From Naruto onwards, I've become a dreamer.

Chapter 272 Unknown Words of Power, The Next Work of Art
Brooklyn, New York, 14:30 PM.

According to the 'bait' plan formulated by the Executive Department, the Executive Department quickly began deployment after the aircraft arrived.

First, Adam went to the crime scene and the police station to examine the victim's body. Based on various signs, he conducted psychological profiling of the perpetrator and tried to find as many clues as possible.

On the other hand, the remaining executive officers split up and lay in ambush around the hospital where the murderer might appear, trying to find the murderer in advance. The two plans were carried out simultaneously, making preparations for both scenarios.

"The victims are generally between 25 and 30 years old, and are characterized by blonde hair and youth."

Adam examined the victim's body in the police station and said, "And the victim's social relationships were basically all single-parent or divorced. Now we can confirm that the killer's target range was blonde, young women aged 25 to 30 who were single-parent or divorced."

How did he know that the victims were all from single-parent or divorced families?

Chu Zihang frowned slightly, keenly noticing the key point.

If the murderer only targeted pregnant women, then blonde hair and youth might be observable, but social relationships such as being a single parent or divorced are information that cannot be obtained through simple observation; the murderer must have had corresponding information channels.

"Hospital."

Adam adjusted his glasses and smiled, "The hospital records information when patients are admitted."

He had put on a pair of gold-rimmed glasses at some point, which, combined with his already gentle smile, made him look even more refined.

"doctor?"

Chu Zihang guessed.

“No, it’s not a doctor.” Adam shook his head and said, “If it were a doctor, the crime scene would most likely be the same place, so it must be someone else.”

"Who else?"

Chu Zihang thought about it and realized that although the range of options was not large, it was definitely not small either.

"You'll know if you go and see it?"

Adam smiled faintly and said.

The investigation focused on hospitals and other institutions where people had access to patient information.

Soon, the executive department identified a specific group of people: 'caregivers'.

Most caregivers are employed by patients or their families, but a small number are directly employed by hospitals to assist nurses in the daily care of patients. These caregivers have easy access to patient information and, due to the nature of their work, often change work locations.

Now that the target audience has been identified, things become much easier.

Susie made her official entrance, dressed up and introduced herself as a 29-year-old single mother who checked into the hospital nursing ward.

Chu Zihang naturally disguised himself as a gynecologist and infiltrated the hospital to protect the "bait" Susie. As for Adam, he and another specialist, Freya, formed a "couple team" and lived in the next ward, adapting to any situation.

As for the other specialists in the execution department, they were assigned to the surrounding area to avoid alerting the enemy.

Although the bait perfectly matched the killer's selection criteria, no one was certain whether the killer would actually appear. So, with Raymond's intervention, and by utilizing the local police force, they quietly removed all other candidates who met the criteria from the hospital's database.

In this way, the only thing that meets the criteria in the short term is bait.

Of course, all of the above came from 'Adam's' requirements. Everyone could clearly sense that the plan didn't seem very reliable, but the latter was so confident in it.

Trusting Raymond's choice, he ultimately had no choice but to trust Adam and made the corresponding arrangements.

"How likely do you think this method will work?"

Susie, who could only lie in bed pretending to be pregnant, was a little bored and asked while munching on an apple.

Disguised as a doctor, Chu Zihang held a whiteboard in his hand, writing and pausing without even looking up, and said, "According to the execution department's plan, the possibility of luring out the murderer is less than 20%."

"So low?"

Susie blinked, looking somewhat troubled: "Then all my pretense was for nothing?"

"If you were the murderer, and you discovered that there was only one person in all the hospitals in Brooklyn who met the selection criteria, what would you think?" Chu Zihang asked rhetorically.

“I’d probably think it’s a trap?” Susie thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, “No, his selection criteria are very strict, so maybe this is normal?”

"That's right, but there's still a chance it's a trap."

Chu Zihang closed the recorder, lifted his eyelids, looked at Su Qian on the hospital bed, and said calmly, "If it were me, I would have left immediately after realizing it might be a trap."

"Then why even bother with this plan?"

Susie was even more confused.

Meanwhile, Freya in the next room was asking Adam the same question.

