Chapter 301: “Teaching and Transmitting the Dao

"Let's look at the second case. In fact, your judgment went wrong starting with this one—do you think the same person attacked in the first case and the second?"

Batman thought for a moment and said: "If we follow this theory, there are indeed problems. If he used anesthetic on Lawrence, he could have used it on Hawk too—but the ligature marks on Hawk's body show he was conscious when bound to the chair, even struggling."

"What do you think this suggests?"

Batman began pacing the room. He said: "According to the forensic autopsy report, the anesthetic in Lawrence's body was first inhaled through nose and mouth, then injected. So the killer likely entered his bedroom, pressed a towel soaked in anesthetic over his face and nose, then gave him an additional injection, dragged him to the floor, and drove long nails through his body…"

As he spoke, the room's scene shifted continuously: Richie's corpse vanished, walls and floor changed color, a bed descended from midair, Lawrence lay on it under a blanket, clearly asleep, while a shadow approached his bed and pressed the anesthetic-soaked towel over his mouth and nose.

Then he dragged the unconscious Lawrence off the bed, injected him with another dose of anesthetic, took out long nails, drove them into his body, and arranged him in a cross position with his head toward the window.

"But subduing Hawk was simpler—the killer walked into his study, choked him from behind until he passed out, then bound him to the chair."

Batman paused. Shi Le continued: "I think you've already realized—the killer never intended to speak to Lawrence. He killed him immediately after subduing him."

"But in Hawk's case, after subduing him, the killer bound him and waited for him to wake up. The struggle marks on his body are evidence of that…"

As Shi Le spoke, the room shifted again: the bed sank into the floor, Lawrence's corpse vanished, a desk unfolded layer by layer from the wall, Hawk slid into a chair before it, and a shadow stood behind him, choking him unconscious. When Hawk awoke, he found himself bound to the chair.

From outside the window, the standing shadow and seated Hawk appeared to be speaking—but finally, Hawk's head rolled off, blood spurting.

"The killer didn't speak to Lawrence, but he spoke to Hawk. Why?" Shi Le asked.

Batman fell into thought. He found this line of reasoning useful. After a moment, he asked: "If it were you, would you speak to the victim?"

Shi Le shook his head. "It depends on the nature of the crime. Let me give an example…"

Shi Le tapped the floor with his cane. "If I only needed a victim meeting certain criteria, I wouldn't communicate with them—they're just raw material, like you wouldn't talk to broccoli while stir-frying."

"But in certain special cases, final communication is necessary—such as in killings with a judgmental theme, where listening to the victim's last thoughts is essential."

"At that moment, the prey about to die is my collaborator. I'm happy to discuss my creative vision with him."

"Like you said earlier—if this were the Seven Deadly Sins theme, the victims I chose would each have committed one of the seven sins. Before acting, I'd tell them why they were dying. Their reactions—surges of guilt, rage, fear—are the most compelling part of the killing."

"But for the Twelve Apostles theme, there's no need to communicate with the victim. Do you expect a mob boss to chat with you about the Gospels? Do you think they'd offer unique insights into religious narratives?"

"That's why I say the killer is merely a clumsy imitator—he must have talked to Hawk about something irrelevant to the case, probably some utterly dull mob secrets."

"His behavior, if I must compare it, is like a single rat turd in a pot of rat soup…"

Shi Le clearly disapproved of this approach. He paused, then continued: "Now, look at the third case. I really don't want to comment on it—it has absolutely no aesthetic value."

"It may seem unbelievable, but the thrill a serial killer seeks in killing a fellow human—"

Shi Le paused. "—is entirely different from the emotion felt when killing Richie… between impatience to finish work and the pleasure of violent slaughter."

"I'm more inclined to think these three cases were committed by three different people," Shi Le said, touching his eyebrow.

"If I had to judge, the killer of Lawrence was indeed imitating. His theme may indeed be, as you said, Jesus and His Twelve Apostles. He tried to replicate the crucifixion method—though poorly, he at least tried."

"The second killer, I'd call him the imitator of the imitator. If the first killer copied the correct answer but got it wrong, the second copied the first killer's wrong answer—and got it even more wrong."

