling Lie, having blocked the water for Ji Chenjiao, was soaked even worse. At this moment, he wrapped himself in the soaking wet towel and smiled, “You wash first.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Ji Chenjiao caught a glimpse of Ling Lie’s feet. Ling Lie was very pale, especially his feet. Before Ji arrived, Ling Lie had been soaking in the water in his slippers for a long time; his skin was now wrinkled from the water.

Ji Chenjiao immediately grabbed Ling Lie’s arm and pulled the towel off him. “It’s so wet, is there any point in wearing it?”

Ling Lie’s gaze seemed a bit blank.

Ji Chenjiao grew impatient. “You wash first.”

With that, he left Ling Lie in the bathroom and went out.

A moment later, the sound of water came from behind. Ji Chenjiao decided to go to his own room to find a change of clothes. Only after finding them did he realize that Ling Lie didn’t seem to have taken clean clothes in with him.

He hesitated at the door of the guest bedroom, thinking that Ling Lie would surely call him for help, so he went in.

The guest bedroom was very tidy, as if no one lived there. Ji Chenjiao still felt a bit guilty when he opened the wardrobe. A few pairs of underwear were right in front of him. Just as he was about to reach for them, a voice suddenly came from the door: “Xia Chengshi, why are you in my room?”

Ling Lie had a bath towel wrapped around his waist, hair dripping wet, his expression a mix of shock and innocence.

Ji Chenjiao raged, “Why didn’t you turn off the water after showering?”

Ling Lie: “Aren’t you going to wash? Turning it off and on again wastes a lot of cold water. It’s wasteful.”

Ji Chenjiao was incredibly embarrassed. He immediately rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Ling Lie noticed the change of clothes placed on his bed, raised an eyebrow, and smiled gloatingly.

Halfway through his shower, Ji Chenjiao suddenly remembered he had left his clothes in the guest bedroom, and the only large bath towel in the bathroom had been swiped by Ling Lie.

“……”

Ten minutes later, the bathroom door opened a crack. Ling Lie stood on one side of the crack, smiling as he waited for Ji Chenjiao.

But Ji Chenjiao didn’t know he was outside. “Ling Lie, help me get my clothes. They’re, just on your bed.”

Ling Lie didn’t move a muscle.

Ji Chenjiao waited a while, then had to stick out a wet hand, his voice a bit louder. “Ling Lie?”

Only then did Ling Lie say, “I’m here.”

Ji Chenjiao heard a trace of mockery in that voice, but right now he had to rely on Ling Lie. Enduring the humiliation, he said, “Could you trouble yourself to…”

Before he could finish, Ling Lie placed the clothes in his hand.

Ji Chenjiao: “…Thanks.”

After all this commotion, Ji Chenjiao felt that his stomach had been empty for a long time and urgently needed replenishment. He dried his hair and looked at Ling Lie, who had just finished hanging up the mop cloth. “Have you eaten?”

Ling Lie: “No. You treating?”

Ji Chenjiao: “Sure.”

Ling Lie smiled. “I want to eat roast duck.”

There was a delicious roast duck restaurant near the Municipal Bureau. Lunchtime was long past, so they were the only table in the place. While waiting for the food, Ling Lie said, “Chengshi, Chengshi, you seem very unhappy.”

Ji Chenjiao: “You can tell?”

“I can’t see it, but I can feel the emotion,” Ling Lie said like a mystic. “I have a talent for this.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Is that so? Then can you tell where I’m unhappy?”

Ling Lie thought for a moment. “The case, right? You just solved the case, but you feel it’s not over yet.”

The roast duck arrived, and the soup pot was ready for boiling vegetables. Ji Chenjiao wrapped more than ten duck rolls in succession to fill his stomach before he felt less starving.

Opposite him, Ling Lie was also wolfing down food. Ji observed him for a while and suddenly felt a strong urge to confide in him.

Ji Chenjiao: “Have you seen those comments online?”

Ling Lie put down a roasted duck leg that was crispy and charred. “You guys are getting scolded badly.”

Ji Chenjiao: “We can handle whatever comes at us, but there is another group that has become the target of public criticism.”

Ling Lie: “Those advocating that women should be independent and strong?”

Ji Chenjiao nodded. “This result was beyond our expectations, but thinking about it carefully, it stands to reason. After all, Dan Jin killed three people for his sister. Those who initially denounced the ‘hunting’ behavior have now turned to condemning all women.”

“Hunting…” The word rolled off Ling Lie’s tongue, suddenly taking on a different flavor. Ji Chenjiao couldn’t help but look into those pitch-black eyes.

