《Killer/Killer》 Chapter 1-No Mercy Killer "Mmmpffff-" muffled wails sounded in a dark, eerie room. The screams belonged to someone unknown. The person seemed to be struggling out of their might, trying to loosen the restraints tied tightly around them, even a little. Arms numb, fingers dead cold, no blood could circulate due to the tightness of the ropes; any longer and their arms would fall apart. Whoever seemed to have tied them up wanted them to suffer as much as possible, not letting them have a taste of relief of any kind. Just... what was going on here...? No matter how much the person struggled, nothing around them would budge even the slightest. Gradually, the fear of death or torture crept into the mind of this unknown individual. The room they were residing in reeked of blood, anyone would feel nauseous even after a whiff of it. The individual tried to struggle a little bit more before deciding to not waste their energy any longer. They needed to keep calm.Whoever put them there would surely arrive sooner or later right...? If not, their family surely would report them missing and the police would rescue them. Only, they didn''t know for how long they had been in that god awful room. They wanted to leave so badly, but not before getting some revenge on whoever decided to put them through this torture. As the individual was thinking of ways on how to get their precious revenge, a deep and gruffy voice sounded, interrupting their thoughts. "I would advise you to stop creating unnecessary noise." the impatient and slightly irritated voice could be heard getting closer and closer to the individual tied to a chair. A cold chill went through their body, causing them to stop all movement and squint to make out the shape of a man. It was too dark to know what he looked like, but based on the silhouette, the man had a large build, capable of killing in a flash. The individual was very irritated at seeing the dynamic of powers being flipped on them. Killing intent flashed in their eyes. "How amusing, you can still glare at people like that? Do you have a death wish?" the voice sounded once again, slightly amused. The individual, hearing this, got angrier and struggled with all their might to rush to attack his kidnapper. Unfortunately for them, the ropes were tied too tightly, not allowing any movement of escape. Angry muffles could be heard as the individual screeched at the man, demanding to be freed. To be put in such a position of powerlessness... How humiliating... How shameful... How pathetic! They didn''t want to indulge whoever this bastard was! They were meant to be the one who was always in a position of power. They were meant to be the one who would torture that bastard, not the other way around! The sudden and urgent burst of the individual made the man chuckle a bit before immediately kicking them in the stomach so the other would stop their foolish, meaningless struggle. This winded the other, causing them to try to take a gasp of air but being unable to since their mouth was sealed shut with heavy tape. They tried hard to endure the sudden burning pain in their stomach, trying to even out their breathing so they didn''t pass out from the pain. Trying not to show any feeling of fear or pain, the individual shut their eyes tightly before momentarily opening them again. Hah! A little pain wouldn''t affect them.they are out of the restraints, they would be sure to repay the generous debt to the other party. They continued to give a death glare to the man. "Still not breaking, are we?I should have expected it, but don''t worry, I''ll make sure you break." The man swiftly pulled at the hair of the individual and put a blade on their neck. The individual glared daggers into the other''s eyes, not letting him see any ounce of fear or pain. If they give up so soon and show they are afraid of him, then it''s game over for them. Also, their pride would not allow to be put in such a position without a fight. "It doesn''t matter how much of a death glare you give me, it''s all pointless for you in the end, I''m not letting you out of here alive." The man mocked as he pressed the blade deeper into their neck, drawing some blood. His intention wasn''t to kill just yet. He wanted to make the other sufferpossible, begging for mercy,shattering every ounce of hope the other had. Killing intent flashed in his eyes, but he quickly calmed himself down. No... Not yet... As much as he wants to kill them now, he can''t yet. He still has so much he wants to do before getting to that part. At that thought, he loosened his grip and let''s go of the other party. "You... do you know why you''re here?" He questioned. It didn''t matter if the other answered, all that mattered was that the other would realise that this was their punishment for their crimes. Hearing this, the other froze. They looked at the man with a little shock and anger in their eyes. "Huh... strange, you stopped glaring at me as soon as I asked that? So, you do know why you''re here. Even if you didn''t know, why would someone like you be shocked in the first place?" The man called mockingly. He seemed to clearly know the other to the bone. Someone speaking to them in such a manner... It must be some sort of grudge, right...? Bah! As if that matters! The individual continued to stare daggers at the man, if looks could kill, he would already be dead. With a face full of hate, the man forcefully took off the tape of the individual''s mouth, allowing the person to speak. The individual took a gasp of breath, ready to see what this person wanted. "Who the hell are you?!" sounded a raspy voice; it was the type of voice that would represent nails on a chalkboard: annoying. This aggressive attitude seemed to irritate the man even further, causing him to grab the individual by the hair and face his face to look up. "Don''t forget what position you are currently in; you have no right to ask such questions" the man sneered. There was a hint of fear in the individuals face, but it was soon concealed. The individual scoffed before retorting playing ignorant to the man''s accusations. "What I am asking you is quite reasonable, is it not? Besides, this is a crime and you''ll be in serious trouble if you kill me." This sentence seemed to make the man laugh quite a bit. The individual yet kept on a fearless face and added "You''ll get what you deserve sooner or later." As soon as he finished his sentence, the blade was quickly put back to their neck; the slightest of movement, and their head would come off. This seemed to quickly destroy the previous arrogance of the individual, being the last strike to the pitiful endurance of the individual. "W-what do you want? Money? Possessions? Anything! I''ll give anything and everything I own, just please make it stop!" A cry was heard asking for the man''s demands. To the surprise of the individual, this didn''t seem to quell the anger and hatred of the man, it just seemed to have aggravated it even more, to the point where you could almost hear the rapid heartbeat of the man, not even slowing down for a second. The man lowered his knife before throwing it aside, this action made the other sigh in relief. They knew that they messed up their plan on putting on a fearless act, there is nothing they can do to come back from this pathetic move. "You..." the voice seemed lower and more irritated than before. In one skilful move, a pair of decorative and sharp scissors stabbed the thigh of the individual, making them scream out in agony, pleading for mercy, unfortunately, it seemed like the other was not willing. The fury the man was holding onto seemed to be spewing out from every cell of his being. He let out a couple deep breaths and composed himself to his previous state of mockery. "So, this is the big shot and worldly famous No Mercy Killer? You can''t even keep your fa?ade for long. I thought that pathetic act of yours would last longer, how truly disappointing" The man stated, completely indifferent, getting his anger out when he stabbed them. "How pitiful, you can''t even handle the torture you put those people through, and you have the gall to beg for mercy as well? Disgusting. Simply and utterly disgusting." He gritted his teeth in irritation as he uttered the last sentence. ... What... What did he say...? The individual immediately shook in horror. How did he find out his identity? How can that be?! Even that useless Chief Detective that was after him didn''t even know! And even if he did, he had no evidence, because he always managed to destroy every ounce of it impeccably. Did he somehow miscalculate and gave himself away? No that can''t be- His thoughts were cut off when the man grabbed the individual by his hair, forcing him to look at him. "How tragic, you look so weak and hopeless, just how did you manage to torture and kill all those innocent souls?" He added a hint of melancholy at the end of his sentence. Perhaps he lost someone dear to him due to the actions of the No Mercy Killer? So, this was a revenge act? Yes! That must be it! Someone who is grieving and want a taste of revenge always refuses anything offered to them, no matter if it''s earth-defying or not. "S-so you brought me here because