Chapter 1035 - 1008: Mind Goes Blank
Such reactions precisely indicate that everyone is a normal person.
A normal person, regardless of whether they are cold-hearted, will have instinctive reactions after encountering something.
For instance, hearing these cruel things will elicit sympathy for the deceased, and hearing those brutal processes will cause discomfort.
But the suspect showed no discomfort whatsoever.
He recounted calmly, as if those things were not real, merely storytelling, devoid of any emotion or fluctuations, discussing the murder case as if narrating something done by others, having nothing to do with him.
This feeling of deep-seated cold-bloodedness made everyone present shudder.
Qian witnessed a female colleague in the interrogation cry firsthand.
It happened when that person calmly recounted how he harmed an innocent little girl, which overwhelmed the emotionally rich woman with sympathy and anger, breaking her down into tears.
This is the normal reaction people have, along with joy, anger, sorrow, and love.
While in the criminal’s world, it seems that nothing exists, he cares not for anyone’s life or death; according to him, he does not lack money and did those things out of a deep-rooted habit.
When the female officer exited crying, that criminal glanced outside, his cold gaze meeting Qian’s, piercing her heart. His look made Qian extremely uncomfortable, causing her to turn away, avoiding eye contact.
"Who is the woman outside?" the criminal pointed in Qian’s direction.
"It’s none of your business who she is. Why ask?" the interrogation officer replied.
The person squinted, "Were I still outside, I would definitely get her too; I just adore women who are stunningly beautiful like her."
"Be serious!" seeing such brazen arrogance, the interrogator angrily slapped the table.
The criminal disdainfully curled his lips; to him, these people were nothing more than low-intelligence clowns.
The snake-like gaze of that person made Qian quite uneasy, and the atmosphere was oppressive.
Coming out from the detention center in the morning, several team members expressed grim expressions, likewise with Li’s team, who accompanied them.
In comparison to this suspect, ordinary people’s vanity or competitiveness seemed trivial; there was no thought of banter, everyone immersed in a somber mood.
"Such people, to give them just one bullet would be letting them off easy," at this moment, someone from the research institute remarked.
The psychological intervention team remained silent, yet internally agreed with that sentiment; for once, both groups found unity, feeling that even the death penalty gave such criminals an undeserved leniency.
Having a simple lunch, the group returned to the office for a meeting led by Apiao.
"After this morning’s insight, I believe each of you has formed a basic judgment — Qian, what do you think?"
"He is a textbook antisocial personality; his indifference fits all criteria of antisocial diagnosis."
This is an extremely dangerous persona with a highly deceptive nature.
Everyone nodded, sharing this assessment.
"Indeed, according to the data we have, this individual holds a rather positive image in the minds of those around him, described as courteous and considerate, adept at caring for others’ feelings; none would connect him with these heinous crimes." Apiao heavy-heartedly supplemented.
"Typically in the major cases we handle, many offenders exhibit antisocial personality traits, differing from violent personas in that antisocial personalities possess high intelligence and are skilled at disguise, feigning friendliness to obscure everyone’s attention. Qian, from your perspective, what other traits do such individuals have?"
Their knowledge in criminal psychology differed from Qian’s clinical practice, yet intersected on this matter.
"This persona also has another name: callous personality. Among such flawed personas I’ve encountered, they’re not as seriously criminal as today’s case. I frequently encounter regular individuals harmed by such flawed personas, like a woman dating her flawed persona boyfriend for years, under the impression of mutual affection, only for the man to disappear with her money, neglecting even the child she carried, leaving her devastated."
These flawed personas aren’t always criminals, some are regular people, making up about 4.3%–9% of the population — meaning, among 100 people, at least 5–10 are such individuals, perhaps more.
This persona embodies exploitation, high aggression, devoid of any shame; in layman’s terms, thick-skinned and aggressive. A person’s ability to establish themselves in society ties to shame, and an intelligent yet shameless person indifferent to others’ feelings is highly destructive.
Furthermore, the terrifying aspect is that these individuals tend to have high intelligence; differing from violent personalities, their disguise is exceptionally effective. Given their high IQ, they cunningly conceal their intentions, presenting themselves as seemingly popular individuals, sometimes overly kind, albeit their kindness serves a purpose, and they disdain feigning kindness towards those offering no benefit.
This is a deeply unsettling notion, as human nature expects reciprocation, yet in such individuals’ view, emotions hold no meaning, even treating sentiments as tools for manipulation, devoid of any shame even if they take another’s life.
The majority of twisted case suspects possess such traits.
The group added several points, culminating with Qian’s critical observation.
"Such personas might be hereditary, though no definitive genetic evidence exists, I suggest cooperating with related departments to extract his DNA for archival, facilitating future research."
If uncovering the genetic causation behind such personas can aid future control and reduction of heinous cases, though a lengthy endeavor, scientific research is ever-progressing.
"Qian’s viewpoint is excellent; we’ll record it for the report — incidentally, does this person have any children?"
Children... Something seemed to swiftly flash across Qian’s mind.
"The suspect has no children; he’s single."
The group’s analysis proceeded, leaving Qian pondering alone.
"We’ve completed examining the suspect’s situation; let’s now analyze the several victims’ circumstances."
Apiao distributed documents to everyone; Qian skipped the front pages, flipping to her desired sheet, displaying a clear photo of the victim.
Qian felt her mind blank.
This person’s face was too familiar, hauntingly so.