Chapter 63 Cannibals!
Clear Mind always helped him straighten out his thoughts whenever he was contemplating a problem.
Regardless of why the killer mistook the scent of perfume for the aroma of food ingredients,
it didn't change the fact that his purpose was to eat people.
Therefore, continuing to explore this specific question wouldn't help advance the case at all.
"Brother Mo, the killer didn't leave any clues at either of these two crime scenes. It's not going to be easy to investigate."
Xiao Zhang had a thoughtful expression. They had clarified that the purpose of the kidnappings was consumption.
But!
How to find him was the problem.
Seeing as there wasn't a single clue, how were they supposed to continue the investigation?
"Exactly. This person is too cautious. Even now, we have no idea about his height or weight."
"Sigh, if only the security guards had seen something. After working so many cases, the security guards are never useful even once."
"..."
The crowd voiced their frustration one after another.
"Actually, don't say that. I have some guesses regarding the killer's height and weight."
"Brother Mo, listen and tell me if I'm right or not."
Xiao Zhang's eyes lit up when he heard his colleague mention height and weight, and he looked at Chen Mo expectantly.
"Oh? Tell me about it."
Seeing him like this, Chen Mo felt a bit like laughing.
He's treating me like a grading teacher, isn't he?
"Although the kidnapper didn't leave any clues in either home, we can make a rough judgment based on the reactions of Xiao Yuqing and Wen Lu at the time."
"When Xiao Yuqing discovered the danger, she tried to pick up a cup to fight back, but she was subdued instantly before she could even call for help. This shows the killer possesses great strength."
Seeing everyone frowning as if they thought his deduction was a bit far-fetched, he became anxious.
"Brother Mo, they don't understand, but you should understand what I mean!"
"Generally speaking, a man's physical strength is higher than a woman's, but there's a standard even for that. For example, in a fight, a woman is definitely at a disadvantage, but she absolutely has the ability to resist."
"But what about Xiao Yuqing? She had just picked up the water cup on the table when she was instantly subdued, and only then did she call for help. This implicitly proves that the killer's strength far exceeds hers."
Chen Mo nodded. After all, it was impossible to reconstruct the exact situation at the time.
He couldn't say Xiao Zhang's deduction was wrong.
"Furthermore, looking at the situation in Wen Lu's home, she didn't even have the chance to pick up a water cup or call for help. Doesn't this also confirm to some extent that the killer's strength is immense?"
After this explanation, the crowd's furrowed brows instantly smoothed out.
Hearing it this way, it did make sense.
One was subdued instantly while trying to resist, and the other didn't even get the chance to resist.
"Impressive, Xiao Zhang!"
Praise rang out from the crowd.
"I've only learned a bit of the basics from Brother Mo."
Feeling a bit embarrassed by the praise, he chuckled and scratched his head.
"However, just knowing he has great strength still isn't enough of a clue to lock onto the kidnapper."
At this point, Chen Mo spoke up, picking up where he left off.
"The killer is very likely imitating a cannibal."
The only connection he could think of regarding eating people was the cannibals that existed in legends.
In his past life, he had come across similar explanations while browsing.
Primitive and barbaric were the synonyms for such tribes.
They worshipped the powers of nature, such as lightning and floods!
They ate the bodies of their enemies to increase their own strength and courage.
"As for the scents, the kidnapper likely sees himself as a member of a primitive cannibal tribe."
"He's imagining the kind of seasoning a cannibal might use when eating a human."
This was the closest reason he could think of for why the kidnapper would do such a thing.
Xiao Zhang's expression changed three times in a row.
First hesitation, then astonishment, and finally an expression of sudden realization, as if everything had become clear.
"Brother Mo, are you saying that the scents on Xiao Yuqing's body can actually be summarized as scents that can be found in a forest?"
"The shampoo smells like fruit, the perfume smells like vanilla, and the body wash has a herbal scent."
"The raw materials for these scents can actually all be found in a forest."
In an instant, everyone's mouths dropped open.
Their faces were filled with realization.
It was an expression that said 'this explains everything.'
Chen Mo then gestured for Xiao Zhang to take some people to look up information on cannibals.
Having investigated the case to this point, even he felt a slight mental strain.
Who would have thought that two missing persons cases would eventually lead to cannibals?
...
Half an hour later.
Xiao Zhang returned with a stack of documents.
The reason it took so long was that most of this information was fictional.
In fact, no one had ever truly seen a cannibal.
The authorities hadn't confirmed it either; this information was all found by Xiao Zhang with the help of the cyber police.
"Brother Mo, I've basically found everything that could be found."
He looked curious.
Because from the look of these cannibal materials alone, it seemed impossible to find the kidnapper.
"The kidnapper is imitating a cannibal, which means he is very interested in them. However, almost any information regarding cannibals is basically critical in nature."
"The kidnapper believes he is a member of a cannibal tribe, so would he develop a sense of resistance toward these criticisms?"
The logic was actually quite simple. The first thought anyone online had when mentioning cannibals was that they were anti-human and immoral. Since the kidnapper considered himself one of them, those words were essentially indirect attacks on him!
What happens after developing resistance?
Picking up a keyboard to argue, or speaking well of cannibals in public forums, and so on...
All of the above were possible, and the answer lay within these documents.
"That... that makes sense!"
If he's trying to imitate a cannibal, then he most likely agrees with their practices in his heart.
So, hearing everyone attacking cannibals would naturally make him angry.
Anger would leave clues.
Rustle, rustle, rustle.
The sound of flipping through documents echoed in Wen Lu's living room.
There was a lot of material, but fortunately, there were many officers, so the reading speed wasn't slow.
What Chen Mo was currently holding was information the cyber police had pulled from a Tieba forum called 'Cannibal Bar.'
The moderator there was named 'Taotie,' and he frequently shared his views and insights regarding cannibals.
What he was currently looking at was a post titled 'Do Cannibals Use Seasoning When Eating People?'
In the post, the moderator gave an affirmative answer as to whether cannibals used seasonings.
He extended the argument from the four basic human needs—clothing, food, shelter, and transportation—to the human craving for gourmet food.
Seasoning was undoubtedly a necessary process to enhance the flavor of food.
Pursuing delicious food is human nature. Cannibals are also human, so they would inevitably research how to make things taste better.
Fruits and plant leaves are everywhere in the forest; there's no reason they wouldn't discover that things taste better when paired together.
A slight smile appeared at the corner of Chen Mo's mouth.
This person is quite interesting.
He then proceeded to read the user comments and the moderator's replies under the post.