With a "thud," Thomas dropped the suitcase, immediately running over and flinging the room door fully open.
As Lex walked over, he saw a beautiful girl lying in a pool of blood, her chest pierced, no breath left in her.
She was wearing a cheerleading uniform, her face painted with precision makeup, cosmetics of all sorts scattered out of her handbag beside her, all now submerged in blood.
Not far from the body, a blood-soaked javelin lay to the side - the apparent murder weapon judging by her wounds.
"Call the police!" Lex stumbled back, looking somewhat pale, and said, "Why is there a dead body here? And..."
Lex looked up and saw the room number, 404, indicating the room next to his. It was his first day and there was already a death. Lex turned his head away in disgust, as if he didn't want to catch another glimpse of the crime scene.
Thomas misconstrued his expression as fear. He stood up, backing away to stand in front of Lex, and said, "You are an outsider, you wouldn't understand. There's no use in calling the police here. They wouldn't be able to do anything."
"She must have been on the cheerleading team. Why would she die here? Isn't this a male dormitory?" Thomas mumbled, confused.
Suddenly, there were footsteps coming from the staircase. Thomas immediately spun around, alert. Lex also turned his head towards the source of the sound.
The person coming up the stairs was Bruce Wayne.
He squinted his eyes, his face stern. Before Thomas could speak, Bruce said, "Who's making all that noise? What time is it? Does anyone get any sleep around here?!"
He closed his eyes, heaving a sigh. He looked like he hadn't yet woken up. Thomas hurried to meet him at the staircase where the light was brighter. Bruce recognized Thomas and said, "Oh, it's you, Thomas. I thought the noise was some freshman throwing a party."
Thomas turned around and waved towards Lex. "Let me introduce you. This is the renowned Bruce Wayne. He's your senior."
"You're Wayne?" Lex asked as he walked out from the darkness. Bruce looked at him without changing his expression and said, "Yes, I'm Wayne. Are you the freshman who made that noise? I warn you, you better know your place. Don't throw a party while I'm resting or I'll show you."
Lex walked forward and extended a hand to say, "Nice to meet you. I'm Lex, Lex Luther."
Bruce looked at his eyes but didn't take his extended hand. He said instead, "Luthor? Of the Luthor family? I almost forgot about you. What are you doing in Gotham? Go back to your Metropolis!"
"I never knew that Wayne would fancy himself as the kingpin of Gotham. Couldn't you have chosen a better city? Are you proud of that?" Lex shot back.
"Hold on! Enough quarreling!," Thomas quickly stepped in between them, separating them. He turned to look at the crime scene then said, "A murder just took place here. Either one of you go and call a teacher!"
After finishing, he looked at Lex's neatly-styled red hair and his well cared-for hands, which seemed like they had never done housework. His facial expression shifted slightly but soon said, "Lex is a freshman, he likely doesn't know any teachers. Bruce, you go."
"No, the teacher at the freshman registration was quite friendly. I'll go to him," Lex said.
However, just as Lex was about to leave, Bruce blocked him with an outstretched hand and pushed him on his shoulder, nearly causing Lex to fall. "Stay here. Seeing your feeble steps and heaving breaths, it's more appropriate for you to go home and cry to your parents," Bruce said.
After saying this, he turned and left. Thomas assist Lex, saying, "Don't mind him. His temper can get rather hot at times, but you'll eventually get used to it."
Lex turned his head, saying, "Thanks. If it weren't for you being the first person I met, I would have thought all the Gothamites were unfriendly."
"Ah, it's not everyone, at least the students at this school are okay. It seems that you're a bit unwell, if you don't mind me asking, are you..."
"I suffer from some hereditary diseases, so my stamina is quite poor. My dad also didn't let me go out before, so I didn't get much opportunity to exercise," Lex said, leaning against the corridor wall.
"Why did you decide to leave Metropolis this time then? To my knowledge, Metropolitan University is far better than Gotham University."
"Two months ago, my father passed away. His ex-lovers frequently showed up at my doorstep, causing me to feel annoyed. I also found it tiresome being questioned by his old business partners. So, I decided to lay low here instead," Lex explained.
Understanding dawned on Thomas' face. He made a sad expression and said, "Please accept my condolences."
Lex shook his head, but his expression let Thomas know that his relationship with his father was likely also not great.
Being born into a prestigious family himself, Thomas understood that such large families seldom have simple familial relationships. With the death of Lex's parents, it meant that he inherited the entire Luthor family fortune, much like Bruce Wayne.
