Criminal Investigation Notes

Within the bureau, when the topic came up, Yao Fei remembered something and asked Su Hui, “By the way, when is that guy coming back?”

Su Hui knew that Yao Fei was referring to Xing Yunhai.

Yao Fei didn’t like calling him Prophet and always used the phrase “that guy” to refer to him.

Initially, this nickname had some negative connotations because Yao Fei felt that Xing Yunhai was a bit slow and not sharp enough, unable to keep up with their thinking.

He also felt that the nickname “Prophet” was exaggerated, thinking that Xing Yunhai shouldn’t be a profiler in the Behavioral Analysis Unit. So he always used “that guy” to refer to him.

But later, after Xing Yunhai pointed out a thinking flaw, Moonlight remained silent for a long time and finally typed a line: “I was wrong, this time you were right.”

During a private conversation between Moonlight and Poet, Moonlight said, “That guy seems to have some talent.”

Since then, Moonlight still called Xing Yunhai by that name, but the term no longer carried negative implications. Instead, it became a special nickname for Xing Yunhai.

“The doctor said it depends on the situation, at least around ten days.” This morning, Su Hui and Lu Junchi went to the hospital again and visited Xing Yunhai.

During the previous incident, Xing Yunhai had broken several bones and sustained a head injury. Now that he had awakened from the critical period, his left hand still couldn’t move, but his mental state seemed fine.

Even while lying in the hospital bed, Xing Yunhai’s mind was still focused on the case.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xing Yunhai anxiously asked about the details of the Fine Sands case.

When he heard Lu Junchi mention Moonlight’s involvement, Xing Yunhai chuckled and shook his head.

As Lu Junchi talked about how they caught the bomb suspects in the city, Xing Yunhai breathed a sigh of relief.

It wasn’t until the end when Lu Junchi told him that they found the body of the mastermind, Song Lan’en, in an open wetland park that Xing Yunhai fell into contemplation.

In the Major Crimes Unit office, upon hearing Su Hui’s response, Yao Fei expressed slight disappointment, “Still so long? I thought once everyone gathered, we could play mahjong.”

Upon hearing his words, Lu Junchi suddenly remembered something. Every time he saw Yao Fei, he would be reminded of Yu Yan.

He understood Yao Fei’s character. When they were young, Yu Yan taught him both Chinese chess and international chess.

At that time, Yu Yan told him to learn to see several moves ahead and to handle the relationship between chess pieces.

No piece is all-powerful, capable of sweeping through the enemy.

Most of the time, chess is about strategy, a mutual coordination and balancing act.

Now that the four members of the Behavioral Analysis Unit were finally assembled, Lu Junchi suddenly understood that there was a reason why Yu Yan chose these four individuals as profilers.

Su Hui had sufficient talent, kindness, and resilience. The entire Behavioral Analysis Unit revolved around him.

Moonlight is bold and sharp, although not understood by many, but that doesn’t deny his talent.

Mockingbird is the only woman among them, meticulous in her thinking, with a different perspective on issues, and a sixth sense unique to women.

Xing Yunhai is a very steady person, with the most experienced detective skills. He can bring those imaginative profiling ideas back to reality.

But these four individuals also have their own shortcomings. Although Su Hui is comprehensive, there will always be a flaw in perfection, and his energy is limited. Yao Fei’s perspective in considering problems can complement other profilers, and the positive qualities of the other three are like reins, suppressing the evil within him.

It seems that without any one of them, the department would not be complete.

Now, after two years, these people have come together again with a common purpose because of a case.

Having reached this point, Lu Junchi asked Su Hui, “Can you discuss this case together?”

Su Hui didn’t hear clearly and turned to ask, “What?”

Lu Junchi said, “You, Tao Lizhi, Xing Yunhai, and Yao Fei.”

Yao Fei interjected, “You guys figure it out. I’m at your disposal for this case.”

Although Yao Fei is a person who doesn’t like being disciplined, he takes the case of Yu Yan’s death very seriously.

That’s also the reason why Director Tan and Su Hui dared to keep him temporarily in the bureau.

Su Hui lowered his head for a moment, seeming hesitant.

Lu Junchi looked at the time and said, “Let’s go home for now, rest well, and tomorrow I’ll report to Director Tan. Then we’ll discuss which direction to proceed in.”

Recently, due to the reopening of the Fine Sand case, everyone has been working tirelessly. If this continues, it won’t just be Su Hui, many people’s bodies will suffer. Non-combat attrition is something nobody wants to see.

