Late at night.
The Morgue was deathly silent.
Beneath the pallid lights, the body covered by a white sheet lay quietly on the bed.
Nothing stirred.
Then, suddenly, the sheet trembled. With a low growl, it was thrown aside, and Rogers's corpse sat up before jumping off the bed. His eyes were bloodshot. He glanced from side to side, then staggered toward the exit.
"Creeeak-"
Rogers pushed the door open and looked ahead.
Then he stopped.
Several soldiers in black uniforms and masks stood in the corridor, weapons in hand. Behind them stood Li Wei, Katie, Inspector Lestrade, and the old butler.
"Roughly fifteen hours."
Li Wei took out his pocket watch and checked it.
"The autopsy report placed Mr. Rogers's time of death at three yesterday morning. In other words, victims attacked by vampires need the better part of a day to complete their transformation. Of course, it's also possible they have to wait until nightfall."
"But we dragged this gentleman's body outside and left it in the sun for half a day earlier, and nothing happened, did it?"
Katie tilted her head in puzzlement.
"Don't vampires turn to ash when sunlight hits them, according to the legends?"
"Maybe he hadn't become a vampire yet. Or maybe vampires aren't actually afraid of sunlight."
Li Wei shrugged, then took out an All-Seeing Eye amulet and waved it at Rogers. Rogers showed no reaction.
"Look, the legends also say vampires are destroyed by holy light when they see an All-Seeing Eye amulet. Or is yours a fake?"
"The Archbishop blessed it personally."
Katie defended it, puffing out her cheeks and pouting, clearly displeased herself.
Inspector Lestrade paid no attention to their conversation. Instead, he watched the man before him warily.
"Mr. Rogers! I'm Inspector Lestrade! Can you hear me?"
"Ugh... uhhh..."
At the sound of Inspector Lestrade's voice, Rogers tilted his head slightly and looked at him. Then he suddenly spread his arms and lunged at Inspector Lestrade like a wild beast!
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"
The masked soldiers promptly raised their guns and pulled the triggers. As gunshots rang out, Rogers's body jerked repeatedly under the impacts. Even so, he kept running forward, as though nothing mattered more than the prey before him.
Seeing this, the old butler made a gesture. A soldier immediately stepped forward, took out a bag of blood plasma, opened it, and hurled it at Rogers. Rogers ignored it and kept advancing without missing a step. Another soldier threw out a chicken, but Rogers paid that no attention either, merely glaring viciously at them.
"It seems Mr. Rogers prefers human flesh to chicken."
Li Wei nodded at the sight.
"Destroy him."
Another soldier stepped forward, carrying a huge metal tank on his back and a flamethrower in his hands. He aimed at Rogers and squeezed the trigger.
"Whoooosh!"
Scorching flames instantly engulfed Rogers, burning him into a heap of charred remains moments later.
The old butler looked away and turned to Li Wei.
"Mr. Li Wei, have you made any progress in your investigation?"
"I have a few theories, but not much."
Li Wei offered no further explanation.
"Should we impose a curfew?"
Inspector Lestrade looked worried. Even the Courtesan Killer had not made him this uneasy. After all, the Courtesan Killer's victims stayed dead. They did not get back up.
But now...
"Mr. Rogers was asleep in his own home, and that didn't save him. I don't think a curfew would help. It would only cause unnecessary panic."
Li Wei rejected the suggestion.
"If you ask me, you'd be better off controlling the flow of information and getting the newspapers to stop printing so much rubbish about vampires."
At Li Wei's complaint, Inspector Lestrade gave him a helpless look.
"That's beyond my authority. The press has freedom of speech and freedom to report."
"And the freedom to spread rumors and exaggerate? Never mind. That's what journalism students are all like, anyway."
Li Wei said no more on the subject and could only change the topic.
"If you need anything, we're willing to provide whatever assistance we can."
The old butler bowed slightly as he spoke, his expression solemn.
"If necessary, I'll ask."
Li Wei nodded to the old butler.
Afterward, Katie and the old butler left, the soldiers went to deal with the charred corpse, and Li Wei left the Police Station.
He already had some ideas about the case, but he did not intend to tell anyone else yet. They were only guesses, after all, and might not be accurate.
From the clues Erin had given him about the Courtesan Killer and the letter Betty had sent him, Li Wei had discerned a pattern.
This seemed to be some kind of ritual.
The Courtesan Killer case, for instance, reminded Li Wei of the famous Jack the Ripper from his own world. The case remained a popular subject because it had never been solved and the real killer had never been found. It had even been adapted for the screen several times. In those stories, Jack the Ripper's identity ranged from an abandoned child to an evil spirit born of resentment.
The public loved this kind of exploration of the unknown and mysterious, but what they sought was not truth. It was excitement. There were similar examples, too: the Bermuda Triangle, the Loch Ness Monster, and so on.
The rumors surrounding the Courtesan Killer and the vampire incidents were much the same.
Li Wei noticed that both sets of rumors shared a common feature-or rather, a sequence.
Details were filled in.
According to Erin, when the Courtesan Killer case first began, people knew only that someone prowled the streets at night, killing lone women. Then, as the second and third cases emerged, descriptions of the Courtesan Killer grew more detailed. He wore a mask and a black cloak, and carried daggers used to kill and dismember his victims... until a complete image was born from the rumors.
The vampire rumors followed the same pattern. At first, people knew only that someone had died without a drop of blood left in their body, with small holes in their neck that resembled bite marks, as though a vampire had drained them.
That was the idea the public formed after the first case.
Then came the second case: that unfortunate painter from a wealthy family. This time, the description of the vampire was no longer so vague. It had become more specific.
