Chapter 83

The night was thick and heavy, smothering the city like a dark, suffocating blanket.

Streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow, stretching and distorting Sophia and Henry's shadows as they moved cautiously.

They kept their eyes locked on James, who was acting super suspicious, their steps light.

Sophia scanned the room, alert for any signs of movement.

Her heart was beating faster.

Beside her, Henry was just as tense, his palms sweaty.

James was acting way too suspiciously, and they felt there was something they hadn't uncovered yet.

This sense of foreboding made their nerves even tighter.

Finally, James turned into a narrow, dark alley.

The alley reeked of damp decay, mixed with the sour stench of garbage, making them want to wrinkle their noses.

Broken junk was piled up everywhere.

James stopped in the middle of the alley, his body trembling slightly, his eyes darting around in panic. With shaking hands, he pulled out his phone.

His fingers seemed out of control, fumbling on the screen before he managed to dial a number.

"Damn it, you told me to deliver the gun, but you didn't say he'd kill someone on the spot!" he exclaimed, his voice trembling, almost crying as he yelled into the phone. "What am I supposed to do now? If the cops trace the gun back to me, I can't promise I'll keep quiet! You better figure something out!"

He cursed and stomped his feet, his phone shaking violently in his hand.

Sophia and Henry hid in the shadows nearby, not daring to make a sound.

Sophia stared at James, not blinking, afraid to miss any detail.

She had a bad feeling, growing stronger with every word James said.

Suddenly, a faint but unmistakable red dot appeared on James's forehead.

Sophia's heart skipped a beat. Years of police training made her instantly aware of the danger—there was a sniper nearby!

Almost by instinct, she sprang into action, her body moving like an arrow towards James.

She had only one thought: she had to save him!

But everything happened too fast.

Sophia was still in mid-air when a sharp, clear gunshot shattered the night.

The sound hit Sophia like a hammer, pounding her heart.

With the sound of the gunshot, James was struck, his body jolting backward before he collapsed to the ground.

A dull thud echoed as he hit the pavement, blood spreading out beneath him.

The blood looked dark and eerie under the streetlight.

Sophia stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief.

She couldn't believe someone would be so brazen as to kill in the middle of the city.

The sudden turn of events left her mind blank, the gunshot and James's fall replaying over and over.

Her breathing became rapid and heavy, her chest heaving.

Sophia quickly snapped out of it, looking toward the direction of the shot.

She saw a shadow dart across a rooftop in the distance.

The figure moved swiftly, disappearing into the darkness like a ghost."Chase!" Sophia growled, her eyes blazing with anger. She took a step forward, determined not to let the killer get away.

But Henry grabbed her arm.

Henry's expression was serious, his eyes filled with worry. His brow furrowed with concern.

"Hold up," he said firmly, leaving no room for argument. "Ahead is the slums, the terrain is a maze. That guy clearly had a planned escape route. If we follow, who knows what might happen. Calm down!"

He stared into Sophia's eyes, trying to pull her back from her rage.

"But we can't just stand here! They used a sniper rifle in the city center, this isn't just a regular murder!" Sophia argued, her voice loud. Her chest tightened with fury, each word coming out in a strained hiss between clenched teeth.

Henry moved steadily and calmly, keeping his eyes on the phone on the ground. After putting on his gloves, he meticulously collected the evidence. Standing up, he looked at Sophia with a serious expression. "At least we've got this, right?" He held up James's phone and said, "Call the station and report what happened here."

Sophia took out her phone and called the station, reporting the shooting near the hotel. After hanging up, she said quietly, "Sometimes you're like a mystery, and I can't figure you out."

Her eyes were probing. The man in front of her, so calm and composed in the face of death, made her feel both unfamiliar and curious.

"What?" Henry raised an eyebrow, pretending not to understand, trying to lighten the heavy mood.

"Just now, your attitude toward death—don't you think you were a little too calm? Almost like a machine without feelings. What have you been through?" Sophia locked eyes with Henry, searching for answers, her gaze sharp and probing.

Henry suddenly chuckled, "Relax, Sophia. I'm just a regular rich kid who happens to work as a forensic scientist."

He tried to use a light tone to dispel Sophia's doubts, but she wasn't buying it.

Sophia rolled her eyes, annoyed. "Henry, you know that's not what I meant. I mean..."

"It doesn't matter. At least I can promise that I'm on your side," Henry interrupted, his eyes flashing with determination. He looked at Sophia sincerely, trying to make her believe in his loyalty.

Sophia was about to say more when the sharp sound of sirens approached, piercing the quiet night. Soon, police cars pulled up nearby, their flashing lights casting red and blue patterns in the alley. Officers got out and immediately began securing and examining the scene. Some set up a perimeter, while others began photographing and gathering evidence, the scene alive with activity.

Sophia took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She watched her colleagues, starting to analyze the situation. "The victim was shot dead, the sniper was already in position, and they communicated by phone. The escape route leads to the slums. We need to investigate the slums further. The victim was the host of the hotel event next door, and his death is connected to the previous case. We need to interrogate the suspect from the last case."