Yao Fei still went to the place arranged for him by the bureau to rest.

Lu Junchi and Su Hui walked down the stairs together and sat in the car.

Lu Junchi started the car, and Su Hui suddenly said, “You can bring them all in, but this case still needs you to take the lead.”

After contemplating the matter during the entire journey, he finally made up his mind.

Lu Junchi was taken aback and asked, “Why?” He had originally intended to suggest to Director Tan that Su Hui temporarily take charge.

Su Hui’s fingers stroked his cane, he sighed softly, “Xing Yunhai and Tao Lizhi are manageable, but Yao Fei still poses some risks. However, I’ve noticed that when he’s in front of you, he becomes obedient.” He paused for a moment and continued, “I made this suggestion for another reason. Back then, we were all the underdogs under that person…”

Although he didn’t want to admit it, two years ago they did lose to the person behind the scenes. That person gradually extended their hand to the police department, instigating and manipulating those criminals to eliminate Moonlight. His injuries were severe, and the disbandment of the Behavioral Analysis Unit was all the work of that person.

At this point, Su Hui turned to look at Lu Junchi sitting beside him and said, “But you’re different. Your way of thinking is also different from ours. We can complement each other.”

Lu Junchi said, “Let’s do it together.”

Su Hui responded with an “Mmm” and leaned against the car window. He turned his head to look at Lu Junchi.

The streetlights at night illuminated his face, showing his serious and earnest expression, and there was another reason that Su Hui didn’t explain.

Su Hui had been walking the road home for a long time, but now, with Lu Junchi, this road has become different.

Criminal profile analysis is the same. Returning to the bureau this time, after experiencing so many cases, Su Hui has gained a deeper understanding of criminal psychological profiling.

He used to believe that profiling was all-powerful, as long as they were there, even the most cunning criminals would reveal their true colors.

He used to feel frustrated because ordinary detectives couldn’t grasp their intentions and always went in the wrong direction.

He also questioned whether profiling was right or wrong, whether it would lead people astray.

He even thought about giving up, rejecting non-empirical reasoning, hesitating to move forward.

But when he started working with Lu Junchi, he gradually realized that criminal psychology doesn’t exist in isolation.

In the past, the timing and systems were not mature enough, and people didn’t understand profiling well enough. It was easy to mythologize it, blindly believe it, or easily doubt and despise it.

Those police officers couldn’t discern the profiling conclusions they provided, and because they couldn’t keep up with their thinking and pace, they wouldn’t adjust based on actual circumstances or provide counter suggestions. The internal unity of the Behavioral Analysis Unit was lacking coordination, often leading to disputes about right and wrong, trying to derive results without being present at the crime scene.

This led to various situations.

Precisely because of this, the Behavioral Analysis Unit faced many problems back then, being used by others and on the verge of dissolution.

It’s just a part of criminal investigation, and people should not exaggerate it, overly rely on it, or reject it. They shouldn’t doubt it.

What should match it is keen judgment, the ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, the ability to implement actions quickly and decisively, and the courage to move forward without fear of life and death.

And most importantly, a kind and unwavering heart.

Only in this way can the mirage in profiling turn into reality.

Combining psychological profiles with modern forensic technology is what allows profiling to play an important role.

Profiling is like a sharp blade, which can only break through the darkness in the hands of the brave.

And these are what they didn’t have originally, but Lu Junchi could help them and bring them to them.

Having an elite team like the Major Crimes Unit delving into cases and repeatedly reasoning and proving theories.

This is the most ideal state of collaboration.

Su Hui recalls, if this were a war, Lu Junchi would be the general leading the troops, and they would be the strategists advising him in the tent.

He hopes Lu Junchi can use his keenness and bravery to uncover the ultimate mystery.

They will fight together, side by side, facing the final outcome.

Su Hui and Lu Junchi returned home after 8 o’clock in the evening.

Both cats came running, bouncing around. Su Hui hugged one and patted the other.

They seemed jealous of each other’s attention. Aristotle licked the back of Su Hui’s hand, while Hemingway rubbed Su Hui’s ankle with its furry little head.

It had been a busy day today, and the two of them had only eaten a few bites of bread during their short break.

Although it was getting late, Lu Junchi still prepared a simple dinner.

After finishing their meal, he cleaned up the dining table, and Su Hui had already opened the new jigsaw puzzle. Since the restart of the Fine Sand case, they had been extremely busy every day, and Lu Junchi hadn’t seen Su Hui doing puzzles for a long time.

