"How is it? Are you surprised?", said Doctor Zein, a faint smile curling his lips as his eyes remained fixed on Heendon.
"Wh- what? How could it possibly be you?" Heendon stammered, his voice heavy with disbelief.
"You were the one who gave me this name, yet you've failed to recognise it," replied Doctor Zein, shaking his head slowly, a glint of amusement in his gaze.
"Oh, by the way, I believe you might have misread earlier. Look again at the name of the device," he continued, his tone laced with a quiet confidence.
"Do you mean this? Isn't it HS-XR01?" Heendon asked, bending down to retrieve the paper from the floor.
"Indeed, it is. HS-XR01. Or, to be precise, HS-XR01-a." Heendon frowned, squinting at the unfamiliar addition. "Hold on… what's this? A lowercase 'a'? What does it signify?"
"Hypernova Solution Xena Reaction Zero One Augmented," replied Zein with calm precision. "It's the enhanced version of HS-XR01, ten times more powerful than the original."
"You… you're absolutely mad, Filzev!" exclaimed Heendon, the weight of Zein's revelation sinking in as he thrust the paper back into the doctor's hand.
"Thank you. I shall accept that as a compliment," Zein said, his tone as measured as ever, before turning his attention back to his notes.
'All these years, I thought that wretch Bojan was the pinnacle of psychopathic lunacy with his unnervingly cheerful disposition. But my husband…', she paused, trembling at the thought, 'my husband is a scientist whose madness surpasses Bojan's a hundredfold. Oh, Heendon, you wretched creature, she lamented silently, a turmoil of thoughts clouding her mind'.
==========
(Simultaneously, at the scene of the massacre)
A woman, graceful and composed, stepped from her vehicle, her every movement deliberate and measured.
Dressed in her uniform, the dark lenses of her sunglasses shielding her eyes from the harsh daylight, she approached the scene with an air of quiet authority.
As she passed the officers gathered there, one or two would offer a respectful salute, a silent acknowledgment of her undeniable presence.
This was Captain Lenny Liezandro, a captain of the police force at the tender age of twenty-six. Yet despite her youth and gender, her abilities and sharp instincts were beyond question, a force to be reckoned with.
Captain Lenny had long been sought after, not only by her own colleagues but also by the military, who had made frequent offers for her to join their ranks.
Yet each time, she had declined, her reasons known only to herself, wrapped in secrecy.
It was only at the personal request of Commissioner Wawan Setiawan, and in light of the recent events that had rocked the nation, that Captain Lenny had agreed to become involved in this investigation, driven by a sense of duty that few could match.
The case had shaken the public to its core, and she, the woman of both reason and resolve, had been entrusted with the task of uncovering the truth.
"Captain Lenny Liezandro, reporting to the Commissioner," said Captain Lenny, executing a precise salute as she spoke.
"Ah, Captain Lenny... Please, do come," replied Commissioner Wawan with a gesture, his voice warm yet commanding as he beckoned her to follow. "Come with me. Let us approach the scene and pass through the police line."
"At your command, Commissioner," Captain Lenny responded respectfully, her voice steady and composed as she moved to join him, her presence as dignified as ever.
With a swift, deliberate motion, they made their way towards the cordoned-off area, her every step reflecting the quiet authority that had earned her the respect of all who served alongside her.
Together, the pair made their way towards the heart of the carnage. The scene was gruesome-bloodstains, now dried, marred the floor, and scattered among them were dismembered remains, a tragic testament to the brutality of the massacre.
"Have there been no leads whatsoever, Commissioner?", Captain Lenny inquired, her voice calm but filled with the weight of her concern.
"Sadly, no," replied Commissioner Wawan, his tone tinged with frustration. He exhaled deeply, a look of near despair settling on his face, deepening the furrows on his brow. "We've hit a dead end. Nearly a week of fruitless searching, and still nothing."
The two of them, along with two young officers trailing behind, began a meticulous inspection of the area, carefully surveying every corner of the house.
'Strange... I can't seem to find a single anomaly, Captain Lenny thought to herself, a sense of unease creeping in'.
'Could the perpetrator be a professional? No... this is far too methodical, far too professional', she continued, her mind racing as she analysed the scene before her.
"Commissioner, where exactly did the first killing take place? I mean, where did the perpetrator execute his first victim?", Captain Lenny suddenly asked, a spark of insight flashing in her eyes.
"Ah... that would likely be near the front, by the entrance," Commissioner Wawan replied thoughtfully. "It was there that Mr. Dony Arjito's guards were stationed."
A subtle realisation seemed to dawn on Captain Lenny.
"Commissioner, let us return to that area," she requested, her voice firm with newfound resolve, as if the puzzle was beginning to
The four of them, Commissioner Wawan, Captain Lenny, and the two young officers, made their way back to the first floor, descending slowly towards the guard post where Dony Arjito's men had once stood watch.
"Hmmm... this is rather compelling," Captain Lenny mused softly, her sharp, discerning eyes scanning every inch of the room, the atmosphere heavy with the weight of her thoughts.
