"This is something not only you didn't expect, none of us expected either," Huang Xiaotao said.
"What is it?" I asked.
"Baiye's motive for murder was not to take revenge on his mother!" Huang Xiaotao slowly explained.
In his confession, Baiye said his mother was a moody woman. Sometimes she would humiliate and beat him mercilessly, and other times she would be as gentle and loving as a mother. Because Baiye was a burden on her life, but also her only kin, she had conflicting feelings towards this son of her own.
Naturally, Baiye's feelings towards her were not just love, but a mix of love and hate!
Because Baiye was unable to ingest normal proteins, his mother bought some chickens and ducks for him to drink their blood. Having been sucking blood since childhood, his canine teeth eventually became long and sharp. When he closed his mouth, one could see a pair of fangs, just like a vampire.
His mother kept him at home all day, perhaps because she was ashamed of him, and never let anyone know of his existence. This kind of childhood meant Baiye did not develop normal moral values, and was extremely indifferent towards the concepts of life and death!
Once when his mother was humiliated by a customer outside, she took out all her resentment on Baiye when she came home. In the heat of their argument, Baiye's animal instincts took over and he bit his mother's neck. He said he only wanted her to shut up at the time, and stop saying those nasty words. His mother struggled, then stopped moving after a while, her body turning cold. Baiye didn't know that was death. He curled up in his mother's arms and slept through the night.
That time, Baiye tasted the incomparably delicious flavor of human blood from his mother. The taste was unforgettable to him for the rest of his life. That was why he bit people in the orphanage, but unfortunately that taste only existed in his mother's blood.
So when he grew up, he was still obsessed with that memory, and specifically targeted girls who resembled his mother, just to enjoy their delicious blood!
"When talking about this part during the interrogation, Baiye showed a very creepy smile, even licked his lips, scaring us to death. I think he should go to a mental hospital rather than prison!" Huang Xiaotao said with lingering fear.
"He's totally perverted! This person's mind is completely twisted!" Wang Dali blurted out, earning himself a fierce glare from Huang Xiaotao.
"Song Yang, can human blood really taste different?" Huang Xiaotao asked.
"The composition of blood is the same, there shouldn't be big differences. I think it's mainly psychological," I said.
As for what kind of psychological effect? I think in Baiye's childhood, his mother was the only female around him. Over time, he developed a twisted attachment to his own mother, which is the so-called 'Oedipus complex'. When Baiye hugged his mother and bit her neck, it was like he was possessing her, and this complex was greatly satisfied, so he tasted the most delicious blood.
Of course I didn't say my analysis out loud, otherwise Wang Dali would not only call Baiye a pervert, but call me one too.
Huang Xiaotao went on, "Baiye was called a 'vampire' by other kids in the orphanage. He learned what a vampire was from books, and from then on firmly believed he was a descendant of Cain, and that he was different from others."
"This person is quite pitiful actually, born in an abnormal family and seen as a monster since childhood," I said. "There's a saying, those who are hated must have something pitiful about them."
"Right, well said! Come on, let's drink to the solved case, the three of us."
Huang Xiaotao filled three glasses of juice. We clinked our glasses and drank up. Then she suddenly leaned in close, her warm breath blowing into my ear, tickling me: "Oh right, after dinner, go wait for me in room 1204 upstairs. There's good stuff..."
I blushed, looking at Huang Xiaotao in surprise. She winked playfully at me: "Don't tell anyone!" Then she went back to her own table.
Wang Dali asked curiously: "What did Sister Xiaotao say to you?"
"No...nothing."
"You're killing me! Are we still friends or not."
"Really nothing, she's just teasing you." I said, my face red.
The celebratory dinner was very sumptuous, but Huang Xiaotao's words made me unable to enjoy the food.
What did "good stuff" refer to? And she told me to go wait in a room upstairs. Hearing these words from the mouth of a beautiful and sexy policewoman, how could I, a virgin who had never even held a girl's hand, not let my imagination run wild?
Near the end of the dinner, I told Wang Dali I was going to the bathroom. He was already drunk by then, chatting cordially with a policeman he didn't know, and waved me off: "Go, go."
