The lord of life and death

Damian leaned forward slightly, his eyes sharp with focus. "Where did you find the pocket watch?"

Jannet hesitated for a moment before answering, "I bought it from a place called Timeless."

Rain's mind flickered in curiosity. Timeless? He hadn't heard of it before but figured it was a niche shop.

Damian's expression darkened. "Timeless... it's not a place many people know about. How did you learn of it?"

"I didn't know about it at first," Jannet explained. "But I mentioned to one of my friends, Paul Newland, that Kassim liked ancient mechanical items, and Paul told me about Timeless. He even took me there."

At that moment, both Damian and Park spoke at once, their voices overlapping.

Damian said, "Newland family," while Park added, "Your ex-boyfriend."

Rain raised an eyebrow, feeling a knot of intrigue tightening in his chest. "Newland family... and ex-boyfriend?"

Damian leaned back slightly. "The Newland family—they're on par with the Cressey family, a big name with influence. They're not a family to be taken lightly."

Jannet looked defensive but kept her composure. "Yes, Paul is my ex-boyfriend, but we broke up two years ago. He's recently engaged. He doesn't have any reason to harm Kassim or me."

Damian's gaze didn't waver. "We'll be the judge of whether he had a reason or not. For now, tell us more about him and how you met."

Jannet sighed, collecting her thoughts. "Paul is an ordinary person, not highly regarded by the Newland family because he is not a genetic warrior. But he's a chief researcher at Newland Agriculture, working on genetically engineering radiation-resistant plants so ordinary people can consume them. His goal is to help more people become genetic warriors by speeding up nutricious rates. He's a kind, thoughtful man."

She continued, "After college, I started working at the Newland Agriculture Center, where I met Paul. We became friends, and after my breakup with Kassim, I was really down. Paul stayed by my side, just as a friend at first. Then, when the center sent me to university for further studies, we kept in touch. After four years, when I returned, we started a relationship that lasted for five years."

She paused, looking introspective. "Our breakup wasn't messy. It was mutual. I cared for Paul, but I didn't love him the way I loved Kassim. He must have sensed that. When he met Claire, things changed naturally. That was two years ago."

Rain and Damian exchanged a glance, silently digesting the information they had gathered so far. There was something about Jannet's connection to the Newland family—and specifically Paul—that hinted at more beneath the surface. But for now, they'd learned all they could. 

Damian, leaning back in his chair, broke the silence, "You two can go. If we need anything more, we'll call you again."

As Jannet and Park left the office, Rain spoke up, "I have a feeling the pocket watch is the key here. If we can find it, we might uncover the real reason behind Kassim's death."

Damian nodded thoughtfully. "The evidence does seem to point toward the pocket watch, but we can't be certain until we know more. You focus on reviewing the CCTV footage from the last three months. Pay special attention to the watch. Meanwhile, I'll call Timeless and ask about the pocket watch Jannet mentioned. After that, I'll reach out to Paul Newland for questioning and get in touch with his colleagues to see if they know anything about the watch."

Rain nodded and headed back to his desk, immersing himself in the surveillance footage of Kassim. He paid close attention to the pocket watch, noting how Kassim wore it like a necklace locket around his neck, seemingly always keeping it close. As he reviewed the footage, he also kept an ear out for Damian's phone call with Timeless.

When Damian hung up, Rain turned to him, waiting for an update. Damian caught his gaze and, with a slight frown, said, "It's just an ordinary pocket watch, priced at 380 credits."

Rain's eyebrows furrowed in disbelief. "Ordinary? That doesn't add up."

Damian nodded in agreement, his expression thoughtful. "It might seem like an ordinary watch to the shop, but there's definitely something more to it. We're missing a piece of the puzzle."

Rain returned to his desk, determined to uncover the mystery. As he combed through the CCTV footage, he reached the point one month before Kassim's death. That's when he spotted something strange: for two days, the pocket watch was missing from Kassim's neck. When it reappeared, the base had changed—from its original silver metal to a dark green crystal glass.

Curious, Rain dug deeper, searching for any information about dark green crystal glass and whether there were any known deadly materials resembling it. His search yielded a chilling result. The top entry was about the Time Poison Crystal, a rare and dangerous material found in the Time Domain.

The Time Domain was infamous for its irregular flow of time—sometimes speeding up, sometimes slowing down. Anyone who entered the domain would instantly know how much time they had left to live. The most dangerous creatures in the domain were Time Scorpions, whose venom had no known cure. Every strike from these creatures shortened a person's lifespan directly.

Rain's heart raced as he read further. The Time Poison Crystal was even more terrifying. It absorbed the lifespan of its victims without causing any visible abnormalities, like premature aging. A person could die suddenly, their life drained without warning. Worse, if someone obtained such a crystal which already absorbed a person lifespan, they could use it in a dark ritual to increase their own lifespan and even boost their genetic talent.

The implications were horrifying. Was this what had happened to Kassim? Could the pocket watch have been infused with the deadly Time Poison Crystal, silently draining his life away?

Rain knew that despite his physique being resistant to most poisons, the Time Poison Crystal was a different threat altogether. It didn't target the body's systems directly, but rather drained a person's lifespan, something for which there was no antidote. His only solace was that the liquid form of the poison, derived from the Time Scorpion, was not available. Since Time Scorpions were A-rank monsters, few were willing to risk hunting them for the poison. Fortunately, only the crystal form was in circulation, and it required direct contact with the victim to be effective.

This realization made Rain cautious. He now understood that he needed to keep an eye out for any dark green crystals or unidentified objects, as danger could come from the most unexpected places in this world.

