American Comics: Multiverse of Madness

The journey was uneventful.

Although Dean's attitude toward Alex was still far from warm, at least he wasn't going out of his way to pick a fight anymore.

Two days later, the group of four finally arrived at the location mentioned in the newspaper.

They found a secluded motel to stay in, giving everyone a chance to rest. The long drive had left them physically and mentally exhausted. Even the brothers, who were accustomed to this lifestyle, were feeling worn out.

After a full night's sleep, Alex and Jo knocked on the brothers' door early the next morning, carrying bags full of food, premium liquor, and coffee.

"Wow, did you guys rob a Starbucks and a local bar?"

Sam, who was seated at the table going through case files, couldn't help but comment as he saw the scene.

"Of course not. Alex bought all this stuff. He's loaded—he casually pulls out gold and gemstones worth a fortune," Jo explained.

Because of the nature of their work, they couldn't attract too much attention and had chosen a modest place to stay. But when it came to food, Alex wasn't willing to settle for burgers and sandwiches every day.

Jo placed the items on the table and turned to ask, "Where's Dean?"

"Probably still asleep. He drove the whole way and was exhausted," Sam replied with a shrug.

Just then, the bedroom door opened, and Dean stumbled out, yawning groggily.

"With this, I'll be energized all day," Dean said as he opened a bottle of liquor and took a swig.

Meanwhile, Alex walked over to Sam's side and glanced at the laptop screen. "How's it going, Sam? It's been a while since the crime occurred. I'm guessing there aren't many clues left at the scene?"

"That's true. I just got off the phone with the local police department. The detectives seem at a loss. This case even drew the attention of inter-state investigators, but they still haven't found anything useful."

Sam organized the files he had compiled and pushed the laptop toward Alex.

"However, I did find information on the victims' families. Maybe we can start there. Dean and I can visit them to see if we can gather any useful intel."

"What about us?" Jo asked, frowning slightly.

"You two can stay here and keep an eye out for anything unusual. Leave the heavy lifting to us," Dean said with a smile.

Noticing Dean's patronizing tone, Jo tilted her head and pulled out a fake badge from her pocket, the bold letters "FBI" clearly visible.

For hunters, using fake IDs and aliases was a daily routine. Their work—hunting monsters—didn't exactly provide a steady income, so they often relied on credit card fraud to make ends meet.

"Don't treat me like a kid, Dean. I've got my own professional tools," Jo said with a triumphant grin.

"Fine..."

Dean's smile turned awkward. He hadn't expected Ellen to prepare her daughter so thoroughly. Seeing this, he decided there was no point in arguing further.

"In that case, I guess our magician, Mr. David Copperfield, will have to stay behind," Dean said with a smirk.

"As you say, Dean."

Alex raised his hand, and a similar FBI badge appeared between his fingers.

"Magicians often come prepared with interesting props," Alex quipped.

With a flash of green light, Alex's trench coat transformed into a fitted suit, complete with a perfectly knotted tie.

"Cool!" Jo exclaimed in admiration.

Watching Alex effortlessly thwart Dean's plan, Sam couldn't help but laugh, patting his brother on the back in silent consolation.

-----------------

The group split up.

Together with Jo, Alex arrived at one of the victims' homes.

The house was a quaint little villa, meticulously maintained. Whoever lived there was clearly someone who valued order, as every outdoor feature was perfectly arranged.

After taking a moment to assess the house, Alex knocked on the door. It wasn't long before an elderly woman appeared, her face lined with age.

Sensing the woman's puzzled gaze, Alex and Jo quickly flashed their IDs and put them away.

"Hello, I'm Agent Wu, and this is Agent Daisy. Are you Mrs. Ima?" Alex asked, using a fake name—a small Easter egg referencing WandaVision.

The elderly woman nodded slightly. Though she seemed confused, it was clear she understood why these two agents had come to see her.

She invited Alex and Jo inside and slowly poured drinks for them. Her unsteady steps made it evident that she was still deeply immersed in grief.

Setting the cups down in front of the agents, the elderly woman sighed heavily.

"I know why you're here. I've already spoken to several detectives about the case, but it's been so long, and my child still hasn't been found."