“So, Dan Jin ‘hunted’ other ‘hunters’,” Ling Lie said very slowly. “He is the true ‘hunter’.”

Ji Chenjiao frowned slightly. “What are you trying to say?”

“An excellent ‘hunter’ can certainly deduce the ending; no step is superfluous,” Ling Lie said. “If Dan Jin loves his sister and took revenge for Dan Jing, he was also taking revenge for the entire ‘hunted’ group. He couldn’t possibly have failed to foresee the current outcome.”

That was it! What Ji Chenjiao had been turning over and over in his mind was exactly the contradiction in Dan Jin’s words and actions. Ling Lie was thinking in the same direction. And Ling Lie’s phrase “no step is superfluous” reminded him of Dan Jin sending private messages to Xu Jiajia.

That was an absolutely superfluous step.

If it wasn’t superfluous, how did that link fit in?

Ling Lie finished the duck leg and added, “Does Dan Jin really love his sister that much?”

Ji Chenjiao: “What are your thoughts?”

“I find it very strange. Dan Jin doted on Dan Jing to the point of killing three people for her, yet he surprisingly didn’t buy her a few pretty clothes or pretty shoes,” Ling Lie said as he started wrapping roast duck again. “It’s not like Dan Jing doesn’t like nice clothes; she even steals them to wear. She also liked my carrot clip and embroidered cloth shoes. Her love for these pretty things is no different from girls her age. But she couldn’t have them!”

The elusive clue Ji Chenjiao had sensed earlier finally materialized. Dan Jin didn’t lie about the crime process, but he very likely hadn’t confessed his true motive!

“Dan Jing is afraid of men, and afraid of masculine professions. That day when I went with her to buy shoes, I felt her fear of men might not only stem from being bullied but also from her brother.”

Ling Lie had a great appetite, eating roll after roll. “If she wasn’t afraid of Dan Jin, she wouldn’t have gone so far as to hide the broken shoes.”

Scattered clues and thoughts converged, outlining a picture completely contrary to the surface logic.

Dan Jin’s true purpose might not be to punish the “hunters” at all, nor to avenge his sister, but to turn society from condemning the abusers to condemning everyone who fought for women’s legitimate rights.

He had indeed succeeded.

Deng Zi’an and the others were merely tools in his plan. He didn’t hate them; he hated women.

The reason he messaged Xu Jiajia also lay here. He wanted Jaco to explode in popularity through this incident, becoming the center of attention.

If he then made a move on Jaco at that moment, he would gain the maximum amount of attention.

But there were two accidents: first, Shen Xi found him; second, Jaco was also a murderer, and he couldn’t find an opportunity to strike.

Ji Chenjiao suddenly stood up. Ling Lie asked, “Where are you going?”

“Detention center.” Ji Chenjiao called the waiter over, ordered a few more dishes, took his salary card out of his wallet, and tossed it to Ling Lie. “Keep eating. Use this card to pay the bill. I’ll send you the PIN.”

The waiter was stunned by this operation; didn’t everyone pay by phone nowadays?

Ling Lie understood perfectly; Ji Chenjiao couldn’t exactly throw his phone at him. The man had already stormed off. Ling Lie fumbled for the bank card and smilingly tucked it into his pocket.

“Little Snake’s salary card, confiscated.”

---

At the detention center, Dan Jin, awaiting trial, was in better spirits than he had been at the Municipal Bureau.

“Good afternoon, Officer Ji.”

Ji Chenjiao stared at him intently. “You didn’t kill Deng Zi’an and the others to avenge Dan Jing.”

Dan Jin froze for a moment, then laughed. “No, I did. They deserved to die. All men who hurt women deserve to die!”

Again with that speech-like tone, again with that highly inflammatory inflection.

“I came today just to get the truth,” Ji Chenjiao said. “Dan Jin, before you die, don’t you want to pour out the pain you’ve endured?”

Dan Jin’s eyes suddenly paused, his lips trembling almost imperceptibly. Soon, he chuckled nonchalantly. “I’m definitely getting the death penalty, right?”

“Serious circumstances, vile nature, huge social impact. What do you think?”

“I know.”

Dan Jin sighed, lifting his eyes to look at the surveillance camera. “Can this be turned off?”

Ji Chenjiao immediately asked the officer to turn off the monitoring, turned off his own phone, and placed it on the table. “Feel safe now?”

Dan Jin said, “Promise me that what I say next won’t appear in court or the media.”

Ji Chenjiao: “I promise.”

Dan Jin fell into a brief silence, then began to pour his heart out for the first time in his life, and perhaps the last.

