Death Justice System

Chapter 8

Marcus's fingers tightened around Valerie's waist as the rumpled sheets shifted beneath them.

The bedroom was dim, illuminated only by the warm glow spilling from the bedside lamp in the corner. Valerie's breathing was heavy and ragged, yet her instincts quickly caught that something was wrong. Marcus was usually highly controlled, even in the most intimate of moments. Tonight, however, there was an odd impatience in his every move. A roughness that made it painfully clear his mind was elsewhere.

Valerie turned her head, studying the man's face. "What's wrong with you tonight?"

Marcus didn't answer.

"Did the conference go poorly?"

"My conference was perfect," Marcus replied. His voice was flat, almost mechanical.

Valerie watched his face for a few moments. "Then what is bothering you?"

Marcus finally looked at her. His dark eyes emanated a tension he rarely displayed. "One name."

Valerie frowned. "Whose?"

Marcus remained silent. Valerie studied his expression, rewinding recent conversations and events in her mind, until her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Adrian Kaelen?" she guessed.

Marcus's body went stiff for a split second. A microscopic reaction that did not escape Valerie's notice.

"So it is him," Valerie murmured. Marcus's jaw tightened. "He's just a student," Valerie continued, her tone laced with disdain. "A rather pathetic one, if you ask me. He barely even stands out in my class. Why would someone as useless as him bother you so much?"

Marcus still didn't answer. Instead of speaking, his movements became more demanding, allowing his frustration to spill over into the intimacy between them.

Valerie caught her breath. "Marcus..."

"I want you to find out everything about him." Marcus's voice was low and dangerous.

"Everything?"

"Everything."

Valerie swallowed hard. "His academic record?"

"Yes."

"His family?"

"Yes."

"His friends?"

"Yes."

Valerie hesitated for a moment. "Why?"

Marcus's gaze sharpened like a blade. "Just do it."

Valerie stared at him in silence. Marcus leaned closer, locking onto her gaze. "Find out who he really is."

Valerie nodded slowly. "All right."

"Not tomorrow."

Valerie instantly understood the urgency in his tone. "I'll do it tonight."

Hearing that, Marcus finally looked satisfied. His hand moved to stroke Valerie's hair as his expression slowly reverted to the calm mask he always wore.

Meanwhile, Elias stopped in front of the door to Room 402.

Leo stood beside him, still clutching the empty paper coffee cup he had brought from the library.

"Well," Leo said, breaking the silence, "that wasn't as terrible as I expected."

Elias glanced at him flatly. "Your understanding of forensic pathology is far worse than I thought."

Leo let out a hollow laugh. "Hey, I warned you."

Elias reached for the doorknob. He was just about to turn it when a familiar red notification suddenly flashed aggressively across his vision.

[WARNING.]

Elias's movement froze in mid-air.

[Unidentified individual detected.]

[Prohibited from bringing another individual into the Host's room.]

His hand remained suspended right above the metal knob.

Leo turned to look at him in confusion. "What's wrong?"

Elias kept staring at the door. He remembered the previous warning. The pain that had torn through his temples. The System's absolute refusal when he had tried to access Adrian's personal information. He had learned the hard way that ignoring this entity's rules always carried consequences.

Maybe this restriction was different. Maybe it wasn't. But he had absolutely no intention of testing it right now. Elias slowly pulled his hand away.

[WARNING.]

[Second warning.]

Elias completely withdrew his hand, shoving it into his jacket pocket.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Why aren't you going in?"

Elias didn't answer.

A mischievous smirk appeared on Leo's face. "Wait a minute." He leaned in, trying to peek over Elias's shoulder. "Are you hiding a girl in there?"

"No."

"A secret girlfriend?"

"No."

"A dead body?"

Elias shot him a stare as cold as ice.

Leo laughed awkwardly. "I'm just kidding." The young man then reached for the doorknob himself.

Elias moved with lightning speed. He stepped between Leo and the entrance, completely blocking access with his body.

Leo stopped dead in his tracks. "Whoa."

Elias looked straight at him. "Library."

"What?"

"We finish your assignment there."

Leo stared at the tightly shut door, then looked back at Elias with a furrowed brow. "Why?"

"Because I said so."

Leo's eyes narrowed. For a moment, the young man looked as though he was gearing up to shove Elias aside and force his way in. However, after meeting Elias's uncompromising gaze, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. Whatever you say."

They turned and walked back down the hallway toward the library. Neither of them noticed the faint red notification still hovering at the edge of Elias's vision, waiting patiently for him.

[Identity Integrity Protocol remains active.]

The campus library was nearly empty.

Most of the students had already returned to their respective dormitories, leaving only a handful of people scattered among the long rows of tables flanked by towering bookshelves.

Elias sat across from Leo and pulled the assignment sheet toward him. He was just about to scan the title of the task when his eyes suddenly locked. He read the professor's name printed there. Then he read it again.

His expression shifted instantly. Leo, who had been watching him, noticed it right away. "What's wrong?"

Elias didn't answer. His eyes remained fixed on the bottom of the page. A name was clearly printed right below the assignment instructions.

Professor Valerie Sterling.

The name was not unfamiliar. Elias had heard it before. More than once. A forensic academic. A researcher whose work had occasionally intersected with the cases he handled in the past.

And, years ago, Elias had met her in person once. Only once. But he remembered the woman. He remembered the look in her eyes. Her voice. And far more importantly, he clearly remembered who was standing beside Valerie Sterling when they first met.

Marcus Vance.

Elias slowly lowered the paper. For the first time tonight, the vortex of his thoughts shifted away from Marcus. A mere coincidence?

Leo was still staring at him searchingly. "Adrian?"