I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

As night falls and the lights come on, a large-scale script-killing live-action experience center in the city center is bustling with activity. It's an ancient courtyard building, with its blue bricks, gray tiles, carved beams, and painted buildings, it feels like a trip back to ancient times.

Tonight, a script-killing show called "The Powerful Storm" will be staged here, attracting many script-killing enthusiasts to participate.

Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan are investigative reporters for the newspaper. Their visit wasn't purely for fun, but rather for work. Recently, they received a tip about strange and untold happenings at the script-killing experience center, including reports of accidents while playing. Driven by their journalistic sensitivity and a desire to find the truth, they decided to investigate further.

Li Wei, a former police officer, has left the force, but his years of police experience have given him a keen eye for insight. He is an old friend of Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan, and upon learning they were investigating the script-killing case, he offered to help.

Private detective Lin Feng also joined the investigation. He is experienced and good at reasoning and collecting clues.

As soon as the four entered the experience center, they felt the tense and mysterious atmosphere. The players, dressed in gorgeous ancient costumes and holding props, were absorbed in their roles. Some whispered to each other, some looked fierce, and some feigned composure, as if they were truly immersed in an ancient power struggle.

Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan first approached the Experience Center's director, a young woman named Liu Le. Liu Le seemed a little nervous, but she warmly welcomed them. She explained that the game was based on a novel about ancient imperial power struggles, and that players would need to identify the mastermind behind the scenes through clues and deduction to win.

"Has anything unusual happened recently?" Fu Siyuan asked directly.

Liu Le hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Actually... the night before last, a player was found dead in a secluded corner of the experience center after finishing a script-killing game."

"What?!" Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan looked at each other in surprise. They didn't expect the situation to be more serious than they expected.

"The player was playing a character in the script, and he was murdered in the plot. But everyone thought it was just part of the plot, so no one paid any attention to him until someone discovered that he was really...really dead..." Liu Le's voice became smaller and smaller, and a look of fear appeared on his face.

Li Wei and Lin Feng also arrived at the scene and immediately began collecting clues. Li Wei carefully observed the death scene and found some strange traces. On the ground next to the deceased, there were some scattered pills that looked like some kind of sleeping pills. And in the sleeve of the deceased, there was a small dagger.

"This dagger is a prop for script-killing, but what about the pill?" Lin Feng said puzzledly.

Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan then began interviewing players who participated in the script-killing game that night. They all said they were so engrossed in the plot at the time that they didn't notice anything unusual about the deceased. However, one player mentioned that midway through the script-killing game, they saw the deceased secretly leave the room, seemingly going to a secluded location.

"This detail is very important. Something unknown may have happened when the deceased left the room," Fu Siyuan analyzed.

Li Wei found a note with a string of numbers on it on the deceased. He immediately realized that it might be some kind of code or clue. Through deduction, they speculated that the string of numbers represented the combination of a safe in the experience center.

"If the deceased discovered any secret during the script-killing process, then the secret is likely hidden in this safe," said Lin Feng.

The four of them immediately headed for the safe. It was located in a hidden room in the Experience Hall, with a large lock on the outside. Li Wei, relying on his experience, quickly unlocked the safe. When they opened it, they were astonished by what they found inside.

Inside the safe was a thick stack of documents, documenting some of the unknown secrets of the experience center. It turned out that the owner of this script-killing experience center had colluded with some criminals, using the script-killing game as a cover to carry out some illegal activities. The deceased accidentally discovered this secret during the script-killing game and tried to hide the evidence.

"It seems that the deceased was killed because he knew this secret." Zhang Wanqing said in a deep voice.

But things weren't quite that simple. Just as they were about to investigate further, they heard a commotion outside. It turned out that new players had arrived at the experience center, ready to begin another round of script-killing games. And this time, the characters they were about to play were inextricably linked to the deceased.

Zhang Wanqing, Fu Siyuan, Li Wei, and Lin Feng realize that there may be a larger conspiracy behind this case. They decide to continue their investigation to uncover the truth behind this script-killing case. As the investigation deepens, they gradually discover that this case is more complicated and dangerous than they expected.

The morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting dappled shadows onto the floor. Zhang Wanqing rubbed her sleepy eyes, recalling everything that had happened at the script-killing experience center the previous night. A strange sense of unease welled up in her heart. She quickly washed up, picked up her notebook, and prepared to head to the newspaper office to meet Fu Siyuan and sort out the clues of the case together.

In the newspaper office, Fu Siyuan was busy sorting through the information he'd gathered the previous night. He looked up and saw Zhang Wanqing coming in, and waved, "Wanqing, you've arrived just in time. I carefully studied the documents last night and discovered that the illegal activities involved are far more complex than we imagined. There's not only money laundering and smuggling involved, but there's even suspicion of trafficking in counterfeit cultural relics."

Zhang Wanqing sat across from Fu Siyuan, her brow furrowed. "There must be a vast criminal network behind these illegal activities. The deceased was most likely killed because he accidentally touched a key link in this network."

"That's right." Fu Siyuan nodded. "Also, I found something strange. Some of these files are written in a special encryption method and require a specific password to decipher. I suspect that this password may be hidden in some part of the script-killing game."

As they were talking, Li Wei and Lin Feng also arrived at the newspaper office. The four of them sat together and began to analyze every detail of the case in detail.

Li Wei said solemnly, "I observed at the scene last night that the deceased died just as the script-killing plot reached its climax. At that time, everyone was in a tense standoff, and no one noticed the deceased quietly leaving the room. This means that the murderer may have taken advantage of this chaotic moment to attack the deceased."