Zein vs Zelena

Captain Lenny's gaze remained fixed on the paper, her fingers tracing the edges as if anchoring herself to reality.

The results printed in stark black ink told a story, a grim narrative woven with forensic precision. She read the lines carefully, her brow furrowing ever so slightly as she pieced together the implications.

The air in the alcove seemed heavier now, pressing down on her as the weight of the findings settled in.

She leaned back against the cold, unyielding wall, the faint hum of the building's ventilation her only companion.

The stillness allowed her mind to race freely, connecting dots that had once seemed disparate, forming a picture she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to see.

Her lips pressed into a thin line as she folded the paper once more, tucking it carefully back into her coat pocket.

This wasn't the clarity she'd been hoping for. No, this result brought more questions than answers, the kind that left a bitter taste in one's mouth.

"Always more layers," she murmured under her breath, her tone a mixture of frustration and determination.

The case was a labyrinth, and each revelation seemed to shift the walls, making escape or resolution, feel maddeningly out of reach.

Rising to her feet, Captain Lenny adjusted her coat and cast a glance towards the narrow window. The light filtering through was pale and cold, mirroring the sterile nature of her surroundings.

Yet, beyond that pane of glass, the city thrummed with life, utterly indifferent to the horrors she was unravelling.

There was no room for hesitation now. Every moment spent pondering was a moment lost in the pursuit of justice.

With a deep breath, she squared her shoulders and stepped out of the alcove, her boots clicking purposefully against the floor once more.

Her mind was set. The next steps wouldn't be easy, and she'd need every ounce of her resolve to face what lay ahead.

But one thing was certain, Captain Lenny wouldn't rest until the truth was laid bare, no matter how dark or twisted it might be.

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(Back to Mr. Abdullah's Residence)

Dr. Zein ascended the staircase to his room on the third floor, his thoughts heavy with purpose. The dim lighting of the corridor reflected his current state of mind-shadowed and uncertain.

He closed the door behind him, the faint click sounding final, as though sealing him within his own turmoil.

As usual, his mind drifted to the intricate plans he was formulating. Strategies, contingencies, and potential outcomes all vied for attention, like chess pieces on a board.

Chief among his thoughts was the burning question of what he would do when he finally confronted the one responsible for his wife's death.

His fists clenched involuntarily at the thought, his breath momentarily catching in his throat.

Dr. Zein leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to steady himself. The room was silent, save for the distant hum of the city below. He allowed himself a moment of stillness, though his thoughts continued to churn.

When he opened his eyes, his heart nearly leapt from his chest. A figure sat before him, her piercing gaze fixed squarely on his face.

"Dr. Zelena!" he exclaimed, startled. "When did you get here?"

She was seated with an air of confidence, her back straight and her arms crossed. Her intense eyes seemed to dissect him as though he were a specimen under her microscope. "Long enough," she replied coolly.

Dr. Zein straightened, regaining his composure. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that," he muttered, though his voice lacked conviction.

Dr. Zelena ignored his remark. Instead, her gaze shifted momentarily to a photograph on his desk before returning to him. "Who is she?"

Dr. Zein blinked, caught off guard by the question. "She? Oh, you mean Heendon?" He shrugged, feigning nonchalance. "She's an old acquaintance, nothing more."

"An acquaintance," Dr. Zelena repeated, her tone dripping with scepticism. "You seem... remarkably close for mere acquaintances. One might even mistake you for her husband."

Her words hung in the air, laden with insinuation. Dr. Zein laughed, though the sound was more forced than genuine. "Is that jealousy I hear, Dr. Zelena?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Dr. Zein, ever the one to deflect tension with a smirk, teased Dr. Zelena a few more times before turning away to retrieve his guitar from its stand.

The motion was fluid, but as his fingers brushed the strings, a voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait…!" Dr. Zelena's tone was sharp, cutting through the air like a knife.

Dr. Zein, curious yet slightly apprehensive, turned back. "What is it?"

"Let me see your left ear," Dr. Zelena demanded, her voice firm. Without waiting for a reply, she reached forward and, with surprising strength, seized his ear.

"Oi! Zelena, that hurts!" Dr. Zein gritted his teeth, irritation flashing across his face. "What the hell are you doing?"

She didn't answer him immediately. Instead, her fingers gently traced the contours of his ear, her expression one of grim recognition.

A few seconds later, she found what she was looking for a scar, faint but unmistakable, just behind the lobe.

Her breath caught in her throat, and for the first time, Dr. Zein saw a crack in her usually composed exterior.

