"What monsters did you kill?"
"Some Eganesus and a Ferele," Erik said.
"That's really impressive for someone your age," Hais replied.
Erik didn't lie once again; talking about the Ferele was a risk since it was a beast he shouldn't have been able to kill at the level he did show to the others, but if he said Eganesus, the only one that died around those parts, it would have been clear that he was also the one who killed the Ferele.
"Yeah, it wasn't an easy fight. I almost died," Erik replied.
Hais nodded, jotting down notes in his notebook. "So, did you take Parkside Street and go into Bloomfield Way?" Hais asked.
Erik's heart skipped a beat. That was the street where Nathaniel's body was found, but he knew he couldn't reveal the truth about his presence there. "No, why?" Erik replied carefully.
Hais raised an eyebrow, scrutinizing Erik's response. "Interesting…" Hais said. "There is also something weird that happened around those parts; the cameras in that area were suddenly turned off, making it impossible to find out what happened that day."
Erik wavered, knowing that he had disabled the cameras through the system to avoid being caught on tape. His mind raced, trying to come up with a good reply, and in the end, he played it dumb. "Really? It's indeed interesting. Maybe it was a malfunction or a power outage," he replied, trying to sound confident.
Hais leaned in, his eyes fixed on Erik's face. His reasoning was that Nathaniel was found dead in the same area Erik fled; the two had problems, and Nathaniel's phone got destroyed.
This linked the young man to five other people whose phones got destroyed, contrary to what happened to others who died in the same area.
Plus, the cameras around there were all deactivated, further hinting at human presence. Erik was the only living person around those parts. Besides, he was the only one who could have killed Nathaniel, so everything pointed at him.
The problem was that there was no proof. The phones could have been easily destroyed by the thaids too, but there was no explanation about the cameras.
Hais didn't know what Nathaniel and those five people he linked to him were doing there or how they were precisely connected. Still, in his opinion, Nathaniel went there to get his revenge against Erik for being the reason why he got kicked out of the Red Palace and Erik killed him. So, he tried to push the awakener to say something wrong or betray himself.
It was at that moment that Erik understood what Hais was trying to do.
<FUCK! SYSTEM TURNS OFF THE POWER FROM THE RED PALACE! MAKE IT SO THAT WHOEVER IS LISTENING TO THIS CONVERSATION CAN'T HEAR ANYTHING!>
[UNDERSTOOD. TURNING OFF THE POWER.]
The lights went immediately off at that moment. That was Erik's best strategy for stopping whoever was listening from learning more of what Hais was going to say. The recording had already been deleted; there was basically no proof he even went inside that room.
The investigator observed as the lights went off, conveniently when he was going to say something important. He immediately looked at Erik.
Hais leaned back in his chair, his gaze still fixed on Erik. "Mr. Romano, it is clear that there are too many coincidences that heavily imply you are involved in Nathaniel McConnel's death. Mister McConnel's body was found in close proximity to where you fled; the cameras were turned off in the same area; and the phones were destroyed in a manner that suggests human intervention." Erik was right; Hais did suspect him even in Nathaniel's death. Luckily, he managed to prevent someone from the Red Palace clearly hearing Hais stating he believed he was the culprit.
"I don't know how you did it, but I'm sure it was you who killed Nathaniel and probably Logan, Conal, and Orson. It was probably you who also turned off the cameras, exactly like you are doing now."
Erik swallowed hard, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him.
"Are you crazy? How could I turn off the power system in the Red Palace? Besides, I understand that the evidence regarding Nathaniel's matter may point toward me. Still, I assure you, I had nothing to do with Nathaniel's death," Erik said, trying to sound as convincing as possible.
Hais leaned forward again, his gaze unrelenting. "You are lying, Erik Romano, but I will soon discover what happened. Besides, can anyone vouch for your whereabouts at the time of Nathaniel's death? Can you provide an alibi?"
Erik hesitated, knowing that he had been alone during that time. "I... I was alone," he admitted, feeling a wave of terror wash over him.
"But how the hell could I have been with others after everything that happened at the Red Palace? It is clear I was running away from there, and due to the thaids, I had to escape from."
Hais raised an eyebrow; his skepticism was evident. "Alone? That's convenient, isn't it? Besides, you were plenty able to kill the thaids around there. If you took Vermilion Lane, you should have been able to avoid any monster you couldn't have faced with your current power. The only monsters you shouldn't have been able to kill were around the street where Nathaniel got killed. This means that you are lying; if you genuinely tried to escape the thaids, you would have taken another road, where you should have been plenty capable of facing the monsters arriving at the shelter much earlier than when you did. You arrived very late to the place, meaning you should have had enough time to kill Nathaniel, escape the monsters, and reach the shelter."
