Chapter Twenty-Two: The Enigma of Hypnosis

Early the next morning, Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi went to Inspector Pak Kong’s office to report on the progress of the case. After listening to their report, Pak Kong slammed the table with a sudden bang. Facing him, Ying Xi and Lu Hehuan bowed their heads in silence.

“Chief Inspector Gordon has already called me a second time. If we can’t solve the case, we’re all finished!” Pak Kong roared.

“Rest assured, Director Pak, we will solve the case as soon as possible,” Ying Xi promised, patting his chest.

“Director Pak, this case isn’t as simple as it seems—” Lu Hehuan began, but Pak Kong cut him off.

“I didn’t call you here to analyze whether the case is simple or complicated. I want results. The process doesn’t matter. I don’t care what methods you use—within two days, you must bring me the murderer. If not, you can take the blame and close the case yourselves!”

Lu Hehuan wanted to say more, but Ying Xi pulled him back.

“We understand, Director Pak. Please don’t worry,” Ying Xi said with a forced smile.

“Get out!” Pak Kong snarled.

Ying Xi hurriedly dragged Lu Hehuan out of Pak Kong’s office.

No sooner had the two reached the corridor than Ying Xi began scolding Lu Hehuan. With a sigh, he looked at him.

“Lu Hehuan, I wanted to close the case as a suicide, but you insisted it was a serial murder. Now we’re in real trouble because of you!”

“As long as we keep investigating, clues will emerge,” Lu Hehuan replied with conviction.

“Are you sure?”

“I’m not sure, but I have faith.”

Ying Xi rolled his eyes in disdain. “Faith is useless!”

As they spoke, Baldy hurried over.

“Detective Ying, Bai Yulou has turned himself in.”

Both Ying Xi and Lu Hehuan thought they’d misheard and asked in unison, “Who?”

“Bai Yulou,” Baldy repeated loudly. Once they were sure they’d heard correctly, they quickly followed Baldy to the interrogation room.

Inside, Bai Yulou sat opposite Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi, dazed and unsettled.

“I’m here to confess. Chen Xiue, Liang Fang, Sun Fenglian—I killed them all. I strangled Chen Xiue and Sun Fenglian and hung them from the beam. Liang Fang—I pushed her off a building.” Bai Yulou confessed mechanically, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.

“Why did you do it?” Lu Hehuan asked in bewilderment.

“Because they always mocked me for being effeminate. They deserved to die!”

Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi were stunned. They’d never imagined the usually timid Bai Yulou could kill three people, and all for being ridiculed. But a suspect’s confession alone was not enough—Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi decided to search Bai Yulou’s home.

Meanwhile, Bao Rong was in the morgue, dissecting Sun Fenglian’s body when a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” Bao Rong replied without looking up.

The door opened. Zhu Wolong appeared, awkwardly holding a bouquet of roses. Bao Rong sighed helplessly at the sight of him.

Zhu Wolong entered, smiling sheepishly. “Miss Bao, I…”

Bao Rong interrupted, waving her scalpel. “What are you doing here?”

Seeing the shining scalpel in her hand, Zhu Wolong shrank back in fear and quickly placed the flowers in the crook of Sun Fenglian’s arm.

“I’m here to give flowers to the deceased.”

He turned and left in haste, and Bao Rong could only shake her head.

At Bai Yulou’s house, Lu Hehuan and Ying Xi found numerous vases, all filled with locust flowers.

“No wonder there were locust petals at each crime scene,” Ying Xi said, pointing at the flowers, finally finding an explanation for the evidence.

Lu Hehuan frowned, scanning the room, but aside from the locust flowers, nothing stood out. He muttered under his breath, “Strange…”

Ying Xi interrupted him. “It’s odd for a man to like locust flowers, but it doesn’t affect the closure of the case.”

Lu Hehuan opened his mouth as if to argue but found he had no grounds.

News of Bai Yulou’s arrest brought Liu Rushuang to visit him in jail. Standing outside the cell, she watched as Bai Yulou, weeping, clutched her hand, begging incessantly.

“Sister Shuang, please, I beg you…”

“Bai Bai, you don’t have to beg me. I believe you didn’t kill anyone—I promise I’ll get you out!” Liu Rushuang interrupted.

“No!” Bai Yulou shook his head desperately. “Please believe me, I really killed them! Please, you mustn’t save me—don’t save me!”

Liu Rushuang was stunned, furrowing her brow before turning and running away.

Eager to close the case, Ying Xi dragged Lu Hehuan to Pak Kong’s office and knocked.

“Come in,” Pak Kong’s familiar voice called from within.

Ying Xi led Lu Hehuan inside and, barely through the door, announced excitedly, “Director Pak, through my meticulous investigation, I have finally identified the culprit in these three serial murders!”

“Who?!” Pak Kong exclaimed, surprised by Ying Xi’s speed.

“It’s Bai Yulou, who lives in Locust Lane. The reason we missed the clues before is because Bai Yulou works at a private detective agency called Shuangxi, and he’s highly skilled at counter-surveillance.”

