The door to the basement, as expected, remained securely locked. As one might have guessed, the door required an eye verification and a hand scanner to open up.
'It might be difficult for others but not for us. Right, little god. I mean, in front of you, the all-mighty system, what can this technology do if not bow down and admit defeat?'
The said all-mighty system raised its head high and flicked its paw. Sure enough, the door opened without any trouble.
'This bit of thing is nothing to worry about.' After saying that, the system took the lead in going inside the basement.
The proud look of the fluffy cub stabbed Ren's heart.
Had the situation permitted, Ren might have laughed out loud.
So cute!
Ah! Too cute!
The system seemed to have sensed its host's dirty thoughts as those blue eyes glared at the golden ones.
Ren hurriedly raised his hands in surrender and followed the cub into the darkness.
Yes, darkness, because his fluffy little system had shut the automatic light sensors along with the security system.
The door swung open soundlessly, much to Ren's relief. He cautiously moved forward.
It might be the first time Ren was grateful for his previous blindness. He couldn't say if it was his confidence as a blind man or if he really was quite at ease even in this complete blackness.
Ren could sense the presence of objects without his vision. Of course, if a corpse hadn't threatened to jump out from some random corner, due to his imagination, Ren's mind would have been more at peace.
They surveyed the jumble of machinery, desks, and assorted items stacked before them, most of which were unfamiliar to Ren.
Yet, there was not a single thing which could be considered useful.
Ren wasn't disappointed. After all, the killer will not be stupid enough to leave traces at such an obvious place.
When Ren pondered the feasibility of checking other locations, a sudden beeping voice attracted his attention.
'Little god, is that notification of a clue?' Ren's excitement met with a cub's deadpan face.
'That's the sound of the mechanical part you are standing on.'
Sure enough, Ren was standing on something that looked like a miniature version of a brain with wires hanging from it. This new world sure has some weird things.
While Ren's finger poked the 'brain' here and there, something fell from it. Howbeit, Ren couldn't see it. It was already hard enough to see this tiny metal body, let alone such a small piece.
To facilitate Ren's 'molesting'; the system very generously illuminated the surrounding area.
Ren threw the brain aside and walked forward with the help of the sudden brightness.
One might wonder why he started with the basement. To answer that, Ren can only thank the novels he read before dying.
Every mystery novel with a psychopath killer, without fail, has a basement covered in blood and torture equipment.
If only he could find any such weapon or some blood clot, at least, it would make sure that they were on the right path.
As Ren ventured deeper into the sea of metal corpses, something stirred behind him.
Ren's footsteps paused. The system instantly shuts the light down to not alert the enemy.
The strange sound grew closer, and in the next second, Ren felt an extra weight on him.
He looked at the furball who suddenly appeared in his embrace.
In the oppressive stillness, the whirring noise intensified, accompanied by the sound of objects tumbling to the ground.
'How about we run?' Ren tried to keep his voice from breaking up.
The system clinging to Ren's chest felt the rising heartbeat and decided the best course for both of them, 'Yeah, let's come tomorrow.'
They can only find the killer if they are alive in the first place!
However, even for that, they need to turn back. The strange noise suddenly increased, making Ren's throat go dry. His breath got stuck in his lungs as the distance between him and the noise decreased. It was as if someone was dragging something on the ground and walking towards them.
While hugging the fluffy body tighter, Ren cautiously turned around and came face to face with a huge head with both eyes hanging from those empty dark sockets staring at them.
Ren felt his soul leaving his body.
'It's a robot! A robot! Calm down!' the system patted Ren's chest with enough force to pull him back from the sudden shock.
The pat forced Ren to focus on the head, and sure enough, it was a metal body bound together with intertwining wires.
A sudden sense of relief washed over him, and he lost his strength. Ren wasn't the only one breathing hard. The cub, too, was in a similar situation. To take control of the situation it hurriedly calmed itself down.
What was I even afraid of?
It was not like anyone could see it in the first place?!
