Edevene Felix sat in front of his laptop, elbow-deep in researching the elusive *Smiling Monster*. He was browsing the SCC's secret employee-only website, a repository for confidential information on countless criminals and cases. Surprisingly, there were no documents, no leads—nothing at all—on the *Smiling Monster*. That was strange; the SCC database was rumored to include everything, and yet it appeared someone had deliberately cracked or deleted the information. Miffed, Felix walked out of the bedroom into the living room.
He slumped on the lounge, turning on YouTube to catch up with news updates. Several minutes passed, during which he noticed something weird: no single news outlet was reporting last night's high-profile murder.
"Why on earth isn't the incident from last night being covered? " Felix muttered to himself as his confusion grew. He turned the TV off in frustration and went to the front of his house. At the entrance, near the gate, was a red box that contained that morning's newspaper. He took it out and, in a couple of minutes, read through the headlines.
Again, nothing was mentioned in the paper about the *Smiling Monster* or the murder.
"Seems like this killer is not only influential but also has the power to manipulate the media and hack the SCC's website," Felix muttered, trying to figure out how it fits together.
His musings ended when, further down the lane, he saw a man entering the cordoned-off crime scene area. He was attired in a white collared shirt, a dark velvet vest, high-waisted brown trousers, a long dark coat, and black leather boots. He had a black scarf wrapped around his neck, which completed the air of sophistication with mystery. Felix's curiosity was piqued when the man was a non-local, carefully examining the scene.
Felix decided to approach him. As he did so, the man came more clearly into view: young yet distinguished, skin pale and smooth, and blue eyes that were piercing and sharp as they were expressive. His straight platinum-blond hair caught what little light there was so that he had something of a wraith-like aspect.
"Hello, sir," Felix said. "You seem to know something about the killer. If you do, could you share any information with me?"
He turned to him, calm but confident. "Hello, Edevene Felix. Am Allen Jasper, police officer. For a few years now, I've been on the investigation of the *Smiling Monster* case. With all my effort, I haven't been able to get concrete evidence of who he is. Always tidy in his killing and leaves no clue behind. And he has this passion for big guns, especially politicians.
Felix looked up, an eyebrow raised. "If so, why is there no report or article anywhere about him?"
Allen sighed. "That's part of the problem. The *Smiling Monster* has his traces erased. Not even official reports about his crimes ever surface. It's as if he controls the narrative."
Felix nodded thoughtfully. "Why don't we discuss more at my place? There's much I also need to share with you.
The two walked back to Felix's house and settled on the sofa. Felix recounted everything he had experienced, from the missing records on the SCC website to the lack of media coverage.
Allen leaned back, his expression grim. "He's one step ahead of us, Felix. He probably predicted that you'd try hacking the CCTV systems or accessing restricted files. That's why there's nothing there."
Felix's eyes narrowed. "You keep saying 'he.' Do you know what he looks like?"
Allen was in hesitation before nodding. "Yes, I have seen him before."
Felix's eagerness heaved him forward. "What does he look like?"
Allen's voice dropped. "He's a man with wavy hair that falls slightly over his forehead. His face is pale, almost ghostly. But there's more--he always wears masks, layers of them."
Felix pressed on. "Have you encountered him personally? What happened?
Allen let out a sharp exhalation; the memory visibly bothered him. "Six months ago, I was living in an apartment in Harlow. It was a quiet afternoon, and I was resting when I heard the sound of a door being broken down. Immediately, I grabbed my handgun and hid under the bed. The next thing that happened, he entered the room.
"He found me in seconds and dragged me out. I tried to shoot him, but he kicked the gun across the room. He lunged at me with a knife—the same one he's used on all his victims. I barely dodged the attack and managed to pull off his mask. But beneath it… there was another mask. I tried to tear that one off too, but before I could, he pulled out a gun.
I had no choice but to break the window and jump out. The fall was from three floors, and I hardly survived. It was a terrible impact, and people were on the ground, so I shouted for help. He vanished in the chaos.
Allen fell silent, his hands knitted into fists. Felix leaned back in his seat as the harrowing account sank in. The mystery of the *Smiling Monster* deepened, but one thing was for certain: they were facing an adversary who wasn't just deadly but also alarmingly calculated.