“Well done, Detective Ying,” Pak Kong said, elated.

Ying Xi began flattering him. “It’s all thanks to your guidance, Director Pak. Bai Yulou has already been detained, and he’s confessed his motives and the details of his crimes. I’ll start compiling the case files and prepare to bring charges against him.”

“Good!”

Pak Kong and Ying Xi were both overjoyed, but Lu Hehuan alone frowned, sensing something off about Bai Yulou.

Ying Xi pulled Lu Hehuan aside, nudging him with his elbow. “Stop daydreaming—let’s close the case.”

“I just feel there’s something wrong with Bai Yulou’s confession, but I can’t put my finger on it,” Lu Hehuan admitted.

“If you can’t say what it is, don’t say it or think it. It wasn’t easy for me to become a detective—don’t start making trouble. I’ll get the files from the previous cases; you wait here,” Ying Xi said, worried Lu Hehuan would cause problems, and reminded him, “Remember—no more trouble!”

With that, Ying Xi went to get the files, and Lu Hehuan paced the corridor, deep in thought. Liu Rushuang hurried over, anxiously glancing around before lowering her voice beside Lu Hehuan.

“Lu Hehuan, something’s off about this case. Bai Bai couldn’t have killed anyone—he was with me at the time of the crimes. He had no opportunity or motive!”

Lu Hehuan nodded, agreeing. “I think so too.”

“And when I just saw Bai Bai, he seemed strange…” Liu Rushuang began, but Ying Xi returned with the case files.

“What are you two talking about?”

“There are many doubts in Bai Yulou’s case. I think we should continue investigating,” Lu Hehuan replied earnestly.

“You’re making trouble for nothing. Even the suspect confessed—what’s left to investigate?” Ying Xi scolded.

“Yes, Bai Yulou confessed himself. The case should be closed,” Liu Rushuang chimed in, feigning agreement.

“Miss Liu, didn’t you just say…” Lu Hehuan was confused, nearly revealing that Liu Rushuang had asked him to help Bai Yulou, but quickly caught her frantic signaling and changed course, “Even if you just said you support Detective Ying, I don’t believe it. I’m going to keep investigating.”

Ying Xi fumed, while Liu Rushuang secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Lu Hehuan returned to Sun Fenglian’s home to reconstruct the crime. He looped a hemp rope around a heavy sack, tied the other end to a beam, and tried to hoist it up, but couldn’t budge it. Frowning, he pondered, then left quickly.

Back at the precinct, he went straight to the interrogation room to question Bai Yulou again.

Bai Yulou sat opposite him, staring with glassy, lifeless eyes, not blinking once.

“Bai Yulou, you didn’t kill anyone—why do you insist you did?”

“I killed them. I did it,” Bai Yulou repeated mechanically.

“Sun Fenglian weighed one hundred and thirty-eight jin. You weigh one hundred and twenty. You couldn’t possibly have lifted her body.” Lu Hehuan had found this discrepancy at the scene.

“I did it. I confess. Just shoot me and don’t frame anyone else.” Bai Yulou seemed defiant.

“You had neither the time nor the motive. Who are you taking the blame for?” Lu Hehuan pressed.

“I killed them. I killed them! I killed them…” Bai Yulou became agitated, lunging to choke Lu Hehuan, shouting, “Convict me now! I’m a murderer—convict me!”

Lu Hehuan restrained him as two officers rushed in and pinned Bai Yulou down.

“I killed them! I killed them…” Bai Yulou still struggled frantically, shouting and screaming.

Lu Hehuan noticed his glassy stare and violent agitation, growing suspicious. He signaled the officers, “Keep an eye on him,” and hurried out.

Back in his dorm, Lu Hehuan rifled through his medical books.

“What could it be…” He muttered, flipping pages. “That stare… repeating the same words… his mind fixated on one thing… What is it?”

Turning, he accidentally knocked a book off the shelf. Picking it up, he glanced at the cover—and suddenly understood.

Lu Hehuan opened the “Bible of Hypnosis” and read.

“Hypnosis is a form of psychological suggestion. The hypnotist uses language, sound, gestures, and eye contact to implant information in the subject’s subconscious…”

Suddenly he recalled a lecture on hypnosis during his studies in Britain, the scene still vivid in his mind.

In a British university lecture hall, a white-haired professor with gold-rimmed glasses and clear blue eyes was teaching from the “Bible of Hypnosis,” exuding dignity.

“…thus altering the subject’s patterns of thought and behavior. The hypnotized person may unconsciously accept the hypnotist’s suggestions.”

Sitting in the front row, Lu Hehuan listened attentively, taking notes.

“There are two main forms of hypnosis: ‘paternal hypnosis’ and ‘maternal hypnosis.’” The professor paused, looking at the students, then switched topics. “Who would like to volunteer?”

Many students raised their hands. The professor chose a British boy sitting beside Lu Hehuan.

The boy strode to the stage, his shirt collar slightly open, revealing tanned skin and youthful vitality.

