Special Investigation Team, interrogation room.
Sitting across the interrogation table, Ms. Corina sat quietly, sobbing softly.
Corina was a "mature" girl, where "mature" here does not describe her way of doing things or her manner of speech, but rather that she looked very mature; at first glance, one would not think she was only 20 years old, some might even believe she was 40.
Luo An and Michelle exchanged a glance, gaining some insight into Chairman Hisman's preferences.
"I didn't expect such a thing to happen."
Corina set down the tissue in her hand, her eyes red as she spoke:
"Hisman was a good man, he deserves to be in Heaven, such a cruel thing should not have happened to him."
Luo An glanced at Michelle, who promptly gave Corina a few tissues and then asked softly:
"We know you lived with Chairman Hisman for a while, did you notice anything unusual during this period?"
"Sorry, but I must clarify one thing first."
Corina stopped wiping her tears, raised her palm, and said sternly:
"Hisman just needed a stable home, a woman who wouldn't nag at him, we never had a relationship.
I never meddled in Hisman's work, every time he came here, we only discussed trivial matters of life, and during this time I never noticed anything off about Hisman."
Corina's response was somewhat unexpected to Luo An and Michelle.
After further questioning, the two learned Corina had no father since childhood, and Hisman was not very interested in sexual matters, so their relationship was hard to define, more of a mutually beneficial Platonic relationship.
In addition, Corina had a very simple social life in college, having no boyfriend, no ex-boyfriends, nor secret admirers, making the possibility of a crime of passion very low in her case.
"Thank you for your cooperation."
Michelle politely saw Corina out, and as Luo An turned around, he was met by Mona holding a laptop.
"You gave me a fright."
Luo An's face was expressionless, but Mona ignored him and directly opened the laptop, displaying the screen to Luo An:
"I haven't figured out the surveillance issue yet, but I've discovered something else.
A week ago, an officer from the Federation Navy mysteriously disappeared, and the military is still investigating without any leads.
The community to the left of Chairman Hisman is temporarily called Community Number Two.
While checking the residents' records of Community Number Two, I discovered a house covertly purchased by that Navy officer using certain methods..."
Hearing this, Luo An's expression became grave, and he asked:
"You're not going to tell me that the Navy officer is dead in that house, are you?"
Mona shook her head, closed the laptop, and said in a solemn tone:
"But before the surveillance problems in these three communities, the Navy officer was last seen outside a store in the community.
Right after the surveillance issues, the Federation Navy discovered that the officer was missing.
Considering the timing of these surveillance issues, I don't believe they're unconnected."
Luo An's face darkened, and without hesitation, he immediately pulled out his phone and called Reesi:
"Reesi, don't come back yet, bring a few LAPD patrol officers with you and check out an apartment in the community next to Chairman Hisman's."
Reesi agreed, Luo An hung up the phone, and rubbed his temple as he sat back down.
Not long after, Michelle returned to the Special Investigation Team, and upon hearing the news from Mona, looked equally troubled.
As the minutes ticked by, their phone rang after forty-some minutes, Luo An immediately pressed the answer button, and Mona and Michelle turned their gazes to him.
On the other end, Reesi spoke with a somewhat stiff tone:
"Luo An, another body has been found."
Hearing this, Mona and Michelle immediately raised their hands to their foreheads, Luo An's expression unchanged, and he continued to ask:
"What is the cause of death? Is it the same as Chairman Hisman? Is the victim's tongue still there?"
Reesi glanced at the victim on the bedroom bed, her eyes wide open in death, then quickly turned and left with a complex expression as she answered each question:
"The condition of this victim is different from Chairman Hisman's; his waist is intact, but his head and body were severed at the neck.
As for the tongue... it was not found in the victim's mouth, nor at the scene."
Mona and Michelle exchanged glances, each seeing the solemnity in the other's eyes.
The last thing they wished for had happened: this was a serial murder case.
Just then, Luo An abruptly looked up, speaking seriously to Mona:
"I remember another community where there were issues with the surveillance."
Hearing this, Michelle felt a chill rush from his lower back to his forehead, while on the other end of the phone, Reesi felt the hair on her skin stand on end, exclaiming softly:
"What do you mean? Another one?!"
Mona's face instantly turned pale, and she immediately opened her laptop and started typing:
"I'll start investigating right now!"
"Reesi! You stay with the LAPD to secure the scene, waiting for the forensic agents."
Luo An stood up, pulling Michelle toward the equipment room:
"Mona, you carefully review the situation in Community No. 3 online.
Michelle, you come with me to investigate the scene in Community No. 3."
The new SUV was powerful and performed well, taking only ten minutes for Luo An and Michelle to reach Community No. 3, next to Chairman Hisman's residential area.
After parking the car, Luo An and Michelle quickly found the community manager and directly asked:
"Have any residents been missing for a long time?"
The community manager, a white man in his forties with a big belly, shook his head repeatedly upon hearing Luo An's question:
"No, there have been no issues with our residents during this period."
Luo An narrowed his eyes slightly, and Michelle quickly stepped forward to continue:
"What about their families? Has there been any trouble?"
"I'm sorry, I don't know."
The big-bellied white man spread his hands and looked troubled, explaining that everyone in this community belonged to the middle class, and as the community manager, he was essentially just an intermediary to handle house issues; he wasn't particularly familiar with the personal affairs of the residents' families.
Just as Michelle was about to speak, a police car suddenly stopped at the entrance of the community, and an LAPD patrol officer got out of the car.
Seeing this, Luo An and Michelle immediately approached the patrol officer, showed their badges, and asked:
Seeing Luo An and Michelle, two FBI agents here, the LAPD patrol officer looked surprised but still explained:
"The people at the nearby church said the priest didn't show up to lead the prayers today, which has never happened in thirty years.
The congregation is worried something might have happened to his health, so they called us to come and check."
Michelle exchanged a glance with Luo An, who immediately drew his Glock 18 from his lower back and asked:
"Which is the priest's apartment?"
The LAPD patrol officer was startled by Luo An's action but quickly replied:
"…the 11th building on the left."
Having gotten the address, Luo An and Michelle immediately readied their weapons and quickly ran towards the direction of the priest's apartment.