—[TITLE CARD: A Copule Hours Ago]


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    "Did you really have to knock him unconscious?" Aletta mused to her brother as they slowly exited the hotel building.


    "You saw how adamant Jason was back there and you know that right from a small age he has always gotten what he wanted. Did you seriously expect me to try talking reason with someone like that?" Stephen scoffed.


    "If I didn''t know any better I''ll say you still haven''t gotten over that silly crush. As much as I don''t like being a pessimist, Jason isn''t worthy of your affections. He is a narcissistic bastard who won''t mind using you to achieve his aims " Stephen spat coldly.


    "Look at who is talking? who is it that always winces at the mere mention of Jason becoming a Mystique Hunter huh? no matter how many times you badmouth him, you cannot stop caring about his well-being. You don''t want him to go down this wretched path we took " Aletta smiled.


    "You think of him as a little brother.. don''t you?"


    "Shut up " Stephen rolled his eyes.


    "If we have time for gossip, why don''t we channel it into something more useful? say how to identity this Crocottta of ours? according to its M.O somebody is going to die tonight but if we don''t nab it in time "


    "Yokais are crafty bastards. Unlike we regulars, they can freely change their appearances. Who knows if they possess four different identities in Sallyville?"


    Aletta paused to let her question sink in before she continued.


    "In this town we are known as Investigative reporters.. although this gives us the free pass to snoop around and ask bizzare questions, if we overdo it we might expose our true identities and intentions. Crocottas are cowards. Once they catch wind of the presence of Mystique Hunters, they won''t mind laying low for years. We can''t afford to stay in this small town for long.. after all they are many more souls who needs saving from the jaws of the terrifying monsters that lurks in the shadows"


    "So, what is your plan? you''ve always been the one with the brains in the family" Stephen grunted.


    Although he could argue with his sister almost over everything, her genius intellect was something that he couldn''t argue over.


    "I am going to need a cafe computer" Aletta replied, causing Stephen to wriggle his brows in confusion.


    "What happened to yours? don''t tell me you''ve destroyed it after running into a violent firewall virus again?"


    "Far from it and that happened just once, I have learnt my lesson and erected effective counter measures for such kind of situations again" Aletta rolled her eyes before clicking her tongue.


    "I am to utilize a public domain for what I am about to do. Although I am a little bit confident I won''t be traced if I Use mine, it doesn''t hurt to be safe"


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    After asking around a couple locals, both siblings located the only Computer Cafe in Sallyville. Staring at the cafes premises littered with tenacious weeds , Stephen''s brows twitched.


    Opening the entrance door, both siblings quickly took a step back, just in time to avoid a wave of dust from splattering on their heads. Alerted by their entrance, the shop keeper glanced towards their direction from behind a counter..


    The Shop Keeper was actually a frail looking old man with a bald scalp, clad in well ironed black oxford suit. His neat appearance was a sharp contrast to the unhygienic environment of the Computer Cafe.


    "How may I help you young ones?" the old man sounded both gladdened and shocked.


    It had been a long time since he saw customers walk through that door.


    "We want to use your computers for some time.. that is if they still work of course" Stephen coughed out the last part.


    From what he could see from the seven grey cloth covered computers in the cafe, it had been a really long time since they had been handled by human hands. Their grey cloth coverings had already turn white like snow from the thick layer of dust coated around them.


    "My computers are strong.. even if nobody gives them that credit" the Old Cafe Keeper sighed.


    "I remember those times when people would kill just to get past the line. Now, this shop is as desolate as a graveyard and these town folks enjoy the internet from the comfort of their homes.. it is really sad "


    "Well.. technology advancement isn''t such a bad thing" Stephen shrugged.


    Now, the only cafes worth looking at were gaming cafes and arcades. As for Internet cafes, they were stuffs of old legends. It was bizzare while this particular Internet cafe hadn''t even closed up shop.


    Removing the covering from one of the computers, Aletta coughed when she mistakenly inhaled some amount of dust. However to her surprise, the computer went on when she switched the power button.


    "So, what are you looking for?" Stephen asked, leaning behind her.


    "All the deaths were not connected to the same hospital in this town.. hell, some of them were transferred from hospitals outside of Sallyville and buried here" Aletta whispered.


    "They were all locals then?" Stephen whispered back.


    "Indeed.. however this Crocotta isn''t primitive.. it kills its victims following an accurate set pattern.. except it has the ability of omnipresence, there''s no way it was able to accurately record the death date of the victims fallen relatives.. even if they died outside of Sallyville " Aletta''s fingers furiously punched a series of codes that Stephen didn''t understand.


    "According to the lore and other Mystique Hunters notes, Crocottas aren''t Omnipresent.. however who said you needed to be a Yokai to be one, when the Internet is at your beck and call?" a grin slowly graced Stephen''s lips.


    "Looks like after spending enough time with me you are starting to catch up" Aletta gave her brother a thumbs up.


    "So, you mean this Crocotta is an internet predator like you? that''s a really big upgrade " Stephen whistled in amazement.


    "The world is changing.. Yokais are known to adapt the best.." Aletta nodded absent mindedly.. her fingers still furiously dancing around the keyboard.


    "I plan on running an algorithm that would calculate the number of casualties within and outside Sallyville. Then I will have it cross check to those who were transfered to Sallyville morgue before further narrowing it further down till we manage to locate the tonight''s unlucky soul "


    "You can do that?!"


    "Although it''s more difficult than it sounds, yep. However I am not a god so it is going to take some time. You can go readea book or something while I do my stuff " Aletta shoooed Stephen away.


    "Smartass " Stephen cussed inwardly..


    However it was true that watching those series of strange codes playing out on the computer screen was very frustrating.. especially since he didn''t understand what they meant.


    While the both siblings were unaware, their whole conversation even if it was done in whispers were heard by a particular someone as a pair of venomous eyes glared fixedly at them from the shadows, followed by an annoyed growl that sounded like the howl of a wounded wolf and the grunts of an annoyed horse.


    "Damn Hunters!"