“Ready?” the professor asked kindly.

“Ready, professor,” the boy replied, giving an enthusiastic OK gesture.

“Now, with my professional expertise and under the supervision of your classmates, I guarantee you a safe experience of hypnosis, both physically and mentally.”

The boy nodded with confidence.

The professor signaled for silence, then stared intently at the boy and gave instructions.

“Close your eyes now, clench your fists, and breathe as deeply as possible.”

The boy obeyed, closing his eyes, clenching his fists, and breathing deeply.

Lu Hehuan quietly put down his pen, watching intently.

The professor placed his hands lightly on the boy’s shoulders and suddenly shouted, “Down!” while giving him a push, then caught his body quickly.

The boy, off balance and tense, clenched his fists even tighter, his body stiff.

All the students, Lu Hehuan included, watched in nervous silence.

The professor then placed the boy’s head and feet on two desks, his body suspended between them. The students were dumbfounded.

“You are now in a hypnotic state, your whole body rigid like a steel plate—your neck, your waist, your legs, all as hard as steel. Where my hand touches, it becomes even more rigid… You are now a ‘steel bridge’…” The professor’s voice deepened the suggestion.

As soon as he finished, the boy’s body became as stiff as a plank, stretched between the two desks.

The students were astonished.

Satisfied, the professor looked at the boy and then addressed the class. “This is the astonishing effect of violent hypnosis, a form of ‘paternal hypnosis.’ ‘Maternal hypnosis’ is a gentle approach, breaking down the subject’s defenses through warmth and empathy…”

Lu Hehuan emerged from his reverie, slowly closing the book, murmuring, “So that’s it…”

Without delay, he rushed to Pak Kong’s office, explaining that Bai Yulou had been hypnotized into confessing, and the real murderer was still at large.

Pak Kong was incensed, slamming the table so hard it shook. “Nonsense! Lu Hehuan, do you take me for a child? You made up some hypnosis nonsense just to get Bai Yulou off? Impossible!”

Standing before him, Lu Hehuan placed the “Bible of Hypnosis” on the desk and explained patiently, “Hypnosis isn’t nonsense—it’s scientifically proven. This book is by the master hypnotist Chamond. Chapters Two, ‘The Power of Suggestion,’ and Four, ‘Intense Hypnosis,’ both support the idea that Bai Yulou was hypnotized by the real murderer.”

Pak Kong impatiently flipped through a few pages and tossed the book back. “I have no time for this drivel.”

“It’s not drivel—there are real cases. When I studied in Britain, our psychology professor taught us about hypnosis. Bai Yulou was subjected to ‘paternal hypnosis’—in simple terms, the hypnotist gives irresistible orders in a commanding tone, forcing the subject to obey,” Lu Hehuan tried to reason with scientific evidence.

Pak Kong, exasperated, got up and walked over. “Lu Hehuan, these cases have had a terrible impact, causing public panic. Chief Inspector Gordon has called three times. Now the murderer has confessed—do not complicate things!”

“But the person who confessed isn’t the real killer! If we convict Bai Yulou, we’ll just have another innocent victim. The consequences will be even worse,” Lu Hehuan insisted.

Seeing Lu Hehuan’s stubbornness, Pak Kong’s anger boiled over. He slammed the table again. “Lu Hehuan!”

Lu Hehuan snapped to attention, shouting, “Here!”

“You—” Pak Kong pointed at him, speechless with rage.

“I can prove Bai Yulou isn’t the murderer,” Lu Hehuan declared.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door.

“Get in here!” Pak Kong barked, brimming with frustration.

Ying Xi entered, sweating at the sight of Lu Hehuan.

He guessed Lu Hehuan was here about the Locust Lane widow’s suicide and quickly whispered, “Lu Hehuan, I’m ready to close the case—what are you doing?”

Lu Hehuan, agitated, replied, “We can’t close it. Bai Yulou isn’t the real killer—he’s taking the fall.”

“The real killer is someone Bai Yulou loves? Why would he do that?” Ying Xi was baffled.

“He’s been hypnotized—unconsciously obeying the real murderer’s instructions.”

“What kind of magic is hypnosis? Lu Hehuan, if you keep this up, you’ll drag us all down,” Ying Xi complained, more confused than ever.

“Director Pak, Detective Ying, I will prove Bai Yulou’s innocence!” Lu Hehuan raised his voice.

Ying Xi looked helplessly at Pak Kong.

Pak Kong, apoplectic, his face contorted in fury, shouted, “I don’t care what you prove—if you can’t solve the case, you’re both out!”

“What’s it got to do with me?” Ying Xi protested.

“He’s your subordinate—of course it’s your problem!”

Ying Xi was speechless, glaring at Lu Hehuan in complaint.

Lu Hehuan avoided his gaze, gritting his teeth with resolve. “I will solve the case as soon as possible.”

With that, he turned and strode out.

“Lu Hehuan, don’t drag me down with you!” Ying Xi chased after him.