The past was built upon collecting unique characteristics.

Charlotte took the newspaper, her gaze falling on the article the other person was referring to.

Several tens of seconds passed before those emerald green eyes looked back at Morian.

"Is this the case you're investigating?"

"Yes," Morian answered truthfully, and sat down again on the sofa opposite him.

He hesitated for a moment, but ultimately decided to tell the truth:

"This doesn't seem like a typical heinous crime; I suspect it's a murder case related to vampires."

"Vampires?" Charlotte's lips parted slightly as she thought of the information in the report.

It must be said that the victim's dried blood does indeed fit the modus operandi of vampires.

Upon hearing the word "vampire," Charlotte quickly recalled relevant records about this race from her memory.

They have long lifespans, typically feed on blood, and are adept at disguising and hiding themselves in the human world.

If this is indeed the case, then it's quite troublesome.

"Based on the crime scene above, I went to Xunfeng Street last night," Morian said.

He then smiled and continued:

"I interviewed several friendly residents there, one of whom happened to be a friend of one of the most recent victims."

Charlotte listened intently, her eyes slightly shifting as if gesturing for him to continue.

"That person, accompanied by the police, witnessed the crime scene and saw marks on the corpse's neck that resembled dog bites."

"Furthermore, the victim was dressed very formally before the incident, and even wore her most valuable jewelry, as if she were going to attend some kind of banquet."

"But these clues aren't crucial enough to deduce the killer's true identity and motives," Charlotte said, frowning.

"But he also mentioned the most important thing," Morian said in a deep voice, holding up a finger.

According to him, the crime scene had strong "ritualistic features".

Charlotte paused for a moment, then looked thoughtful.

A ritual... If it really was a vampire committing the crime, then why hold a ritual in the first place...?

Was it for a sacrifice? Or was it intended to exchange something for a sacrifice?

Suddenly she stretched out her fair finger and pointed to the mark on the map:

"Mr. Morian, what do these circled areas represent?"

Morian picked up one of the newspapers and circled the date of the incident with his pen.

"I circled the crime scenes reported in previous newspapers on the map, and then I discovered another possibility."

Listening to his explanation, Charlotte checked the dates on the newspaper and began searching for the corresponding areas on the ground.

Her gaze swept across the lines on the map, and her eyes widened slightly involuntarily.

A pentagram?! And an unfinished pentagram, with only four points!

This discovery seems to further confirm the account of the ritual.

Charlotte sounded somewhat surprised:

"So the killer wasn't acting randomly, but deliberately creating some kind of pattern?"

"That's right. While we can't rule out the possibility of coincidence, the probability is extremely small."

"...So the murderer will commit the crime at least once more to complete the last missing part of the pattern..." Charlotte murmured, as if just confirming it with herself.

The girl rested her chin on her hand, unusually lost in thought, and stopped saying another word.

Seeing this, Morian simply leaned back completely on the sofa and rubbed his temples wearily.

The case seems to have reached a stalemate regarding how to catch the murderer.

In the brief silence, Charlotte was the first to break it.

"Aside from that, are there any other clues?" she suddenly asked.

"Hmm." Morian shook his head, admitting frankly, "This is also a headache for me. Reporting to the police doesn't provide clear evidence, and I can't rely on myself..."

He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Because he saw that Charlotte's eyes were staring straight at him, seemingly with some kind of expectation.

No way? Could it be that she's thinking of...?

Before the other person could speak, Morian felt his heart skip a beat.

Sure enough, the girl in front of me spoke first in the next second:

"Mr. Morian, let me help you!"

...I knew it!

"No, I'll handle this case myself," he said without hesitation.

He also did not want to involve Charlotte before confirming the true identity of the killer.

Because those races of vampires are very likely extraordinary beings born that way! They don't entirely belong to the category of humans!

However, this conjecture has not yet been confirmed and needs to be verified.

"But didn't you just say that the killer only targets young women?"

"I can act as bait and lure him out," Charlotte suggested. "If the killer really does commit another crime in that area, a young woman walking alone at night should easily attract his attention."

"Absolutely not!"

Without a second thought, Morian rejected the idea with unwavering conviction, his voice rising several decibels involuntarily.

What kind of international joke is this?! If such a risky plan goes wrong, the safety of the people involved cannot be guaranteed at all.

If anything were to happen, not only would I be unable to explain myself to Earl White, but I would also feel so guilty that I could never forgive myself…

"Do you know how dangerous this is?!"

"Being used as bait means you have to get close to that vampire!"

He was about to say something more when Charlotte interrupted:

"Of course I know."

"But please don't forget, I am also an Ascended One, and I have the ability to protect myself."

Charlotte paused, looked at him, and continued:

"Besides, I wasn't involved in the last royal incident, so let me do my best to help you this time."

But that's not all I'm worried about... Morian sighed silently to himself, unable to find the words to refute.

"I appreciate your consideration in always trying to prevent me from taking risks," Charlotte said gently. "But as your assistant, I don't want to just offer peripheral assistance each time and then sit back and wait for you to solve everything."

At this point, she suddenly smiled meaningfully:

"Moreover, if the killer really only targets young women, then there is probably no more suitable bait than me."

"You can't exactly dress up as a woman yourself, can you?"

Morian's facial muscles twitched, and a bold idea actually flashed through his mind.

But as soon as he thought of the human skin mask's abilities, he immediately dismissed the idea.

The reason is simple: the scene was too beautiful... I couldn't bear to think about it too much.

Charlotte is right.

If you just wait aimlessly, you'll likely end up with nothing.

An attractive lure can indeed greatly increase the chances of catching the other party.

The key question is... do we really want to put her in such a dangerous situation?

It must be said that this girl is indeed well-behaved and intelligent most of the time, but once she becomes stubborn, she is the kind of person who is difficult to persuade.