Chapter 190: Repeating Storyline

Phoenix’s actions and words left Colombo shocked.

While it was possible for him to distrust things that he had merely heard, this was something that was happening right before his very eyes. Even if he wanted to deny it, he could not!

“Do you need a cup of coffee?” asked Chen Xiaolian. Watching the poor Colombo, Chen Xiaolian could not help but feel sympathetic toward him.

“Coffee? No no no… that’s not what I need, I need, I need something else.”

He trembled as he climbed up from the sofa and moved toward the wine cabinet. He retrieved a bottle of whiskey and poured a small cup for himself and gulped it down in one go. Due to his hastiness in finishing the cup, he ended up coughing a few times. He turned around to stare at Phoenix for a bit. Then, he turned his head back and poured himself another cup before gulping it down.

He calmed down somewhat after that.

Chen Xiaolian spent the next few minutes comforting Colombo. He used the same thing he said to Dr Mu to bluff Colombo.

A few minutes later, Colombo blinked as he looked at Chen Xiaolian. “… so, what you mean to say is, you people are not ordinary humans? You people are… superhumans? Meta humans? Heavens, if not for the fact that I am seeing it for myself, I would have believed that this is a Hollywood movie.”

“You have seen it for yourself,” Chen Xiaolian shrugged his shoulders.

Colombo gulped down another mouthful of whiskey before slamming the cup down on the table.

“May I have another look at those pictures?”

“Of course.”

Lun Tai immediately handed the mobile phone to Colombo.

Colombo then inspected the pictures carefully and his eyebrows furrowed up tightly.

“How about a cup?”

Chen Xiaolian suddenly heard Phoenix coming up beside him. In her hand was a bottle of whiskey she took from the wine cabinet. She also handed over a cup.

Phoenix cast a playful look at Chen Xiaolian and asked, “What is it? You are not about to tell me that you’re under aged and cannot drink, are you?”

Without saying anything, Chen Xiaolian accepted the cup and poured himself a cup.

Wine had a pungent taste – he was not into wine tasting, and knew nothing about it.

“You’re not drinking?” asked Chen Xiaolian as he threw a provocative expression at Phoenix.

Phoenix smiled. She raised the pomegranate juice in her hand and waved it before him. “Good girls do not drink wine.”

“Aaa!!!”

It was at that moment that Colombo suddenly exclaimed as he sprang up from the sofa.

“What is it?” asked Dr Mu, who quickly moved over. “What did you discover?”

“No no…” Colombo raised his head and said, “You… wait for a moment!”

Colombo rushed into a room. After a while, he came out with a laptop, which he placed on the table. Then, he turned it on.

After the computer was turned on, Colombo opened up a folder that was full of photos.

After searching around for a bit, he opened up one of the photos!

A photo appeared on the display screen of the laptop.

It was clearly depicting a murder scene. However, the photo was a very blurry, vintage, black and white photo. Additionally, there was a high rate of pixel loss on the photo.

The photo depicted a murder scene with one corpse that looked like a woman’s where the surroundings was covered with blood.

The corpse was dissected with its belly cut open!

Colombo then slid to the photos at the back.

The next few pictures were of the same murder scene, shot from different angles.

There was a corpse, internal organs in their complete state and blood… …

“This is?”

“These photos were taken by the police. They are the pictures of the first murder case committed by Jack the Ripper in 1888,” said Colombo, his eyes shining. “Due to the photography technology at that time, the photos taken are comparatively blurry compared to present day photos. Additionally, due to it being kept for too long, some losses in definition were incurred. However… did you notice?”

“What?”

Colombo quickly retrieved a pair of glasses from under the table. Then, he placed the mobile phone beside the laptop.

“Have a look.”

After looking at it, both Chen Xiaolian and Phoenix were stunned!

With the exception of the fact that the photo was in black and white with a different pixel count and of a different time…

The state of the corpse, its location and the dissection angle…

Almost all the details were the same!

In both photos, the deceased’s facial features were partially covered with blood, making it difficult to identify her original features. However… some of the details were shockingly similar!

One of the deceased hands was left jutting to the side while the other was bent. The corpse lying upon the ground formed the ‘片’ shape.

The head of the deceased was tilted slightly to the right, exposing the lower jaw area. Upon the mouth was a… …

“Is that a mole?” asked a frowning Phoenix.

“It appears like it,” Chen Xiaolian answered with a grim expression.

Although they cannot discount the possibility of it being a problem with the old photo’s pixels, two black dots could clearly be seen on the deceased’s lower jaw area in the coloured photo. Those were clearly moles.

Moreover…

“Look at the wounds,” Colombo quickly said, “Both suffer from a knife wound on the neck, cutting in from the left… even the position is exactly similar!”