I killed someone you knew...?" The No Mercy Killer stammered out, trying to ignore the agonizing pain present in his thigh. Unfortunately for him, his guess was wrong. Oh, how wrong he was... "Pfffft-" he heard the man trying to suppress his laughter. "Just how simple-minded are you?? To answer your question, no, I am not here to get my oh-so-sweet revenge for someone I knew. In fact, you''ve never killed anyone who was close to me at all" he stated mockingly while forcefully letting go of the individual''s hair. "Huh...? Then... How..." No Mercy Killer was stupefied. He didn''t know what else to think. Just who is he and why does it seem like he is going to decapitate him at any given moment? No one should have a such deep-rooted hatred for a killer who has never even touched a single hair of the other individual''s close relations. Just what was going on here?! "Speak full sentences, my patience is running thin." Irritation and venom spewed from the man''s tone. After speaking, he started moving the pair of scissors in a circular motion, inside the wound, making the bleeding worse and the pain more and more unbearable. "AGHHHHHHH FUCKKKKKK PLEASE MAKE IT STOP, IT HURTS, IT HURTS SO BAD!!!! BASTARD MAKE IT FUCKIN STOP!!!!" He started trashing out and about, trying to make the pain lessen for even a little bit. Even his previous method to deal with the pain wouldn''t work. "... Isn''t that what all your victims said to you when you tortured them and cut off parts of their bodies with these decorative scissors? If you could readily do it to others, why is it that you can''t handle it yourself? You''re pathetic" The man increased the pressure of the weapon he was holding, causing the No Mercy Killer wail out in screams even more. The cries of the individual got louder and louder, causing the man to have a headache. He was furious, seething with indistinguishable rage; just what was the man with the upper hand thinking? What was his objective? This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. "I-I understand! You can take me to the police, I- I w-will confess everything! Just p-please, make it stop!" No Mercy Killer pleaded with his last bit of strength. The man with the scissors suddenly halted his movements, completely silent. The silence was present for who knows how long, causing the No Mercy Killer to be even more afraid and anxious. What was he thinking? Was he considering his offer? Was he going to let him go? With the last thought, he saw a small glimmer of hope shine within. However, in the next second, that hope was also shattered into millions of pieces. In a swift motion, the scissors were pulled out and stabbed his other leg. The quick movements caused the No Mercy Killer to scream in pain. The man let out a small laugh. "Sorry, but that is not possible, you can''t bring back the dead now, can you? You really are a hypocritical fool." "Unfortunately for you, your time has come, I hope you enjoy the show you created" The man added with a tone full of malice. From a distance, a lot of screams and shrieks could be heard. ... ...... .......... And then... Silence... The man stared at the disfigured corpse of the no mercy killer. Not an ounce of emotion could be seen. Just eerie silence as the man continued to be consumed by his thoughts. The scene was somewhat melancholy. ................ ....................... The room was full of people, investigating the scene of the crime, blood could be found everywhere, this was a very gruesome and heartless scene to witness. In front of the disfigured body, a man with white hair and olive-green eyes stood, looking at the victim of this heinous crime. His lips quivered for a moment before he said "How is this possible?! Wasn''t he supposed to be in witness protection? He was let go only two days ago" he asked while glancing at a man with jet black hair, soulless black eyes and a large scar imbedded into the corner of his mouth, Gillian, his subordinate and close friend. "Chief, I am not so sure myself, however, maybe he had some sort of connection to the No Mercy Killer?" Gillian guessed as he stood up. This sentence got the detective, Bai Yohan, thinking. Maybe it was? But if so, why didn''t he say anything while we were investigating him? What was he so afraid of? Bai Yohan was in a trance, wondering just what could have taken place in this horrifying scene. His thoughts were halted to a stop when an investigator rushed up to him holding a stack of papers and plastic bags. "Chief Detective!" He cried out, looking somewhat pale. Detective Bai Yohan turned to him "What is it? What did you find?" He asked with his eyebrows raised. The investigator quickly put the stack of somewhat bloody papers into the detective''s hand, the Detective winced at the metallic scent "Please take a look at this, this is so bizarre." Carefully, the detective flipped through the papers that were just given to him, reading line by line, not missing a word. The more he read, the paler he became. Gillian, seeing this, took the papers from the detectives'' hands and casually stated "Let me have a look." Bai Yohan didn''t react. He was simply too shocked. How come it happened again? And this time the others at the agency had to witness it too. This was the first time that something like this happened in the scope of their careers. The man, who was the top suspect in the No Mercy Killer case, was just let go for insufficient evidence, now brutally murdered for what he thought was another strike of the No Mercy Killer. In a twisted turn of events, it turned out that the main suspect was indeed the No Mercy Killer himself. Then who killed him? This was simply too bizarre; the No Mercy Killer was killed in the exact same way as all his other victims. Just who could have done it? "Oh?" Gillian raised an eyebrow; a confused expression was shown on his face. "Wait, so if the No Mercy Killer is dead, then who killed him? The person seems to have used the exact method as the No Mercy Killer" He added. "I was thinking that maybe there are two No Mercy Killers, maybe one thought that the other ratted them out when he was being investigated?" The investigator presumed. "But it has been shown from all the evidence from before that it was just a one man show, no?" Gillian raised his head, looking at the investigator, destroying his theory. This seemed to snap Detective Bai Yohan out of thought, and he added "Maybe we don''t have enough evidence for it yet, everyone, please keep investigating the scene, and leave no stone unturned. Got it?"He looked at everyone. "Yes Chief!" everyone affirmed and got back to work. Turning back to Gillian, he ordered "Gillian, I want you to take as many photographs of the scene as you can, go it?" "Yes sir. Also, are you feeling alright? You''re pale right now." Gillian''s tone was concerned for his friend. "Somewhat, I''ll be fine. I just haven''t seen anything like it before. If it is true that there is another No Mercy Killer out loose, then I would understand with the scene and evidence shown, however, the No Mercy Killer has always proclaimed himself to be one man, in every single one of his hints. I am just confused on what is true or not. I will gather more evidence before I can make a judgement on this matter" Bai Yohan spoke, somewhat fatigued. Gillian gave him a reassuring smile, patted him on the back and left to get a camera. Bai Yohan felt useless, for the first time in a while, he didn''t know what to do. These past few months, a lot of known serial killers, murderers and criminals have ended up dead, with all the evidence proving their identity scattered around. The community was ecstatic about these criminals ending up dead, however, both the detective agency and the police force were baffled, just what was going on? In the past, Bai Yohan tried to show that maybe it was one individual who has been killing these people and closing cases left and right, however, the police force did not want to hear it, saying he was being too delusional for that, asking him how one person can kill so many well-known criminals in such a short period of time. Bai Yohan believed that this case, like any other before that was closed due to the criminals ending up dead, was the result of the same person, taking matters into their own hands. After being severely reprimanded by the higher ups, he decided to just build a case by himself, not uttering a single word to others, just in case, maybe one day they will believe his theory. He also didn''t tell his friend, since he didn''t want him thinking he was insane because of his theory. He couldn''t believe how the person who killed the No Mercy Killer was so swift with this matter, not even leaving an ounce off evidence behind. Is that even possible? As time passed, the team slowly cleared out from the scene of the crime and both the Chief Detective, and his subordinate were walking to the car. They were both silent; well, more like Bai Yohan was in a daze because of his recent findings and Gillian was quiet by nature. Gillian, noticing the usually chatty and optimistic detective was frowning and not saying a word, he asked "Yohan, what''s wrong? Did the scene disturb you too much?" He put a hand on