Chapter 315: Bloodthirsty Forensic Doctor: Welcome to Miami!
"We have news! Gregg's trail has been found in a motel in Orlando, along with a girl, presumably Nikki,"
Dr. Reid excitedly told Chuck after receiving the call.
"Is she alright?"
Lisa, the Texas girl, asked urgently.
"She's alive,"
Dr. Reid pursed his lips.
"Thank God!"
Lisa exclaimed. "Shall we go?"
"Yes,"
Dr. Reid nodded.
This was now the primary crime scene; they all needed to go and investigate.
"I'll drive,"
Chuck adjusted his decorative glasses.
"Okay!"
Dr. Reid immediately got out and switched places with Chuck.
They needed to get there immediately, the faster the better, and Chuck's driving skills were far superior.
The motel.
The area outside was cordoned off.
"We had no idea. After seeing the news broadcast, we immediately provided information to the arriving police..."
The motel owner and staff cursed their bad luck, repeatedly recounting the events they knew little of to the constantly arriving crowd.
Thankfully, Nikki didn't drown in the motel bathtub; otherwise, how would they ever run their business again?
Perhaps only addicts and eccentric individuals wouldn't care, and gradually, no normal people would come anymore.
Wouldn't that be terrible?!
"Dr. Wolfe, Reid, you're here."
JJ was the first to arrive.
As the liaison, she had been in the vicinity contacting the local police and media.
"Where's Nikki?"
asked Lisa, the Texas girl.
"She's been taken to the hospital."
JJ glanced at Lisa, then looked at Chuck with a strange expression. "If you want to see her, you can go to the hospital."
"How long has he been gone?"
Chuck didn't care about Nikki at all, as long as she was alive. "Did you note down the license plate number, car model, color, etc.?"
"It's been an hour."
JJ checked the time. "The license plate number and other vehicle information have been sent to the surrounding police. They will be checking passing vehicles."
"Don't just focus on the license plate."
Chuck reminded her. "Since he has driver's licenses from all over the country, he must have prepared license plates from all over the country too. In such a short time, he didn't have time to change cars. The most important thing is to pay attention to the car model and color, and that he's a lone man!"
"I will notify the police."
JJ nodded.
Chuck and Dr. Reid went to check the room again. They didn't find anything new, so they instructed that Gregg's activity range be determined with this motel as the center and time, speed, and distance as the radius.
Then they issued a full-scale search order to the local police within this area to find Gregg's whereabouts.
"Boss, I want to go see Nikki."
Lisa, the Texas girl, could only remind Chuck when he immediately switched into investigation mode.
"Go ahead."
Chuck nodded, then said to Gideon, who had called, "We're splitting into four groups, each responsible for one of the four directions, to apprehend Gregg! Time is running out!"
"Yes!"
Gideon replied worriedly. "Nikki's rescue is good news, but it also means Gregg isn't satisfied.
He's been pushed out of his control and will likely no longer follow his previous hunting habits. In a moment of impulsiveness, he might hunt any woman he sees."
Lisa hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, but still went to the hospital to see her friend Nikki, who, though still alive, had suffered severe physical and psychological trauma.
A massive manhunt was set up, centered around the motel.
Police in various locations mobilized, and the BAU and Chuck split into four groups, each heading to one of the four directions to supervise the local police investigation.
But the lack of good news continued to weigh heavily on the BAU's minds.
Although it was touted as a tight net, given the local police's capabilities, there were likely loopholes everywhere.
And if even one was missed, allowing Gregg to escape Florida, tracking him down would be impossible, not to mention the potential for further victims.
"Chuck, do you think we can catch him in time?"
Dr. Reid, working with Chuck, couldn't help but doubt himself as time passed.
"As long as everyone does their best, we can definitely catch him,"
Chuck said expressionlessly.
"..."
Dr. Reid gave a wry smile.
He had just seen the two police partners joking around.
