Ability

Under the hazy moonlight.

The younger man in the black trench coat was utterly stunned.

But the boy had returned to normal. He looked at the older man in the black trench coat. "Officer Wang, what about my fee for this job?"

The older man in the black trench coat nodded readily, revealing a high-tech watch on his wrist, and swept it lightly over the boy's wrist.

The boy lowered his head. He wore a high-tech watch on his wrist as well, and its screen displayed-Amount received: 10,000.

The boy tightened the strap of the schoolbag on his shoulder, turned away, and waved. "Officer Wang, I'm always on call. Let me know early next time you've got a job."

The boy walked into the darkness, his figure seeming to vanish into thin air.

"Captain..."

The younger man in the black trench coat stared in the direction where the boy had disappeared and frowned. "Everything just now was only his theory. The case isn't settled yet, and you... paid him in advance?"

Officer Wang crushed his cigarette underfoot and said gravely, "He won't be wrong."

The younger man in the black trench coat still had his doubts.

But seeing how certain his captain was, he could only step aside and tilt his head toward his communicator. "Team One, check the sewers along the road to the west. Team Two, move out immediately and head to Suspect Six's home..."

A moment later.

The younger man in the black trench coat returned to his captain's side, still skeptical. "Captain, is that kid really as amazing as the rumors say?"

Officer Wang nodded. "Once, he spent just ten minutes looking around my dad's old bedroom, then started imitating him right in front of me. Every movement, the way he leaned on his cane, the way he trembled... it made my skin crawl. I thought my dad's spirit had come back and possessed him."

The younger man sucked in a sharp breath.

A shiver of horror ran through him. "That's not what I meant. I mean, is it really true that whenever we run into an unsolved murder, especially one with bizarre, brutal methods... he can reenact the killer's methods and solve the case?"

Officer Wang nodded calmly. "But... we can never ask this 'psychopathic detective' for help again."

"Our precinct's system has it on record. This was his fourteenth murder reenactment."

"The setting might be simulated, but the damage his brain experiences is real."

"If we don't put a stop to it in time, his brain won't be able to take it. He'll break down."

The younger officer suddenly froze, as though something had occurred to him. Belatedly, he said, "Doesn't that mean that inside the mind of an eighteen-year-old boy, there are fourteen kinds of deeply twisted killers, along with... their methods?"

But Officer Wang shook his head. "That's only at our precinct."

The younger officer paused.

Officer Wang continued, "He also works as a part-time detective for six other precincts. Of course, he has no other agenda. He's just earning enough to live on."

Officer Wang lit another cigarette. "He's solved a total of 101 murders committed by psychopaths."

A chill suddenly ran down the younger officer's back. "Then that means... there are 101 psychopathic murder methods hidden in his head?!"

"And..."

"They're all ones we couldn't figure out?"

The shock inside the younger officer abruptly doubled. "That's terrifying!"

Officer Wang fell silent as well.

Neither man in a black trench coat could imagine what kind of world existed inside that boy's mind.

After a long while.

The younger officer asked again, "Then does he really have a serious psychological disorder, like the rumors say?"

Officer Wang's hand, holding his cigarette, stopped beside his mouth. "As luck would have it, his psychiatrist is an old friend of mine. I actually know quite a bit about his condition."

The younger officer's eyes widened a little. For some reason, he found himself curious about the boy's secrets.

Officer Wang said quietly, "That 'ability' he talks about is clinically known as [shadow syndrome]. It's a rare psychiatric disorder."

"Ordinary people like us actually have a habit of unconsciously imitating others."

"For instance, we imitate people we admire, geniuses, or celebrity idols."

"We even unconsciously pick up the local accent when we spend a long time somewhere else."

"But he, Qin Yiguan..."

"Because of his psychological disorder, that subconscious ability has been amplified countless times over."

"As long as he gets enough information, he can imitate anyone so perfectly that you can't tell the imitation from the real thing."

The younger officer listened, transfixed, and exclaimed, "That's unbelievable!"

"But..."

The younger officer stared wide-eyed. "When he imitates psychopathic killers for us and experiences all those bloody scenes, doesn't he get scared? Doesn't he lose his nerve? Doesn't he have nightmares?"

Officer Wang took a deep drag on his cigarette. "He has more than one disorder."

"He has another rare psychological disorder, clinically known as [conscience-free syndrome]."

"According to his doctor, it's actually a loss of personality."

"No matter what Qin Yiguan does, he feels no pangs of conscience, no guilt, much less fear or apprehension. Naturally, he doesn't have nightmares either."

"Playing a psychopathic killer is about the same to him as eating a cup of instant noodles is to us. It puts no psychological burden on him."

"Never mind killing one person. Even killing ten thousand would be the same..."

"And that's precisely why he can imitate others without any distractions."

The younger officer still looked profoundly shocked. "I've never heard of a disorder like that before."

"So."

Officer Wang finished another cigarette and dropped it beneath his foot, crushing it out. "He uses [shadow syndrome] and [conscience-free syndrome] together to help us solve cold cases."

"In other words, he can call on his psychological disorders at will, even control them, to accomplish whatever he wants."

At that point.

Officer Wang turned to look at his deputy, whose entire worldview had just been rewritten.

"So, Li, you tell me."

"Is he mentally ill or not?"

The younger officer was completely dumbstruck, his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open.

Just then, voices came over the communicator.

"Reporting, Captain Wang! We've found dismembered remains in the sewer. We suspect they're the missing girl's!"

"Reporting, Captain Wang! We've detected traces of blood on Suspect Six's glasses!"