I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 353 Lin Hao's Confession

Chapter 353 Lin Hao's Confession

Lin Hao's voice was low and trembling as he began to tell his story.

"I know you've always suspected me, but you don't know that I'm also a victim." Lin Hao's voice was choked with sobs. "I participated in that drug project, but I didn't know its side effects would be so serious. Until one day, I found that I was starting to change..."

He paused, took a deep breath, and continued, "I began to hallucinate and hear voices telling me to do things... I couldn't control myself and could only do what they told me to do. I didn't mean to hurt those victims, but my body did it uncontrollably."

Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan and Li Wei listened quietly, their faces filled with shock and sympathy.

"I know this is wrong, but I can't stop." A trace of pain flashed in Lin Hao's eyes. "I have been fighting the side effects of this drug, but I am losing control of myself. I deleted the surveillance video because I don't want you to discover my secret. I... I didn't mean it."

"Lin Hao, why don't you tell us the truth?" There was a hint of regret in Zhang Wanqing's voice.

"Because I'm scared." Lin Hao's voice was almost inaudible. "I'm afraid you'll think I'm a monster, afraid you'll leave me. I... I just want to protect myself."

"Lin Hao, you are not a monster." Fu Siyuan said, "You are also a victim. We will help you find an antidote to free you from the control of this drug."

Lin Hao raised his head, a glimmer of hope flashing in his eyes: "You will really help me?"

"Of course." Li Wei nodded. "We are friends. We will face this together."

After Lin Hao's confession, the three decided to re-investigate the "Mind Purification" project, trying to find a way to remove the side effects of the drugs. They learned that Lin Hao was not the real murderer, he was just one of the victims controlled by the drugs.

"We need to find Professor Wang's experimental records." Fu Siyuan said, "Maybe there are clues to the antidote there."

The three returned to the graduate school and searched Professor Wang's laboratory. After some effort, they found a notebook hidden in a corner of the laboratory. The notebook recorded Professor Wang's experimental process and an unfinished antidote formula.

"This is what we need," Zhang Wanqing said excitedly, "We can use this formula to create an antidote to free Lin Hao from the drug's control."

"But we still need to test it," Li Wei warned. "This formula may not be perfect."

"We can seek help from a professional doctor," Fu Siyuan said. "As long as we can create an antidote, there's hope that Lin Hao will recover."

Over the next few days, the three contacted medical experts and developed an antidote based on Professor Wang's formula. After numerous tests, they were able to confirm that the antidote was effective in eliminating the side effects of the drug.

"Lin Hao, we found the antidote." Zhang Wanqing handed the antidote to Lin Hao with a look of relief on her face. "You can return to normal."

Lin Hao took the antidote, a trace of gratitude flashing in his eyes: "Thank you, without you, I may never be able to get rid of the control of this drug."

Lin Hao nodded, his heart filled with hope. He knew he had made a mistake, but he also knew he still had a chance to make amends.

With Lin Hao's confession, the whole case seems to have been solved. However, when the three dig deeper into Lin Hao's past, a shocking truth gradually surfaced - Lin Hao's murder method is exactly the same as an unsolved case ten years ago.

Ten years ago, a bizarre murder occurred at the Graduate School. A graduate student was found dead in the laboratory, stabbed in the heart with a sharp object. There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, and no witnesses. The case remained unsolved, a mystery on campus.

"Could it be that Lin Hao also committed the case ten years ago?" This thought flashed through Fu Siyuan's mind, and his heart sank suddenly.

"We need to re-investigate the case from ten years ago," Zhang Wanqing said, a hint of unease in her voice. "If the methods are the same, then Lin Hao may have already started."

"But ten years ago, Lin Hao was still a student." Li Wei frowned. "It's impossible for him to have such strong antisocial tendencies back then."

"Unless..." Fu Siyuan's voice was low and slow, "Unless he was already under the influence of drugs at that time."

"Or maybe the murderer back then was someone else?" Zhang Wanqing said.

Lin Hao sat on the hospital bed, his eyes hollow and lost. Although the side effects of the medication had gradually subsided, the repressed memories flooded back like a tide, leaving him unable to calm down.

"What...what did I do?" Lin Hao asked himself repeatedly in his heart. His hands were tightly grasping the bed sheets, and his nails were deeply embedded in the fabric.

"What did you do?" A voice rang in his mind, it was another self deep inside him - the demon awakened by the drugs. "You just completed your mission, that's all."

Lin Hao shook his head, trying to dispel those horrible memories, but those images followed him like a shadow, unable to be shaken off.

He recalled that night a decade ago, when the lab was thick with the pungent smell of chemicals. He was a graduate student then, participating in the early experiments of the "Mind Cleansing" project. The side effects of the medication had begun to take hold, and he felt an irresistible urge.

"I just want to make everything better." Lin Hao said in his heart, but his hands uncontrollably picked up a scalpel.

The victim, Liu Xiang, was his classmate who was sorting materials in the lab at the time. Lin Hao remembers feeling a surge of rage, as if driven by a force to vent.

"He was talking loudly at the time, and I was doing an experiment. I was very upset when I heard him making such noises. So I picked up a knife and stabbed him. I... I just wanted him to be quiet." Lin Hao muttered to himself as he recalled the past, a trace of pain flashing in his eyes. "I... I didn't mean to..."

The moment the scalpel pierced Liu Xiang's heart, Lin Hao felt an indescribable sense of relief. However, when he saw the pool of blood, his heart fell into endless darkness.

"What...what did I do?" The voice echoed in Lin Hao's mind, and his body trembled slightly.

"You just completed your mission." The voice sounded again, with a hint of sarcasm. "You just made the world a better place."

"Then, I put him in a suitcase and dragged him to the abandoned warehouse at the school and hid him there. Then I cleaned the lab, wiped off all the blood, and wiped off my fingerprints."

Later, a forensic examination determined that the killer approached Liu Xiang from behind and suddenly attacked, leaving him with little chance to resist. Liu Xiang suffered multiple stab wounds, the fatal one being a single stab wound to the heart. Because the school did not have surveillance cameras at the time, the killer could not be captured on camera.

At this moment, Lin Hao shook his head, trying to dispel those terrible memories. However, those images followed him like a shadow, lingering.