While the BAU was fully engaged in the pursuit, the serial killer Gregg was also on the run.
He was not only skilled at disguise but also at psychology, so he quickly identified his weaknesses and implemented targeted disguises.
First, he changed his license plates, then he stole and replaced his car.
He didn't head north.
Heading north would offer numerous escape routes across the country, but it would also mean that the majority of their manpower would be deployed there.
So he did the opposite, heading south to Miami, hoping to use this major city to either fly or take a boat out to sea.
The idea was good, and the execution was excellent.
By the time he arrived in Miami, the encirclement centered around the motel had been broken.
Miami.
At the entrance of a large shopping mall.
The automatic doors opened, and a plainly dressed man wearing glasses limped out, carrying shopping bags in one hand and another tucked under his arm.
"Sir, do you need my help?"
A female employee at the supermarket immediately approached and warmly inquired.
"No need, I can manage myself, thank you,"
the bespectacled man quickly shook his head, indicating it wasn't necessary. However, as he passed the employee, his shopping bag fell from his arm, scattering its contents on the floor.
The employee immediately bent down to help pick it up.
"Thank you,"
the bespectacled man said, but after the employee said it was alright, he hesitated and said, "Um, actually, I might really need a little help, thank you."
"No problem, that's why I'm here,"
the employee naturally agreed, smiling as she helped carry the shopping bag, and followed the limping man towards his car.
Upon reaching the car, as the employee placed the items inside, the limping, bespectacled man, seeing no one around, immediately reached behind him and covered her mouth with a white cloth soaked in chloroform.
The employee struggled a few times before fainting. The man shoved her into the car and quickly drove away.
They arrived at an abandoned complex of buildings.
He got out and carried the unconscious employee inside.
Because he had revealed too much information, he dared not go to a motel again. He could only curse Detective Chuck and the BAU, and make do with staying in a place frequented by homeless people.
When he got to his room and saw the unconscious young girl, his agitation subsided considerably, and he gazed at her with burning desire.
Then he began his preparations.
Because it was an abandoned building, there was no running water or electricity, so he had prepared a basin beforehand. He poured drinking water from a large bottle he'd bought into the basin, and after it was almost full, he took a sip of the remaining water, a satisfied look on his face.
"Perfect!"
"Yes!"
Just as he uttered his most satisfied exclamation and reached out to grab the unconscious female staff member by the hair and push her into the basin full of water, a voice of agreement rang in his ears.
Unfortunately, this agreement didn't bring him the joy of recognition, but only a chilling sense of crisis.
Just as he threw a punch backward, a sharp pain shot through his neck—a needle prick—and his entire body instantly went limp.
In that instant, he suddenly understood what it felt like for the women he had controlled with sedatives.
Just as he fell to the ground, someone lifted him up. He couldn't see who was behind him, but he saw a pair of hands holding his chest.
They were hands wearing surgical gloves!
"Professional..."
This was his last thought before he completely lost consciousness.
When he woke up again, he found himself in a white world, unable to move, lying on his back, his entire body wrapped in layers of plastic sheeting.
"You're awake."
At that moment, a man's face appeared above his field of vision, smiling down at him.
"Who are you?"
Gregg struggled a few times, but finding it futile, he calmed down and looked at this man who clearly had him at a disadvantage.
"I am you."
The man smiled and shook his head. "I mean, I should have become you, but because I met the right person, I didn't become you.
You know what?
I noticed you a long time ago.
Before the FBI!
But you were far away, and I had work, so I didn't have time to take leave to go find you, and then you were discovered by the FBI and started to go on the run.
I thought we would miss each other.
But who would have thought you were really smart, not going north but going south to Miami.
When I received this news, I was really happy.
Look at these."
At this point, he placed a laptop screen in front of Gregg's eyes, displaying five photos. Gregg's eyes were focused on the first one.
"This is your first victim."
The man noticed Gregg's gaze. "And I know the other four are just a part of all your victims, perhaps even a small part. Don't be surprised, I understand, I really understand!"
