"Why are you asking me such pointless questions? I know absolutely nothing. Your mother murdered your nephew with her own hands."
"...how do you know that?"
"Oops," Solus tilted his head slightly with a mocking smile.
Keaton slammed his hand against the table with such force that the surface almost cracked from the impact.
"How do you know?!!"
"I said it as a joke. But based on your reaction just now, it seems that it was indeed the case."
"YOU–"
Keaton lunged forward instinctively, ready to punch Solus straight in the face, but he stopped himself at the last second, pulling at his own hair in pure frustration and anger.
"Officer, why are you getting so angry? Calm down."
"You shut the hell up before I pull your tongue out! I know who the culprit is! One lie is all I need!"
"Feel free to ask anything."
"Say it. Say that you murdered my mother."
"I am the one who killed your mother."
[Lie Detected.]
"Oh, look at that. Seems like I told a lie. Do you believe me now, officer?"
"I would rather die choking on my own blood than believe you're innocent! I studied that damn case day and night like a dog. Someone forced her into it. And I know it's you!"
"Do you have any actual evidence?"
"Shut. Up. Don't you dare say that filthy word in front of me again!"
"I am simply stating the facts. It is the law, officer,"
"Shut the hell up!"
"I am guessing your mother used a knife to kill her daughter first, then turned it on herself afterward. It is a guess, of course."
"Say it. Say that you forced her to do it."
"I forced her to murder her daughter,"
[Lie Detected.]
"I forced your mother to kill herself."
[Lie Detected.]
"I was the one who killed my teammates."
[Lie Detected.]
Keaton, shaking with rage, grabbed the flat device from the table and smashed it onto the ground with all his strength, the plastic and circuits exploding into hundreds of tiny shards.
Without thinking, Keaton stormed forward and grabbed the helmet off Solus' head before throwing it against the nearest wall. The helmet shattered on impact, scattering broken pieces across the floor like dead insects.
"Officer,"
Keaton, panting heavily, turned around to glare at him and saw that same mocking grin spread across Solus' face, as if he enjoyed every second of this.
That grin made something inside Keaton snap. He lunged forward again, wrapping his hands tightly around Solus' neck and squeezing with everything he had. Solus didn't even resist. He just stared back with the same smile as if he wasn't even human.
"What are you doing, officer? Are you really trying to harm an innocent person?" Solus asked calmly even though Keaton's fingers dug into his throat.
Keaton clenched tighter, shaking with raw fury, but just then, the door swung open. Someone in uniform burst into the room, shouting his name and grabbing at his arms to pull him off.
"Sir, please! You have to calm down! You can't lay a finger on him without valid evidence!"
Keaton ignored him completely, pressing down even harder on Solus' neck.
The officer behind him struggled to pull him off, but Keaton felt like a stone statue. With no other options in hand, the officer finally kicked Keaton's leg out from under him, breaking his balance.
Keaton collapsed to his knees, and the officer immediately dragged him away from Solus before he could do anything worse.
"Get away from me! Why the hell are you even here?!"
"Sir, calm down. I was forced to intervene after witnessing your reckless and unnecessary actions. He's clearly telling the truth."
"That damn machine is broken! I know he's guilty! I can feel it!"
"Sir, you cannot simply say whatever you want based purely on your unstable emotions. I know he was pushing things too far, but you have to remain calm and collected."
Keaton closed his eyes tightly and breathed deeply. His entire body shook violently with rage, but after putting in a lot of effort, he was barely able to convince the other person to let go. They stood up together, their movements stiff and heavy like they were dragging weights.
"I will be back soon. You stay here and keep an eye on him at all times without letting him do anything."
"Yes, sir."
When Keaton took a step toward the door, Solus slowly opened his mouth to speak again.
"Can you imagine how guilty your mother must have felt after stabbing her own daughter? More importantly, after hearing her daughter's final words, 'grandma,' before her weak voice slowly faded away?"
Keaton charged at him at full speed, so quickly that the other person could not even react. He lifted his hand high up and severed Solus' head from his body with a brutal and merciless strike. His breaths were heavy and uneven as he stared down at the beheaded corpse, blood gushing out and soaking the clothes without stopping.
"S-sir..?"
"...who was watching this besides you?"
"No one, sir. I was the only one in that room."
"What's his identity?"
"He lives in an old, broken home with his foster grandparents."
"Good. That shouldn't be any problem at all."
"What if his gra–"
"They do not have much. They have no power or resources. Nobody will dare to question us if we say he is dead. Clean up the mess properly and remove the footage immediately."
"...yes, sir."
Keaton walked out through the door. The other person stood silently for a moment before approaching the corpse. A small pool of blood had already formed around the chair, and the skull had been broken into tiny, shattered pieces. That person felt somewhat bad deep inside but couldn't do anything about it.
"Sir would be in serious trouble if this spread outside. I should erase all the evidence quickly to prevent it from leaking."
"You are right. It would cause a lot of trouble." Solus muttered quietly as he viewed the scene on his monitor through the hidden cameras.
He had expected an officer to investigate the incident at the resource collection station, and after some quick research, he was absolutely sure that Keaton would be the one chosen. To take the situation beyond normal limits, he would have to manipulate Keaton, but such a dangerous gambit would cost him his life. Sacrificing all of his progress for a moment's amusement was definitely not worth it.
Fortunately, having backup plans for backup plans had been his habit ever since he was a child. Another body was preserved deep in his lab, which he had initially forgotten but later discovered while cleaning things up.
He had used nanotechnology to reshape the body into a perfect replica of Julius and implant a memory chip, just as he had done with the previous two corpses. That was his first cloning attempt. Both minds were linked via chip, so he was the same person in two different bodies at the same time.
His original body stayed hidden deep inside the lab, while the spare body was sent out to handle the investigation directly without exposing himself.
Even though he had enough evidence to end Keaton's life immediately, he would also get into serious trouble if he did it now. Because Julius officially died based on the video evidence. He would have to keep the video to himself for now until he could safely steal someone else's identity. However, that did not imply that Keaton would feel any relief or peace.
"I can already imagine his face when he sees me again. It is so much fun to mess with other people's lives."
Having fun did not prevent him from focusing completely on reaching a higher Type. He had already spent all of his compensation money on the materials he needed to reach Type 2, and it would only be a matter of days before he achieved it.
A normal person would have taken at least a few years to get there, but Solus was not there to play by the normal rules. Because there are no parts available on the market to achieve Type 3. It was only possible if the person was a high-ranking combatant or a mad scientist obsessed with power.
To get there, Solus would have to gather everything on his own while playing hide and seek with the security forces. It was not long before he started playing the bigger game. But it was still quite a distance away. The most important thing for him right now was to get something to eat.
"The human body is definitely a hassle."
He sighed heavily before returning to the surface to eat something cold from his refrigerator.