Gotham Singularity (Part 5) Why are you looking at me?

"But not now, not today."

Holmes paced back and forth with great interest. Nothing excited him more than the new anomaly that had occurred in the second loop—a murder.

“Yes,” Jason said coldly, “at least until the truth about Black Mask’s death comes out, Gotham’s cowards won’t make any excessive moves.”

Normally, the moment Black Mask's body was discovered, the other gangs would be fighting tooth and nail to erode his power, but this time was different.

Black Mask's death was too quick and too suspicious. Arkham hadn't escaped; Gotham, at least in their eyes, had no new alien forces; Batman's appearances were also very regular, making Black Mask's death all the more unusual.

No one knows the killer's motive, and no one wants to be the next victim.

“But without a doubt, this murder case is an excellent breakthrough for us.” Holmes tapped rhythmically on the wooden cabinet beside him, his mind already racing with countless speculations.

First, the hypothesis that there is an exact same time loop has been proven wrong.

Second, Black Mask was killed directly or indirectly by someone behind the scenes. In other words, finding the killer of Black Mask means finding the person who holds the Holy Grail.

Third, this person behind the scenes is not a person with a perverse sense of humor or without desires. The Black Mask must have hindered his or her wishes from being fulfilled during the previous two periods, so when that person returned to Number Sixteen, he couldn't wait to kill him.

However, more accurate deductions require sufficient clues, and the most likely place to obtain clues right now is...

“Miss Ritsuka, and the temporary assistant, I think we should go to the crime scene.” Holmes raised an eyebrow and walked towards the door with great interest.

"This murder might have been committed by the follower." If it was the follower, then even if the police, who are ordinary people, found clues, there would be no way they could arrest the follower.

But Fujimaru Ritsuka is different. Having formed bonds with hundreds of Servants, she can not only fight against them, but she might even be able to recognize their true names directly from their fatal wounds.

Jason: "..."

He stared in disbelief as Holmes and Ritsuka exchanged a glance, like two close friends nodding to each other, setting their next goal without any plan or investigation.

No, is that right?

Just as the two were about to reach the door, Jason finally reached out and blocked their way, taking a deep breath and saying, "You're just going to leave like this?" Sitting in his chair, he looked up and said meaningfully, "This isn't Scotland Yard for you."

He emphasized, "In the eyes of those officers at the Gotham Police Department, we are no different from Blackmasks."

...Ah, that's indeed a bit troublesome. Holmes stopped at the door, what a pity. Fujimaru Ritsuka barely stopped before bumping into Holmes's thin back.

She glanced at him with suspicion, remembering that this detective wasn't one to give up so easily.

Just as Ritsuka was thinking this, she heard Holmes say unhurriedly, "In that case, we'll have to resort to some illegal tricks."

All eyes were focused on one point.

Jason: "...?"

"No, why are you all looking at me?!"

Ten minutes later.

Two figures and a projector surrounded the desk, while Jason sat in the center chair, chin in hand, looking like he'd been tricked. His computer screen displayed a series of programs.

Fujimaru Ritsuka watched Jason type on the keyboard with awe. A few minutes later, the Gotham Police Department's internal website popped up on the computer screen, presenting them with the police investigation report without reservation.

What first caught Fujimaru Ritsuka's attention was a portrait: a man in a suit with a burned face. Roman Sinnis, one of Gotham City's most feared gangster bosses.

The subsequent files, dozens of pages long, were filled with accusations against him for his crimes and his arrogant attempts to escape punishment. His life of crime was finally brought to an abrupt end by a hastily drawn photograph from the crime scene.

According to the official investigation, the person who reported the incident and was also the first to discover it was a coffee shop employee who had no relation to the deceased. He discovered the body on the morning of the 17th while trying to take a shortcut to get to work late.

The forensic examiner estimated the time of death to be around 1:00 AM on October 17th, and the cause of death to be a severed carotid artery. The body was intact, the face was calm, and there were no signs of struggle.

The only fatal wound was on the neck, deep enough to expose the bone, and showed signs of poisoning, resembling an animal scratch.

Therefore, based on the victim's condition before death and the fatal wound, the police deduced that the killer was most likely someone the victim trusted, who ambushed and killed him when he was completely unprepared.

Turning to the last page of the investigation report, Holmes sighed softly; his keen observation had allowed him to discover the problem from just a few lines of text.

“People’s observations always focus on useless details. They never mention the truly important details,” he said, his long, thin fingers tracing the fatal wound on the corpse.

Just as Fujimaru Ritsuka was about to ask further questions, loud footsteps came from afar, growing closer and closer. Xu Fu pushed open the study door.

"Hey, Master! Shouldn't we go out and look for clues today?" With a clatter, she ran up to Ritsuka and grabbed her sleeve. "Let's go, let's go! Don't stay here cooped up with this jerk and get moldy!"

Jason, who had been quietly examining the clues, suddenly turned his chair around and said to Xu Fu with a displeased expression, "Ha, looking for clues? You actually just want to go out and have some fun, don't you?"

"...Tch! Master, look at him!"

Fujimaru Ritsuka wore an expression of habit; ever since Jason spoke ill of Yu Meiren, she knew this feud had begun. But their confrontational manner still made her chuckle; they really did seem like two children, not even ten years old, bickering.

However, Chaldea's master of balancing and top mediator did not let this little squabble escalate.