In the dialect of Xiarong City, “Jin” (Gold) and “Jing” (Crystal) have the same pronunciation. Since childhood, Dan Jin didn’t understand why his parents gave his sister a name that sounded the same as his.

His sister’s birth took away his parents’ love. His sister was always sick, and every trip to the hospital cost a lot of money. He had wanted a soccer ball for a long time, but his father refused him every time because his sister needed money for medicine.

He attributed all of life’s hardships to his sister. After entering middle school, Dan Jing’s existence caused him to be implicated and mocked.

Whether due to genetics or taking too much medicine later in life, Dan Jing was dull-witted and ugly, an idiot looked down upon by teachers and classmates alike. He was ordered to pick his sister up from school, and classmates would often say—Why is your sister so stupid? Just leave her be, let’s go play soccer.

But he couldn’t ignore her, or he would be scolded when he got home.

His high school years, which should have been colorful, became barren and gray because of his sister. Seeing that Dan Jing couldn’t even do the simplest math problems, seeing Dan Jing being bullied by boys in her class, he wondered why she was still alive. Why did this world allow such stupid people to exist?

Because she was female? Could females be taken care of even if they were weak and stupid?

That was the first time he wanted Dan Jing to die.

After starting university, he could finally stay away from Dan Jing. But he gradually discovered that because of Dan Jing, he had long since come to loathe all women. He could find similarities to Dan Jing in every one of them.

Dan Jing went to a technical school and was treated like a slave by a group of boys. When his mother told him this, he felt an unprecedented sense of relief. She deserved to be bullied, deserved to be tormented. Being able to bring men a little pleasure was the greatest meaning of her birth.

Deng Zi’an’s parents paid money to settle it privately, and Dan Jing dropped out. He felt it was a pity; if only Dan Jing could have continued being bullied at the technical school.

Would she have chosen suicide then? It would be great if she just died.

Leaving the technical school, Dan Jing gradually became more cheerful. But how could he accept his sister getting better?

Wasn’t it just bullying? Deng Zi’an knew how to do it, so couldn’t he? No one in this world knew how to poke Dan Jing’s sore spots better than he did.

He began to belittle and humiliate Dan Jing day after day. Dan Jing was introverted and honest, and having lived in an atmosphere of discrimination since childhood, she didn’t realize at all that her dear brother was torturing her.

Once she gradually adapted to the belittlement, Dan Jin intensified his efforts, causing her to completely lose her sense of self and her ability to perceive the outside world.

She became a lunatic, unable to work, sometimes unable to take care of herself. And her parents had no idea that she had actually shaken off the technical school bullying long ago. They thought she was trapped in the past and couldn’t get out, thought Dan Jin was taking care of her with all his heart, and thought their whole family was dragging Dan Jin down.

In the past two years, Dan Jin could no longer get pleasure from humiliating his sister and was eager to find new amusement. He soon discovered online that women’s rights were booming; more and more women were becoming independent and strong, and beginning to help people like his sister.

He was furious. How dare they!

He wanted to crush their momentum; they should be crawling at men’s feet!

That day, he ran into Deng Zi’an after many years. Upon learning of Deng Zi’an’s “hunting” activities, a plan slowly formed in his mind.

In Dan Jin’s eyes, Deng Zi’an and his group of “hunters” were all tools for him to achieve his goal; their deaths were not to be pitied. He even thought that if they knew their deaths could bring disaster to women’s rights, Deng Zi’an and his ilk should feel proud.

“My only mistake was messaging Jaco.” Dan Jin leaned back lazily. “You police aren’t that useless after all; someone actually managed to find me.”

Ji Chenjiao said, “You made another mistake. The high heels and dress you didn’t dispose of in time were hidden by your sister.”

Dan Jin’s face turned ugly, then he sneered quickly. “Doesn’t matter.”

Ji Chenjiao stood up. “Does that count as your sister’s revenge?”

Dan Jin smiled in a very twisted manner. “I don’t care anymore. Do you know what an awesome thing I’ve accomplished? Most people accomplish nothing in their lives, living like ants, but I’m different. I trampled a whole group to death. I die with no regrets!”

Ji Chenjiao had seen many extremist murderers. They were all like Dan Jin: unreasonable, believing themselves to be great and holy even when death was imminent.

Dan Jin suddenly stopped laughing. “You didn’t turn on any other recording devices, did you? You promised me…”

“Rest assured.” Ji Chenjiao leaned down slightly. “Your words will not appear in court or the media.”

Only then did Dan Jin smile again.

“However…” Ji Chenjiao looked down at him, “I’m not without other ways to expose your conspiracy.”

Dan Jin’s pupils trembled. “Speak clearly! Stop right there!”

The door had already closed in front of him.