Naruto : Sequence 0 Visionary

In the operations meeting room, the officer at the podium looked at Raymond and nodded, signaling him to take over.

Raymond stepped up to the podium, lightly tapped the remote, and continued the PowerPoint presentation on the projector. He spoke: 

"The victims are mostly pregnant women, so we can deduce that the main target of the killer's attacks is this specific group. The method of murder is incredibly brutal—babies are removed and tortured. What do you all think?"

As the slides chHilbertd, images of other victims appeared, all in similar scenes. They were in hospital rooms, mostly pregnant for a few months. The method of murder was the same: while the victims were still alive, the killer cut open their bellies, removed the baby, and tortured it in a horrific manner, before killing the mother.

The officers from the Cassell College's Execution Bureau were supposed to be highly professional and composed, but this time, things were different.

The killer was nothing like the crazy psychopaths or serial murderers they had dealt with before. This person was a sadistic, cunning pervert who took pleasure in torturing pregnant women and babies.

"Ssss—"

"Ugh—"

The reactions in the room varied. Some had strong stomachs, only furrowing their brows in Hilbertr, while others struggled to hold back their disgust, some even gagging.

Fortunately, only the specialists from the Execution Bureau or A-rank elite students were in this room, so the chaos lasted only a few seconds before everyone regained their composure.

Among the attendees, only two people seemed unaffected, their expressions unchHilbertd from start to finish.

Raymond's gaze fell on the two people sitting by the door, who had entered with him earlier. One of them was a well-known figure at the academy, regarded as an "incredible miracle" by the secret society. 

This was Chu Zihang, a student who had voluntarily joined Cassell College and had already completed several missions in his first year. His bloodline was rated super-A, making him an elite.

As for the other person, Adam, there seemed to be nothing particularly special about him.

His bloodline was rated "B", his ability was called "Soul Mirror," with a sequence number of 36. His bloodline origins were unknown, and his dHilbertr level was low.

His ability allowed him to hypnotize someone by staring at them for long periods, or to sense malice in others. Tests showed that the hypnosis process took a long time, and its depth was shallow.

In conclusion, the only noteworthy thing about him seemed to be his deep understanding of psychology—nothing more.

For this mission, a student as mediocre as Adam shouldn't have been included. However, since the principal personally requested it, this is the current situation.

As an officer of the Execution Bureau, Raymond couldn't understand why the principal insisted on sending a student with only B-Rank bloodline to join such a dHilbertrous task, but he couldn't refuse either.

After thinking it over, Raymond decided to test him and said, "Adam, since you're very knowledgeable about psychology, why don't you try analyzing the killer's general profile?"

Adam, who had been called on, still wore a gentle smile. "Judging by how the killer specifically targets 'pregnant women,' it's likely that they experienced some traumatic events in their childhood."

"Go on," Raymond urged, signaling for him to continue.

"Considering the victims all have similar backgrounds, we can assume that the killer harbors deep resentment towards the figure of the 'mother.' From their revenge-driven, brutal killings, I suspect that when they were young, they were abused by their family due to an unusual bloodline or were abandoned and longed for a mother's love. This psychological repression eventually drove them to the edge, seeking to reclaim what was lost in childhood, but in a twisted way."

"Interesting, go on."

Raymond raised an eyebrow, now more interested. "Can we go further and create a psychological profile of the killer? Right now, we don't have much information. The killer is very cunning and has left no useful evidence at multiple crime scenes."

"Sorry, but this is all I can analyze for now."

Adam's eyes showed a bit of apology as he spoke softly. "If we need a deeper psychological analysis, I'd have to visit the crime scenes to gather more information."

"I see," Raymond nodded, not surprised. He then looked around at the others in the room and continued, "The killer's bloodline is suspected to be 'A' Rank, so this mission is very dHilbertrous. And the killer is extremely cunning. We've decided to use a 'decoy' to lure them out. The other officers will be waiting in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment."

