A press conference about the mummified corpse case was underway outside the Coast City Police Department.
To salvage the police department's image, Deputy Chief James Clay had prepared thoroughly, yet despite his efforts, a layer of sweat still beaded on his forehead as he faced the reporters' barrage of tricky questions.
Facts were facts; no matter how much he evaded or explained, he couldn't change the reality of over a hundred desiccated bodies.
To prevent the situation from escalating, the police and FBI had maintained strict secrecy. However, they underestimated the universal pull of a woman; a rather alluring female reporter easily extracted inside information about the mummified corpse case from a police clerk using alcohol and her body.
Soon after, everyone in Coast City knew that in this city famous for entertainment, there was nothing a reporter couldn't achieve.
The situation rapidly deteriorated!
Facing various "untrue" reports, Chief Hugo had no choice but to drag himself out of his mistress's bed. After a phone call with Walker, he ordered his deputy to hold a press conference to explain the details of the case.
The press conference proceeded in a boisterous atmosphere. To dig up exclusive stories, the reporters present relentlessly bombarded James with one trap-laden question after another. A slight misstep would allow them to seize on his words, branding the police, FBI, and government as "incompetent."
James felt his head exploding from the questions. He fantasized about throwing down the microphone and walking away without looking back, like a president. But dreams were just dreams; entrusted with such an important task by Hugo and Walker, he didn't have the luxury of discarding the microphone. He could only explain repeatedly to "friends of the media" that the police had made sacrifices in the mummified corpse case, the FBI had shown heroic bravery, and they would do everything in their power to quickly find the perpetrator and restore a quiet, peaceful Coast City for everyone.
As for when the case would be solved, he didn't mention a single word!
Such perfunctory answers were simply unacceptable. In fact, not all the reporters present were "paparazzi"; a large number of them were genuinely concerned about the progress of the case.
They were all locals, having lived here for decades, and had a deep affection for Coast City.
The mummified corpse case severely impacted citizens' daily lives. The killer had already murdered over a hundred people, and his appearance remained unknown. All sorts of supernatural rumors circulated online—some said vampires, some werewolves, and others vengeful spirits, ghosts, and so on. Everyone lived in fear, afraid to even leave their homes.
James was drenched in sweat, desperately explaining, but the reporters wouldn't listen, pressing him to make a promise.
James wouldn't dare to make such a pledge. If he succeeded, it would be fine, but if he failed, Hugo would surely kick him out to be a scapegoat.
There was no doubt that greedy, shameless, lecherous, and depraved fat bastard would certainly do so.
The crowd's emotions gradually grew agitated when suddenly someone pointed to the sky.
"Look, what's that?"
"Is that a bird? Is that… a person?"
Everyone instinctively looked up. In the hazy sky, there was indeed a "person." As the view zoomed in, they discovered this person had a truly unique appearance: not tall, at most 1.6 meters, with an extremely ugly face, and a disproportionately swollen and thick head, like the Big Head Son from a cartoon.
A low chuckle rippled through the crowd.
"Where did that freak come from, looking like a mallet?"
Short in stature, large head!
The FBI agents investigating the case suddenly remembered something.
These were precisely the physical characteristics of the killer! Recalling the over one hundred bodies drained into mummies, a shiver ran down their spines. They quickly walked over to James and whispered a few words. The latter's face turned pale with fright, and he immediately gathered his subordinates to disperse the crowd.
The police also reacted, disregarding their image, pushing and kicking reporters aside, then raising their weapons to aim at the big-headed monster in the sky.
Heckert, dressed in a suit, slowly floated down. He raised a hand and waved. James was struck as if by a heavy blow, flying backward directly into the wall, where he lay unconscious.
"Chief!"
The police officers' faces changed dramatically, and they instinctively opened fire.
Six bullets flew from various directions but eerily stopped two meters in front of Heckert. The bullet tips rotated continuously, seemingly resisting some force, but ultimately remained suspended motionless in mid-air.
Seeing this, everyone fell silent, and the air settled into an eerie quiet.
Heckert surveyed his surroundings, a flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. He liked this kind of entrance—shocking, domineering, crushing everything with immense power.
This was what a man should be!
Heckert cleared his throat, strolled to James's spot, picked up the microphone, and cleared his throat again. When he noticed everyone staring at him, he suddenly felt a bit flustered, like a novice giving his first public speech. The speech he had memorized dozens of times wouldn't come to mind, so he had to improvise.
"Hel… hello, everyone. I am the mummified corpse…" He paused, then continued, "Let me introduce myself. My name is Heckert Hammond. You might not have heard that name, but you've definitely heard my father's name. That's right, my father is Adam Hammond, the great Mayor Hammond, the great Councilman Hammond."
"I am his son, although we don't look alike at all, mmm mmm mmm… let's change the topic. I am the killer in the mummified corpse case that you are looking for, also known online as the werewolf, vampire, ghost…"
"Yes, I killed those over one hundred people."
Boom!
The crowd erupted in an uproar. Not just the unaware reporters, but the police and FBI agents nearby as well. They had seen many madmen, but never one as insane as this big-headed monster.
Admitting to killing over a hundred people at a press conference held by the police chief!
What kind of madman would do such a thing?
Reporters who had found their scoop frantically took photos. Some media personnel even interrupted their programs to live-stream Heckert.
A slightly bolder female reporter cautiously extended her microphone.
"Mr. Hammond, why… why did you kill so many people?"
"That's an excellent question."
Facing the female reporter's question, Heckert didn't show a cruel or violent side but explained politely, just like his father, Councilman Hammond, when he was interviewed.
"I didn't kill people because I had no other choice."
The female reporter asked again, "Do you mean someone forced you?"
"No! No! No!"
Heckert waved his hands repeatedly, "No one in this world can force me. I kill people… well, how should I put it…"
Heckert reached up and scratched his forehead, seemingly troubled by how to explain. After a few seconds, he asked in return,
"My beautiful lady, can you go three days without eating?"
The female reporter didn't understand what he meant and instinctively shook her head. How could a person go three days without eating?
"Exactly."
Heckert clapped his hands and smiled triumphantly, "You all need to eat. If you don't eat for three days, your body can't take it. I'm the same."
Everyone was first stunned, then overcome with immense fear.
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