The Psychopath

"This man, compare his face with the database and find him for me. I want to see him within an hour!" Han Fei pointed at the man in the surveillance footage and issued the command.

"Yes, sir!"

The difficulty of capturing this man within an hour was undoubtedly significant, but the police officers showed no signs of difficulty. After all, efficiency is key in solving cases.

They first compared the man's face with the facial recognition database, quickly identifying the suspect. Then, they used the Sky Net system to locate the suspect and immediately carried out the arrest. From identifying the suspect to capturing him, the entire process took less than fifty minutes.

When arrested, the man didn't resist at all; instead, he cooperated fully and followed the officers to the police station.

At the police station, in the interrogation room, a man who appeared to be mentally unstable sat in the interrogation chair, eagerly staring at Han Fei and Xu Mo sitting across from him.

"I've been waiting for you for so long. You've finally found me."

Upon hearing this, Han Fei felt a surge of anger. The two explosions that occurred today had resulted in hundreds of casualties, causing extremely serious repercussions. Unexpectedly, the mastermind behind it all showed no remorse and seemed rather excited. It was as if he didn't feel he had done anything wrong.

"Do you know how many people you've killed and how many families you've torn apart?"

"I don't know," the man shook his head. When he smiled, the corners of his mouth stretched wide, making him look like a complete madman. He leaned forward and looked at Han Fei: "Then tell me, how many people have I saved this time?"

"Saved? You think you're saving people?" Han Fei was surprised, his voice rising several decibels.

"It's not what I think; it's a fact. I am saving people! I am the chosen one sent by heaven to save humanity!" The man stared at Han Fei, shouting with all his might.

"Everything I do is for saving people... Although you might think I'm a madman, a ruthless killer, in reality, I'm not. I am a savior!"

"You don't know this yet, but Earth is in its final countdown to destruction. In less than three years, Earth will be completely destroyed, and everyone on it will die. I am here to save you..."

"The people I've killed may seem dead to you, but in reality, they are not. While they disappear from this Earth, they will be reborn on another Earth that won't be destroyed. On that other Earth, I am regarded as the greatest hero! I bear the burden of saving all humanity!"

Han Fei and Xu Mo exchanged a glance. From the man's words and his body language, they concluded that he was mentally ill.

At this point, they were more curious about whether the man's claims were his own delusions or if someone had deliberately instilled these ideas into him.

If it was his own delusion, then the case would essentially be closed, and he would be the culprit.

If someone had fed him these ideas, then the real mastermind would be someone else—the one who planted these thoughts in him.

They had to figure this out to ensure that the truly guilty party didn't go unpunished.

"The destruction of Earth, and the fact that you are a savior... who told you all this?" After exchanging a glance with Xu Mo, Han Fei asked.

"My parents!"

"Your parents?"

"Yes! After they passed away, they came to me in a dream. They told me they were doing well over there. They also told me about the situation there and urged me to continue saving people." At this point, the man became unusually excited. "You know I'm telling the truth, don't you? Are you interested in joining me? Join my team and help me save humanity. Once we get to the other Earth, you can also be heroes worshipped by millions!"

"So, your parents were also 'saved' by you?" Xu Mo followed up with the man's words.

"Yes, yes, exactly... At first, I didn't know about my identity as a savior. After my parents died from carbon monoxide poisoning, I was devastated every day. I thought it was my negligence that caused their deaths. It wasn't until they came to me in a dream that I realized I hadn't killed them. On the contrary, I saved the people closest to me. In the future, I can save even more people!"

"When did your parents pass away?"

"About a month ago... But that's not important. What's important is, are you willing to join my team? With your official support, I can save even more people!"

Xu Mo didn't respond to him directly but glanced at Han Fei.

"I think we've got enough, right?"

Han Fei rubbed his temples and nodded. "Yeah."

The entire picture of the situation was now clear.

The man's parents had died about a month ago from carbon monoxide poisoning. After their deaths, the man's mental state suffered a severe blow. He believed it was his negligence that led to their demise.

Such an event is almost unbearable for most people, and under various factors, the man's mental state collapsed.

He needed solace, a way to escape reality, and his subconscious led him to dream.

This dream was what he called the 'dream from his parents,' in which he imagined himself as a savior. His deceased parents weren't truly dead but had been reborn on another 'Earth.'

This was also his motive for killing. He believed that everyone he directly or indirectly killed would be reborn on another 'Earth.'

The man's words didn't convince Han Fei, and even Xu Mo, who was a time traveler, didn't believe him.

The man's mental state was clearly unstable; he was mentally ill.

He acted this way because his psyche had been severely damaged. He killed to escape the reality of accidentally causing his parents' deaths.

...

Outside the interrogation room.

"Should we contact a mental hospital for this situation, or... use legal means to punish him?" Xu Mo inquired curiously.

Han Fei shrugged.

"It's hard to say. I personally think he's not mentally stable, but that's not our concern. We're just here to reconstruct the case. The subsequent handling of him will depend on how the people taking over this case decide to proceed."

Xu Mo, being new to the job, wasn't very familiar with how to punish mentally ill individuals: "Do mentally ill people really escape legal punishment for killing? Could someone pretend to be mentally ill to evade legal consequences?"

Han Fei shook his head, dismissing this possibility.

"Not all mentally ill people who kill escape punishment. Only when it can be determined that the mentally ill person killed during a disease episode, with complete loss of control over their consciousness and actions, might they escape legal punishment..."

"Moreover, even if mentally ill people escape criminal punishment after serious offenses, they will be forcibly confined to a mental hospital, making it very difficult for them to be released. Being confined to a mental hospital for life is similar to life imprisonment in prison. In fact, being confined to a mental hospital might be even more uncomfortable than prison, so there's no real escape from legal consequences. It's just a different form of punishment."