"The killer's physical characteristics?" Hua felt incredulous upon hearing this. "Wouldn't that narrow down the range of suspects?"
However, Kevin coldly shook his head: "No."
"Why?"
"The message Immortal left was written on the floor using his own blood."
After hearing Kevin's description, Hua's excitement about finding the killer's characteristics largely vanished. She lowered her head to think, then looked at the two men: "Can you confirm that it was written by Immortal?"
"…" Judging from Kevin's expression, it was likely impossible.
Leaving a message was a common action, and a loyal, excellent soldier like Immortal would spare no effort to find the real culprit. Thus, Hua, Kevin, and Ato would unconditionally trust the accuracy of Immortal's information.
But the manner in which it was left made it difficult not to suspect that the killer had done it on purpose.
Immortal's injuries were severe. Although no vital organs were hit, he was ambushed and instantly lost the ability to fight, as there were no signs of struggle at the scene. It was questionable whether he could have consciously written and concealed the information at that moment.
Especially with such an easily noticeable method of communication.
So, this could be a deliberate misdirection by the killer.
"However, the killer was in such a hurry to leave that they didn't even confirm whether Immortal was dead or alive. It's also possible they truly didn't notice Immortal's actions." Kevin presented a different view. He wasn't skilled at finding clues, but his grasp of combat and timing far surpassed ordinary people. "It's very likely they were running out of time, so the information has some credibility."
"The safest way is to wait for Immortal to wake up, but it seems we don't have that much time."
Two more high-ranking officials were murdered, clearly indicating that the mastermind had begun to act.
"Furthermore, combining the scene of the second crime and Immortal's information with the scene of the first crime, the killer's physical characteristics are consistent. We can start by investigating the males within Fire MOTH."
Ato and Hua nodded. Kevin unconsciously clenched his fist. He felt like he had missed something, as if he had accidentally stepped into a trap. It was all so logical, yet there was a subtle sense of dissonance he couldn't grasp.
In the projected image, a tall man disemboweled the old man, lifting him with his claws and smashing him onto the conference table. Blood splattered like liquid from a high-pressure pump, accidentally staining the white napkin on the chest of the girl with multi-colored hair.
"Projection complete."
Vil-V watched with interest as Prometheus II closed her eyes and turned off the projection, then silently stepped aside.
After Lin's disappearance, the mechanical girl seemed to have lost her soul with him, losing the vivid humanity she used to imitate, now performing assigned tasks like a true machine.
"The location of the first crime was the conference room. The location of the second crime was the artificial lake."
Einstein held a cup of cold coffee. Her eyes were lifeless. Only after taking a small sip of coffee did she regain some energy, yawn, and walk up to Prometheus II.
"Has the report on the second set of victims been released?"
Prometheus II nodded slightly; she preferred to let facts speak for themselves: "The death times of the first and second victims were half an hour apart. One was in the deep water area and was found only after dredging the corpse. The other was in the shallow water area."
"The cause of death is the same as the victim in the first case."
Vil-V spoke up: "Claws?"
"The murder weapon is not of great significance." Einstein added a spoonful of white sugar to her coffee, stirring it slowly with the spoon. Looking at the crystalline substance dissolving in the cup, she said, "It's merely a way to mislead people using the inertia of thought, making them believe the killer must be someone who uses this type of weapon. In reality, even I could use those claws to stab a person."
After a pause, she remarked casually, "It's quite surprising that Dr. Mei didn't realize this."
"We need a direction, after all." Vil-V smiled. "When walking down a dark path, it makes no difference whether a dim candle or a bright streetlight appears; the person walking only needs a direction."
"…" Einstein said no more. She glanced thoughtfully at the mysterious smile often fixed on Vil-V's face, drank her coffee, and exhaled a long breath. "The locations of the two crimes are vastly different. What is the killer's purpose?"
The difference between a conference room and an artificial lake was too great, and this difference could very well conceal some of the killer's secrets.
Vil-V and Einstein brainstormed together, organizing their thoughts: "After the first incident, the high-level officials must have been somewhat alert. It's impossible for them to agree to meet someone at a dangerous location like the artificial lake in the middle of the night. Therefore, the artificial lake is likely only the second crime scene, and the true first crime scene needs to be investigated."
"So why would the killer hide the bodies in the artificial lake?"
"Given that personnel disappearance in the headquarters triggers an immediate reaction, hiding the bodies is not a realistic objective. The killer wants to hide something else."
Einstein asked, "What is it?"
"We need to compare the two body discovery locations."
"The location where the first body was found was a sealed conference room, with no extraneous objects, a simple structure, and little information left behind," Einstein added. "The location where the second set of bodies was found was the artificial lake, with a complex structure, leaving behind more footprints and traces in the mud."
"After comparison, the shoe sizes were consistent. Analysis of the mud indentation suggests the killer's height is approximately 175 to 180 centimeters and weighs about 65 kilograms (130 pounds), both standard male physical attributes."
"Why would the perpetrator appear in a location that might expose more information?"
"…"
"…"
Partial hypotheses were already forming in the minds of the two geniuses.
The answer was that the killer deliberately wanted to expose their own information.
"Prometheus II has found no one using administrative privileges to tamper with access logs. All surveillance cameras are functioning normally. The killer has other methods for moving freely within the headquarters."
Vil-V's finger paused for a second while tapping the table. Einstein, noticing the anomaly, looked at her, but Vil-V only said calmly, "If one utilizes certain devices and is proficient with them, achieving free transit is not very difficult."
"…What device?"
"Lin possesses a device called 'Phase Transfer,' a technological achievement resulting from the research on the 2nd Herrscher. He can achieve space-time transfers over a certain distance, and records indicate he has fully mastered its usage."
Height and weight are perfectly consistent. He possesses the means and conditions to commit the crime, and even the murder weapon is named after him.
Vil-V smiled brightly: "All the evidence points to Lin's side."