"You mean, he both loathes these people who commit sexual assault," Jiang Lian put down his chopsticks, "and fears the photos and videos in their rooms that symbolize the process of sexual assault, so it's possible he's experienced sexual assault himself, right? This is so much like post-traumatic stress disorder."

Yan Junxun fell silent. He often fell silent; no matter how noisy it was around him, nothing could interfere with his thoughts.

The cigarette between Shi Shanyan's two fingers burned quietly. He thought: 'What a beautiful hunting posture.'

"He's experienced sexual assault, more than once. He can empathize with the victims of sexual assault, but he doesn't sympathize with them, nor does he sympathize with himself. He's familiar with sexual assault—sexual violence is a more fitting term. He's familiar with this act, and he feels fear and despair toward it. He drew the curtains in Liu Xincheng's room because the photos Liu Xincheng had taped to the window scared him; he didn't clean Liu Xincheng's toilet either, because the screenshots from a pictorial on the toilet wall scared him. He's terrified of Liu Xincheng's home. Did you take photos of the graffiti in Liu Xincheng's hallway? A woman's face was drawn with a full beard. That was added by the killer. He saw that as a self-portrait."

Jiang Lian, focusing on the details, asked, "Why did he draw a beard?"

"Because he imagined himself as a man when committing the crime." Water droplets trickled down the beer mug Yan Junxun was holding, wetting his palm. "Across from the living room window of Li Jianhua's home is a glass-walled building. The killer stood in the living room as if looking in a mirror. He couldn't look in a mirror, as that would shatter his fantasy, so he drew the curtains in Li Jianhua's home."

The graffiti in Liu Xincheng's hallway was full of sexual innuendos. Yan Junxun remembered the beard on the woman's face, but it was like a small note tucked away in a corner, buried by the photos in the room. Yan Junxun hadn't noticed it at first, not until they came out of Li Jianhua's home and Shi Shanyan said those words—

The man-child doesn't want to be a father.

If the man-child didn't want to be a father, then Liu Xincheng, a man with a clear sexual orientation, wouldn't want to rape a man with a full beard either. The killer tried to be a "man" in both victims' rooms. The fantasy of being a "man" allowed him to confidently carry out his plan. From this, he drew strength, the same strength that had once hurt him.

Jiang Lian's expression changed slightly. "The killer is a woman?"

"Dismemberment is a technical job," the cigarette between Shi Shanyan's fingers had burned to its end. He stubbed it out in the ashtray. "She's not very good at it, and she's not strong enough. She could only use other tools to do the cutting, which is why the body was so messily handled. The abrasions and contusions on the surface of the body parts go in different directions because she had to keep dragging the body around while cutting to get it into the most convenient position for dismemberment."

The grilled meat on the wire mesh was still sizzling and dripping with fat. Only Shi Shanyan picked up the tongs again.

"The dismemberment didn't happen in the victims' homes, and the victims all lived in relatively densely populated residential communities. How did she get them to obediently go downstairs?" Jiang Lian raised his arm. "Even if she were a combat instructor, it would be impossible to drag the victims straight downstairs. Especially Li Jianhua, he wouldn't be easy to handle."

"No," Yan Junxun looked at Jiang Lian, "Li Jianhua was the easiest to handle. Huihe and Diba Residential Communities don't have resident parking lots. All incoming and outgoing vehicles have to park outside. The killer would have had to make Liu Xincheng and Huo Qingjun walk over, but not Li Jianhua. The elevator in Puli Residential Community goes directly to the underground parking garage."

The sky outside the barbecue restaurant had turned completely dark. The main hall was getting more and more crowded, and the table next to them was also full. In this noisy environment, Shi Shanyan ate four plates of Southern Front beef short ribs, as if listening to the case analysis greatly whetted his appetite.

"How did she get Li Jianhua to go downstairs?"

"She put him in the building's cleaning cart," Yan Junxun's beer mug was full again, foam crowding the rim. He said, "On the way out, she could even take out the neighbor's trash for them. I told you, she's very professional at this, probably even licensed. She was married, and the person who was violent towards her was most likely her husband. She also had a child, but doesn't anymore. She feels very guilty about the child and wants to give the child a better home, and a better father, so she acted as a husband who perfectly matched her imagination in Li Jianhua's home. She probably doesn't have much savings, otherwise she would have decorated Li Jianhua's home to make it look cozier."

Jiang Lian thought for a moment and said, "I'll start investigating domestic violence records in the Docking Area tonight. The data entry is incomplete, though, so I can only hope she once reached out to the Supervisory Bureau for help."

"Pay more attention to the help-seekers who no longer have husbands," the beer foam gradually dissipated. Yan Junxun said, "Liu Xincheng might not have been the first victim."

After dinner, Jiang Lian saw them to the door.

"I'll be at the Supervisory Bureau all day tomorrow. The geographic profile will attempt to determine her area of activity so we can find the dismemberment site." Jiang Lian stuck his hands in his pockets, standing in place. "You go to Huo Qingjun's home tomorrow. If you find anything, let me know." He hesitated for a moment. "I actually wanted to say, there are some questionable points about Huo Qingjun's sexual assault case. The time he was imprisoned happened to coincide with a period of chaos in the Docking Area. A lot of the evidence doesn't hold up now. If, and I'm just saying if..."

