William put down his whiskey glass and walked to the window, gazing at the distant coastline.
Tony had just left.
The matter of finding suitable superpowered test subjects indeed required long-term planning.
He was about to call Fury to discuss borrowing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archives to find incarcerated criminals with self-healing abilities.
"Sir, breaking news."
contract's voice echoed in the office.
William looked up.
"Play it."
A huge holographic screen immediately appeared in the air, showing breaking news from CNN.
The anchorwoman's face was solemn, her voice clearly tense.
"At 8 PM tonight, an extremely brutal serial murder case occurred in Manhattan's Lower East Side. Five female victims were found in an abandoned motel, and the scene was horrific."
The screen switched to the crime scene.
Outside the Police cordon, countless reporters and onlookers gathered.
Flashbulbs continuously flickered.
"According to the New York Police Department's preliminary investigation, the killer left a provocative message written in the victims' blood at the scene."
The camera zoomed in, focusing on the blood-stained wall.
The scrawled blood-red words were shocking:
"Moon Knight, you should have died. I am the true chosen one. —Shadow Knight"
William's brows furrowed instantly.
Shadow Knight.
He had never heard this name before.
But the other party was clearly targeting Moon Knight.
"According to reports from the crime scene investigators, the victims' bones were crushed into powder by some powerful external force. This level of destruction far exceeds the capabilities of ordinary humans."
The anchorwoman paused, her tone becoming even more serious.
"This case raises an unsettling question: What role did Moon Knight, this mysterious figure frequently appearing on New York's streets, play in this bloody case?"
The screen switched again.
The Police Director was holding an emergency press conference.
"We are fully investigating this case. Anyone claiming to be 'Shadow Knight', as well as 'Moon Knight' who is related to this case, are our key targets."
The Director's words caused the reporters present to erupt.
"Director, do you mean Moon Knight is also a suspect?"
"We do not rule out any possibilities."
William turned off the news broadcast.
He knew that this matter would soon spread throughout New York.
Moon Knight Marc Spector, Jack Lockley, Stephen Grant.
His client, and also his friend.
Was now being targeted by a madman.
What was worse, the Police had already begun to suspect Moon Knight's involvement in this bloody case.
William pulled out his phone and dialed the familiar number.
The phone rang for a long time before it was answered.
"Hello."
Jack Lockley's voice was hoarse, irritable, and carried an undisguised hint of anger.
"Did you see the news?"
William got straight to the point.
"I saw it."
Jack's voice sounded like it was squeezed through his teeth.
"That son of a bitch killed five innocent women."
William could feel the killing intent coming from the other end of the phone.
Even through the phone, he could imagine Jack's expression at that moment.
That furious rage of wanting to rush out immediately and tear the killer to pieces.
"Do you have any leads?"
William asked.
"No."
Jack's answer was brief and frustrated.
"This Shadow Knight, I've never heard of him. Khonshu doesn't know what he is either."
William pondered for a moment.
"I'll help you investigate."
"With your high-tech gadgets?"
Jack's tone carried a hint of expectation.
"Of course. contract's data analysis capability is much stronger than the New York Police Department's."
William walked to the window, overlooking the distant lights of New York City.
"But I need your cooperation."
"How to cooperate?"
"Don't appear as Moon Knight for now."
William's tone became serious.
"The Police are currently treating you as a suspect. If you appear on the streets now, it will only make things worse."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
William knew that asking Jack Lockley to stay at home and do nothing was harder than asking for his life.
This personality was naturally a man of action.
"Damn it."
Jack finally spoke, his voice full of unwillingness.
"I know you want to rush out immediately and find that bastard."
William's tone softened a little.
"But right now, we need a smarter approach."
He paused.
"Give me twenty-four hours. I will find the true identity and location of this Shadow Knight."
"Twenty-four hours."
Jack repeated.
"If you don't have results after twenty-four hours, I will go out on the streets myself to find him."
"Deal."
William hung up the phone and immediately pressed the communication button on his desk.
"contract, activate emergency investigation mode."
"Activated, sir. What do you need me to do?"
"Retrieve all surveillance footage from Manhattan's Lower East Side tonight. The time frame is from 6 PM to 9 PM."
William quickly gave instructions.
"Focus on all entry and exit points within five blocks of the crime scene."
"Executing. Estimated to take twelve minutes to complete data collection."
William nodded.
He knew that relying solely on surveillance footage was not enough.
Since this Shadow Knight dared to provoke Moon Knight so arrogantly, he must have a certain level of strength.
And being able to crush human bones into powder indicated that the other party was not an ordinary person.
"contract, simultaneously search for all online information related to 'Shadow Knight'. Including social media, forums, news reports."
"Received. Executing deep web crawling program."
William walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself another glass of whiskey.
He needed to think about this problem calmly.
Shadow Knight choosing to provoke Moon Knight was definitely not random.
The other party clearly had some understanding of Marc Spector's identity.
At least he knew that Moon Knight was related to Khonshu in Egyptian mythology.
"I am the true chosen one."
This sentence was very interesting.
It indicated that Shadow Knight believed himself to be an emissary of some deity as well.
But which god could it be?
William's mind quickly recalled relevant knowledge of Egyptian mythology.
There were not many deities opposed to Khonshu.
The most famous should be Set, the god of chaos and violence.
But it could also be a deity from other civilizations.
Such as Ares from Greek mythology, or Loki from Norse mythology.
"Sir, surveillance footage analysis complete."
contract's voice interrupted William's thoughts.
"Have you found any suspicious targets?"
"One hour before the crime, a male wearing a black Cloak entered the motel."
A segment of surveillance footage appeared on the holographic screen.
The image was a bit blurry, but a tall figure could be clearly seen.
He was wearing a hooded black robe, looking like a medieval assassin.
His face was obscured by the hood, making his features indistinguishable.
"Did it capture his full face?"
William carefully observed the footage.
"Unfortunately, no. This person seemed to be very familiar with the locations of the surveillance cameras."
contract brought up several other video clips.
"He deliberately avoided the direct shooting angles of the cameras throughout his entry into the motel."
William frowned.
This indicated that the other party was an experienced criminal.
Or, he had other channels to obtain information about the surveillance system's layout.
"What were the results of the online search?"
"Some interesting information was found."
contract brought up several web pages.
"Over the past two months, multiple witnesses have reported seeing a mysterious figure calling himself 'Shadow Knight' on social media."
William quickly scanned through this information.
Most of them were scattered sighting reports.
Someone said they saw a black figure in an alley in Brooklyn.
Someone said they heard strange growling sounds in Queens.
And someone claimed to have seen a flying monster in Central Park.
Most of these reports were dismissed as pranks or urban legends.
But now it seemed they might all be true.
"This Shadow Knight has been active in New York for two months."
William took a sip of whiskey.
"Why did he only start killing now?"
This was a key question.
If Shadow Knight had arrived in New York long ago, why did he choose to attack tonight?
What triggered his actions?
William suddenly thought of a possibility.
"contract, check Moon Knight's recent activity records."
"Retrieving relevant information."
A few seconds later, a series of news reports appeared on the screen.
Indeed.
Just three days ago, Moon Knight thwarted a bank robbery.
The incident was reported by multiple media outlets, and his photo was also taken.
"Shadow Knight acted after seeing the news report."
William drew his conclusion.
This discovery made him even more worried.
If Shadow Knight really started killing because he saw news about Moon Knight, it meant that the other party's psychological state was extremely unstable.
Such people are the most dangerous.
Because you never know what he will do next.
-------------------------------
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