Chapter 83: 1 New Feature

Chapter 83: Chapter 83: 1 New Feature

Just as the man was finally getting closer, and Zoe Sawyer was starting to feel happy for him, an axe was suddenly thrust between them.

"It’s not your turn yet. Why the rush?" The Axeman’s muffled voice filtered through his ski mask for all to hear.

The man froze. He then began to whimper, trying to say something, but with his mouth gagged with a wad of cloth, he couldn’t make himself understood.

The Axeman ignored the man, stooped down, and lifted the pregnant woman onto the dining table.

Zoe Sawyer’s eyes were wide as she seared every detail, every movement, into her memory.

He set the axe aside. His long, slender fingers toyed with a fruit knife, tracing paths over the unconscious pregnant woman’s body.

After settling on a spot, just as he was about to start, he seemed to decide the ski mask would interfere with the delicate "surgery" to come. Plus, with no one else around, he wasn’t afraid of his face being seen. The Axeman pulled the mask down a little, revealing his eyes.

Between his left eyebrow and the bridge of his nose sat a black, fleshy mole—a highly distinguishing feature.

’Finally! Some specific information on the killer’s appearance!’

A flash of joy went through Zoe Sawyer, but before she could look closer, she saw the Axeman raise the fruit knife high and plunge it toward the pregnant woman’s stomach.

’No!’

Zoe Sawyer was so alarmed she forgot she couldn’t move during a replay. She shot her hand out toward the killer, trying to stop him.

They were clearly separated by more than ten meters. Logically, even if Zoe Sawyer could move, she couldn’t possibly have grabbed anything.

But in the next instant, Zoe Sawyer’s hand seized the back of the Axeman’s collar. At the same moment, a powerful force yanked at her from behind.

Zoe Sawyer had a feeling she was about to be ejected from the scene.

’If this is it, I’m going for broke!’

Gritting her teeth, Zoe Sawyer strained to reach with her other hand and grabbed the ski mask at the Axeman’s neck.

The moment she got a grip, the force ripped her away.

Torn away with her were a small piece of the ski mask and a few strands of hair caught in the fabric.

The Axeman paused. A flicker of confusion crossed his exposed eyes. ’Aren’t there only three of us here? Why did it feel like someone just yanked on my collar and mask?’

He hesitated, then reached up to the back of his head. Sure enough, he felt the torn ski mask and a faint sting on his scalp.

’How’d my mask get torn?’

’No... wait. I think it was already torn. I’ll have to buy a new one tomorrow.’

The Axeman shook his head, dismissing the strange thought, and refocused on the "work" at hand.

Meanwhile, Evan Keller and the others were standing right behind Zoe Sawyer, so they caught her the instant she was thrown back.

"Are you okay?" Sean Hughes looked anxious. Aside from the times Zoe had opened the door repeatedly or brought large groups through, this was the first time she had ever seen her look so exhausted.

She wrapped an arm around Zoe Sawyer’s shoulders, letting her lean against her, and guided her to a nearby sofa.

But more than her drained physical state, it was the excited look on her face—and the object in her hand—that drew everyone’s attention.

Evan Keller and Heath Hale weren’t the only ones; Captain Wright also immediately noticed the object clutched tightly in Zoe Sawyer’s hand.

Captain Wright could swear her hands had been empty just moments ago!

Now, only a few minutes later, she was holding something.

It was then that the police chief’s words of caution began to feel real to Captain Wright. He was starting to understand why his superior had been so emphatic.

"Evidence bag! Get an evidence bag! I tore this off his head!" Zoe Sawyer exclaimed, excitedly holding up what she had.

Heath Hale moved quickly, producing an evidence bag for Zoe Sawyer to place the item in.

Once the item was bagged, Zoe Sawyer looked at Evan Keller, Sean Hughes, and Heath Hale, her expression ecstatic. "I think I just unlocked a new feature of my ability!"

She recounted everything that had just happened from start to finish.

If her will was strong enough, she could actually leave a mark on a past event!

"This is getting more and more like something out of a fantasy novel," Evan Keller said, rubbing his face in disbelief. "At this rate, if you told me you got stuck in a time loop inside the door, I’d probably believe you."

’What else can this door do?’ ℴ

’It’s truly mind-boggling. Completely unscientific!’

’Then again,’ he thought, ’having this ability in the first place is the most fantastical thing of all.’

With that thought, Evan Keller stopped overthinking it.

He thrust the evidence bag into Captain Wright’s hands. "Captain Wright, I just saw—there’s hair in here, the killer’s. Please get this tested and see if you can find a match."

"Oh... right." Captain Wright snapped out of his astonishment. He mentally elevated Zoe Sawyer’s importance to the highest possible level. At the same time, he glanced around; he was the only officer from his precinct here, so there was no need to worry about anyone else finding out.

’No wonder the chief asked them to help!’

"I saw the upper half of the killer’s face. He has a black, fleshy mole right here," Zoe Sawyer said, describing the killer’s features.

Heath Hale held up a hand to stop her. He called over Beau, who had been standing quietly to one side.

He then instructed Zoe Sawyer to describe everything she had seen to Beau.

Beau didn’t disappoint. His hands moved with swift precision, accurately sketching everything Zoe Sawyer described.

In no time, the scene Zoe Sawyer had just witnessed came to life on paper, appearing vividly before them all.

The centerpiece was the portrait sketch of the killer. From the look in his eyes to the mole near his eyebrow, it was a perfect match for what Zoe Sawyer had seen, down to the last detail.

"Yes, that’s it exactly! You’re incredible!" Zoe Sawyer’s eyes lit up as she looked at Beau, who stood beside her looking shy, but with an undeniable hint of pride on his face.

’He’s amazing!’

Heath Hale took the drawing and made a mental checkmark. His initial idea had been right on the money.

He knew it. Beau’s ability was a perfect complement to Zoe Sawyer’s.

’Once this case is closed, I should really ask him if he’s interested in joining the team as a specialist recruit.’

"Captain Wright, with these, can your people identify the killer?" Heath Hale asked, handing the two sketches to the captain and looking him straight in the eye.

"We can!"

That mole by his eyebrow was too distinct. It would narrow the search pool dramatically.

And that wasn’t even counting the hair.

’Once we have his identity,’ he thought, ’we can track his movements over the last couple of days. We might even dig up some other leads.’

"I’ll take this evidence back to the station immediately. Will you all wait here, or come back with me?" Captain Wright wished he could sprout wings and fly back to the precinct, but he maintained his professional courtesy.

"No need for you to run back and forth. We’ll be fine waiting here." Noticing that Zoe Sawyer still hadn’t fully recovered, Heath Hale politely declined the captain’s offer.

Captain Wright nodded, not taking offense. Before he left, however, he made a solemn promise.

"Rest assured. I won’t breathe a word of what I’ve seen here to another soul."