The poor system was influenced by its host's emotions and ended up looking like an amateur system. With a decisive flick, the fluffy cub deactivated the old robot's system, causing it to slump to the ground.
While Ren fumbled to get up, his hand touched something tiny and sharp. Before Ren could fling it away, a robotic voice rang out, halting his movements.
'Clue collection - 1, A brain transplant chip.'
Ren finally took a good look at the said chip in his hand. It was very similar to his SIM card.
'Damn, I knew I could beat Sherlock. If I ever get a chance...'
The system, "..." Excuse me? Who was the one scared enough to not even able to stand up?
Before the system woke Ren up with a reality check, it saw Ren grinning like a fool. The system swallowed back its scolding after looking at that cute dimple.
'Well, we found something useful. So, do you want to leave-' Before the system could finish its question, Ren hastily nodded in agreement.
'Of course, we should return. We need to analyze the clue, don't we?' Both the system and its host tacitly avoided mentioning the lingering fear that still pulsed through their nervous systems.
After carefully pocketing the SIM card, Ren exited the basement. As they neared the exit, they seemed to hear some strange noise... again.
Ren, "..."
The system, "..."
It must be their ears were still ringing.
They definitely shut the door before leaving so as to not leave any trace. Those traces don't include the robotic corpse still lying flat on the ground.
"What do you mean you can't hide it anymore? You do realize that it will cause a huge stir if they discover the identity of the body?"
A somewhat similar feminine voice brought Ren to a sudden stop. It wasn't a figment of their imagination. Someone was discussing the victim in the dead of night.
Ren glanced at the cub, which was attentively focused on the direction of the voice, 'Should we follow the sound?'
The system nodded in agreement. They had no choice. Missing any clue was simply not an option.
Ren very cautiously moved forward.
"We need to cover it up. I don't care what you do or who you use. I want her to disappear."
The oddly familiar voice led Ren to the window beside the last class. However, due to the setting of the windows, he can't see anything outside.
All Ren could do was walk a few steps forward and peek at the owner of the voice through the end of the corridor.
Ren crouched down and focused on the owner of the voice. His golden eyes widened in disbelief as he looked at none other than Sivia Yarx talking on the phone with such violent pale eyes.
"What the-" Ren's mouth was instantly covered with a furred paw. Ren was so startled to see his gentle teacher without any trace of warmth that he even forgot to keep his voice down.
He pressed himself against the wall, hoping to evade the gaze of those pale eyes scanning his direction. Ren's silent plea to go unnoticed was shattered by the system's blunt response.
'She heard you.'
Ren's heart, which had finally settled down a bit, quickened its pace as he heard Silvia's voice once more.
"I think, I heard something... What do you mean ignore it? So, that it turns into a bigger blunder like yours?"
As the voice grew louder, so did Ren's heartbeat. It was either get caught or hide in the basement again.
But reaching the basement was no longer an option because Silvia was almost at the entrance!
Acting swiftly, the cub pulled the still confused and frightened Ren into the nearest classroom for cover.
Both Ren and the system waited in silence, holding their breath as they listened for Silvia to pass by the classroom.
"Look, Love, I don't care how you do that, but you have to. Or we both will be in the spotlight. She just evolved, and this happened..."
The clinking of heels went away as her voice faded into the darkness.
The stillness returned, and Ren without wasting a single second, dashed towards the pillar.
The cub clung tightly to Ren's chest. If not for its strong paws, it might have been thrown away by the force of his sprint. The system found out that its host could really run.
Ren's senses sharpened as he noticed the escalating clicking sound, much faster than before. He didn't dare to look back at the approaching danger. He raised his hand, and the bracelet shook slightly at his command.
A massive black portal materialized before him, just as a notification chimed in his mind.
'Clue Collection - 2, A blood of the victim.'
Ren didn't even spare a moment to glance at his left shoe, which apparently, was placed on the 'clue'.
Silvia sprinted toward the strange noise emanating from the school's entrance, only to catch a glimpse of something flickering in the air. Her pale eyes narrowed in contemplation.