Chapter 159: A Frantic Phone Call
After learning Li Tie’s motive, the young officer who had just been taking notes with Liu Xin immediately asked, "Sir, should we inform his family about his motive?"
"We have to. In his case, the psychological issues are the primary concern. Criminals like him are actually the most tragic. If their psychological problems could receive proper corrective therapy, many of these crimes would never happen, and they could live normal lives.
But if the people around a criminal with psychological issues can’t help him confront and correct them, his problem will never be resolved—not even after he’s served his time and been released.
Even if our intervention and therapy in prison are effective, there’s a high probability he’ll relapse after release because of his environment, possibly leading to even more severe consequences," Liu Xin said, his expression grim.
"I see. So social interaction is the most terrifying petri dish for crime."
"You have to see both sides of the coin. Don’t paint everything with the same broad brush. A good social circle can help someone with criminal tendencies or suicidal depression dispel those thoughts. You can’t say all social interaction is bad.
That’s why the people around a criminal need a certain amount of guidance and education. They need to understand how to interact with someone who is, for the moment, unwell.
It’s like caring for a patient. If everyone showed a bit more understanding and compassion, things would be much better," Liu Xin said with a sigh.
"You’re on another level, Sir. At first, all I saw was a deviant—a murderer with pedophilic tendencies. Utterly irredeemable. I thought he should just be taken out and shot. But after listening to you, I feel like there might be a chance to save him." The young officer glanced at Liu Xin with admiration.
’The chief really is the chief,’ he thought. ’He sees things on a completely different level than I do.’
"As police officers, it’s right for us to despise evil. But when we find evil, it’s even more important to investigate the root causes behind it.
We have to ask, is this evil truly beyond redemption?
When we fight crime, maintain social order, and protect the public, relying purely on a brute-force approach yields minimal results.
After all, not every criminal is sentenced to death. Sooner or later, they return to society. We have a greater responsibility to consider how to address the fundamental nature of their evil." Liu Xin patted the young officer’s shoulder, offering his guidance.
Liu Xin spoke at length because he recognized the young officer’s passion, a quality unique to those new to the force.
As for some of the jaded veterans in the organization, they had long since forgotten why they entered this line of work to begin with.
If he could help shape the values of a few more young officers, that was a victory in itself.
Arresting criminals is a huge boon to public safety, of course, but rehabilitating them would be an even greater contribution.
This is especially true for crimes that stem from a common psychological issue. If those issues could be recognized and treated, many crimes could be nipped in the bud.
Everyone knows that preventing a crime is better than punishing it after the fact.
But that first step is the hardest part.
No one can predict the future.
Unless you could jump through timelines like Chen Mo, preventing crime before it happened was just too difficult.
Even someone like Chen Mo, who had traveled back through time, had to walk on eggshells every day, not knowing who the real culprit was.
This just went to show how incredibly difficult it was to stop a crime before it happened.
Still, for the young officer, it was a profound and educational shock.
His perspective on law enforcement had broadened considerably.
Soon, Li Gang and his wife learned of Li Tie’s exact motive.
When he heard the news, Li Gang was completely stunned. He instantly felt too ashamed to face Li Fengzhi.
Li Fengzhi, having already suspected the reason, didn’t have as strong a reaction as Li Gang.
But having her suspicions confirmed still sent a wave of fear through her.
If Chen Mo hadn’t been there, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
The thought filled her with gratitude for Chen Mo.
Chen Mo, on his end, also received the update.
Since Chen Mo was a party to the case and the matter involved students, the police naturally needed to keep him informed. This would put him at ease and allow him to be more vigilant against adults approaching with ulterior motives.
When he learned from the police what they had discovered about Li Tie’s motive, Chen Mo wasn’t the least bit surprised.
He had guessed it long ago.
His only problem now was how he was going to explain everything to Su Yuqing.
There was no way he could hide it from her. The police had driven right up to the house to make an arrest; how could the neighbors not notice and start asking questions?
In less than three days, everyone in the neighborhood would know.
And from there, the news would inevitably spread through the school.
So, keeping it from Su Yuqing was unrealistic.
But telling her the reason directly might be too much for her to handle.
Chen Mo, of course, was trying to think of a more tactful way to break the news.
Standing at the school gate, still not over his cold, Chen Mo felt the chilly night wind wash over him. His brain, already warm from his fever, felt even hotter as it worked overtime. Thankfully, the breeze provided a pleasant balance.
He racked his brain but couldn’t come up with a gentle way to tell Su Yuqing about Li Tie’s pathological obsession with her. In the end, he decided to just give up trying.
’Forget it. I’ll just come clean whenever she finds out,’ Chen Mo thought, shaking his head. Just then, a beautiful figure emerged from the school gate, walking slowly under the evening lights.
Even in her school uniform, she was radiant.
"It’s so windy tonight. You didn’t have to come get me," Su Yuqing said, feeling the cold air as she looked at Chen Mo.
"It’s fine. My fever’s making me hot, so the wind actually feels perfect," Chen Mo replied with a smile.
As they turned to walk back, Chen Mo opened his mouth to say something to Su Yuqing, but then hesitated and held his tongue.
"What is it?" Su Yuqing asked, looking at him curiously.
"Nothing," Chen Mo said, deciding to stay quiet.
Just then, Su Yuqing’s phone rang.
Su Yuqing glanced at the screen, surprised to see it was her mother’s number.
She shot Chen Mo a surprised look.
Chen Mo had given Li Fengzhi the number just last night. She hadn’t known it before, but Chen Mo saw that she was improving and still missed her daughter dearly, so he’d passed it along.
Staring at her mother’s number on the screen, Su Yuqing didn’t know whether the call was a good omen or a bad one.
’What if Mom wants me to come home?’
Recalling how Chen Mo had just hesitated to speak, her heart suddenly began to race with panic.