Seto put down the photos, squatted down, and carefully examined the contents of the cardboard box.
"There are hair samples, stool samples, urine samples, and... fingernails."
Seto stood up again. Sumner stood behind him, looking at the inhumane corpse, and said,
"The killer is simply not human."
"He received his just punishment."
As soon as Sumner finished speaking, Seto inexplicably uttered these words.
"Hey, what did you just say?" Sumner asked, frowning.
"Don't you think this killer's modus operandi is very familiar?" Seto countered.
"Wait, are you talking about the serial murder case from a while ago?"
"That's right, the killer will re-enact all of this in Grove City."
"Oh, shit!"
Sumner covered his forehead. Just hearing about serial murder cases gave him a headache.
"Rustle..."
Suddenly, just as the two were discussing, a faint sound came from the ceiling above.
Seto, wearing a hat, felt nothing, but Sumner, with his short hair, felt something land on his head. He reached up and touched it, and a smudge of dust clung to his palm.
"Dust?"
Sumner looked up at the ceiling. There were four small holes in the ceiling above him. He shifted his angle and found that these four small holes actually pierced through the roof.
"Rustle..."
He wondered if it was his illusion, but the roof seemed to be shaking.
"Detective! Watch your head!"
The two SWAT team members guarding the door immediately rushed forward, one in front and one behind, tackling the two to the side.
"Boom!"
As soon as the SWAT team members tackled the two, the ceiling above them "boomed" and cracked. Debris and rubble collapsed, falling onto the floor of the room.
"Crack... crack crack..."
The wooden floor cracked. Sumner crawled out from under the SWAT team member and immediately went to the corpse, shouting to the outside.
"Hasn't the ambulance arrived yet!?"
At this moment, outside the apartment, an ambulance was parked outside the police car cordon. Two paramedics in raincoats quickly ran into the apartment, carrying a stretcher, and came to the second floor.
"Quick, there's a risk of collapse here."
Sumner said anxiously. The two doctors nodded. They quickly handled the situation and lifted the deceased's body onto the stretcher.
They didn't ask why it was a corpse, why it wasn't a hearse but an ambulance. But no matter what they did, they were going to get paid.
Soon, the police sealed off the apartment, with "DO NOT ENTER" tape everywhere.
"He's playing a game."
In the second-floor hallway of the apartment, Seto took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, shook one out, lit it, and took a deep puff.
"What game?"
Sumner, looking anxious, paced back and forth in the hallway. Hearing this, he asked.
"Proselytizing game."
"Damn it!"
After Seto's series of explanations about the serial murders this killer had committed in other cities, Sumner believed the killer was playing a game.
And the other party completely disregarded the police, even wanting to manipulate them.
Therefore, he now had a strong aversion to the word "game" and would get furious when he heard it.
His inner fury surged. He crossed his arms over his chest and paced back and forth.
"We must control our emotions."
"No matter how difficult, we must pay attention to all details."
Seto, seeing his emotional instability, held a cigarette in his mouth and came in front of Sumner, spreading his hands to comfort him.
"I'm an emotional creature. I can't control my emotions."
Sumner gritted his teeth, his hands on his hips, looking extremely angry and unwilling to listen to anything.
"Did you hear what I said?"
Seto's expression turned serious. Sumner looked up at Seto, still fuming.
"Yes, I heard you."
"Click!"
Just as the two were face to face, the sound of a camera taking a picture came from behind them. Sumner turned around and was immediately blinded by successive flashes.
"Hey! What are you doing!?"
Sumner shielded his eyes with his right hand and frowned at the reporter standing on the stairs, his tone displeased.
"Excuse me, I'm a..."
"The crime scene has been sealed. Get out of here immediately!"
Before the reporter could finish speaking, Sumner interrupted him. He walked towards the reporter. On his way, the reporter continuously pressed the shutter, and a series of flashes made Sumner even more furious.
"I'm a photographer for United Press International. I have the right to be here!"
The reporter argued back, and continued to take pictures of the two, especially of a furious Sumner.
"Get out!"
Sumner's inner fury erupted. He slapped the reporter's camera away and told the reporter to get out.
"Damn bastard, I have your photo!"
"I took your picture!"
