"Jinro" became Korea's national liquor due to its low alcohol content and low price, earning it the nickname "poor man's liquor."
Jack had the "Jinro," a bland-tasting liquor, removed and replaced with "Ocean Blue," a more common Chinese baijiu in Korea.
Neither of them were big drinkers, but Jack had promised Ma Xidao Chinese baijiu, and he couldn't go back on his word. This made the two hostesses' eyes gleam with rage. Baijiu isn't cheap in Korea, and since they were in a nightclub, it was nearly $300 a bottle.
Ma Xidao grinned, took a sip, and set down his glass with a beaming smile. "Since that bastard might not be the real culprit, I have a clue you might be able to use."
Jack was puzzled. This guy had been gone before noon today, so where did he get a clue now?
"Ashiba, what's that look like?" His chubby face flushed crimson, and he couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or because his new friend was questioning his character.
"Didn't I say before that I would go and find out the situation for you? I've been wandering around Itaewon all afternoon today."
"Tell me about it. If it helps, I'll owe you a favor." Jack immediately became interested. He didn't expect that this guy hadn't really been absent-minded before.
Ma Xidao leaned forward and lowered his voice mysteriously. "There's an urban legend circulating in Itaewon recently. It is said that people often see a female ghost in the middle of the night. She has long hair and wears a white dress.
I asked the police officers patrolling nearby, and it is said that some people have really seen it. When the female ghost sees people, she will lift her long hair to reveal a very scary face."
"Female ghost? Urban legend?" Jack was a little confused. What is going on?
"Oppa, you are so annoying.
" "You are deliberately scaring us, right? I have to go home alone tonight."
"Asshole, stop it."
Ma Xidao pushed away the two hostesses who kept acting coquettishly beside him and said to Jack seriously.
"I didn't think much of it at first, but a patrol officer mentioned a detail: every time this ghost appears, she's pushing a supermarket cart."
Jack's eyes lit up. "Do you suspect this ghost is the murderer in disguise?"
Ma Xidao chuckled and spread his hands. "I don't know, but it's a bit of a coincidence that the 'legend of the woman in white' has become popular in the past month."
Jack didn't stay long. Now that he had a clue, he no longer wanted to drink with anyone. He immediately left Ma Xidao and returned to the FBI's base.
They had just gone to bed when someone, reeking of alcohol, woke them up again.
After Jack told everyone the "urban legend" Ma Xidao had uncovered, Jubal rubbed his chin in thought for a moment before speaking.
"As high as 90% of serial killers are male, and because the disposal scenes showed a certain degree of organization, we hadn't considered the possibility of a female killer in our previous profiles."
"But if we combine the chaotic crime scene with the body disposal scene, we can also conclude that the killer is a disorganized woman," Aubrey continued.
Criminal psychology doesn't prioritize gender equality. Male and female serial killers differ significantly in both their motives and methods.
Female serial killers are most often motivated by money and power, followed by revenge, while males are more likely to commit crimes for sexual reasons, which can also lead to a desire for control and manipulation.
In terms of method, female serial killers are more likely to use poison, while males primarily rely on violence.
Jiejie nodded in agreement. "But when female serial killers use violence, the crime scene appears disorganized, but they are usually more careful when disposing of the bodies, regardless of whether they are organized or not."
"In that case, we shouldn't use sexual psychology to explain her behavior," Clay said, looking at Jack.
"Yes, we all know that Li Jianyu is adept at playing the dominant role in intimate relationships, taking the lead. This manifests itself in his demands for plastic surgery for his girlfriend, a common 'PUA' tactic.
So, the true identity of the murderer we're looking for might be a former girlfriend he once pressured into undergoing plastic surgery. In light of the urban legend of the 'woman in white,' she was likely abandoned after her surgery went awry.
And the disfigured victims are her replacements."
After hearing Jack's speculation, Alice's fingers were already dancing across the keyboard.
"Wait a minute, this shouldn't be difficult to check, but it will take some time to retrieve the relevant plastic surgery medical records. That bastard has too many ex-girlfriends. I'll start with the most recent ones and work my way back."
Hannah pulled out a chair and sat next to her, also turning on her computer. "I remember Li Jianyu had several fiancées who had canceled their engagements. Well, this is it, Liu Xiubin, a real estate agent who was engaged to him about two years ago."
Not long after, Hannah cheered, and a photo of a slender, pretty woman appeared on the screen. "Bingo, guess what I found."
Everyone rushed to her computer screen. Jubal was the closest and finished reading the records first. "Liu Xiubin once worked for a real estate company. "That real estate company is the same one that sold the Itaewon office to Lee Gun-woo."
Aubrey was overjoyed. "So, as a real estate agent, she probably has the key to that office, and therefore knows how to get in and out without attracting attention."
He leaned over to Alice's computer and spoke excitedly, "Honey, can you find out where Liu Xiubin lives?"
Alice rolled her eyes at him, but didn't correct his address. "I don't know. She moved out of the apartment she rented over a year ago. Not only that, but she deleted all her social media accounts shortly after breaking off her engagement with Lee Gun-woo.
I can't find any work records for her since then. It's like she disappeared from the face of the earth."
"I've made another discovery. I checked the Facebook of Lee Gun-woo's American fiancée, Lauren Barrett, and I found that she started dating Lee Gun-woo around the same time that he and Liu Xiubin broke off their engagement."
Hannah raised her hand like a proud elementary school student.
"Then we have a motive. Li Jianyu and Lauren Barrett have been engaged for less than a month, and the first victim was killed two weeks ago."
Jiejie ruffled her hair in praise. "Lauren is a blonde beauty. Just like Li Jianyu said, the natural three-dimensional facial features of white beauties were the standard he once required his ex-girlfriends to have plastic surgery. She was Liu Xiubin's natural competitor.
This explains why she chose three victims. They were seen as substitutes for her competitors."
"Not only that." Jubal suddenly realized after being reminded. "What if the three deceased were not just substitutes?"
He looked at Jack. "Do you remember what we discovered during the autopsy? What if those disfigurements were not just a way to vent our anger?"
Jack's expression was solemn. "The murderer's techniques are constantly improving. She is practicing for the real opponent she wants to deal with, Lauren."
(End of the chapter)