Mastermind Behind The Scenes

On a rainy night, atop a high-rise building, a green monster knelt helplessly on the roof. It had a lizard's head, a human-like body, and a long lizard tail, standing over six feet tall. Covering his face, the creature cried in the heavy rain, his sobs drowned by the downpour and the thunder that roared intermittently.

"Why? Why did I become a monster?!" he wailed, staring at his hands, now transformed into claws with sharp nails at least an inch long. Overwhelmed with despair, the creature thought, If I have to live like this forever, I might as well have died in that alley earlier.

"But before that..." His yellow eyes glowed with rising hatred. "Since I have this body and this power... William Carter..."

That same night, the city of Riverton was shrouded in heavy rain. Inside the headquarters of BrightPath Biopharmaceuticals, a man in his fifties, wearing a white lab coat, stood in a sterile laboratory. His face was flushed with excitement as he stared at the groundbreaking data on his computer screen.

"This is incredible! A masterpiece! My best student has found a way to combat leukemia at the genetic level! It's not yet a finished product, but with this information, I'll perfect it soon enough," he exclaimed, tears welling in his eyes. "History will remember my name."

Just then, the door opened, and a younger man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stepped inside. William Carter wiped his eyes and calmed his excitement.

"How is it? Is everything done?" he asked.

"Don't worry, Uncle. Alex Morgan won't survive the night. It'll look like a simple gambling debt dispute. The one who did it was hired through the casino. The police won't trace it back to us. And even if they do, the company will suppress everything," the younger man said with a smug smile.

William sighed, a faint sense of guilt flickering inside him, but his nephew's reassurances put him at ease.

"Alex was my most admired student... What a pity," William murmured.

"It's his fault for being ungrateful," his nephew retorted. "You promised to make him chief scientist and give him $10 million in exchange for his research. Instead, he resisted. With his gambling habits, he should've been grateful you saved him from ruin. He deserved what he got."

William nodded, his guilt fading as he justified his actions.

Suddenly, a mocking laugh echoed from above.

"Who's there?!" the two men shouted, their eyes darting upward.

Their blood ran cold. Clinging to the ceiling with clawed limbs was a monstrous, humanoid lizard. Its yellow eyes glowed with hatred, its thick tail swaying menacingly.

Moments later, the lab filled with terrified screams.

The next morning, Captain Daniel Reed of the Riverton Police Department arrived at BrightPath Biopharmaceuticals. The crime scene was horrific. Blood covered the walls, floor, and ceiling. Intestines and organs were strewn everywhere, and the victims' bodies were mutilated beyond recognition.

Even the seasoned officers struggled to maintain their composure. Daniel, though disturbed, stayed focused.

"This was personal," he concluded, scanning the room. "The killer hated these two deeply."

The victims were identified as William Carter and his nephew, Thomas Carter. William's reputation as a celebrated scientist added immense pressure to the case. Daniel knew the aftermath of this murder would ripple far beyond Riverton.

By piecing together leads, the police uncovered three key points. First, Thomas Carter had recently been in contact with the owner of an underground casino. Second, Alex Morgan, a member of BrightPath's research team and one of William Carter's students, was missing. Moreover, Alex was known to have gambling debts. Third, BrightPath Biopharmaceuticals confirmed that research on a leukemia treatment had been stolen.

"Alex Morgan, the casino, and the missing data..." Daniel murmured, his mind connecting the dots. "This case may not just be about revenge -there's something bigger at play here."

He began to form a theory in his mind...