(The typing got confusing, and I forgot to write the chapter title. It can't be changed now. Oh well, it is what it is...)
The images from various cri scenes scrolled across the projection screen.
In the conference room, many people frowned.
In the post-apocalypse, with all sorts of grudges and grievances, murder, and dismbernt, those who worked at the Security Bureau and frequently handled similar cases were not unaccustod to such horrors.
Yet this ti was different.
Even Awakeners with Fourth Layer strength had been killed without the ability to resist.
Among the dead was also a relative of soone high up in a Sanctuary.
With the pressure from the higher-ups and the unsettledness among many of the middle and upper classes, every single person at the Security Bureau was under trendous pressure.
The Director transferred his pressure to the Captains, the Captains delegated tasks to the sub-captains, and the sub-captains ordered...
Layer by layer, none of them had had a good night's sleep in days.
So grumbled in their hearts, wishing those murderers would just go to the wilderness and not drag the Security Bureau into this ss!
However, if soone were to compile the data of Awakeners who had gone missing in the wilderness recently, they would notice an unnerving increase in the past few days.
"What are your thoughts on these recent cases?" Director Jin was the first to speak, breaking the oppressive silence.
"What else can we think? These are the acts of a group of psychopathic murderers! Killers with antisocial personality disorders!" blurted out an angry deputy director.
Director Jin didn't even glance at him but instead turned his attention to one of the Captains, "Captain Lei, you've had the most contact with these cases. What do you think?"
"This group has a tight organization and commits frequent cris. I'm inclined to believe they have so specific purpose," Captain Lei said thoughtfully, "Our objective is to catch this group. We can start from two angles: one is to find where they are holed up in the Sanctuary, and two, to figure out their targets."
"Figure out their targets? Impossible! Don't forget, there's no apparent connection between the victims; where do we even start?"
"No, there is a connection."
Captain Lei paused, then continued, "Firstly, most victims are young Awakeners. These are the commonalities we know of so far. Of course, this might simply be due to the murderer's peculiar tastes, but let's not speak of the motive for now. Besides those two points, there's another commonality among the victims, which is the geographical scope."
"Scope? Whether it's in Dawn Bay District, Central District, the comrcial areas, or even the relief area, there have been incidents. This practically covers the entire Sanctuary."
"No."
Captain Lei, maneuvering the mouse and keyboard of the desktop computer, brought up a map of Luoxia Sanctuary on the projection screen.
Different areas and even streets were marked in detail; small red dots appeared across the map, representing the locations of the fifteen cases.
A light red area enveloped all fifteen incidents within its boundaries.
"Look," said Captain Lei as he stood and pointed at the screen with a laser pointer, "although murders occurred in various areas, the majority happened in Dawn Bay District, including those in other areas, which were also positioned closer to Dawn Bay District."
Soone frowned, "This area is too large to an anything."
Many other mbers of the Security Bureau nodded in agreent.
On the screen, it was undeniable that the majority of the cases had happened in Dawn Bay District, but with such a low baseline, this phenonon could not explain anything. The sa was true for the light red area—the range was too wide, encompassing over a third of the Sanctuary.
Captain Lei was not surprised by the others' reactions, "Do you all still rember the multiple missing person cases before?"
Those missing cases were a thorn in the side of every Security Team mber present.
At that ti, they had followed the clues, and one late night, they had spotted a burly man carrying two sacks. Regrettably, after a pursuit, they lost him.
"...After that, the missing cases beca rarer and more concealed. I believe there are still many disappearances of Awakeners that we haven't discovered," Captain Lei said.
"The missing cases and these decapitation murders are the work of the sa group; we've speculated as much, though without evidence to prove it... Wait, are you saying that the missing cases also predominantly occurred in Dawn Bay District?!"
One of the Captains suddenly realized sothing, slamming his fist on the table.
The table, battered nurous tis before and ultimately replaced with a specially made tal top, this ti withstood the impact with a loud clang, sparing it from being smashed to pieces again.
The others paid no heed to the banging, instead sinking into contemplation.
Now that they thought back, the missing cases had indeed started with reports from survivors in Dawn Bay District before gradually spreading beyond.
"Although the area of Dawn Bay District is not small, compared to the entire Luoxia Sanctuary, the scope has certainly narrowed down a lot, making the investigation work easier to write…"
…
Based on the existing case clues, everyone in the eting room voiced their opinions.
Captain Lei had so words he didn't say.
He actually already had a suspected location, a high-class residential complex in Dawn Bay District.
The bizarre death cases of the initial thirteen survivors, with no wounds whatsoever, were under his charge.
Although, at first glance, they seed unrelated to the beheading murders or disappearance cases, Captain Lei had an intuition that it was the work of the sa group of people.
It was just unfortunate that for such high-class residential complexes, their Security Bureau lacked the authority to search, unless they could obtain solid evidence.
"We can only start an undercover investigation in that area for now and be wary of startling the snake in the grass."
Bang!
A Security Team mber rushed in hurriedly, "Direct... Director, Captain, we've found a clue to the case!"
…
…
Wang Ran was an ordinary survivor.
The luckier kind.
At the beginning of the apocalypse, he followed the military to Luoxia and arrived without any incident or danger, he hadn't even seen any Demonized Beasts.
Since he arrived early, when Luoxia was undergoing major construction and factories were short on manpower, he easily secured a job as a chanic in a machinery factory.
This was a job many survivors envied now.
What made Wang Ran even more enviable was his girlfriend.
They had been dating since college and hadn't separated after the apocalypse; they arrived safely at Luoxia and worked at the sa machinery factory.
Even though he didn't have the qualifications to beco an Awakener, Wang Ran ca to terms with it, even sotis wondering, could Awakeners have a girlfriend as beautiful as his?
His salary was sufficient, he ate well and drank well every day, and he had his girlfriend's company; even in the apocalypse, he could be considered a winner in life.
Originally, he thought so.
Until three days ago, when he saw his girlfriend nestled in another man's arms.
The look in her eyes, alien and disdainful.
Those harsh words seed to still echo in his ears.
Only then did he realize that his girlfriend, whom he had dated for several years and only held hands with, had already been a regular in another man's bed.
The reason was that he was just an ordinary person,
a lowly commoner to the Awakeners.
Wang Ran's dreams shattered.
And exploded.
However, his resistance was so futile in front of that Awakener who had taken his girlfriend.
A single finger from his opponent was enough to press him to the ground with ease.
Such a gap was as vast as the difference between heaven and earth.
He was in despair.
He beca listless and confused.
Until...
"Do you crave power? Do you crave revenge?"
That shadow, appearing before him, promised him unrivaled power.
Wang Ran agreed without hesitation, no matter what the cost might be.
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