The scene was extremely silent.
From time to time there was the sound of turning pages of files.
Superintendent Wensley was pacing back and forth, appearing a little anxious. Colleagues can testify that during this period, his thick gray hair was thinning at a speed visible to the naked eye, and his hairline was also quietly growing. shift.
What the hell got into London?
He subconsciously raised his eyes and looked at the group of detectives in front of him. The feeling of having to ask for help was really terrible.
In contrast, Mr. Vincent looked particularly calm. He leaned on his cane and waited patiently for a certain detective to speak first to break the silence.
"As long as all the murderers can be caught and London can regain its former peace, it doesn't matter if Scotland Yard loses face."
Vincent sighed inwardly.
Since last week, a total of more than 40 vicious homicides have occurred in East London, with surprisingly consistent methods: cutting throats and strangulation.
If it were that simple, it wouldn't be too difficult, but the murderer seemed to have serious psychological problems and liked to play with corpses and carve complex, disgusting patterns on them.
Gang crime?
Scotland Yard police officers firmly believe that a perverted gang is targeting the cosmopolitan city.
[The victim was lying on his back with his skirt lifted to his waist]
[The neck was almost severed. According to forensic identification, this was a fatal injury]
[The caesarean section after death was a long and deep inverted V-shaped wound]
Jack the Ripper?
An old acquaintance.
Lu Li was not the only one to take the lead; Duke and the other actors all had smiles on their faces.
"Don't get excited, it's not that simple."
Sensing that Duke wanted to speak, Lu Li immediately stopped the guy and shook his head under his gaze.
Crown Prince Albert Victor.
British painter Walter Sickert.
Polish hairdresser Aaron Kosminski.
All the actors present knew that the three of them were the murderers. Based on the answers and deduction process, or using some psychological warfare or surveillance, it would be easy to solve the case.
But, will the principal be so kind?
There were a total of ten actors present.
If this case was really simple, there would be no need to make such a big fuss.
[Number of victims: 42]
After seeing this small print on the dossier, everyone calmed down.
At the time of the entrance examination, there were only a few real victims, which did not reach this exaggerated number at all.
At the same time, Mr. Vincent couldn't help but frown as he watched the private detectives change from commotion to silence. He thought that these people had discovered something, but now that he saw it, it didn't look like this.
In this way, about two minutes passed, and someone suddenly spoke and asked a question loudly:
"Sir, is this the only information Scotland Yard has collected?"
The speaker was a stranger whom even Duke had never met before.
So...indigenous?
Lu Li looked at the man carefully. He was of average height, but very strong. His muscles bulged out of his shirt, and there were obvious wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, indicating that he was not young, at least forty years old.
"This is Johnny Justice."
Apparently, Officer Wensley knew the man and whispered something in Chief Vincent's ear.
Unfortunately, this little trick cannot be hidden from all the actors present, because they all have five senses and abilities beyond ordinary people's imagination.
This strong man is called Johnny. He has been working as a detective in the East District for more than twenty years and has sent hundreds of criminals to prison. He is extremely experienced.
In addition, the nickname "Justice Johnny" came from the mouth of a certain felon. Since then, it has become famous far and wide.
After listening to the introduction of his capable men, a smile appeared on Mr. Vincent's face.
"We have collected a lot of information about this huge serial perverted murder case, and the files fill up an entire archives room."
"It is neither in line with the rules nor practical to show them all to everyone."
At this time, Officer Wensley took over the conversation and said in a gentle tone: "We will select some of you to participate in the operation."
filter?
As expected.
Lu Li put away the files in his hand that only recorded three murder cases in detail, and waited patiently for the rest of the story.
"The documents in your hands are exactly the same. Although they are not complete, they also contain a lot of important information..."
As Officer Wensley was speaking, Justice Johnny's highly recognizable voice sounded again, ruthlessly interrupting him:
"Extract key information from it and find out the direction of investigation, right? If you are not qualified, you will not be qualified to participate in the next operation."
"If you understand it that way, that's okay."
The old man did not blame this reckless behavior. He coughed twice and said concisely: "Let's start now. If you have any ideas, just say it."
If you want to establish a cooperative relationship with Scotland Yard, you have to show some skills.