his shoulder, to comfort his friend as much as he could. "No, it''s not exactly that, I just have a lot going on my mind, that''s all" Bai Yohan gave a slight smile, showing his subordinate and dear friend it was nothing. However, he really wanted to tell him how much of everything that he had found out about this individual who has been killing other criminal all this time, however, no one in the police agency and detective agency believed him, they told him that his theory was farfetched and all the other killings were just coincidences, however, just how many "coincidences" have to occur until people start to suspect it is indeed one person or a group of people carrying out all of these killings? He also didn''t want to overwhelm the detective agency with more work, so he decided to investigate this case in secret, trying to have a case strong enough so the others would have no way to prove him wrong or not believe him. As Chief Detective inspector, it was his job to protect the innocent and not so innocent and figure out who was playing vigilante. He knew that people the people this person or group have killed were seriously dangerous individuals, but it was not their job to start carrying out justice whenever they saw fit; It was the job of the police and detective agency. Lost in thought, once again, Bai Yohan was startled out of his wits when he suddenly got a call. Seeing this, Gillian let out a chuckle, amused on how his friend was not even aware of his surroundings whenever he was deep in thought. Bai Yohan immediately composed himself and answered the call. A deep and gruffy voice could be heard. "Chief Detective Inspector, I would like to have a word with you and all the other detectives at your agency, this is a matter or utmost importance. Come to the police station as soon as possible." Bai Yohan had no time to respond to the sudden summoning by the Chief of police, when the call was immediately hung up. "What the?" He let out a confused huff. "What was it about?" Gillian was curious on why the call was so short. "The Chief of police has asked every detective to go to the police station because he wants to talk to us about something serious." Bai Yohan let out a sigh; he just wanted to go home and rest, was it too much to ask? This day has already been full of surprises, and he just wanted to relax and not have to think about work for the rest of the day. Seeing his lethargic state, Gillian assured "Don''t worry, I''ll contact everyone and ask them to come to the police station, so don''t bother on contacting them." Bai Yohan, hearing this, gleamed at hearing he doesn''t have to do any more "work". "You''re my saviour!" He called out with shining eyes and a face full of smiles. He quickly coughed. "Thanks man. Also, you''re driving." He added. "Alright then" the other party agreed, not bothering with his childish antics. The meeting room was eerily quiet, no one made a peep, waiting for the Chief of police to enter and explain why he summoned everyone. Bai Yohan was somewhat uncomfortable with this silence and tried to make conversation, however, he was quickly shot down by the others who seemed to be extremely nervous. They were all wondering if they were going to get scolded or something along those lines. Gillian was not worried; he knew that it would be stupid if a Chief of police summoned everyone just to give them a firm scolding for no reason. The door suddenly opened, quickly putting everyone out of their trance. All eyes were on the Chief of police. "Thank you for coming here on such short notice. I know how everyone is quite tired from today, however, me and a couple of officials have discovered something while we were looking at all the evidence you have collected today." He stood proudly, his voice not even falling even a bit. He made his way to the front and quickly put the stack of papers he was holding on the table. "Chief Detective" the man turned to look at Bai Yohan. "I believe that you tried to show us this matter a while ago, however, there was insufficient evidence to prove your theory, but with what happened today, I can concur that you were correct in the matter." He expressed firmly. Bai Yohan was confused for a second until he got what the chief of police meant. The case he was building secretly after it being rejected a while back, the Killer Killer case. That''s what he named it. He was surprised that finally, after more than a year and a half, the Police agency would believe his theory of there being an individual who has been killing all these serial killers. He didn''t know how to feel; on one hand, he was ecstatic that they were finally acknowledging his hard work of the past, on the other hand, he felt somewhat depressed that it took so long, to let the Killer Killer keep striking while the others refused to even acknowledge his theories. But what''s done is done, there can be nothing done to change the past. The others stared at Bai Yohan, wondering what the Chief of police meant by those words. Gillian also glanced at his friend, wondering what he has been hiding from him. Feeling the countless pairs of eyes on Bai Yohan, he quickly stated "You mean the one of there being someone else who has been killing all of those other criminals, taking justice into their own hands?" "That is correct." The other man affirmed then he quickly added "I believe that after the theory was thrown out, you still researched the matter, yes?" Bai Yohan nodded absentmindedly. The Chief of police smiled "I brought you all here to finally start investigating this matter with both forces, so we can stop other people from doing the same as the one who decided to play hero." His words were loud and firm. "So, to start off, Chief detective, what have been your finding? Summarise it as much as you can." Bai Yohan quickly started explaining, while fidgeting with his fingers "It''s been a year and a half of me researching about this individual. I named it the Killer Killer case. The main theme of this individual is that they are very cunning, not even leaving any trace of evidence behind, only leaving the evidence of the people he has killed of them being criminals themselves. His way of killing is never the same, which has caused a lot of confusion at the beginning but after a while, there has been a pattern present. This person always kills those people in the same manner as the individuals themselves have in the past. For example, today with the No Mercy Killer. It seems like this person is extremely vindictive and holds a strong grudge. As of now, I only have about 25 cases that match these criteria. The Killer Killer strikes and always leaves concrete evidence of the wrongdoings of the people he has killed; In which a lot of cases have been closed." The more he spoke, the more the other detectives, investigators and police officers felt astonished. This was their Chief Detective! Never wavering even if others are against him, always working hard to protect others. Gillian looked at his friend, somewhat surprised; how come he never told him about this? He would have believed him about this "Killer Killer" If he told him about him. They have been friends since the beginning of college, all throughout university and while working together. Maybe he was too afraid perhaps; he knew that his friend was quite childish at times, sometimes he wonders how he managed to become the Chief detective. But that''s for another day. The Chief of police carefully pondered on the detective''s findings and added "Since the two agencies haven''t... communicated often about evidence on previous cases from our side, we hadn''t managed to give those to your agency. We apologise. I have discussed this matter with the officials, they allowed the two agencies to work together, and they put you in charge of the ''Killer Killer'' case. We will transfer any and all evidence you need from our side, while also with the tools you need to carry out the investigation from your side." With this sentence, Bai Yohan was put in a trance. What? He was allowed to finally carry out his investigation with the help of everyone else.And even the police agency was willing to help as well? Of course, the best part was that he was put in charge of the entire investigation. He was incredibly content with this outcome. He quickly stood up and announced "Sir! I appreciate it very much, thank you for giving me this opportunity. I promise to catch this ''Killer Killer''." he showed a proud smile. Normally he would have been allowed to carry out the investigation of the ''Killer Killer'' with his entire agency since he was the Chief detective; however, the officials who heard about this, thought he was wasting resources for some theory he didn''t even know was true. Bai Yohan was told he could not continue to carry out this investigation and forced to give it up. Of course, Bai Yohan was stubborn, so he decided to do it in secret in his own time. Chapter 2- Fragrance of blood Night-time. 11:48 pm. Bai Yohan couldn''t sleep. He had a lot of thoughts going through his head. He was utterly exhausted yet couldn''t even get his brain to shut up. He tried for a couple more minutes until he gave up and just scrolled through his