"Seems like someone wants to die much quicker than planned."
Checking the alt account he frequently used to threaten Kelvin, Miles frowned. His inbox had zero responses, in stark contrast to the usual 40+ pending messages from Kelvin begging him to spare his life.
"...or is he already dead?"
Miles mused, halting his steps as he waited at the bus stop. But his expression suddenly turned solemn and serious...
"Something is wrong somewhere. Chris and the other two have also disappeared since that morning with no sign or trace popping up."
He had planned to visit Chris’s home the previous night after having Miss Emily leak the address, but the emergency of having to fulfill his boyfriend duties came up, and he totally forgot by the time he came back. After thinking it through, the sense of unease in his heart didn’t fade.
Pim Porrrrr!
Just then, the incoming school bus honked, drawing his attention to it.
After countless stops and turns, they finally made it to school 50 minutes later. Alighting from the bus, their little group instantly disbanded, each heading off to find their partners.
"Huh?"
Noticing that most of the other students had formed small circles and appeared to be discussing something serious, Miles squinted his eyes just enough to trace the direction of their frequent glances. Five to seven police cruisers were parked across the street, with about three police officers patrolling on standby.
Just as he was about to look away, one of the officers suddenly gazed at him, seemingly observing him while speaking into his walkie-talkie. However, Miles simply raised an eyebrow, thinking it was a coincidence, and turned away.
Walking toward the entrance, he stepped into the hallway, which was even more crowded and filled with hushed whispers. There were several police officers along the hallway, observing the students with expressionless faces. Walking forward, he soon spotted Chloe waiting for him by her locker and smiled.
But just as he began to move toward her, one of the officers on the side listened to his radio and suddenly made his move to block Miles.
"Sorry, are you Miles Sinclair?" the cop said in a cold, detached manner, as if he were looking at a criminal, startling the nearby students and silencing the hallway.
Such a manner of speech and attitude would have deterred a normal teen, subjecting them to a form of psychological pressure and exposing panic, fright, or guilt. However, Miles merely stayed silent for a moment and frowned, then revealed an apparent look of disgust that stemmed from the depths of his soul for the man in the black uniform, completely reversing the psychological probe.
The cop was speechless and couldn’t reply until Miles spoke again.
"Yes," Miles replied in a prompt and concise manner, making the cop regain his composure and heave a sigh.
But before the cop could speak again, the sound of rhythmic footsteps approached and the crowd parted, revealing the Deputy Police Chief of Dominic City alongside several officers and the school’s teachers. At this sight, many students opened their mouths in shock as an invisible pressure spread through the hallway, suddenly highlighting the seriousness of the matter.
However, at the center of this psychological pressure, the person it was directed at still remained calm and composed, his disgust evident.
’What a bunch of bastards, trying to intimidate a teen.’
As for being traced to a murder or anything, Miles didn’t give it a second thought; his confidence in leaving no evidence behind so far was above a hundred thousand percent.
’Quite the nice lineup, though. I wonder what this is about.’
Seeing Miles’ look of disgust, the Deputy Chief was also taken aback and a bit dismayed, but he remained composed while taking note of Miles’ calm demeanor, marking him as a highly likely suspect.
"Miles Sinclair, come with us," the Deputy Chief said with an authority that would make anyone think twice about disobeying.
But Miles simply raised an eyebrow, frowning before speaking. "Wait a minute, I’ve seen this in movies. I need my lawyer, an adult’s supervision, and I have the right to remain silent."
Miles met the Deputy’s gaze and sneered, leaving both the officers and spectating students stunned.
"Oh no, is he crazy?"
"Damn."
"He is crazy."
"Cool."
"What a crazy aura."
The boys whispered and muttered comments, while the girls stared in awe, Miles’s image firmly rooted in their hearts. Among them, Chloe felt it the most—a deep pride that stemmed from Miles being her boyfriend. Then there were the likes of Alisha and Alice, who didn’t want to acknowledge their interest in him.
