"Correct. We indeed have a Grade S. But don't forget that this is his first mission as well." Instead of rebuking Lancelot for his interruption, Fremont nodded his head while he agreed as it was apparent to everyone in the room. If it weren't for Lu Chen, the department would have to delay the task delegation awaiting the Ace Commissioner to finish his ongoing mission to avoid expending freshmen.
Other than Lu Chen, the attending freshmen were Chu Zihang, Lancelot, Susie, and also Milana.
It was true that Cassell College aimed to develop the elites into masters. Regardless, they weren't ignorant enough to put forth all the Grade A's into one mission as that would be a great risk to take given the formation of the team.
Typically, the teams during scrimmages comprised three freshmen and one senior commissioner. Unless necessary, they would never involve freshmen in actual battles. For this mission, the team formation remained. However, even Fremont couldn't be certain whether the target could be easily handled by the senior commissioners.
"I didn't state all that to let you down, but merely to warn you of the graveness of the mission." As he clarified, Fremont proceeded to the next slide of evidence.
Various locations were presented on the screen: abandoned apartments, shady routes, neighborhoods—all of which contained other dead women. Including Commissioner Marianne, there had been a total of nine victims—all violated and cruelly dismembered.
"Birmingham, England. So far, there were altogether nine fatalities, all of which were ladies in their youth. Judging by the scars on their bodies, we speculate the target to be a man."
As he paused, somebody raised their hand, thus he nodded to signal their permission to speak.
"Nine dead including one commissioner, yet all we have now is the gender of the killer?" Susie interrogated calmly with a hint of suspicion.
Hearing that, Fremont looked visibly depressed not because of her doubt toward the Executive Department, but the fact that she was right, which upset him even more.
"Regretfully, that is correct. What we have on the killer is very limited. Commissioner Marianne was the closest to the truth but unfortunately, she too had fallen to the brutality of the murder."
Forcefully accepting the elaboration, Susie helplessly nodded her head. For a Grade A commissioner to be murdered in cold blood, the target must have been extremely powerful. Unlike in China, the surveillance in England wasn't as comprehensive, proving that the criminal was indeed intricate with where his activities should take place. Moreover, as much as the crime scenes were revolting, the number of usable evidence for tracking was virtually zero, and that implied how adept the criminal was at covering his tracks.
"Now, on to the details. After the incidents, we have summarized the murderer's M.O.—female, young, good-looking, blonde, and around 5.5 feet tall. With that information, our profiler deduced that the criminal must have experienced some sort of trauma that caused him to be this particular with his targets."
Out of nowhere, Fremont cracked a joke to ease the mood in the room. "Well, if not for his pickiness, we would have many more bodies lying around." Although it was a joke, he presented it gloomily, showing his immense resentment toward the murderer.
"In a prior meeting, we had laid out a plan. Two of our commissioners fitting the descriptions will act as bait to draw the murderer out while the rest will wait in hiding. The moment the murderer shows up, we'll immediately take him out."
After Fremont finished his announcement, Lu Chen had an inexplicable expression. So it all comes down to seduction?
Despite that, although luring was a cliche, it had been proven effective throughout history. Without a doubt, the department had considered other measures but eventually settled down on what was revealed.
Nevertheless, picking out an anonymous, dangerous hybrid in Birmingham—the second largest city in England—was equivalent to searching for a needle among a haystack. Was it even possible with only two commissioners as bait?
"Have we decided on a target region?" Raising his arm, Chu Zihang put forth a question—one that Lu Chen had in mind as well.
In response, Fremont pointed at the screen and marked a circle. "After analyzing his previous killing spots, we have roughly triangulated his comfort zone, and it should be within a six-mile radius of this spot."
Fortunately, the Executive Department wasn't entirely helpless. Although six miles wasn't exactly small, the chances of capturing the murderer had certainly boosted.
Meanwhile, Lu Chen curiously swept his gaze across his fellow teammates. The commissioners assigned to this mission were mostly men and only two freshman girls. Since Susie was Asian, she was out of the question. As for Milana, she fitted the description of the bait rather well, but that would only make one out of two lures.
***
At that moment, Fremont clapped his hands and the conference room was pushed open. Entering the room was a blonde lady… It was Lutecia!
"This is Lutecia, a Grade B+ sophomore, with a Dustless kotodama and a set of commendable profiling skills. She's assigned to the scrimmage as bait along with Milana."
At Fremont's declaration, Lutecia greeted everyone with a smile, though it was somewhat awkward and forceful. Could anyone blame her though?
After her spa session and beauty sleep last night, she woke up to Norma's notification regarding the arrangement of her scrimmage class for the new term. Oh well, whatever then! she thought. After all, a scrimmage mission was an annual must. And once it was gotten over with, it would no longer be a concern for the rest of the year. Besides, death came for everyone anyway.
Much to her surprise, she was assigned as bait in a Grade AA mission.
Oh, come on! My kotodama is indeed Dustless, but I'm only of Grade B+ lineage! Can't you hand such a mission to someone who's more excellent, more diligent? Is it my fault to be born with beauty on par with the murderer's demographic?
When she was exposed to the photos, she almost cried running away. What a curse it was to be pretty at such a time!
Eventually, she couldn't bring herself to slide off. It wasn't because of the merits Norma offered in the email nor the chance to spend her time with her handsome junior. Rather, it was simply because her pride didn't allow her to back down.
Carrying the name of the Campbell Family, she couldn't put down her pride. Also, apart from the protection she would receive from the commissioners, her kotodama Dustless was defensive in nature. Therefore, as long as she was wary, there wouldn't be any issues.
Stupefied, Lu Chen stared at Lutecia, then directed his vision toward Milana. Somehow, Milana looked composed as if she had predicted it. That, or she never heeded the criminal's ferocity.
As Lutecia's eyes met with Milana's, she thought to herself, That's Grade A for you! Look at her, all cool and candid. I guess one's different when they're a grade higher, huh!
In actuality, Milana kept silent because she had yet to recover from the shock upon hearing about becoming a lure. Despite that, there wasn't actual fear instilled in her. Ultimately, she was of Grade A bloodline, so as long as she kept her guard up, the murderer would not be able to kill her in an instant.