Lord of Prayer - Chapter 72 - 64: Human Demon

Chapter 72: Chapter 64: Human Demon

Currently, Zhou Chen’s “public” identity was perfect for fieldwork. It might even entice Eternal Fire to offer a better deal to win him over.

Of course, the bigger reason was that he didn’t want to work, especially during this period. With Iron Python and Lady Grey captured and Qin Zewan having just died, the workload was bound to be astronomical.

Compared to that, fieldwork seemed like the easier option.

After leaving Jiang Che’s office, Zhou Chen pretended to have received a temporary deployment. He requisitioned a field vehicle from the Star Association and drove to the crime scene: Bao Li District.

A little over ten minutes later.

Bao Li District, Block A, Floor 13, Apartment 502.

Photographers were snapping pictures for evidence, the trace evidence team was searching for clues like fingerprints and footprints, and the bio-analysis unit was collecting blood samples for testing. Everyone was working in a state of tense urgency.

The floors of the living and dining rooms were coated in a layer of filth and blood. The clean white walls were splattered with vibrant red, and bloodstains of every kind filled the entire house.

Zhou Chen’s brow furrowed gravely. This was a little more than he had anticipated.

The crime scene was so bloody. The killer had to be either a madman or a psychopathic murderer.

’I wonder if Jiang Che would just shoot me if I tried to go back to the office now…’

“Sir, these are the findings from the crime scene survey.” Just then, a medical examiner in a hazmat suit approached, handing over a notebook and providing a detailed explanation as Zhou Chen flipped through it.

“The victims were a family of three. The murders happened around six o’clock. The killer used a portable blade to cut through the door lock, broke into the house, and brutally murdered the family. After draining their blood, he… dismembered them…”

The medical examiner said grimly, “Around six-thirty, a neighbor heard the sound of a pressure cooker coming from the apartment. We can confirm that was the killer’s doing.

The killer’s current whereabouts are unknown.

The person who reported it was a friend of the husband. He came over at 7:03 PM to ask him to go fishing, but found the door ajar. He went inside, saw the house full of blood, and immediately called the police. He’s currently receiving psychological counseling.”

At this, the medical examiner seemed to be fighting back a wave of nausea. “When we arrived at the scene, the heads of the family of three were still in the pressure cooker…”

“…” Zhou Chen took a deep breath, his expression grave. “Did the security cameras capture the killer?”

“Yes, but only a short clip. The killer is an Ascender; he deliberately avoided most of the cameras. This came from a small security camera one of the residents installed themselves.” The medical examiner handed him a photo.

Perhaps because the killer hadn’t spotted the camera, the photo was relatively clear. The suspect was dressed all in black, his face obscured by a hat, sunglasses, and a mask. He was carrying a travel bag, stood around six-foot-one, and had a well-proportioned build.

“This is the broken latch bolt. The cut has serration marks, and we found similar marks on the victims’ bones. The murder weapon was probably a Saw Blade.” The medical examiner handed over a sealed evidence bag containing the broken piece of the latch.

Zhou Chen took the bag and examined it for a moment. He then walked over the foam boards laid across the pools of blood and into the dining room. After carefully observing the slash marks on the bones, he had a pretty good idea of what happened.

“It’s definitely a Saw Blade-type weapon. Send the data on the slash marks to headquarters. Have them check the Forbidden Object database for a match. Also, have them review the surrounding security footage to see if they can find any trace of the killer.

What about Essence Fluctuation? Were any Essence Fluctuations detected?”

“The instruments detected no residual Essence Fluctuation. The killer didn’t use any Extraordinary Abilities, just raw Power,” the medical examiner replied.

After a pause, Zhou Chen asked, “Have you looked into the family? Did they have enemies?”

“No. Both the husband and wife were ordinary office workers, and they were apparently well-liked. Their child was in the fifth grade.”

“Well, that complicates things…” Zhou Chen sighed, feeling a headache coming on.

’A random killing, no pattern at all.’

’Worse, a random killing by an Ascender.’

’Based on the current clues, the suspect is likely a psychopath who picks targets at random whenever the urge strikes. There’s no telling who his next victim will be.’

After pacing around the crime scene a few more times and confirming there were no more clues to be found, an idea suddenly sparked in Zhou Chen’s mind—a bold one.

He took a photo of the suspect’s picture, returned to his car, and pulled out his phone. He opened the dark web and entered the secret URL to chat with Birdman.

[You there?]

Birdman replied quickly: [A friendly reminder: don’t ask if I’m here in the future. Just get to the point. What’s up?]

[I caught a case tonight. An Ascender killed a family of three. He’s very cautious, so I need your help finding him.]

Zhou Chen sent the photo as he typed: [Based on clues from the scene, he’s a psychopathic killer who enjoys torturing his victims. He has a Saw Blade-type weapon, is around six-foot-one, carries a travel bag, and his Extraordinary Abilities are unknown.]

He didn’t hesitate to ask Birdman for help. There was no need for pleasantries.

’I’m a member of the organization, so it’s only right and proper to ask the organization for help, isn’t it?’

’It wouldn’t make sense for the organization to ignore me when I need help, not after all the work I’ve done for them.’

These days, the entire Jinzhu underworld was basically under the control of Birdman and Snow White. If the killer had even the slightest contact with anyone under them, his location would be exposed.

It was a massive network of informants and intelligence.

[Heh, so you do know to ask me for help. Fine, I’ll help you with this. It should earn you some credit with the Star Association, right?] Birdman agreed readily. It was no skin off his back, and besides, he was happy to see Zhou Chen’s status rise within the Star Association.

And so, at his command, the entire Jinzhu underworld sprang into action. Countless hidden players in the black market took to the streets and alleys, weaving an invisible net to find one particular fish in a vast sea of people.

Before long, a message came through.

[Two hours ago, someone saw this guy at the port. He was smuggled into Jinzhu. Coincidentally, the boat he took was one of mine—a merchant ship that runs directly from America to Jinzhu. As for his real name and appearance, I’ve got nothing. We don’t ask those kinds of questions in the smuggling business.]

’From America? A foreigner?’

Zhou Chen’s mind immediately jumped to the American Chainsaw Murder Association. Many details about the killer matched the profile of a Killing Maniac; perhaps he was one of its members.

Just then, his phone vibrated again.

[Latest update: someone just saw him in the black market. Literally thirty seconds ago. If you hurry, you might be able to catch him.]

Birdman followed up with a location pin for one of the black markets.

’Now *that’s* what you call having connections…’ Zhou Chen smiled as he buckled his seatbelt, released the handbrake, and shifted into gear. He stomped on the accelerator, peeling out with a roar of the engine.

’Oh, right,’ he thought. ’When this undercover mission is over, I can raid that black market too. Rack up some more credit…’