As he spoke, the five photos on the screen shrank, forming a nine-square grid, adding four more photos of girls.
Then it shrank again, the screen densely packed with photos of girls.
"This is your whereabouts over the years, and the missing girls in the area that fit your type. I think it's all your doing."
As he spoke, a scalpel appeared in his hand. He made a cut on Gregg's cheek, then took a pipette, sucked a drop of blood from the wound, and dripped it onto a microscope slide.
When the two slides were closed, the drop of blood was squeezed and dispersed into a film. The man radiated relaxation and joy.
"So, tell me, did you choose to do this yourself? Did your father teach you?"
After placing the slide, the man sat down next to Gregg and began to chat with him.
"Does this need to be taught?"
Beads of sweat appeared on Gregg's forehead, but his expression remained calm.
"That's true."
The man nodded. "We were all cursed after being traumatized, we didn't need anyone to teach us. It's just a pity you didn't have a good father, otherwise you wouldn't have ended up like this."
"Don't talk about my father!"
Gregg glared at the man. "Who do you think you are? A vigilante? You think you're more noble than me? You're just a serial killer!"
"You're right."
The man didn't refute, and sighed. "I've known who I am since I was a child, but luckily my father was a policeman. He keenly noticed my problems and gave me enough guidance, allowing me to form my own code.
Later, my father passed away, and I hunted people like you alone in the night, both to eliminate threats to innocent people and to unleash the dark bloodlust in my heart.
However, like those masked heroes in comics, there are always times when dual identities conflict. I can't even tell my sister about this loneliness, so I can only talk to you."
"Let me go, and you can guide me, just like your father guided you. I can be your partner."
Gregg looked at the man.
"Too late."
The man shook his head. "From childhood, I've had my father's guidance, so although I'm bloodthirsty, I've never harmed an innocent person. My hands are clean, but you're beyond redemption."
He glanced at the screen full of girl photos on his laptop, his eyes turning cold. "And I'm not as lonely as before. Look! Someone is listening to me."
A buzzing sound filled the operating room.
Meanwhile,
Chuck and his team had arrived in Miami, watching the girl trembling with fear as she was questioned by the police in the interrogation room.
This was the female employee from the supermarket who had been drugged and abducted. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an abandoned building, struggling weakly as she staggered out, desperately seeking help from passersby, which alerted the police.
Upon investigation, they discovered it was related to the hottest serial killer case in the area and immediately contacted the BAU.
Chuck and his team all rushed over.
"Gregg wouldn't abandon her for no reason,"
Morgan was the first to speak.
"Could it be that he went out on business and she managed to escape?"
Agent Elle chimed in.
"Impossible!"
Dr. Reid shook his head. "Everything that needed to be prepared at the scene was ready. After so much time, he must have been unable to hold back any longer.
But she wasn't harmed at all, and there were no police cars patrolling nearby or any outsiders discovering her. Unless something unexpected happens, he wouldn't abandon her, unless..."
Everyone fell silent.
Only Morgan's eyes flashed. "Unless he himself encountered an accident. Do you think that vigilante has reappeared?"
JJ opened her mouth, but ultimately didn't say 'hopefully it' was him.
BAU's spiritual leader, Gideon, rubbed his hands together silently.
Having experienced many hardships, he understood the principle of flexibility.
If that were the case, he didn't think it was the worst outcome.
"Very likely."
Only Dr. Reid was more straightforward, nodding in agreement with Morgan's words.
"Hotchner."
Morgan couldn't help but look at the supervisor, his eyes eager.
"Dr. Wolfe, what do you think?"
BAU's supervisory agent, Hotchner, looked at Chuck.
"Continue to hunt down Gregg."
Chuck said calmly.
"Dr. Wolfe is right."
Gideon chimed in. "We don't know anything yet, our goal is still to hunt down Gregg! We'll deal with everything else after this is over."
(End of Chapter)
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