Yan Junxun nodded, indicating he understood.

Jiang Lian, as if a great weight had been lifted, waved at Yan Junxun. Yan Junxun waited for Jiang Lian to go inside before pulling open the car door. He hadn't even sat down when he saw Shi Shanyan.

Shi Shanyan excelled at turning the tables and seizing the initiative. No matter the atmosphere, he had to have the upper hand. It was hard for him not to be an excellent sniper, always wanting to control the highest kill point. He appreciated the change in Yan Junxun's eyes and said in a low voice, "Welcome."

The night wind blew through the colorful neon lights, rustling Yan Junxun's black hair. He lowered his gaze to stare at Shi Shanyan, and in a silence that seemed to block out all external sound, his eyes were like those of an animal that had lain dormant for a long time.

"You do this job not because you're good at it, but because you need to." Shi Shanyan said coaxingly, "You learned your hunting skills from Artemis, hiding in this concrete jungle, daring only to lick your teeth cautiously. How pitiful."

"You could also pretend to be a savior," Yan Junxun said calmly, "and use your understanding of those perverts to earn your freedom, instead of wearing a dog leash like you are now."

Shi Shanyan's rolled-up cuffs revealed the Restraint Lock. Its remaining wrist clasp was fixed on Shi Shanyan's forearm. His arms could now be pulled half a meter apart, and a current slithered between them like an eel, constantly reminding him to maintain a safe distance.

"Don't say that," Shi Shanyan leaned slightly toward Yan Junxun, his straight nose revealed in the faint neon light. "I dare to take it off and move freely. Do you?"

"On the day you can actually take it off," Yan Junxun lowered his body and his voice, a hint of mockery in his pauses, "come and ask me then."

The current from the Restraint Lock suddenly surged, turning Shi Shanyan's arms red. The stabbing pain came in waves, washing over him like a tide, making him feel his own existence with sharp clarity. He enjoyed Yan Junxun's cold gaze, and he enjoyed this pain.

"I've found my pleasure," Shi Shanyan gradually began to smile. He licked his teeth and said viciously, "You fucking hurt me."

Yan Junxun looked at him and blew a lighthearted whistle.

Honglin Steel Plant was located near the Light Rail in the Docking Area. It was one of the old factories in this Steel Industrial Park on the verge of closing down. A dozen or so years ago, at its peak, it had acquired many small local steel processing workshops. Now, its scale had shrunk to just over thirty coke transport vehicles. The virtual greenery inside the plant was always malfunctioning. At the moment, only half of it was lit, stretching along one side of the road like it had been gnawed by a dog.

"Xiao Chen," Yang Yu, who had just finished cleaning, stood in the doorway and waved to Chen Xiulian. "I brought something good today!"

Chen Xiulian turned around. Her dusty clothes had been altered so they wouldn't fall off her frame. Her exposed arms had muscle tone, but it wasn't from deliberate training; it was the result of making a living in the steel plant for a long time. She raised a hand to wipe her face. Her hand was a bit dark from the sun, and her palm was covered in calluses.

"Going back so late and still having to make your own food," Yang Yu took a metal lunchbox out of a cloth bag. "Let's eat together, then you can go back and sleep right away. Oh, and thank you so much for the other day. Otherwise, my pay would have been docked."

The cafeteria at Honglin Steel Plant wasn't closed yet. The cafeteria lady knew them both. When she saw them walk in, she leaned her head toward the serving window and called out, "Hey, come sit over here! It's easier to talk here. There's a lot of leftover food today, and sweet and sour pork ribs."

"Xiao Chen didn't bring a lunchbox again today. Get her a bowl. We'll wash it and bring it back to you later." Yang Yu stood by the serving window, tucking a strand of her short hair behind her ear. Her eyes lit up when she saw the pork ribs. "There's so much left! I'll take some back for my daughter-in-law."

"Her postpartum confinement period is almost over, right? Hurry up, then," the cafeteria lady ladled food into Yang Yu's lunchbox. "You look exhausted. Working all day and then coaxing the baby at night."

Yang Yu picked a piece of pork rib from the lunchbox with her fingers and finished it in two bites. Sucking on the bone, she said, "It's been okay lately, thanks to Xiao Chen for covering a few shifts for me." She then turned back to smile at Chen Xiulian. "My grandson's one-month celebration is soon. You have to come."

Chen Xiulian saw the crow's feet at the corners of Yang Yu's eyes and smelled the faint scent of disinfectant on Yang Yu's hands. The meat on the ribs was stewed until it was very tender, so tender it fell off the bone when Yang Yu sucked on it. The meaty aroma mixed with the smell of disinfectant reminded her of something. After a long moment, she said, "Okay, okay."

