boyutpedia Chapter 148 Investigating the Crime Scene
Chapter 148 Investigating the Crime Scene
Dr. Carter, a leading researcher in her field, was engrossed in her late-night work in the lab.
hum!
The air was filled with the hum of machinery, the soft glow of computer screens, and the smell of chemicals, but she was completely absorbed in her research. Time slipped by unnoticed, Dr. Carter's passion driving her ever onward.
"Yawn... I'm so tired..." Several hours passed, and the clock was approaching midnight. Dr. Carter reluctantly decided to end his work.
"I think I should go," she said to herself.
As I walked toward the exit, the corridors of the research facility were deserted, and my footsteps echoed in the silence. In the dead of night, the building's stillness felt eerily eerie.
This wasn't the first time she had felt this loneliness. As a scholar who had devoted herself to research since childhood, she had given up her hunter career to focus on her work, and therefore, she worked harder than her peers.
After all, her boss and the bigwigs in the field had no trust in her.
Whoosh!
"It's so cold." She stepped outside, and the chilly night air hit her in the face. She stretched and yawned.
"Ok?"
However, her brief respite was shattered by an unusual sight: a wisp of smoke rising into the night sky.
Her curiosity was piqued, and she squinted, trying to identify the source of the smoke.
"Wasn't that place abandoned?"
The smoke was coming from a nearby abandoned building. As far as she knew, the building had been vacant for many years and was hardly used anymore.
"I should go and take a look."
She wouldn't normally recommend going to such a place at night, but since she was in one of the "safest" places in the world, she wasn't worried.
Moreover, if something were to happen, such as a mechanical failure, it could affect her research. The thought of a fire or other unforeseen events gradually filled her with worry.
Dr. Carter quickened his pace without hesitation and headed towards the abandoned building.
"What does this feel like?"
As she approached, the air was filled with the smell of burning, but at the same time, a suffocating feeling overwhelmed her and filled her with fear.
It was as if her body was rejecting something, and she instantly realized what it was.
'Demonic energy.'
As a former hunter and researcher specializing in detecting demonic energy, Dr. Carter was no stranger to this energy. But the amount she was sensing now far exceeded anything she had ever experienced before.
'One half-demon... no, at least two.'
Panic and adrenaline surged through her veins, and she quickly pulled out her phone to dial the college's emergency services.
This is not a situation she can handle alone.
......
"There really are demon contractors here."
A man with his hands in his coat pockets walks toward the smoking building.
"We never expected them to be right under our noses."
He is a member of the 'Guardians' department, a special unit responsible for investigating supernatural events within the academy.
As they approached the burning building, an eerie energy filled the air, along with the pungent smell of burning demonic energy.
Detective Michael Harris, a seasoned detective now a member of the Guardians, surveys the horrific scene before him. The abandoned buildings bear the marks of a fierce battle, and remnants of demonic energy linger in the air.
In the ruins lay the bodies of three young men. Their faces were unrecognizable.
The upper body of one of the corpses appeared to be missing, possibly due to the explosion. The other two corpses were in no better condition; their skin was slowly decomposing.
Detective Harris, his expression grave, signaled to his partner, Detective Emma Rodriguez, to begin the investigation.
"Tsk...disgusting..."
The two carefully made their way through the ruins, their sharp eyes scanning their surroundings for any clues.
“It seems they couldn’t unleash their demon form,” Detective Rodriguez remarked, examining the demonic remnants on the wall. “They don’t appear to be high-level demon contractors.”
He muttered to himself. Usually, when a demon contractor reveals their true form, a huge change occurs within their body, and it takes a lot of time and resources to return to their original state. Therefore, most demon contractors do not easily reveal their true form.
“This is not just a simple confrontation,” he continued.
The lingering traces of demonic energy in the air hinted at something unusual. Judging from the remaining magical power, the detective could clearly determine that two demonic energies had once clashed fiercely here.
Detective Harris nodded in agreement. "It looks like a conflict between demon contractors, but why are they here?"
“I suspect they’ve been here for a while. The traces of repeated use of demonic energy, along with the presence of surveillance devices, suggest this wasn’t a coincidence. They deliberately chose this location.”
