Perverted Crimes

"Well, have you two figured out what this says?" Qiao James asked impatiently, not even five minutes in.

"It appears to be a case file," Zhang Zhiyuan mused, "a serial one at that. The person who compiled these dossiers didn't just collect the crime scene reports; they added a variety of miscellaneous information, likely gathered from interviews and inquiries."

Unfortunately, by forensic standards, the content was far too fragmented and superficial to hold much analytical value.

This indicated that the recorder was not a professional.

"There's a bag of photos here, too," Zhou Zhi said from the side.

"Oh? Let us see." The American perked up immediately. Since he hadn't consumed any Translation Tofu, he could only stare blankly at the written records, but photos were different—everyone could offer an opinion on images.

The photos were quickly distributed among them.

They were undoubtedly taken with a primitive film camera; not only were they in black and white, but the resolution was also quite poor. What was jarring, however, was that the content was clearly the crime scenes. Aside from the gruesome victims, one could see glimpses of the surrounding environment.

"This person... is truly a pervert." Asahara Naruko frowned.

The victims were clearly not in their natural state at the time of death—not only were they disemboweled, but the killer had intentionally posed them. Their limbs and torsos were twisted into bizarre postures. To achieve this, the killer would need not only the incredible strength to snap bones but also a significant amount of time to arrange the scene. This proved the killer's arrogance was extreme; in any other world, this would be a blatant provocation to law enforcement.

"I see it now. This guy isn't killing for money or anything like that," Anthony agreed. "He's clearly enjoying himself... just like a hunter savoring the chase."

"So... the goal of the game is to find him and kill him?" Jason Taylor looked toward the Host as he spoke. "Do we have any tracking skills? Like being able to see unique footprints or smell the scent of blood—" He suddenly froze. "Wait, where is the Host?"

At some point, the spot where the Host had been standing was empty.

"He must have hidden," Zhou Zhi said, remaining much calmer, as he had played his fair share of games. "Didn't he say at the beginning that all clues and content were recorded on the pages? It seems we're on our own for the next steps. I doubt there will be any further hints."

"We're supposed to pin down the killer with just this?" Taylor spread his hands. "I understand the game needs realism, but honestly, even if Paradise put the killer's photo right in front of us, it would be nearly impossible to find the target in a city this size, wouldn't it?"

The group fell silent at this.

Zhang Zhiyuan, however, shook his head. "The reason serial murders are serial is that there must be some common factor across the cases. In reality, many serial cases are solved by identifying this commonality, allowing investigators to set a trap and catch the killer. In other words, as long as the killer strikes again, we have a chance to catch him directly."

"Isn't the commonality obvious enough?" Qiao James disagreed. "Murder, cruelty, posing them like some sacrificial ritual—this person is either wealthy or powerful. If the former, we look for reclusive rich men; if the latter, we look for gang leaders or someone who can command a large group of subordinates. We narrow the scope, bring them in for questioning one by one, and check their whereabouts via surveillance. Maybe we'll find a lead. But which of those can we actually do right now?"

"I didn't realize you had such insight into crime," Zhang Zhiyuan said, eyeing him coldly.

"Hey, why do I feel like there's a hidden meaning in your words?" The other man looked displeased.

"Why must the killer be wealthy or powerful?" Zhou Zhi asked, confused.

"Because one person couldn't pull this off." Zhang Zhiyuan turned back, pretending not to hear Qiao James's retort, and picked up the photos again. He felt a sense of alarm; after arriving in this completely unfamiliar game world, he had been feeling unsettled, nearly losing sight of his true purpose for this trip. "Killing someone alone is easy; a knife or a gun can finish the job in a single encounter. But to stage a crime scene like this is something that cannot be done in a short amount of time. Look at the background of the photos—"

Zhang Zhiyuan pointed behind the victims. "None of these are in the wilderness. According to the records, all six murders took place within the city, and in public buildings, specifically so that more people would see them during the day. Combined with the autopsy results indicating the killer committed the acts on-site, this requires him to have the ability to arrange lookouts and security to buy himself a significant amount of safe time."

"So the killer must be paying people, or he has accomplices," Asahara Naruko nodded. "...You have a point."

"But that alone isn't enough," the American scoffed. "We don't have the resources to conduct a large-scale screening."

"Perhaps we don't need to screen everyone to catch his tail," Zhang Zhiyuan said in a low voice.

"You already have an idea?" Zhou Zhi asked eagerly. "Tell us."

"I'm not sure yet. We need to go to a crime scene."

"Huh?" He couldn't help but be stunned. "The autopsies are done; the crime scenes couldn't possibly still be preserved, could they? You saw it yourself, the crime scenes were all in public areas..."

"I don't need to see the corpses, just the location of the crime. We don't need to find the site of the last murder; any site closest to us will do," Zhang Zhiyuan replied.

The closest site to them was a sanctuary called "Yeni."

Finding its exact location was not difficult. Zhang Zhiyuan asked seven or eight people on the street, and six of them pointed out the specific direction—undoubtedly, the building was quite famous locally.

"Hey, someone is watching us," Zhou Zhi whispered.

"I noticed too... our attire seems out of place compared to the people around us." Naruko nodded. Although they had changed bodies and were dressed simply, the weapons they had just equipped made them look entirely different. While there were many pedestrians on the street, few carried long guns and sharp swords openly on their backs like they did.

"If these passersby are AI, then I have to admit, it's impressive," Taylor sighed. "What kind of game NPC would give a damn about a player's outfit?"

"So, should we put the weapons away?" Zhou Zhi asked.

"No," Zhang Zhiyuan stopped that line of thought. "If this behavior were forbidden, they would have taken action by now. Since these people are only peeking, it means our attire hasn't crossed any lines; it's just unusual. But if we hide our weapons in public, it might actually arouse suspicion. It's better to stay as we are. Also, if possible, try not to avoid eye contact with others. Be natural."

As he finished speaking, he took the initiative to look at one of the people who had been peeking. The moment their gazes met, the person showed a hint of fear, lowered their head slightly, and broke eye contact.

Could such subtle expressions be simulated by AI?

Zhang Zhiyuan's gaze swept past the person and toward the distance. The street wound forward, and the buildings on both sides stood irregularly. This uncoordinated layout actually revealed an indescribable sense of harmony: it was the result of substandard measurement techniques combined with sloppy workmanship, a manifestation based on a complex world.

The ground beneath their feet was not entirely paved with polished stone slabs; one could see bricks crushed by carriages everywhere, as well as puddles formed by depressions in the road. Due to the large flow of people, mud and filth were tracked into the area. Zhang Zhiyuan could feel the squelch of mud under his soles and the pervasive stench of rot in the street.

He gradually stopped doubting his judgment.

This was by no means a virtual game, but a real, existing world.

Although the interface flickering before his eyes and the weapons and items that had suddenly appeared were equally incredible, compared to creating a city this realistic, the former was clearly much easier to achieve.

Zhang Zhiyuan was certain of one thing: the investigation into Paradise could not be delayed any longer.