Standing up, ready to share his discovery, Rain noticed Damian looking at him. They both spoke at the same time, "Time Poison Crystal."

A brief moment of surprise passed between them before they burst out laughing. The fact that they both had come to the same conclusion meant they were on the right track. They had found the cause of Kassim's death.

Still smiling, Rain gestured for Damian to speak first. Damian nodded and explained, "Kassim's office colleagues told me that about a month ago, the base of the pocket watch was damaged. Since Kassim was an engineer, he repaired it himself. He mentioned that the dark green crystal was a gift from a friend, and that it was a weird item that helped soothe his mind and improve his concentration."

Rain nodded thoughtfully. "That matches what I found in the footage. The change in the watch happened around the same time. Now we need to track down this 'friend.'"

Just then, a knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Rain called out, "Enter," and two men walked into the room.

Rain asked, "Who are you?"

One of the men stepped forward. "I'm Paul, you called me. This is my lawyer."

Damian raised an eyebrow, "Oh! You got here quickly."

Paul nodded, "I was working in one of the labs on this floor."

The lawyer cut in, "Why did you call us here?"

Rain and Damian exchanged a glance from across the room—Rain's desk to the south, Damian's to the east. They both now had a clearer understanding of the situation. Based on the records, Paul hadn't interacted with Kassim recently. He remained mostly at the upper company floors, so there was no direct contact between the two men.

Damian hesitated briefly before asking, "Did you gift or send any item to Kassim, directly or indirectly, in recent months?"

Paul quickly shook his head. "No, Kassim and I haven't had much interaction over the years. I wouldn't have sent him anything, let alone a gift."

Damian, satisfied with the response, nodded. "Apologies for the confusion, Paul. We've ruled you out as a suspect, and I should have notified you before. I didn't expect you to arrive so fast. You're free to go." As Damian also know from the personal information of Kassim from his friends Paul and Kassim went they meet only the necessary plesantry rest of the time two do not talk. 

Paul and his lawyer exchanged a glance before both stood up from their chairs, ready to leave. 

Rain stopped them, "Mr. Paul, may I ask you one more question?"

Paul hesitated but nodded, "Yes."

Rain leaned forward, "You're an outsider to Jannet's circle of friends from school, correct?"

Paul confirmed, "Yes."

Rain continued, "From their interactions, have you noticed if anyone in that group has bad intentions toward Kassim?"

Paul fell silent, clearly thinking hard. "I don't want to speak ill of anyone, but... Park has always been a bit jealous of Kassim's success. Kassim worked for a large company and had more recognition, while Park ended up in a smaller firm that specializes in building old-world mechanical items."

Damian raised an eyebrow, "Like Timeless?"

Paul shook his head, "No, not even close. Park's company is several grades lower. Their quality doesn't compare to Timeless. But... if you suspect someone close to Kassim, my first thought would be Park. He always liked Jannet, though she only ever saw him as a friend."

Rain and Damian exchanged a knowing glance, then thanked Paul. They watched as he and his lawyer left the office, the air thick with the weight of this new lead. 

Rain broke the silence, "Among the footage and M-BIT location records, Kassim only met with Park during those two days when he wasn't wearing the pocket watch. Should we go to his house to arrest him?"

Damian considered the idea before shaking his head. "No, let's call him in first. According to M-BIT, he's at his house. I'll send some patrol officers to keep an eye on him after we make the call. We'll also monitor the live CCTV footage around his place. He's just an ordinary person; there's no way he got his hands on a Time Poison Crystal without help. Someone else must be involved."

Rain nodded and turned the screen to display the gate of Park's rundown flat. The building spanned from the lower 9th floor to the upper 7th floor, and access was only possible through the lower levels. The condition of the flat suggested it had seen better days.

Damian tried calling Park. "He's not picking up," he said with frustration.

Rain glanced over. "Try again. Maybe he's busy."

A few minutes passed in silence, with Damian looking distracted as he repeatedly tried to reach Park through his BIT. Meanwhile, Rain watched two patrol officers appear on the display screen, heading toward Park's flat. These officers were regular police, not genetically enhanced like them.

Finally, Rain spoke up. "Damian, let's have the patrol check his room."

Damian nodded. "You're right. I'll send them a message."

Rain called one of the patrol officers through his BIT and watched as the officer picked up, putting the device to his ear. Rain quickly sent a message, instructing them to check Park's room. He soon received a reply in his mind: 'OK.'

The call ended, and both Rain and Damian shifted their focus to the camera feed following the patrol officers. They entered the building and took the lift to the 4th floor, heading toward room 496. The officers knocked, then knocked again, and continued knocking intermittently for about 10 minutes—still, no reply.

Rain turned to Damian, "Let's have them enter the room and check."

Damian agreed. "I'll send the message."

On-screen, one of the officers took out his M-BIT, read the message, and exchanged a few words with his partner. One of them then pulled out a silver card, held it up to the door lock, and opened the room.

As the officers entered, Rain noticed the layout was similar to his own apartment but much older and rundown. The patrol officers called out for Park, but no one answered. They moved through the small space, eventually reaching the bedroom—nothing. Then, they opened the bathroom door.

Suddenly, Rain heard a sharp intake of breath from the patrol officer as the image on the screen revealed Park lying in the bathtub. The water had turned a deep, bloody red. 

Damian cursed under his breath, "Oh, shit. Let's go."

Without wasting another second, Rain and Damian bolted out of their office, heading straight for Park's house, their minds racing with the grim realization of what they might find.