The next morning, I walked into my office, dressed in my usual black suit, black dress shirt, and black leather gloves.
The moment I stepped in, the atmosphere in the detective agency shifted.
Everyone stared at me, some in awe, some in disbelief, and a few with pure admiration.
Whispers filled the air.
"He's the one who cracked the Cursed Manor case."
"I heard he took down an entire underground syndicate on his own."
"Is he even human?"
I ignored them all.
I never cared about fame—only the hunt.
As I made my way to my desk, my chief, Jonathan Reeves, stepped forward.
A sturdy man in his late 50s, dressed in a classic brown trench coat, with a grizzled beard and sharp blue eyes, he looked at me with pride.
"Samuel, you did wonderful work." He patted my shoulder. "Every headline is talking about you. The way you handled the Cursed Manor, the way you solved those high-profile cases… You've become the face of this agency."
I gave him a polite smile.
"I'm just doing what our work demands, Chief."
He chuckled. "Humble as ever." Then, he leaned in slightly, lowering his voice. "But between us, this kind of fame… it attracts powerful enemies."
I smirked. "Let them come. It makes things interesting."
He sighed, shaking his head with a small smile. "You're one crazy bastard, Gebb. But that's why you're the best."
---
New Case, New Threats
Before I could sit down, the door to the office burst open.
A woman in her late 40s, dressed in an elegant yet slightly disheveled outfit, stormed inside.
Her eyes were red from crying, her hands clutching a crumpled photograph.
"Detective Gebb! You have to help me!"
I turned to face her, my emerald eyes sharp and unreadable.
"Calm down, ma'am. What happened?"
She handed me the photograph. It was of a young girl—her daughter.
"My daughter… she's missing." Her voice shook. "She disappeared last night, and the police won't take it seriously!"
I studied the photo, then met her tearful gaze.
"Tell me everything."
She took a deep breath, struggling to compose herself. "She left for a friend's party and never came back. Then… I got this."
She pulled out her phone, showing me a grainy video.
I played it.
The screen showed her daughter, bound and gagged, sitting in a dark room. A distorted voice spoke from the background.
"Detective Gebb… if you want her alive, stop investigating the Syndicate's remains."
The video cut off.
The room fell silent.
I exhaled slowly, rolling my shoulders as my eyes darkened.
"So… they want to play games?"
The chief looked at me, his expression serious. "Samuel… this could be a trap."
I smirked. "Of course, it's a trap."
I placed the photo on my desk, then grabbed my guns from the holster.
"But they made one mistake."
The chief raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"
I slid a bullet into the magazine, locking it in place with a click.
"They think I care about traps."
I looked at the terrified mother and gave her a calm, confident nod.
"I'll bring your daughter back."
And with that, I walked out of the office.
Because now—the hunt was on.
Tracking her wasn't hard.
The Syndicate's message had been sloppy. They thought they could intimidate me, that sending a ransom video would make me back off.
They didn't realize they had just signed their own death warrants.
The coordinates led me to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city. Typical.
I stood in the shadows, my Eagle Eyes scanning the area.
Five armed guards at the entrance.
Two on the roof.
More inside.
And the girl? Deep underground.
I rolled my shoulders. "Let's get this over with."
I activated Phantom Step—moving through the night like a ghost.
The first rooftop sniper never saw me.
I grabbed him from behind, snapping his neck silently before dragging his body into the darkness.
The second barely had time to turn before my knife slid across his throat, warm blood spraying across the rooftop.
One by one, I picked them off, moving through the compound like death itself.
By the time I reached the basement entrance, ten bodies lay lifeless in my wake.
Inside, the girl sat tied to a chair, her eyes wide with terror.
A masked man stood beside her, a pistol pressed against her temple.
"You move, she dies."
I didn't stop moving.
BANG!
A single perfect shot tore through his wrist, sending his gun clattering to the ground.
He screamed—then I was on him.
CRACK!
My fist collided with his jaw, sending teeth flying.
THUD!
I slammed him against the wall, twisting his arm backward until bone snapped.
His screams filled the room—but I wasn't done.
I leaned in, my voice a whisper of pure malice.
"You made a mistake coming after me."
Then, I ended it.
BANG.
His body hit the floor.
I turned to the girl, untying her restraints.
"It's over."
She sobbed, clutching my arm. "Thank you… thank you so much."
I exhaled, patting her head. "Let's get you home."
The moment we stepped into my office, the mother collapsed in relief, pulling her daughter into her arms.
Tears flowed freely, her voice trembling. "I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Gebb… I thought I lost her forever."
I leaned back in my chair, lighting a cigarette.
"You already thanked me."
She looked up, confused. "How?"
I took a slow drag, exhaling the smoke.
"By proving I was right—monsters do exist."
Her eyes widened, but I didn't explain further.
Instead, I simply smirked, leaning forward.
"Now go. Your daughter needs you."
She nodded, helping her daughter up, whispering endless thanks as they left.
And as the door clicked shut, I leaned back, closing my eyes.
Another hunt finished. Another mission complete.
But deep down, I knew—this was just the beginning.