A Killer Clue

Professor Alaric Vane, a renowned cartographer and outspoken critic of corruption, was found dead in his locked study. There were no signs of forced entry, no obvious weapon, and only a scorched fragment of parchment in his hand bearing three words:

"my last words."

For months, Vane had been investigating a powerful public figure. Anticipating that his evidence might be discovered and destroyed, he concealed the truth behind a deliberately difficult trail of clues.

He never recorded the person's name. Instead, he left behind something much harder to erase: the city they governed.

Investigators believe the mayor of that city is responsible for Vane's murder.

#Objective

#Getting Started

The only lead recovered from Vane's laptop was the following sequence of numbers, believed to be the first step in his trail:

68747470733a2f2f612d6b696c6c65722d636c75652e76657263656c2e6170702f

#Flag