"As for the third killer—he desperately wanted to leave the exam hall, but under pressure from teacher and parents, he had to write something. He glanced around, saw the two previous answers, thought them too complicated, and simply copied the word 'Solution'…"

Shi Le's metaphor was strange, but Batman understood it completely—in that instant, their thoughts aligned.

"As for what's really happening, I believe the key clue lies with the fourth victim."

"I've been investigating precisely to prevent the fourth victim's appearance."

"That's what I mean—a good detective faces a true serial killer with simplicity. If I were the killer, you could simply follow the pattern of the first three victims to identify and protect my next target."

"But now, these three cases may involve two or three killers. Their target selection, timing, location, method, and outcome are all random—making it far more difficult."

"Who do you think the next victim will be?"

Shi Le shook his head. "I didn't do it—how would I know? But I find the relationship between these killers fascinating. Why did the second killer copy the first? Why did the third refuse to even copy the answer?"

"Does the first killer even know his answer was copied? If he knows, will he continue? If he doesn't, and the other two killers kill his intended second victim first—wouldn't that be awkward?"

"The mob bosses are now all on edge, hiding in their estates like the Falcone family's castle. Each has a safe room. Now that they're on guard, I don't think the killer will get an easy shot."

"But suspicion is already spreading, isn't it?" Shi Le snapped his fingers. The dream scene returned to the estate room.

Shi Le sat back at the table, picked up the globe, pressed his hand on it—and as the globe stopped spinning, both woke, returning to reality.

Designing the crime scenes had drained Batman's energy. The effects of Crazy Wine still surged in his brain. Shi Le lifted his cup, drained the last drops, then pulled a box of cigars from the drawer.

As he lit the cigar, he said: "Now, the Twelve Families are all on edge. They don't know who struck—but the Godfather won't sit idle."

"Once the Godfather begins investigating, a purge will begin. You want to protect the fourth victim, but they may not welcome your help. More likely, the Godfather won't allow an outsider like you to interfere. If you want to continue investigating, you must change your perspective."

"Change perspective? You mean…"

"As far as I know, Alberto has finished building his house. His personality and mental state are stable—he can now replace Yin Wensi anytime, control his body. In other words, the Godfather now has a true heir."

Hundred Alliance Book

"Even if the Godfather refuses to admit it, Alberto is his only option. Given what's happened, Alberto will likely step forward to lead the investigation."

"Alberto has few reliable people. Yin Wensi's previous personality was weak and indecisive, so those around him were all ambitious followers. Alberto won't use them—he must be desperately short of assistants."

"You want me to work for him? But Bruce Wayne is a useless playboy. How do I explain suddenly mastering all detective skills overnight?"

"I'm not asking you to act personally. I notice you still carry the arrogance of a Wayne heir—you ignore small people entirely. But sometimes, these small people are crucial—like the thin, small Cobblepot."

"Alberto shares your mindset. He may overlook the boy who once carried umbrellas. But I see great potential in him."

"If you recommend him to Alberto, you can learn all case developments through him—or subtly influence Alberto. He'll likely be grateful for your recommendation."

"You said before that Cobblepot worked for the Godfather and, during the last incident, wanted to leave, to no longer be involved."

"But don't forget why—he saw no hope in Yin Wensi. Yin Wensi's personality was unfit to be Godfather. But Alberto is different."

"Now, Cobblepot's dilemma is this: Alberto inherited Yin Wensi's memories—he knows Cobblepot once planned to leave the Godfather. Cobblepot knows this too. If he returns to Alberto, his back-and-forth looks dishonorable. A proper recommender might ease this…"

"If you can't find the right moment, tomorrow I can take you and Yin Wensi to a vocational training school for internships…"

Batman narrowed his eyes. "You know what I'm suspecting…"

"You think one of them is the killer?"

"Cobblepot has a criminal record. So does Alberto."

"Then it's simpler—watch both of them. Far easier than protecting a fourth victim you don't even know yet…"

————Extra Notes————

Again late today—but happy:)