Chapter 409: The Set-Up (2/2)

I shook my head, ”They are awake and conscious. It doesn’t seem like hypnosis but perhaps voluntary sacrifice. I don't understand how the Dog Trainer managed to persuade them. Even if he gave them all the money in the world, what's the point if they lose their lives?”

Xiaotao suddenly blurted, ”Remember the guy from the human pig case?”

The realization suddenly dawned upon me as I recalled the fake Kong Hui with the same look of numbness.

”Where’s that man now?” I asked.

”At the time, he was arrested for obstructing justice. After all, he hadn’t really killed people so he was soon released. However, according to case files, this man has no fingerprints. We’ve been unable to determine his true identity.”

”Dog Trainer...” I wondered out loud. ”It seems that the ‘dogs' he trained are the people who volunteer to die for the organization. This guy has amazing skills!”

Although the case was concluded, we could hardly muster up any enthusiasm. At the end of the interrogation, I said, ”Let's speak to them!”

Xiaotao told the interrogators to switch with us. Then, we entered the room and sat in front of the effeminate man.

”What else do you want?” he snapped. “Haven’t I already confessed to everything? You guys are so inefficient!”

I fired three questions in a row, ”What's your name? What do you do? Did you participate in all three murders?”

This was a technique used in lie detection, combining irrelevant questions with important ones. The man answered them one by one with the same blank expression which seemed all the more bizarre. His eyes were dull as if he had no soul, and he rarely made eye contact with us.

”Why sell your life to the Dog Trainer?” I stared fixedly into his eyes.

”I don't know what you are talking about,” the man smiled.

Right then, Xiaotao took out a bottle of milk and placed it on the table. As I activated the Eyes of Yama, the man broke out in ear-splitting screams. When I finally looked away, his expression had undergone a dramatic change, his voice laced with panic. ”Master, master! I will always be your most loyal dog, I will not betray you. Woof, woof… Woof, woof!”

Xiaotao and I exchanged a meaningful look–the man was crazy. Just as I was about to go over to check the authenticity of his crazy act, Xiaotao stopped me. ”Don't touch him. The monitor is still on. If something happens, we’ll have one more thing to deal with.”

I rubbed my temples, helpless at the situation. Having used the Eyes of Yama so many times, I was well aware that it induced extreme fear in the intended party. However, the mind of a normal person was able to resist to a certain extent. This was the first time I had ever made a person go mad.

Looking at the effeminate man behaving like a dog, I was suddenly struck by a thought. ”He was brainwashed!” I exclaimed.

”What?” Xiaotao was baffled.

This was the Dog Trainer’s unique skill. He imprisoned people and forced them to obey by various methods which were a form of training.

The self was protected by a shell, better known as willpower, which varied from person to person. The trainer used different means to make the trainees obey, gradually shattering their willpower so they completely lose their personality and become obedient ‘dogs.'

The self could be shaped by behavior. Watson, the founder of behavioral therapy and an American psychologist, once said this: “Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up in. I’ll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist, merchant-chief, and yes, even a beggar and a thief.”

The Dog Trainer was undoubtedly a master at this. I finally understood why he kidnapped witnesses instead of killing them. He could turn anyone into his own dog!