With a pounding heart, I went to the room. The door was closed. I hesitated whether I should knock. Just then Huang Xiaotao walked over from behind and cheerfully said: "Song Yang, how come you didn't go in? Waiting for me?"
"You're not inside?" I exclaimed in surprise.
"What are you thinking, why would I get a room just to talk to you? Someone else is inside waiting for you, I'm just the messenger." Huang Xiaotao knocked on the door a few times. A man's voice came from within: "Come in!"
The voice sounded somewhat familiar.
Huang Xiaotao opened the door and walked in, standing at attention and saluting: "Sir, I've brought Song Yang."
"Quick, let my nephew in."
Hearing the voice, I realized it was Uncle Laohu. I cursed silently, a whole room just to see me? He got my hopes up over nothing.
I walked in and saw Uncle Laohu and two other people inside, one was Captain Lin whom I had met before, the other I hadn't seen. He looked around fifty, with a stern face and thick, imposing eyebrows. There were two deep wrinkles at the corners of his mouth, giving off an aura of authority without anger. He wore tinted glasses over his nose, making it hard to discern his gaze.
This was a tea room. The three men sat on the sofa drinking tea, Uncle Laohu on the left, Captain Lin on the right, clearly keeping the other man company. He must be a high official, very powerful, which would explain his aura of authority!
Uncle Laohu came over, patted me on the shoulder, and laughed: "Nephew, long time no see, you've grown into a young man now! Come, let me introduce you. This is Captain Lin, and this is Chief Cheng, head of our provincial public security department."
Chief Cheng poured a cup of fragrant tea and said, "Have a seat, don't be so courteous. Just call me Old Cheng."
How could I be discourteous? I quickly nodded: "Nice to meet you, Chief Cheng. May I ask what business you have with me?"
Chief Cheng looked me up and down and smiled: "Indeed a talented young man, distinguished bearing. Come, taste this Longjing tea plucked before the rain."
I sat down and sampled the tea. Though I don't know much about tea, the flavor was indeed mellow and fragrant, a rich aroma. It was clearly high quality tea.
I noticed three thick case files under the glass tea table. Chief Cheng picked them up and tapped them: "Song Yang, my reason for seeing you today is simple. I've read the reports on the two cases you cracked, solved beautifully, very reminiscent of your grandfather in his prime!"
I was stunned for a moment: "Chief Cheng, you knew my grandfather too?"
He laughed: "I cooperated with your grandfather several times before. Three years ago when I heard he had died, it was like a bolt from the blue to me. I feared the Song family's investigative skills would be lost. Fortunately his successor has appeared, and shows signs of surpassing his predecessor."
Veterans of officialdom are very good at polite speech. I didn't know how well Chief Cheng knew my grandfather, but I simply took his words as flattery and said modestly: "You praise me too much, Chief Cheng."
"Song Yang, my reason for seeing you today is none other than this." He took out the bottom case file and handed it to me: "I have a case here that has stumped more than twenty of my experts. It seems I must call upon the descendant of the great Song family for help..."
I quickly glanced through the file. A family of four died bizarre deaths, with some gruesome photos of the scene that could only be described as bloody.
A grisly scene didn't mean the case was hard to crack. 'Crippled Blade of North River' committed murders so clean it was like the victims had died peacefully in their sleep, and those seemingly simple cases were often the hardest to solve.
"Is there anything special about this case?" I asked.
“Baiye is indeed an expert. He went straight to the crux of the matter as soon as he came. At first we didn’t think this case was anything special, but later we discovered a huge paradox that makes it almost impossible to solve.” Chief Cheng said with a face of despair.
“Why is that?” I asked.
“Because there is no murderer in this case at all!” Chief Cheng answered.
I stared in shock with wide eyes. Chief Cheng slowly explained: “A family of four killed each other. The scene was completely enclosed. We originally thought it was just an ordinary family tragedy. But three days ago the exact same thing happened again! For the same thing to happen twice, isn’t that too bizarre and strange? Song Yang, apart from you I can’t think of a second suitable person for this case. Of course, if you can’t crack it, just say so directly and I won’t force you.”
I looked at the photos in my hand. This was also a challenge for me. But I was very confident, and smiled: “Chief Cheng, don’t worry. I will definitely not fail the mission!”