Therefore, everyone can understand it.
But as a result, some actors who fished in troubled waters encountered difficulties.
Although they had participated in the copy of "Death in the Twist", they had not investigated the Jack the Ripper case. They had only seen the final results in newspapers or campus forums, and there was no analysis process.
"Based on the photos of the corpse provided in the file, it can be judged that the murderer moved the knife very professionally and accurately avoided the rectum and bladder."
This time, it's Duke's turn.
When the industry giants who once took on the role of forensic medicine in the foggy city gave up empiricism and only analyzed on-site photos, the gap became apparent:
"The photo of the second corpse also confirms this statement. The victim's entire thigh was skinned, but the muscles and blood vessels were not damaged at all..."
"I guess the murderer should have received relevant training, maybe a doctor, maybe a butcher, and considering the situation in the slums, a barber."
"Of course, painters and engravers are also suspects, because they understand the anatomy of the human body and have dexterous hands."
Finally, Duke also combined his past experience to give a direction for investigation.
Before Mr. Vincent could express his position, another soft female voice sounded in the conference room.
The scene was very much like answering questions in a classroom.
But everyone was more disciplined and did not interrupt others' speeches.
"Without any exception, the victim's skirt was lifted up to her waist. This action is quite contradictory, revealing but not naked. This state expresses the inseparable relationship between the perpetrator's motivation and [sex]."
Yang Yuanyuan seems to have reviewed the Jack the Ripper case, and even studied criminal psychology. She analyzed: "If the criminal wants to violate the victim, stripping him clean is the most thorough way to express his intention, and the skirt is lifted to the waist. Time is a critical state.”
"One possibility is that the murderer is only satisfied with this. He or they pursue control of the victim, but do not bother to have a more progressive relationship with the victim. If you want to follow this line of investigation, you must collect as much information as possible Corpse identification.”
"Another possibility is that the murderer does not have this ability, but it needs to be considered that this may be a gang crime."
Hearing this, Officer Wensley's eyes lit up. It was a very novel statement. They had always believed that the murderer targeted women because they had little ability to resist.
Now it seems that it may be related to identity.
Hatred?
The old man pondered in his heart: Although the murderer cut the victim's face to pieces, as long as a large number of police forces are deployed to visit the platoon, something will definitely be gained.
Almost at the same time, several other small groups began to express their own opinions. There was no way, if they didn't say a few words, they would be eliminated directly.
It's a pity that due to limitations of one's own level and the fact that someone else caught on to the relatively obvious areas first, elimination is a foregone conclusion.
Thinking about it from another angle, there are actually not many people. After all, three of the actors chose to join Lu Li's side.
In the small group of five people, plus Yang Yuanyuan who was fighting alone, at most four unlucky guys were eliminated.
Of course, local detectives don't think so. They rarely see their peers who think so quickly, and they always appear in groups.
Frankly speaking, Justice Johnny couldn't help but wonder if this group of people was connected to a criminal organization.
"These three on-site photos all point to one organization: Paganism." Johnny said with certainty in his tone.
After hearing the new term, Lu Li turned his attention to the man beside him again.
Whether it is Duke, Yang Yuanyuan, or others, they all use scientific analysis methods to speculate on the characteristics of the murderer.
If it were put on the entrance exam, there would be absolutely no problem, but it is different now...
Apart from Miskatonic University, this was Lu Li's second contact with the other side of the world.
However, Justice Johnny only mentioned paganism, and stopped going further and started talking about another aspect:
"Inverted V-shaped caesarean section."
"Ears and noses were cut off."
"The chests were cut off, one was placed under the head and the other was placed under the right foot."
"The liver is between the legs."
"The intestines are placed on the right side of the body..."
In fact, without Johnny's reminder, most people can feel that the surprisingly consistent scenes in the photos look like some kind of cult ritual.
Unfortunately, limited by our own knowledge, we cannot determine which organization is responsible.
the other side.
Mr. Vincent's hand on the cane tightened a little more. He had always suspected that the murderer did this out of some evil belief.
A corpse like that.
Two corpses like this.
Later, some strange rhetoric began to spread within Scotland Yard.
"Pagan?" Vincent looked at Johnny with a solemn expression, seeming to ask.
