American comic book: I, with my abundant martial virtue, love to do good to others.

Chapter 222 The Hidden Threat

Kate astutely grasped the key words: "Fast footsteps? Like wearing high heels?"

The old lady thought for a moment and nodded: "That's right, it sounds like high heels, but lighter, like dancing."

Kate gasped, then quickly asked, "And then? Did you notice anything else unusual?"

"No, that's all." The old woman shook her head. "But I don't know if it's a coincidence, but the next morning..."

I noticed a rose petal on the steps by the door.

Kate was shocked and quickly asked, "Do you still have that petal?"

The old lady looked regretful: "No, I thought it fell from someone's clothes, so I just swept it up."

Kate nodded and wrote down the message, a feeling creeping into her heart that this petal might be a "gift" deliberately left behind by the killer. She decided to interview more people near the crime scene, hoping to piece together a more complete picture.

For the next few hours, Kate roamed the streets like a hound. She interviewed taxi drivers on duty, elderly men walking their dogs late at night, night shift workers, and even knocked on the doors of some nearby residents. Although most people couldn't provide any more useful details, commonalities mentioned in several different accounts deepened Kate's suspicions.

Whether it was passersby who saw the blurry figure or eyewitnesses who heard the footsteps, they all unanimously mentioned that the killer's movements that night were unusually swift, even exceeding the normal range of human behavior. And the coat embroidered with roses appeared in almost every description, like some kind of unique symbol.

As dawn broke, Kate stood at a street-side coffee stall, holding a cup of hot coffee and flipping through her densely filled notes. Keywords like "red eyes," "roses," and "dancing footsteps" kept echoing in her mind. Although she knew she couldn't participate in the investigation directly like Lynn, she had to find a way to compile this information into an in-depth report that might attract more attention.

Kate found a quiet café, sat down, opened her laptop, and began typing. Her article started with the background of the case, gradually introducing eyewitness accounts and her own discoveries, using a calm and objective tone to analyze the case, while subtly conveying an unsettling atmosphere between the lines.

She wrote:

In the dead of night, the neon lights conceal a bloody shadow. One witness described the killer's movements as dancing, while another mentioned a coat embroidered with roses and eerie red eyes. Do these inexplicable details point to some non-human entity? Or is it simply a psychologically twisted, extremely confident serial killer deliberately leaving us with unanswered questions? Whatever the truth, we must be vigilant, for the nights in this city are no longer safe.

Kate's fingers flew across the keyboard, and she concluded the article with a thought-provoking sentence: "Who is the murderer? What do the roses mean? We may not find the answers immediately, but every night the streets could become the next crime scene. And the only thing we can do is to stay vigilant until the truth is revealed—because danger often lurks where we cannot see it."

She pressed "Save" with satisfaction, as if she could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

Lynn and Carter stood in front of an old apartment building. The wind was biting cold, and the paint on the doorplate was peeling and chipped, but the words "14B" were still legible. This was one of the victims—

Jason, a bartender, lived in his only residence during his lifetime.

Lynn knocked on the door, and after a short while, a middle-aged woman with a haggard expression opened it. Her eyes were red and swollen, clearly from crying for a long time. She was Jason's sister, Martha.

"Hello, I'm FBI Detective Lynn, and this is my colleague Carter. We're investigating Jason's case." Lynn's tone was gentle, but his eyes were firm. "We'd like to ask you some questions."

Martha nodded and opened the door to let the two in. The small living room was cluttered with old furniture and scattered items, making it feel cramped and oppressive. After gesturing for them to sit down, she couldn't help but wipe away her tears: "Jason was a good kid, he never made enemies with anyone. I just can't understand why anyone would do something so cruel to him."

Lynn took out his notebook and asked in a low voice, "Please try to recall if he has mentioned anything strange recently? Like contact with strangers, or participation in any unusual activities?"

Martha shook her head: "No. His life is very simple: work, go home, and occasionally go out for a drink with friends. He's never been one to cause trouble."

"Among his friends, has anyone recently become particularly close to him?" Carter interjected.

Martha thought for a moment: "His best friend is another waiter at the bar, named Anthony."

They often left work together, and occasionally they would come over for a drink.

Lynn noted down the name "Anthony," then asked, "Did Jason mention having any contact with any of the other four victims?"

.

Huan Shalei nodded, stood up, and thanked her: "Thank you for your cooperation. We will do our best to find the real culprit."

After leaving the apartment, Carter frowned and said, "It seems Jason's social circle is quite simple; we haven't found any valuable clues yet."

"We're going to meet with the relatives of the other victims," ​​Lynn said firmly, clearly having already devised the next step.

Over the next few hours, they visited several victims' families. In each conversation, Lynn tried to find clues from a different angle, but all the relatives stated that the victims were completely unrelated. Their life trajectories, professional backgrounds, and even hobbies were drastically different.

Finally, they arrived at the home of the fifth victim—college student Alyssa. When Alyssa's father opened the door, he appeared calmer than the other family members, his eyes revealing suppressed anger.

"Detective, please come in," he said, his voice deep and powerful. "I hope you can catch that beast as soon as possible."

Lynn nodded and went straight to the point after entering the living room: "We'd like to know about Alyssa's recent life. Has she mentioned knowing any other victims, or participating in any unusual activities?"

Alyssa's father pondered for a moment before speaking, "Alyssa is an adventurous girl. Recently, she's become obsessed with an activity called 'Urban Puzzle Solving,' and she often participates with her friends."

Lynn immediately caught the detail: "'Urban Mystery Solving'? What kind of event is that?"