"So, this means..."
"That's right... there's a mole here."
While they continued their discussion, the other detective behaved differently. He looked around and didn't interact with his colleagues.
"These traces?"
He was a newly hired detective by the Guardians, but because he was new, his presence in the Guardians' department was not very strong.
"bullet?"
He stared at the marks on the ground, filled with doubt. He knew he shouldn't touch them carelessly, as that could disturb the crime scene, but he could still sense that the marks were indeed like bullet holes.
At that moment, Detectives Harris and Rodriguez walked over.
"Hey, newbie, found something?"
They looked at Jim with mocking smiles. Jim's overly enthusiastic and involved approach to investigations made them feel threatened.
Jim nodded, confirming his suspicion that the marks resembled bullet holes. "Yes, these do look like bullet holes."
Detectives Harris and Rodriguez exchanged amusement, their snickers turning into open mockery. "Bullet marks? Come on, Jim, this isn't an action movie scene," Harris scoffed.
Detective Rodriguez interjected, "You watch too many detective dramas, kid. Look around. Do you see any shell casings? If someone that stupid used bullets in a demonic conflict, there would be evidence left behind. Besides, do you think bullets can even hurt a demon contractor's skin?"
Jim felt a wave of embarrassment wash over him, and his face flushed. He knew he had gone a bit off-topic, but his gut feeling told him that his guess was right.
“I know this sounds strange, but these traces are too odd for a battle between demons. We should investigate any possibilities.”
The two veteran detectives continued to smile dismissively.
“Yes, yes…” Detective Rodriguez repeated mockingly, his tone full of contempt. “Listen, kid, this isn’t a rookie case. We’ve been doing this longer than you’ve been in school. If you open your eyes and listen carefully, and talk less theory, you’ll learn a lot more.”
Detective Harris added, "We've seen countless strange things in our careers, always some kind of infighting between demons or fights over artifacts. But never bullets and guns. This is a classic demonic event. You'll understand once you have more experience."
Jim sighed inwardly, realizing that convincing these senior colleagues wouldn't be easy.
'What do you old fogies know?'
As he looked at these marks, a resolute light shone in his eyes.
He didn't give up on his intuition, despite their skepticism. He knew the investigation had only just begun, and he was determined to explore every possibility, no matter how unconventional it might seem.
He began to wander around the scene, ignoring the conversation between the two old men, looking for clues that might support his theory.
"Ok?"
He continued walking and noticed some unusual marks on the ground that they had overlooked.
“These are arrow marks. Explosive arrows?” he muttered to himself.
While the other two saw it as a battle between demons, Jim had a completely different view.
'Aren't there any bows and arrows here?'
The Demon Contractor does not appear to have used a bow and arrow.
'Furthermore, what is this magical power?'
The magic appeared to be in an ionic state. Even residual demonic energy wouldn't be enough to cause such a mark.
'This is definitely not demonic energy.'
Demonic energy is typically unstable and difficult to control; it has an effect on the user's mind, rather than a plasma effect.
There are other people or things here. It could be a third party.
Jim deduced a theory: there might be a third party.
In this conflict, someone or something was involved, using unconventional weapons and unique energy.
'The surrounding air doesn't seem like ordinary demonic energy either...'
He took a deep breath and seemed to smell a different substance.
'I need to wait for the autopsy and chemistry department's analysis results.'
Jim noted down his observations and marked any clues that might indicate the involvement of a third party.
'I need to check further.'
As the investigation deepened, Jim began to consider the capabilities of this unknown attacker.
First, he or they must have the ability to become invisible.
Given that the demon contractors failed to detect his or their presence, the ability to become invisible is clearly a key factor.
'Furthermore, he or they are skilled in ranged combat.'
He wrote this down in his notebook and ticked each keyword.
'bullet(?)'
The use of explosive arrows and possibly bullets suggests a high level of skill in long-range combat by this unknown attacker. Even so, one thing remains unsolved.
What is his or their goal?
This was Jim's biggest question: what was the goal of this possible third party?
As the cold night deepened, Jim was left with more and more unresolved questions and a multitude of thoughts.