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[Realism] [High-IQ Crime]
[Peak Mental Duel]
[No Female Lead] [Logic Enthusiast]
 
The police received a call. A person who claimed to be the Ghost said that he was going to kill someone in three days. What's more, the other party hoped that the police could immediately dispatch officers to protect this person, and he intended to complete the hunt under the police's tight protection.
 
In response to this, the police attached great importance to it and made thorough arrangements. When the three-day period arrived, the result was beyond everyone's belief. The target was dead!
 
However, this was just the beginning.
 
The Ghost's goal was to complete 99 perfect crimes and kill 99 enemies.
 
Thus, one perfect crime after another occurred, and the biggest serial murder case in history came into being!

The Ghost in the Dark Night: The Ultimate Revenge Strategy

Victor Black stood at the front of the classroom, his voice calm but magnetic. Sunlight filtered through the windows, casting a glow on the students' eager faces. At twenty-five, he was young for a teacher—tall, sharp-featured, and disarmingly charismatic. His passion for mathematics bordered on reverence.

"Any questions on sequence combinations?" he asked, scanning the room.

Heads shook in unison. Victor smiled. "Good. Let's dive into something extra. Who knows what mathematics was called in ancient times?"

"Correct." Victor paced the aisle, his tone turning theatrical. "The term *arithmetic* comes from the Greek *arithmos*—meaning 'number.' Ancient scholars believed mastering math could unlock the universe's secrets. Become omniscient. Omnipotent. Do *you* believe that?"

A chorus of skeptical *no*s filled the room.

Victor's smile deepened. "Fair. But let's reframe: Could advanced mathematics predict the future? Hypothetically?"

Silence. Then a lanky boy raised his hand.

"If you calculate every variable in an event," Tyler said, "the outcome becomes predictable. Like solving an equation."

Another student, Liam, countered, "But variables are infinite. One interference ruins the prediction."

Victor nodded. "True. Unless…" He paused, eyes glinting like fractured ice. "...you factor *all* interferences into the equation."

The class stilled. For a heartbeat, Victor's gaze seemed to hold galaxies—cold, calculative, untouchable.

*Scotland Yard, Case Analysis Room — Same Morning*

Detective Thomas Wilson jabbed a marker at the whiteboard. "Ghost called at 1:28 AM. Threatened John Wilson, CEO of Wilson Real Estate. Gave us three days to 'defend' him. Captain's orders: full protection detail, trace the calls, monitor for contact."

Captain James Morrison leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Two anonymous numbers. Burner phones. Signal sources in dead zones—no cameras. This guy's meticulous. And arrogant."

A young officer frowned. "Why announce the murder? Why not just kill quietly?"

"Power play," Emily muttered. "He wants a game."

James nodded. "Our priority: keep John Wilson alive. Suggestions?"

"Bring him here," offered a burly detective. "Lock him in holding."

Thomas shook his head. "Wilson refused. Says he won't hide. Wants to end this *now*."

Groans rippled through the room.

"Fine," James snapped. "We play the game. Secure his estate. No outsiders. Patrol perimeter. Check food for poison. Sweep for snipers. Rotate shifts. And—" he added darkly, "—set a trap. Leave one vulnerability. Bait the Ghost into showing himself."

The team erupted into action—assigning roles, mapping strategies, debating contingencies. By afternoon, the plan was airtight.

*John Wilson's Estate — Evening*

Four patrol cars idled outside the wrought-iron gates. Snipers perched on rooftops. Officers scoured the grounds with dogs. Inside, John Wilson sipped whiskey by a fireplace, his face taut with defiance.

"Three days," he muttered. "Let the bastard try."

Victor Black sat in a dim room, walls plastered with equations and surveillance photos of John Wilson. A chessboard sat before him, pieces arranged in a fractal pattern.

Chapter 2: The Mystery of Mathematics