phone. After a couple minutes of mindlessly scrolling through, he suddenly got a text message. It was Gillian. He swiftly opened the messaging app and tapped on his message. Gillian''s number was saved under, Gillian the clown. The message read: Gillian the clown: Yohan, are you awake? Bai Yohan quickly replied. Bai Yohan: Yeah /(v-v)\ I can''t sleep! Bai Yohan: I''m trying sooooooo hard to fall asleep. Gillian the clown: I see, I understand why that''s the case. You suddenly got a massive case thrown on you. Bai Yohan was about to reply when another message followed soon after. Gillian the clown: Why didn''t you tell me? About the case you were secretly investigating? Bai Yohan: Sorry!!!!! I didn''t mean to lie! (¨i©n¨i) Gillian the clown: I know you didn''t mean to lie; I just want to know why you never told me about it, I can understand the others since they refused to believe you the first time, but you''ve known me for a long time. I''m just wondering. I don''t mean to accuse. Bai Yohan: ... (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã£©¨s¦à ©ß©¥©ß Gillian the clown: ????? Bai Yohan: Sorry sorry, it''s kind of embarrassing. I just thought that you were going to think I was insane or had something wrong in my head because of my theory. Gillian the clown: Yohan. Bai Yohan: Yes? Gillian the clown: I already think you are insane; besides I would have believed you if you told me. Bai Yohan: What??? C''mon man, why do you think I am insane??? My very own best friend thinks I am insane ('';¦à;'') Gillian the clown: Yohan, you are a 26-year-old man who is literally a Chief detective, who is acting like a 10-year-old. You can make the correlation. Bai Yohan: Well EXCUSE ME for not being boring. UNLIKE YOU. On the other side of the screen, Gillian felt somewhat wronged. Gillian the clown: This is exactly what I mean. Kid behaviour. Have some shame. You''re lucky you''re speaking to me like that, because if you talked to anyone like that, then they would definitely think you were a mental patient who was on the run. Or worse, a creep. Bai Yohan: ... Bai Yohan: Sorry (????)II Gillian the clown: Don''t be sad. I didn''t mean to insult you. Bai Yohan: Me too. I''m sorry for not telling you about it. Also, I didn''t really mean the comment about you being boring. (£þ £þ|||) Gillian the clown: I know, also its best you go to sleep, we have a long day ahead. Also, you need to explain to me everything you have gathered for your case. Bai Yohan: Yes sir! With that, Bai Yohan tossed his phone aside and fell into a deep but uncomfortable slumber. He dreamt of the No mercy killer; he, being one of his victims. No matter how many times he blinked his eyes, everything seemed to be too real. Bright red blood scattered the walls; no inch of the room was not covered in blood. The smell of metallic blood and guts was so overwhelming to the point Bai Yohan thought he was going to pass out in any second. This is just one thing he hates the most, the smell of blood. No matter how many times he had to witness incredibly gory scenes in the past, he still cannot get over that disgusting smell. It''s impossible for him to not hate it. He does not care if he sees a dismembered body or a mutilated one, it''s all the same to him anyway, but the smell is something that just won''t leave no matter what he does. It''s the only thing he cannot stand in the slightest. Every time he goes to a crime scene, he always covers his nose or puts on a mask to hide that foul stench. Somehow, in this dream of his, the atrocity of that smell has somehow increased tenfold. Bai Yohan tries to breathe through his mouth, unfortunately for him, the smell doesn''t seem to lessen. Bai Yohan tries to free himself from the pole he was chained to, however, the chains were tightened on him so harshly that if this was real life, he would have already broken his arms and his ribs. In that little bloody room, there is no one except the detective. All alone. In the eerie quiet. The walls covered in a beautiful shade of crimson. The ground painted in more vibrant ranges of scarlet. That heinous sweet metallic scent. He hates it with every ounce of his being. He hates it. He hates it. He hates this. Hate isn''t big a word to even describe his hatred for that violation of a smell that was created. Make it stop. Make it stop. Makeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstopmakeitstop!!!! The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. MAKE THIS JUST FUCKING STOP. He would rather get tortured! As if his wishes were heard, suddenly, a sharp, burning pain emerged from the pits of his stomach. This sudden affliction placed upon him, made him snap out of his senses and scrunch his face and shut his eyes in pure agony. Why did it hurt so much?! It felt like his stomach was on fire! It felt like something exploded in his stomach! With this sudden realisation, he immediately opened his eyes to see the horrific scene of his intestines out on display. His stomach quite literally exploded!? How in the ever-loving fuck is he not dead yet? His insides were quite literally out of his fucking body, bleeding and pulsating everywhere, making gross and mushy sounds. His face shook in horror. His eyes were so wide open that they could almost pop out. More blood was spewing out from his recent wound, making the pain more unbearable. Bai Yohan screamed at the top of his lungs, voice aching to the point his vocal cords might snap at any given moment. His hellish cries for help could be heard by no one. The more he screamed, the more it hurt, the more it hurt, the more he screamed; it was a never-ending cycle. His yells were interrupted moments later when he felt a surge of liquid come up his throat. Immediately after, the colourful liquid spewed out from his mouth. Blood. More fucking blood. This time it was worse. Bai Yohan could quite literally taste the sweet metallic flavour of his very own blood. It didn''t matter whose blood it was; he absolutely hated it. No matter how many times he tried to spit out the blood out from his mouth, it kept coming and coming. If this keeps up, he might as well go insane! The pain of a dream shouldn''t be this agonising right?!! Why was this dream so realistic and cruel?!! ....... .... ... News of the No Mercy killer being found dead spread like wildfire, the people were relieved, finally they didn''t have to fear coming out of their homes, finally they didn''t have to fear any of their loved ones being killed by that vicious criminal. Even with the news of the No Mercy Killer being found dead, the other findings of the investigation were not released, in fear that it might instigate the vigilante to escape. It might also ruin any clues that could be found in the current and previous crime scenes. Bai Yohan was moving fast, quickly putting all his findings onto a bulletin board and connecting areas that seemed relevant. Dark circles were apparent on his face of him not having a good night''s rest. His olive eyes were on the verge of closing for long periods of time every time he blinked. Deep in thought, he didn''t notice his subordinate, Gillian, coming into the room. A sudden tap on the shoulder startled him beyond his wits. He quickly turned around and let a sigh of relief before greeting the other. "You''re quite late" he stated, trying to hide his previous expression. "I''m just on time, you''re the one who is too early." Gillian retorted as he seated himself, waiting for the detective to start showing him his findings. In several hours, Bai Yohan managed to catch the other up to date with his findings worth several months. "You sure managed to keep every micro evidence you managed to find, it''s not an extremely definite case, but it''s very potent. Do you have any suspects yet?" Gillian asked while taking a sip of tea. "I had some but I ruled them out as soon as I dug into it further, for whatever reason, no matter how much I try to pry into it, I can''t seem to figure out anything about the person who is responsible for this" the detective exhaled before adding "I know their methods and perhaps their reasons, but this person is extremely efficient, nothing is left behind of their involvement aside from the evidence of the victim being another criminal; even then there are no fingerprints or alien strands of hair." He put his hand over his temples, looking extremely fatigued. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to become more potent as he ranted, his dishevelled hair was all over the place. "How about this, since now you have more resources due to this being a high-end chase, we can now go and visit the relatives of the No Mercy Killer." Gillian suggested, trying to dig any source of information they could discover. Bai Yohan thought for a moment and then slowly nodded his head; planning on making their departure soon. Both individuals, walking side by side were making their way to the home of the mother of the deceased criminal. Gillian seemed the calmer one from the pair. Seeing the nervous state of the other, he decided to try to make small talk. "Yohan" "Huh? What is it?" the detected turned his head to look at his subordinate. "Is something the matter? Why do you look so... off?" "I-" As the detective was about to say something, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, halting all movement. His face looked rather complicated, trying to come up with words, but failing each time. Gillian also stopped in tracks to stare at the other, to see what was bothering the other individual so much to the point that they looked so lost. In the past, in every other case or work that they had done together, the detective never looked so lost; on the contrary, he was always confident and knew what the next step was without even having to think about it. Even in the most brutal of cases, he wouldn''t look so off. Well, all that has happened in the past doesn''t matter, what matters now is to bring back the detective from his daze. He put his hand on his shoulder and patted it a couple of times, trying his best to comfort the other to the best of his ability. "Sorry, I..." He quickly shook his head. No. His reasoning was stupid. He cannot say that he is still disturbed over a terrifying dream. Everyone has nightmares, and everyone gets over them very quickly. Besides, he is a very well-respected detective known for his formidable work and fearlessness for situations, he can''t just say that a dream managed to scare him with just the smell of blood. Both had to work with blood, and they were no strangers to anything related to gore. Gillian knew that Bai Yohan didn''t like the smell of blood, but he didn''t know to what extent his dislike reached to. He always respected the detectives'' wishes and helped dealing with the blood most of the time. Bai Yohan didn''t want to be seen as weak by his closest of friends. No. He just doesn''t let it want to happen. He wants to be someone who is immune to it all; someone who can help others no matter how disturbing the situation is like. "It''s nothing serious, I just didn''t sleep well as you can notice, so I''m very sluggish." he added while putting on a slight smile to try to fool the other and stop asking. Gillian''s eyes contracted as he frowned, the large scar on the side of his mouth moving slightly along with his negative expression. He turned back around and continued to walk at the previous speed and muttered out a single word "Liar...". The leftover walk to the home of the mother of the No Mercy Killer was eerily quiet, but strangely harmonious, even if Gillian seemed somewhat irritated by him earlier. The cool autumn breeze calmed Bai Yohan''s nerves, like he was being cleansed in a pool of pure and divine light energy. The orange crisp leaves danced around his feet from time to time as he walked, making him smile slightly. His favourite season was spring, however, he also liked autumn very much, it was very calming, and he could always snuggle up in his warm blanket after a long day''s work and just enjoy playing video games with friends. Couple more minutes passed and they arrived at their destination. "Do you feel well enough to go inside and interrogate the lady a bit?" The man with jet black hair asked as his gaze landed on the silver haired man. Even if his eyes held no emotion, Bai Yohan could tell there was consideration for him hidden behind those bottomless eyes. Bai Yohan quickly nodded and motioned the other man to knock on the dark wooden door. Moments later, the door opened and a fairly slim lady with a ghostly expression appeared in front of the two men, staring at them. Her chestnut hair was long, very long, reaching to her knees, her eyes silver dead with grief. "You are?" She asked in a cautious tone. Bai Yohan took this chance to quickly introduce themselves "Hello, we are detectives that were assigned to the case of your son''s killings in the past, we''re here to discuss some matters about your son and any information you might have regarding his death." The woman gave a glance at Bai Yohan and immediately looked at Gillian who was dead quiet like his usual self. He usually would let Bai Yohan do the talking in these types of situations. She let out a breath and signalled them to head inside. The next few hours were spent with the lady answering the questions of the detectives, some more complicated than others. From the answers she gave, Gillian and Bai Yohan could immediately tell how deep her hatred was for her good for nothing son who decided to murder and torture innocent civilians for little to no reason. After a while of interrogating, they decided to tell the mother of the suspect who killed her son. "Killer Killer? I have to commend whoever that is. That person did me a huge favour by getting rid of that bastard child for me, if they didn''t, I would be the one behind bars for murder." She let out a scoff as she stared off into the distance, irritation spewing from her tone. This somewhat stunned Bai Yohan, yes, he understood the feeling of people wanting to take justice into their own hands, but it wasn''t a good idea since it isn''t always a good idea to play God with the lives of people, no matter how good or bad they might be. It''s not like he didn''t hate the No Mercy Killer, in fact he also did have hatred for him, but he wanted him to atone and pay for his crimes instead of being killed off by whoever this Killer Killer was. Bai Yohan believed that it is better for people to forever repent their actions and continue to be punished instead of getting their lives ended so soon. He quickly shook off the strange feeling and continued. "Well, do you know anyone who was close to your son? A friend? A lover?" He tilted his head as he continued to write down notes. Gillian sat on his left and was silently listening while adding to his sentences from time to time when Bai Yohan missed something. "Pfft- As if, that bastard was always alone, and he found it impossible to make any friends because of how he acted. He always thought he was better than others. He even once told me straight to my face about how much of a superior being he was to me since he was much larger than me. His arrogance and narcissism never knew bounds." She scoffed as she rolled her eyes. Something suddenly flashed in her eyes, and she quickly added "Why...? Why would you want to know something as insignificant as that?" She stared straight into Bai Yohan''s soul. Bai Yohan felt a bit nervous but nonetheless continued with his questioning. "It''s simple. We''re investigating his murder and trying to find out who the Killer Killer is so we can quickly put them to a stop and not play God with people''s lives." he stated as he glanced to his left. His sentence just then made something snap in the woman and it becomes apparent that she''s very irritated. "Why the fuck would you want to do that?!" She suddenly bolts up from her seat and raises her voice. Bai Yohan is surprised by her sudden outburst and exchanges looks with Gillian, to see if he is also surprised; unfortunately, he sees no expression other than boredom from the other. "What do you mean by why would we do that? We''re doing this to bring justice, that individual playing ''hero'' is very dangerous to be left alone in society." Bai Yohan takes a deep breath as he states. As he exhales, he feels a hand on his shoulder, Gillian is trying to comfort him again. But he doesn''t need comforting! Does he look that pitiful??? "You don''t fucking understand you lowlife detective. Why get rid of someone who has saved countless lives??! He killed someone who deserved to die!" She shrieked. The hand on Bai Yohan''s shoulder tightened as he looked back at Gillian whose face showed irritation. He was glaring at the woman. "Ma''am, it really isn''t about that! We''re just trying to-" He was cut off. "Do you understand how shameful it feels like to be the mother of a vicious and disgusting creature who decided to kill people for his own enjoyment?? Just who can sleep at night with that kind of knowledge???!!! When I finally find out that bastard was killed, you come along and say you want to find who killed him??? Just what did he do to deserve such good treatment?? HUH?!!!! TELL ME!! YOU BASTARD!!!!" She shouted her last words as her face changed colours several times due to the heavy changes of emotions in short periods of time. As Bai Yohan was about to say something to calm the woman down, Gillian immediately pulled him up and started to drag him out of the house. "YOU BASTARDS NEVER PUT THE SAME EFFORT OF THIS SHIT WHEN OTHER PEOPLE DIED!!!!" Was the last thing Bai Yohan heard as Gillian shut the front door and continued to drag the man along the street. No... That''s not it! He promises, he does put all his efforts into trying to bring the guilty to justice! He always tried his best to take any lead from anything that could be found. He always spent days and nights just analysing several pieces of evidence until his eyes turned red. That is how he got his position in the first place despite being so young. Bai Yohan was frowning as he was being dragged around by his friend to who knows where. No matter how he was feeling, he couldn''t let his subordinate deal with the situation by himself. He already relied on his friend a lot in the past, he wanted to repay that too, he wanted to be relied on too. -Chapter 3-Suspect- In the end, he was led to the local park. Gillian to led