Su Hui had bought this puzzle a long time ago, but it had been sitting at the station for several days until he finally had time to pick it up.

Lu Junchi walked over and watched as Su Hui opened it. The puzzle was black and purple with some white highlights, resembling a starry sky. He asked Su Hui, “What’s this puzzle called?”

Su Hui replied, “Endless Mystery.”

“I’ve already finished all the challenging puzzles on the market, so I’m taking on this unconventional one as a challenge,” Su Hui said as he played with the irregular puzzle pieces. He further explained, “This puzzle is a bit special. It’s a set without top, bottom, left, or right. It’s boundless, infinite puzzle…”

These concepts were new to Lu Junchi. He walked over and took a look. “How did this kind of puzzle come about?”

Su Hui responded, “I also think the creativity behind this puzzle is amazing.”

“How did the designer come up with it?”

“It is said that the inspiration comes from the Klein bottle and the Mobius strip.”

Lu Junchi had heard of the Klein bottle and asked Su Hui, “Is it the one that’s famous along with the Mobius strip? I always feel like they are the same thing.”

“They are a bit different. One is a two-dimensional closed loop in three-dimensional space, a real existence. The other is a three-dimensional model in four-dimensional space, unprovable,” Su Hui explained while touching the thin pieces with his fingers. “One has no distinction between front and back, the other has no inside or outside. These are all topological structures in spatial geometry, rigorous and self-consistent in mathematical logic.”

Lu Junchi looked down and watched Su Hui piecing the puzzle together. He skillfully connected a few pieces, and the dark puzzle seemed like an infinite universe, constantly expanding under his fingertips.

Lu Junchi said, “Su Hui, I’ve been thinking about something.”

Su Hui responded with an acknowledging sound and looked up, “What is it?”

With a serious expression, Lu Junchi said, “I’m thinking that lately, we’ve captured a lot of people and started to penetrate the core of the opposing side. I’m considering whether I should equip you with a gun.”

Upon hearing this, Su Hui coughed and took a moment before speaking, “Me? With a gun? My eyesight has probably bid farewell to shooting… It’s easy to accidentally harm others and easy for someone else to grab it…”

Lu Junchi lowered his head and thought for a moment, “You’re right. Anyway, I’m always with you, and I’ll carry a gun.”

As he spoke, he took out a gun from a nearby bag and placed it on the table. “You have experience with shooting, right? I remember you helped me load bullets last time, and your movements were quite skilled.”

Su Hui stood up, disengaged the gun’s safety, and made a shooting gesture, saying, “Back when I was in the Bureau, I had good shooting scores.”

“It’s somewhat like that, but it’s still not quite up to standard,” Lu Junchi said, walking behind Su Hui and giving his arm a supportive lift. “Raise it higher, exert more force with your arm. Otherwise, I think your current waist won’t handle the recoil, and the bullets will deviate from the target.”

Su Hui adjusted his posture according to his guidance.

Lu Junchi continued, “Pay attention to your hand, eye, and the muzzle, align them in a straight line.”

Su Hui sighed and put down the gun, saying, “Officer Xiao Lu, you have to believe that holding a gun is as dangerous as driving a car.”

Lu Junchi chuckled, “That’s different. Shooting relies not only on vision but also on intuition and bodily memory. You must have seen some related news reports in the past, such as those about the sharpshooter in the Armed Police who can hit the target without aiming, or the shooting champion with poor eyesight.”

Su Hui clearly had more interest in puzzles. He picked up a piece sandwiched between his slender fingers and suddenly remembered something, looking up, he said, “When you mentioned news reports, I thought of someone…”

Lu Junchi asked, “Who?”

Su Hui replied, “That journalist named Jiang Li. He told us last time that he has been involved in the printing industry for a long time… Let’s ask him if he can get some information.

TN:

A Klein bottle is a mathematical surface that is a non-orientable object, meaning it does not have distinct inside and outside surfaces. It is a three-dimensional object that exists in four-dimensional space and cannot be properly represented in three-dimensional space without self-intersections.

A Möbius strip, also known as a Möbius band, is a two-dimensional surface with only one side and one edge. It is named after the German mathematician August Ferdinand Möbius, who discovered it in 1858. The unique property of the Möbius strip is that if you trace a path along its surface, you will eventually end up on the opposite side without ever lifting your finger or crossing an edge. This self-connecting property arises from the twist in the strip.