"I heard it's a game that young people really like. They form teams and solve puzzles scattered throughout the city. Alyssa especially loves this kind of challenge and participates every week." The father paused, his brow furrowed. "But after her last participation, she was clearly upset, as if she had been frightened. I asked her what happened, but she wouldn't say anything."

Lynn and Carter exchanged a glance, both clearly realizing that this was no ordinary matter.

"Do you know the date of her last appearance at an event?" Lynn pressed.

"It must have been two days before the incident, but I'm not sure exactly which day," the father replied.

Lynn nodded and noted the information down in her notebook: "Did she mention who she was attending with?"

“They’re her college friends, Dani and Lucy.” The father paused for a moment. “I can give you their contact information.”

After leaving Alyssa's house, Lynn quickly dialed the number of college student Dani. Dani was clearly shocked by Alyssa's death but was also willing to cooperate with the investigation.

"Can you tell me the details of your 'City Puzzle Solving' event?" Lynn asked.

Dani's voice trembled on the other end of the phone: "We were assigned a very deserted route that day, solving puzzles along a cluster of abandoned buildings in the city center. Everything was normal at first, but the last task point went wrong."

"What went wrong?" Lynn's tone became more urgent.

"We went into an abandoned warehouse, and it was pitch black. Alyssa found a puzzle card with a red rose drawn on it. Just as she picked up the card, someone suddenly let out a shrill laugh from the shadows, which terrified us. We ran out, but Alyssa has been acting strange ever since she got home." Dani paused, lowering her voice even further, "Now that I think about it, that card might have been left behind by the killer on purpose."

After hanging up the phone, Lynn frowned: "It seems the key clue in this case is that incident..."

"Urban Mystery Solving" event.

Carter nodded: "Perhaps the killer used this campaign to identify victims. But the question is, why did he choose these people? Are they really unrelated?"

"Not necessarily." Lynn narrowed his eyes and calmly analyzed, "Perhaps there's some hidden connection among these victims, and 'urban mystery' was just a tool the killer used to select targets."

The two men fell silent for a moment, then realized they had to investigate the event thoroughly to uncover the truth behind the organizers and other participants. This was not only about revealing the connections between the victims, but could also be the key to solving the entire case.

Lynn and Carter decide to participate in the "Urban Puzzle" event themselves, disguising themselves as ordinary players in hopes of uncovering hidden clues. They forge identities—Lynn becomes a programmer named "John," while Carter transforms into "Mike," a photographer. They choose the "Shadow Trail" route from the event, a route previously selected by Alyssa and her friends.

On the day of registration, Lynn and Carter arrived at the meeting point—an abandoned café—following the directions. The outside seemed desolate, but the inside was packed with excited young people, and the organizers were distributing maps and task cards. The walls were dimly lit, and some old props sat on the tables; the whole scene resembled the opening of a suspense movie.

"Welcome everyone to the 'Urban Puzzle Solving' event!" A man wearing a rose-patterned mask stood at the front desk and announced in a deep voice, "Today's theme is (Shadow Tracking). Each team needs to follow the clues step by step to solve the puzzle and find the hidden treasure. Please remember, something malevolent may be lurking in the darkness, so don't let it catch you!"

A cheer erupted from the sidelines, while Lynn and Carter remained low-key, quietly collecting their mission cards.

The card contained the first clue: "An unlit candlestick points to the entrance to the truth."

"Let's begin," Lynn whispered to Carter. The two exchanged a glance and quickly got to work.

Following the map, they found an abandoned old building, the location of the first mission. The building was dark and damp, with a musty smell in the air. Based on the clues, they quickly found a row of dilapidated candlesticks. After careful examination, they discovered that one of the bases was engraved with the number "303".

"These are the coordinates for the next step," Carter said softly, looking up at Lynn.

Lynn nodded, and the two continued on. The next few tasks were relatively simple, all requiring some finesse and were quite interesting, but they didn't discover anything unusual.

Several hours later, Lynn and Carter arrived at the final mission point—an abandoned warehouse.

Under the dim light, the warehouse was filled with rusty metal boxes and dilapidated wooden frames, making it look desolate and oppressive.

"This is where Alyssa solved the final mystery," Lynn said softly, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings.

Following the instructions, they found a puzzle card in a corner. It had a familiar red rose drawn on it, and below it was written: "Darkness will eventually give way to dawn, but you must find the hidden key."

Carter crouched down to examine the card closely: "It looks just like Alyssa described. This card might be the key."

Lynn nodded, and the two split up to search for the key. However, apart from discarded junk and cobwebs, there was almost nothing else noteworthy in the warehouse. They searched every corner, even opening several rusty metal boxes, but still found nothing.

"There's nothing unusual here." Carter stood up, his face full of doubt. "Did the killer erase all traces after the incident?"

Lynn looked around, the same question arising in his mind. Their activities seemed no different from ordinary puzzle games; there were no hidden threats or unsettling signs.

"Let's look again," Lynn said in a low voice, unwilling to give up.

The two searched again, but still found nothing new. Just as they were about to leave, Lynn's gaze fell on a load-bearing pillar in the warehouse—a small rose pattern was carved on the pillar.

It was almost completely covered by paint, making it difficult to notice unless you looked closely.

"This symbol," Lynn walked over and gently wiped away the dust with her hand, revealing the complete rose pattern.

Carter leaned closer, frowning, and said, "It looks a lot like the rose on the puzzle card, but it doesn't seem to offer any further clues."

Lynn pursed his lips, feeling the surface of the pillar, and suddenly noticed a very small crack next to the pattern. He tried pressing it, and the pillar made a slight click, and a hidden small drawer popped out.

Inside was a rusty little key and a note. Lynn opened the note and read:

"Where the roses bloom is the end of darkness and the beginning of judgment."