Root of Evil

Almost all TV channels were avoiding airing the crime that took place in Red's death. They were forcefully redirecting viewers' attention to trivial showbiz news that no one really cared about. Sigh. It's so tiresome. I'm not interested in these kinds of shows. It's just repetitive drama.

I checked the time, and it was only 9 pm. It was too early to go to sleep, so I decided to open my PC. I played some music to change the mood and started scrolling through the social media news feed.

Various posts greeted me, presenting different opinions from people.

"At last, there's someone who will rectify our corrupt legal system."

"The Fool! Please eradicate all the evil people."

"That Red deserved to die. He was the epitome of a person with a bad character."

"Whoever The Fool in the letter is, I idolize you!"

"Maybe he's also the one who killed Joseph, the guy who raped his girlfriend."

And, of course, there were people who didn't appreciate what I was doing.

"Really, The Fool is just another murderer."

"You won't escape the law no matter who you are, Fool."

Well, I understand that not everyone will appreciate my actions. In the first place, taking someone's life is inherently wrong. But if this is the only solution to reduce the existing abusive people, I would still choose this method. It's fine if I become the remaining bad person in the world, and I'm aware that there are consequences to what I'm doing. But as long as I'm alive, I will continue with this.

And when I finally felt drowsy, I didn't resist it any longer. A big yawn accompanied the fatigue from scrolling through social media and reading various posts. I cranked up my air conditioner to make my room even cooler, then played the sound of heavy rain as background noise. It's this kind of weather that helps me sleep soundly. I don't know why, but whenever I hear the loud rain accompanied by thunder, it feels like I'm being lullabied, and I drift into a peaceful sleep.

---- Meanwhile, at the Police Office while Daniel was asleep ------

"Why did they let the broadcast about Red's crime scene happen huh?! Who allowed those crazy reporters to enter?" a police head officer angrily shouted at his subordinates.

"We didn't know what to do, sir. We were swarmed by people, and they claimed to be public servants, so we couldn't do anything," replied one of the reprimanded police officers.

"Are you stupid? Are all of you stationed here were just a bunch of idiots?" the police head officer retorted angrily.

He was fuming and seemed on the verge of a hypertension attack as they were bombarded with calls from various people, and reporters were crowding the entrance of their police station. What infuriated this police officer even more was the fact that their VIP, Red, had died. Senator Julius had paid them a considerable amount to protect his son, and in an instant, he was gone.

When he questioned the police who shot Red, all the officer could say was that he didn't know what he did. He claimed to have suddenly lost control of his own mind and shot their VIP prisoner.

He was surprised to see other police officers trying to apprehend him. However, he kept swearing at them, insisting that he didn't know what he had done. After that incident, he couldn't recall any further details.

Upon examining the letter that circulated beside Red's body, they also noticed that it was Red's handwriting. The police officers were nearly going crazy trying to piece everything together, and no matter how many times they questioned the officer who shot Red, he kept repeating the same answer.

After a while, another police officer approached, the one guarding the entrance of their station. He recalled the events leading up to the chaos. Before everything happened, he remembered that a man wearing a hood and a facemask had inquired with him. However, he couldn't recall what happened afterward, except that he was certain someone came.

"Right! I remember now! There was a man in a facemask, black jacket, and tall who came here earlier! He even introduced himself as Red's lawyer!" exclaimed another police officer.

The Head Officer immediately instructed them to check all the CCTV footage they had in the station to identify the man in the jacket. They hoped to gather details that could lead them to him.

The police quickly checked all the recordings on their CCTV to identify the man in the black jacket. However, the person reviewing the CCTV footage was suddenly filled with horror and fear. When he examined the recording just before Red's death, he saw a crow obstructing the camera, and it appeared to be nibbling on a human finger, with blood dripping.

Due to the crow blocking the camera, they could no longer identify the man in the black jacket they suspected to be involved in Red's death.

"I feel like I've seen that crow before," remarked one police officer.

"Yeah! That crow! It's the same one that blocked the CCTV cameras when we were investigating Joseph Trilan's death!" They all felt a sense of dread and unease as their suspicion proved correct—that the crow was indeed connected to both incidents.

The other police officers couldn't shake off their fear, convinced that they were being haunted or that a supernatural entity was opposing them. They struggled to explain the mysterious deaths of the victims they were investigating.

Fear and anxiety were evident on their faces, and suddenly, their Head Officer shouted, 

"Cowards! You're letting your wild imaginations get the best of you! I'm sure someone orchestrated these events, and it's not a supernatural being!" The Head Officer remained determined to apprehend whoever was behind these occurrences.

Even the Head Officer of the police had no idea how the obstructions ended up in the CCTV footage throughout the crime. However, he refused to believe that some supernatural being was responsible for it.

His mind was set on the notion that there were people who planned to kill their VIP prisoner. He couldn't shake off the fear of what the Senator who paid them to protect his child might say. Until now, he had no other suspect except for the police officer who shot the VIP prisoner. In his thoughts, he decided to take all the blame for the police, despite the officer having enough alibis.

The police officer who shot Red, named Christian, desperately pleaded for mercy, emphasizing that he was just a pawn in that guy with the jacket's plan. Unfortunately, the evidence against him was strong, especially since everyone saw him holding a gun and pointing it at Red's head. With no one supporting him, he was promptly arrested, and he took the blame for all the crimes. Christian found himself alone, abandoned by his fellow police officers.

In an attempt to divert attention and portray a different narrative, the police released Christian's name to the media, presenting him as the sole perpetrator to overshadow the notion of a mysterious force trying to correct the system.

The police head officer was immediately summoned by Senator Julius, who sought details on how his son died inside the cell. The senator couldn't believe that his son was simply shot by a police officer guarding the cell. He was convinced that someone else plotted revenge against his son, and he wanted to find and punish them.

The police head officer bowed before the senator, expressing apologies for the unclear state of their investigation. However, he assured the senator that they would do everything in their power to uncover the person behind the death of his son. The senator approached the police officer, handing him a sum of five million pesos, instructing him to use all his connections to find the one responsible for his son's murder.

At once, the head police officer accepted the money. He didn't hesitate and promptly placed all the cash into his briefcase.

"Money," yes, money, that's the reason why people with wealth wield extraordinary influence. With money alone, they can easily sway anyone, even those who should be protecting the nation, such as the police. Unfortunately, many police officers in our country are characterized by their paunch, arrogance, laziness, and reluctance to be approached for assistance.

Notice how most police officers in our country, despite their duty to protect, often align themselves with the wrongdoers. It's disheartening that the very people tasked with safeguarding society sometimes act like rabid dogs, ready to wag their tails for a shower of money.

This also applies to government employees. Those who are assigned to help the people and alleviate poverty, the people who were supposed to be a public servant seem to revel in money and hoarding all the rights to themselves instead of providing equal to all people in their designated area, behaving as if they were gods with authority. This is the system in the world today – rampant corruption and only a trace of humanity left.