When Hater's boss received the news, he was just as baffled as everyone else.
It might have been understandable if it had happened once, but two times in a row? And with the added twist of his partner being arrested as well? It seemed far too suspicious.
Over the next few days, more paparazzi who had been following John Lopez found themselves in the same predicament—hauled into the police station for inexplicable reasons.
It was getting weirder by the minute.
The local Anti-vice Group had been performing well recently, and the police officers, puzzled by the recurring arrests of paparazzi, began to discuss the matter among themselves. Something didn't sit right with them.
These weren't just any random arrests; they were all paparazzi. Their memories were hazy, and their attempts to explain their actions were faltering, as if they couldn't recall exactly what had happened. It seemed like they had provoked someone powerful—someone who wasn't just connected, but possibly… dangerous.
Who could that be?
The police surmised that this wasn't something they could handle alone, and it needed to be reported to the Southern Martial Arts League.
When the members of the Southern Martial Arts League got wind of the situation, their response was somewhat dismissive.
"Paparazzi causing trouble? That's a new one…" they muttered. "We thought a martial artist was behind this, but turns out it's just some paparazzi stirring things up."
They decided to let it go, considering it wasn't a matter for them to intervene with.
As a result, many entertainment venues in the area decided to shut down their operations, worried that they might be the next target of the police raids. It was simply too unpredictable—no one knew where the next crackdown would happen.
The media quickly branded John Lopez as a "jinx" among the paparazzi. No one dared to take photos of him anymore. They didn't want to risk being linked to any illegal activities, particularly prostitution, in case the news spread. Their reputations would be tarnished.
But of course, there was an exception.
Danson, a seasoned veteran of the paparazzi world, was not one to back down from a challenge. After a long hiatus, he decided it was time to return to his old career and take on the peculiar mystery surrounding John Lopez.
Danson had a reputation in the entertainment industry. He was both loved and loathed by stars. They hated him because his ability to dig up scandal was unmatched. It was like having an invisible camera constantly monitoring the lives of the rich and famous. No secret was safe from him.
But the stars also loved him—especially those who weren't as famous anymore or those whose careers were in decline. They'd often go to Danson to leak their stories, hoping that his exposure would reignite their fame and give them a new lease on their careers.
The entertainment world ran on gossip. If you weren't in the tabloids, you were forgotten. Time moved fast, and so did the industry.
Danson's main interest wasn't money anymore. A few years back, he had made enough from his big exposés to live comfortably for several lifetimes. No, now it was more about the thrill—the challenge of uncovering something no one else could.
As the saying goes, a paparazzi without curiosity is no paparazzi at all.
So, Danson began his investigation.
He was no fool. He knew John Lopez wasn't someone to mess with. Rather than diving in with a camera like the others, he decided to approach the situation differently. Instead, he dug through online news, forums, and gossip sites.
After many days of searching, Danson finally found a breakthrough—a post on a BBS from Providence College.
There was a photo of Anita Moore chatting with a young man from a distance. The image wasn't clear, but the comments below caught Danson's attention.
"Hey, doesn't that guy look like our lecturer from the Medicine course?"
"It does! That's Mr. Lopez, I know him. I fell in love with him after his class last semester."
"I can't believe Mr. Lopez knows Anita Moore. I want him to ask for an autograph from her for me!"
"I only care about Mr. Lopez, not Anita Moore."
Some of the comments even joked about wanting both John Lopez and Anita Moore.
It wasn't a long post—there were over a hundred comments, all from students who had attended John Lopez's lectures at Providence College. Danson scrolled through them all, a smile creeping across his face as he read.
This was it. The clue he had been looking for.
The more Danson searched, the clearer the picture became. He started to piece together the information: a Medicine course lecturer, a "Magic doctor of New York," and references to the Feazer Medical Clinic.
He then found a photo of John Lopez online and compared it with the blurry image from the post. It was him—there was no doubt about it.
At that point, Danson wasn't just investigating for the thrill. He had a goal: to uncover the secrets of this mysterious man. But there was something else at play here. The truth was far more complicated than it appeared.
After gathering all the relevant information, Danson reached out to the original poster of the thread, using his connections from his years in the business. He made an offer—a trade.
Soon after, the BBS post was deleted. The photos of John Lopez were scrubbed from the internet, leaving only vague references to him. To an outsider, it looked like nothing had ever been there.
If any other paparazzi had been watching, they would have been in awe. Danson had just created the perfect smoke screen, redirecting attention from the most important piece of the puzzle.