08:40, Gerald Drive/Punggol Waterfront Jogging Trail, 05 Jan 2075

“So what do we have here this time, Tom?” Shawn asked as he, Shankar and Hai Yue approached the crime scene escorted by Sergeant Tom Ang, a uniformed officer from VOID’s Roving Unit, while several other police officers, both normal and from VOID, were busy keeping the crowd at bay or making sure that no evidence was left unfound around the scene.

“Nasty one, Shawn. Victim’s name is Tan Kwok-Yong, aka Billy Boy. He was a member of the Scorpions’ Northern Branch, pretty high up the hierarchy too until last night. Morning joggers found him like this about thirty minutes ago,” Tom explained as he showed them a corpse, covered in a bloodstained white sheet, slumped against some dented railings dividing the jogging trail and the canal, “Whatever killed him bite a good portion of his face off. Had to identify him based on his IC. My partner’s taking statements from the witnesses. You can ask him for them later.”

“You got a new partner?” Shawn asked as he took a look at the tall, muscular police officer patiently consoling a clearly-traumatized witness.

“Yeah, Khairul got transferred to the Anti-Narcotics Bureau. Wasn’t expecting to get a huge-ass ex-American football player in return, though.”

“Wait a second, isn’t that Miguel de Souza? I heard he migrated to Singapore after quitting the NFL and obtained citizenship but he’s working as a freaking cop?”

“Yeah. Even volunteered to serve National Service just to solidify his new citizenship even though he’s already in his late twenties. Gotta respect him for that.”

“Not to sound rude or anything, but we can discuss about Sergeant de Souza’s athletic history later. You said whatever killed this man bit off his face? May we take a look?” Shankar asked.

“Er, yeah. But you sure you want to see it here? It’s pretty disgusting,” Ang asked.

Shankar motioned for the sheet to be lifted, and Ang did just that, revealing the victim's corpse. The severity of his fatal wounds caused both VOID officers to involuntarily shuddered in disgust. Hai Yue, on the other hand, was unfazed, commenting, “That’s a pretty big bite.”

“And the killer just left his corpse here for someone to find? Anything taken apart from this guy’s face, Tom?” Shawn asked as the uniformed officer quickly covered the corpse with the sheet once more.

“None, everything the deceased was carrying, they’re still on him.”

“Thanks, Tom, we’ll take over from here,” Shankar said to the officer, who saluted him before turning to join his partner in escorting the witnesses away from the scene.

“Given the bites on him and his gang affiliation, I’ll say the killer’s the same one that slaughtered his gang mates at Jalan Mempurong,” Shawn said as he lifted the white sheet to take another look at the corpse’s wounds.

“You sure about this?” Shankar asked.

“Well, only one way to find out,” Shawn replied as he put on gloves and pulls out a pair of tweezers which he used to start prodding the open wound where the victim’s face used to be at, eventually pulling something out and dropping it in a ziploc bag held by Shankar.

“A tooth. Matches the ones found by Joel, Zai and Dr Moyo. Well, Hai Yue, what do you think?”

“Well, this is unexpected,” Hai Yue replied, but then she frowned as she rubbed her chin, “That day when you asked me about any possible Othersiders that could be responsible for the murders, I listed out quite a few, but there was one I had left out mostly because that particular Othersider isn’t what you humans would call ‘local’. But based on the bite mark around the victim’s head, I’m starting to suspect that our killer is a samebito.”

”Samebito? What’s that?”

“They’re like weresharks, minus the full moon transformation. Samebitos are native to the Other Side kingdom of Yōkuni, so when they’re seen on your Human Side, it’s usually in Japan and the southeastern coasts of China. But some samebito have been migrating to the Night-Sea as of recent, hence their recent but rare appearances in Southeast Asian countries.”

“These samebitos, are they very… Aggressive?”

“They’re scary at first glance, and definitely ferocious in battle. A pissed-off samebito can singlehandedly sink a frigate on their own. However, samebitos are one of those Othersiders that are instinctively altruistic. They are inclined to help people and it takes a lot just to make one irritated, let alone angry.”

“That’s quite a unique behavior for a being that looks and acts like a shark,” Shawn commented.

“Yes, indeed, but we still don’t have a suspect, so at this point, all we can do is make suggestions on which Othersider is committing these murders,” Shankar replied.

“Actually, I think we might be able to find a suspect,” Shaun said all of a sudden.

“How so?”

“Two points. Yesterday, Hood was looking through one of the victims’ death memories and witnessed their involvement in what looked to be a sexual assault and murder of an unknown woman. I contacted Keat Hong from Major Crimes who then instructed Andy from Cold Cases to forward any past cases from the last three years involving members of Scorpions committing sexual assault and murder.”

“How many did you receive?”

“Three different cases, including the Kaneki Siblings Murder from last year in February. Joel mentioned that three of the initial five victims were suspected to be involved in it so we’ve been running down a list of known Scorpions members. So far, we’ve narrowed down the list to include only members of the Scorpions’ Northern Branch. Sources say that they’ve become quite active recently around Woodlands, Yishun and Sembawang.”

