"Your special operations mission evaluation should have 'sexual harassment' added to it," Yan Junxun's hand was still on the handle of the private room's sliding door. In the dim, murky light of the room, he finally revealed the sharp fangs hidden beneath his weary surface. "If they don't have time to enter it, I can do it for them."

"Sounds like you're more familiar with them than you are with me," Shi Shanyan's eyes held not a hint of apology. "Do you need me to voluntarily provide a full set of fingerprints for you to submit?"

Jiang Lian sat opposite them, holding his chopsticks and observing the two. His lips moved, trying to stop the atmosphere from growing tenser as he rapidly sifted through suitable words to mediate the conflict in his head.

Footsteps sounded outside the private room. Yan Junxun pulled his hand back, and at the moment the waiter pushed the door open, he said, "Another beer, please."

The tense, confrontational atmosphere between the two instantly vanished. Yan Junxun pushed his empty glass aside and buried his head in his food. 'I shouldn't have taken it seriously. Shi Shanyan is trying to provoke my emotions. The more I guard against it, the more I'll care. This is a form of mental invasion.'

Shi Shanyan lit a cigarette. Through the rising smoke, he didn't miss Yan Junxun's change. The main hall outside the private room was a bit noisy. The clamor of voices seeped into every corner of the room like a swarm of fast-climbing spiders, drowning out the entire barbecue restaurant. But Shi Shanyan didn't dislike this kind of environment. He could fall asleep to the din, and he could also savor the memory of Yan Junxun's fierce gaze from a few seconds ago amidst the clamor.

Yan Junxun had a small blackboard in his head, which he was always scribbling on and erasing as he thought. He was keen on building a comfort zone for himself and liked to stay within the constraints of familiar rules. His passion for serial murder cases was the complete opposite of these traits. Jiang Lian called this outward appearance Yan Junxun's obedience, while Shi Shanyan saw it as Yan Junxun's defense mechanism.

Shi Shanyan believed that Yan Junxun had inherited certain parts of that system called "Artemis," such as a hunting nature. Yan Junxun constantly emphasized rules in his own behavior. This wasn't like an obsessive-compulsive disorder, but more like self-preservation. He was telling himself that he should stay within the rules.

The barbecue restaurant's ashtray was shaped like a kappa holding a bowl. Shi Shanyan flicked his ash as if bestowing alms. He withdrew his gaze, but the smoke blurred the distance between him and Yan Junxun, making their silhouettes indistinguishable.

Normal people don't need emphasis to feel the constraints of society; everyone instinctively abides by moral codes of conduct under normal circumstances. Only Black Panther members, after carrying out long-term missions in dangerous areas, would emphasize the existence of rules and undergo professional psychological adjustment before returning to civilian life.

"Tough..." Jiang Lian said with a double meaning. He stirred the grilled meat in his bowl, not knowing what the other two were talking about. "The newspaper clipping Liu Xincheng posted on the urinal wall was from one of Liu Chen's reports back in the day. In fact, he reported on the sexual assault cases of all three victims this time. Although I can't make a subjective judgment, I've always believed that the sexual assault victim in the Li Jianhua case jumped to her death because Liu Chen included her personal information in his report."

"It's not that the newspaper clipping came from Liu Chen's report," Yan Junxun had already regained his composure, "but that the photos in Liu Chen's reports all came from Liu Xincheng. You should take a closer look at the photos posted on Liu Xincheng's window. Liu Chen used many of them; he likes to use them as gimmicks when he writes his news."

"Facts have proven that plenty of people like to read it," Jiang Lian sighed, gripping his chopsticks. "Liu Chen's real-time push notifications get a lot of clicks. He's also skilled at using inflammatory words to stir up readers' emotions, getting them to engage in battles in the comments to gain more popularity."

Yan Junxun ate a piece of grilled meat and said, "You need to make it clear to your people not to leak any more case-related details to Liu Chen."

Yan Junxun was wearing a T-shirt, and the inside of the wrist holding the chopsticks was very fair. At a glance, he looked like a pot of lush, vibrant flowers placed beside a greasy dining table. He pulled a new beer glass toward himself, unilaterally ignoring the smell of Shi Shanyan's cigarette.

"You have no idea how wide the reach of Liu Chen's real-time news pushes is. Even the cleaning lady is a loyal fan of his; she asked me today if there was any progress on the case." Jiang Lian lost his appetite as he spoke. He was also worried. "Even though there are explicit regulations, some people are still willing to secretly earn that tip money, unless Liu Chen gives up being a shit-stirrer. Do you think his news will affect the killer?"

"The killer has read Liu Chen's reports," Yan Junxun picked up the new beer glass. "It's possible he selected the victims from Liu Chen's reports."

"That's a worrying thought," Jiang Lian felt that the grilled meat he had just eaten no longer tasted good. "I can talk to Liu Chen, but too many people subscribe to his real-time pushes. We don't even have the requirements to start screening them. Junxun, you have to give me more information, anything you think is worth mentioning that might be a clue about the killer."

Psychological profiling, also known as a psychological portrait, belongs to the field of criminal investigation analysis, along with psychological autopsies and geographic profiling. However, it is only an investigative tool and cannot be used as evidence. Typically, a psychological profiler needs not only extremely high personal talent but also an advanced degree in behavioral science.

Yan Junxun had helped Jiang Lian a lot with serial murder cases in the past, but he wasn't omnipotent. He still needed to gather more information.

"Please do your best as well. I'm going to Huo Qingjun's house first thing tomorrow," Yan Junxun drained his beer in one go, "although it's unlikely the killer will return there."

"Why is he so fixated on Li Jianhua's home?"

"Because he longed for a home like Li Jianhua's—spacious, bright, comfortable, and safe." Yan Junxun put down his beer glass, buried his face in his hands for a moment, let out a breath, then looked up at Jiang Lian. "There must be some other commonality among the victims he chose, I just haven't seen it yet. Although this isn't a revenge killing, he still chose dismemberment as his method of 'punishing' the victims. He threw them into the drainage ditch like he was dropping dumplings. This is his attitude toward them. He very," Yan Junxun added with emphasis, "very much loathed them."

Jiang Lian seized on the key point. "Loathed them, but not the sexual assault?"

"You can't put it that way..." Yan Junxun's gaze drifted toward Shi Shanyan, as if refuting Shi Shanyan's earlier words. "He avoided the relevant elements in the room because he was afraid of the process of sexual assault. Forget orgasm. There is no orgasm in sexual assault. There is only violence."

Author's note: Related materials on psychological profiling are referenced from Criminal Psychology, 7th Edition, by Curt R. Bartol and Anne M. Bartol.