Luoshan's Shadow

The police officer nodded slightly at my question, offering a cautious verbal response: "At least, that's what the current clues indicate."

No wonder this police officer, who was handling cases related to Maza, was here.

If we completely accepted the police officer's testimony, then Maza would be both the serial killer who appeared in the last two to three months and the murderer of the previous tenant eight months ago.

According to Maza's own testimony, she accidentally time-traveled to the present day from the Doomsday era yesterday, which also served as her "alibi."

It wasn't impossible to devise a theory that made these two seemingly contradictory statements hold true simultaneously, but I'll set aside the detailed explanation for now. Moreover, that would require a complete belief in Maza's word.

I have to admit, I do harbor a desire for chaos, a yearning for a doomsday that could shatter all existing order.

It's not that I want the "result" of human civilization being wiped out. What I truly desire is the "process" of everything around me colliding with a super catastrophe that could bring about that result, and for me to be a part of it. During this earth-shattering process, I might be scared out of my wits, mock my current naive thoughts, or perhaps discover a different version of myself.

However, from a rational perspective, I still remain reserved about the future Maza described; in other words, the possibility of her being a serial killer still exists in my mind.

If nothing else, the police officer even had a photo of Maza.

It was a proper headshot, not a candid snapshot taken on the street. Unless there was a specific need, an ordinary person wouldn't go to the trouble of taking such a photo. This piece of evidence further reduced the credibility of Maza's statement that she "time-traveled to this era only yesterday."

Maza certainly didn't give me the impression of someone who would kill indiscriminately, but if everything could be judged by vague impressions, what would be the point of reasoning or evidence?

"Can we go now?" Chang'an couldn't stand still any longer after learning the killer was still operating within the city.

"Please don't go yet, I need you to make a statement."

The police officer adopted a professional demeanor and led us to the community's gazebo.

"Don't we need to go to the station to make the statement?" Chang'an asked.

"It's not necessary," the police officer replied briefly.

Seeing Chang'an still looking confused, I added, "We're not suspects, so there's no need to go to the interrogation room. We can make the statement here."

Chang'an had encountered the police a few times when he was causing trouble in the past, but his knowledge in this area hadn't improved at all, unlike me, a law-abiding citizen.

Although this title of "law-abiding citizen" has become quite humorous by now.

The police officer asked, seemingly casually, "You seem to know a lot. Have you made statements before?"

"I just read a lot of novels," I replied.

The police officer sat down in the gazebo, took out paper and a pen, along with a recording device, and then looked at me, saying, "In that case, let's start with you."

I sat upright opposite him, feeling a bit guilty inside.

It wasn't just a guilty conscience; I also had a real gun hidden in my backpack. Now, I felt as if the gun was burning, searing my back through the fabric of the backpack.

The statement was just a simple Q&A. Ultimately, they couldn't ask me too many complex questions. I wasn't a tenant of the Fifteenth Floor apartment, so the main questioning would be directed at Chang'an.

Midway, I seized an opportunity to ask, "The 'Magic Circle' in that apartment, that was left by the killer eight months ago during their crime, right? Didn't the forensic police at the scene discover it then?"

If the magic circle hidden under the carpet was something an ordinary tenant might not find easily, it was understandable. But for the police specifically responsible for investigating murder scenes to miss it? That was hard to believe.

Judging by the attitude of the police officer in front of me, it seemed they had only realized the existence of that magic circle today, eight months later.

There was likely some important clue hidden here that I hadn't grasped yet.

"You'd have to ask the person in charge of that at the time," the police officer first dodged the question with a platitude, then added, "Also, don't interrupt. It's my turn to ask you questions."

As expected, I couldn't get an answer so easily. After all, my position was that of an ordinary citizen; he had no reason to disclose case-related clues to me.

I could only agree verbally for now, then change direction and try to inquire about Maza indirectly.

Last time, the police officer directly referred to Maza as a "serial killer." Procedurally, without any trial, even if there was ample and clear evidence of a suspect's crimes, they could only be referred to as a "suspect," not directly as a "criminal."

Of course, that was just the strict procedural terminology. In ordinary conversation, calling a suspect with solid evidence a criminal wouldn't likely draw any complaints.

What I wanted to know was whether the official forces had already obtained irrefutable evidence of Maza committing murder.

However, the police officer in front of me remained tight-lipped about the case, and I couldn't extract any useful clues.

Soon, the police officer finished questioning me, then glanced at Chang'an and said to me, "I need to speak with him alone next. You can go ahead."

"Huh?" Chang'an was puzzled.

I vaguely guessed what the police officer intended to say to Chang'an next.

"I understand," I said, getting up. Then, I turned to Chang'an and added, "I'll wait for you outside the community then."

Although I said I was leaving, how could I be so obedient?

