Chapter 19: Choose 1 from 3

"What the hell!!!"

From the elevator to the top floor of the building, the policemen present turned pale at first sight.

Dozens of corpses were densely packed and scattered in various visible places, all of them killed by a shot to the forehead.

Brains and blood mixed and splattered, and the top floor, supposed to be the safest place, now resembled a hellish scene.

After the initial shock, except for a few well-informed and open-minded veteran police officers, most of the remaining officers felt their hearts tighten, then turned away and closed their eyes, readjusting their mindset.

With 28 corpses in front of him, the old policeman had a solemn expression. It was unusual for him to stop mocking the rookie's mental fragility and instead focus on examining the scene.

After a while, the crowd gathered again, their faces filled with distress.

"Among the victims is Marshall Mario, the owner of this company. There were a total of 29 victims, 28 of whom were heavily armed security personnel, all killed by a gunshot wound to the forehead."

"During the on-site investigation, some of the positions could be considered blind spots for shooting, making it nearly impossible to hit directly on the forehead. Yet, it happened nonetheless."

"They were like defenseless lambs, unable to resist or fight back, their lives snuffed out by a single bullet."

"Furthermore, the strange thing is that Marshall's office door has a total of 28 bullet holes, which corresponds to the number of deaths outside. We have reason to suspect that the bullets first went through the wooden door and then struck these individuals in the forehead."

"Are you kidding me?" One detective couldn't believe it.

"Look at the positions of these people. If a bullet passed through the wooden door of that office first, it's absolutely impossible for it to hit their heads again. Are you suggesting the bullet magically changed direction?"

"Based on the findings from the on-site investigation, it's possible that only the 'bullet turning' explanation can account for all of this. However, we'll need to wait for the bullet analysis report for more details."

"By the way, has the surveillance footage been retrieved?"

"It has been retrieved, and the footage shows that at around 8:12 p.m., an armed man wearing a clown mask entered the building from outside and reached the top floor within half a minute."

"At 8:18, the building's defense forces were assembled and reached the top floor, where there was no surveillance coverage. About a minute later, gunshots rang out for three seconds, followed by complete silence."

"One person, scaling 17 floors in half a minute, and killing 28 armed gunmen in three seconds? Is this some kind of movie?"

"That's what the surveillance video shows. It has been sent to the police station for analysis. We should be able to identify the suspect's physical characteristics soon."

Hearing the conversations of the surrounding police officers, Arnold, the lead detective in charge of the case, displayed a hint of worry on his face. "I hope so."

As one of the most seasoned police officers in Chicago, Arnold knew that beneath the seemingly bright facade of the city lay many dark secrets unknown to ordinary people.

His concern wasn't whether the suspects in this case could be apprehended, but rather the possibility of encountering further losses if the culprits truly belonged to the dark underbelly of society.

However, fear was not a reason to halt their investigation. The police couldn't let their pursuit be deterred by the presence of supernatural forces lurking in the shadows. After all, they were an official agency.

...

Fifty kilograms of gold may not be light, but it occupied a space of nearly 3,600 cubic centimeters. However, Marshall hadn't melted the gold into smaller bricks of suitable size.

A square gold brick sat before him, and Levi couldn't find the right length of its side to hold with one hand. So he gripped it with both hands, leaping and moving between buildings like an agile predator.

Initially, he didn't perceive any issue, but while jumping, he suddenly became aware of the awkwardness of his posture. He paused on a rooftop, looked at the gold nugget in his hand, and fell into deep contemplation.

After examining the gold nugget and then glancing at his palm, Levi had a sudden idea: "If I recall correctly, gold is quite malleable. With my finger strength, maybe I can touch the gold and mold it into different shapes?"

This was an untested approach, but Levi proceeded without hesitation.

Grasping the hefty gold piece with his five fingers, Levi began to exert force. Initially, nothing happened, but as time passed, the strength in his hands continued to increase, causing the flat surface of the gold to deform.

"Did it work?"

Feeling the sensation through his fingertips, a glimmer of joy flickered in Levi's eyes. Applying all the strength in his hands, his ten fingers pressed firmly into the gold, resembling a hydraulically driven machine.

However, the joy on Levi's face didn't last long. After a few seconds, as he pressed a few distinct fingerprints onto the gold surface, his finger strength was no longer sufficient to deform it.

Observing the clear fingerprints on the gold brick, Levi fell silent for a moment and sighed, "Forget it, I'll figure out what to do with the gold tomorrow..."

As a valuable asset, gold's price may fluctuate, but alterations in its shape wouldn't affect its value.

Regardless of whether the gold in Levi's possession was stolen or not, there would always be someone willing to accept it, as long as he wasn't foolish enough to hand over fifty kilograms to the same person all at once.

At night, Levi chose another rooftop with favorable surroundings—allowing for advancing, attacking, retreating, and defending, with no means of escape. However, the Chicago Police Department had launched a full-scale investigation.

The individuals who died in the Jessifake Building weren't ordinary street thugs but four fully equipped squads. Furthermore, the powerful figures in Jessifakes and those who had ties to the police station were also killed, including the arms dealer Marshall.

To break into a building, eliminate an entire armed squad, and escape unscathed after killing Marshall, this case was far from an ordinary criminal act.

Despite the immense challenges, the investigation pushed forward resolutely under the pressure from all sides.

"I don't care what method you employ, but this case must be solved within three days!"

Chief Gary of the Chicago Police Department, who had rushed to the station from home at night, wore a deeply troubled expression as he addressed the men in front of him.

Marshall's death not only raised doubts about his competence among the other affluent individuals in the city but also deprived him of a crucial source of funding.

If the case couldn't be solved swiftly, regaining the support of those wealthy individuals, not to mention the money, could jeopardize Gary's position as the director.

Power, money, and companionship—losing two out of three was certainly not what Gary desired.