“Isn’t Woodlands part of Garky’s territory? I doubt Garky would let any Scorpions members run around his turf despite having a deal with them,” Shankar commented to which Hai Yue asked, “What’s a Garky?”

“Garky’s the grand kingpin of drugs in the whole of Southeast Asia. He operates from the Golden Triangle, but claims the Northern regions of Singapore as one of his personal trading territory”

“A known drug lord and he’s not been arrested?”

Shawn sighed as he replied to Hai Yue, “We can’t. The reason why Garky survived for so long in such a dangerous business is because he’s extremely smart, doesn’t underestimate the law, willing to cut his losses no matter how heavy and knows how to stay out of sight. We don’t even have his real name, only the fact that he’s an Eurasian male probably in his forties by now.”

“He’s ruthless with his enemies, but he also genuinely takes care of his men. When they get arrested, he sends in high-profile lawyers to reduce their sentences. Those he can’t save, he makes sure their families get compensation ranging up to hundreds of thousands of cash. Because of this, Garky’s men are extremely loyal to him,” Shankar explained.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

“But the point is that this jogging route is used by Garky’s local runners as a drop-off/pick-up point, so the Anti-Narcotics Bureau had several security cameras installed along the route. No doubt at least one of these cameras have picked up an image of our killer. Not to mention that Garky won’t be happy about his trade routes becoming a scene of a murder. If something outside of his organization affects his business, the first thing he does is to get rid of the problem via the local police.”

“Wait, he willingly gives the cops information just to get rid of a problem?”

“Yeah. In the criminal underworld, everyone knows that as long as you don’t screw with Garky, he’ll leave you alone, even give you a cut for respecting his boundaries, but the moment you decide to step on his toes, you’re finished,” Shawn said as he scratched his head, “There used to be a gang known as Kau Kei Boys that started making their mark in Singapore and Malaysia back in 2068. They were trying to take over some of Garky’s drug trading routes so that they could set up shop. Garky left them alone at first since it didn’t affect his business much, but when he found out the Kau Kei Boys were tricking secondary school kids into becoming couriers and using that to blackmail their parents, well…”

“Kau Kei Boys was gone by the end of 2068, just seven months after they were formed. Sent into oblivion with half their members were arrested and the rest victims of various unsolved murder cases. Only the police remembers their existence as of today,” Shankar continued.

“Wow, this Garky sure doesn’t mess around,” Hai Yue commented.

“Garky’s also the reason why there’s a sharp reduction in underaged drug abusers and executions for couriers. For a death merchant, he’s surprisingly careful about the lives of others.”

12:23, VOID Headquarters, 05 Jan 2075

The Third Investigation Squad were currently scrolling through the footages of every security camera installed along the jogging route where last night’s murder occurred with the help of not just Hai Yue but also one of her colleagues of the Night-Sea Patrol, Chief Marshal Kegan. Unlike the other marshals, Kegan was the closest Othersider to resemble a normal human, the only signs of his Othersider status being his black sclera and red irises. Like Hai Yue, he has yet to disclose his species to the squad, but an off-hand remark by Hai Yue has hinted at his kind not having a particular name and just as mysterious to other Othersiders as they are to humans.

“There, by the railings. Could be our guy,” Ellen said as she pointed at the computer screen which showed security footage of a beady-eyed man with shaggy hair standing next to the canal, looking around before walking out of the camera view..

“I’ve got the same guy on Camera 201. Looks like he’s taking off his clothes- Oh, he just jumped into the canal,” Joel added as he looked up from his own computer.

“Well, lucky me because I got the camera that recorded the attack,” Zai commented as he raised his hand, “Shit, that’s nasty. Good thing the attack only lasted ten seconds.”

The rest of the team gathered and watched the ten-second video recording of the entire attack, where a huge wereshark-like creature leapt out from the canal, knocking the murder victim across the jogging route and damaging the railings as it climbed over, seized the murder victim and swiftly bite down on the latter’s face.

“Gruesome, but interesting. The speed and brutality, that is without a doubt a samebito. Officer Trevelyan, could you enlarge the image on your screen for us?” Kegan, who had been standing behind Zai watching the latter’s screen, asked as he turned and approached Joel’s desk.

“I can. Let me sharpen the image and… There.”

Kegan’s eyes narrowed, and then widened again in surprise as he placed on hand on his chin.

“Marshal Hai Yue, come over here and take a look.”

Hai Yue had the same look of mild shock when she heeded Kegan’s request and took a look at the image of the suspect.

“Is that who I think it is?”

“I am afraid so, Marshal Hai Yue. All this time we were searching for him, he was actually living in the Human Side.”

“Wait, you two know this guy?” Ellen asked as she and Shawn turned to face the two Othersiders, to which Kegan nodded and answered, “Yes, this man is a wanted felon in both Yōkuni and the Night-Sea.”

