3. Murder Case: Lipstick & Balls

Side Quest: Solve the Murder Case (Lipstick and Balls!)

Status: Active

Mission Details: Investigate a murder case involving lipstick marks scribbled on the victim's face and a ball left at the crime scene.

Rewards to be received:

XP: 30 / 1000

Skill Points: 2

Good Karma: (2 points for each good deed)

Bad Karma: (2 points for each wrong deed)

Warning:

- If you commit actions that violate norms and laws (e.g. falsifying evidence, violating investigation protocols, or ignoring the case), you will earn Bad Karma points. Each Bad Karma point will come with consequences, such as bad luck, a decline in reputation, or complications in the investigation.

- If you follow the norms and laws while solving the case (e.g. following legal procedures, being fair and honest), you will earn Good Karma points. Each Good Karma point will reward you with benefits like good fortune, improved reputation, or ease in the investigation.

Note: Both Bad Karma and Good Karma points will reset to zero once the corresponding consequences or benefits have been received.

The man's steps faltered, his face frozen in shock as both visual and auditory hallucinations flooded his senses. A familiar blue holographic screen hovered in front of him, while a female voice whispered strange words in his ears, pulling him into a moment of confusion.

"Bro, what's going on?" Candrasa's voice snapped Derian out of his trance.

Derian quickly turned his gaze toward his partner, who was now staring back with a mix of concern and surprise. He shook his head slowly, trying to shake off the strange sensation.

"Come on," Candrasa urged, his bright brown eyes glancing back as he began walking ahead, leaving Derian standing there, still trying to make sense of what had just happened.

The strange visions disappeared again, leaving Derian scratching his head in frustration. For the second time, he forced himself to ignore the bizarre occurrences, shifting his focus back to the pressing situation in front of him.

He resumed walking, this time with more purpose. After pushing through the crowd, both he and Candrasa reached the police line stretched across the alley entrance. The two officers on duty immediately snapped to attention and saluted as Derian approached. "Lieutenant!"

Derian, the Homicide Unit chief of the Niskala Metropolitan Police Department, gave a brief nod as he slid on a pair of latex gloves. His dark eyes focused on the small alley between two abandoned buildings, where the INAFIS (Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System) team was examining the lifeless body.

In the middle of the alley, INAFIS officers were hard at work in a tense atmosphere, searching for any evidence or clues left behind at the crime scene.

Dressed in white hazmat suits, some were focused on the rough, bloodstained walls of the alley. A few were seen collecting blood samples for forensic analysis, while others were dusting the wall surface with fingerprint powder, looking for any prints.

"There are footprints here," Derian said as he put on his mask. He noticed a group of INAFIS officers using the plaster casting method to create a 3D model of a footprint left at the scene.

Derian and Candrasa, his subordinate sergeant from the homicide unit, approached the area where two officers were waiting for the plaster mix to set. Once the plaster had hardened, Derian's forehead furrowed as his dark eyes studied the detailed pattern of the shoe outsole that had been captured by the casting method.

The man glanced over at the shoes still on the feet of the corpse, lying not far from where he was crouched. His eyes locked onto the pattern on the outsole of the victim's shoes before he spoke in a serious tone, "The footprints left behind have a different pattern than the outsole on the victim's shoes. This could be the perpetrator's footprints. Given how seldom this alley is used, there shouldn't be many tracks left around here."

A female INAFIS officer, crouching beside him, added, "Based on the size of the outsole, the person wearing these shoes would likely be an adult between 6'2 to 6'5 feet tall."

Derian nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was my thought as well."

He stood up and walked toward a section of the wall where blood spatter from the victim was scattered. He glanced down at the corpse at his feet before turning his focus back to the wall, his expression serious as he studied the scene.

Just as his thoughts began to deepen, a familiar notification sound interrupted him. With a frustrated sigh, Derian watched as the blue holographic screen popped up right in front of his eyes once again.

Ping!

[System]

Mission: Murder Case (Lipstick and Ball)

Time remaining: 3 days / [ 72: 00: 00 | hh: mm: ss ]

Suspect Profile: -

Modus Operandi: -

Signature Behavior: -

Crime motive: -

Murder weapon: -

Evidence:

- Footwear outsole print (could be analyzed to identify the suspect).

Clue: -

Case Progress: 2% / 100%

Feature: Lie Detector (Free)

Note:

• The lie detector can only be used once for free. Subsequent uses will require 1 point to unlock.

• You are currently at a low level. You need to level up to access more advanced features.

"What's wrong with your breathing?" asked Candrasa, standing next to him, a puzzled look crossing his face as soon as he heard the heavy sigh.

Derian, looking frustrated and fatigued, responded with a question of his own. "Cand, do you see anything strange in front of me?"

The man with bright brown eyes furrowed his brow, looking even more confused. "Huh? What do you mean, the blood spatter patterns? What's strange about them?" He asked, clearly not understanding. His gaze drifted over the various blood spatter patterns scattered across the wall, searching for anything out of the ordinary.

Derian, expecting that response, could only shake his head and rub the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Forget it," he muttered. "Maybe I should consult my psychiatrist again... get my medication changed." His voice was low, intended only for himself.

Refocusing on the blood-stained wall in front of him, he slowly became absorbed in his own thoughts. He began to piece together the events of the previous night, performing a blood-spatter analysis in his mind as he hypothesized about what might have transpired in the alley.