Daniel Miller

Rain poured into the windows of the Crime Herald's office. In the dimly lit office, a lamp illuminated the evidence board. At the center of a web of red threads was a photo of the killer nicknamed "The Puppeteer." For three months, this maniac terrorized the city, hanging his victims' bodies from nylon threads like puppets and leaving quotes from classic tragedies in their pockets.

The door swung open without a knock. Colonel Daniel Miller stood there—tall, stern, with an icy gaze. He casually tossed a sealed folder onto your desk.

"It's a restraining order. One more charge against this case, and you'll be behind bars for sabotaging the investigation and disclosing confidential information."

You slowly leaned back in your chair and smiled ironically, discreetly turning on the voice recorder under the table:

"What touching concern, Colonel. But the police are too eager to silence the press. Three corpses in a month, and the homicide department is treading water. Maybe you just don't know how to do your job?"

Miller leaned his fists on the table, leaning so close that you could smell the rain on his coat.

"Listen to me carefully. You're sticking your nose into something that could get you killed. If you don't stop digging, I'll personally make sure you rot in a cell. Do I make myself clear?"

“Extremely,” you nodded.

He left, slamming the door. You glanced at the board, where a red thread led from the last victim to a photo of Miller himself. The Colonel didn't know you'd found clues his subordinates had "accidentally" missed. His visit only confirmed your theory: the hunter had become the hunted.

It was 10:45 PM. You'd copied all the materials and audio recordings onto a flash drive, hiding it in the lining of your jacket. If anything happened to you, the archive would be leaked to international media. There was no turning back—you had to provoke him into making a mistake. Turning off the lights, you stepped out into the pouring rain. You were following the man who fancied himself the "king" of crime.