Yang Yu used to be a female worker at the steel plant, and her husband drove a coke transport vehicle. Her husband died from alcoholism a few years ago, and she was laid off by the plant. It wasn't until 2160 that she went to the Docking Area Health Service Station to fill out some forms and became a recipient of the station's aid. The station helped her find a job as a cleaner. She isn't an official employee of any cleaning company, but rather freelance support. Whenever a company had a job they didn't want to do or didn't have time for, they would find a cleaner like her, registered with the service station.

The year before last, the cleaner at Honglin Steel Plant quit, so the plant hired Yang Yu. Yang Yu had a family to support on her own, and one job at the steel plant wasn't enough, so she also registered with Punctual Cleaning. They would give her any jobs they didn't want, and she often rushed between the two. A few months ago, her daughter-in-law gave birth, and she had to take care of her, so she asked Chen Xiulian to help with the jobs from Punctual Cleaning.

Chen Xiulian was taciturn, but she was a good person. Whenever they were in a difficult situation, she would help. It was said that a few years ago, her husband had been drunk driving with their child in the car and got into an accident. The child died, and her husband's legs were broken. He had been paralyzed back in their hometown ever since.

"Is that thing easy to use?" Yang Yu asked halfway through her meal, looking at the ID Communicator Chen Xiulian was wearing in her ear. "I'm thinking of getting a second-hand one for my daughter-in-law, so it'll be convenient for her to contact me if she needs anything."

"It's easy to use," Chen Xiulian's reaction was a bit slow, as if she was always overthinking. "It's convenient for contact. Go buy one over by the Coke Plant, it's cheaper there."

The cafeteria lady was inside cleaning pots and pans and chimed in, "Xiao Chen, can you give me a ride later? My daughter and her friends went to some exhibition today, all the way over at the Central Building. Her parents have to go pick them up. I see it's so far, it would be too late even by bus."

Chen Xiulian scraped the meat off the pork rib with her chopsticks, finished it in a few bites, and nodded hastily.

Chen Xiulian's vehicle was an old-fashioned cargo truck, very old and rarely washed.

It wasn't the cafeteria lady's first time riding in it. She was wearing her coat in the truck. She glanced toward the back and said, "It's pitch-black back there. What's all that stuff? This truck can really carry a lot."

"Old junk," Chen Xiulian glanced at the rearview mirror out of the corner of her eye, where she could see the truck bed. She said, "It's equipment from the factory Qinqin's dad used to run. It's all obsolete now, can only be sold as scrap metal."

"How's Qinqin's dad been lately?" the lady turned her head back and asked Chen Xiulian. "Are his legs any better? You should bring him to the Docking Area. Even if our medical facilities can't compare to the Guangtong District, it's better than letting those clinics in your hometown treat him recklessly. Don't let them make him even more crippled."

Chen Xiulian drove very steadily; she had even worked hauling coke before. The corner of her mouth twitched, but it wasn't a smile. She said, "No money this year. I'll bring him over next year. He worked himself to the bone running his business his whole life. Now he's lying in bed with someone to take care of his every need. He'd rather not stand up at all."

The cafeteria lady picked up some melon seeds she'd had in her pocket for who knows how long and started cracking them. Hearing this, she grew anxious and said, "Are you really going to support him for the rest of your life?" She spat out the seed husk. "Are you stupid? Of course it's comfortable staying at home. He doesn't have to worry about a thing, inside or out. If you then arrange a young, pretty little nanny for him, oh my, you'd be a complete idiot."

"He never listens to me." Chen Xiulian looked at the headlights ahead, which were like a school of fish swimming into a jungle of neon, carrying a strong, fishy smell.

She repeated this sentence in her head, when suddenly a voice cursed in her ear, "Fuck your mother! Gossiping outside all day long, aren't you a bitch?"

Chen Xiulian pressed her lips together tightly and turned the steering wheel.

"Answer me! Why are you playing dead? If you don't want your ears, I'll cut them off for you, Chen Xiulian! Don't think I can't reach you just because I'm lying in bed—"

The truck came to a steady stop at the destination.

The cafeteria lady got out of the truck while advising her, "Why don't you just divorce him already? He's no good. Listen to me."

Chen Xiulian forced a smile. The cafeteria lady wanted to say more, but seeing Chen Xiulian press her lips tightly together, she let out an "Aiyo" and whispered while gesturing from the doorway, "Are you two on a call?"

"Tell her to get lost! The fucking bitch! It's none of her damn business!" her husband roared through the ID Communicator. "If she pokes her nose in again, I'll smash her face in! And you're shameless too, you fucking bitch! Did I say you could give her a ride? Worthless woman! Who let you touch my truck? Is it yours? Get your ass back here now!"

"You shut the fuck up!" Chen Xiulian suddenly slammed the steering wheel.

The truck's horn blared, startling the pedestrians outside. The cafeteria lady didn't dare listen anymore. She grabbed her bag and hurried away. When she looked back, she could still see Chen Xiulian sitting in the truck, her neck red with strain, screaming hysterically at her husband.

"Scared me to death..." the cafeteria lady walked away quickly. "What terrible luck for eight lifetimes, to marry a man like that!"