Criminal Psychology

“I know you want to scream, but please hold back your screams and keep your current movements as they are now. Give me 30 seconds.”

After the gunshot that shook glass and trembled the audience, the voice of Xing Conglian came through.

Perhaps because the gunshot was so intimidating, everyone at the scene was in a momentary panic, and because of this panic, no one made a sound.

Lin Chen slowly put down his hand, covering his ears. His eardrums were hurting. Thinking about what happened just now, Wang Chao must have turned the volume to the max, and Xing Conglian had shot his gun through the broadcast microphone…

However, he wasn’t surprised that Xing Conglian would do this kind of thing. After all, he had a quarter of the blood of a fighting race, and he could indeed fight in a critical moment.

He gently squeezed the lower side of his ear, trying to relieve some of the symptoms of tinnitus while continuing to hold the phone close to his other ear.

The voice of Xing Conglian came out slowly from the earpiece and the broadcast.

He said, “My name is Xing Conglian. I am the captain of the Hongjing Criminal Police Division. I will be there shortly to ensure your safety, provided that you carefully listen to what I’m about to say.”

His voice was low and clear, with a bit of coldness and, more so, an irresistible, powerful aura.

He first identified himself, then appeased the masses, and finally clarified his goal. In any case, it was strange that some people were better at persuading or even ordering others. Though Xing Conglian had been talking non-stop, there wasn’t any panic after the gunshot sounded. Some people slowly got up, and more people started looking around for the source of the sound.

Xing Conglian was speaking to the audience while Lin Chen was talking to him.

“There’s a very important effect in social psychology called ‘diffusion of responsibility*’, which means that when a person is in a crowd, there will be too many bystanders, which reduces the individual’s willingness to lend a hand. The only solution is to ask for help. Please clearly indicate the person you want to ask for help. For example, the gentleman in the blue shirt and glasses, please help him. Like that. Since there are such a large number of people at the scene, words like stop, freeze, and don’t move are all meaningless. Please be sure to implement them to specific locations and address specific groups of people,” Lin Chen said quickly. He took a breath, then continued, “The most important thing now is to find someone to go on stage and check on Li Jingtian’s situation…”

*A sociopsychological phenomenon whereby a person is less likely to take responsibility for action or inaction when other bystanders or witnesses are present. Considered a form of attribution, the individual assumes that others either are responsible for taking action or have already done so.

Before he could keep speaking, he heard Xing Conglian’s voice resounding from the broadcast speakers again.

It was just that he didn’t hear Xing Conglian mention anything in the lobby of the first floor but heard him say…

“Friends in front of the Longyuan Milk Tea Shop on the fourth floor, please step aside. My colleague is at the scene. Please let him walk to the railing and survey the scene clearly so as to help everyone evacuate in an orderly manner…” Xing Conglian paused, as if he thought of something, then added, “Oh, he’s the one behind you wearing a white shirt and has a cast on his arm, and he’s on his phone.”

At that moment, eyes like a tidal wave cast their gaze on Lin Chen. He even wanted to compliment Xing Conglian a bit.

However, given the current situation, he naturally couldn’t do this. The flow of people divided into two sides, forming a gap between them. Lin Chen walked to the guardrail and looked down.

Wang Chao deliberately selected a location that had a really good perspective. Compared with standing on a chair, the angle now clearly allowed him to observe the situation in the lobby, especially the area around the stage. He saw Inspector Huang, who was pressed to the ground by several girls and was struggling to get up.

“Xing Conglian, let Huang Ze go on stage. Can you see him? He’s directly in front of the stage. There are some girls in red dresses… on him…”

The voice over the phone answered him.

“The girls in front of the stage in the lobby on the first floor, please pay attention. Please step back. You’re… stepping on another colleague of mine. Yes… the one in the black suit. I know you’re all very concerned about Mr. Li Jingtian’s situation, but right now he needs professional help… So, Inspector Huang, will you please get up and go on stage and check Mr. Li Jingtian’s condition? Thank you.”

Lin Chen could feel Huang Ze’s face as black as the bottom of a kettle when he heard Xing Conglian’s voice coming from the broadcast, despite the fact that he was far away and couldn’t see Huang Ze’s expression clearly.

Anyone who was saved by the person he hated most in his life would probably feel unhappy and depressed.

The girls who were surrounding the stage helped each other up and retreated slowly.

