6. Voice Recordings Before Death

Derian's footsteps echoed through the long corridor as he left the autopsy room. Several forensic officers who recognized him greeted him as he passed, but he merely nodded in acknowledgment, his mind focused on the task ahead. He was headed to the briefing room, and when he finally stopped at the door, that dreaded notification appeared again.

[System]

Last action log: Checked autopsy results

Last discovery:

Evidence left at the crime scene (footwear outsole print, the victim's shirt button, a piece of thread, the victim's cell phone, signature behavior, and the perpetrator's height)

Recent discovery:

Murder weapon: Hammer (Still a possibility). Lab results pending confirmation.

Derian nearly let out another curse, but he was interrupted by a woman's voice from behind. "Lieutenant, why aren't you going inside?"

He turned to see a 25-year-old female detective, Rona Mega, one of his subordinates, standing behind him. "Nothing," he replied flatly. "Where's Candrasa?"

The long-haired woman simply shrugged indifferently. "He's already inside," she replied, pointing at the door with her chin.

Wasting no more time, Derian pushed the door open and stepped into the briefing room. Inside, he spotted Candrasa sitting in one of the chairs, alongside two digital forensics officers and three other detectives. Candrasa leaned back, arms crossed over his chest, his brown eyes reflecting the exhaustion of too many sleepless nights. He shot a mildly irritated glance at the two newcomers.

"The distance between the autopsy room and this briefing room is a little far, don't you think?" Derian muttered as he dropped into a chair, cutting off any sarcastic remark his sassy subordinate might have been planning.

Candrasa just rolled his eyes in response and then turned his attention to the weary-looking Rona, who had slumped into the seat across from him. "Still no caffeine in your system, crazy woman?" he teased.

Rona rested her chin in her hand and groaned. "It's supposed to be New Year's. I was going to spend it with my boyfriend. But instead, I'm stuck here, dealing with a madman," she complained.

Candrasa immediately flashed a mocking smile. "Wow, someone's actually willing to date you, huh?" he asked sarcastically.

"I'm not as pathetic as you!" Rona snapped, shooting him an annoyed look.

"Tsk. Stop bickering!" Derian scolded, already annoyed at how his two subordinates could never get along, like cats and dogs, whenever they were together.

Ignoring Candrasa's eye roll, Derian shifted his focus back to the digital forensic experts. "Let's begin," he ordered firmly.

"Yes, lieutenant," replied the female digital forensic officer as she moved toward the projector screen.

Meanwhile, her colleague was busy typing away on his laptop. Moments later, the digital data recovered from the victim's phone appeared on the projector screen, drawing everyone's attention.

The female officer began her explanation. "We managed to recover a recording from the victim's last call log. There was a call that came in at around 7:30 p.m. yesterday, which matches the estimated time of death from the autopsy," she explained. "Interestingly, the sound of the victim's execution was captured during this call."

Soon, the projector screen in front of them displayed wavy lines, and the voice recording began to play, filling the silence of the room as everyone focused.

"Oh, what's going on? Why'd you suddenly show up in front of me?" came a mocking voice that clearly belonged to the victim. Hearing this, Derian furrowed his brow, immediately suspecting that the victim knew the perpetrator. Such words and tone aren't usually spoken when someone encounters a stranger suddenly.

A few seconds later, the caller's voice responded, sounding confused and slurred, as if intoxicated. "Who the hell are you talking to?"

"You—"

Bang!

A loud crash echoed, startling a few people in the room. This was followed by the sound of a phone hitting the ground hard as chaos unfolded. The victim's screams of pain and fear filled the recording for a few seconds before more loud blows were heard, making the atmosphere in the room tense.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

"What's that sound...? Are you picking another fight, you asshole...?" said the caller, with a faint laugh, clearly semi-conscious and intoxicated at the time.

Thud!

The sound of something heavy hitting the ground echoed, and everyone in the room assumed it was the victim's body finally collapsing. Heavy breathing recorded near the phone now filled the room, casting heavy tension over everyone as they realized they were listening to the victim's final breaths.

The breathing soon faded away, replaced by the disturbing sound of more frenzied blows.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The violent strikes eventually subsided, giving way to the unsettling sound of someone laughing in satisfaction, followed by a man's voice muttering on the phone, "Let's play ball ..."

Tuttt...

The call ended abruptly, and the eerie silence that followed left the entire room in an uneasy stillness. Everyone was lost in their own thoughts and emotions, processing what they had just heard.

Finally, Derian's voice broke the silence. "Whose number contacted the victim?" he asked the digital forensics expert, his tone heavy with urgency.

The woman responded, "His name is Rian Fernando, a 36-year-old man." She paused briefly, her expression turning serious as she locked eyes with Derian. "There's something suspicious we found—this man works for the Binar Bangsa Company," she revealed.

Derian's brow furrowed at the new information, and one of the male detectives chimed in, "That company is looking more and more suspicious with every new detail." Many in the room nodded in agreement.

"Any updates from the lead detective investigating the company?" Derian directed his question to Candrasa.

Candrasa shook his head. "Not yet. He hasn't reached out at all," he replied, his tone laced with frustration.

Derian exhaled deeply before issuing orders to Rona and the three other detectives present. "Go and bring in the witness."

"Yes, Lieutenant!"

The team quickly left the briefing room, leaving only Derian, Candrasa, and the two digital forensics experts behind. The remaining group sat in silence, their exhaustion evident as they leaned back in their chairs, processing the mounting weight of the case.

Candrasa stretched his arms and let out a wide yawn. "Damn, it's almost 4 a.m.," he muttered, glancing at the clock on the wall and realizing how fast time had slipped by.

Derian, meanwhile, closed his eyes, leaning back in his chair to steal a quick five-minute rest. But the relentless system—his unwanted 'hallucination'—refused to let him find peace.

Ping!

[System]

Last action log: checked the digital forensics results.

Last Discovery:

Murder weapon: Hammer (Still pending lab confirmation.)

Recent Discovery:

Clues:

The victim likely knew the perpetrator, based on the analysis of the last phone recording.

Derian sighed, muttering under his breath, "Damn it..."