130: 130. First Class

In the dim bathroom, water flowed, and the man repeatedly washed his face in front of the mirror.

In the sink, fresh red blood mixed with tap water and was flushed down the drain.

Even though it was already clean, the man didn't stop, continuing to wash until his skin turned red and sore before he slowly turned off the faucet.

“It’s good to be clean. If it’s clean, no one will scold me, and no one will hit me…” His voice was mechanical and numb.

He dried his wet hands with a towel, turned and went back into the room, picked up a half-finished small cloth doll, and began to sew it with a strangely serene expression.

Outside, a storm lashed against the windows.

Suddenly, the sound of a man and woman arguing came from behind him, accompanied by the crash of something falling. The man’s previously steady hands began to tremble.

He looked back in terror and saw a grim-faced middle-aged man approaching menacingly with a broom. The scene before him violently shook and distorted.

“No… don’t.”

The man dropped the doll, clutched his head, and squatted down in fear. The surrounding environment shifted, and the next moment he found himself squatting beside an old long bench downstairs, enveloped by cold rain, shivering from the cold.

The scene abruptly shattered.

Lu Feng opened his eyes, a hint of confusion in them, which then cleared.

He got out of bed, shaking his head with a touch of helplessness: “Why am I having these types of dreams again, as soon as I’m back at school?”

The short holiday had ended, and today was the first day of the university’s official semester. Lu Feng had returned to his dorm last night.

At this moment, outside the door, Zhang Wenfa called out: “Old Lu, don’t be late for class! I’m going to eat a loving breakfast with Su Yan first, so I’m off.”

His tone reeked of the sour smell of romance.

Lu Feng shook his head and chuckled. He hadn’t expected the usually lazy Zhang Wenfa to become so proactive after falling in love.

He rubbed his head, pushing the dream out of his mind, and got up to wash with a yawn.

After his usual workout, Lu Feng grabbed his backpack and went to the cafeteria for a meal, then followed the crowd to their respective classrooms.

Upon arriving at the Psychology Class 1 classroom, the counselor was already present.

The forty male and female students in the class had long shed their military training camouflage uniforms and were dressed in their original clothes, though each of them had tanned a few shades to varying degrees.

Today, the first class was taught by the psychology department’s old professor.

“My name is Professor Luo Ze, you can call me Professor Luo.”

Professor Luo Ze seemed amiable, smiling as he said: “I believe many of you chose psychology as your major, but aren’t very clear about what psychology actually studies or what kind of work you’ll do after graduation. Today, I’m going to explain it to everyone in detail…”

He spoke from basic courses to specialized branches: “First, fundamental subjects like advanced mathematics and English must be learned. Then there’s general psychology, abnormal psychology, anatomical psychology, consumer psychology, psychometrics, and so on… Each corresponds to your future career direction, whether it’s working as an HR in a company, being a psychology teacher in a school, or opening a psychological counseling office…”

Everyone in the class listened attentively. After all, as top students from a 985 university, many had started planning their life paths from the moment they entered school, and what the professor was now explaining was exactly what they needed to understand.

After Professor Luo Ze finished explaining the basic knowledge, he invited students to ask questions.

Immediately, someone raised their hand and asked a topic everyone was interested in, saying: “Professor, I learned about psychology from crime investigation TV shows. Do those mind-reading detectives and micro-expression analysis for solving cases, as seen on TV, really exist?”

This topic instantly ignited the atmosphere in the classroom, making it lively.

Indeed, the experts in TV shows who identify criminals based on a few micro-expressions—such plots are simply too cool.

Professor Luo Ze chuckled: “You’ve really asked the right person. Don’t just see me as an old professor teaching at school; I’m also a consultant in the field of criminal psychology and often assist the police with cases. The application of psychology in criminal investigation is very common, but it’s not as exaggerated as in TV dramas.”

Seeing that everyone was interested, the old professor also got excited and casually opened a PPT, saying: “Coincidentally, I have a cold case that I’ve been researching for a long time, and it hasn’t been solved yet. Everyone can take a look together to get a direct understanding of the uses and limitations of our major.”

Everyone perked up, staring at the screen without blinking. Lu Feng was the same; he actually leaned more towards psychological counseling, but when the professor opened the case on the computer…

Lu Feng was stunned.

This… it felt a bit familiar… very similar to the dream he had last night…

“This is a case from twenty-two years ago, and it’s the most challenging case I’ve encountered since I started in this field, and it still bothers me to this day.”

“The location was Xicheng, on a rainy autumn night. The police received a report of a missing person. Because technology wasn’t as advanced back then, they relied entirely on extensive ground searches, but after searching all night, no one was found. It wasn’t until dawn the next day that someone discovered a handmade cloth doll on a long bench in a park at the street corner.”

The PPT displayed a black and white photo of a cloth doll. Although a bit blurry, it was vaguely clear that it was quite crudely made and somewhat eerie.

“This palm-sized doll, not finely crafted, was placed in a plastic bag. Both its clothing and appearance were identical to the missing person. It was later confirmed that the fabric was cut from the missing person’s clothes, and the doll was unusually clean, as if it had been meticulously washed and disinfected.”

Professor Luo Ze fell into thought, saying: “Because of a night of rain, there were no clues at the scene, and the case quickly reached a stalemate. But what was terrifying was… in the second and fifth years that followed, in the same month, more missing person cases occurred, totaling three missing persons—two men and one woman. Each time, after a rainy morning, a corresponding doll would appear on the long bench.”

The classroom was silent, with only the old professor’s voice echoing. Everyone listened intently.

A student asked: “Professor, were no clues found at all? Were there no commonalities among the three missing persons?”

Professor Luo Ze chuckled: “What you can think of, the police also thought of. These three people had no connections in terms of their professional backgrounds or social circles. Common motives like revenge or crimes of passion were ruled out. No one witnessed the disappearances, nor did the perpetrator demand a ransom or convey any messages. It was full of mysteries.”

“After I joined, I tried to profile the perpetrator using psychological knowledge, but there were contradictions. Usually, someone who can plan and execute such a crime must be meticulous and possess strong anti-reconnaissance abilities, indicating a high-IQ criminal… But the act of leaving the dolls shows a strong desire for expression and ritual, typically associated with criminals who need to show off or have twisted psychologies. These two traits are very difficult to find in the same person.”

The students immediately proposed hypotheses:

“He must be showing off his intelligence, hiding in the shadows and enjoying the feeling of manipulating the police!”

“Is there a possibility that this is a cult ritual, and the dolls represent sacrifices?”

“I think that park is his psychological territory, and by doing this, he’s declaring his ownership.”

“He might be extremely incompetent in his daily life and uses this method to gain a sense of control and power.”

The classroom was abuzz with various opinions, everyone actively proposing conjectures.

Professor Luo Ze commented: “Everyone’s points have some truth and align with classic theories from books. But none can perfectly explain all phenomena, especially the core question of ‘why that particular bench.’ All our existing profiles fail to close the loop because of this, which is the biggest stalemate in this case.”

Lu Feng listened to everyone’s discussion, but images from his dream kept flashing in his mind: the obsessive washing, the fearful scenes, and finally, the long bench that brought a sense of security… He thought for a moment and said: “I don’t think he’s performing; I think he’s… purifying.”