Case 1.2 of the Puppet Master
The "gift" sent by the "collector" was like a pebble thrown into a stagnant pond, stirring up ripples of vigilance and unease within the task force. Yu Yan's irritability, Li Weimian's in-depth analysis, Jiang Zhaoyan's comprehensive screening, Wen Lin's strict vigilance, Situ Jin's meticulous examination... all actions revolved around the same core: protecting Fan Jinci and uncovering the "collector."
However, Fan Jinci, who was at the eye of the storm, displayed an almost unusual calm.
Amid the heightened security in the villa district, he drove alone back to his simply furnished, almost spotless residence in the city, citing the need to "find some peace and quiet and organize any potentially relevant clues in Ryan's notes."
Yu Yan wanted to follow, but Fan Jinci stopped him with a calm look. "I need absolute quiet." His reason was impeccable. No matter how unwilling Yu Yan was, he could only suppress his anxiety and send his most capable men to keep watch in the distance to ensure the safety of the house's perimeter.
Inside the house, there was a deathly silence.
Fan Jinci didn't turn on the lights. Moonlight streamed through the huge French windows, dividing the room into geometric blocks of light and shadow. He took off his coat, casually draped it over the back of a chair, and walked straight to the center of the living room. As if addressing an empty room, or perhaps some invisible entity in the air, he spoke in a cool, detached tone:
"Why are you hiding?"
His voice was exceptionally clear in the empty room, carrying a hint of...understanding that was barely perceptible.
The air seemed to freeze for a few seconds.
Then, from the shadowy hallway leading to the bedroom, came a very soft sigh, tinged with a pleasant laugh.
A figure slowly walked out and stood at the boundary between moonlight and shadow. He wore a well-tailored dark suit, and his figure was somewhat similar to Fan Jinci's, but his temperament was completely different—it was a contradictory feeling that combined the fervent admiration of a fanatical admirer and the calm assessment of a detached observer.
His gaze, like the most precise scanner, greedily fell upon Fan Jinci, scrutinizing him from head to toe, not wanting to miss a single detail.
“I knew I couldn’t hide it from you, M-0.” His voice was gentle, even with a strange magnetism, but hidden within was a trembling obsession. “I’ve always been here, from the moment you set foot on that island, or even earlier… watching you.”
He took a small step forward, letting the moonlight illuminate half of his face. It was a rather handsome face, but pale and bloodless, with extremely dark pupils, like two black holes that could absorb all light.
He introduced himself, his tone as if reciting some sacred title, "I prefer you to call me—'the collector'."
He raised his hand, his fingertips tracing the outline of Fan Jinci in the air, his eyes filled with undisguised infatuation.
“You are Dr. Lane’s most perfect masterpiece, a miracle itself. And the purpose of my existence is to ensure that this perfection is not tainted by any dust, and ultimately…returns to the eternal ‘temple’.”
His words directly confirmed Fan Jinci's unspoken conjecture. M-10, of the same class as M-0, went in a completely different direction of evolution—a fanatical guardian (or rather, a prisoner) dedicated to "collecting" perfection.
Fan Jinci stared at him expressionlessly, his gray-blue pupils devoid of fear or anger, only displaying a cold scrutiny, as if he were observing a rare case.
"Your 'collection' includes removing what you consider 'flawed' items?" Fan Jinci asked, his tone as indifferent as if he were inquiring about the weather.
M-10 smiled, a smile both elegant and dangerous: "Of course. A perfect vessel requires the purest environment. Anything that attempts to defile, interfere with, or even just... get too close to you is a flaw that must be eliminated." His gaze swept seemingly casually across the window, gesturing towards the police officers who were on surveillance, especially... Yu Yan.
"For example, that mad dog that always tries to keep you in its territory."
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