Chapter 11
The precinct felt colder than usual.
Kaito sat motionless, staring at the black screen of his laptop. The warning message burned into his mind.
"You shouldn't have seen that, Detective Mori."
"You're next."
Reina exhaled slowly. "We need to report this."
"To who?" Kaito's voice was tight. "If this is a cover-up, who do we even trust?"
Reina fell silent. The implications were clear—this went beyond the murders. The police force, the government, even the corporations pulling the strings—someone on the inside was involved.
A knock at the office door made them both tense.
A young officer, Saito, peeked in. "Uh, Detective Mori? There's someone asking for you downstairs. Says it's urgent."
Kaito exchanged a glance with Reina. "Who is it?"
Saito shrugged. "Didn't give a name. Just said you'd want to hear what they have to say."
Reina frowned. "You think it's—"
"Only one way to find out," Kaito muttered, standing up.
The Informant
The waiting area was nearly empty, except for one man sitting on the far bench, hood pulled low over his face.
Kaito approached cautiously. "You looking for me?"
The man lifted his head. His face was thin, eyes sunken like he hadn't slept in days.
He looked scared.
"You need to listen," the man whispered. "I don't have much time."
Kaito motioned for him to follow. "Let's talk somewhere private."
The man shook his head violently. "No. No rooms. No cameras." His hands trembled as he pulled a crumpled envelope from his jacket and shoved it into Kaito's grasp.
"They're watching. They know I came here." He swallowed hard. "This is proof. Project Satori is real. And they won't stop until every loose end is gone."
Kaito opened the envelope, glimpsing more documents—reports, names, locations.
Before he could say anything, the man's phone buzzed.
He looked down. His face drained of color.
"They found me," he whispered.
Then—
BANG.
The front windows of the precinct exploded inward as gunfire ripped through the room.
The informant jerked violently, a red mist spraying the air as bullets tore through his body.
Kaito lunged forward, tackling Reina to the ground as more rounds slammed into the walls. Officers shouted, diving for cover.
Through the shattered window, Kaito caught a glimpse of a black van speeding away.
The gunfire stopped.
The informant lay sprawled on the floor, blood pooling beneath him. His lifeless eyes stared at Kaito, frozen in terror.
Reina pulled her gun, breathing hard. "They just killed a man inside a police station."
Kaito clenched his fists, feeling the weight of the envelope in his hands.
They weren't just sending a warning anymore.
This was a declaration of war.
To Be Continued...