The Same Fate Awaits All Sins Chapter 52

Mind Control – 08

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"Boss!" Chen Chen pushed the door open and walked in, only to stumble upon an intimate moment between the two. Startled, he quickly covered his eyes and backed out. "You... you guys carry on..."

"Ahem... Enough nonsense... get in here!" Even with Gu Yanta's thick skin, he felt a little embarrassed and hurriedly sat back in his chair.

Chen Chen pushed the door open again, struggling to suppress his laughter as he pretended to be serious. "The tech team's results are in, are you sure you want to hear them now? I can give you ten minutes..."

"Chen Chen, are you asking for a beating?" Gu Yanta growled. "Spit it out!"

"Haha... just joking..." Chen Chen adjusted his glasses. "The results from the online investigation are out. That QQ group the three deceased had joined, the group owner is Zheng Yandong! The group was created in 2016, and its current members are mostly Zheng Yandong's former patients. The group owner used to be very active, but after the New Year, he stopped logging in altogether. Before that, all logins came from Zheng Yandong's IP address."

"So, this bizarre mass suicide case was really orchestrated by him?" Gu Yanta asked.

"But the handwriting analysis suggests otherwise. The writing in that book doesn't belong to Zheng Yandong," Chen Chen replied. "Also, Yu Tiantian found identical books in the homes of the other two victims! The handwriting on the title pages is exactly the same as the one you found at Sun Chao's place!"

"Different handwriting doesn't necessarily mean anything, it's possible that Zheng Yandong manipulated someone online to do it for him." Gu Yanta turned to Lu Zheng. "Consultant Lu, what do you think?"

"Zheng Yandong resigned after the New Year, faked going abroad, but actually hid in his hometown. The three deceased lost their organs between May and June and committed suicide in September. During that period, he never left his hometown. Based on his alibi, he didn't have the geographical conditions to commit the crime. Of course, we can't rule out the possibility that he instructed someone else to do it. But there's one thing that doesn't add up, given Zheng Yandong's level of hacking skills, which allowed him to breach the immigration system, if he were really the mastermind behind this case, why would he leave his IP address so easily traceable?" Lu Zheng analysed.

Gu Yanta nodded and continued, "You make a good point. Could it be that Zheng Yandong himself was depressed and had suicidal tendencies, which is why he created this group?"

"That's possible. From what I remember, Zheng Yandong was introverted and quiet, with no close family or friends in his personal life, which fits the profile of someone with depressive tendencies," Lu Zheng recalled. Then, he suddenly looked up and said, "What's even more terrifying is that he was a psychologist. If he had such issues himself, it's highly likely that he unintentionally influenced his patients during treatment. Have you ever heard of 'thought stamping'?"

"What's that?" Gu Yanta asked.

"It was originally a concept designed by science fiction writer Liu Cixin in his novel The Three-Body Problem. It describes a machine invented by humans that imprints thoughts into people's minds, controlling their way of thinking," Lu Zheng explained.

"A sci-fi novel... What does that have to do with Zheng Yandong's case?" Chen Chen asked in confusion.

"Later on, the psychology community adopted the term 'thought stamping' to describe the use of subtle influence, hypnosis, and other methods to control people's thoughts," Lu Zheng continued.

"Could it be that Zheng Yandong implanted a psychological suggestion of suicide in these victims, ultimately leading them to take their own lives?" Gu Yanta frowned. Zheng Yandong's behaviour was bizarre and difficult to understand.

"We haven't caught Zheng Yandong yet, so it's too early to draw conclusions..." Lu Zheng hesitated before turning to Chen Chen. "Have the other group members been thoroughly investigated?"

Chen Chen flipped open his notebook and reported one by one, "Apart from the group owner, Zheng Yandong, whose whereabouts are unknown, all other members are still alive. But there's one thing we are not sure of now, the three deceased all left the group the day before their suicides. Besides these three and the suicide case from early this year, where the victim had received a death message, we can't confirm the identities of any other members who left the group."

"Chen Chen, arrange for the tech team to check if there have been any other similar suicide cases recently!" Gu Yanta instructed.

"But... Yuchuan City has several suicides every day. Hospitals receive multiple attempted suicide cases daily, not to mention those who die on the spot. Wouldn't it be a bit far-fetched to assume all of them are connected to this case?" Chen Chen hesitated. "Besides, the number is huge, how are we supposed to check them all?"

"Do it anyway!" Gu Yanta slammed the table. "If it weren't for Cheng Yu's mistake leading to the deaths of these three people, this case might have never come to light. Who knows how many more victims there have already been?! And how many more will there be in the future?!"

"Yes, Boss!" Chen Chen responded. "Even if we have to go without sleep for days, the tech team will get it done!"

"Contact the S Province Public Security Bureau immediately and issue an arrest warrant for Zheng Yandong!"

"Yes, sir!"

A few hours later, Zheng Yandong's wanted notice spread across the internet like wildfire, and the small town of Zhengjia was instantly thrown into an uproar.

"Huh? Look at this wanted criminal on TV, isn't that Bald Zheng's youngest son?"

"Ah? Let me see... It really is!"

"Ai, Bald Zheng has had such a tough life. He lost two of his three sons, and only this youngest one got into medical school. They thought he'd bring honour to the family, but now he's wanted by the police?"

"What? Bald Zheng's youngest son got into trouble? The police are after him?"

"I just saw him pushing his father in a wheelchair at the village entrance a few days ago. I was wondering why he came back, wasn't he working as a doctor in the big city?"

The town was abuzz with speculation. Some said Zheng Yandong had killed a patient in the city, while others claimed he had murdered someone. Rumours ran rampant. Meanwhile, a few young people who had internet access quickly provided information about Zheng Yandong to the public security bureau.

Six hours later, the police in S Province captured Zheng Yandong as he attempted to hide in a vegetable cellar in Zhengxi Village, Zhengjia Town.

The photos from the scene showed Zheng Yandong with shifty eyes and a poor mental state, and his whole body looked timid and listless.

This further confirmed Lu Zheng's suspicions that Zheng Yandong was likely suffering from depression himself and had suicidal tendencies. His reason for creating the group might not have been to harm others but because he wanted to take his own life!

"I have a bold hypothesis," Lu Zheng stared at the large screen displaying the photos. "I suspect that someone used Zheng Yandong to collect patient data and gather a group of depressed individuals with suicidal tendencies, amplifying the 'thought stamping' effect. Zheng Yandong might be a victim himself!"

"And the ultimate purpose of all this, is most likely organ harvesting!"

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: February 6, 2025 by Angel

Edited: February 25, 2025 by Angel