Chapter 209: Butcher’s Antisocial Personality, Key Information in Two Major Cold Cases

He didn’t know K’s identity.

But he did know certain things about the Demon Witch and Ghost?

Butcher’s answer made Su Ming frown. Although he had already suspected that Butcher might not know K’s true identity, hearing it with his own ears still left him somewhat disappointed.

After all—

If they could directly extract K’s identity from Butcher’s mouth, the entire operation to apprehend the organization would be accelerated several times over—perhaps even bring about the immediate collapse of the whole drug trafficking organization.

But since Butcher didn’t know K’s identity, the only breakthrough point left would likely be the Priest that Lin Tian and Huang Qiang were currently tracking.

As for the possibility of Butcher still trying to hide anything, it was virtually impossible.

In his current state, mentally and psychologically shattered, Butcher wouldn’t dare hide a thing. He had no reason to endure further torment for K’s sake.

Even so, what needed to be asked still had to be asked.

Su Ming tapped the interrogation table in front of Butcher with his finger and asked coldly:

“You don’t know K?”

“Why wouldn’t you know K’s identity? If I’m not mistaken, you should be one of the earliest members to join this drug trafficking organization, right?”

“Butcher, give me a reason that makes sense.”

Under the overwhelming psychological pressure earlier, Butcher’s mental defenses had already been torn to shreds. He didn’t dare defy Su Ming and immediately lowered his head to answer.

“Five years ago. I joined the drug trafficking organization five years ago.”

“No—that’s not right. It wasn’t exactly joining. I was absorbed into the organization by K.”

“He called me directly and told me from then on I’d be working for him. In return, I would receive a lot of benefits.”

“But when I joined, K made it very clear…”

“Because I had too many cases on me, and because I couldn’t control my urges to keep seeking out prey, the likelihood of being caught by the police was too high.”

“So he wouldn’t share the organization’s key information or his identity with me.”

“But at the same time, he provided me with things like bombs, surveillance gear, Skin Masks, and contact info for other members.”

“I didn’t really care about the secrecy. Not being part of the core didn’t matter—as long as K could help me stay on the run and keep the police from catching me, that was good enough.”

“So all along, I never knew who K was.”

“Or maybe… K was just cautious enough to never let me know, fearing exactly the kind of situation I’m in now.”

This answer made Su Ming frown again. He gently rubbed his chin and continued asking:

“K recruited you? Explain that in more detail.”

“If I’m not wrong, before you joined the drug trafficking organization, you’d already racked up five murder cases, right?”

“In that kind of situation, instead of hiding, you actually believed K’s offer? And this was someone you’d never even met—just a phone call?”

It was clear Su Ming had sensed something wrong. He couldn’t understand how K had managed to recruit Butcher into the organization.

After a brief moment of recollection, Butcher answered hoarsely, not daring to lie in the slightest.

“Because I had no money.”

“After five years on the run, I’d spent all my savings. I needed a way to survive—a way to keep hunting prey, without worrying about going hungry.”

At this point, Butcher paused for two seconds, a hint of indescribable emotion in his tone, and continued:

“I started off as a construction worker, a nobody. I worked for ten whole years and finally became a project manager.”

“But in the second year after I got promoted, our site had a major safety incident.”

“A worker accidentally fell from the fifth floor. A steel bar pierced his carotid artery, and blood gushed out uncontrollably, forming a small river within seconds.”

“Everyone else was too scared to approach after seeing that scene, but as the project manager, I had no choice but to go over and check on the situation first.”

“And when I touched that worker’s body, when I felt the warmth of that fresh blood, an unprecedented excitement surged in my heart—I relished that unique sensation of blood flowing out of another person’s body.”

“Though I’d been splattered with blood before when helping my family slaughter pigs for the New Year, it was a completely different feeling.”

“That sensation had a strange addictiveness and thrill I couldn’t describe.”

“After being held accountable and heavily fined by the company, I simply resigned and decided to start my own business.”

“But every time things quieted down, I kept thinking about that scene—about the warm, crimson blood gushing from the blood vessels.”

“I began to struggle. I began convincing myself. I started watching numerous murder videos. I read books on anti-investigation techniques. I began preparing to…”

“Personally cut open my prey’s arteries and feel their warm blood drain out.”

“That’s how it was.”

“I carried out my first case. My inner craving was satisfied. I evaded the police. But I still didn’t dare return to work.”

“I spent five years hunting prey. I also stayed hidden for five years, and spent all my money in the process.”

“So, with no money left, I decided to make a living using the one thing I was best at—so I could keep going…”

At this moment—

Su Ming more or less understood the root of Butcher’s murders and how K had gotten in contact with him.

As expected—

Butcher had inherent psychological issues—specifically, a latent extreme antisocial personality disorder.

On the surface, he didn’t seem unusual and was no different from an ordinary person, but once a certain event triggered that buried criminal impulse, there was no turning back.

As for what came afterward—

Most likely, the broke Butcher posted an offer to kill on the dark web, which led to K discovering him and recruiting him into the drug trafficking organization.

Now that his thoughts were sorted—

Su Ming was basically certain there was almost no chance of extracting K’s identity from Butcher. The only thing left was to see how much information he knew about the other members.

He tapped the table lightly with his fingers and asked coldly, without a hint of emotion:

“I understand if you don’t know K’s real identity.”

“But Butcher, why do you know information about the Demon Witch and Ghost, yet know nothing about the others—like Plague, Babu, or Priest?”

Butcher fell silent for two seconds again, then nodded slightly in despair.

“No… I don’t know.”

“Because I wasn’t very interested in the kinds of cases they did or the methods they used to kill. Plus, I had complete faith in my own techniques, so I didn’t waste time reading their experience reports.”

“I didn’t want to waste time on meaningless things. Hunting prey was always my top priority.”

“But among them, the killing methods used by Demon Witch and Ghost truly caught my eye. That’s why I read their shared experiences several times.”

Upon hearing that—

Su Ming’s gaze turned sharper, but his voice remained calm as he asked in a low tone:

“So what you’re saying, Butcher, is…”

“You know the key details of the [Red-Clothed Boy Strangled in Suicide Case] and the [Dead Woman Drowned in Hotel Water Tank Case]?”