A woman's dead body was found in an old abandoned building. She was one of Neil's classmates. The news shook the entire university. The city of Athena was known for its frequent murders, but due to corrupt leaders-who were also rumored to be indirectly involved-most cases were left unresolved and buried under a blanket of lies.
However, this was the first murder to occur on university grounds. The incident drew the attention of two young boys, Neil and his friend Ishaq. As time passed, the case was forgotten like many others, but Ishaq's interest remained. Both boys shared a passion for solving mysteries and decided to investigate the case themselves.
They planned to visit the abandoned building over the weekend. Neil had poor network coverage and couldn't look up the location online, but luckily, Ishaq was already familiar with the place. When they arrived, they were surprised to find that the building wasn't sealed off and was open to the public.
A local security guard from a nearby old apartment told them to leave. They insisted on staying, but the strange man demanded that they leave. Still determined, they managed to sneak in through another set of stairs.
Inside, they found the exact spot where the body had been discovered. A chalk outline, drawn by the police, still marked the shape of the victim's body. They searched the building thoroughly but found no clues. The killer seemed to have left no trace. Disappointed, they left the building-but this didn't stop their pursuit of the truth.
They began digging into the case through public sources. It was revealed that the woman's body was found in the morning by a group of chainsmokers. She had likely been dumped at the location around 1 a.m.
"Neil, your uncle is a detective. I'm sure he'll have more information," said Ishaq with excitement.
Neil agreed, and they went to visit his uncle. "You boys should be focusing on your studies, not wasting time on a closed case," Mr. Lim replied when they explained their interest. "It's just some killer trying to stir up fear in the city."
"But uncle, please-we promise we won't cause any trouble. Just a little information," the boys insisted.
Mr. Lim hesitated for a moment, then reluctantly agreed. To their shock, the boys found out that the lady's fingers were bitten off. The police had hope of finding out the culprit but running a DNA test of the bite marks but to their suprise the DNA tests revealed that the bite marks were of a mice. Due to lack of traces, the case was shut down.
Sadly, the boys returned home with disappointment written all over their faces. Although it was claimed that the case was closed due to a lack of evidence, Ishaq didn't buy it. He wasn't ready to let it go.
The next morning, under the scorching Sunday sun, Neil was working his part-time shift at a café. Ishaq burst in, eyes wide open in excitement.
"Neil! Neil! I've got crazy information-you won't believe it. I think I've found the lead - it could point to the killer! " he exclaimed.
All the customers turned to stare.
Feeling embarrassed , Ishaq quickly apologized to them with an awkward smile.
"It's not the time, Ishaq," Neil said, clearly annoyed. "If you're still into that case, go ahead and look into it yourself. I've got plans this evening-and right now, I'm in the middle of my shift."
Left with no choice, poor Ishaq was now on his own to continue the investigation.