Written by: BTSBangtan_fanfics

It had been two days that Elias Vance was out of his room. The stench that covered the entire Blesers Apartment was concerning, not mentioning such a case was unusual for the elite societal building. Out of desperation and a possible suspicion the neighbours informed the police.

The entry to his apartment was forced, why? The door was locked from inside, but they had to do it the technical way, for the door had a smart lock. What else do you expect from the apartment of the CEO of a Tech Startup?

The pungent smell grew as they entered the apartment, so much so that bearing it was a hard task. Almost everyone had sensed that something was terribly wrong, and they were correct. There laid Elias covered in blood, pieces of glass piercing through the skin so brutally, it is almost unbearable to look at, his face pale and sunken, some time definitely has passed since his death. The point to be noted was that he had his VR on.

Detective Charsio enters the crime scene, followed by his subordinates, it was a subtle yet swift movement he made towards the spot, he bent and carefully examined the body, tracing it with his squeaky clean rubber gloves that covered his hand. Then his hands went on to remove the VR from his face, upon which it was handed to the forensic team, to detect any foul play. From the angles and the positioning of his body, it seemed to be an accidental death. There were no signs of forced entry, no marks of struggle and fight, nothing that could tag it something other than that. Though, it was pretty unusual, a man playing a VR knocks upon a glass table completely unaware, on top of it him being a tech expert, sounded almost too absurd to be true.

But it was as it is, the reports for any possible traces of another human being, they all were silent meaning nobody was there with him during his death. Charsio did feel something was out of sorts but due to lack of evidence it became a come and gone incident with the case file closed almost within a week.

It was a month later that this case again took the spotlight, when another such incident happened to the Vice President of Silvic, a company that had been dominating the Tech Industry for quite some time. It was almost similar to the case. Undoubtedly this did not slide by Charsio's eyes, though not as successful as many detectives his age, his talent was impeccable.

Detective Charsio felt a cold dread as he read the news. Marcus Thorne, another tech big shot, died just like Elias Vance. Same scene: smashed glass, VR headset on, no signs of a break-in. Everyone else saw accidents, but Charsio saw a pattern. Two genius tech guys, supposedly tripping over their own furniture in VR? Too much.

He pulled out Vance's old file. Now, with Thorne's identical death, those tiny things screamed for attention. Charsio knew there was a killer and the killer wasn't leaving obvious clues. He was operating in the hidden world of technology, turning the victims' own advancements against them. The game was far from over.

Before he could act to his wits, the third death hit like a cold, calculated punch to the gut. This time, it was Dr. Evelyn Reed, Research head of Silvic, was found dead in her meticulously designed minimalist apartment. The scene was sickeningly familiar: shattered glass, a high-end VR headset askew on her head, and that uncanny lack of any traditional struggle. The media, already buzzing with speculation after Marcus Thorne's demise, went into a frenzy. An uncanny theory, whispers of a "VR curse" or a "technological plague" spreading like wildfire.

For Detective Charsio, it wasn't a curse; it was a killer, chillingly precise. Reed, like Vance and Thorne, was at the forefront of immersive tech development. But Charsio knew better. He pulled all three case files, spreading them across his desk like a grim tableau. There had to be a common thread. The files were now like the pieces of a terrifying puzzle. Charsio felt the pressure mounting; the city was on edge, and a murderer was turning their victims' digital playgrounds into silent graveyards. He was facing a phantom, a killer who understood the matrix better than anyone else, and who was now boldly stepping out of the shadows, one death at a time.

The next target would have already been chosen and if he didn't hurry, one more death would spot mark his portfolio, and question his career. Every time he looked at the files, he stared at it a little bit longer, hoping some connection would magically appear, but none did. It was one late evening, him in his cubicle with a coffee in his hand, when he marked something he missed earlier. Elias Vance was a former employee at Silvic!

A shock indeed, a common link to the chain, something finally worth noticing, he scrutinized all the files, and just knew something was off, specially at Silvic. He examined all the possible threads, and came to one conclusion: all three victims were closer to each other than they appeared.

That was when the General Manager at Silvic, Mark Cushbay, showed up, panicked, beads of perspiration resting upon his forehead, barged into Charsio's space.

'Somebody is stalking me, I don't know who, but I just know someone.'

Charsio, now intrigued, questioned, 'Why would you say so?'

'Today, after I left my mobile phone for charging, it unlocked itself and started operating the lights. I would not have paid any heed to it, if I were in the bathroom, but I forgot my towel, and I came back to this.'

Cushbay stammered as he spoke.

'Where is your phone?' Charsio enquired.

'At home,' the other replied.

Charsio started connecting the dots, he quickly called the Cyber Department.

The Cyber Department wasted no time. They quickly set up a hidden operation to watch Mark Cushbay's phone. Detective Charsio's hunch was right: these "glitches" were the killer's digital signature. They found tiny, almost invisible commands being sent to Cushbay's smart home devices, making them act just like he would. It was chillingly precise, like a digital ghost learning and predicting his every move. The source of these commands was expertly hidden behind many fake accounts, but the Cyber team, pushed by the pressure of three unsolved murders, finally found where the signal was coming from: an old apartment building in a poor part of the city.

Under the cover of a cold, moonless night, Charsio and a small police team quietly moved in. The old, run-down building was a sharp contrast to the fancy high-rises where the victims lived. As they got closer to the target apartment, the strong, familiar bad smell grew stronger, a grim reminder of the first crime scene. Inside, the apartment was a shocking mess: old computer gear, tangled wires, empty coffee cups, and a pervasive bad smell. Huddled over a glowing computer screen sat a thin, wild-eyed man. His name was Adrian Thorne.

Adrian didn't fight. He just looked up, a strange, knowing smile on his face, as if he expected them. Charsio didn't need him to confess; the messy apartment, Adrian's thin look, and the strong obsession in his eyes said it all. As handcuffs clicked into place, Adrian started to speak, his voice rough but clear, full of deep, burning hatred. "They killed him," he rasped, his eyes red from sadness and anger, staring directly at Charsio. "They forced my brother, Liam Thorne, onto that penthouse roof, strapped into their fancy VR, just to 'test' how accurate it was. Elias, Thorne, Reed... and Mark. They stood there and watched him fall. Liam was just an employee, nobody in their cruel game."

Adrian's confession poured out, a flood of bitterness built up over years. He explained how Elias Vance, feeling guilty, left Silvic to start his own company. But the others – Marcus Thorne, Evelyn Reed, and Mark Cushbay – ruthlessly covered up Liam's death. They used it as a way to climb higher in the company. Adrian, Liam's younger brother, had spent years in secret, becoming an expert hacker. He hid inside the very computer systems these tech leaders built. He waited for his chance, planning their deaths by using their own VR devices, their smart homes, and their feeling of being untouchable. Every remote command, every fake object he put in their VR worlds, every exact change he made to their smart homes, was a carefully planned act of cold, digital revenge for his brother, who died because of their reckless ambitions.

Mark Cushbay, brought to the scene, stood pale and shaking as he heard Adrian's shocking story. He finally admitted the terrible details of what happened on the penthouse roof. The truth about Liam Thorne's death, hidden for years by the company, finally came to light. By early morning, both Adrian Thorne and Mark Cushbay were arrested. Adrian was charged with three murders. Mark faced charges for his big role in hiding a deadly corporate secret. The fancy Blesers Apartment building and the big Silvic company, once symbols of technology's future, now stood as sad reminders of a dark secret, brought to light by a brother's quiet, digital revenge.