101. Snake Creeper (4)
bang!
The guy who was shot in the back flew to one side of the hallway, and bullets rained down on him.
Doo doo doo-!
Dozens of fire-breathing guns approached him.
Every time a bullet was fired, a flashing light revealed his figure.
“Kee, key, Kiki Kick!”
The hairy body was similar to that of a human, but the head was that of a perfect mouse.
His eyes were dyed red, and the hairs all over his body stood up like thorns.
As if feeling no pain at all, he creaked himself up with a groan of bizarre laughter.
Doo doo doo-!
The shooting continued and the guy moved little by little as he was being shot.
Each time, the personnel with guns lined up and pulled back little by little.
With the orderly movement reminiscent of a professionally trained police officer or a soldier, Inspector Paula forgot the next action he was about to take and stared blankly at the scene.
“Ki, Kiki- you now- what.”
For a moment, the mouse-headed beastman spat out in the direction the fire was coming, but it was mixed with the loud gunfire and could not be understood properly.
breakage.
The mana-covered shield was broken, and countless bullets shredded his body in an instant.
“Stop shooting.”
Even after the guy fell to the floor, the muzzle that continued to spit fire stopped firing with someone’s instruction.
“Are you okay?”
A man came up to Inspector Paula and asked.
familiar voice.
His face was recognizable under the dim hazard lights.
Behind his back, he could see the members of the special task force coming up late, shouting his name.
* * *
Once the situation was settled somewhat, Supreme Security’s guards and members of the task force returned to their respective positions.
Jason escorted Inspector Paula straight to the infirmary, where she herself medicated and bandaged the wound.
“Hamelak. According to our staff, he was a beast who was often seen in slum bars and gambling establishments. I’m glad you weren’t seriously hurt.”
“How did you get here… .”
“I came running after receiving reports of seeing something climbing on the wall of the hotel.”
Inspector Paula nodded, remembering the wide open window at the end of the hallway.
“Did you come out after receiving a report while you were sleeping?”
“no. I was working in the office. I only get about two hours of sleep at sunrise.”
“… That is the only way to become a representative of dozens of businesses.”
Inspector Paula thought.
If what he said is true, in some ways he is a great person.
‘For now, the assumption that he is Cain’s agent should be withheld.’
If he was Cain’s subordinate, or a gang, there was absolutely no reason to help him in the situation he just had.
If he had been left to suffer serious injuries, it was obvious that the momentum of the investigation would be weakened at once.
‘You either think it doesn’t matter if Cain is captured, or that we’ll never catch Cain until something happens on the 17th.’
First of all, I thought it might be possible to push the boundaries a little bit.
In any case, he was someone who helped himself in a crisis situation, and there was also gratitude for him.
“From the perspective of the owner of the hotel, there is no face-to-face. We sincerely apologize.”
“no. It’s not the president’s fault. Beasts have basically excellent physical abilities, so they can jump over walls of several meters and even climb high walls like that guy. Even if it were our crew, it would have been difficult to detect an intrusion taking advantage of this late night.”
“We will cover all costs for treatment. If any sequelae remain, all about it.”
“… … .”
From an objective point of view, it wasn’t a small wound, but for her, who had been traveling through the rough scenes, it was a wound that would heal quickly if she rested for a few days and rested.
Because of this, she felt a little embarrassed by the other person’s excessively polite manners.
‘Is it a little different from other entrepreneurs?’
It was an aspect that had never been seen by the selfish people he had ever experienced.
If he was a good citizen, he might have been the one who caused the damage.
The mouse-headed Su-in clearly mentioned the color of his hair.
It was the story of breaking into the hotel with the goal of himself from the beginning.
“Once he climbed the wall and invaded the upper floors, it doesn’t seem like it was done against an unspecified number of people while he was intoxicated.”
Jason spoke as if he had read his heart, and Lieutenant Paula felt a tingling sensation for a moment.
“yes. He probably came in after me. Usually, in this case, there are a lot of guys who come with a grudge because I am close with the criminal I caught, but in this case, I think the special case of the slaughter sent by Cain is possible.”
As soon as she mentioned the name ‘Cain’, she carefully observed the change in the opponent’s expression.
However, he only had a sinful expression on his face and did not show any reaction.
“If it’s okay with you, I’ll lend you my coat.”
“… … ?”
Inspector Paula put a suspicious light on her face and soon realized she was shaking.
“It is said that some prisoners who use their nails as weapons either apply poison on the tips or even secrete poisonous substances from their nails on their own.”
“… I’ve experienced it a few times. Get a little rest and you’ll get better soon.”
She took the coat Jason gave her and put it on.
Then he ordered one of the crew who was waiting outside the door to get clothes from his room.
“Thank you. I’ll borrow my clothes until they arrive.”
“All right.”
Time passed and the wounds were disinfected and bandaged.
Then, with a knock, a member of the task force entered.
“It’s the intruder’s belongings.”
He put a few things in the plastic bag down on the desk and nodded and disappeared.
A bag of gray powder.
Several syringes with different needle diameters.
A few hand-stained coins and a bottle of vodka.
And one unopened water bottle.
Jason said looking at the bag of powder in it.
“Anything else, this powder… .”
“Accelerator.”
“Yes?”
“It’s the name of that stimulant. Prisoners usually take it for doping. Usually, it is dissolved in liquid, but if you want a high effect, dissolve it in water and inject it directly into the blood vessel with a syringe.”