"Since you knew the murderer wouldn't fall for it, why did you still use this method?" Freya asked in a standard London accent, her eyes were bright blue like an elf's, her long, curly golden hair was wavy, and her long eyelashes trembled, adding to her mystery and charm.

"This is a provocation."

Adam sat by the hospital bed, handed over the peeled apple, and chuckled softly.

"A provocation?" Freya took the apple, took a small bite, chewed slowly, and then asked, "But how do you know he will definitely accept your provocation?"

Logically speaking, would a cunning murderer, knowing full well that it's a trap, be foolish enough to accept provocation?
The answer is: extremely low, absolutely impossible.

This is also the key question that Freya, Susie, Chu Zihang, and the entire executive department have.

However, when faced with this question, Adam maintained a mysterious smile and placed the small knife in his hand on the bedside table: "Trust me, he will."

"What's the reason? I need a convincing reason."

Freya frowned slightly, her tone revealing distrust: "You should know that our time is precious. If we waste it here and fail to catch the murderer, but instead increase the number of victims, it will be a major blow to the reputation of the Kassel College Executive Department."

"A reason, of course."

Adam smiled and said, "The interval between each attack by the killer is probably no more than a month. Can you guess why?"

Freya shook her head, somewhat uncertainly asking, "Avoiding the police?"

“It’s a cool-down period. After each act of torture, he will get a moment of satisfaction, but this is time-limited, about a month.” Adam looked at the girl deeply and then said, “But desire is like a wild beast. Once you choose to loosen the reins of this beast and let reason slide into the abyss, you will inevitably become a puppet of desire.”

"So, here's the question."

He chuckled and said, "What happens when desire once again triumphs over reason, but there's no outlet for that desire?"

"He will take risks and choose the wrong person."

A thought flashed through Freya's mind, and she immediately understood his actions, but she was still somewhat doubtful: "But how can you be sure he won't be able to resist? What if he waits a little longer, or chooses another area? Wouldn't we be alerting him instead?"

"Yes, he certainly has the option to go somewhere else."

Adam looked out the window and said calmly, "But if I were him, I would definitely choose this place."

"why?"

Freya asked.

“Under normal circumstances, a hybrid with awakened bloodlines would never do such an eye-catching thing if they knew of our existence,” Adam said. “Don’t you think the traces he leaves behind each crime are like he’s showing off? He’s smart and cunning, but also proud and arrogant.”

"He is provoking, using what he considers 'art' to 'show off' his masterpiece to everyone."

"But now, someone is trying to destroy such a masterpiece, and in his eyes these destroyers are nothing more than traps set by some ordinary police officers. Why should he, who possesses power that surpasses that of humans, back down in front of ordinary people?"

What would you do if a swarm of disgusting insects gathered at your feet?

Adam asked.

"Stomp them to death."

Freya paused for a moment, then her expression became complicated: "I understand what you mean. He sees us all as the next 'work of art,' right?"

"shush"

At that moment, Adam suddenly raised a finger to his lips and smiled, "He's here."

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Freya's muscles tensed instantly, and a fiery golden hue seemed to surge deep within her azure pupils.

At the same time, Chu Zihang in the next ward seemed to sense something. His eyes suddenly turned sharp, and his aura surged, like a ferocious tyrannosaurus.

"what happened?"

Susie asked.

"Murderous."

Chu Zihang stared intently at the door, lowered his center of gravity slightly, and said in a low voice, "Just now outside the door, there was a very obvious killing intent, it was aimed at us."

"Is it the murderer?"

Susie immediately tensed up and said, "Have we been exposed?"

"No, we were exposed from the very beginning."

Chu Zihang thought for a moment, then decided to stop pretending and pulled out his alchemical longsword from under the bed: "Temporary command center, prepare to evacuate the masses. There might be a lot of noise later."

However, all that came through the headphones was a harsh hissing sound.

At the same time, the ward door was suddenly kicked open, and several disheveled people, roaring as if they had gone mad, rushed towards them with bared teeth and claws.

Susie was about to make a move when Chu Zihang stopped her. His face was expressionless, but he exuded calmness and composure. His clear voice drowned out the noise: "Don't make a move. These are just ordinary people. The real killer hasn't appeared yet. These people are being controlled."

Susie's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly, and she subconsciously said, "Unknown Word of Power?"

(End of this chapter)