Frog

Shi Shanyan met Yan Junxun's gaze, calm and composed.

Yan Junxun was still analyzing Shi Shanyan's expression before his brain crashed, finally reaching a conclusion amidst the warning sirens blaring in his mind.

Shi Shanyan was telling the truth.

It's fucking true!

Over there, Jiang Lian was still questioning Liu Chen: "What exactly did the Ferryman send you?"

"It really was a diary!" Liu Chen crumpled his suit jacket. "...It's just photos of a handwritten diary."

"See our Profiler? Stop lying. We need to see those photos," Piao Lin pointed his pen at the light screen in front of Liu Chen. "Send them over truthfully right now, or we'll check your serial number file."

Jue chimed in at the right moment: "Our inspection is legal."

"I get it!" Liu Chen sat back down, tapping forcefully on the light screen. "The Ferryman only sent me these. I've given them all to you, okay? Can we be done now?"

Piao Lin looked at the photos. They were all of a handwritten diary. The lighting when the photos were taken was poor, and the diary had likely been wet, making some of the writing unclear, but there were some discrepancies with the screenshots Liu Chen had forged. Piao Lin took advantage of a pause in his note-taking to send Jue a message.

[This guy barely says anything truthful.]

[Mr. Yan hinted at it from the very beginning.] Jue paused for a few seconds before continuing its reply, [Mr. Yan gave him a pen and paper then.]

Piao Lin recalled the look on Liu Chen's face when he received the pen and paper a few minutes ago. He glanced at Yan Junxun.

[How did the Profiler guess the diary was handwritten?]

[Information capture. The killer left a handwritten "goodbye" after every crime.] Jue wanted to remind Piao Lin not to gossip during work hours, but it couldn't resist adding, [My dad says Mr. Yan's capture ability is comparable to Athena of the Light Rail District.]

Piao Lin wanted to express his admiration, but felt it was pointless. In his peripheral vision, Yan Junxun looked cold and indifferent, once again appearing displeased. He thought: 'Why is this guy always unhappy?'

Yan Junxun's Communicator was still vibrating. He suddenly clenched it, turned it off right in front of Shi Shanyan, and then threw it into the drawer.

"Have you had a private chat with the Ferryman?" Jiang Lian's eyes stared at Liu Chen from behind his glasses.

"Of course, I have. Who wouldn't want this kind of information?" Liu Chen was quick to forget his previous setbacks. "The Ferryman left me a message, and I DMed him after seeing it. But I need to make one thing clear first: I didn't know he was the killer."

Jiang Lian continued, "You didn't know? You didn't seem surprised when you were on the call with him in the video."

"I think you're complimenting my professionalism. This is basic on-the-spot responsiveness."

Piao Lin added, "A normal person would call the police in this situation, right? Why didn't you call the Supervisory Bureau?"

"You're not talking about a normal person, but an ordinary person," Liu Chen straightened his posture, deciding to lecture them again. "Can you guarantee that no one in the Supervisory Bureau will leak information to other media outlets? I wouldn't share my exclusive intel with my peers. This case is perfect for a special feature; it's reaping the publicity benefits from Chen Xiulian. Isn't the current result great? Everyone is paying attention to this case."

"Attention" was the key point of Liu Chen's speech; he mentioned the word more than once.

"When I DMed the Ferryman, he was quite normal, completely different from how he acted on the call," Liu Chen thought for a moment. "This is also a selling point. This kind of character with contrasting traits easily leaves an impression on the public. I think regardless of whether this case gets solved, the Ferryman will become material for many works of art." At this point, he looked at Shi Shanyan again, with a subtle hint of ingratiation. "You guys can also use him to score a win for the Profiler. A psychopathic serial killer, caught by an exceptionally observant Profiler from the Black Panther. Isn't that great? Everyone will worship the Profiler then."

Piao Lin suspected that everyone present was just "data" in Liu Chen's eyes. He could put them into his reports at will, add some artistic embellishments, stir up public opinion battles, and attract so-called "attention." This was what Liu Chen wanted. His morals, like the "socially disadvantaged groups" he mentioned, were all casually glossed over by him.

Shi Shanyan toyed with the Communicator in his hand and said, "You call that 'worship'? That's just an immature fantasy template. A Profiler from the Black Panther with extraordinary observational skills, invincible against evil murderers in the Docking Area cases. That's not a Profiler, that's a charlatan."

This kind of worship benefits neither the Supervisory Bureau nor the Profiler. Liu Chen was using public opinion to fabricate a persona. The moment this fabricated "Profiler" accepted the collective worship, he would become detached from Yan Junxun himself. He would have to perfectly meet the harsh moral requirements of individuals while also constantly adhering to the fantasy demands individuals have based on his persona's attributes.

This violates the paradox of human nature; humans are eternally complex and contradictory animals(1).

Liu Chen said awkwardly, "I'm just making a suggestion. You don't have to take it."

He was afraid of Shi Shanyan. While speaking to him, he kept pulling his suit jacket tight, as if that could prevent him from being seen through.

Yan Junxun frowned, feeling just like Liu Chen. His mind was saying "don't get angry," but his hand snapped the pen refill. He lowered his eyes to look at his ink-stained fingers, his mind going blank for a moment.

Liu Chen wanted to leave this place quickly. "I kept calling that number last night, but he's no longer picking up. I think he just wants to imitate Chen Xiulian and raise his own profile. It's what you guys call the 'contagion effect'." He looked at the glass wall, wanting to stand up again. "I'm done confessing."