him to a bench under a vibrant orange and red tree with leaves scattering all around with the sunset acting like a halo, making the spot look like as if came out of wonderland. Soon after, the other turns away in another direction, baffling Bai Yohan. "Gillian? Where are you going?" he asked completely puzzled. "Stay there for a bit, I''ll be back in a minute" the other replied without turning around or stopping. Normally Bai Yohan would keep pestering him, however with everything that has happened today, he had little energy to try to figure out what his friend was up to; thus, he decided to quietly sit on the bench under the tree, contemplating his life. Today just wasn''t a good day for him at all. For whatever reason, today he couldn''t handle it. Maybe it was because of that dream he had. Maybe it was because he hadn''t slept well at night. But he has pulled all-nighter''s before, and he had much more energy than today. It was definitely the dream. Honestly, he has seen so much atrocious shit before, but a mere dream can scare him so easily? Why was he so weak? Why couldn''t he be like Gillian: fearless in any situation and always knowing what to do despite not talking that much to people. Bai Yohan has tried a lot in the past to get his over his disgust and fear of the smell of blood. Just the stupid smell. He can stand anything but just not the smell, why? Why can''t he just not get over it? Due to his weariness, he managed to anger a family member of the No Mercy Killer. He should have explained sooner. He should have tried to reason with her more. He should have done things differently. Maybe Laurence was right about if he was even qualified for the job. Even if Laurence doesn''t think that now, his past words still hold truth because how incompetent he was today. He was a fraud, nothing he ever did was good enough for him. He wanted to be something more, to do something more. Things seemed to be going too fast today so he didn''t even bother trying to take extra measures just in case something went wrong. .... .. . "Chief??!" An investigator was shocked that Bai Yohan already had a lead of the whereabouts of where this missing girl could be. "Already? Are you sure? There isn''t any other evidence that points to this place." The investigator added; he knew that the young Chief detective was very bright, but he didn''t know how he made the correlation to where the missing girl could be held. "I am very confident in this, trust me." Bai Yohan smiled as he added "And yes, the evidence doesn''t say that it''s that place specifically, but the evidence does cross out all other areas that she could be held at without suspicion. Even if I''m wrong and she''s not there, then at least we have another place crossed out." He handed some papers to the other. The investigator stared at the other with complicated eyes and finally took the papers from his hand. As he was about to say something, a voice interjected. "Are you pulling things out of your ass now?" The voice belonged to a redhead named Laurence. He had slight stubble on his face and a scowl plastered on his face. He reached out for the papers in the investigator''s hand and took a moment to carefully read it over before scoffing. He looked straight into Bai Yohan''s eyes and asked "Are you even qualified for this job? So young yet so stupid. We already have looked here if you can''t remember." Bai Yohan slightly laughed and didn''t take his insult to heart too much. "Sir, we only looked at the surface of everything, as I was thinking about all the places we have investigated before, it was impossible to hide someone there effectively, however, I clearly remember checking if there were any basements of hidden rooms present, but there were none. The only place we haven''t truly looked if it has a hidden room or basement is that place. Besides even if I''m wrong, it doesn''t hurt to check right? We might have overlooked something." Bai Yohan explained to the best of his abilities to try to calm the other down. He saw the reluctance in his eyes and added "I am already going to make the others investigate this too, you''re welcome to join." The detective was silent for a moment before scoffing and turning his back "Fine. Let''s see how hard you fail." The old building was once again surrounded by several police officers and investigators trying to look for the missing girl or any hidden rooms like the Chief suggested. Laurence was crossing his arms while looking intently at Bai Yohan who was knocking on the walls to see if there was a hollow space somewhere. The constant knocking got to Laurence''s nerves. "Stop doing that, you''re not going to find a hidden room like that." He expressed as he gritted his teeth. Bai Yohan ignored the comment and continued to feel the wall until he noticed one specific area made a hollow sound. "Here." The young Chief said. "Huh?" Laurence was confused. "I want you to look here. The wall is hollow, and I can feel there is something behind here. There is also fresher paint as well, you can notice the brighter colour." Bai Yohan pointed out. Laurence was sure they weren''t going to find anything but decided to have people investigate and demolish the wall to see what was behind. A few minutes later, several construction workers arrived with their tools on hand and started to demolish the pale peach wall. With every blow, you could notice something inside. A dirty old door. The construction workers were confused but continued to do their work and immediately after Laurence exclaimed. "You weren''t kidding about the hidden room?" His eyes were wide open. Bai Yohan showed a melancholy smile and said nothing. It''s better to show your worth with actions and not words. Words can only mean so much. Promises can be broken; you can never be truly certain with just words so it''s always a necessary case to back your words with actions. Hours passed and the missing girl was found, all messed up but safe. Bai Yohan worked tirelessly all night that day to combine all the evidence together, so the others didn''t struggle to know everything that had happened in this case. It also made the lawyers'' job easier. As he was writing something down in the dim light his lamp provided, he had a sudden flash of thought come through his mind, making him stop what he was doing. Was he really cut out for this? Did he take too long? He shouldn''t have taken so long, if he didn''t then maybe the trauma of that girl wouldn''t be as severe. He should work harder, do better. Everything in his mind told him he was a fraud. What kind of incompetent detective is he to take so long to find a simple room that was hidden in plain sight? He was a fraud. Why can''t he do better? Bai Yohan knew these thoughts were just intrusive, but the thoughts still didn''t fail to question his own legitimacy. He... needs to do better. As that final thought crossed his mind, pen touched the paper once again and fast scribbles were written. ... .. . Bai Yohan''s thoughts were cut off when he heard footsteps heading his direction. Lifting his head, he saw Gillian, holding... two ice cream cones? It''s the middle of September and it''s freezing outside, why is holding ice cream? The detective put on a confused expression asking him why the other wanted to eat ice cream in such cold weather. Gillian sat next to him and handed him an ice cream cone. "Uh dude? It''s freezing out, why eat ice cream right now?" He asked as he took the cone. "Ice cream is good for any weather; besides it always cheered you up in the past." Gillian stated as he leaned back into the bench and took a bite out of ice cream. Before the other can retort, Gillian adds "Alright, you tell me why you are acting so weird today. If you''re worried about not being able to find the Killer Killer, then its best to not think about it too much, you''ll find them sooner or later. Bai Yohan stays silent and looks at the ground. Silence. "If it''s what that woman said, then don''t mind her too much, everyone has their own ideals on what justice is, some more extreme than others. Yohan, I think you''re doing a great job." Bai Yohan''s subordinate adds to fill in the silence. The detective lets out a slight smile and starts to eat his ice cream as well, in deep thought. A short while passes and just as the detective has finished his ice cream, Gillian repeats his question. The other sighs and slowly crosses his arms as he looks at the distance, not focusing on anything. As Gillian is about to say something, Bai Yohan begins to speak. "You might think that I am stupid for this, but I had a nightmare. It was graphic, blood everywhere and the smell was worse. I can stand blood but not the smell. After a while of being in this vivid dream, I felt my stomach being ripped open and the pain was extremely real. It was pure agony. Anyway, isn''t it embarrassing losing sleep over a stupid nightmare? Sorry for being a bother in that regard." He says as his face turns slightly red, embarrassed at being scared over a mere nightmare. "It''s not embarrassing. It''s completely understandable, I''ve also lost sleep over nightmare in the past too. Don''t worry Yohan, it''s okay to be upset about a dream. Also, why don''t you like the smell of blood?" The other didn''t mind about the reason for why Bai Yohan was acting off today. The detective stayed silent, not wanting to answer. He preferred to keep it a secret for now, maybe one day he would tell his friend when he was ready. Gillian didn''t'' mind the silence and continues to eat his ice cream while murmuring a "You don''t have to answer if you don''t want to." Bai Yohan hums, glad that he isn''t being judged by his friend. Seconds later, Bai Yohan puts on a bright and sunny smile and stands up, ushering the other to hurry and go back to the agency to have a meeting with the other detectives and investigators. Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Days pass, the autumn leaves falling, creating crunchy pathways for people to walk on, creating a serene and calm moment. On one of those days, Bai Yohan is once again out with his subordinate investigating and trying to find any other leads that can lead to the identity of the Killer Killer. The workload is heavy but with enough effort, both believe that they can crack the case. However, as both are making their rounds and trying to interrogate anyone suspicious, people around them seem to be in distain, asking them why they are trying to find the guy who killed such a heinous criminal. Bai Yohan sighs as both he and Gillian sit down in a caf¨¦. "Maaaaannnnn..." The pale man immediately slouches and puts his head on the table. "Why are people making things so difficult?" He whines. "Different ideals, I guess. But let''s not give up, we still have a lot to do." The man with jet black hair encouraged. "Like I said before, I truly believe you will catch this person" He added. The detective mumbles something under his breath before slowly getting up and ordering some tea and cake for himself. The other ordered a full meal and mint tea. The atmosphere in the caf¨¦ was just perfect, the warm, serene lights adding vibrant yet dim halos to every individual present in the room, the sweet and bitter scent of coffee emanating through the air, the distant chatter and clicking on keyboards sounded all around, calming Bai Yohan''s nerves. With everything that has already occurred, he really needed a break from it all. "Dude, do you remember our English teacher back in college?" The silver haired man asked the other. "Mr. Caddell? What about him?" Gillian didn''t look at the other as he took a sip of his tea. "I saw him on the news a few days back." "The news? What did he do?" Gillian put down his teacup confused. "He was caught stealing money from the school, apparently he had been doing that for years." Bai Yohan snickered. He didn''t like his old English teacher because he was a douchebag. "Huh. Guess now we found the mystery of how he always came to college with all his fancy stuff. A teacher''s salary doesn''t pay so much that he could so much." Gillian reminisced. "I mean most of the time he would spend his time bragging in class about all the vacations he went on. Total nutjob." He added. "Yeah! Remember that one time he made me stay after class for over two hours because I said I didn''t care about his designer shoes? I still don''t understand how he didn''t get in trouble." Bai Yohan huffed. "Didn''t he target you after that all the time?" Gillian crossed his arms. "Fuck my life, YEAH! HE WOULDN''T STOP COMMENTING SARCASTIC REMARKS ABOUT ME IN CLASS. He also wouldn''t shut up." The pale man became more animated as he jolted up. "Keep your voice down Yohan, this is a public space remember." The other reminded. "Shoot, sorry. But you know how much of a dick he was right?" Bai Yohan grumbled. The silver haired man continued to complain about every little thing that had happened in the past while also stuffing himself with the fragrant and rich chocolate cake. Even in his animated state, Bai Yohan was very relaxed and didn''t want the moment to end. With so much piled up, he had the tendency to forget to relax and take things easy, this moment was perfect for him to unwind. As the sky turned a gorgeous shade of orange and the wind started picking up speed, both Bai Yohan and Gillian did not utter a work, just enjoying the somewhat silent atmosphere as they played with their drinks. However, this moment didn''t last long. As Bai Yohan was staring into space, zoning out the conversations going on all around him, his ears perked as he heard the words "No Mercy Killer". Snapping out of his daze, he pursed his lips in a thin line and started to pay more attention to his surroundings. "...aren''t kidding right?" A voice sounded surprised. "Of course not! My friend told me all the gruesome details and I''m pretty sure he''s telling the truth." The other person responded confidently. "I always wondered what the hell the police were doing, not being able to catch one guy, but your friend managed to do so?" "The police don''t really try, and you know that, all of them are lazy. Hah! I''m glad he managed to get rid of such trash. But I heard the police is looking for the culprit." The owner of the voice grimaced. "Then why are you talking about it here? Are you stupid? What if your friend gets caught?" The other person sounded alarmed. !!? The arm that Bai Yohan was leaning his head on slipped and he almost knocked his tea over. Gillian, seeing this raised his eyebrow and expressed a look on his face asking what was up. Bai Yohan exchanged a look and he quickly looked away to the subject of his interest, showing the other that he should listen. Gillian gave a vague glance over the direction the other was looking at before finishing his drink and walking over to the people who he overheard. ????? Bai Yohan stared at Gillian with wide eyes, wondering if his IQ dropped. Bro!? Don''t just go ahead and talk to those guys! It may work in TV but certainly not in real life! As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Bai Yohan found himself bamboozled. Gillian''s personality did a complete 180 as he started conversing with those guys like they didn''t just say that one of their friends is the guy who killed the No Mercy Killer. Wtf??! And those strangers just went along with Gillian asking questions???? What''s going on??? Bai Yohan didn''t even bother listening to their conversation, picking up his hot drink and downing it in one go like it was the first time in 10 years that he got to quench his thirst. Immediately he regretted it as the tea went down his throat and completely burned his insides. He quickly spit out the remaining tea and fanned his face. For a couple of seconds, Bai Yohan tried his best to not throw up, trying to endure with the pain of drinking something so hot so fast. Great, his tastebuds got burnt and so did his pride. Stupid. It seems like his IQ was also dropping by the second. Ai... Nothing seems to be making sense these days... After cleaning up his mess, Gillian finally returned. "Uh dude, what was that for?" Bai Yohan accused. "I just asked for some info, I''ll tell you when we get out of here." Gillian said as he took a seat as he looked at Bai Yohan''s face "The hell happened to your mouth?" His eyebrow twitched as he pointed to his face. "I uh..." Bai Yohan didn''t know what to say. "Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Ummmm" He made a fool of himself while trying to formulate the right words. Gillian''s face twisted into a more confused expression. Gillian: ??? Bro, you ok? "I chugged down my tea, and burned my mouth, that''s all I have to say." Bai Yohan explained as he tried to cover his shame. As the day came to an end, Bai Yohan was pumped. This could be his breakthrough! Even if he doesn''t have the evidence for it yet, he might be able to catch the guy! In the events that followed after the two left the caf¨¦, Gillian told him that he got a name of a possible suspect, the guy that stranger was talking about. Somehow those strangers didn''t suspect Gillian of trying to dig up more info about the guy and to catch him. Bai Yohan sometimes wonders how some people can be so trustworthy. Putting that to the side, he knew what he needed to do; find out where this guy lives, arrest him under suspicion of one or several murders, search through his home and if possible, get him to fess up! Even if Gillian''s method of getting the information was unrealistic, it still worked! He''s got to treat him to lunch some other time in the future. The days that followed were full of tedious work, from trying to do a background check on the person Gillian got the information about, to compiling evidence trying to link to a possible suspect; Bai Yohan just wanted to bust into that dude''s house and arrest him already, however he didn''t get a warrant to do that from the police agency so he needed to wait. On one chilly afternoon, Gillian entered the evidence room where Bai Yohan was contemplating his existence, wondering how he ever got to this point. Seeing the detective zoned out, Gillian cleared his throat to get the other''s attention. "Yohan, we got the warrant." The tan man waved the papers. The detective turned around, hurriedly took the papers before snatching his coat and leaving out the door in one swift motion. All done without a single word. "Seriously? Not even a thanks?" The