CHAPTER 274: CHAPTER 181 ABNORMAL LOVE_2

Dean looked at Lawrence with appreciation. When it came to taking the blame, this guy was experienced, with a keen nose for trouble. No wonder he held the record for the most complaints in the Los Angeles Police Department.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Dean led Merck to the conference room.

Daisy skillfully served two cups of coffee, ensuring Dean looked good in front of the outsider.

Merck sipped his coffee, easing the fatigue from a sleepless night.

Dean quickly flipped through the documents in his hand. It was a profile of a woman suspected of being a follower of the ’Cannibal Demon’.

According to the information, the woman, Yamaguchi Yuko, was seventeen years old, of Japanese descent, and from a wealthy family.

Yamaguchi Yuko’s father owned a chain of Japanese restaurants in the area, with assets exceeding ten million. Her mother’s side of the family had many relatives married to local Caucasian government employees and police officers.

Some of them were quite influential. This was also why Merck found the situation tricky and hadn’t directly summoned her.

Under intense surveillance by the FBI’s Cyber Division, Yamaguchi Yuko became a fervent fan of the ’Cannibal Demon’ after discovering his ’devotee’ video on the dark web. She not only supported him by purchasing Virtual Coins through special channels but also repeatedly sent meet-up requests to the ’Cannibal Demon’s’ online account.

The ’Cannibal Demon’ had responded to her. Two days ago, Yamaguchi Yuko requested leave from school, ostensibly to meet the ’Cannibal Demon’ at XX Bar. However, she didn’t actually go there. Instead, she went straight to the hotel where Dean and his team were staying, rented a room, and then returned to her campus.

Merck and his team suspected Yamaguchi Yuko had other ways to contact the ’Cannibal Demon’!

Combining this with the information Merck had shared earlier, Dean formed a hypothesis.

Putting the file away, he looked at Merck, who was quietly sipping his coffee. "Agent Merck, did the forensics department find anything new about the severed hand yesterday?"

Merck took a sip of his strong coffee and nodded. "Most of it aligns with what you said, Chief Dean, but the forensics lab’s conclusion is more precise."

"According to their tests, the severed hand came from a male corpse, dead for over twenty-four hours. The victim was approximately thirty years old and had a deep wedding ring mark on his ring finger, indicating he was likely married. Additionally, forensic colleagues found traces of green wasabi under his fingernails. The only unfortunate part was that there were no records of the victim in the database."

"Green wasabi!"

Dean was even more certain of his guess.

Seeing Merck’s apparent lack of reaction to this detail, Dean reminded him, "Wasabi is generally divided into two types: yellow and green. Yellow wasabi mainly comes from China and is made from mustard seeds. Green wasabi, primarily from Europe, is produced from horseradish—often called Japanese horseradish or wasabi root. It’s naturally pale yellow but is dyed green. Its pungent aroma makes it a common seasoning in Japanese cuisine."

Merck set down his cup, his pupils contracting slightly. "Chief Dean, are you saying the victim went to a Japanese restaurant before he died?"

"He could have been an employee at a Japanese restaurant or a customer. Moreover, I must remind you: the ’Cannibal Demon’ hasn’t been in Los Angeles long, yet he knew the exact surveillance layout and blind spots of that commercial street. This means someone very familiar with the area must have helped him. I suggest you focus your investigation on Yamaguchi Yuko!"

Yamaguchi Yuko’s father owns numerous Japanese restaurants in Los Angeles. She’s also a follower of the ’Cannibal Demon’ and might have recently contacted him... She’s highly suspicious!

After Merck processed this information, he stood up and thanked Dean. "Chief Dean, I’m very grateful for your help. When it comes to keen observation of clues and Psychological Deduction, you’re the most outstanding young man I’ve ever met—bar none!"

Dean responded with a faint smile, appearing indifferent to Merck’s praise.

From their brief interaction, Dean had already discerned that this Merck, much like Old Hunter, had some skill—but truly, just a little. How he ever became a senior FBI agent was beyond him.

