"The murderer who killed 8 candidates wasn't a single person. Each had different targets, but undoubtedly, they all are top-notch killers, intelligent criminals that are the most troublesome..."
Benjamin's voice trembled slightly at the end, clearly, his mood wasn't calm. Even after two years, recalling the situation at that time still put him under immense pressure.
"In subsequent investigations, I found out that the Mayor's Manor had seemingly turned into a hunting ground for that group of serial killers."
"They used their own unique methods to create a series of murders, which, when intertwined, constituted a mystery that no investigation could solve..."
Shiller, holding the umbrella handle, paused and looked at Benjamin, asking, "So, what did you guys find out?"
Benjamin remained silent for a moment, then shook his head and said: "We could only deduce that there were four murderers in total, each of whom killed two targets."
"Did you find out who they are?"
Benjamin shook his head and looked down at Lionel's corpse, saying: "At that time, Luther was also at the scene. I think he killed Mayor White and Old Parker to mimic the murderer who killed the deputy speaker."
"His imitation was too clumsy." Shiller spoke up.
"Indeed." Benjamin affirmed this and said, "Even if he hadn't admitted it in the restroom, I had already targeted him, his method of operation was actually quite simple."
With that said, Benjamin looked up at the ceiling of the reception room, saying, "The old manor has very high ceilings. Above the ceiling and beneath the roof, there's another space."
"He bought the building next to the mayor's mansion, sneaked in beforehand, set up some devices in the attic, then knocked his targets unconscious in advance and brought them up."
"The chatter and music in the banquet hall drowned out the sound of the silenced pistol shots. The devices had a delay time, so when Lionel shot and killed, he could appear anywhere there were observers to prove his own innocence."
"I would like to call this method a classic," Shiller concluded, looking at Benjamin and asking, "The agents should have found his weapon in the space above the ceiling by now, right?"
"In actuality, even earlier than expected."
At this point, Benjamin had no intention of holding back any longer, saying directly: "We are not the fools of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, we wouldn't conclude till everything ends."
"Then why didn't you arrest him immediately?" Selina asked with a frown. In her view, if Benjamin had acted earlier, perhaps they wouldn't be trapped in the manor now.
Benjamin snorted, saying: "I told you all this to explain exactly that."
"I didn't arrest Lionel right away because I wanted to see what he was going to do."
"I wasn't there when the incident two years ago happened, but in subsequent investigations, I found that the four murderers who acted seemed to all be looking for something."
"Luther had attended the banquet two years ago, and he seemed to have obtained some clues from it. I don't know if he ever mentioned to any of you that he was looking for a treasure..."
"Exactly the clues he got during the original banquet, when those multiple murders took place."
"Treasure? What is that?" Shiller asked bluntly.
Benjamin gave him a meaningful look and said bluntly: "There isn't a definite answer, but I suspect it's the Philby List."
"You intend to let Luther find this so-called treasure, then arrest him after he's found it, so you could kill two birds with one stone." Shiller said, and then his gaze turned to Lionel, he continued:
"But it seems like, your plan failed."
Benjamin's gaze also fell on Lionel, he said, "That's because he's really an idiot."
"I met him in the reception room, he was cursely wildly at everything, as if he'd lost his sanity. He even tried to attack me, so I knocked him out."
"However …" Benjamin turned the topic around once more and stared at Shiller, then said: "In the conversation with Lionel, he told me a truth. Do you know what that is?"
"What?" Shiller asked while looking at him.
"You are the murderer who killed the deputy speaker, and you killed two people and dismembered one of them. He saw it with his own eyes."
The atmosphere in the reception room became frozen in an instant, everyone showed different expressions, a storm arose from the sightline between Shiller and Benjamin, and their auras began to clash.
In an instant, the chilling wind came with sparse snowflakes that seemed like blades.
Time rewound back to when Selina knocked Lionel to the ground.
After doing all this, Selina left without looking back, then after returning to her room, she acted affectionate with Bruce and drove Benjamin out.
Regardless of how Bruce and Selina executed their surveillance plan after that, Benjamin, who had left the room, wanted to find Lionel immediately.
He stopped an agent setting up defenses in the corridor and found out Lionel had gone to the reception room and hadn't come out yet. Therefore, Benjamin headed to the reception room, intending to have a chat with Lionel.
When Benjamin arrived at the reception room, Lionel had barely managed to get up from the ground.
Although it seemed like a major incident when Selina hit him in the face with a vase, the actual damage was not much. Other than shattered glass cutting his face and the impact injuring his nasal cartilage, his skull and brain were unharmed. Lionel lay on the ground for a while, got up, and started looking for something to stop the bleeding.
When Benjamin went in, seeing this scene, he paused for a second then walked quickly over to Lionel and asked, "What happened? Did someone attack you?"
Lionel, who was dabbing his blood with a tissue, glance at Benjamin. In Lionel's eyes, Benjamin saw endless anger and malice.
"Bugger off, you annoying fly!" Lionel had completely lost his facade of being gentle and approachable. His inherent outburst and greed were undeniable.
Before Benjamin could say anything more, Lionel cursed, "You agents and cops are all the same! I pay so much tax every year only to breed a bunch of waste like you. You can't offer me any kind of help, only making noise like flies!"
"And that shitty White! He forgets who paid tons of money to lift him up after the scandal of the political candidate's murder!"
"I just asked him to help me kill a few people, but he dared to demand help getting into the State Council in return?!"
"Does he think he is some precious resource?! As long as I have money, I can lift anyone up! And for him, both his career and his life have come to an end!"
"And...Old Parker, that damn dealer! He lowered the price every year! He was targeting my several farms in Kansas! I knew he took money from my competitors, but that's not a problem, I can kill him!"
Lionel gritted his teeth fiercely, various expletives flowed from his mouth. Blood and shards from the vase stuck to his face, making him look like a desperate beast pushed into a corner, and unbearably shabby.