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墨書 Inktalez
The other party did not say anything further and simply hung up the phone. Mary shrugged her shoulders and shook her head again, indicating that she still hadn’t been able to pinpoint the caller's location.
Sure enough, Mary said, "The caller is using a top-level number that changes frequently, making it random. To crack this, we need a lot of information for comparison. In other words, we need to accumulate the total call duration in minutes. These two calls were just too short. If he can call again, the chances of cracking it would be fifty percent. If he makes a few more calls, we will definitely be able to locate him."
Mary closed her laptop and continued, "From this point of view, the informant is someone with communication expertise. It seems he is highly educated. However, judging by his concerns, he does not want us to find him. If we capture Killer before locating him, his family could very well be killed by Killer..."
I nodded; Mary's analysis was spot on. It is only natural that one would do their utmost to protect others while ensuring their own safety and that of their family. If we were to criticize such a person for being selfish, then we would truly be the selfish ones.
As I paced back and forth, I said to Mary, "If he calls again, we still need to confirm his location. If we can use him to catch Killer, it wouldn’t be in vain. But we mustn't alert him; we need to proceed with caution."
As night fell and I gazed at the tranquil darkness, I suddenly realized it was already early morning. With time slipping away and hearing about Killer's next intended murder from the informant, we found ourselves powerless despite knowing what was about to happen. This sense of helplessness weighed heavily on my heart.
I tossed and turned, unsure when I finally fell asleep.
Early the next morning, Captain called me and said, "Captain Shao, we've found the black BMW. I'll send you the address right away; there's a note inside the car. It's not a Human Skin Map note but looks like it was written in haste. You should come over immediately."
Following Captain's directions, we rushed to the location. It was an open parking lot. According to the parking lot attendant, the Black BMW had been parked there around five or six in the afternoon and had not been moved since.
The timing matched up; at five forty yesterday afternoon, we deduced that Wenlan was inside that building while at the same time Killer drove away in this black BMW. By the time we arrived here, it should have been around six o'clock while we were still on our way to take Wenlan to the hospital.
The parking lot attendant confirmed that he had indeed seen the car owner. However, the owner was wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask, making it difficult to see his face clearly. But based on height and build alone, he estimated that this person was around six feet tall with an average build; one could tell from the outline of his clothing that he had impressive muscles.
We nodded; his height and build were consistent with what we had seen in previous surveillance footage. However, whether he was indeed Muscular Man couldn’t be determined from the footage alone. Nevertheless, according to the parking lot attendant's description, this person certainly appeared strong with significant muscle mass.
This made sense; if Killer were not physically powerful but rather a frail scholar, he wouldn't be able to carry out such intense murders. After all, killing is not a simple task—especially when it comes to cleaning up afterward; it requires someone with considerable physical strength. Just like how most crime scene cleaners are young individuals aged twenty to thirty.
Fortunately, although this was an open parking lot, there were cameras at the entrances and exits. Unfortunately, they only monitored inside the parking lot and provided no information about what happened outside. From the surveillance footage, we saw that after hastily parking the Black BMW, Killer did not get out immediately but remained inside for a full five minutes before finally stepping out.
It seemed that Killer wrote the note during that time.
Next, Killer walked out of the parking lot with his head down; once again, his face was not captured on camera.
Killer was wealthy—very wealthy indeed. He must have abandoned this BMW here directly. Additionally, both apartments he rented were paid for three months in advance. This made tracking down Killer quite difficult as well; once used cars or apartments are cleaned of any traces left behind, they are never used again. Reaching this point without any further leads was truly frustrating.
After a thorough inspection, nothing was found except for a letter.
Though it was called a letter, it was merely a piece of paper torn off casually, with black ink scrawled across it. I looked closer and saw that the page was filled with disdain and provocation directed at the police. At the same time, it detailed the writer's inner thoughts, densely packed into a single page. Here are some excerpts:
When I wrote these words, my heart was racing uncontrollably. Of course, I wasn't scared; I was excited. Watching you, Officer Shao, as you passed right in front of my car, you surely had no idea that the person you wanted to catch, the Killer, was sitting inside. But Officer Shao, you truly are impressive; not long after I committed murder, you found your way here.
