The next morning.
Neuvillette woke up in shock from a strange dream. He was kneeling with his head raised upward while someone behind him yanked his hair violently. In front of him stood three people: one was blind, the second was deaf, and the third had no mouth. The fourth person, who was pulling Neuvillette's hair, suddenly decapitated him.
Neuvillette instinctively grabbed his neck with his right hand, his five fingers pressing against his skin. He was drenched in sweat, as if the room's temperature had reached fifty degrees. He muttered to himself:
"This is the first time I've had such a dream, and it's not just any dream… it's a terrifying nightmare."
He rose from the couch, walked to the sink, and turned on the faucet to wash his face. As he looked into the mirror, he examined his own reflection carefully.
"This world wants to drive me insane."
A mysterious smile crept onto Neuvillette's face, as if the detective within him had awakened. He continued:
"Do you really think you're smarter than me, you unknown bastard? Or whoever the hell you are… It's just a matter of time before everything comes to light."
At exactly seven in the morning, Officer Elizabeth opened the door to Neuvillette's room.
She had to tilt her head up to look at him due to his towering height.
"Are you ready, Detective Neuvillette?"
Neuvillette bent slightly to pass through the doorframe due to his height and muscular build. He smiled at Elizabeth and replied:
"I'm fully prepared for this wonderful case."
As they stepped outside the hotel, Neuvillette took in his surroundings, admiring the beautiful atmosphere of the Victorian era, accompanied by the crisp morning air.
Elizabeth observed him before asking:
"What's your first step in solving this case?"
Neuvillette placed his thumb and index finger on his chin, scanning his surroundings until his gaze landed on a sign that read "Hospital."
He pointed toward it and asked:
"Are the bodies of the victims still being kept in the morgue?"
Elizabeth was surprised by the question, but she answered:
"Some of the corpses have been buried, while others are still in the morgue at Central London Hospital."
Neuvillette smiled and said in a calm voice:
"That's good."
Elizabeth raised her hand to hail a carriage. When one stopped, Neuvillette stepped in first, followed by Elizabeth, as a precautionary measure. After informing the driver of their destination, they set off.
Neuvillette gazed out of the window, admiring the stunning Victorian era, amazed by the contrast between this period and the future.
Elizabeth, watching him, had a question lingering in her mind.
"Who are you? This is the first time I've ever seen you in London. And also… how did you know that Officer Marcus was going to be killed in exactly two minutes?"
Neuvillette turned his head toward her, smiled, and said:
"You have many questions, Officer Elizabeth, but I'll answer only the second one—it's a professional secret."
"A professional secret?" she repeated in shock.
"Weren't you calling it luck before? Now, it's a professional secret?" she continued.
As the carriage moved, it hit a large bump in the road, causing a sudden jolt. Neuvillette took the opportunity to deliberately fall, touching Elizabeth's hand before quickly getting back into his seat. He placed a hand on his head, pretending to be affected by the impact.
"I apologize, Officer Elizabeth. Because of that bump, I fell and accidentally touched your hand."
Elizabeth, slightly irritated, replied:
"Next time, try to be more careful. And also—don't change the subject! Tell me, was it really a professional secret, or just a stroke of luck?"
Neuvillette chuckled as he placed all five fingers over his eyes.
Elizabeth stared at him, bewildered, as if she were looking at a madman.
"Is there something funny, Detective?" she asked.
Neuvillette clasped his hands together and replied with a deep calmness:
"I'll prove to you that it's a professional secret—with a bit of good luck. When we arrive at Central London Hospital, something specific will happen to you."
Elizabeth was on the verge of losing her patience with this detective. She gestured with her right hand and asked:
"And what exactly is going to happen to me? Will I be murdered like Officer Marcus?"
Neuvillette turned back to the window, resting his chin on his palm.
"No… just wait until we reach our destination."
About fifteen minutes later, the carriage arrived at Central London Hospital.
Neuvillette stepped out first before Elizabeth, shocking her with his action. She was about to question him when suddenly, a man snatched her gun.
But before he could do anything, Neuvillette swiftly struck the man's throat, seized the gun from his hand, and delivered a brutal blow to his stomach.
Elizabeth was speechless. Everything had happened so quickly that she couldn't even process it. She looked at Neuvillette in fury and demanded:
"How do you explain this? Was this luck or your so-called professional secret? And why did you get out of the carriage first?"
Neuvillette calmly handed her gun back and, with a mysterious smile, said:
"If I hadn't stepped out first, you'd be dead by now."
Elizabeth was completely overwhelmed by the rapid series of events.
Before she could say anything else, she spotted a police officer approaching. She ordered him to take the suspect to prison. The officer saluted and immediately escorted the man to his cell.
"I don't know how you did that, and I don't know who you are. Are you just a mysterious passerby? Or a lost investigator? Who are you, investigator?"
Neophyte stepped closer and said in a terrifying voice, "Just a mysterious person who wants to achieve justice. What do you think, Officer Elizabeth?"
He then walked toward the hospital door and motioned for Elizabeth to come. Elizabeth was confused, unsure of what was happening, but she walked alongside him like a sailor. They entered the hospital, and Elizabeth instructed Neophyte to stand in the waiting area while she obtained some permissions to enter the autopsy room.
Neophyte leaned against the wall and began talking to himself.
"I need to develop my prediction ability, but how? Damn, I need to get an answer from that damned thing."
Suddenly, a mocking voice spoke, "What is this filthy talk about me, Neophyte? Want to know how to develop those skills you have and will get in the future? The answer will be simple; you'll discover it yourself, Investigator Neophyte. Hahaha."