The reporter walked down the stairs, pointing at Sumner's face as he angrily said.
"Oh, really?"
"Remember my name, Detective Sumner!"
"Get out of here!"
"F*ck you!"
The reporter gave Sumner the middle finger before leaving and cursed.
"How did they get here so fast!?"
Sumner turned to Seto and asked furiously.
"They pay the police department for news, and the price is very high."
"You should know that."
Seto looked at him calmly and replied.
"Sorry, I was really angered by that bastard."
Sumner, after venting his emotions, felt much better and immediately apologized to Seto.
"It's alright."
Seto shrugged, took a puff of his cigarette, and walked down the stairs, saying,
"But seeing a man so impulsive is truly impressive."
Sumner touched the back of his head and followed Seto.
Two hours later, Coronel City Hospital.
"The deceased was confined for a year."
"This number is determined by the degree of muscle and spinal degeneration."
Sumner and Seto stood in the hospital hallway. A balding doctor was telling them about the deceased's condition.
"Blood tests indicate the deceased used a large amount of medication during his life, even antibiotics."
"Perhaps to prevent bedsores and infections."
"The deceased's brain should have been unconscious a long time ago, and his tongue was bitten off by himself."
After the doctor finished speaking, he turned and left.
"Doctor, when did he die?"
Sumner and Seto exchanged glances, then stepped forward and asked.
"Three hours ago."
The doctor stopped and turned to look at the two detectives, sighing.
"Among the patients I've seen, he suffered the most extreme pain and torment. Death was a release for him."
"But actually, given the abuser's skill, he could have been kept alive and suffering this hellish torment for a very long time."
"Perhaps the abuser had a change of heart."
Saying this, the doctor shrugged and joked. He then turned and left, leaving the two detectives standing there.
"News from the police force."
Sumner and Seto arrived at the morgue where the deceased was located. Seto suddenly spoke.
"What?"
"According to their judgment, there are other footprints at the crime scene, and they are very fresh."
"The reason for the roof collapse was also due to the impact of a powerful force."
Sumner's expression hardened upon hearing this.
"Are you saying the deceased's death wasn't an accident, but that someone interfered with the killer?"
"Do you remember when we first arrived at the scene?"
Seto and Sumner looked at each other. Sumner nodded, recalling for a moment.
"Everything was in a mess, furniture and decorations were scattered on the floor, and the window glass was shattered."
"At first, I thought it was due to the deceased's counterattack against the killer."
"No, those things were broken before we arrived. It happened very quickly."
"Someone found the killer before us police officers, and had a brief conflict with the killer."
"There were no traces of any firearms at the scene, and what kind of conflict could cause a house's roof to collapse?"
Sumner shook his head and chuckled, clearly disbelieving that this was man-made. Perhaps it was an accident.
"Sumner, you're still young. Some things, you don't understand yet."
"Heh heh, old man."
"I'm already twenty-eight. In the eyes of young girls, I'm already an uncle. And this year, I plan to..."
Sumner immediately retorted upon hearing the word "young," but before he could finish speaking, a strange figure passed by them and entered the morgue.
"Hey, who are you?"
"Unauthorized personnel are not allowed to enter the hospital morgue."
Sumner shouted at the figure, but the other party seemed not to hear. He walked to the deceased's body, which they were responsible for, and stood there.
Sumner and Seto entered the morgue together. Only then did they clearly see the attire of the person standing before Cleve's corpse.
He wore a white wide-brimmed hat, a red trench coat, and a white Zhongshan suit. A golden lock hung on his chest, and he wore white gloves. He looked like a futuristic police officer from a street fighting game.
"What kind of outfit is that? Cosplaying General Bison?"
Sumner looked at his attire and joked.
"Hey..."
Sumner wanted to say more, but Seto raised his hand and shook his head, signaling him to temporarily shut up. Sumner shrugged and said no more.
At this moment, the uniquely dressed person was intently staring at the corpse.
"Did you find anything?"
Seto stood beside him and asked.
Ambiance said nothing. He took off his gloves and reached out to touch the deceased's brain.
"Hum~"
The moment his hand touched the deceased's brain, a red aura surged from his body and covered his arm, flowing along his arm into the deceased's brain.
