I, Lord of Prayer

Currently, Zhou Chen's "public" identity is well-suited for missions; it might even persuade the Eternal Flame to offer more incentives to win him over.

Of course, the bigger factor was that he didn't want to work, especially during the period after Iron Python and Lady Gray were captured and Qin Zewan had just died. The workload must have been enormous.

Compared to that, fieldwork seems to be easier.

After leaving Jiang Che's office, Zhou Chen pretended to be temporarily reassigned, found a field vehicle from the Qunxing Club, and drove to the crime scene—Baoli Residential Area.

More than ten minutes later.

Baoli Residential Complex, Room 502, 13th Floor, Block A.

Photographers took pictures to collect evidence, trace evidence investigators searched for clues such as fingerprints and footprints, and the biological testing team extracted blood for testing. Everyone was in a tense and busy state.

The living room and dining room floors were covered in bloodstains, and the white walls were splattered with bright red. All sorts of bloodstains filled the entire house.

Zhou Chen frowned deeply; things had taken him somewhat unexpectedly.

The crime scene was so bloody; the killer must be either a madman or a deranged serial killer.

I wonder if Jiang Che will shoot me if I go back to work now...

"Sir, these are the results of the on-site investigation." At this moment, a forensic doctor in protective clothing came over, handed over a notebook, and carefully explained it to Zhou Chen as he looked through it.

"The victims were a family of three. The murders occurred around 6 p.m. The killer used a knife to cut open the door lock, broke into the house, and brutally murdered the family of three. After draining their blood, he... cut them into pieces..."

The forensic doctor said in a deep voice, "Around 6:30, the neighbors heard the sound of this family using a pressure cooker, which confirms that it was the work of the murderer."

The killer's whereabouts are currently unknown.

The person who called the police was a friend of the male homeowner. He arrived at 7:03 PM to invite the family to go fishing that evening. Upon arriving, he found the door ajar, entered, and discovered the house covered in blood. He immediately called the police and is currently receiving psychological counseling.

At this point, the forensic doctor seemed to be fighting back nausea: "When we arrived at the scene, the heads of that family of three were still inside the pressure cooker..."

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"..." Zhou Chen took a deep breath, his expression serious: "Did the surveillance cameras capture the murderer?"

"Yes, but only a small section. The murderer was an Ascended Being and deliberately avoided most of the surveillance cameras. This is a small surveillance camera that a household installed themselves." The forensic doctor handed over a photo.

Perhaps because the perpetrator didn't notice the surveillance footage, this photo is relatively clear. The perpetrator is dressed in all black, wearing a hat, sunglasses, and a mask to cover his face, carrying a travel bag, and is about 1.85 meters tall with a well-proportioned build.

"This is the broken latch. The cut has serrated marks. There are similar marks on the victim's bones. The murder weapon should be a meat saw." The forensic doctor handed over a sealed bag containing a piece of the broken latch.

Zhou Chen took the knife and examined it for a few moments. Then, stepping on the foam board in the pool of blood, he arrived at the restaurant and carefully observed the cut marks on the bones. He had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"It is indeed a weapon like a meat saw. Send the data on the cuts to command and have them check the database of prohibited items to see if there are any matching prohibited items. Also, have them investigate the surrounding surveillance footage to see if they can find the killer's whereabouts."

What about source matter fluctuations? Have any source matter fluctuations been detected?

"The instruments did not detect any residual source energy fluctuations. The murderer did not use any extraordinary abilities; he simply used brute force to commit the crime," the forensic doctor replied.

After a pause, Zhou Chen asked again, "Has this family been investigated? Have they offended anyone?"

"No, they are both ordinary office workers, and they are well-liked. Their child is in fifth grade."

"That's troublesome..." Zhou Chen sighed with a headache.

Random killings with no discernible pattern.

Or is it that the Ascended kills randomly?

Based on the current clues, the perpetrator is likely a psychopath who randomly selects targets when hungry, and no one knows who his next victim will be.

After wandering around the scene for a while and confirming that he couldn't find any clues, Zhou Chen suddenly had a bold idea.

He took a picture of the killer, then went back to his car, took out his phone, opened the dark web, and entered the secret URL he used to chat with the birdman.

【Are you there?】

Birdman quickly replied: "Just a heads-up, don't ask if I'm online anymore. Just say what you need. What is it?"

I've taken on a case tonight. An Ascended individual murdered a family of three. He's very cautious, and I need your help to find his whereabouts.

Zhou Chen sent the photos: "Based on the clues at the scene, he's a deranged serial killer who enjoys torture and murder. He possesses weapons like a meat saw, is about 1.85 meters tall, is carrying a travel bag, and his extraordinary abilities are unknown."

He didn't hesitate to ask the birdman for help, and there was no need to be polite.

I'm a member of the organization, so it's perfectly reasonable for me to ask for their help, right?

How can I do so much work and then be ignored by the organization when I need help?

Nowadays, the entire Jinzhu underworld is basically under the control of Birdman and Snow White. If the murderer has even the slightest contact with their subordinates, it is tantamount to exposing their whereabouts.

This is a massive network of informants and intelligence.

"Heh, you still know to ask me for help. Okay, I'll help you with this. It should be able to earn you some credit in the Star Alliance, right?" The birdman readily agreed. It wouldn't cost him anything, and besides, he was happy to see Zhou Chen rise in status within the Star Alliance.

Thus, following his order, the entire underworld of Jinzhu sprang into action. Countless hidden criminals took to the streets and alleys, weaving an invisible net to search for a certain fish in the vast sea of ​​people.

Before long, news arrived.

Two hours ago, someone saw this man at the port. He was smuggled into Jinzhu. Coincidentally, the ship he was on was one of mine—a merchant ship that sails directly from the Americas to Jinzhu. As for his real appearance and name, we have no idea; people in the smuggling business don't ask about that.

From the Americas? A foreigner?

Zhou Chen immediately thought of the American Chainsaw Killers Association. Many details about the killer matched the characteristics of a serial killer, so he might be one of its members.

Just then, the phone vibrated again.

[Breaking news! Someone spotted him on the black market just thirty seconds ago. If you're quick enough, you might be able to catch him.]

The birdman then sent a location message, which was the location of a black market.

"That's what you call connections..." Zhou Chen smiled as he fastened his seatbelt, released the handbrake, shifted gears, and stepped on the gas, speeding away amidst the roar of the engine.

Oh, right, after the undercover mission is over, we can take down that black market again and get some credit...