Huang Ze struggled to get up. His suit was crumpled, and his hair was a mess. Lin Chen saw that Huang Ze staggered a bit while getting up, as if his leg were injured. Most likely, it was a fracture. Huang Ze, however, didn’t go directly on stage but braced himself, turned around in the direction Lin Chen was standing, and cast a deep look.

Lin Chen stood by the handrail on the fourth floor, looking at Huang Ze’s wretched face, and said to Xing Conglian, “Huang Ze is about to go on stage.”

While Huang Ze climbed with difficulty on the stage to reach Li Jingtian, Xing Conglian spoke again.

“In order to ensure that Mr. Li Jingtian seeks timely medical treatment, I hope everyone can cooperate with the evacuation process. The police promise that they will report Mr. Li Jingtian’s condition in a timely manner and do their best to arrest the culprit. So now, for your safety and others’, including Mr. Li Jingtian’s life, please listen to my next instruction. After I say ‘start’, follow my request and leave in an orderly manner.”

Xing Conglian’s voice was calm and composed, firmly controlling the audience.

Lin Chen suddenly felt that Xing Conglian seemed to be more experienced than him in dealing with emergencies; or rather, what he had were just theories, while Xing Conglian had a wealth of experience.

“First, please stay where you are and observe whether there are injured people who have been trampled on. If there are injured people, please help move them gently to the nearest shop. Please note that everyone else remains where you are and don’t move.”

The entire mall finally heard groans, or rather, the wailing of people around them.

Immediately afterwards, the sound of movement came from all around. After a short period of panic, the crowd finally came to their senses and started helping each other, even without special instructions. They began to make their way to the injured in an orderly manner.

Lin Chen felt relieved and looked away toward the stage again.

Huang Ze kneeled beside Li Jingtian and saw him taking off his coat and pressing it tightly against the wound on Li Jingtian’s neck. Then, Huang Ze turned around and gave a thumbs up to where he was standing.

That meant that Li Jingtian was still alive.

Lin Chen was taken aback. Is Li Jingtian still alive?

He subconsciously glanced at the time on his phone. Three minutes had passed since Li Jingtian’s throat was cut. The time of death from a ruptured carotid artery was within 3-5 minutes, but after two minutes, the injured person would become unconscious. Not only could Huang Ze instantly determine that Li Jingtian was still alive, but it also meant he could still be saved?

“Xing Conglian, Li Jingtian is still alive, and his injuries may not be fatal.” He covered the mic as he whispered.

Although they were far apart and he couldn’t see Xing Conglian’s face, at that moment, Lin Chen seemed to be able to feel Xing Conglian nodding.

Xing Conglian’s calm voice sounded, and he said without any rush, “The evacuation will gradually advance from the first floor to the fourth floor. Friends on the second, third, and fourth floor, please wait patiently as we evacuate the first floor. If you’re in an empty hall on the first floor, please stay where you are and don’t move. Next, please let friends who are in the four corridors of north, south, west, and east leave slowly and orderly…”

“Then, please start.”

His instructions were short but concise. When Xing Conglian said “start”, Lin Chen clearly saw the flow of people in the four passages begin to move slowly. At first, the flow was slow, but as people walked out of the gate, more people began to pour out of the shopping mall. Presumably, Xing Conglian had already contacted Director Zheng before evacuating the crowds in the shopping mall, so the evacuation process was much smoother.

During the broadcast, Xing Conglian began to arrange for the most miserable spectators in the lobby to start leaving.

“All of you standing in the lobby, please make way for the passage between the ‘Lisen’ and ‘C&M’ shop. Medical staff will enter from this passage later, so please be sure to get out of the way and leave in an orderly manner from the remaining three passages.”

Xing Conglian’s voice gently divided the flow of people like they were in the palm of his hand.

As the crowd in the lobby decreased, the flipped seats and messy ground were gradually exposed, which meant that more people were leaving the hall. Medical staff carrying stretchers quickly entered from the only empty passage.

They climbed on the stage and quickly carried the injured away from the scene after providing emergency treatment.

Huang Ze pushed away a doctor who wanted to help him up and struggled to stand as he looked up.

Lin Chen avoided his gaze and turned to look at the backs of those faces he couldn’t clearly see that were exiting.

Among the people who were slowly leaving at this moment were worried fans, frightened customers, and, of course, the culprit who hurt Li Jingtian in full view of the public.

Perhaps the girl who was holding the bouquet of green roses and slit the singer’s neck was mixed into the crowd laughing at their incompetence.

However, this possibility was something they couldn’t take into account right now.