"We still need your chat logs with 'Snow in May' and 'Ferryman'," Jiang Lian slid his chair back a bit. "You can leave after you hand them over."

"I can give them to you," Liu Chen said, "but I have to do a special feature interview about myself first. These chat logs..."

"I'd advise you not to mention too much in your special feature," Jiang Lian didn't have the authority to stop Liu Chen, but out of safety concerns, he still said, "You said it yourself, this killer is a copycat, imitating Chen Xiulian. If you insist on proceeding, you should be prepared to be found by more killers in the future."

"I know," Liu Chen waited until the logs finished sending, then stood up again and took back his briefcase. "I'll hire bodyguards!"

Jiang Lian threw up his hands with a "suit yourself" expression. Liu Chen looked around at all of them, deliberately avoiding Shi Shanyan. He opened the door and walked out quickly, looking like he was being chased as he went downstairs.

......

Yan Junxun took advantage of the break to go to the washroom and wash his hands. He rinsed his fingers, scrubbing hard at the ink stains, his crashed brain gradually recovering under the stimulation of the cold water.

[I masturbated in your bathtub last night.]

Yan Junxun rubbed his fingers red, looking at the mirror amidst the sound of running water.

Sexualization and sexual fantasy are often a form of defense mechanism(2). Why did Shi Shanyan masturbate in his bathtub? Was it to control his anxiety?

Yan Junxun wore a confused expression; he had encountered an unsolvable problem. He stared at the mirror. The person in the reflection felt unfamiliar to him. He tried to shift his focus back to the case, but it was no use. He had to figure out the reason for Shi Shanyan's behavior first, or it would interfere with his normal train of thought.

The washroom system issued a friendly reminder: "Please do not waste water resources."

Yan Junxun snapped out of his daze. He turned off the water, looked at the mirror again, and said to the washroom system, "Sorry."

The washroom system replied, "It's okay."

This brief exchange reminded Yan Junxun of Artemis. He took out the handkerchief he carried with him and wiped his fingers. The handkerchief had been washed by Panda and had a little yellow duck printed on it. The sight of the little yellow duck made Yan Junxun think of the bathtub.

...He couldn't continue wiping.

......

Shi Shanyan was folding paper. He folded the paper Liu Chen had written on into a frog, placed it on the table, and pressed down on it with a pen, making it hop forward clumsily. Each hop of the frog was a second. The little genius was spending a long time in the washroom.

"Time for a break," Piao Lin walked in carrying cold drinks. When he placed them on the table, he didn't see Yan Junxun and asked, "Where'd the Profiler go?"

"Washroom," Shi Shanyan opened the yogurt meant for himself. "What did you get for him?"

"Cold beer. Based on my observations, he seems to only drink this." Piao Lin placed the cold beer at Yan Junxun's spot. He sat down opposite Shi Shanyan. "Was your analysis of Liu Chen just now something the Profiler told you?"

Shi Shanyan looked at Piao Lin.

"...You did the analysis yourself?" Piao Lin's hand, which was unwrapping a straw, paused. He looked at Shi Shanyan. "No way... Are all Black Panther members this gifted? You guys leave no room for ordinary people like me to survive."

Shi Shanyan said modestly, "I used a little technique."

Although the sense of smell was indeed innate.

"You can teach me someday." Piao Lin inserted the straw and tapped his Communicator. "Jue, take a break."

Jue's voice appeared between the two of them. It said, "I'm still comparing the handwriting in the diary photos."

Shi Shanyan looked at this pair, a rare interest sparked. "Have you found anything from your comparison?"

"The diary and the notes left at the crime scenes were all written by the same person," Jue displayed the photo comparison on the light screen for them. "His expressive ability in the diary is also very poor, just like how he came across on the call. But look, he was quite talkative when chatting with Liu Chen."

There were many blacked-out parts in the diary. The person was highly emotional when writing it.

"Liu Chen has a histrionic personality," Piao Lin said, flipping through his notes. "His ability to handle stress isn't as good as he makes it seem. I suspect he often suffers from insomnia, and he's not very good at hiding his emotions. He's very pleased with his own achievements. When faced with your... what's a convenient way to address you?"

"Shi Shanyan."

"Okay, Brother Yan," Piao Lin mulled over his notes. "His performance was terrible when you exposed him. In fact, judging from his video yesterday, words alone are enough to make him lose his composure. He's not as amazing as he boasts."

Yan Junxun came in while they were talking.

"Hello," Piao Lin greeted him proactively. "Profiler."

Yan Junxun was carrying a cold beer and found another can at his seat. He said, "...Thanks."

Piao Lin gave a "it's nothing" expression. He twirled his pen, wanting to say something, but held his tongue after seeing Yan Junxun's face.

"Mr. Yan, you can sit closer," Jue said gently. "So we can communicate with each other."

Yan Junxun just wanted to keep his distance from Shi Shanyan, but with both Piao Lin and Jue looking at him, he had no choice but to sit in the empty seat next to Shi Shanyan.

Shi Shanyan bit on his yogurt straw and made the paper frog hop over to Yan Junxun's hand.

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(1) and (2) are from Nancy McWilliams' "Psychoanalytic Diagnosis: Understanding Personality Structure," and related discussions also reference this book.