[Recall] activated!
When humans die, their brains usually remain active for a few minutes. At this time, the brain still contains memories from before death.
However, Cleve had been dead for three hours. Under normal circumstances, his brain would have long since died, unable to provide any information.
But Ambiance's ability, [Recall], could extract desired information from a living brain.
Even a corpse that had been dead for three hours, Ambiance could extract images by infusing aura into the human brain's cerebral cortex, which his ability would then convert into images in his mind.
However, his ability was limited to extracting information from animal brains he had already understood.
If it were a rare animal or beast he had never encountered or understood, then he would be helpless.
Cleve's memories from before his death flashed like slides in his mind.
"Hmm!?"
Suddenly, a human face frequently appeared in Cleve's memories.
Although this frequently flashing human face appeared only once, such a deep impression was enough to indicate the problem.
Soon, Ambiance learned from Cleve's memories that this person was the killer in this case.
"Opus Dei - Selyu."
"I grant you death, ending your sins."
Just as he was about to end the recall, two voices from the darkness made Ambiance continue to maintain his ability.
"What is he doing?"
Sumner nudged Seto and asked.
The burly young man before him closed his eyes, his left hand stroking the deceased's blood-stained and wounded head. Aside from his lips not moving, he looked just like a priest praying for the deceased.
"Beep..."
Seto was about to answer Sumner when his phone rang.
"Chief?"
He took out his phone and saw it was a call from his superior, the Coronel City Police Chief.
Seto glanced at Sumner, turned, and walked out of the morgue to the hallway outside.
"Seto, this case is temporarily no longer your responsibility."
The Chief's low voice came from the phone. Seto was silent for a moment. He looked at Sumner in the morgue and replied,
"I understand. I'll tell him."
"I know you're upset, but this incident is indeed not something ordinary people can handle."
"According to various relevant information, and intelligence obtained by other police departments."
"This killer is precisely the culprit behind the serial murder cases that previously occurred nationwide."
"And the killer is not an ordinary person."
"For your own safety, you should withdraw as soon as possible."
Seto listened to the phone call while observing the situation in the morgue.
"Excuse me, please."
A nurse pushed a cart over. Seto quickly moved aside and at the same time asked,
"Chief, may I ask who that person standing in the morgue is?"
"Is there anything special about that guy dressed like a character from a street fighting game?"
The Chief on the phone paused for a moment, then continued.
"That's a bounty hunter from the Hunter Association. He has already dealt with many wanted criminals and has a professional team and special abilities."
"In short, he's not an ordinary person. He's a professional hunter recognized by the Hunter Association."
"The city government paid a hefty price to commission the Hunter Association. The person you see is a hunter specifically assigned by the Hunter Association to track down wanted criminals."
"I understand."
Seto hung up the phone and went to Sumner, whispering,
"Sumner, this case is no longer our responsibility."
"Are you joking?"
Sumner reacted fiercely. He spread his hands and chuckled in disbelief, asking,
"We've been on this case all along. If it's not our responsibility, whose is it?"
"It's his responsibility."
Seto lifted his chin. Sumner turned to look at Ambiance.
Just then, the other party had also canceled his ability and slowly opened his eyes.
"Just him? What can he do?"
"Just with that General Bison uniform? Or his height?"
Sumner pointed at Ambiance's strange attire and his height of two meters.
"I already know who the killer is, what his identity is, and what he looks like."
"And the voice the deceased heard before dying, the commotion that occurred, I know everything clearly."
As if to answer Sumner's question, Ambiance turned and looked down at Sumner, his tone solemn.
"Additionally, this is not a cosplay of General Bison. This is a custom-made suit that fits my professional hunter style."
"Your mayor is very farsighted. Not seeking assistance from the Special Investigation Department was the correct choice."
Ambiance patted Sumner's shoulder, walked past the two, and left the hospital morgue.
"Let's go."
Ambiance walked out of the hospital main entrance. A white car was waiting for him outside. He opened the car door and got in. With a roar of the engine, he disappeared at the end of the road.
Ambiance was very confident because of his ability. He was thriving as a bounty hunter.
Abisha S. Bison, his name had already become a supernova in the mouths of many hunters. His potential was not small.
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