After seeing Merck off, the members of Squad Four immediately gathered around, their faces alight with curiosity.

"Dean, what did you talk about with him? I felt like he became a different person before and after entering the conference room, like..."

Lawrence, who wasn’t the most articulate, struggled for a moment before stating vividly, "It was like... like he was a desperate man who’d just found his savior, totally redeemed!"

Dean gave him a thumbs-up. "Lawrence, if your old literature teacher could hear how well you articulate things now, they’d be very gratified."

Harry raised his eyebrows. "But Lawrence’s description is spot-on. I saw that agent, Merck, looking at you with immense respect. You really won him over."

"It wasn’t that dramatic. I just gave him some advice on the ’Cannibal Demon’ case."

Dean leaned back comfortably in his chair, propping his feet up. "While there’s still time, you all should decide who you want to partner with—me or Lawrence. Otherwise, Captain Monet will have to make the assignments."

Hearing this, Harry and Robert immediately raised their hands. "Dean, I want to be with you!"

Lawrence was speechless.

Fuck! Those two assholes, not giving me any face at all! He looked pitifully at Phoebe.

A flicker of relief crossed Lawrence’s eyes. She’s my girlfriend; she’ll support me, at least.

The next moment, the scar on Phoebe’s face twitched as she smiled. "Sorry, Lawrence. If I could, I’d also like to follow Dean. That way, at least we can save money for a house sooner, instead of just racking up complaints with you."

Lawrence: "..."

Perhaps it was because criminals were also taking a post-Christmas break, but nothing happened all day.

Dean, bored, spent the afternoon reading chemistry and biology books.

Ever since he’d received ’Brother Wei’s’ formula from Little Mike, he hadn’t found the energy or time to actually concoct it, so he’d decided to study the relevant subjects himself.

Leveling up was getting progressively harder. Dean knew he couldn’t rely solely on the system panel for self-improvement.

His Spirit attribute was now at fifteen points, allowing him to learn and understand new things rapidly. Self-improvement is the true path.

At five in the afternoon, Dean stretched, ready to leave work early to meet the real estate agent he had an appointment with.

Suddenly, a notification flashed in his mind: [Assisted in solving the Los Angeles cannibalism case. Experience Points +400. Level 17 (1600/3200)]

Merck works this fast? Dean wasn’t surprised by the Experience Points; instead, confusion clouded his face. The crucial part is, why would apprehending a ’Cannibal Demon’—who’s supposedly eaten countless people—only yield four hundred Experience Points? That’s not logical! Unless... this case wasn’t committed by the ’Cannibal Demon’ at all, but was a copycat crime!

Just as he was pondering this, Senior FBI Agent Merck called.

Dean tapped to answer.

Merck’s grateful voice came from the other end. "Chief Dean, thanks to your tip, we’ve caught the cannibal they’re calling ’Ken’—the one who eats severed hands. The outcome was quite unexpected!"

"Yamaguchi Yuko?" Dean asked tentatively.

Merck replied, "...Yes." He felt deflated. Talking to someone this smart made it hard to feel any sense of accomplishment; it even fostered an inferiority complex, especially for an old timer like him.

"Following your hint, we quickly identified the owner of the severed hand."

It turned out the hand belonged to Yamaguchi Yuko’s own cousin. One of them was only seventeen, still in high school; the other was twenty-nine, already married with a child.

After identifying the victim, Merck immediately detained Yamaguchi Yuko. By searching her chat records and residence, they found the remaining parts of her cousin’s body.

Speaking of this, Merck, despite being a seasoned agent, showed signs of nausea.

"Dean, you can’t imagine how crazy this seventeen-year-old girl is. After killing her cousin, she bought an extra-large freezer to store his body. She intended to dismember him piece by piece and then ’savor’ all of him! I asked her why. She told me that way, she could be with her cousin forever and ever..."

Hearing this, Dean shook his head. No need to guess. It was a twisted love, one that defied all ethics, a distorted affection.