"Hello, beautiful lady. Are you alone?"
Standing before Milanra was a traditional English gentleman, his face adorned with a spring-like smile. He appeared to be around twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with neatly combed semi-long black hair.
Milanra felt annoyed internally, but she maintained a smile on her face. "Yes, I am. Milanra Berryson. And you?"
As the pleasant conversation continued, unbeknownst to them, the operatives of the task force were already in position. While the probability of the first "male guest" being Slaughter was very low, the likelihood of him acting during the daytime disturbances was even lower. Nevertheless, the task force never let their guard down.
...
Meanwhile, on the other side, it wasn't so much a flirtation as it was an accident for Lutheia. She had arrived at the Birmingham Library in the afternoon. It was the largest public library in Europe, and she had visited it a few times before. The reading environment was excellent, perfect for enjoying a cup of tea and passing the time.
The executive officers had advised against her visiting such places, as all eight victims were the type who loved to shop. Although one of the women was a librarian, it was more of a coincidence.
However, Lutheia came because she wanted to, to read a few old books she had read before.
She stood straight with her graceful figure, her gaze scanning the high shelves. However, she didn't find the book she remembered. Feeling a bit disappointed, she turned around and bumped into a young man, causing the books he was holding to scatter on the ground.
"Sorry, are you okay?" Lutheia reached out to help the young man up, while discreetly assessing him.
The young man, about seventeen or eighteen years old, wore slightly faded jeans and a white shirt with the word "LIKE" printed on it. His bangs were a bit long, and his fair face still had a few freckles.
As the young man looked at Lutheia's extended hand, his face blushed, and he lowered his head, too shy to meet her gaze. He hurriedly got up on his own and began picking up the books from the ground.
What a shy child, thought Lutheia as she withdrew her hand and crouched down to help him pick up the books.
This was likely just a coincidence, but she still received instructions through the hidden earpiece to scrutinize every man who approached her.
"Thank you," the young man stammered nervously, clearly unaccustomed to encountering such a beautiful and gentle lady.
"I should be the one apologizing," Lutheia replied with a gentle smile, then turned to leave.
"Um, um, excuse me... Miss, were you looking for 'The Merchant of Venice' just now?" However, the young man stopped Lutheia, his words stuttered.
Lutheia's body stiffened imperceptibly, and a hint of confusion appeared on her face, which disappeared as she turned around, replaced once more by a warm smile.
"Lutheia Campbell. And you?" she introduced herself.
"I-I'm Abel Evans," the young man replied, unable to meet Lutheia's eyes. To him, a plain boy like himself, Lutheia before him was just too dazzling.
"Abel, that's a nice name. How did you know I was looking for that book?" Lutheia asked curiously.
"B-Because this row is all Shakespeare's books, but Miss Lutheia, you looked through them but didn't take any. The only one missing is that book," Abel explained, nervously fidgeting with his clothes.
"Abel, you're very clever. Do you happen to know where the book is now?" Lutheia praised.
"I... I do. Last time, I saw someone finish reading it and put it in section B. I can take you there," Abel said, as if gathering his courage, his face turning red.
"No need to be so formal. I'm only a year or two older than you. And I appreciate your help," Lutheia reassured him with a smile.
...
Milanra's afternoon turned out unexpectedly fulfilling. This Aubrey Smith was indeed a very talkative young man and was quite familiar with Birmingham, taking her to many places. However, what made her nervous and the executive officers vigilant was that although Aubrey took her to various places, they still hadn't ventured beyond the predicted area.
"I wonder if Milanra would be willing to do me a small favor?" Aubrey and Milanra sat on a bench by the riverbank as the sky darkened.
"What is it? If it's too difficult, I may not be able to help," Milanra joked.
"There's a party tonight, and I still don't have a suitable female companion. If I could take Milanra, my friends would surely envy me, after all, you're so beautiful," Aubrey said, sounding like a seasoned player in the game of love, some of his words overly natural. Milanra listened, feeling repulsed, but still had to smile politely.
She and Lutheia had once quietly complained that it would be much easier if the user of Bloodline Noose had a high lineage, then they wouldn't have to go to such trouble to catch criminals.
The user of Bloodline Noose's language spirit had a keen sense of the dragon bloodline within the range and had a large detection range, but there was a drawback: it could only detect bloodlines lower than that of the user. Awkwardly, those with this language spirit of mixed bloodline usually had a low lineage, at most B-level.
This meant that when the task force searched for high-risk hybrids with a lineage of A-level or higher, it was very troublesome, and they could only use conventional investigation procedures.
It also meant that she had to accompany this person to a supposedly real or fake party tonight. If it was real, it meant that Aubrey was indeed an ordinary person, and she would have wasted her efforts to sell her charm.
If it was fake... then she might be in danger tonight.
"Sure, do I need to go back and change into a formal dress?" Milanra asked.
But the operatives of the task force were only a hundred meters away from her. What did she have to fear? And besides, she was A-level.
...
"What do you think is the likelihood of luring out Slaughter with this method?" Suzy put down her binoculars, feeling bored.
"The plan set by the task force is still reliable. Although the chances are slim, I believe there's more than a 10% chance that one of these two is Slaughter," Chu Zihang analyzed.
"10%?!" Suzy was surprised. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack, or rather, a needle in a lake.
"Haven't you noticed? For the past three afternoons, the bait has been alone, but no one has approached them," Chu Zihang pointed out a key point.
Suzy pondered for a moment, then understood.
Lutheia came from a noble background, with half royal bloodline, and she was as beautiful and elegant as a princess. When you were outstanding to a certain extent, what you often attracted wasn't just attention, but rather, the self-doubt of those who pursued you.
Likewise, Milanra was the same. So even though they were alone, no one had approached them these past few days.
This was the simplest logic... the lament of the blood.
Just based on this, the probability of the people who would approach them being hybrids increased significantly!
"Who do you think, if one of these two is indeed Slaughter? The playboy-like Aubrey or the shy and insecure teenager Abel?" Suzy was curious about Chu Zihang's opinion.
Chu Zihang fell silent for a moment. "Abel is more suspicious. Someone like him should have some social anxiety and shouldn't be further interacting with Lutheia. That's unusual."