Dr. Zelena's body stiffened, her gaze fixed on the mark. The tremor in her voice betrayed her as she asked, "Tell me, Dr. Zein. Where did you get this scar?"

Dr. Zein's pulse quickened, the question sending an uncomfortable ripple through his chest.

The calm, collected Dr. Zelena, who had always been so unshakable was now visibly affected, and it unsettled him. He knew there was something more to her reaction, something he had yet to understand.

His mind raced, and his instincts screamed for him to hide the truth. He couldn't tell her the real story, not now, not yet. The weight of the secret was too great, and the consequences too uncertain.

"Uh… that?" He forced a casual laugh, trying to mask his discomfort. "I got it a few years ago. My ear accidentally caught a nail during some renovations. Why, is there something wrong with it?"

Dr. Zein's words hung in the air, but they felt hollow, even to him. His eyes darted to her face, watching for any sign that she would press further.

Dr. Zelena remained silent, her expression unreadable. She didn't respond at first, simply continuing to stare at him with an unsettling, unwavering gaze.

The silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken thoughts. Her lips parted, but instead of speaking, she just shook her head, as if to dispel the thoughts she had been grappling with.

Dr. Zein could feel the tension, the invisible walls closing in around them. He had no idea what was going through her mind, but the uncertainty gnawed at him.

Whatever she suspected, it was clear that it was more than he had bargained for.

With a final glance, Dr. Zelena turned away, her footsteps echoing as she left the room, leaving Dr. Zein to grapple with the confusion she had sparked within him.

The guitar still sat untouched in its stand, but now, the strings seemed to hum a different tune, one of doubt and unanswered questions.

Dr. Zein sighed heavily, the weight of the moment pressing down on him. For the first time in a long while, he didn't know which path to take. And the fear of what lay ahead seemed darker than ever.

For a brief moment, the silence between them hung heavy, thick with unspoken words and tension.

Then, without warning, Dr. Zelena's patience snapped. In an instant, her eyes hardened, her jaw clenched, and with a swift, fluid motion, she struck.

Her hand moved with the precision of a trained fighter, a sharp, deadly blow aimed directly at Dr. Zein's face.

The force behind the strike was enough to send a jolt of shock through him, but he was quick to react, his instincts kicking in just in time.

Whoosh

The sound of Dr. Zelena's punch cut through the air with a swift whoosh. And...

Thud..

Dr. Zein caught Dr. Zelena's hand with reflexes just as fast as hers.

"Oi, Zelena... What are you doing?!", Dr. Zein asked, still in a state of shock.

"You managed to catch my punch?! So, you know how to defend yourself, huh? Good!! You're only confirming my suspicions!!", Dr. Zelena said, surprised, then smirked. It was now certain, Dr. Zein was the one.

Without further ado, Dr. Zelena kicked directly towards Dr. Zein's face, but he managed to dodge the attack.

"Zelena... What's gotten into you..?!! Hey, you...!!", Dr. Zein half-shouted.

"You're making me more intrigued, Dr. Zein...", Dr. Zelena said, growing more excited before performing a backflip.

By chance, Dr. Zelena's foot hit the wall of the room. Using it as leverage, she propelled herself forward and attacked Dr. Zein, grabbing a thin wooden stick about one meter long from nearby.

Seeing Dr. Zelena armed with the thin wooden stick, Dr. Zein quickly grabbed whatever he could find near him to use as a weapon. By luck, he picked up a broomstick from beside him.

'Damn!! Only a broomstick!! Thanks!', Dr. Zein thought to himself, forcing a bitter smile as he resigned himself to the situation.

Clash clash clash

The sound of wood clashing against wood was strangely captivating. Dr. Zelena was incredibly swift, using anything at her disposal as a weapon.

'Damn... Ninjas are no joke!' Dr. Zein thought, fighting while his mind raced.

Clash clash clash clash

The sound of wood clashing reached the floor below, prompting Heendon and Zara, who were in their respective rooms on the second floor, to rush out and head for the third floor.

Meanwhile, Dr. Zein and Dr. Zelena continued their fierce and intense battle inside the room.

Everything in the room was in utter chaos, as though a ship had been wrecked. Even Dr. Zein's semi-acoustic guitar had been shattered into several pieces.

"Enough, Zelena!!!" Dr. Zein barked, his anger boiling over.

With all his strength, he wrenched the stick from Dr. Zelena's grasp and, in a swift motion, threw a punch towards her head.

Thud

The punch landed with a sharp crack, but it was not the intended target, Doctor Zelena's head, that bore the brunt of the strike.

Instead, it collided with something far sturdier, the knee of another person.

