"What you just did was truly impressive. Was that hypnosis, Miss Jean?"
After questioning Mrs. Milgram, everyone gathered in the living room to discuss the case. It was clear that Gibbs wasn't one for compliments, which only made his words seem awkward and sincere.
The living room was decorated in an old-fashioned American style, with mostly solid wood furniture. The tan wainscoting and gold-rimmed decorative paintings would normally give off a solemn and elegant vibe, befitting a veteran general, but now it felt depressing.
"It was just simple psychological suggestion." Jiejie calmly took a half step back, hiding herself behind Jack and the sofa.
She was experienced in dealing with enthusiastic suitors, but Gibbs was clearly not after a beautiful woman; he was after her.
"Jiejie, like Jack, is a psychologist in the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit." Jubal, still unaware of the implication, offered a helpful explanation, which only made Gibbs's eyes light up even more.
Is NCIS so short of staff? Jack had the impression that this boss was quite discerning about people. Why was he trying to poach the FBI right off the bat? He was feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Hannah had just returned to the living room. She had just sent Mrs. Milgram to her bedroom and had two female police officers guarding the door.
"The Milgrams' cars are all there. Luke must have taken the general to his own car. Alice is comparing the surveillance footage from surrounding intersections with the stolen vehicle data from that day, hoping to find something."
Luke had abandoned his car at his parents' house, intentionally avoiding police observation. Therefore, the car he brought to the villa was most likely stolen, and Alice's tracking direction was sound.
Of course, this kind of screening wasn't something a single person could do. Behind her, dozens of analysts were working through the night at the New York operations center.
"Actually, besides Operation Drado Falls, I'm more concerned about the word 'gaslighting' Luke mentioned to the general in Mrs. Milgram's account just now."
Jack shifted his gaze from the photo of a battleship on the wall and began analyzing the case.
The term "gaslighting" is a slang term referring to the "gaslight effect." It originated from the 1930s play "Gaslight," which was later adapted into the film "Gaslight."
The play and film tell the story of how a man, by adjusting the brightness of a gaslight, uses a psychologically suggestive technique to cause confusion and self-doubt in his wife, ultimately controlling her thoughts.
While more subtle and subtle than the more widely known PUA, the "gaslighting effect" has a similar effect: it can gradually erode the manipulated individual's confidence and autonomy, making them cognitively and emotionally dependent on the manipulator.
When someone says to another, "You're trying to 'gaslight' me," they mean they're trying to manipulate their thoughts.
"He accused the general of replacing his parents and trying to manipulate his mind. It sounds like he has some kind of paranoia."
Jubal said, looking at Gibbs, "We really need the files on the 'Drado Falls' operation."
The latter nodded seriously, "When we return to the NCIS office, the information will appear on the table in your conference room."
"I always feel like I've heard of this symptom somewhere." Jack said, taking out his mobile phone and calling a human-shaped encyclopedia.
The ringing lasted for a long time before the call was connected. In addition to Red's complaints, there was also the questioning voice of his celebrity girlfriend Leila Yaqi.
Because Jack turned on the speakerphone directly, this commotion was heard by everyone. Hannah directly teased this guy rudely, "Wow, Red, I thought that even if you lived with Leila, you would definitely sleep in separate rooms."
A piercing noise came from the other end of the line, apparently Red had accidentally dropped the phone.
"We're not living together. Lyla's just visiting for the weekend. Please, it's not even 4 a.m. yet. What's going on?" Red quickly changed the subject after picking up the phone.
"We've run into a bit of trouble."
Jack, focusing on business, simply and clearly described Luke Dolan's symptoms.
"I know trauma can cause amnesia and even schizophrenia, but it's clear that Luke's paranoia hasn't affected his daily behavior. He was even able to breach the security system, enter the general's villa, and hold him hostage, which shows that his logical thinking is normal."
Red was silent for a long time before suddenly speaking, "I think he might have 'Capgras Delusion.'"
Everyone on the other end of the line looked at each other in confusion. The term was unfamiliar to everyone present.
"Please explain, Dr. Reid," Clay asked quickly.
Reid's voice became slightly higher-pitched, the tone he often used when presenting information in the Humanoid Encyclopedia.
"'Capgras delusion,' also known as imposter syndrome, is an extremely rare mental illness that appears almost exclusively in literary and artistic works. Sufferers are convinced that their friends and loved ones have been replaced by imposters."
"Like the movie 'Invasion of the Lost Ark'?" Gibbs interjected.
'Invasion of the Lost Ark' is a classic film from the 1950s, considered the forerunner of the classic TV series 'The X-Files.'
Reid continued, "Yes, but this symptom usually only involves one sense, most typically vision. Basically, the neural connection between the visual cortex and the part of the brain responsible for controlling emotions has been severed.
So when the patient looks at the people around him, he can't trigger a corresponding emotional response, which causes him to regard these people as imposters.
And what's interesting is that because the auditory connection is still intact, the symptom does not appear when he hears but does not see familiar people."
"So Luke's years of special operations career may have caused him to suffer from 'interface astrocyte scarring'. This damage made his brain extremely fragile, and the previous car accident was the last straw that broke the camel's back."
Aubrey, who had been listening quietly, understood what Reid meant, but there was still one thing he didn't understand. "But this can't explain why he went on a killing spree."
"Yes, but I think the answer lies in the 'Drado Falls' operation you mentioned. That was probably his breaking point.
Something must have happened during the operation that has been nagging him, and this, coupled with the onset of the 'Capgras Delusion', has made him extremely paranoid."
Clay had already figured out the reason, following Red's speculation. "Something happened during that operation that Luke believed was a scandal or a truth that needed to be covered up. So when he had the attack, he believed that his good friend and former commander, Adam Weiner, had been replaced.
So, he went to the 'Senna Locke' company initially just to find an old friend, and the massacre was just a spur-of-the-moment decision."
(End of this chapter)