tan man complained before hurrying to catch up to the other man. The two took a while to get there, the suspect lived quite far away, in an isolated town, far from the main city, the neighbouring homes were quite far away from each other. As the two of them got closer to the home, Bai Yohan thought that the home looked quite normal, even so, it''s always the ones you least expect so he cant really judge a book by it''s cover now can he. His footsteps were firm as he walked on the gravel pathway, not having an ounce of hesitation in his body. Gillian followed as he was in deep thought. As the detective was standing at the front door, he took a deep breath before knocking on the door a couple times. They both waited a bit but they didn''t see or hear any sign of moment from inside. He looked behind him and Gillian gave him a slight nod, telling him to continue. He knocked again, this time harder. "Anyone home?" He shouted. A few moments later, the door creaked open as a tall, buff man with shoulder length hair tied in a low ponytail was visible. He glanced at both of them before fully opening the door, letting his whole body be shown. He was dressed nicely, a black turtle neck with black pants and a cream coloured sweater. "Hello. Can I help you with anything?" The man spoke with a slight Italian accent. His brown eyes were clear with concern, looking very innocent. Bai Yohan was stunned for a second before making up his mind; it didn''t matter how innocent your suspect looks, if you let them go, they might strike again! Bai Yohan cleared his voice before speaking. "Hello Mr Ricci, I am Chief Detective Bai Yohan and this this my subordinate, Gillian. We are here today because we have a warrant for your arrest." The detective calmly explained as he showed his Detective badge. "I hope you can cooperate Mr Ricci. This is a very serious matter." He added. The man widened his eyes in surprise and shock, struggling to get his words out. Gillian carefully examined the man in front of him, he seemed to have his own suspicions, like the drop of blood that was visible at the hem of his sweater. His pupils shrank. "What? Why are you arresting me?" Mr Ricci tried to reason with the two. "I swear I haven''t done anything bad. I''m just an artist in the middle of nowhere. May I know why I''m being arrested?" He added. His hands were sweating so he kept rubbing his hands against the side of his sweater. Bai Yohan sighed before looking back at Gillian, who was getting ready to cuff the man. "You''re under arrest for the suspected killings of more than 20 people, sir please do not resist." Gillian grabbed the mans wrists and swiftly put the cuffs on. Ricci protested "What?! I swear I never would do that! Please believe me!" "Mr Ricci, whether or not you actually are the culprit will all depend on if we find evidence linking you to these crimes or not, I advise you to not make things difficult for yourself. Please come quietly and all will be known in due time." Bai Yohan pulled out a notebook and started scribbling some sentences in it. Gillian took Ricci by the arm and led him to the car while Bai Yohan was sorting out some notes before heading the same direction to catch up with them. The drive back to the police agency was not quite as Bai Yohan imagined, as he was focused on the road, Mr Ricci would always ask questions to either Gillian or Bai Yohan, Gillian would mostly ignore his questions but Bai Yohan could only say "I''ve told you, we can discuss your guilt when we get to the police station." Unfortunately, the questions didn''t stop. Bai Yohan pulled up to the parking lot before getting out and ordering his subordinate to drag the suspect out as well. As Bai Yohan was walking, he also noticed the bloodstain on the sweater. "What''s this?" He wanted to confirm if it was actual blood or not. Ricci looked down and saw the blood, a bit panicked. "Oh, I cut myself by accident when I was cutting some vegetables. See?" He showed his pointer finger which had a Band-Aid on it. Bai Yohan pursed his lips in a thin line for a moment before speaking "After you''re free from the handcuffs, hand that sweater over to Gillian." He looked at his subordinate to confirm with him. Ricci looked calm before agreeing. The Chief Detective instructed everyone on what to do before heading off to get another team to search Mr Ricci''s home to see if anything could be found. For legal reasons, a person cannot be held prisoner for longer than 48 hours without evidence of them committing a crime, so they must be let go. Time was ticking but Bai Yohan wasn''t able to find anything worthwhile. The lab results concluded that the blood present in Mr Ricci''s sweater was indeed his own so that wasn''t of much help. Another problem was that the team that was supposed to find evidence in Mr Ricci''s home, didn''t find anything. Everything in the home seemed perfectly normal, the only difference was that there was a lot of art supplies in the basement and there was a slight smell of blood, but that could be explained by the fact that Ricci had a freezer with fresh cow meat that he himself butchered. He obtained the cow from a local farm, and he paid quite a lot of money for it, several investigators confirmed with the farm owner, and it was indeed true. There seemed to be nothing else they could do. Even while questioning Mr Ricci, nothing seemed to be out of place, he had an explanation for everything. At this point, Bai Yohan was losing hope, thinking that maybe it''ll be too late before he would find the culprit. Thus, the fruitful day came where the agencies were forced to let go of Mr Ricci and declare him innocent. Both agencies were bummed that they didn''t find anything but they still had hope that something could arise in the future, especially Laurence. Ever since Bai Yohan solved that missing girl''s case, Laurence''s view on him changed drastically and he believed that Bai Yohan could solve anything if he put his mind into it and if he had the resources for it. Laurence made his way to go encourage the younger detective and offer him more help. Bai Yohan was grateful for the support. Even if he couldn''t get the person responsible for these crimes, he still had time to find out more suspects. He wanted to make whoever that person was pay for their crimes. and continued to work hard that day, talking to several other investigators and discuss their findings. While Bai Yohan was discussing his findings with the others, Gillian was sorting out some files before pausing. He saw a particular name in one of those files; something that''s not exactly linked to the case, but is another investigation all together led by another detective. His eyes darkened as a sudden flash of suspicion crossed his thoughts. He needed to confirm his suspicions tonight. The amber lights dimmed as night was approaching, Bai Yohan finished what he needed to do, and he was quite tired, so he decided to not work any overtime today. As he was walking out of the building, he paused as he looked at the moving sunset. The golden light illuminated his face, making his face look softer. The detective stood there for several minutes before exhaling. The day was sure a beautiful one, it was a pity he didn''t get to enjoy it longer. As he was about to start walking out of the gates, Gillian popped up out of nowhere. "Jesus!" Bai Yohan was startled. "I swear, just where the hell do you pop out from?" He added as he slapped the other on the shoulder. "It''s your fault for not paying attention to your surroundings." Gillian retorted. Bai Yohan humped as he crossed his arms. The two walked side by side talking about irrelevant things, completely forgetting about work and other important matters. Bai Yohan lived quite close to Gillian, just about a 10 minute walk, so they usually walked home together. Their old college and university were also quite close as well, that''s how they wound up meeting each other. When Bai Yohan first met Gillian, the other didn''t have that distinctive scar on the side of his mouth, instead, his skin was flawless and his eyes much brighter. However, Gillian was off for a whole week before returning to school with a scar on his face. Bai Yohan didn''t get much of the details of what truly happened, however, he did know that Gillian was attacked by some madman. How he survived, he still doesn''t know, what he does know is that Gillian did end up killing the madman in self-defence. At that time, Bai Yohan didn''t know what to think, someone he knew killed another, but after a while as he matured, he understood and completely supported Gillian. In a situation like that, what can a 17-year-old do? Being attacked out of nowhere and not knowing how to escape, that''s the last thing that can be done, no? Nevertheless, he''s glad that Gillian made it out alive that day. The house that''s closer to the agency was Bai Yohan''s so he quickly said his goodbye and quietly headed to his home. For a moment, Gillian stared at Bai Yohan''s door before continuing to walk the path to his home. Minutes passed and as he got closer to his home, he didn''t open his door, instead he went to the garage to take out his car. He wasn''t going to rest just yet.