Investigation Underway

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Beta knelt on one knee beside the sand table, driving a bronze marker into the top of a building model, located 4212 meters away from the helipad in terms of planar distance.

He pulled out a tape measure, and the metal tape unspooled with a "swish," easily measuring the straight-line distance from the building to the helipad. Converted according to the scale, it was approximately 4332 meters, with a reasonable margin of error of ±12 meters.

This building offered the best shooting vantage point, but Beta couldn't be sure if the Indian businessman's security team would have already secured the area. He could only hope that the businessman didn't have enough influence to make the French security forces go to such lengths, deploying guards in buildings so far from the airport.

Beta took out a label, neatly wrote down the shooting distance, and attached it to the nylon string representing the ballistic trajectory.

John stood by the sand table and asked, "At this distance, do you have confidence?"

Beta straightened up and pulled out a document. "Employer intelligence indicates that after the 3800-meter long-range kill at Downing Street, the target's security team procured and deployed the Russian Sosna-N laser counter-sniper system. It can actively scan and identify reflections from aiming sights, but its maximum effective detection range is 3 kilometers, leaving a window."

He flipped through further documents. "Given my record, the target's security team has cooperated with French security forces to extend the cordon to a radius of 3.5 kilometers. Within this cordon, all buildings and vantage points with a direct line of sight to the VIP terminal have been brought under surveillance."

Beta said, "At 4332 meters, even a supersonic projectile would take 6 seconds to fly. The tolerance for error in calculating trajectory and windage is in millimeters."

Beta sank into the sofa, crossed his arms behind his head, and stared at the miniature city under the lights. "But this makes it interesting."

MI6 Analysis Room.

Mei Wa rested her hands on the edge of the sand table, her gaze fixed on the red nylon line marking Beta's shooting trajectory.

This red line extended from the top of the miniature 60-story skyscraper model, supported by several transparent acrylic pillars, outlining a precise three-dimensional parabolic trajectory above the sand table. The nylon line not only traversed the base of the sand table horizontally but also formed a steep arc in vertical space. The entire trajectory resembled a beam of spatially distorted light, connecting the sniper's position to the target's location on Downing Street.

The case remained at a standstill. The information in the file about Beta was still just that cold codename.

They had initially thought the height and weight data from the Forest Club's trace analysts would be a breakthrough, but with the Eliot case, all assumptions were overturned. Beta had once again disguised himself as a short, stout wanted criminal, meaning the clues left behind were useless.

It wasn't until MI6 intervened that the wanted man was quickly apprehended. The missing little girl was also rescued under the pursuit of the action team and was currently receiving psychological treatment in the hospital.

The file should perhaps be updated with a note: Beta might have a dwarf accomplice.

Although some in the department raised doubts, questioning whether the "little girl" who tricked security into opening the door in the Eliot case was actually a child, this hypothesis was quickly dismissed. No child could remain frighteningly calm after witnessing a close-range shooting.

Her deputy knocked and entered, holding a report. "Ma'am, 'Operation Mosquito Net' has yielded results."

Mei Wa took the report and scanned it quickly. "The report indicates the discovery of 23 unknown human DNA samples, none belonging to the scene personnel?"

The deputy explained, "That's correct. These DNA samples could belong to hikers, trekkers, cyclists, tourists, campers, fishermen... people engaged in all sorts of activities."

"Can you find any of them?" Mei Wa pressed.

The deputy shook his head. "Not a single one. There are hardly any surveillance cameras around the crime scene, making it impossible to find any leads."

Mei Wa placed the report on the desk. "Then how are we supposed to identify Beta from 23 unknown DNA samples? Are the genetic characteristics of these DNA samples all British?"

The deputy nodded in confirmation. "Yes, all of them are."

Mei Wa rubbed her temples irritably and ordered, "Send people to find them immediately! Don't let anyone who passed through escape. Investigate them openly! If we still can't find the person after this, then the one we can't find is Beta."

The deputy immediately nodded. "Understood, Ma'am!"

Mei Wa leaned back deeply into the chair, the leather making a slight creaking sound.

The deputy stood hesitantly. "Ma'am."

"Speak," Mei Wa said, closing her eyes and tapping her fingertips lightly on the armrest.

"Beta may not have left any DNA traces at all. After all, he's a professional," the deputy chose his words carefully.

Mei Wa opened her eyes. "Action is always better than waiting. Execute the order."

"Yes, Ma'am," the deputy straightened his back.

Mei Wa raised her hand. "Wait, has there been any progress on the 'Jackal' case handled by Bianca?"

The deputy closed the door again. "Bianca reports a lead from an informant, and they've identified the gunsmith who supplied the Jackal. Headquarters has approved her to lead a team for an in-depth investigation."

"What about Beta's weapon source?" Mei Wa tapped the table with her fingertips. "A .50 caliber anti-materiel rifle and a standard-issue sniper rifle that the military records show were destroyed. These aren't things you can just buy on the black market."

The deputy flipped open his notebook. "The .50 caliber has been traced to an underground arms dealer, and we are investigating. As for the 'destroyed' standard-issue rifle, military records show it was already melted down due to being decommissioned, and the trail has gone completely cold."

"Knock, knock."

An urgent knock interrupted their conversation. The deputy opened the door to find another agent from the action team standing outside.

"Report, Ma'am," the agent said, walking quickly inside. "The murder weapon from the Forest Club case has been found in the Lake District in Yorkshire. A fisherman's hook snagged a rifle at the bottom of the lake, and the local police have handed it over to us."

Mei Wa immediately reached out. "Give me the forensic report."

She quickly flipped through the documents. The report indicated:

Primary weapon: Mauser rifle (source to be investigated)

Secondary weapon: Assembled from parts of two antique handguns (source confirmed via comparison with images from a collector's website; seller has been apprehended)

"Notify Scotland Yard," Mei Wa said, closing the file. "That Mauser must also have come from a private collection. All underground arms transactions in the UK were under our surveillance at the time. Only unregulated gun collector societies could have leaked such weapons."

"Ma'am!" Another agent rushed to the door.

"Speak."

The agent handed over a stack of files. "Regarding the Forest Club case, we discovered an overlooked clue. A farmer in Yorkshire had reported a suspicious incident to the local police. His gamekeeper found a gunman who claimed to be hunting ducks with an old .22 caliber bolt-action rifle, but based on the gunshot, it was clearly the sound of a full-power rifle."

He opened the inner pages of the file. "The farmer, fearing legal repercussions, immediately reported it to the police, but they only made a brief record."