Beichuan Si was awoken by the ringtone of his own cell phone.

When he woke up, he made a point to check the time.

Two o'clock in the morning.

At this time, the person calling him...

Beichuan Si glanced at the contact on his phone screen.

It was Gangye Yoshiko.

"..." Beichuan Si.

Gangye Yoshiko calling him at such a late hour must have meant there was an urgent matter.

Without hesitation, he reached out to answer the call:

"Hello?"

On the other end, Gangye Yoshiko's grave voice came through the phone, her distinctively cold voice mixed with the jarring sound of police sirens:

"Beichuan."

"Ookubo is in trouble."

With just those simple two sentences, Beichuan Si was slightly rejuvenated; he swung himself out of bed and asked: "Location?"

"I've already sent someone to pick you up, they should be almost there. This time the case has some unusual aspects."

Beichuan Si raised his hand to draw back the curtains, looking down.

A police car had parked next to his house at some unknown time.

It seemed that was the person Gangye Yoshiko had sent to pick him up.

"I'll be right there."

Beichuan Si replied as he donned an overcoat suitable for going out.

"Okay."

The call ended there.

It seems Gangye Yoshiko was still organizing the scene, sparing a moment to call him was already the limit.

Beichuan Si pocketed his phone and keys, and quickly left his home.

...

In the deep of night, the piercing sound of police sirens echoed.

It was almost like a signal to gather, and some night owls out for a stroll seemed to have found some entertainment, pressing their way over.

In this situation, the two officers who escorted Beichuan Si out of the car quickly parted the crowd and squeezed inside.

"Reporting to Gangye Police Officer! The task you assigned has been completed!"

Both saluted Gangye Yoshiko, who was maintaining order at the scene.

Gangye Yoshiko turned her gaze towards them and nodded:

"Okay. We'll need more manpower to maintain order later on, so I'll be counting on you two."

"Yes!"

The two officers, disciplined, withdrew, leaving Beichuan Si alone next to Gangye Yoshiko.

"Beichuan..." Gangye Yoshiko looked at Beichuan Si in front of her, her mouth opened weakly, then she seemed to give up on saying something and waved her hand instead: "Forget it, I'll take you inside for a look."

"...Okay."

Beichuan Si nodded and lifted his head to survey the apartment building in front of him.

It was a very ordinary residential apartment building, considering as a mid-to-high-rise structure.

Yet, for some reason, the shimmering lights gave Beichuan Si an indescribable sense of icy coldness.

Gangye Yoshiko led Beichuan Si inside.

Along the way, they encountered several officers, greeted each in turn, and finally, she led Beichuan Si into the apartment building.

Upon entering the apartment building, Beichuan Si smelled the thick scent of blood and stench that filled the air.

But Gangye Yoshiko was also experienced and seasoned.

She had seen many brutal cases before and certainly wouldn't be shaken by this bit of blood.

Smelling such odors, all Gangye Yoshiko did was frown, then quickly led Beichuan Si to the source of the bloody smell —

To an elevator.

At that moment, the elevator doors were wide open, and there were a few officers inside busy with sampling and investigating.

"They're still working inside... from here you should be able to see," Gangye Yoshiko said calmly.

"...Yes, I can see," Beichuan Si nodded.

From his angle facing the elevator, he could clearly see the gruesome scene inside.

The metal polished surface inside the elevator was now splattered with fresh blood.

The fierce spread of scarlet lines heralded the horror of the victim's gruesome death.

Beichuan Si's gaze moved downward.

Below him was a man with light yellow hair.

His tongue dangled outside his mouth, his bloodless face turned towards the elevator side, making an expression as if he were glaring fiercely at those outside the elevator —

But to call it a glare wasn't quite right.

For in the sockets of his eyes snugly fit dark iron spikes, making it impossible to see his eyes.

Naturally, there could be no talk of a 'glare.'

The black surface of the iron spikes was covered in blood and other viscous fluids, looking dirty and grimy.

Under Beichuan Si's watchful eye, Gangye Yoshiko's explanatory voice appropriately broke the silence.

"After a cursory examination, Ookubo Hayato had multiple contusions on his body, which suggests that he must have struggled violently before dying, and the cause of his death were those two iron spikes..."

Gangye Yoshiko extended two fingers, making a gesture as if poking eyes out: "They were inserted into Ookubo Hayato's eyes while he was still alive, entering through the eyes and then exiting from the back of the head... What do you think? Does this manner of death feel familiar to you?"

"Indeed."

Beichuan Si murmured.

The manner of Ookubo Hayato's death was similar to those of Yasui Kaoru and Ruyue Nao... apart from the location, everything else was nearly identical.

"Besides that... I have another piece of information that only insiders know." Gangye Yoshiko glanced at Ookubo Hayato, who had been dead for some time, and began speaking:

"Ookubo Hayato... this guy's time of death was around midnight, but his body wasn't discovered until two in the morning."

Gangye Yoshiko touched her cigarette pack but considering Beichuan Si was right beside her, she refrained from the action and continued: "And during that time, the elevator was still being used."

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