By the time Dilo finally composed himself, he realized the casino was completely empty. Fear had driven all the guests away, leaving only him and Ace in the eerie silence. The roulette tables and slot machines now looked like nothing more than lifeless furniture, while the blood from the dead dealer's body slowly seeped into the carpet.
They exchanged glances, then silently approached the corpse. If they wanted to survive, they had to figure out where the bullet had come from.
Ace crouched beside the body, studying the wound, while Dilo tried to determine the bullet's entry angle. Their focus was shattered by the sound of heavy footsteps.
The casino doors burst open.
Two uniformed officers stormed inside, guns drawn.
"Hands behind your head! Don't move!" one of them commanded in a cold, professional tone.
Dilo felt his heart tighten. But Ace… Ace remained unnervingly calm. He glanced at Dilo and spoke in a quiet voice.
"We have two options. One, we run. Two, we surrender but if we do that, we're almost certainly going to prison. There's no one to testify in our favor, which means it's easier for them to just pin this on us and close the case."
His voice lowered into a sharp whisper.
"The real question is… do you want to spend the rest of your life behind bars? Or will you keep chasing your dream? Because I know which option I'm choosing."
Dilo hesitated for only a second. But in that instant, he felt something… strange.
A shiver ran down his spine, like an invisible force was flowing through his bones.
Then, it hit him.
He could feel the smoke.
Not just smell it he could sense it drifting through the air, slipping into Ace's lungs… and into the officers'.
Ace suddenly staggered.
"I don't know… Every second, I feel more exhausted… My vision… It's like a thick fog is covering everything…"
The officers also started showing signs of weakness. Their movements became sluggish, their eyes unfocused.
Dilo's breath caught in his throat.
"Ace, try not to breathe in my cigarette smoke… I don't know how to explain it, but I think my power just awakened. I can feel the smoke like I can control how it affects the body. If you're feeling it, then so are they."
Ace let out a laugh, despite the situation.
"What is this, some kind of comic book? Awakening powers at the most critical moment?"
He groaned, fighting to stay conscious, resisting the fatigue creeping over him.
Dilo clenched his fists. This was it. His moment to take control.
But even though he knew what he had to do, his body wouldn't move. The stress, the shock of the night it was paralyzing him, stealing his ability to decide.
And just like always… Ace reacted first.
"Dilo, get under the table!"
Dilo obeyed instinctively.
Ace spun on his heel and lunged at the officers. Even under the effects of Dilo's power, his body handled it better than the lawmen ever could.
The officers pulled their triggers, but their reactions were slow, their hands trembling. Their aim was completely off.
Ace dodged every bullet, moving like a shadow through the smoke-heavy air.
The moment he got close enough
Thud!
His fist drove into the first officer's liver. The man gasped, the strength draining from his body before he collapsed to the floor.
The second officer barely had time to react before Ace knocked him out with another precise strike.
Dilo slowly rose to his feet, still processing what had just happened.
Ace was already crouched over the unconscious men, stripping them of their uniforms. When he was done, he tossed one of the outfits to Dilo.
"Put this on. If we're dressed as officers, we can gather information from the people who were here during the shooting."
Dilo caught the uniform, staring at Ace.
"You planned this, didn't you?"
Ace just smirked as he shrugged into his new disguise.
"I'm not a psychic who can predict these situations. But I know one thing everything comes down to instinct and rational thinking. I still don't get it. How did someone like you manage to solve Olaf's puzzle?"
As they made their way through the cruise ship, Dilo stole a glance at Ace, still trying to understand how his mind worked.
After questioning people on the ship, they realized no one had concrete information about the killer. That's when Dilo suggested heading to the bar where he had met Adam.
The logic was simple the people who had fled the casino would likely seek shelter in a similar, but calmer, place.
When they reached the bar, Ace proposed they split up.
"Time isn't on our side. If those officers wake up before we find the killer, we'll end up behind bars. We need to talk to as many people as possible, as fast as possible."
Dilo agreed. They each went their separate ways.
After some time, Dilo found a witness who had been in the casino during the shooting.
"I saw the guy running. Tall man, black hair. He was wearing a suit."
Dilo's mind immediately flashed to Adam.
But… the cruise was full of well-dressed men. Jumping to conclusions would be reckless.
Meanwhile, Ace had found another witness.
Their description was completely different.
"He wasn't tall. Brown hair. He was wearing a suit, too."
When they met up again to compare information, Dilo instantly noticed the contradiction.
"Two completely different descriptions," he said, furrowing his brows.
Ace crossed his arms, analyzing the possibilities. "That means one of two things. Either the witnesses were too panicked to remember clearly… or our killer has a power that manipulates perception."
Dilo was silent for a moment, impressed by how quickly Ace put the pieces together.
"If the killer is still on the ship, where would he hide?" Dilo asked. "If I were him, and I knew the police were after me, I'd stay somewhere crowded like this bar."
Ace immediately shook his head.
"No. The bar would be the first place the police check. Too obvious."
Dilo frowned. "Then where?"
Ace leaned against the table, thinking.
"We need a place that isn't completely empty so it doesn't stand out but also not so busy that the killer gets spotted immediately. Somewhere he can observe without being easily seen."
They fell silent, both scanning their minds for the perfect location.
Time was running out.
And somewhere on this ship… the killer was already one step ahead.