The Midnight System

Every night at exactly 12:00 AM, someone in the city dies. No killer is ever seen. No pattern is officially confirmed. No explanation survives longer than the rumors that follow. All anyone knows is the message that appears on every phone moments before midnight: "Tonight's sinner has been chosen." Ren Kuroda stopped believing in coincidences a long time ago. But when he starts receiving corrupted versions of the message fragments no one else can see, he realizes something terrifying: The system isn't just selecting victims. It's watching. Learning. Adapting. And for reasons he doesn't understand... it has started focusing on him.