"We have encountered similar incidents before when investigating crimes in the suburbs of outer London."
After saying that, Johnny Justice shook his head and didn't want to say anything more. After all, his colleagues present were all competitors, and it was impossible for him to do such a stupid thing.
"In this case, this vicious serial murder case will be left to a few people."
Following the direction of Vincent's finger, candidates were picked out one after another, namely:
Duke, Yang Yuanyuan, Lu Li, and Justice Johnny.
As for who the four people brought to participate in the operation, Scotland Yard did not care. Because of this, some of them did not show any signs of loss.
Why can I be included in the list without saying a word?
Lu Li, who was standing in the crowd, couldn't help but wonder. His family knew about his family affairs, and his exclusive skill [Low-key King Way] was equivalent to a passive skill. As long as he didn't deliberately restrain himself, this skill would turn him into the most inconspicuous passerby.
Until the end, the old man did not give a reason for his choice and turned back to the office.
Wensley took a group of four people to the archives room to assist them in completing the investigation.
"Where was the last murder?"
After struggling for a moment, Lu Li simply stopped thinking and focused on the case.
"East Street, Holborn, East London."
"It seems that the criminal organization is no longer satisfied with its activities in Whitechapel and is expanding its scope."
Wensley took out a volume of files from the middle of the shelf, opened it and checked it before handing it to Lu Li and continued: "The senior management is worried that it will eventually affect Westminster and the Financial City. If Her Majesty the Queen or a certain senior official is alerted, Noble, things are in trouble."
"Haha, no matter how many poor people die, they are still not worth a noble or wealthy businessman."
Johnny's moans echoed around the room.
At this moment, the man nicknamed Justice was standing in the back row, flipping through the files one by one. It was worth noting that he was very fast and completed the work by glancing back and forth, obviously confirming something.
Therefore, Duke secretly made up his mind to send someone to keep an eye on him in order to obtain more information about paganism.
Among the four, only Yang Yuanyuan was the most normal. She picked up a file according to the number, walked to the dedicated desk, and patiently read it, as if she wanted to stay here forever.
3pm.
Only an hour had passed since they arrived at Whitehall Street, Lu Li and Duke walked out of the Scotland Yard headquarters building side by side.
Immediately, three cosplayers gathered around.
Because Duke specially introduced them, Lu Li knew their names: Bai Yu, Gao Qian, Gao Qian.
These three people are not at the top of the class, but they never lag behind. If they were placed in a weak class, they could even be said to be outstanding.
"Justice Johnny is still in the archives. The three of you are responsible for taking turns keeping an eye on him and summarizing this guy's activities in a timely manner."
Duke was not polite and directly ordered: "No matter what method you use, find out what the heresy is as soon as possible. Generally speaking, private investigators will write a summary of the case and take a chance to go to his house to look through it."
"Don't worry, boss. If this little thing can't be handled properly, the three of us will stop messing around." Bai Yu promised.
"Okay, if you find anything, go to No. 23a, Baker Street."
After speaking, Duke walked towards the place where the carriage was parked.
Lu Li, who had been thinking about the case, suddenly said: "Be alert and don't get discovered. If you have a choice, it's best not to use force."
"receive!"
Compared to Duke, the three of them were more afraid of Lu Li, even though the other party did not eat people.
It wasn't until Duke drove away in the carriage and disappeared from sight that the three of them breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's your first time doing something for a big boss. You must not mess it up."
"That's right. If we can do things well this time, we will be considered to have formed a good relationship with those three people. When we meet in the exam in the future, we can also be taken care of."
A person's name, the shadow of a tree.
After several exams, the trio has established their dominance in this grade, especially their classmates, who are willing to cooperate with them.
"Hide first. Let's divide into three carriages and keep an eye on that righteous Johnny."
…
The fog is getting thicker and thicker.
The foggy city that had been sunny for two days finally returned to normal. The sky quickly became gloomy, and a heavy rain was brewing.
Baker Street, 221B.
Due to the owner's neglect, the place has become increasingly dirty and messy, almost shabby, and has become a nest of collectors.
In the room on the second floor next to the corridor, there are various books and a large number of experimental equipment scattered around.
