"Stay here. Don't move. I'll go in and take a look first," Wang Fengnian whispered to Li Ang, his hand reaching to his waist and unfastening his gun holster.
Generally speaking, even for an experienced officer like Wang Fengnian, who had been in the force for over twenty years and garnered deep trust from the organization, it was rare to bring his gun home after getting off work. After all, it was a time of peace, the public security environment was relatively good, and compared to the trouble caused by losing a gun, the benefits of carrying one were negligible. It was not until six months ago, when various bizarre and peculiar cases emerged incessantly, that officers began to get accustomed to carrying their firearms after work.
"A Type 92? Not bad," Li Ang said with a light chuckle, seeing the gun in Wang Fengnian's hand. "At least it's stronger than the Type 05."
The Type 05 revolver is a legendary firearm, enough to compete for the "Top Ten Strangest Pistols in the World." Its design is simple, compact, and innovative, making it safe and reliable to use. But as for its power... it has a nickname: 'The Kindly Gun.' The Type 05 uses two types of bullets: one is a flat-headed standard bullet with a muzzle energy of 111 joules, and the other is a round-headed rubber bullet with a muzzle energy reaching 16 joules. If you wear a few thick leather jackets, withstanding Type 05 rubber bullets within twenty meters is like child's play.
A few years ago, in a certain place, a cow went mad and attacked people. The local police dispatched officers to the urban-rural fringe. They fired more than forty shots at the cow with a Type 05, yet it wasn't killed and was still frolicking around. In desperation, they brought in a Type 79 submachine gun, and it took only two shots to kill the mad cow.
After taking more than forty bullets, that cow must have been frightened mad, if it wasn't already.
With Wang Fengnian's security clearance, he could not yet know the true face of the Killing Game, but as a veteran officer, he could vaguely sense a tide of change. Most of the active Type 05s, 77s, and 64s were completely retired, replaced by the more powerful Type 54s and 92s. Superiors also began to actively encourage officers to carry guns after work. Moreover, whenever they encountered strange cases, mysterious individuals in black suits would appear at the crime scene to assist in solving them...
A storm is coming...
Wang Fengnian's thoughts snapped back to reality. He scanned the pool of blood in the living room, which bore no footprints. He clung to the possibility that his neighbors across the hall, Zeng Weiming and Wang Fangni, might still be alive, and that the criminal might still be inside, preparing to escape. Sticking to the wall, he cautiously edged past the bloodstains and entered the house.
Li Ang followed behind Wang Fengnian, muttering, "If this is a murder scene, how did the killer manage to leave no footprints?"
Officer Wang turned back. "Why did you come in? Didn't I tell you to stay outside?" he rebuked in a low voice. "This place is very dangerous. It's not a playground."
"I know," Li Ang said helplessly, pushing up the glasses on his nose. If it were any other time, I would have hidden away, watching the drama unfold and cheering from the sidelines. But this murder happened right under my nose, and Officer Wang is, after all, my childhood friend's father. Besides...
[Task Trigger Conditions Met]
[Task Type: Regular Task]
[Task Name: The Madman]
[Task Objective: Eliminate the murderer who killed Zeng Weiming and Wang Fangni]
[Task Time Limit: 72 hours]
[Task Reward 1: An additional 200 Experience Points]
[Task Reward 2: 400 Game Coins]
[Task Reward 3: Random Quality Random Item*1]
[Task Reward 4: Random Quality Random Scroll*1]
[Task Failure Penalty: None]
So, the couple living in this house are already dead?
Following Wang Fengnian, Li Ang sighed inwardly and began to analyze the task description.
A random quality item, a random quality scroll... Judging from the task rewards alone, the difficulty of this task isn't low.
Looking at the task objective, the word "murderer" could mean a Monster Beast, a Monster, or even a human or a player. The task name "The Madman" doesn't explain much; a madman could refer to the murderer or the victim.
Moreover, there's no limit to the number of murderers, and the word "eliminate" implies the murderer is still alive.
Considering the 72-hour time limit, it's highly likely the murderer has already left this house, so I probably won't have to face an immediate battle.
As for the 'None' failure penalty, it suggests I won't suffer significant direct punishment whether I complete the task or not. However, there might be considerable risks in hunting down the murderer—risks that could expose my player identity or even lead to death. Such outcomes would, in themselves, be equivalent to a severe task failure penalty.
If this incident hadn't happened right under my nose, I could have delegated the task on the forums, paying other players to complete it. Doing so now, however, would very likely expose my player identity.
This is because, judging by the coagulation of the blood, the murder occurred while Wang Congshan and I were playing Honor of Kings.
Li Ang, his mind teeming with thoughts, followed Wang Fengnian and began to examine the layout of the living room.
The house purchased by the couple, Zeng Weiming and Wang Fangni, was spacious, with three bedrooms, two living areas, and two bathrooms. To the left of the entrance were the interconnected dining room and living room; to the right were the kitchen and an adjoining balcony. The master bedroom, with its en suite bathroom, was to the right of the living room; to the left were two secondary bedrooms, also with en suite bathrooms.
The Nordic pastoral decoration style was fresh and elegant. The furniture was simple and unassuming, revealing a taste for a natural, casual, yet unpretentiously refined lifestyle.
A well-off, free-spirited, and cultured middle-aged couple. High income, most likely intellectuals. From the photos on the decorative wall, they have an adult daughter, suggesting a harmonious family. Judging by the doorknobs of the secondary bedrooms and the shoe rack, their only child doesn't live here often—studying abroad? Or working in another city?
Reading the clues within the apartment, Li Ang and Wang Fengnian carefully picked their way through the gaps in the pool of blood, examining every room, including the master bedroom, secondary bedrooms, and bathrooms.
Wang Fengnian stood on the balcony, observing a smudge of blood by the window. "There are no footprints or handprints left inside. The murderer didn't leave through the main door." He stuck his head out, scanned the surroundings for a moment, then turned back. "He climbed down the water pipe on the side of the balcony. It's located between two buildings, so no one would have seen him. And this is the twentieth floor!"
The twentieth floor? Even if it were the two hundredth, the murderer designated as the task target by the System could probably climb down easily. It's not even certain if they're human.
While Li Ang was scoffing inwardly, he heard Wang Fengnian mumble, "Then what about Zeng Weiming and his wife? The murderer couldn't have carried two people down a water pipe, could he?"
Without bodies, it couldn't officially be called a homicide. Li Ang, having activated his Cat's Eye Spiritual Sense, joined Officer Wang in checking everywhere. They even looked inside the toilet's water tank but found no trace of anyone alive, let alone body parts.
Wait a minute. There seemed to be one place they hadn't searched.
They exchanged glances. Officer Wang, gun in one hand, the other tucked into his sleeve, slowly pulled open the refrigerator door.
The refrigerator light flickered on automatically, revealing Zeng Weiming and Wang Fangni crammed inside, one on top of the other. They stared out with vacant eyes, wide with frozen terror.
"Shit." Wang Fengnian lowered his gun.