Zara had arrived just in time, her reflexes honed to perfection. In a swift, calculated motion, she launched herself into the air, using the sharp edge of her kneecap to intercept Doctor Zein's punch.

For a moment, everything fell silent. The room seemed to hold its breath. The only sound that remained was the strained air between the opponents.

Doctor Zein, whose eyes now gleamed a vibrant shade of green, stood frozen, an aura of rage pulsing around him.

"Filzev... you are most uncouth in your treatment of women. Is this truly how you've conducted yourself all this time?" Heendon taunted, his voice laced with mockery after a brief glance at the scene.

"Mind your own business!" Zara snapped, her voice full of sharp authority, turning on Heendon.

Heendon raised an eyebrow, his piercing gaze locking with Zara's. "Hmm? Your manner of speaking is... strange to me," he remarked coolly, scrutinizing her with an unsettling intensity.

Zara's fists clenched, a surge of fury rising within her. It took all her willpower not to strike Heendon then and there, but she was stopped by a soft yet firm voice.

"Zara, enough. I am to blame here. I will handle Doctor Zein myself," Doctor Zelena said, her voice calm but resolute as she placed a hand on Zara's arm, preventing further confrontation.

"Zelena. What's going on? How did it come to this?" Zara asked, her words filled with concern and disbelief at the situation.

Doctor Zelena did not answer immediately. Her eyes remained fixed on Doctor Zein, whose angry glare never wavered.

The intensity of his gaze, now enhanced by the eerie glow of his green eyes, made something cold stir within her. A feeling of fear, deep and unsettling, crept into her chest.

Somewhere, deep inside, Doctor Zelena knew, her suspicions were dangerously close to the truth.

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(At Captain Lenny Liezandro's Residence)

Captain Lenny Liezandro returned to the comfort of her home, realising that the bustle of the world outside had been too much to bear.

The never-ending procession of people had shattered her concentration, distracting her from the task at hand. It was far easier to work in the quiet of his study, where she could think clearly without the world demanding her attention.

Seated at his desk, Captain Lenny pored over the lab results with increasing unease. She could feel a gnawing sense of confirmation, yet it was laced with an unsettling doubt.

His initial suspicions had, indeed, been correct, but there was something in the details that didn't sit well with him. The answers were there, but they only raised further questions.

She carefully read through the forensic examination data, focusing on the analysis of four cigarette butts and a solitary beer glass. The results were precise, yet far from comforting.

The findings revealed the identities of several individuals tied to the items found at the scene. Among them:

- The fingerprint matches on three of the cigarette butts and the beer glass had been confirmed as belonging to the victims of the grisly murders.

The names were Benny Sudrajat, aged 30, Bayu Amanto, aged 26, and Hendriansyah, better known as Hendar, aged 34. Their photographs, personal details, work history, and addresses were all neatly compiled in the report.

- The final match, however, came from the last cigarette butt and the beer glass, linking it to the primary suspect. The name : Robert Schoff, a 31-year-old man from Germany.

"Robert Schoff?" Captain Lenny muttered, her brow furrowing in confusion.

She continued to read the report, searching for a clue that would explain this puzzling discovery.

"Robert Schoff, aged 31, was presumed dead following a car accident in 2014. Photographs documenting the crash, as well as the funeral proceedings, had been included in the report." Captain Lenny paused, her mind racing. "Then why are his fingerprints showing up here? Could it be... no, it's impossible. Robert Schoff, a ghost, come back from the grave to kill?" She shook her head in disbelief, dismissing the absurd thought even as it lingered at the edges of her mind.

"This case is far more complicated than I anticipated. It's getting out of hand," she sighed. "I'm going to need help military support, or even the National Intelligence Agency at this point."

Laying the report aside, Captain Lenny rubbed her forehead, trying to push away the growing frustration. She replayed the words of the coroner earlier in the day.

"The case likely involves a medical expert," the coroner had suggested. "But how do I even begin to investigate every doctor in this city? How many are there? And that's not even factoring in the government-run and private hospitals. Should I check them all? No, no, there's more to it than just doctors. The coroner said 'medical experts,' which could mean anyone, from nurses to midwives, to pharmacists, to lab technicians... bloody hell, where do I start?", Captain Lenny muttered in exasperation. "This case is a bloody nightmare."

Slamming her hand on the desk, Captain Lenny felt the weight of the investigation pressing down on him.

Despite the frustration, she knew that somewhere within the labyrinth of evidence, the truth lay hidden. She would find it, no matter how convoluted the search, or how deep the mysteries ran.

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