Chapter 584: Chapter 572: The Murderer’s Trap_1
Deborah and Tony followed Aiden into the room and also froze in place.
Aiden quickly scanned the room, glanced into the bathroom from the doorway, and finally turned his attention to the open window.
He rushed to the window to look outside and found that the alley outside the window was already empty.
"Has a fight already taken place?" Tony asked in surprise, "Is Captain Veronica all right?"
"No, the cabinets haven’t fallen over, but the drawers have all been pulled out, and the contents are thrown everywhere." Aiden shook his head, "This isn’t the mark of a fight; it’s more like theft, or... simple vandalism."
"The person has run away, exiting through the window." Deborah also shifted her gaze towards the window.
"According to what the old lady at the door said, Veronica had already gone out shopping, and the murderer came during this time. The vandalism probably started as soon as they got in, then either they sensed us, or they couldn’t wait to act, so they left through the window to look for people."
"So what should we do now?" Tony asked.
"The Doppelganger Murderer knows Veronica’s residence, he must have investigated Veronica’s daily routines, he might know where Veronica is..." Aiden thought quickly, "Veronica once told me that she goes grocery shopping after work... Go ask that old lady; she should know the nearby markets!"
"There are people on the streets outside now; would the criminal really kill someone out there?" Tony was still hoping for the best.
"That’s hard to say, the Doppelganger Murderer has even killed in front of witnesses before!" Deborah said gravely, "That’s precisely why the legend of the Doppelganger has spread far and wide."
"He made his way into Veronica’s house today; it seems he’s indeed planning to act today." Aiden said, "We need to go out and find Veronica right away."
"Mr. Aiden, we should leave someone here as well; the murderer might come back!" Deborah reminded.
"Then Tony, you stay here." Aiden turned to Tony, "In case the murderer shows up..."
"I, I’ll fight them?" Tony said nervously.
He really hoped to gain some combat experience from this incident, but still, he couldn’t help feeling uncertain all alone.
"The murderer looks like Veronica now, so it would be best not to act rashly if you see her; just keep an eye on her. If she moves, use this to leave a mark!" Aiden took out a white chunky substance and tossed it to Tony.
"What’s this?"
"Plaster mixed with magic beast materials, something the Heretic Inquisitors use; the marks it leaves can only be seen under night vision black magic." After instructing him, Aiden turned to Deborah, "Let’s go find her!"
...
Carrying a basket of groceries, Veronica walked leisurely towards the newsstand on another street.
Tomorrow night is a full moon, and during the day, the moon can sometimes be seen under very rare conditions, so as a precaution, she would normally take the day off to stay at home and not go out.
If she had to pass the time, buying some bi-monthly magazines was the best choice.
Although she hadn’t been able to assist her superior, she had done everything that she could, and she believed in Aiden’s abilities. In her eyes, the man she loved was almost capable of solving any problem.
She crossed a street and soon saw the familiar newsstand she often frequented, but at that moment, she heard cries for help coming from there.
"Robbery! Help!!"
Looking up, she saw a masked criminal dragging the newsstand owner out, with coins earned from selling newspapers scattered on the ground.
The elderly owner’s face was covered in blood, onlookers surrounded the scene, yet no one dared to intervene rashly.
The next moment, the masked villain raised his face, and their gazes met squarely.
Veronica instantly dropped her vegetable basket and darted toward him.
Seeing someone approaching furiously, the miscreant didn’t hesitate to let go of the shop owner and started to run.
It was only then that the bystanders began to shout, "Catch the thief!"
A few of them were incited and chased after the criminal. They weren’t lacking a sense of justice; they just lacked the courage to act on their own. Once someone took the lead, they too were willing to step forward.
But the criminal was running incredibly fast, easily leaving these people behind. Only Veronica quickly outpaced the others, inching closer and closer to the miscreant.
The criminal glanced back, then suddenly veered into an alleyway.
Veronica followed, as the miscreant knocked over a pile of wooden boxes behind a shop to block her path, then continued deeper into the alley.
Veronica leapt over the overturned boxes and saw that the other had turned into an even narrower path—the main roads of this district were flanked by a labyrinth of alleys.
Veronica continued the pursuit and found that she had reached a dead end.
She had caught up here, and no one else was able to keep up behind her, but she had him cornered.
The criminal stood by the wall and slowly turned around.
"If you don’t want to suffer, put your hands on your head and come to the police station to turn yourself in," Veronica said coldly, yet she didn’t dare to lower her guard. She noticed his body was still tense, signaling he was ready to resist to the bitter end.
She scrutinized him and suddenly frowned; she had clothes like that in her wardrobe, and this person’s height and build almost exactly matched her own.
Apart from the covered face, standing there gave her an eerie feeling as if looking into a mirror.
"Ah, you actually followed. You do have a strong sense of justice, just like I imagined..." His voice carried a laugh, then he shifted tones, "It’s the very type I hate the most."
Veronica clenched her fists, feeling a chill at her back.
Even the voice, it was similar—although there seemed to be a slight difference.
"So, I’ll deprive you of your purpose for existence in this world," he said, pulling the cloth off his face.
Veronica stood rooted to the spot.
This time, she truly felt like she was looking in a mirror; the person standing opposite her had the exact same features as hers.
The word of a "doppelgänger"—Veronica immediately realized the ability the other was using.
"Are you... the Double Identity Killer?" she asked, staring at him.
"I’m flattered you know me," the "Veronica" opposite her revealed a grotesquely malicious smile, "Congratulations, you’re my target this time."
Why would it be me?
Although surprised by the question, Veronica had no time to delve into it at that moment.
"That depends on whether you’ve got the skill!" she bared her teeth, which quickly elongated into fangs, and in the dimly lit alley, her eyes emitted a greenish glow.
