"Sergei, do you know the specific details of the deceased?" Leon asked seriously.
Sergei raised his eyebrows and pulled out a small notebook from his pocket, saying, "The deceased is a male around 25 years old. His exact identity is still under investigation, but from the high-end apartnt he was found in, the luxury pajamas he was wearing, and the undigested steak and truffles found in his stomach, the deceased was likely a wealthy young heir. However, it's strange that no items that could prove his identity were found at the cri scene."
"In addition, I found that the wounds on the body, although they look like they were caused by so kind of large predator, have so subtle differences from the injuries I've seen caused by various large predators. For example, the spacing between the claw marks is very wide, like they were inflicted by a human wearing sharp claws. And the bite marks also look like they were made by a human, but a human shouldn't have that kind of biting force."
Liu Xing nodded, becoming increasingly convinced that the deceased and the one found at the mansion gate yesterday were killed by the sa perpetrator.
However, what puzzled Liu Xing was that aside from the lack of identity items, the two victims seed to have little in common - one was a greedy journalist willing to take risks for money, while the other was a carefree wealthy heir.
But based on the current situation, it seems these two cases were not the work of the Blood Hand Print Killer, as the thod of killing differed from the killer's usual modus operandi.
So Liu Xing suspected the perpetrator might be the family transford into Ghouls by the Ghoul statue, as described in Alice's story.
Speaking of which, Liu Xing suddenly rembered that Alice had ntioned the Ghoul statue was likely created by EinsCastle. So this case might be closely related to Isabella's brother, Gary.
Liu Xing felt he should take the opportunity to visit Manchester.
"It seems the body Sergei autopsied today is very similar to the one we handled yesterday. They both appear to have been attacked by so kind of large predator, but the investigation found no signs of large predators in the vicinity, so this is likely a serial murder case," Leon said with a frown.
"A murder case? Leon, are you suggesting the perpetrators in these two cases are human?" Sergei looked surprised.
Leon shrugged and said, "I'm just speculating, as I don't have any evidence to prove the killers are human. But I find it hard to believe these are the work of a large predator, since the two incidents occurred in a relatively short ti fra, and a large predator couldn't have sneaked into a high-security apartnt in the middle of London without being noticed."
Sergei nodded, sowhat understanding, and said with a smile, "Okay, these professional matters are better left to you police officers. I, as a humble forensic scientist, should just focus on dealing with the bodies."
Leon chuckled, and they moved on to other topics.
While they were talking, Liu Xing was eating and considering the feasibility and safety of visiting Gary.
Thus, Sergei's lunch invitation was a success, though they couldn't linger and drink late into the night due to having to return to work.
At the entrance of the London Police Station, Sergei smiled and said, "Alright, next ti let's go drinking together. I know a great bar right next to the station, and the owner is a retired police officer, so you officers get discounts, especially new ones like you, Leon, who'll even get a free drink. But anyway, I'm counting on you to keep my sister safe."
Leon nodded, then asked with so concern, "Sergei, why hasn't Elsa chosen to move? You know the situation there, and even though I, Chris, and Miss Wang's bodyguards are there, Elsa could still be in danger if soone wants to harm Miss Wang."
Sergei shrugged helplessly and said, "I've tried to convince her, but that girl is stubborn and refuses to move out of the apartnt. And my parents, they just spoil Elsa and don't care if she's in danger there. So in the future, I'll have to rely on you guys again."
"No problem, it's our duty," Liu Xing said with a nod.
After parting ways with Sergei, since it was still early, Liu Xing and Leon bought a can of soda and sat in the lobby to chat, naturally about the two strange murder cases.
"Chris, do you think there's a possibility the killer has so kind of fetish, dressing up as Wolverine from the comics and imitating the attacks of predators like wolves and tigers?" Leon said, thinking out of the box.
Liu Xing took a sip of his soda and shook his head. "I don't think so. Based on the short ti fra between the two incidents and the distant locations, as well as the lack of connection between the two victims, I really don't have any clues. But at least these cases don't require us to investigate, or else we'd be working overti these past few days."
Just then, Jill walked in, seeming preoccupied and not noticing Liu Xing and Leon.
Liu Xing could tell from Jill's expression that her lunch hadn't gone well.
"Hey, Jill," Leon greeted her first.
Jill snapped out of her thoughts and noticed Liu Xing and Leon.
"Jill, what's wrong? You look a bit off," Liu Xing asked with concern.