Although I don't know how you managed to find me so quickly, I enjoy this feeling—aren't you the same? I've read your profile; you've solved many major cases. You must be lonely as a skilled detective; this kind of evenly matched game is what makes it fun. To be honest, the game has only just begun.
Over these past few days, I've simply wanted to confirm one thing: whether you are qualified to play this game with me. And now I've confirmed it—you indeed have that qualification. By the time you read this letter, the game will officially begin. I can give you a hint: this afternoon, you'll see an explosive piece of news.
As for what that explosive news is, I can't tell you just yet. News is called news because it's about events happening in real-time; if I told you, it wouldn't be news anymore.
Captain Shao, I'm waiting for you to catch me. Don't slack off; if you fail to catch me, the consequences will be dire. Of course, I'm not referring to yourself but to others—the lives of others. Ha ha! If you think about it carefully, aren't those lives indirectly on your conscience? I didn't kill Bo Ren; he died because of me. If anyone is to blame, it's yourself!
...
Well then, enough idle talk. It's already past six o'clock; it's time for dinner. Have you eaten? If not and you've skipped your meal in pursuit of me, then I would be greatly honored. That's all for now; goodbye.
Oh, and one last thing: this game will continue as long as you don't catch me. Bye-bye!
After reading this note left behind, I felt a chill run down my spine. According to his words, these four people were merely tests for me. To the Killer, four lives might just be a trial run. The Killer showed no mercy and never regarded these individuals as equals—truly deranged.
Moreover, analyzing the Killer's words suggests that these four victims were merely appetizers before the main course; the real feast was yet to come. The Killer brutally murdered four people using methods so unimaginable that ordinary people wouldn't dare think of them. Yet even so, the Killer considered it all just "a small matter."
I couldn't help but wonder what kind of big news the Killer intended to create. Upon seeing this note, everyone wore grim expressions; their faces revealed their deep concern.
Previously, the places where the Killer had committed murders and disposed of bodies were relatively remote; we were essentially the first discoverers of those crime scenes. Thus far, no media had been aware of these incidents. However, if the Killer intended to escalate things now by disposing of bodies in crowded areas, it would have significant repercussions.
If panic ensued among citizens and trust eroded, that would pose a serious problem.
Captain Shao stared at the note thoughtfully and said, "The Killer's note suggests he seems to have some big news planned. It looks like he's about to escalate things further. We still don't know what kind of trouble he intends to stir up; clearly, this Killer has a twisted mind!"
"It's not just a matter of perversion anymore," I said to Captain. "This afternoon, Killer is likely to dump a body in the city center. If the media gets wind of it, things could spiral out of control. It could cause panic or even lead to casualties among the crowd. So we need to issue a warning in advance. By the way, what major squares are there in North City?"
Captain thought for a moment and replied, "There's the Central Square downtown, People's Square in the north, and Wetland Park and Sports Park, which are all relatively large areas. These places have high foot traffic and attract many people daily. We can seal off Sports Park and Wetland Park; I'll make some calls about that. But we can't close off the squares..."
"Let's take it one step at a time," I said, rubbing my temples. "Seal off Sports Park and Wetland Park, and increase personnel at Central Square and People's Square. We need to be aware of any unusual activity and resolve it beforehand. We cannot let Killer blend into the crowd; we need to act now."
Captain nodded and said, "Alright, I'll arrange two teams: one will go to People's Square, and the other will head to Central Square. They'll blend into the crowd at the entrances and look for any suspicious individuals. If anything happens, they'll notify us immediately. How does that sound?"
Dezi frowned and asked, "What if Killer doesn't dump a body in either of those places?"
Hearing Dezi's words, both Captain and I sighed simultaneously. I replied, "We can only say that these locations have the highest probability. North City isn't small, but it's not huge either. If Killer randomly dumps a body, where else can we accurately search? This might be a gamble, but these are our best odds; we have to believe that."
Captain added, "From Killer's tone, it does seem that way."
"Get ready; have someone tow the car back," I instructed. "If we can get through today, tomorrow reinforcements from the department will arrive."
A high school student had been kidnapped along with Leggy School Beauty and Busty Third-Tier Celebrity, trapped in an abandoned cabin after mistakenly eating unknown wild fruit, feeling feverish throughout the night.
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