That was extremely odd!

The location of the wound appeared exactly the same!

“The same holds true for the chest wound. The knife pierced in through the ribs and into the heart in one stab! It is completely similar!” said an agitated Colombo. “The deceased’s posture and appearance are also strikingly similar!”

“Do you mean to say that the two deceased are the same person?” asked Lun Tai with widened eyes.

That was an impossibility.

The black and white photo was taken in the year 1888, over a hundred years ago. As for the deceased they saw earlier, she was clearly someone from the modern era. Within the bag by her side were her wallet, a cell phone, condoms and various other modern day products.

“How could they have the same appearance?” Phoenix’s eyes were narrowed. “Could it be…”

She glanced at Chen Xiaolian to see him pursing his lips. He considered it before giving a wry smile. He muttered, “Could it be… the system spawned a similar character to play the deceased? An identical NPC?”

“That is certainly a possibility,” Phoenix answered coolly. “The system can do anything.”

The deduction was a mind-opener.

Perhaps… the system took the dead victims from over a hundred years ago and resurrected them in modern times to allow Jack the Ripper to kill them once more?

At any rate… this world was created by the system. The same was true of this instance dungeon and its ‘storyline’. Thus, it was only natural that the system was able to take such an action.

“Since this is the same Jack the Ripper… I mean, the person wearing grey coloured suit that we saw was able to pass through a wall. He might actually be a ghost! If that is the case… if the murderer is the same, why can’t the victims be the same? It’s not that difficult for the system to resurrect an NPC. If it wants to, it could do anything in order to have the storyline fall in place,” Chen Xiaolian said with a wry smile.

Colombo knitted his eyebrows and asked, “What system? What instance dungeon? What are you people talking about?”

“That is not something you need to know,” Chen Xiaolian quickly answered. He then pointed at the old photo on the laptop’s display screen. “This murder shown in this photo…”

“The first one! In the historical records about Jack the Ripper, this is the first case he was involved in. That is the record written by the police on this photo,” Colombo said slowly.

“The first case…” Chen Xiaolian’s eyes immediately flickered.

“Then… since this is the first case, won’t there be a second case? I mean now?” Phoenix asked immediately.

“This is a clue!” said Chen Xiaolian, a flash flickering through his eyes.

He stood up and paced around within the living room. Then, he poured himself another cup of wine and gulped it down.

“According to history, Jack the Ripper was involved in a total of five cases.”

“There are records that prove that there were five of them. Perhaps they were more. However, the police was unable to determine that they were committed by the same person,” Colombo supplied.

“Very well,” Chen Xiaolian waved his hand. “That is not the main point. The main point is… I need to know the place where the first case happened! The accurate location for the case that happened back then!”

Colombo quickly pulled out a map from within his laptop and said, “I have the map of London from back then! I have been researching this case for more than five years.”

“You have quite the special hobby,” said Chen Xiaolian as he looked at the fellow.

Colombo clicked open the old map of London before opening the present map of London. After fidgeting for a bit…

After comparing the two maps on the display screen… everyone was shocked!

“According to history, the first murder case took place in the east of Whitechapel at this location… according to the present-day map, this old building have been demolished. In its place is the Whitechapel subway station!” said Colombo, his body trembling. “Bloody Hell! It’s the subway station! The location is exactly the same!”

Everyone within the room felt their hair standing on end as they felt a chilling air pierce out through their hearts!

This… was too bewildering!

“Could it be? This random quest would allow Jack the Ripper to reproduce the cases written in history?” Chen Xiaolian knitted his eyebrows. He asked, “Phoenix, you checked the deceased female’s handbag. Where is her purse?”

Phoenix quickly retrieved a poor-quality looking purse out from her storage equipment.

“Try to see if you can find anything equivalent to an identity card,” Chen Xiaolian quickly said.

That was an easy task. Phoenix immediately pulled out an item from the purse. “I don’t see any UK identity card. However, there is a driver’s license here.”

“Colombo,” Chen Xiaolian asked, “In the historical records, the first deceased female… what is her name?”

For this forensic expert who loved researching Jack the Ripper’s case, this was a very easy question. Colombo quickly answered, “Martha…”

Phoenix suddenly interrupted him, “Martha Tabram.”

“Eh? Yes, that is the name,” Colombo was momentarily stunned.

With a solemn look on her face, Phoenix placed the driver’s license on the table. The name written upon the card was:

{Martha_Tabram}!

Chen Xiaolian forcefully clenched his teeth and said, “Looks like it’s obvious now what is going on!”

This was all the system’s work!

It resurrected the victims recorded in history to repeat the storyline!

Phoenix had clearly reached the same conclusion and she asked, "Mr Colombo! What about the circumstances of the second murder case?”