“Well, that’s one hell of a coincidence.”

“Indeed, Officer Han. Marshal Hai Yue, assist me in sharing details of this felon to our human colleagues.”

Hai Yue sighed, nodded and grabbed a movable whiteboard from the corner of the office which she positioned in front of everyone as Kegan began explaining.

“What you’re looking at is the human guise of Fudo, a samebito who used to be one of the kingdom of Yōkuni’s most skilled warriors. Eleven years ago, just after you humans have ended your latest global warfare, Fudo unintentionally murdered a court official in a moment of rage and escaped Yōkuni instead of surrendering. He came to the Night-Sea and stayed hidden for two years until an ambassador from Yōkuni recognized him during a visit.”

“Fudo was arrested by the Night-Sea Patrol and arrangements were being made to repatriate him back to Yōkuni, but he injured two of his guards and escaped the night before the assigned date of his deportation. We scoured the entire Night-Sea for him, but we never found him, mostly because we never expected that he would actually escape into the Human Side until today,” Hai Yue continued, looking somewhat embarrassed about the whole thing.

“His escapades aside, I thought you said samebitos are hard to anger,” Shawn asked Hai Yue, to which Kegan interjected, “I happen to know the politician Fudo had murdered. He can best be described as what you humans like to call an ‘extreme son of a bitch’.”

“That bad, huh?” Joel quipped.

“Whether or not the Yōkuni politician was an unpleasant fellow, the law is the law, and Fudo should have taken responsibility for his actions. Instead, he is now considered by other samebitos as a bane to their reputation. But what I am curious about is why he killed six individuals in a matter of two days,” Kegan commented.

“Yeah, Fudo just became the first serial-killing samebito in Othersider history. Samebitos only kill when in self-defense or when they completely lose their tempers and lash out blindly.”

“Well, investigation is our job after all. Given that he’s probably lived on our side of the world for at least eight years, surely he must have a residence somewhere, and if he does, it means he had to get himself registered on the Othersider Residency Database,” Shankar said as Shawn brought up a list of registered Othersider migrants living in Singapore.

“Unless he’s using a false name,” Ellen commented.

“Or not. Look what I found. Block 144 Marsiling Rise, #03-100, registered under Fudo Kaneki…”

Shawn’s voice trailed off as he suddenly realized what he had just discovered by accident.

“The Kaneki Siblings Murder, it took place in Woodlands.”

“But aren’t the victims’ names Kazuya and Miharu Kaneki? I don’t recall anyone named Fudo Kaneki involved in the case,” Ellen asked.

“I’ll check with Keat Hong. He was the investigating officer in charge of the Kaneki Siblings Murder Case, he might know a thing or two.”

“Isn’t Marsiling Drive one of the places where the Scorpions’ Northern Branch established their territory? They might try something stupid if they see police officers wandering the area,” Joel warned.

“No, they aren’t that stupid to draw attention to themselves. But just in case, the main Scorpions Branch have an ‘outpost’ nearby, an abandoned school in the southern part of Woodlands. I heard the Scorpions’ leaders set up that so-called outpost to keep an eye on Foo Kim Hor, aka Vance, the current branch boss of the Northern Branch,” Shankar replied.

Hai Yue burst out laughing at the name’s unfortunate rhyming, and despite their valiant attempts, Zai, Joel and Shawn eventually gave up and joined it. Even Shankar let out a chuckle before composing himself, prompting the other three to stop laughing.

“Anyways, I think we should go check out the address Shawn found. If this Fudo character is somehow related to the Kaneki siblings, then we’ve not only established a motive, we’ve also found a good reason to reopen the murder case.”

14:18, Beach Road, 05 Jan 2075

“We’re not taking a car?” Hai Yue asked as she followed Shawn and Joel down the road towards a bus stop.

“Scorpions can easily identify whether a car is a normal one or an unmarked police vehicle. I don’t want them fleeing before we arrived or, worse, be prepared to meet us with bats and cleavers,” Shawn replied.

“Yeah. Before they became a street gang, they were domestic terrorists. That is why the Scorpions are the most hated gang in Singapore. Even the ‘no-snitching’ rules in prison don’t apply to them: Inmates are encouraged by imprisoned gang members to snitch on any Scorpions within the same block as them,” Joel added as Hai Yue started rubbing her nose.

“Sinus problem?” Shawn joked, but the look on the marshal’s face has turned serious.

“We’re being followed.”

“The fuck?”

“There’s a particular scent I’ve been picking up ever since we stepped out of the building. Too bad the wind direction isn’t on its owner’s side, or I wouldn’t have noticed them,” Hai Yue whispered, “Problem is, this scent reeks of dark magic and death.”

“Shit… What do we do?”

“You two know this area better than me. Can’t you try to trap him or something?”

“Hmm… I think I have an idea,” Joel replied as he subtly glanced left and right before an evil grin cracked across his face…