CHAPTER 5 — THE MAN WHO HUNTED HEROES
The abandoned cabin was surrounded before sunrise.
Flashlights swept through the trees.
Police officers searched every inch of the property, but the mysterious man had vanished into the forest.
Inside, Detective Mason stared at the wall covered with photographs.
Not just Ranger.
There were dozens.
Firefighters.
Paramedics.
Police officers.
Search-and-rescue volunteers.
Every person in the photos had one thing in common.
They had once been called heroes.
Someone had circled each face with a red marker.
Some names had already been crossed out.
Others remained untouched.
At the very center of the wall hung a photograph taken only two days earlier.
It showed Ethan... walking home from school.
His mother collapsed into tears.
"He was watching my son..."
The detective's stomach tightened.
"This wasn't an accident."
"He planned everything."
Just then, a young forensic officer called everyone over.
"Detective... you need to see this."
Hidden beneath the cabin floor was a steel box.
Inside were fake passports, bundles of cash, burner phones...
and a notebook.
Every page contained dates, locations, and detailed plans for staged "accidents."
The final page had only one sentence.
NEXT TARGET: OFFICER DANIEL MASON.
The detective's blood ran cold.
Before anyone could react—
BANG!
A rifle shot shattered the cabin window.
Glass exploded across the room.
Everyone dropped to the floor.
Outside, Ranger sprinted into the woods without hesitation.
The officers chased after him, but the forest swallowed both the dog and the gunman.
For twenty terrifying minutes...
There was only silence.
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Then one gunshot echoed through the mountains.
And Ranger's bark suddenly stopped.
