"I think this is the most fascinating story I've ever heard, but what I want to know is, have you ever gotten close to catching him in this cat-and-mouse game?" Felix asked.
Allen shook his head. "Not even close. He's not an ordinary criminal. He's calculated, always ten steps ahead."
Felix leaned forward. "One thing that puzzles me is how you even track these cases.
"I have some police contacts inside," Allen said. "They keep me informed about murders that involve the Smiling Monster."
As Allen spoke, a message arrived on Edevane's phone. Felix leaned forward and saw that it was from WhatsApp. He couldn't resist and unlocked the screen.
The message was from Salena:
"This case is for your eyes alone. You are to investigate a case in Hackney."
Attached to the message were the location and several images of the victims. As Felix examined the photos, he instantly knew the signature of the killer-a deep, precise incision in the chest, it had to be the Smiling Monster.
He turned the screen toward Allen. "Look at this. Recognize anything?"
Allen's eyes darkened as he studied the images. "Yeah, this is his work. Who sent you this?
Felix slipped his phone back into his pocket. "The same contact that gives us all our cases."
Jasper, who had been standing in quiet cognizance of the fact, spoke up now. "Can I come along with you?"
"Why not?" Felix said with a grin.
They decided to investigate together. Edevane chose to drive his car, while Allen preferred to ride his bike. Before leaving, Edevane packed his investigative equipment. This case intrigued him—more than any before. The Smiling Monster's patterns were unpredictable, and this case felt more complex than anything he had studied before.
They arrived at the crime scene, which was situated in a high-rise building. The victims were drug dealers who had been slaughtered after what must have been a violent struggle. The room was well-furnished, but destruction was everywhere: overturned chairs, shattered glass, and broken furniture. On one side, the huge window was smashed.
Allen went to the opened window and peered down. His eyes dropped to the lifeless body of a muscular woman who was lying on the pavement below. "She was their bodyguard," he said in a hushed tone. "Tried to protect them. and failed."
In the meantime, Felix spoke to eyewitnesses. According to one, "It was terrible, absolutely awful:
"I saw a shadowy figure leap out of the building with the woman. It was intentional--the way they fell. The figure positioned her so that he survived, but she didn't. Then, he got onto a sleek motorcycle and sped away."
Felix and Allen decided to review the CCTV footage. As they watched, the following unfolded in front of them:
Seven drug dealers sat in the room, unaware of what was coming. Suddenly, a smoke bomb was thrown inside, filling the space with thick fog. Amid the chaos, a vent cover was pushed open, and a masked figure emerged. He moved with precision, locking the door from the outside before opening fire on the panicked dealers.
One of the dealers, larger and stronger than the rest, threw a chair at the intruder. The figure dodged with ease and replied by hurling a knife straight into the man's face. He fell to the ground immediately.
With an uncanny precision, the Smiling Monster then proceeded to mutilate the bodies, carving out their hearts.
Felix grimaced. "Does he always do this? Killing criminals and. taking their flesh?"
Allen nodded gravely. "Yeah. Every time."
It worked until suddenly the footage showed the figure getting a sudden interruption in the form of a woman bursting through the door and attacking him. Unlike the others, she was skilled. The fight was brutal. Their hand-to-hand combat was perfectly matched, and every move countered with deadly precision.
Then, the Smiling Monster made his move—he shattered the window and launched himself out, taking the woman down with him.
First, Felix and Allen reviewed the street surveillance cameras for more detail. But when Felix pulled up footage from 10:35 the exact time of the attack-he found nothing. The cameras had been cut off.
He flipped between different feeds, searching for anything usable. Nothing. Every camera within the vicinity was disabled.
His fingers flew across the keyboard as he worked through the security system. His eyes narrowed. "This isn't just a regular hack…"
Allen leaned in. "What do you mean?"
Felix's voice was low, almost in awe. "The Smiling Monster isn't just a killer. He's a mastermind. A hacker. And not just any hacker—he created a virus that spreads through security systems. I've dealt with Russian and Chinese cyber-attacks before, but I've never seen anything like this."
Allen exhaled, both impressed and disturbed. "So, he's not just a murderer… he's a ghost in the system."
Felix's eyes went dark. "Exactly. And that makes him even more dangerous than we thought."