First, she was a female vampire. Second, she operated at night. Finally, she drank only the blood of handsome men.
Well, Edwards and Rogers both seemed reasonably good-looking.
After analyzing them, Li Wei found that these rumors all sounded plausible and were easy to believe.
Take the Courtesan Killer-he wore a black cloak, which made him hard to spot at night.
He wore a mask-so nobody knew what he looked like.
He carried two daggers-to kill and dismember his victims.
Of course, Li Wei knew it was all nonsense. In reality, Amelia had probably retained little intelligence after becoming a monster. Her choice of scalpels was most likely nothing more than habit. But that did not matter, because the police could hardly announce to everyone that the real Courtesan Killer was a mutated monster who had risen from the grave through a mysterious ritual.
So, to most people, the Courtesan Killer was that masked psychopath.
Then could this grant the killer some kind of mystical power?
The Courtesan Killer was already dead, and Li Wei could not get answers from a corpse. But that did not mean he had no options. The current case, for instance, might well confirm his suspicions.
In fact, Li Wei strongly suspected that the addition of the "targets handsome men" detail might have been aimed squarely at him.
After all, he had ruined the plan between Lady Claytie and some mysterious individual, even forcing that person to kill Lady Claytie to prevent Li Wei from investigating further. It was understandable that they would want to kill him and eliminate any future trouble. They had even killed Lady Claytie to avoid being traced, so Li Wei doubted they would spare his life.
That raised a question: how would they kill him?
Conventional methods were certainly an option. In fact, whenever he went out, Li Wei was prepared for the possibility of being cornered in an alley by thugs or gangsters who would pull out guns and riddle him with bullets, just like in "The Godfather."
But apparently, his enemy did not intend to use that approach. That was understandable. If Li Wei escaped alive, he might be able to trace the assassins back to whoever had sent them.
Given his enemy's caution, the best approach was to have Li Wei die unnoticed in a mysterious incident.
That was why they had created a rumor tailored specifically to Li Wei: a female vampire who drank handsome men's blood and moved through the night. Walls, windows, and locks could not stop her. She came and went without a trace-Li Wei could even predict that tomorrow morning's newspapers would make a huge story of this, letting all of Fog City know that a third-rate painter had been drained of blood inside his own locked room.
This was some kind of trick performed by distorting reality. Li Wei had already guessed that much: a horror story carefully pieced together from lies and twisted information.
Ultimately, however, a story needed a real-life basis.
The Courtesan Killer had been based on Amelia. Then who was the vampire based on?
Sitting in a theater box and watching the play below, Li Wei gave a bored yawn. He had no interest whatsoever in this so-called "art." Given the time, he would rather read a few more books. Unfortunately, this was one of the few nighttime entertainments Fog City offered. And if that vampire was coming for Li Wei, fighting outside was naturally better than fighting at home.
Li Wei had no desire to wreck his own house.
The actor onstage strained his voice to the limit, portraying the final struggle of a king whose dynasty was nearing its end. Li Wei had no interest in it. He yawned again, leaned back in his chair, and narrowed his eyes.
Just then, a voice sounded beside his ear.
"Sir, you seem rather bored."
Li Wei turned to find a woman seated beside him, watching him with a smile. She wore a sumptuous gown and glittering jewels, looking elegant and composed. There was a captivating magic about her, like a radiant pearl in the darkness of night, shedding a dazzling glow.
"My apologies, miss. I've disturbed your enjoyment."
Li Wei inclined his head politely to her.
"I have nothing against the play. I've simply been rather tired lately, so I'm not quite myself..."
"I understand."
The woman smiled faintly. Her smile was so bright that merely looking at her seemed to sweep one's troubles away.
"I'm actually feeling a little bored myself. Why don't... we go for a walk?"
Li Wei did not refuse. She took his hand, and they left the box together. The theater corridor was silent, without a soul in sight. The faint singing from behind the walls only deepened that impression, as though they had been completely cut off from the world and entered an entirely different place.
It was like a dark, silent, deserted alley beside a street bustling with traffic, bringing an eerie sense of separation from the lively, everyday world. But Li Wei did not care, and neither did the woman. Holding his hand, she led him down the corridor to a nearby room. Before Li Wei could see what sort of place it was, she pulled him inside.
Then they embraced tightly.
It was a heat that seemed capable of melting everything, yet it also carried a cold that could freeze everything solid. Along with it came a languid contentment-like lying beneath warm blankets in early winter, eyes closed, savoring that peaceful comfort. His clear awareness gradually began to fade, and Li Wei even felt his thoughts growing indistinct.
He lowered his hand toward his pocket. The woman gave a soft giggle, her slender, supple fingers coiling around his hand as nimbly as a snake. Li Wei paid no mind. He simply held her hand as though she were his beloved and slipped it into his pocket.
The next instant, the woman let out a silent, piercing scream. At the same time, Li Wei felt searing heat and pain erupt inside his pocket, like a branding iron.
Then Li Wei opened his eyes.
The soaring singing reached its climax at that very moment. Onstage, the actor playing the villain had begun to scream and struggle. The audience rose to applaud, and thunderous applause filled the theater.
Li Wei turned to look beside him. The seat was empty.
"Interesting."
Li Wei chuckled and rose. Then he reached into his pocket and took out a badge-the very All-Seeing Eye he had taken from Katie earlier, which she claimed had been blessed by the Archbishop.
With a flick of his fingers, Li Wei sent it spinning high into the air before it dropped back into his hand. At the same time, a gleam flashed in his eyes.
Then he stood, put on his hat, and left the box amid the audience's applause.
Before you continue