"Have you found something, Captain?" Commissioner Wawan asked, his voice laced with quiet curiosity, his gaze following hers in a silent search for clues.
"It's possible, Commissioner," Captain Lenny replied, her attention still fixed on the surroundings. "By the way, do you happen to know how many guards were stationed here during their shifts?"
"Most likely three," Commissioner Wawan answered, his eyes drifting toward the chairs in the guard post. "From the arrangement of the furniture, I would say three."
"Then, it seems I've found something," Captain Lenny said, her voice firm with a quiet certainty, as if a piece of the puzzle had clicked into place within her mind.
"Really?" Commissioner Wawan's voice brightened, the glimmer of anticipation clear in his tone. "Do show me, Captain," he urged, his steps quickening as he moved closer, eager to see where her intuition had led her.
Captain Lenny continued her careful observation of the scene, her sharp gaze sweeping over every detail, every nuance of the room.
She moved with the quiet deliberation of a mind deeply engrossed in the task at hand, her every step measured and purposeful.
After a moment's pause, she raised her hand to signal for a pair of gloves. Slipping them on with fluid ease, she then bent down with a graceful motion and retrieved something from the floor.
It was a cigarette butt, small yet significant in its appearance. She held it up for Commissioner Wawan to see, her eyes never leaving the object as she slowly straightened, her expression a mix of contemplation and quiet triumph.
"Commissioner, I think I may have found something," she said, her voice calm, yet imbued with an unspoken certainty. "Why do you think this cigarette butt differs from the three others over there?"
Commissioner Wawan eyed the discarded cigarette with a hint of curiosity. "I'm not certain... perhaps it's simply a matter of taste," he mused, his voice betraying his own familiarity with the habit. "Maybe the smoker didn't care for the brand."
He glanced down at the cigarette still held by Captain Lenny. It was distinctly longer than the others, an oddity, given the context.
"I don't believe that's the case, Commissioner," she replied, her voice unwavering, as though her mind had already resolved the puzzle.
"Then please, enlighten me," Wawan said, his interest now piqued, his tone one of quiet anticipation.
Captain Lenny's gaze remained fixed on the floor, her mind working swiftly. "Look at the other three cigarette butts. All of them have been burnt nearly down to the filter. But this one... it's still mostly intact. It's evident that the person who smoked it wasn't a regular smoker. In fact, it seems likely that the smoker was inexperienced, perhaps even someone who didn't smoke at all. A seasoned smoker who disliked the brand would have discarded it long before it reached this point."
She paused for a moment, allowing her words to settle in the air, before continuing. "This could very well have been a deliberate attempt to mislead, to create a false trail before the actual killings took place."
Her words hung in the air, the implications clear. "And there's more. If there were only three guards on duty, why do we find four cigarette butts and four empty glasses?"
A flicker of understanding passed over Commissioner Wawan's face, his mind racing to piece together the fragments of evidence that Captain Lenny had so astutely uncovered. "You're suggesting that the killer wasn't acting alone?" he asked, his voice lower now, the weight of her theory settling heavily on him.
"Precisely," Captain Lenny confirmed. "At least, that's what the evidence suggests so far."
Wawan's eyes narrowed, his attention fixed on the young captain. The revelation was startling, how could there be four cigarette butts if only three guards had been on duty? And yet, the pieces seemed to fit together with a quiet elegance in Lenny's analysis. "Continue, Captain!," he urged, his voice both respectful and eager to hear more.
"Moreover, Commissioner," Captain Lenny pressed on, her gaze sharp, "the killer must have been familiar with the layout of this house. We can deduce that from the four glasses and four cigarette butts. If you were on duty here, and a stranger came to visit, would you offer them your cigarette and drink so casually?"
Wawan's eyes widened in understanding, the final piece of the puzzle clicking into place. "No," he replied immediately, shaking his head. "You'd be cautious, wouldn't you? You wouldn't offer a drink and a cigarette to someone you didn't know."
"Exactly," Captain Lenny said, her voice now firm with conviction. "The killer was someone who had been here before, someone who knew the guards and their habits."
Commissioner Wawan's face softened with admiration for the young captain's insight. "Fendy, secure the area," he instructed, his tone steady and commanding. "No one enters except for Captain Lenny, myself, and the two of you. Herry, take all the cigarette butts and glasses to the lab. I want fingerprints, and I want them now."
"Understood, sir!" the two young officers responded in unison, moving quickly to execute their orders.
Wawan turned back to Captain Lenny, a glint of respect in his eyes. "Well done, Captain. I knew I was right to call on your expertise."
"It's my duty, Commissioner," she replied, her voice calm yet filled with quiet pride as she saluted him. "I'm glad to be of assistance."
The room, once filled with an air of hopelessness, now seemed to pulse with the promise of resolution.
The case, which had seemed so hopeless just moments before, was now on the cusp of clarity, all thanks to the sharp mind and unshakable determination of Captain Lenny Liezandro.
A young officer, yes, but one whose skills were already far beyond her years, capable of seeing what others could not and uncovering the truth hidden beneath the surface of this horrific crime.
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