"Don't worry, Mrs. Ima. We're professionals," Jo said solemnly, trying to comfort her.

Seeing this, Alex couldn't help but marvel at Jo. He hadn't expected her acting skills to be so remarkable and polished. She slipped into character instantly, even exuding a completely different aura.

At the moment, Jo was dressed in a sleek suit, her serious demeanor making it impossible for anyone to see through her disguise.

"It happened three months ago. My Rose was always obedient; she never wandered off or hung out with the wrong crowd. After school, she would come straight home. Every week, she went to church for services and volunteered there," the elderly woman said, clutching a handkerchief tightly. Even after all this time, discussing the matter still shrouded her in overwhelming grief.

"That day was a Sunday. Rose planned to help at the church. She told me she might come back late because it was a busy day. It wasn't the first time something like that happened, but even then, she would never return later than 9 PM."

"But that day, I waited and waited. From 8:30 to 9:30, there was still no sign of her. I called the church's pastor, and he told me Rose had left before 9 PM. She should have been home in ten minutes, but... but..."

At this point, the elderly woman couldn't hold back her tears and began wiping her eyes.

Alex and Jo exchanged glances, unsure of what to say. They waited quietly for the woman to regain her composure before continuing.

"I'd like to ask if Rose had any close friends or if she experienced anything unusual before her disappearance," Alex inquired.

The elderly woman pondered for a moment, despite finding the question odd, and then slowly shook her head.

"We moved here after my husband passed away. It hasn't been that long, and Rose's friends were mostly at the church. As for anything unusual, there wasn't anything."

"Did you have any contact with the families of the other girls who went missing? The victims were all around the same age as Rose."

"No, we just moved here and haven't made many friends apart from the neighbors."

The elderly woman denied this again, answering truthfully.

After the brief questioning, it seemed the woman couldn't provide any useful information. Alex and Jo decided it was time to leave.

"We'll find your child, Mrs. Ima. Please don't be too upset," Jo said sincerely.

"God bless you," the elderly woman replied. Although she had lost hope, Jo's words offered her some comfort.

Once they left the house, Alex and Jo stopped at a roadside coffee shop.

"No strange behavior, no demonic traces, and no clues beyond the victims' names and basic information," Jo said, frustrated. She had initially thought that some kind of monster was hunting in the area. But such killings usually left behind at least some trace—a storm leaves marks, and geese leave tracks in their flight.

"It looks like we'll have to rely on Dean and Sam to find something useful. By the way, Alex, did you discover anything?"

"A discovery?"

Alex rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He had gone through the case files as well. Sam had done an excellent job compiling the information, including everything the police had investigated. The files detailed the family backgrounds and profiles of each victim.

"All the victims were young girls, just entering adulthood. Does that count?"

Jo chuckled.

"You may be a successful superhero, but when it comes to investigating supernatural cases, you're a complete rookie. Do you know how broad that clue is?"

"Maybe so. It's true that, to many monsters, young girls are considered a delicacy. However, if all the victims were virgins, that might narrow things down," Alex replied casually, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Virgins?"

Jo blinked in surprise.

"How do you know that?"

"It wasn't hard to deduce. The investigation reports for the six missing girls included detailed records of their personal lives. Five of them had never been in a relationship, and the one who recently started dating probably hadn't progressed very far."

Alex gestured toward the house they had just left.

"As for Rose, she regularly volunteered at the church, so she likely placed great value on chastity. Based on this, it's reasonable to assume they were all likely virgins."

Jo thought over Alex's deduction and found it increasingly plausible. If that were the case, it could indeed narrow down the suspects.

"In that case, we can probably rule out werewolves and vampires. I still think this might be related to a dark god's ritual. Only demons or deities care so much about virgins," Jo speculated.

"Not necessarily," Alex muttered softly.

At that moment, Jo's phone suddenly rang. She pulled it out to see Sam's name on the caller ID.

"Hello? We've got some leads on our end. How about you?" Jo asked.

After listening for a moment, she nodded quickly.

"Alright, got it. We'll head back now."

.....

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383. Slaying the Dragon.