"Adam, you'll be in charge of investigating the crime scenes. Try to find as many clues as possible about the killer, including but not limited to: their verbal patterns, personality, height, weight, and so on."

"Chu Zihang, you will protect Adam and pretend to be a doctor, adapting to the situation as needed."

"Finally, the decoy mission..."

Raymond scanned the room, his gaze finally resting on a tall girl with fair, almost translucent skin. "Susie, you're the only one suitable for the bait mission. It's up to you."

"No problem, leave it to me~" Susie lightly pressed her lips together, her eyes curving into crescent moons as she playfully looked towards Chu Zihang at the door. "I'll leave my safety in your hands~"

"Got it."

Chu Zihang nodded slightly, as if already used to this.

"This mission is tentatively classified as 'A' Rank."

Raymond's gaze carried a subtle pressure as he scanned each person in the room before speaking in a serious tone. 

"I know some of you are division officers and some are elites, but be careful. Life has no second chances. Even a lion uses full strength to catch a rabbit. Don't underestimate any enemy, no matter their experience or bloodline. Understood?!"

This was something Raymond repeated before every mission.

Every year, many students lost their lives because of carelessness. Some were even called geniuses, but ended up defeated by a 'small fry.'

Raymond didn't want to witness such tragedies again.

"Understood!" everyone responded.

"For this mission, the academy will provide Freja bullets and alchemical weapons."

Raymond concluded, "If there are no questions, go prepare your gear. We meet at the school gate at 10 AM sharp to head to Brooklyn."

After the meeting ended, Chu Zihang spoke briefly with Susie. As Adam walked over, Susie smiled warmly, like a blooming daisy. She casually brushed her long hair behind her ear, revealing her delicate earlobe, and greeted him politely, "Hello, Adam, I'm Susie."

"Hello."

Adam returned the greeting with a gentlemanly smile.

"Is this your first time on a mission?"

Susie's voice was gentle, like an older sister from the neighborhood. Her gaze was soft. "Don't be afraid, I'll protect you."

"Thank you."

After leaving the operations meeting room, Raymond headed straight for the principal's office.

The man sitting behind the mahogany desk wore a neat black suit, a bright red rose pinned to his chest. His facial features were sharp, and his white hair was neatly combed. 

The years had left deep marks on his face, making it hard to believe that this old man was already 130 years old.

If not for the occasional glint in his silver-gray eyes, he might have looked like an old, charming playboy.

But Raymond knew well that this seemingly carefree old man held terrifying power within. The folding knife in his hand was the deadliest dragon-slaying weapon in the world.

Hilbert Ron Anjou, the founder of Cassell College, and the greatest dragon slayer in history.

Raymond took a deep breath, his expression a little tense. "Principal, as per your request, Adam has joined this mission."

Hilbert was peeling an apple and said lightly, "Alright, I know."

Raymond's face twitched. If he wasn't mistaken, the knife the principal was using to peel the apple seemed to be the folding knife?

"Is there anything else?"

Hilbert stopped what he was doing and looked up at him.

"No, nothing else," Raymond said. Then he hesitated for a moment before finally speaking up. "Principal, Adam's bloodline is only B-rank, and his abilities aren't suited for direct combat. I really don't understand why you insisted on having him join this mission."

"Do you want to know?"

Hilbert tilted his head, looking at him with a faint smile.

"Yes."

Raymond instinctively nodded.

"I'm not telling you."

Hilbert laughed like a mischievous child, clearly pleased with himself.

Raymond's lips twitched. What could he do about his own principal? He couldn't just hit him, could he?

Besides, he wouldn't be able to win in a fight anyway!

The Execution Bureau officer left, looking embarrassed. Only then did Hilbert slowly stop laughing, take a file from his drawer, and place it on the desk. He looked at the gentle smile on the face in the file, his silver-gray eyes darkening slightly, as if hiding some unknown emotion. "Adam."

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