Chapter 7: Ritual Execution

Coulson exchanged a glance with one of the female agents, neither spoke but meticulously observed from the first to the third floor, then floor by floor to the top, eventually returning to the scene of Hermano Del's office where the death occurred.

Coulson, the female agent, Chief George, and several forensic experts were in Hermano Del's office.

Coulson was the first to speak, "This must have been the last place the killer came to."

"Why do you say that?"

Chief George was puzzled.

"It's a ritualistic execution of crime," Coulson explained, "or rather, a habitual setup by the criminal, who executes the most vicious criminal himself."

Chief George raised an eyebrow. His achievements, including solving many crimes, had earned him his position as chief, granting him extensive criminal experience over time.

He quickly grasped the meaning behind Agent Coulson's words and looked somewhat surprised at the FBI agent.

It was clear the agent had a deep understanding of criminal psychology.

However, he simply nodded.

"I'll check the rooftop."

After saying this, Coulson turned and left the office, followed closely by the female agent. George frowned as he watched their backs, decided against following them as it was clear from their conversation that they did not want him to join.

Coulson and the female agent reached the rooftop, removed their clean shoe covers, and, using flashlights under heavy rain, scanned the area but found nothing else of value.

Eventually, the two stood at the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the police cars below with their flashing lights and the constantly moving officers and forensic experts.

"How do you feel, Natasha?"

"Hmm, an interesting person. I think the director should have sent the Hawkeye kid; he'd be more suitable," said Natasha, the agent, her lips curving into a seductive smile as she spoke softly.

"He has another assignment, and besides, someone like you is needed to bring out your greatest abilities and value, I believe the director thinks so too, which is why you were assigned this mission," Coulson said gently.

Natasha didn't say much; she was well aware of her value to SHIELD.

"Do you have any leads on this death-like figure?"

"Top physical condition, top marksmanship, top intelligence, clear goals and ideology, tough to catch, and hard to find," Natasha sighed as she answered Coulson.

She paused and then continued, "He has physical abilities at, or even beyond, human limits—strength, speed, reflexes, everything surpassing what I could imagine. Moreover, his marksmanship is exceptional. Only with all these conditions could he carry out such a massacre.

"Moreover, when he broke in here, he already had a clear plan, attack mode, escape route, and timing."

"Trust me, although it was a gang, to be able to kill so many gunmen in such a short time and to escape unscathed before we arrived, leaving no trace, there are hardly any such people in the world."

Natasha made a rational analysis.

"Yes, that's why the director values this guy. If such a person is left unchecked, it wouldn't be good for social stability," Coulson also felt a headache.

Given the current conditions, not to speak of subsequent tasks, just finding and securing him is a huge challenge.

It was the most troublesome and clueless mission he had ever undertaken.

Whether he could complete this mission, he was not sure.

"Do you think he's a mutant?"

"Maybe?" Natasha didn't give a definite answer, "But his growth rate is astonishing, and he probably started from a low-income group."

"From the first case, the cash on the victims was taken, and with so many cases accumulating, he must have gathered a substantial amount of cash. His initial method of killing was the simplest and most violent—barehanded murder—until he targeted more people and then switched to firearms."

Coulson finished speaking but then shook his head, denying his last words, "No, those guns were probably collected from the people he killed."

"Moreover, he doesn't have a great need for money. From the early murders, he stopped collecting cash."

"Perhaps he realized that the NYPD was starting to pay attention and abandoned collecting cash to leave himself time to escape," Natasha added, "So, he's a very rational person, definitely highly intelligent, the only uncertainty is his marksmanship."

"Right, from the first case where he used firearms, he was already very precise. If it was inherent, then his background and age should be over twenty."

Coulson agreed, "But if it's from a subsequently improved environment, allowing him to practice and achieve top-level shooting skills, then he might not be that old."

"Two possibilities, he's either ex-military from a special forces background, or he's not very old, from a poor family, which suffered a major setback possibly related to gangs, awakening some abilities."

"After a period of exploration, he started his first murder, gradually learning and growing."

Natasha first nodded in agreement, then shook her head, "The first case in the investigation data might not be his first murder; his first murder should have been even earlier."

Coulson pondered for a moment, recalled the data from the first death investigation, and realized, "You mean, by the first murder case in the investigation group, his killing skills were already mature?"

No matter who it is, a serial killer's first murder is never skilled and will leave some crude traces. As the number of murders and victims increases, the method of murder starts to grow, mature, and become proficient.

And the conclusion shown on the body of the first victim in the investigation group's death files was that the murderer's skill at his first murder was already mature, simple, brutal, and effective.