Rain sat at his desk in the office, methodically going through the details of the case from the day before, hoping to uncover a clue that might help solve it. The victim's body was shrouded in a weirds domain aura, likely the cause of death, but the exact mechanism remained uncertain. It could have been poison, organ failure, or some other unknown method. Their first step was to determine precisely how the death occurred, which would then guide them toward identifying the culprit.
Rain reviewed the old photos of the man, focusing on any subtle changes over time. Given the lingering weird aura on the body, it was clear that a item made from materials from weird domain had been with him for an extended period. This piece of information weighed heavily on Rain's mind, as it suggested that the item had been slowly influencing the man—perhaps even leading to his eventual demise. The key now was to figure out what that item was and how it had managed to stay hidden for so long.
Rain carefully shifted through the man's personal photos, starting with the most recent and working his way backward. The images depicted familiar scenes: a park in the underground city, shopping districts, bars, and popular hangout spots—all located below the surface. Notably absent were any photos of the city above ground or the world outside. This struck Rain as strange. While the surface required special permission to access, there should have been some images of the outside world, especially since the man was a genetic warrior, not an ordinary citizen restricted to the confines of the underground.
Everyone in the underground city harbored a natural curiosity about the world above. Though it was irradiated and dangerous, the allure of seeing the sky, the ground, and even the altered nature still tempted many. Most warriors, even those with minimal clearance, found ways to capture at least glimpses of the surface. The absence of such photos was odd and suggested that something had kept the man tethered to the underground—whether out of choice or compulsion.
Rain, like many others, had dreamed of seeing the outside world after becoming a genetic warrior. But the demands of his new role had kept him busy, and only four days had passed since his transformation. In just six more days, he'd venture beyond the city for the first time, on a mission to the resource-rich *Sheep Farm* weird domain. The thought that Kassim Ali might have gone outside the city without documenting it crossed his mind.
Curious, Rain inquired with the City Central A.I. to check if Kassim Ali had ever ventured outside the city. The response was swift and definitive: *No*.
Rain leaned back, mulling over this oddity. Kassim had never left the city despite being a genetic warrior—another mystery to add to the growing list surrounding his death. He glanced around the office, realizing it was quieter than usual. Only Damian was with him, engrossed in his own work. Leader Sky was away, teaching part-time at his former school, and Lily and Siobhan had taken on a separate case, leaving Rain and Damian to handle their investigation alone.
Rain called out, "Damian."
Damian looked up, eyes bright with anticipation. "Rain, did you find any clues?"
Rain shook his head. "No, did you?"
Damian sighed, "I'm going through his assets and personal life, trying to see if he had any enemies or if anyone could benefit from his death, but nothing stands out. He had two ex-girlfriends, but his last relationship ended three years ago. He doesn't have any immediate family that we know of, being an orphan like you. But he took a different path. He wasn't particularly talented as a warrior. He reached the peak of E-rank in his twenties, but instead of using genetic medicine to advance right away, he waited a whole decade until his spiritual gate opened. He saved money for three years to buy the genetic medicine for a D-rank *Cloud Pigeon* and finally became a genetic warrior three months ago."
"Wow," Rain said, genuinely impressed by the man's perseverance. Now, he understood why Kassim hadn't ventured outside the city—he likely lacked combat experience and perhaps had no one to accompany him. Plus, Kassim worked for a civilian company, making it even less likely for him to leave the safety of the underground city.
Damian voiced his suspicion, "I have a feeling that the turning point might be Kassim becoming a genetic warrior. He was living an ordinary life, but right after he makes the leap, he ends up dead. Something about that seems off. Check the past three months carefully."
Rain nodded and refocused on the pictures from the last three months. As he sifted through the images, one stood out—Kassim was seen with a woman four times, always at restaurants, and they seemed to be on dates. Previously, Rain hadn't paid much attention to her, but now, knowing that Kassim hadn't had a girlfriend or serious relationship in three years, the woman became a key point of interest.
Using the A.I. system, Rain scanned her face and searched for any interactions between her and Kassim over the past three years. A few photos surfaced, showing the woman and Kassim together in group settings. In both cases, they were attending weddings of mutual school friends. The first time, she was accompanied by another man, but in the second wedding, she appeared single.
Rain delved deeper into the woman's profile. Her name was Jannet Austin, an attractive woman with dark brown hair, like many others in the underground city. Jannet, like Kassim, was also an orphan. As Rain continued his research, he discovered that both Jannet and Kassim had attended the same school. After graduation, they both stayed on the 6th floor of the city but attended different colleges, studying unrelated subjects. Despite this, they clearly knew each other.
Further investigation into Kassim's past relationships revealed that Jannet had been his first girlfriend. They had been in a relationship throughout their final years of school, continuing into college, and even into the first two years of their jobs. Their breakup had been due to the physical distance between them—Kassim working as an engineer on the factory floor, and Jannet working as a food researcher on the company floor. Despite living in the same city, each floor operated almost like its own small city, making it difficult for them to maintain the relationship.
