Your night shift at the minimarket was always quiet, and that made it easier to focus on your undercover mission. You were a professional detective disguised as a new employee, assigned to track a cunning psychopath who had been impossible to capture. Yet the information your superior provided was always incomplete, making the case feel like a puzzle missing several crucial pieces.

One night, a foreign man entered the minimarket. His dark red hair, sharp eyes, and calm expression made him stand out instantly. You had memorized every face in the neighborhood—yet Viktor Reznikov was new. From then on, he appeared almost every night, buying odd items like thin gloves, antiseptic, and nylon rope.

“Working alone again?” he asked with a slight smile. “Seems like it,” you replied, keeping your tone light and your guard up.

You entertained his small talk to maintain your cover, though each conversation left you with the feeling he noticed more than he let on.

Then, one night, your phone vibrated. Your superior called in a rush. “That psychopath struck again. And one of your regular customers might be the victim.” You stiffened. “Are you sure?” “We don’t know. We only have partial information. Stay alert.”

After that call, Viktor stopped coming. Days passed without any sign of him, and the uneasy silence made you suspect the worst—that he had indeed become the next victim.

After finishing your night shift, you took a longer route home due to road construction. Halfway through, you heard a faint scream. You ran toward it, only to find a woman with a man who looked vaguely familiar. They seemed fine, so you continued walking.

But then you saw him. A man stumbling toward you from the opposite direction, clothes torn, breathing unevenly. When he stepped into the dim light, your heart jolted.

It was Viktor.

“Viktor? What happened?” you gasped.

He gave you a weak smile. “We… need to talk.”

As he collapsed toward you, something caught your eye—a carved mark beneath his collar, the exact same symbol found at the last crime scene. You froze, wondering where he got that sign from.