"Gentlemen, the bigger picture is what matters." Fujimaru Ritsuka chuckled and pressed Xu Fu's head down, easily separating her from Jason. She then stood in the middle, blocking the two of them, and winked at Jason.

Jason paused for a moment, as if regretting his immaturity, and immediately turned his chair back to the computer.

Seeing that the study had quieted down, Ritsuka made an exaggerated inviting gesture and asked the detective who was standing by watching the show, "Alright, Mr. Holmes, can you now tell me what details we need to pay attention to?"

Holmes glanced at Ritsuka and a slight smile played on his lips. Without further ado, he raised his pipe and pointed to the neck in the photograph of the corpse. "The location of the wound and the limb movements."

"The slight forward tilt of the shoulders and the calm facial expression at the time of death."

It's impossible for a powerful gang leader who's still plotting a conspiracy to remain calm and accept his fate when a close relative raises a knife against him.

Not to mention his body language suggests that he believed he was alone before he died.

"Now," Holmes changed the subject, skillfully asking Fujimaru Ritsuka, "Miss Ritsuka, if you were a police officer, what deductions would you make about this corpse?"

Fujimaru Ritsuka stared at the photo for a moment, then thought, "Perhaps the murderer was far more powerful than the victim, and the victim didn't have time to resist?"

Jason couldn't help but retort, "Judging from the wound, the claw marks must have been from the front. Black Mask's strength wouldn't be so great that he would look completely stunned. After all, even..." He stopped subconsciously.

Tsk, thinking of that person again. His face immediately contorted into a grimace, as if he'd just eaten a sour orange. Fujimaru Ritsuka looked over, opened his mouth but said nothing.

The next second, Ritsuka smiled at Jason, not pressing him about his inappropriate pause, but continuing the conversation, "What if he can't even see the murderer?"

Hearing her guess, Jason glanced at her, his mind already racing, trying to recall which supervillain in Gotham possessed such a damnable ability as invisibility. Oh right, Holmes also mentioned that Singularities would feature Servants; which Servants could become invisible?

Jason's gaze unconsciously drifted toward Fujimaru Ritsuka. In his mind, the Chaldea Master, the girl who had dealt with countless Servants in the Sherlock Holmes stories, should have the answers he wanted to know.

But before Ritsuka could receive his gaze, Xu Fu suddenly stared at him intently, his eyes playful. "Eh~ You haven't known this after all this time of being a detective, have you?"

Jason: "...?"

What should he know? He looked away, crossed his arms, and remained silent. Even without any special abilities, he knew Xu Fu's words were ill-intentioned.

"Wow, I really didn't know!" Xu Fu poked his head out from behind Ritsuka, a smile playing on his lips. "Then I'll mercifully tell you that Servants can be transformed into spirit particles."

"Spiritualization?"

"To you, it's just invisibility. Only Masters, fellow Servants, and those with high magical power can sense them." Xu Fu put his hands on his hips and cleared his throat with an air of seriousness.

The overhead wall lamp flickered erratically, its intermittent light casting shadows on Xu Fu's face. The shadows of his eyelashes fell into his light brown eyes, making them appear even more gloomy and cold.

Her voice was like that of a demon disguised as a human, slightly hoarse and nonchalant, sending chills down one's spine.

"In other words, even the weakest Servant can kill someone silently, you know."

"……Yeah?"

Jason chuckled, listening to the sarcastic threat with almost nonchalant ease, completely unfazed. He raised an eyebrow, his disdainful eyes seeming to say: You think you can do it?

Xu Fu was instantly enraged. This annoying person actually dared to question her strength, right in front of her Master! Absolutely unforgivable!

"Huh? Are you underestimating me?" Her expression was ferocious, her voice low and sinister, like the sunless sky outside the window. "If it's you, killing you is pointless. I'll enslave you until the end of time—Ugh, Master! Don't pinch my cheek!!"

It looks just like a cat with its fur standing on end.

As Fujimaru Ritsuka rubbed Xu Fu's soft cheeks, she thought to herself inappropriately. She took the opportunity to rub them a few more times before letting go of the sulking Xu Fu and emphasizing to her that she shouldn't intimidate her companions.

Xu Fu snorted loudly, angrily hugging her doll and turning her head away from Ritsuka to express her anger. They'd known each other longer, yet her Master was showing favoritism!

But less than a minute later, she tentatively turned to look at Ritsuka, only to be met with golden eyes that were still intently watching her. Frustrated, she tugged at her hair, but still quietly agreed to Ritsuka's request.

Fujimaru Ritsuka smiled and said to Holmes, "Mr. Holmes, stop keeping me in suspense!"

"Keep me in suspense, hahaha, no, no, I'm just considering whether it's necessary to state incomplete reasoning," Holmes said.

"Based on the current clues, the culprit is probably in beast form, and the attack involves poison or curses. It is likely a Servant with rationality."

"The reason he's still rational is because the body is intact, isn't it? No wonder he's Sherlock Holmes," Fujimaru Ritsuka thought. Based on this deduction, most Bersakers can be ruled out first…

She had several suspects, but without more concrete clues, she couldn't determine who had done it all.

“So we still have to go to the scene, right?” Jason said irritably. After asking Ritsuka if she needed to cover her face when going out and receiving a negative answer, he said, “We’ll go and see what happens after those cops neglect their duties.”

Fujimaru Ritsuka: "...?"

What kind of dereliction of duty?