Rain pondered over the possibility that Jannet might be connected to Kassim's death. He leaned back in his chair and said, "Damian, I think Jannet Austin could be the key to this case."
Damian raised an eyebrow. "Kassim's first girlfriend?"
Rain nodded and quickly sent the photos to Damian's phone, highlighting the city's surveillance footage showing Kassim and Jannet meeting several times over the past three months, like they were on dates.
Damian's eyes lit up. "Interesting. Let's call her in for a chat."
After making the call, Damian hung up and looked at Rain. "She'll be here in 30 minutes."
Rain nodded in response, and Damian added, "We've got time to grab some lunch before she arrives."
They ate quickly, finishing their meal just in time. As the clock ticked down, a knock echoed through the office. Rain had been reviewing Kassim's movements over the past few months through the city's CCTV, when something odd caught his attention. "Damian, take a look at this."
Damian glanced over as Rain zoomed in on Kassim's pocket watch. "A pocket watch? In this day and age? Especially for a genetic warrior who has a BIT implant?"
Rain nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, it stands out. Could it be more than just an accessory? Maybe it's tied to whatever weird object caused his death."
Damian glanced at the door. "Let's see if Jannet knows more."
Rain called out, "Enter."
The door opened, and a woman stepped in, followed by a man. Rain immediately recognized the woman as Jannet Austin. His attention shifted to the man behind her, noting with curiosity that he wasn't the same person who had accompanied Jannet to the first wedding in the past three years. However, there was something familiar about him—Rain had seen the man with Damian before, possibly a mutual friend.
Damian gestured toward the chairs. "Take a seat."
Both Jannet and the man sat down. Damian turned to the man, his expression unreadable. "Who are you?"
The man responded, "Park Ali."
Rain and Damian exchanged glances upon hearing the surname. Damian raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Your surname is the same as Kassim's."
Park nodded, a faint smile crossing his face. "Kassim and I were both fans of Kabir Ali, an ancient mechanical researcher. We admired his work, so we adopted his surname."
Damian leaned forward slightly, his tone shifting. "Why are you here with Jannet?"
Park replied without hesitation, "I'm the best friend of both Kassim and Jannet. When you called, I was with her, so I came along for support."
Rain, turning to Jannet, asked directly, "Were you and Kassim trying to rekindle your relationship?"
Jannet seemed to hesitate before answering. "We had been meeting. Kassim wanted to start our relationship again, but I wasn't sure. I'm just an ordinary person with a lifespan of under 120 years. Kassim, as a D-rank genetic warrior, could easily live beyond 150 years. That made things... complicated."
Rain nodded thoughtfully, then brought up the image of the pocket watch that had been bothering him. As Damian spoke with Jannet, Rain had discreetly checked Kassim's leftover belongings, and the watch wasn't among them.
Rain placed the image of the watch in front of them. "Do you recognize this?"
Park's eyes widened in recognition. "Isn't that the gift you gave Kassim for his birthday?"
Both Rain and Damian turned their questioning gazes toward Jannet. She seemed a little taken aback but nodded. "Yes, I gave it to him for his birthday this year." Their gazes urged her to elaborate, and after a brief pause, she continued. "As you already know, Kassim was a fan of ancient mechanical items, so I thought a pocket watch would be something he'd appreciate. It's small, and he could carry it with him all the time and remember me, even if we weren't together again."
Damian leaned forward, his face composed, though his eyes carried intensity. "You should know by now that Kassim's death has been ruled a murder, not a suicide. Given both of your education and the level of knowledge you possess, I'm sure you're aware of the secret and dangerous nature of certain items in this world."
Both Jannet and Park nodded, understanding the gravity of his words.
"The reason behind Kassim's death appears to be connected to a weird item," Damian continued. "We don't know how, but based on our investigation, our main suspicion points to the pocket watch, which was not found among his belongings. That puts you, Miss Jannet, as our prime suspect."
A look of pure shock spread across Jannet's face as her eyes welled with tears. "What? No, I didn't kill Kassim! I loved him!" She struggled to keep her composure as tears began to fall.
Park, immediately coming to her defense, interjected. "Jannet is certainly not responsible, and the pocket watch cannot be the cause of Kassim's death. She doesn't have the resources to acquire a weird item. Besides, I was the one who invited her to celebrate Kassim's birthday that day—she had no idea it was just going to be only two of them."
Rain, still focused on the facts, pointed out, "But at the birthday, it was just Kassim and Jannet, alone."
Park shook his head. "That was part of Kassim's plan. We told her it was a gathering with friends, but in reality, Kassim had arranged for it to be a private celebration—a date. She wasn't prepared for it; she didn't know it would be just them until a couple of hours before. I even informed some of our mutual friends about the plan to make sure they wouldn't be around."
Damian remained quiet for a moment, absorbing the new information. He glanced at Rain, both of them now realizing there was more to uncover—especially about the pocket watch and its mysterious absence.