Jill sighed and sat down, saying, "I went to have lunch with an old high school friend. We were enjoying ourselves, but then she got a bad news call - her boyfriend was found dead in his apartnt this morning. So I spent the whole ti comforting her, and it put in a bad mood too."
Liu Xing and Leon both raised their eyebrows, wondering if this was just a coincidence.
Jill saw the expressions on Liu Xing and Leon's faces and guessed what was going on. "Judging by your expressions, you two must also know about this matter?"
Liu Xing nodded and recounted the details he had discussed with Sergei over lunch.
"That's right, my classmate's boyfriend is indeed a rich second-generation heir, and based on the ti and location of his death, he seems to be the sa victim you ntioned, Chris. And if I'm not mistaken, my classmate is currently working as a journalist at a tabloid, and her boyfriend is her boss!"Jill said seriously.
Liu Xing suddenly had a flash of insight and slapped his thigh, saying, "I see now, it seems these two murder cases can be combined into a serial killer case. We should look into the recent reports published by the tabloids the two victims worked for, and we might be able to find the motive for the killer."
Since the three of them were people of action, they imdiately got to work. Through Wesker's connections, they found that the victim autopsied by Sergei today was nad Tom, the owner of "The London Eye".
"The London Eye" sounded quite grand, but it was actually a typical English tabloid, publishing all kinds of sensational stories. Its monthly sales were only average, and it might have gone out of business long ago if it weren't for Tom's father, a real estate tycoon.
Moreover, Tom had multiple business companies under his na, so it was clear that he had started "The London Eye" on a whim, or just to give himself the identity of a "dia person".
As for "The London Eye" newspaper, after Liu Xing successfully placed a lucky bet, he easily purchased the past week's issues from a newsstand near the London police station.
Then, the three of them began reading the newspapers in the office.
Soon, Liu Xing noticed a rather peculiar article - a resurrection incident at a London funeral ho!
Stripping away the exaggerated rhetoric and wild speculations of the author, the article was simply about a body theft incident at a London funeral ho. Due to the thieves' sophisticated thods and the power being cut, no clues were left behind, and the stolen body remains missing to this day.
However, since the stolen body had no family claiming it, the London police did not prioritize the case, though they did conduct a preliminary investigation and found that there were at least two suspects.
This made Liu Xing suspect that the body thieves were the parents from the story Alice had told, who were being gradually transford into ghouls by the ghoul statue.
It seed they had reached a certain stage of transformation and now needed to consu a special "food", so they went to the London funeral ho to steal a body.
At this mont, Jill suddenly said, "I found a very strange article here. It's about people spotting what seed to be a human-like monster in the London suburbs, attacking livestock on a farm at night. There were also sightings of similar monsters in the city alleys, and the author of this report is the victim found at the mansion entrance."
I see.
Liu Xing was now certain that the killers in these two cases were the family of five being transford by the ghoul statue, and their transformation had likely progressed beyond 50%.
Since "The London Eye" had repeatedly reported on sightings of them, the family of five might have suspected the newspaper was tracking them, or they simply wanted to eliminate witnesses, so they planned the murders of Tom and the unfortunate reporter.
It seems a subway serial killer case is about to begin.
The only question is whether this family of five has any connection to the Blood Hand Print Killer.
At this mont, Wesker entered the office with a report, saying, "Alright, everyone, put down the newspapers. We have a new case, so get ready to head out."
Liu Xing and the others nodded and quickly prepared to follow Wesker.
In the police car, Wesker briefed them on the new case.
The incident occurred in District 3 of London. The caller reported hearing a violent argunt and the sound of furniture falling in the neighboring house the previous night. This morning, teachers from the school the three children next door attended ca to check on them, as the children had not shown up for school, and the parents had not called to report their absence.
Realizing sothing was wrong, the caller and the teachers went to the neighboring house and found the door unlocked. Upon entering, they discovered the house in disarray, but the family of five was nowhere to be found. The local police deed the situation serious and imdiately reported it to the London police.
Hearing Wesker's summary, Liu Xing was convinced the family of five had already transford into ghouls and were now hiding in a nearby subway station.
Thinking about this, Liu Xing couldn't help but touch the Glock 17 pistol at his waist, feeling a bit uneasy. After all, the power of his handgun was rather small, and the damage it could inflict on ghouls might not be enough.
It seems he would need to find a way to get a more powerful handgun from the black market.
Soon, they arrived at the cri scene.
Upon entering the house of the family of five, Liu Xing unhesitatingly searched each bedroom, as he wanted to confirm whether the ghoul statue was still there.
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