On this thought, Thomas' expression shifted slightly. Soon after, there were hurried footsteps coming from the staircase. Several girls ran up, the one in the lead particularly beautiful, wearing the same cheerleader outfit as the deceased girl, and even holding the same kind of pompoms used by the cheerleading team.
Upon seeing the deceased's face, a girl let out a mournful wail before rushing forward and sinking to her knees beside the body, exclaiming, "Doris! How could this be?!"
"Christine, did you know her?" asked Thomas.
"Of course! She's Doris from the Gotham University Cheerleading Squad. We had just finished our rehearsal, we didn't even have time to change our uniforms..."
"Did you have your rehearsal this early?" Thomas asked.
"Yes, because we have a performance later, in half an hour. Normally, we should be backstage by now." Christine's beautiful face was filled with sorrow as she began to cry. "Doris was the lead dancer in Group Two. When her teammates couldn't find her, they came looking for me. I thought she had overslept..."
"But when I called her home, no one picked up. Her parents said that she didn't come home last night. At that moment, I knew something… but I never expected… how could she…"
Christine covered her face with her hands, quieted herself, and then stood up and looked at Thomas, asking, "What happened? How did she die in a male dormitory?"
"I don't know. I was actually planning to go back to my own dorm to get my keys – my room is on the third floor. On the way, I met this freshman, Lex, who couldn't lift his suitcase. His dormitory is on the fourth floor, so I helped him carry it up."
"But when we just got upstairs, we saw this young lady lying here. When we found her, she was already…" Thomas shook his head.
The cheerleaders behind Christine began to cry. Their badges showed that they belonged to the second group like Doris. It seems Doris was well-liked – they were crying bitterly.
Christine gritted her teeth: "Who dares to commit homicide at Gotham University? Does he want to die? Even the Twelve Families wouldn't dare…"
Thomas sighed, "I don't think it was the work of the mob. This place has always been a sanctuary. The Godfather restricts the Twelve Families and their affiliates from harming the students here. As long as they don't leave, they should be safe."
"That said, since you knew her, do you know anything about her love life… This may sound offensive, but disputes between lovers can lead to severe consequences in college."
"Doris did have a boyfriend," said a girl standing behind Christine. Thomas immediately asked, "Who is he? Which department does he belong to?"
"No, he doesn't study at Gotham University. He works in the central research institution in Metropolis. It seems that he graduated a couple of years ago."
Thomas looked at Lex, who shook his head, "I don't know, I've never been to the central research institution."
"If possible, could you make a call to find Doris' boyfriend? He should at least come here and see his girlfriend." Thomas spoke sorrily.
Lex showed a somewhat troubled expression. But, in the end, he agreed, "Alright, I'll make the call."
Just then, heavier, more measured footsteps sounded. Selina and Bruce Wayne came up. At the sight of the gruesome scene, Selina stepped back, covered her nose, and said, "The Doris from the chemistry department? Poor child, how did…"
After glancing at the crime scene, Shiller stepped back, tapped the ground with the tip of his cane, and said, "Everyone, come here and stand against the wall in a line, and put down everything in your hands."
"Professor!" Christine stepped forward, "We have a performance later, we will be running late…"
"What's more important, the performance or life?" After Shiller asked, Christine closed her mouth. Intimidated by Shiller's prestige, the students did as told. Only Lex, who was still making a phone call at the end of the corridor, didn't come over.
Some time later, Gordon hurried up, and the officers quickly broke into the corridor and started to cordon off the crime scene, take photos for evidence...
The flash of the camera kept going off; the police car lights below were flashing, and the students who were present were taken away by the police one by one. They went down the stairs in turn, got in the police car, and went to the police station to give statements.
Thomas, Christine and the cheerleaders behind her were all taken away. But just when the officers wanted to take away Lex and Bruce in the same manner, Shiller stopped them.
Gordon gave his subordinates a glance, and they quickly left via the stairwell.
In the dim corridor, only a cold glow near the window could be seen. Shiller, Gordon, Bruce, and Lex – the four of them stood there.
Shiller leaned against the window sill, looking at Bruce and Lex, and said, "Alright, all unrelated individuals have left. What are your opinions?"
"The murderer's identity, motive, and method… Let's talk about the identity first. Who is the murderer?"
"Thomas Elliott."
The two of them spoke in unison.