"Ronald, who do you think is the killer among them?"
Adolf, whose hair was graying at the temples, stared at the surveillance screen, his mind constantly pondering who the killer could be. Ultimately, based on normal deduction, he focused most of his attention on the Black man, Relf, and Max, who was in plain clothes.
Only these two displayed the physical outward appearance capable of meeting the prerequisite for this murder: lifting an old woman by force and hanging her directly onto a prepared rope... However, as Adolf looked at the old woman who remained motionless in the air, there was still some confusion in his heart.
He didn't understand, and couldn't figure out, how the killer could accomplish so many things instantly in such a small space as an elevator... Ronald was also staring at the surveillance screen, his mind constantly reasoning, but like Adolf, he really couldn't understand it.
"I don't know. Actually, what I'm thinking is, why did the killer want to kill this old woman?" Ronald showed a puzzled expression.
"And this murder rope, how did the killer manage to set it up silently? It's even tied to the vent. You know, we didn't see anything earlier..."
They had originally wanted to deduce who the killer was together, but the result was more and more questions. Adolf shrugged helplessly.
"I don't know either. Let's leave these questions to the Police Officer."
Ronald didn't answer, just continued to stare at the surveillance screen.
Just then, there was movement in the elevator. The lights suddenly flickered incessantly, alternating between dark and bright.
"Please! I'm begging you! Don't go out!" Vic, who was looking all proper in his grey suit but was the most broken down in the elevator, was the first to cry out.
Compared to him, the others, like the Black man Relf and Max in plain clothes, just looked up at the flickering lights with faces full of vigilance. Both were in a state of extreme alertness and tension, ready to snap at any movement.
"F**k!!! Damn it! What's happening now!"
Abigail, huddled tightly in the corner, held her handbag in front of her. Looking at the flickering lights, her face showed signs of a minor breakdown. Abigail was terrified that the killer's next target would be her because she was the weakest.
One didn't need to be there to feel the hair-trigger atmosphere in the elevator; it was visible to the naked eye.
Although no sound came through, Adolf and Ronald, who had been observing in the Monitoring Room, could empathize with how tense and afraid these people were.
Ronald's brow was tightly furrowed as he watched the flickering surveillance screen. He picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the PTT button.
"Hey! Gene..."
At this very moment.
In the dim basement.
Gene, the Maintenance Worker, was weaving through the iron scaffolding with a flashlight, heading toward the elevator. Hearing the prompt from the walkie-talkie, he picked it up.
"Hello?"
Hearing the reply, Ronald looked at the surveillance screen and felt the atmosphere in the elevator becoming increasingly tense.
"Gene, the elevator lights seem to be short-circuiting and are flickering. Did you cut the power?"
Gene watched his step. Hearing this, he felt even more strange. Clearly, during the previous inspection, the lines were in a state of normal operation.
"No, I'm heading toward the Elevator Shaft. I have no way to cut it."
Hearing this, Ronald looked at Adolf. A very strange feeling also emerged in both their hearts, as if everything was clearly normal, yet things were happening anyway.
"The lights are flickering constantly, and the passengers are a bit scared. Gene, can you speed up a little?"
"OK! I'll speed up!" Hearing the words from the walkie-talkie, Gene the Maintenance Worker looked at the dim path ahead. He put away the walkie-talkie and quickened his pace.
Clack, clack, clack!!!
As his pace quickened, the only sound in the dead-silent basement was Gene's footsteps on the iron scaffolding. If it weren't someone already familiar with the place, they would probably get goosebumps here.
Gene was long accustomed to it. Before long, he arrived at the passage where Elevator No. 6—the malfunctioning elevator—operated, commonly known as the Elevator Shaft opening.
He shone his flashlight into the empty shaft inside. Seeing nothing, he continued walking until he reached a small electrical box nearby and stopped. While opening the box door, he took out the walkie-talkie and pressed the PTT button.
"Hello."
The voice was transmitted through a certain channel and sounded in the Monitoring Room.
Adolf was holding the walkie-talkie and speaking to those in the elevator, stating that the lines would be restored as soon as possible to soothe everyone's emotions.
Ronald heard the prompt. While staring at the surveillance screen, he picked up the walkie-talkie.
"Hello, Gene?"
"Ronald, is it still flickering?"
Gene opened the box door, holding the walkie-talkie in one hand and shining the flashlight into the electrical box with the other. With his rich experience and solid skills, he could tell at a glance that the wiring of this elevator control box was operating normally.
Hearing this, Ronald glanced at the still-flickering surveillance screen and pressed the PTT button again.
"Yes!"
Gene the Maintenance Worker immediately frowned. Looking at the perfectly normal wiring, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"That's f**king strange. Where exactly is the problem?"
Strange as it was, as a Maintenance Worker, he had to resolve the fault. Gene pressed the PTT button.
"I want to try restarting the control system. You watch..."
Ronald looked at Adolf.
Adolf nodded, indicating he had heard. He held the walkie-talkie, pressed the button, and comforted them.
"Due to maintenance, the lights may go out temporarily, but they will be restored quickly. The killer can't do anything during this time. We'll be watching closely, unless the killer wants to expose themselves..."
As these words sounded in the elevator, the faces of the remaining four people showed some irritation.
"NO!!!" Crouched in the corner, Vic in the grey suit shook his head, looking tense.
"F**k!!" The woman Abigail continued her cursing, clutching her handbag tightly against her heaving chest.
Of the other two, the Black man Relf subconsciously looked at Max in plain clothes.
However, Max had already been staring at him.
Their eyes met, both wary of each other.
Seeing that Adolf had notified the elevator, Ronald then pressed the button and spoke into the walkie-talkie.
"OK!"
Hearing the response, Gene, in the Elevator Shaft, directly flipped a switch on the side and then immediately reset it.
The feedback of this operation in the elevator was that the lights went out instantly, and the surveillance screen also went black.
Adolf and Ronald stared intently.
"NO!!!"
"Oh god, please."
"..."
Screams erupted in the elevator.
A second later, the lights came back on, still flickering. The situation in the elevator was the same as before; nothing else had happened, except for Abigail screaming and Vic in the grey suit flailing his arms and legs wildly in the air.
"Damn it! It's still not back to normal!"
Adolf cursed under his breath. If this matter wasn't handled well, he probably wouldn't make it to his retirement day.
Ronald also felt a wave of helplessness. He picked up the walkie-talkie and pressed the button.
"Gene, there's no change in the situation."