“Ah, so this seems to be the medicine Hamelak was taking.”
Jason responded that he had just noticed.
Inspector Paula picked up the syringe and fiddled with it.
And when I realized one thing, I felt goosebumps running down my body.
‘Because of the difference in the thickness of blood vessels, the syringes used by humans and animals are different. This thin needle is definitely for humans… .’
In addition to a water syringe full of signs of use, there were three unused human syringes in an envelope.
she was in thought.
Was he trying to use a syringe filled with the accelerator on me?
When the accelerator is injected, humans also enter a state of high excitement, that is, arousal.
However, in the case of humans, it suffers from the side effect of not being able to operate mana for a certain period of time, and if the dose exceeds a certain level, the circuit may be broken.
But why bother doing that?
If the purpose of the investigation is to obstruct the investigation, it would be neater if it were to take a life.
thought again.
In other words, the one who sent the male and female simply wanted to avoid losing their lives and simply fall into a state of incapacity.
‘Why the hell did someone do that?’
“It is unfortunate that what happened when Sergeant Vicious was absent. You share the same floor, so if you were in the room, you would have been the first to come out and help.”
Inspector Paula’s spirit flashed.
This was the part I had been missing out on.
“Sergeant Vicious is absent.”
“Yes. The staff say they went out with all the crew about an hour ago.”
It’s not something you can’t understand if you go out on an inquiry.
As nights in the city are long, there are some information that can only be obtained at certain times.
But, coincidentally, the inquiry is being made at this time of the day when the sneak attack took place.
‘… no way.’
A few days ago, when I saw the piece of paper with Cain’s writing on it, I remembered Sergeant Vicious, who had not shown much reaction.
what if.
really if.
What if you already have information about Cain and are doing something to prevent me from accessing it?
It’s an extreme assumption, but if it’s true, it explains everything we’ve ever been skeptical about.
“… … .”
Inspector Paula was deep in thought, unaware that Jason was observing the changes in his expression.
smart.
“CEO. The lights in the hallway are a bit damaged. I think you should check it out and decide whether to replace it or not.”
“I see.”
Jason nodded to the staff and stood up.
“I’m going for a moment. Rest in peace, Inspector.”
squeaky. widely.
The door closed and Inspector Paula was left alone in the infirmary.
She reclined on the back of the chair.
A few more minutes passed as he checked the bandage wrapped around his shoulder again and looked at Hamelak’s belongings.
Meanwhile, a single thought never left my head.
If the person who hired Hamelak was Sergeant Vicious.
“Nope. Anyway, it’s a crazy idea… .”
She inadvertently put her hand in the pocket of her coat and felt something grabbing her fingertips.
When I took it out and checked it, it was the master key.
A key that allows you to freely enter and exit all the rooms of the hotel.
One thought ran through my mind.
It wasn’t long before a shout was heard outside, and she tucked the Burinake key into her trouser pocket.
Then I opened the door and saw Jason coming in and straightened my posture.
My heart was pounding as if I was going to find out what I had just done.
There were a few more stories, such as the disposal of the corpse and the lockdown of the staff.
“And I want to make sure that today’s work doesn’t get into the ears of the other two investigators.”
A suspicious light appeared on Jason’s face. Hannah nodded her head in agreement.
“All right. The detective must have something to think about.”
“Thank you. It’s already almost bright, but I hope the rest of the time is a good night.”
She got up, nodded, and returned the coat to Jason.
And I opened the door and went out.
squeaky. widely.
“… … .”
Jason looked at where she had disappeared and put his hand in the pocket of his coat.
As expected, the master key was gone.
‘I think we should proceed as planned.’
Inspector Paula would not have known.
Sergeant Vicious, who went out to understand the geography of 12th Street, deliberately chose this time zone so as not to be noticed by the other two investigators.
The fact that Hamelak was put in just in time.
And the fact that some of the evidence to be found in Sergeant Vicious’s room were all made up by others.
* * *
Two days after that night.
An afternoon street in the sun.
“Why do you keep following me?”
Sergeant Vicious looked back and shouted in a nervous voice.
Inspector Paula was following him a few steps away.
“The basic principle of the investigation is to ensure that there are no unnecessary overlapping paths. It’s only been five years, can’t you remember what you learned in education?”
“… … .”
Inspector Paula stopped on the spot, folded her arms and stared at Sergeant Vicious without a word.
‘How can you be so calm?’
That night, she entered Sergeant Vicious’s room using the master key.
They searched the room carefully, leaving no trace, and found two objects deep in the drawers.
A plastic bag with a small amount of accelerator.
And an unidentified receipt that seems to have paid for something.
Of course, I didn’t bring it out because if the item disappeared, I would be suspicious.
However, the shock of discovering the two objects remained intact in my mind.
A colleague was blinded by his achievements and tried to harm himself.
It’s something I hate to think about, and it shouldn’t happen.
However, the circumstances and the evidence kept driving the thought in a negative direction.
CEO Jason clearly has a connection with Cain.
And Sergeant Vicious would have figured out the connection point faster than Lieutenant Zervia and himself.
Inspector Paula took a deep breath and made a decision. to overcome this situation head-on.
She stared at her annoyed face and licked her lips.
“Sergeant Vicious, when are you going to meet Cain?”