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[Analyzing and Running Script... Completed]
[Establishing Connection... Completed]
[Loading Log... Completed]
[29/03/2020 16:28:39:823]
[Log Entry #1023]
[Day #734]

Well this is just typical. My brother, Otet, has ditched me. The one day it really mattered. Never had much backbone, he did. Can't even see me off when I move to Bosnia!

He didn't even pick up his phone when I called. But then how many of these entries have involved me saying that now...

[Connection Discontinued]

[Connection Reestablished]

[29/03/2020 16:58:10:519]
[Log Entry #1023 continued]
[Day #734]

Okay, this is a change. My brother's wife Ella is apologizing! That's a first for me. Strange she doesn't know where he is either. Oh, but she sent me a picture from him. Said that he asked her to send me it if he couldn't make my farewell. Hang on, should only take a couple of minutes to download.

[Connection Discontinued]

[Connection Reestablished]

[29/03/2020 19:24:43:823]
[Log Entry #1023 continued]
[Day #734]

Well that took a tiny bit longer than I thought it would. Anyway here it is:

QR

It's a QR Code. Don't know why he sent me that. I don't have the technology to scan it, and even if I did I probably wouldn't be able to figure out how to do so...

[Connection Discontinued]

[Connection Reestablished]

[30/03/2020 17:47:01:238]
[Log Entry #1024]
[Day #735]

Okay this is worrying. Otet hasn't turned up. I've had to cancel my move, and help the police to try and find him. I'm scared. I have no idea where he is and what's happened to him. I'm going to upload this to a puzzling website which might be able to hope.


They're my last hope...

[Analyzing and Running Script... Completed]
[Retrieving Website Destination "puzzling.stackexchange.com/questions/ask"... Completed]
[Exporting Log Entries #1023 - #1024... Completed]

[Connection Discontinued]

[Connection Reestablished]
[Uploading "NOTE FROM OP"... Completed]

NOTE - This puzzle is not based on true events.

Hints for remaining clues:

1:

Are you sure this is completely written in English?

2:

Why Bosnia?

3:

WHAT DIDN'T TRANSFER WHEN YOU DECODED THE CIPHER? (Big hint in that question)

[Connection Discontinued]

Improve this question
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6
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ Was trying to do something a bit different here. Let me know what you think. $\endgroup$
    – Beastly Gerbil
    Aug 27 '16 at 19:50
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    $\begingroup$ Wow really interesting! Let's see if we can find Otet! $\endgroup$
    – Yandrakus
    Aug 27 '16 at 19:50
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    $\begingroup$ I appreciate the work you put into this, but most of it was just following a chain of directions. The puzzle itself is only a slight improvement of the "binary of base64 of Morse of HI" puzzle type. (Love the presentation though!) $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Aug 27 '16 at 20:15
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Deusovi, okay In that case I'll try and improve my puzzles for the next few. You can probably tell I was focuses mainly on presentation here :) $\endgroup$
    – Beastly Gerbil
    Aug 27 '16 at 20:40
  • $\begingroup$ @BeastlyGerbil: Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this one! Just saying that it was a bit too simple. $\endgroup$
    – Deusovi ♦
    Aug 27 '16 at 20:41
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$\begingroup$

The QR code, when scanned, gives

a link to a steganography page and the text "This is a cover image".

Using that link on the image gives

a link to http://i.stack.imgur.com/5RUxw.jpg. This is a PDF417 code, hiding the text "Pyvpx rqvg xrl = `ebgngr`", which is ROT13 for "Click edit key = rotate".

That leads us to

a HTML comment hidden in the post, Vigenere ciphered with key "rotate".

It says:

"please don’t worry, uncle brian is taking care of me. couldn’t face telling ella. left her some money though. let me know when you can come around. and bring a couple of drinks with you! really trusting you here, don’t let me down."

In that last one,

there are no capital letters. The capital letters should be:

Please
Uncle
Brian
Couldn't
Ella
Left
Let
And
Really

Together, these spell "PUB CELLAR".

Also, an easter egg:

"Otet" is Bosnian for "hijacked" or "kidnapped".

Improve this answer
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11
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    $\begingroup$ ahh, good job! I had found the page with the cover image, and the vigenere cipher while looking at the edit page. A bit too fast for me. $\endgroup$
    – Acerfire37
    Aug 27 '16 at 20:17
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Lol, I was thinking that was anew QR code and I was trying to reconstruct it xDD $\endgroup$
    – Yandrakus
    Aug 27 '16 at 20:30
  • $\begingroup$ Very good indeed, well done $\endgroup$
    – Beastly Gerbil
    Aug 27 '16 at 20:39
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    $\begingroup$ Every other answer would just be a dupe.... +1 $\endgroup$
    – EKons
    Aug 27 '16 at 20:58
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Actually you've missed a few things, try Otet and Bosnia in google translate and look at the capitals in the last paragraph $\endgroup$
    – Beastly Gerbil
    Aug 27 '16 at 21:12

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