Erik clenched his fists, feeling the frustration and rage building up inside him. "That's not what happened! What do you know about the thaids in that area?" he exclaimed, his voice rising with emotion. "They could have moved from one place to another!"
"I know plenty; the police released a report of the monsters they found and killed in the area. If you managed to slaughter the Eganesus and the Ferele, then the monsters that got killed by the police and militaries are the ones who devoured all the other victims inside the area. Some you were able to kill, some others not; the point is that they had all been found around the park, close to your position, close to where Nathaniel died. If you really tried only to escape the monsters, you should have taken much less time than you did, meaning that you went around the part where Nathaniel died."
"This is just a conjecture," Erik said. "You don't know how many thaids I did avoid. Besides, the creatures could have simply moved from my position to where Nathaniel died. You have no proof of what you are saying!"
"We will see," Hais replied. At this point, Erik was seething with anger. Basically, the man understood everything that happened that day. At the same time, there was no point for Hais to stay there since it was evident to him what had happened.
"You can expect me to come again," the private investigator told Erik after an hour of questioning. At that moment, the lights came on again.
<Analysis,> Erik said. The young man wanted to see who this man really was and how strong he was.
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- Name: Martin Hais.
- Brain crystal power: Unkown.
-Physical characteristics: Approximately a meter and seventy centimeters tall. Very skinny. Approximately seventy-four kilograms. He has an unkempt appearance and always wears a long coat. He belongs to the human race.
-Personality and traits: He is the investigator charged with discovering what happened to Conal, Logan, and Orson. He appears to be very smart and driven by something. There are too little data to assess the man's personality correctly.
-Power Level: 205
-Approximate Strength: 45
-Approximate Intelligence: 100
-Approximate Dexterity: 44
-Approximate Energy: 320
...
...
…
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As Private Investigator Hais left the room, Erik's nervousness weighed heavily on his shoulders. He had indeed killed Nathaniel, but he never expected to come under suspicion for the crime since he thought he had covered his tracks well.
He had acted in self-defense when Nathaniel attacked him, so he knew he wasn't in the wrong; however, now it seemed that some evidence was pointing towards him as the perpetrator of his murder.
Erik's mind raced as he waited inside the room. He was almost panicking, and the fear of getting caught was really high. Investigator Hais was scary; he had been able to understand precisely what happened and even gave plausible reasons why Erik should have been the perpetrator of the murder.
The awakener was aware that he had to do something to fix the situation and avoid being arrested, and as soon as he thought that, he regained his cool without the system intervention.
Erik paced back and forth, trying to come up with a plan. He couldn't believe how his life had taken such a dark turn.
The awakener acknowledged Hais' worth, as he had been able to find out what happened that day without a single proof, despite not having touched Nathaniel's body directly and having turned off the CCTV. Hais was a skilled investigator who would leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of the truth.
Erik was now in a pinch; the best thing would be to kill Hais, but it would be weird for him to die after he came here to investigate Erik.
<What to do?> Erik asked himself, but it was at that moment that he took a decision.
<Even if it is weird for him to die now, I must kill him. If he shares the story with someone else, it would be much more problematic than having him die in this weird situation. Besides, I must understand what proof he has, what he has on me, and I must prevent him from finding out more.> Murder was quickly becoming his favorite way to get rid of problems.
Erik's quick thinking basically saved him, as he cut off the Red Palace's power at the right moment so that there was no proof of what Hais was telling him. The recording had even been stopped before he came inside the room, so there was no problem. The only problem would be if someone listened to the conversation and, for some reason, understood what the private investigator was implying.
<Yes, I can't allow the guy to find proof of what happened, and he already discovered what transpired that day without anything tangible to show it. I must take action soon. He is too dangerous,> Erik said to himself.
As soon as that thought came to his mind, a notification appeared before Erik.
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< Quest: Kill the investigator.>
-Rewards for completion: 2000 experience points, 400 DNA points, and 2 points in intelligence and dexterity for killing the target.
-Failure Penalty: Jail or Death.
-Description: Hais has probably found out you killed Nathaniel, Conal, Orson, and Logan. Kill him before he can gather enough evidence to cause trouble for you.
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