Chapter 34: An Unsolvable Puzzle

The task force members stared at Xiao Yu as if they were looking at an alien. 

So, why are you here on Earth? If you’re not from another planet, then how does your mind wander so far into the cosmos? No, that’s not just a wild imagination, that’s a black hole.

Do you realize that it was you who initially pointed out the inconsistency in time, arguing the suspect couldn’t have committed the crime within 33 hours? And now, are you about to contradict yourself?

Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Xiao Yu, anticipating a rational explanation.

Xiao Yu simply smiled, offering no clarification.

Was he about to contradict himself? Not exactly. It was more accurate to say he had envisioned several possibilities, each more chilling than the last. Hence, he had to investigate further and verify.

***

On the way to the detention center, Xiao Yu pondered.

Having transmigrated to this world, he was still handsome. Wouldn’t it be more pleasant to live a comfortable life, relishing the role of a pampered pretty boy? Why did he insist on returning to his old profession, a path that guarantees the demise of countless brain cells every day?

Through the car window, he gazed at the distant sky, reminiscing about the oath he had taken in his previous life, saluting the national flag. Those vows, once made, how could he forget them? How dare he forget?

A sense of duty that had propelled him from the police academy now resurged on Xiao Yu’s face.

***

In the interrogation room of the detention center, He Xiao sat on the interrogation chair,  handcuffed. His eyes locked on Xiao Yu with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.

Xiao Yu’s first words were delivered with a cold, unflinching clarity that stunned He Xiao.

“Your ex-girlfriend and her family were murdered by you.”

He Xiao froze, a myriad of emotions—confusion, disbelief, shock—flashing across his face as if to say, ‘Have you lost your mind?’

A sense of absurdity overwhelmed him, akin to being exposed online, his every detail laid bare for the world.

Xiao Yu’s gaze remained fixed, not on He Xiao’s face, but on his hands. From the beginning, Xiao Yu had noticed something peculiar about them. They were unnaturally steady.

As Xiao Yu uttered those words, He Xiao’s excessively steady hands trembled.

“It really is you.” Slowly lifting his head to gaze at He Xiao, still caught in a daze, Xiao Yu’s voice was cold and questioning, “Are you wondering why I would say that you killed your ex-girlfriend and her family?”

“I didn’t, it wasn’t me, how could it possibly be me?!” He Xiao’s roar came as he regained his senses.

‘Denying it thrice straight away, as if he were a seasoned criminal,’ Xiao Yu couldn’t help but critique internally.

He didn’t continue to press on, instead waiting for He Xiao to calm himself down. Indeed, as the fury in He Xiao subsided, his gaze on Xiao Yu turned demanding, seeking an explanation with his eyes.

“All I can say is, indeed, you were the one who killed them, and you committed the massacre,” Xiao Yu declared. “But the person you are now… is innocent.”

What?

He Xiao was dumbfounded, his face filled with bewildered question marks, his entire worldview shaken to its core.

What did it mean that I did it, I killed them, but he was still innocent? Brother, could you make any sense?

“I’ve encountered a similar case before,” Xiao Yu began. 

It wasn’t just any case, he had personally solved it. “That case was fascinating. The suspect had dissociative identity disorder, commonly referred to as multiple personality disorder. Each of the suspect’s distinct personalities possessed its own unique experiences, perceptions, conceptual patterns, and awareness of self, body, and surroundings. The most intriguing aspect was the severe amnesia that typically accompanied the switch between personalities. It’s not mere forgetfulness. It’s as if what one personality does is completely unknown to the others.”

He Xiao stared blankly at Xiao Yu, his gaze filled with awe, as if beholding a god.

“In that case, the reason was that within the body of the suspect, there was an extremely intelligent yet psychopathically cruel personality,” Xiao Yu said as he looked directly into He Xiao’s eyes, “When it took control of the suspect’s body, it committed many inhumane acts. Because memories are not shared between personalities, the dominant personality of the suspect didn’t know that his body had killed many innocent people; even the dominant personality itself was innocent. After he was arrested, although the investigators knew that the crimes were committed by a psychopathic personality, they still had to imprison the suspect, who would never be released in his lifetime.”

Yes, such individuals, though not sentenced to death due to being diagnosed with mental illness, would be confined for life within a special psychiatric facility. 

They were deprived of freedom, subjected to compulsory treatment daily, and locked away in a specialized ward. Although they were still alive, but such punishment was more brutal than execution.

What, are you suggesting that besides the psychotic personality, the main personality and others are innocent, and all actions were carried out by the psychotic one?

Here come the fun questions.

Regardless of the number of personalities, do they not all share one body? Is it not this very body that committed the crimes? Regardless of which personality, does it not reside within this body?

Multiple personalities are akin to multiple souls.

Then, enlighten me, how does one annihilate a soul? If it can’t be done, is there a problem with this approach?

Because the other personalities are innocent, should the person be set free? What if the psychotic personality takes over again and commits murder?

This is a conundrum without a solution.

“So, I know you can hear me, and perhaps even see me,” Xiao Yu glared coldly at He Xiao, “Aren’t you planning to show yourself and have a face-to-face meeting with me?”

He Xiao’s face was covered in question marks, struggling to digest Xiao Yu’s words, his body showing no sign of change.

“Do you believe your actions were flawless, thinking I’m bluffing you?” Xiao Yu sneered, “Then, the mental illness you were diagnosed with in your childhood, has it truly been cured?”

At Xiao Yu’s words, He Xiao’s expression shifted dramatically.