Neophyte became angry and shouted in a moderate tone, "You damn son of a bitch!"
Suddenly, Elizabeth appeared in front of him and asked, "Are you talking to me?"
Neophyte looked at her and said, "I wasn't talking to you. Did you get permission to enter the autopsy room?"
As she walked toward the corridor leading to the autopsy, Elizabeth responded, "Let's go, I got permission to enter the autopsy."
They both entered the autopsy room, and Neophyte began examining the bodies, one by one, investigating every little detail.
Neophyte spoke while pointing at the bodies, "Are these all the bodies of the killer?"
Elizabeth answered, "Yes, they all belong to the mysterious killer."
Neophyte pointed at the door and said to her, "Can you wait outside?"
"Why should I leave? I don't know what you're going to do here," she replied, shocked by the strange question.
Neophyte approached her, visibly angry, and said, "What do you think I'm going to do? Am I going to rape the bodies? Wait outside, please, and when I'm done with the investigation, I'll knock on the door to let you know I'm leaving."
Elizabeth spoke with disdain, "Watch your words, investigator, and if you do anything wrong, you won't find mercy from me. Is my message clear?"
Elizabeth left, slamming the door hard.
Neophyte looked at the door with one eye and turned his back toward the bodies, saying, "Women."
He opened the first body bag and looked at the corpse intently. Neophyte noticed three gunshot wounds on the victim's head, arranged in a triangle. He then looked at the stomach and chest and found that the victim's stomach was cut in the shape of an "X." He examined the other bodies, which were mostly of children and women, and found that most victims were killed in the same way, while others had different methods. Neophyte focused on the majority of the bodies and began to imagine how the killer had killed the victims.
The first thing Neophyte thought was that the killer had first marked an "X" and then shot the victim.
The second scenario, which contradicted the first, was that the killer might have shot the victim first and then marked the "X," which would have taken too much time.
So, Neophyte chose the first option, as it seemed the only logical one.
In the second part of the case, the killer had some supernatural abilities and was most likely an assassin. Assassins are known for torturing their victims first before killing them.
It seemed that the killer was cutting the victims expertly, aiming not to hit vital parts, making them suffer longer before shooting them.
There was also something strange in the incident at the hotel! The killer had become arrogant, which is why he killed early in the morning, taking advantage of the absence of the person who usually welcomes guests at the hotel when he killed his last victim.
There was no other explanation, and the only thing I can say about this killer is that he's supernatural, a professional and dangerous weapon user with terrifying skills, but he's arrogant, which explains why he killed that officer.
Neophyte looked again at the rest of the bodies and noticed that the "X" marks differed from one body to another. He assumed, based on this, that the killer was using a dagger, approaching the victim from the front, and then killing them. But was there a connection between the triangle mark and the "X"?
Neophyte knocked twice on the door, and Elizabeth opened it. Neophyte stepped out of the autopsy room and looked at her, saying, "Let's go to the hotel where the woman was killed yesterday morning."
Neophyte began walking, but Elizabeth grabbed his hand and said angrily, "First, you need to review the details and things that will lead us to the killer."
Neophyte pulled his hand away and said, "First, don't touch me. Second, when we're done with the trip to the hotel where the victim was killed, I want you to bring me all the newspapers from the past seven years, not six."
Elizabeth spoke angrily, and the tension between them grew.
"And who are you to order me to bring what you want, huh?"
Neophyte smiled and said, "Your boss assigned this task to me, and one more thing: don't you want to get rid of this terrifying killer who has been haunting you for all these years?"
(Neophyte leaned in close to Elizabeth's ear and whispered in a calm and eerie tone) "Who knows, you might be the next victim, because this person loves women with blonde hair."
Elizabeth was shocked by Neophyte's words. Neophyte started walking, and Elizabeth followed him. They both got into the carriage.
Fifteen minutes later, Neophyte and Elizabeth arrived at the hotel where the victim was killed. The hotel was closed, and only authorized personnel were allowed to enter.
Neophyte stood where the victim had been and began to contemplate. He imagined himself as the killer. Neophyte went to the opposite side, performed a strange movement, waved his hand, and made the "X" mark, then pretended to shoot.
From this gesture, Neophyte concluded that the killer approached from the front, made a quick cut to the victim that caused them to suffer for a while, and then killed them.
Neophyte smiled, certain that the smile on his face revealed a mysterious presence, an investigator, or perhaps a puppet master.
Neophyte left the hotel, and both he and Elizabeth got back into the carriage, heading to the hotel where they were staying.
Elizabeth spoke calmly to Neophyte, saying, "What did you find there, and what were those strange movements you were doing?"
Neophyte looked at her and said, "Everything will be revealed tomorrow, but first, you need to bring me the newspapers from the past seven years, not six, so I can see things more clearly. Is that clear? Also, those movements I made were just me imagining the positions the killer would have taken while killing the victims."
Elizabeth nodded and looked out the carriage window.
They arrived at the hotel, and Neophyte went to his room.
After a few hours, Elizabeth brought the newspapers Neophyte wanted, all in excellent, new condition—about thirty newspapers.
Elizabeth closed the door behind Neophyte, and he began piecing together the clues, one by one.
After an hour, Neophyte found the solution, and a victorious look appeared on his face.
Neophyte placed his ten fingers on the table and said with pride, his eyes shining brightly with anticipation, "The fool thinks he's the smartest in the assassination field. His legend in this world will end by my hand, (El), (Ak)."