The Deputy frowned, annoyed by the students’ comments but also by the fact that Miles wasn’t a respectful pushover who would easily heed his words. They couldn’t force him to speak either; if his parents got involved, they would be stuck at a dead end without any concrete evidence.
"But who am I kidding? I’ll come with you." Miles suddenly smiled at the Deputy after catching several frantic winks from Principal Hayes.
The Deputy froze, stunned as he realized he had come with so much presence only to be toyed with by a teenager.
’This kid... he definitely has something to do with this.’
"I’m Deputy Sam. Come with me to your Principal’s office, then." The Deputy nodded and turned, leading Miles away while the other students gawked.
The silent hallway finally broke into a wild clamor after they vanished from sight.
Click!
The door to the principal’s office opened, pulled aside by an officer. Stepping into the office after the Deputy, with Principal Hayes right behind him, Miles saw a middle-aged man already sitting in the chair. A yellow paper file was placed on the desk while he chewed on bubble gum with an arrogant, unruly air around him. Full Sherlock Holmes main character energy.
A single look was enough to tell Miles he was a detective, and a top-tier one at that. With his superhuman strength and the help of the system, Miles didn’t view himself as powerless or at the mercy of the law. This feeling made him completely disregard the man before him as a threat, meaning he felt absolutely no apprehension or panicked guilt.
Pop!
The detective popped his bubble gum and tilted his chair to face Miles completely, but froze when he saw Miles’ raised eyebrows, looking at him as if he were a clown.
"Hahahaha, my bad." The detective broke into a laugh as he dropped the act and motioned to the seat opposite him. "Please, sit."
Miles stepped forward and took a seat.
Pop!
Popping his bubble gum again, the detective picked up the paper file and opened it, handing Miles a couple of items from inside to look at.
"Take a clear look at that. The forensic team captured those images two to three weeks ago. Dominion High’s swimming locker room had a mysterious pool of blood mixed with brain matter. Hehehe, do you know why I added the term ’mysterious’? It’s because the DNA results clearly revealed it’s yours. Yet, here you are, perfectly fine without a single scratch. Even when the patrol cops saw you, they said you looked completely normal."
The detective smiled, resuming his chewing as he looked for the tiniest change in Miles’ facial expression.
"So? What are you trying to say?" Miles asked, showing neither surprise nor denial as he handed the photos back to the detective, leaving the latter temporarily speechless on how to proceed.
"Don’t you find that suspicious and mysterious?" the detective forced a smile and asked casually, but Miles didn’t fall for it.
Frowning with disgust, he sneered at the man. "Listen, sir, I’m just a high school kid. Why should I help you solve your case?" Miles said flatly and rudely, leaving not even the slightest opening for the man to hook onto him.
’This kid.’ Both the detective and the deputy thought the same thing as they stared at Miles, realizing he was not only composed but smart enough to throw them off course despite their psychological tactics.
"Hahaha. Be honest, are you some kind of supernatural being or something?" The detective, unwilling to give up, probed Miles again.
’What a stupid man, despite all his aura farming.’
"Principal Hayes, we have exams today. If I don’t leave now, I’m afraid I might miss my papers." Miles completely ignored the detective and turned to the typically chubby principal, who looked nervous and sweaty.
Suddenly addressed by Miles, Principal Hayes hastily nodded, while the detective and deputy almost lost their minds from being so blatantly ignored.
The detective’s face darkened as he slammed his hand on the desk.
"I checked your file, kid. You were bullied for most of your life. You must hold a massive amount of grievances against the ones who tormented you. I checked around and asked questions. You were bullied the most, right? Let me guess—you couldn’t bear it anymore and decided to kill them, huh? You think you’re so fucking smart that you’re convinced you left no trace, huh? I know your type. Where are their bodies? Chris, Tyler, Kelvin, and Ben!"