As I left, I secretly placed a "Firefly" near the gazebo, secretly observing the entire process of the police officer taking Chang'an's statement.

The conversation unfolded as expected. Chang'an insisted that he had encountered strange events in the Fifteenth Floor apartment but couldn't produce any evidence to prove his experience. Most of the police officer's questions were also common sense.

But, were the official forces truly unaware of "things that transcend common sense"? This world had superpowered individuals like me and anomalous objects like the basement of the Fifteenth Floor. Even if many extraordinary secrets were unknown to the public, the official forces should be aware of them.

Furthermore, the public's ignorance of the existence of anomalous objects itself was enough to prove that there was a "hidden hand" preventing information related to anomalous objects from reaching the public. To carry out this level of information control, a sufficiently large organization must be hidden behind the scenes.

The question is, why would the official forces control information? Were they worried that the existence of anomalous objects would cause social panic? That reason seemed too weak.

Or were there anomalous objects that could spread harm through human cognition, forcing the official forces to resort to such measures?

Of course, there was another possibility, though I thought it unlikely: could it be that things that transcend common sense, like me and the basement of the Fifteenth Floor, were truly so rare that no one knew about them?

"Um, Officer, why do you need to speak with me privately?" Chang'an finally couldn't help but ask, "Is there something you can't let my friend know?"

The police officer didn't seem to notice the "Firefly" I'd secretly set up. Under my gaze, he replied, "You could say that, but it's mainly to warn you."

"Warn me?" Chang'an didn't understand.

"That serial killer has taken the lives of five victims in the past two to three months. The common characteristic among the victims is that they were either wealthy or powerful. Entrepreneurs with immense fortunes, or officials in high-ranking positions. While you're neither an entrepreneur nor an official, you come from an extraordinary family background, so..."

I had already looked into this matter through the news, but Chang'an was completely unaware. He wore a look of chilling dread, "You think I'll be the next victim?"

"We're just saying it's a possibility. We'll assign someone to protect you discreetly afterwards," the police officer reassured him with a firm tone.

Chang'an was panicked, then suddenly a flash of insight struck him. He noticed a blind spot, "Wait, that doesn't sound right. Was my previous tenant also someone wealthy or powerful like you mentioned?"

The apartment on the Fifteenth Floor was in an ordinary residential complex. Based on my past investigations, the previous tenant indeed did not have a wealthy or powerful background.

"No, he was just an ordinary employee of a company, and the only exception in this series of incidents. We are still investigating the potential connection between him and the other victims," the police officer shook his head first, then cautioned, "Even so, you can't let your guard down. Haven't your parents or elders mentioned the recent troubles?"

Hearing this, Chang'an's expression darkened, "Well..."

Others might not know, but I was aware that things weren't going smoothly for Chang'an at home.

Although the police officer didn't know the inside story, seeing Chang'an's reaction, he skipped over the topic and continued, "In short, you need to be aware of your surroundings, avoid deserted places, and be wary of suspicious individuals. Especially if you discover signs of large wild animals, you must not linger in the area."

"Large wild animals?" Chang'an asked cautiously.

"The bodies of the previous five victims, and that former tenant, all had extensive tearing and bite marks. We also found animal fur at the scenes." The police officer revealed a clue he hadn't mentioned before to Chang'an, "Although no beasts have escaped from the Xianshui City Zoo, and there have been no sightings or surveillance footage of wild animals in the city, it's always better to be cautious."

Tearing and bite marks... So the victims' cause of death wasn't a gunshot after all?

But according to his previous statement, the serial killer should be a rebellious girl who accidentally found a handgun and was using its power to wreak havoc.

I recalled the scene when I first met Maza. Her hospital gown also had multiple severe tear marks, making me initially believe she was attacked by someone with a sharp weapon. But if I were to say she was attacked by a wild animal, it would seem more fitting.

This means Maza was a victim of the incident, encountering the serial killer and being severely injured by them through some means? But judging by the outcome, Maza, despite being covered in blood, was unharmed. What was going on?

Why was Maza being accused of being the killer instead?

"That's all for now. Later, remember to talk to your landlord and terminate the lease for that apartment. Also, give me the keys to the apartment; we need to secure the scene," the police officer said.

"Oh, okay." Chang'an took out the keys and handed them over.

"My colleague will call you later. I have other important work to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave now."

With that, the police officer put away his notepad and recording equipment, stood up, and left.

I was somewhat puzzled. If they intended to protect Chang'an, shouldn't they have brought him to the station or another safe location first, and then had his colleague contact him? Wouldn't it be awkward if the killer attacked during the interim period?

The more I thought about it, the more suspicious this police officer seemed.

I even couldn't help but wonder—is he really a police officer?

I maneuvered "Firefly" to tail the man with the mature appearance.