The Super Brain(Part 2)  

Zeeshow replied, "I have a habit of running at night. That road runs along the Xiyuan River, it's a comfortable run. If I hadn't encountered that lunatic, I would have run to even farther villages."

Mingyoo frowned, "So you're saying all of this is just a coincidence? Running into that lunatic, and the fact that all four victims were connected to you?" He flipped through the files. "The first victim was your middle school classmate, the second was from high school, the third from your advanced math class, and the last one was your university senior... Don't you find this odd?"

Zeeshow chuckled nervously, "I've been to four schools, and over the years, I've had thousands of classmates. I can't predict or be responsible for their fates. Like I said, it's just the roll of the dice. Besides, I'm part of this too, right? If not for you, I'd be dead. That's the roll of the dice too. The world is fair; it gave me a rough childhood, and now it's giving me a break. I wasn't meant to die."

He looked at Mingyoo, puzzled, "I'm also a victim. Why do you think I have something to do with their deaths?"

"Because you do," Mingyoo said. "The first two victims had beef with you in school. They bullied you. I checked with your teachers. Your middle school teacher actually cared about you, but couldn't do much."

Zeeshow smirked, "Yeah, I appreciate him. He tried, even though he couldn't do much. There are a lot of people like that, aren't there?"

"I find you fascinating," Mingyoo said with a grin. "You seem to take everything in stride, but you're actually pretty sharp-tongued. It's like you're balancing two opposite sides of yourself. Is that exhausting?"

Zeeshow hesitated, then said, "No, it's not opposite sides. It's cause and effect - I have to accept reality or it would hurt even more. Growing up is about compromise. You're older, you must have compromised more. Does it hurt?"

Mingyoo shook his head, chuckling, "You've got a way with words, Zeeshow."

Zeeshow gave a slight smile, tinged with flirtation.

Mingyoo continued, "The third victim was also at odds with you. Your math teacher told me you messed up in a big competition in high school. He won first place and got into a top university."

"Do you think I killed him out of jealousy?" Zeeshow laughed. "Competitions have winners and losers. I messed up because I didn't do well. And even though he got into a top university, my major is ranked higher than his. I don't envy him, sometimes I even feel sorry for him."

Mingyoo suddenly asked, "Why did you mess up that day?"

A flash of anger passed through Zeeshow's eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. "I don't know. If you really have some sort of 'super brain', maybe you can tell me why."

Mingyoo pointed to the last file, "What about this guy? He seems special to the killer. His body was left intact, and it was dumped where it was easy to find... I heard you met him in a science competition. You've been close for two years and even shared an apartment."

"It's a studio," Zeeshow corrected. "My senior got some investment, and we worked on small projects. Sometimes we'd crash at the studio when we were swamped."

Mingyoo pulled out a few photos, "I found that you two were really close. You even went to Disneyland together during the winter break last year, and you didn't go home for the Spring Festival because of it."

The first photo showed the two young men. Zeeshow was wearing Mickey Mouse ears and a Disney T-shirt, looking like a carefree teenager. The man next to him wasn't particularly handsome, but he had a gentle and scholarly vibe. He was making a peace sign above Zeeshow's head, like a playful older brother.

There was only one group photo, the rest were individual shots, probably taken by each other. It was clear that the other man was a better photographer, as Zeeshow looked strikingly handsome in his photos, while the other man was often missing an arm or a leg in the photos taken by Zeeshow, with one even showing only half of his face. But the man in the photos had a warm and genuine smile, his eyes seemingly filled with stars.

Zeeshow picked up the photo with half a face, looking at it for a long time. "That was after we completed a small project and got paid. I got half of it and wanted to go out and have some fun. My senior said he wanted to go too, so he helped me book the tickets. As for why it was during the Spring Festival, it was because there was a discount at the Disneyland hotel during those days. To save money, we convinced our parents to let us spend the New Year elsewhere."

He put down the photo, looking at the dust dancing in the sunlight, "He was my only friend. I thought we would always be like this, going to school, working on projects, and after graduation, opening a bigger studio."

He paused for a second, then gave a sarcastic smile, as if mocking his own naivety, "But he's gone now."

The room suddenly felt heavy, even the sunlight streaming in seemed to carry a somber weight. Mingyoo, with his sharp senses, closed his eyes to feel the almost tangible sorrow in the air. It was a grief so thick that it couldn't be contained and overflowed, sticky like a swamp, submerging something intangible.

After a moment of silence, Mingyoo spoke in a heavy voice, "So you treated him differently from the others, didn't let him suffer too much, and protected his body as much as you could, right?"

Zeeshow's breath hitched, his eyes locked onto Mingyoo, his long eyelashes fluttering like a butterfly in the wind.

Mingyoo met his gaze solemnly, speaking in a deep voice, "Zeeshow, controlling other people's minds is a dangerous game. The structure of the human brain is very similar; when you influence others, it affects you too... You've felt that, haven't you? The thrill of revenge starts off faint, mixed with fear and guilt. But as the controlled person's inner violence feeds back to you, it changes you, and you start to crave the thrill of bloodshed. You can't help but want more, to use your power to balance the world's injustices. It feels like playing God, so exhilarating it makes your fingertips tremble..."

Zeeshow's face turned pale, and Mingyoo continued, "Maybe you've started to get scared, feeling like you can't control yourself. You try to push the violent urges out of your mind, but you can't. Once you start killing, you can't stop, because the 'knife' in your hand knows your memories, your loves and hates, and it uses its own bloodlust to amplify this violent energy. In the end, you become its puppet!"

Zeeshow's lips tightened, his body slightly trembling. Mingyoo said, "This lunatic is your handpicked 'knife'. He's a butcher's assistant, strong and simple-minded, easy to manipulate. You didn't even have to talk to him, you easily controlled him, making him kill for you non-stop!"

He threw the case files one by one in front of Zeeshow, "This guy was the first one you wanted to kill because he started the bullying at school, which led to your selective mutism. All the pain you suffered later started with him. The second guy was just as bad, you didn't hesitate to kill him, then the third... By this time, your mindset had changed, becoming colder and more violent, almost shocking even yourself."

He picked up the last file, "It was the death of your senior that made you determined to get rid of the 'knife' you created. You went to Chicken Frame Village last night to kill that lunatic! Because you realized he had completely lost control, and to 'protect' you, he even killed your best friend!"

"Enough!" Zeeshow interrupted him sharply, "I don't know what you're talking about, I think you're the lunatic! If you're so sure, why don't you go to the police? Why did you save me? You saw that it was the lunatic who wanted to kill me, not the other way around!"

He was panting heavily, then suddenly laughed, "Everything you said is just your twisted imagination. If you really have evidence, go to the police, hand me over to them, I'm not afraid!"

"Of course you're not afraid, you're not the one who killed!" Mingyoo also laughed, "Do you think I'm telling you all this to uncover the truth, uphold justice, and send you, a little psychopath, to jail? No, that's the job of the Maplewood Town Police. I'm not here to play hero."

He stared intently into Zeeshow's eyes, saying word by word, "I just want to know, when and where did you acquire this terrifying ability?"

Zeeshow locked eyes with Mingyoo, slowly breaking into a sinister smile, "Ask yourself!"

The day was bright, the sunlight as brilliant as gold. He looked out at the beautiful world outside the window, and said leisurely, "I don't know what you're talking about, and I can't answer your question. All I can tell you is that the road to hell is open from any direction."