"The three murders in one night had completely overwhelmed me, to the point that I failed to notice the sun had not risen on time. Although an hour had passed since the usual sunrise, there was no unrest in the city. Just as they were not surprised by three murders in a single night, Gothamites perhaps would not be surprised by the arrival of eternal night either. In fact, this was how they had lived for the past several decades. Not a single one of them had ever expected the sun to save them. That custom had continued to this day, becoming the only good thing about it—it meant we did not have to soothe panicked civilians while tracking down a murder case. Just as I calmed down and began to ponder why the sun had abandoned us, a flustered young lady burst into Rodriguez's office."
"Oh, Professor!" Jena cried, kicking off her high heels and running in barefoot.
Victor hurriedly stood and gave up his seat for her. Schiller fetched a pair of disposable slippers from nearby and placed them by Jena's feet. Jena sat in the chair and took several deep breaths before she had time to straighten her slightly disheveled hair. Quite a few sequins had fallen off her red dress, leaving it far less dazzling. Victor twitched his nose and caught the faint scent of blood on her.
"What happened, miss?" Victor asked. He frowned, watching Jena with concern. The girl looked as though she had just encountered danger. Given the current circumstances, that was no good sign. Had she already been attacked?
Jena's throat bobbed. She opened her mouth but said nothing. As if trying to hide her embarrassment, she took a sharp breath and swallowed, only to suddenly break into a violent coughing fit.