Chapter 1: The Cruel Discovery

The stench of the sewer was almost unbearable, a mix of rotting waste and something more sinister that clung to the air like a shroud. Detective Jayden Williams stood at the edge of the open manhole, his face set in a grimace as he watched his fellow officers wade through the muck below. Their flashlights danced across the grimy walls, casting eerie shadows that seemed to shift and move with every step.

Jayden's stomach churned, but it wasn't just the smell that was getting to him. It was the knowledge of what they were searching for down there. The pieces of a woman, dismembered and discarded like so much trash. He clenched his jaw, his fingers tightening around the栏杆 of the ladder that led down into the abyss.

"Captain Williams," a voice called from behind him. Jayden turned to see one of the forensic team, Dr. Avery, approaching with a solemn expression. "We've found something you need to see."

With a nod, Jayden followed the doctor through the bustling police station, the noise and activity a stark contrast to the quiet horror of the sewer. They entered the lab, where the harsh fluorescent lights illuminated a series of tables covered in plastic sheets. Jayden's gut twisted as Dr. Avery lifted one corner of the sheet, revealing a gruesome sight.

There, laid out in a rough approximation of a human form, were the pieces of the victim. The sight was enough to make even the most hardened of officers look away, but Jayden forced himself to look, to take in every detail. This was his job, his duty to the victim and to justice.

"The victim is a woman, likely between twenty-two and twenty-five years old," Dr. Avery began, his voice clinical and detached. "She bled to death after suffering horrific abuse. There are marks on her wrists and ankles from being restrained. Also, her body was bruised and her head was repeatedly hit with a blunt object. Moreover, we found traces of drugs in her bloodstream."

Jayden's eyes lingered on the woman's face, or what was left of it. Her head was badly damaged, beyond recognition. He felt a wave of nausea rise in his throat, but he swallowed it back down. He couldn't afford to show weakness, not here, not now.

"The most disturbing part," Dr. Avery continued, "is that the victim was pregnant. Her uterus was cut open, not cleanly but with signs of struggle and infection. That means, while she was still alive, the murderer performed a crude forced surgery. They cut open her belly, removed the fetus and replaced it with a mysterious powder."

Jayden's heart pounded in his chest as the doctor's words sank in. The brutality of the act was unlike anything he'd encountered before. This wasn't just a murder; it was a message, a taunt directed at the police.

"After sewing her back up, somehow, she managed to survive for at least seventy-two hours after this ruthless act. Then, they beheaded her while she was still conscious and dismembered her body."

Jayden's mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle. Who would do such a thing? And why? The brutality suggested a personal vendetta, but the precision and calculation pointed to something more sinister, something organized.

"The powder left inside her for those seventy-two hours," Dr. Avery explained further, "caused unimaginable suffering, inhumane torture."

Captain Zac Miller of the criminal investigation division slammed his fist on the table in anger and disbelief. "This is crazy! A brutal murder!"

Disgust and fury filled the officers' faces. "Such cruelty, especially to a pregnant woman! It was most likely to be a revenge killing!" one yelled.

"How much hate can one person have to be this ruthless to a pregnant woman?" another echoed.

"And the audacity!" someone else growled. "Throwing the dead body in the police station's sewer? That's a direct challenge to us!"

Amidst the uproar, Jayden remained silent as his gaze fixed on the lab report detailing the unknown powder. His jaw clenched as he saw the drug identified and its purity listed.

A single, chilling sentence came out of his lips, "It's them. It's The Death Reaper."

A heavy silence fell over the room. The name mentioned hung in the air, a chilling reminder for every anti-narcotics police officer. Every year, countless comrades' lives were reaped by a drug known as 'The Dark Reaper. This highly addictive drug developed by a transnational criminal organization boasted the highest purity on the market, making it the most popular and deadliest choice among similar substances.

However, after ten years of relentless police work, there was finally a breakthrough. Three months before, this transnational drug cartel was finally dismantled. The leader was taken down in a shootout, and all their stock of drugs was destroyed.

Now, here they were, staring at the dismembered remains of a woman. This gruesome case likely involved members of the group that evaded capture in the past.

They were back, and this attack seemed like a deliberate act of revenge against the police.