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墨書 Inktalez
After returning to the police station, Xu Yiman had already begun the autopsy on Guo Xiyue's body, hoping to find some clues from the corpse itself. Guan Deng sat in the office, fiddling with his computer, surrounded by a pot of cactus, appearing distinctly separate from the others.
Meanwhile, the detectives led by Old Shao were staring blankly at the three items brought back from the crime scene: a hemp rope, copper wire, and a security window. In today's society, these three items were incredibly ordinary. Aside from the security window, which belonged to the resident, both the hemp rope and copper wire could be purchased at any hardware store. Trying to trace them back to a hardware store would be time-consuming and labor-intensive; it could easily lead to this Criminal Consultant killing a whole truckload of people.
Old Shao had specifically instructed that no blood or tissue fluid be wiped off these three items, stating that even the tiniest detail could be a clue. Wiping away blood might also remove any potential evidence. However, after staring at these three items for a full hour, no one could discern anything useful.
Xu Yiman had completed the autopsy and confirmed that Guo Xiyue had indeed died from a high fall. However, traces of a sedative were found in her system, indicating that the killer had used it during her abduction. Xu Yiman also determined that Guo Xiyue had likely not eaten or drunk anything for about three days.
From this, it could be inferred that Guo Xiyue had been under the killer's control for at least three days. It was highly probable that she had been tied up here for that duration.
The test results from samples taken from the rope, copper wire, and even the security window showed no fingerprints or any valuable clues. Aside from the pungent smell of tissue fluid that was somewhat invigorating, these three items provided no useful leads for the investigation team.
Jiang He rested his chin on his hands and finally spoke up: "I am eighty percent sure that the clues left by the killer are among these three items. The killer had a target in mind when committing murder; this victim must have been involved in something noteworthy—perhaps it made the news or there was some video left behind. In any case, at least part of Dragon City’s citizens must have known about it; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to initiate a vote."
"However," Old Shao interjected, "it seems this Criminal Consultant is no longer meticulously selecting victims." After what happened in the previous two cases, many people might have come to believe in this so-called Criminal Consultant. This means that even if he were to kill a saintly person now, as long as he spun a story on WeChat, others might believe him.
At this point, Old Shao felt a jolt in his heart; he had an inkling that he was getting closer to understanding the Criminal Consultant's motives.
Yuan Jun propped his feet up on his desk and said, "I just heard someone mention an interesting perspective: people tend to adopt viewpoints based on what they first encounter. If they first see someone say drinking eight glasses of water daily is healthy, they'll believe it's true; if someone refutes it, they'll think that person is talking nonsense. Conversely, if they first see someone claim drinking eight glasses of water is unhealthy, they'll adopt that belief instead."
Old Shao sighed and replied: "That's psychology for you. Most people don't have their own opinions; they simply adopt others' views to mask their own superficiality. They don't care about what the truth really is; they just need an opinion—even if it's not their own—to support their fragile self-esteem."
At that moment, everyone heard Guan Deng cough softly from his corner. They turned to look and saw him seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating in front of so many faces. He merely stared at his cactus and pointed at his computer before finally managing to utter one word: "Look."
Old Shao chuckled and said, "Take your time; slow and steady wins the race."
Jiang He, who had the best relationship with Guan Deng in the project team, gently kicked the leg of his desk and slid over in his wheeled chair beside Guan Deng. "Have you discovered any clues?" he asked.
Guan Deng nodded.
Jiang He went to look at Guan Deng's computer and saw that Guan Deng had opened a page he had never seen before. At the top of the page, there was a very distinctive image: a long sword with black wings, and on the blade of the sword was a streak of red blood, while the hilt featured a white skull.
"This logo is really ugly," Yuan Jun said, having appeared behind Guan Deng without Jiang He noticing. "What kind of site is this?"
"Dark," Old Shao replied.
"Dark?" Yuan Jun asked. "Is dark just a black page?"
Old Shao shook his head, pulled up a chair, and sat next to Guan Deng. "In our current society, we can't escape the internet. Some criminals naturally won't miss out on the benefits that technology brings them. Under normal regulations, any server must be reported, but criminals won't do that. They set up servers privately, create sites, and use various methods to evade monitoring while engaging in unsavory activities."
"If we compare all the internet to an iceberg, only about thirty percent is above water; the rest is hidden deep in the dark sea," Old Shao continued. "Typically, when you enter an address, you access a site. But dark sites are different; they require a specific entry process. If no one tells you how to get in, you might never access it in your lifetime."
"Process?" Yuan Jun asked.
Old Shao looked at the page as he spoke. "Let me give you an example. Suppose I have a million locked in a safe that requires both a key and a password, and it's very difficult to break into from outside. For an ordinary person, even if they pondered for a lifetime, they wouldn't be able to open it. But if I tell you that the key is in a locker in an underground parking lot and the password is in a supermarket locker, once you reach those two places and obtain both the key and password, you can open the safe."
"Now let's make another assumption: suppose you accidentally find a key and also happen to get the password. However, if you don't have both at the same time, you still can't open the safe; this prevents someone from stumbling in by chance. That's how it works. Yet many people still inadvertently stumble upon numerous dark sites and witness darkness they have never seen before."
"So mysterious! This so-called Judgment Site is clearly an illegal site hidden in the dark?" Yuan Jun asked.
"Exactly. Look here," Old Shao said, pointing at the screen.
Everyone turned to where Old Shao was pointing and saw three names and photos of individuals they were familiar with—the three previous victims.
As Guan Deng scrolled down the page, a mask appeared in the center of it—black and almost blending into the dark background. Below the right eye of the mask was a drop of red blood tear. Beneath this mask was a clickable button; when Guan Deng clicked it, he discovered it was a link to purchase this mask.
"This Criminal Consultant is making money selling masks?" Yuan Jun remarked. "I wonder how many cars worth hundreds of thousands he has destroyed."
"No," Old Shao said. "Making money is definitely not the goal. The question is, why did he distribute the masks? This site has no domain name, so it's clear we won't find the real information about its owner. Guan Deng, you've already done a great job by locating this site. From now on, keep a close watch on it. If you discover anything, notify me or Jiang He immediately."
Guan Deng nodded.
"What does this string of numbers mean?" Yuan Jun asked, pointing to a series of digits at the bottom of the page. "Ten, hundred, thousand, ten thousand, twelve thousand three hundred twenty-eight."
Immediately after, everyone saw that the number increased by three in an instant.
"I don't know," Old Shao replied. "In any case, someone needs to monitor this site twenty-four hours a day. If there are any clues, I want to know right away. Then we'll buy a mask and see what he's up to."
Guan Deng nodded and clicked on the link, but he soon discovered that anyone purchasing the mask had to fill in their ID number, real name, and home address—all mandatory fields that could not be skipped.
"Collecting information on those who buy masks? What could this possibly be for?" Old Shao pondered. "With Wei Demian's previous wealth, even if he had a third-generation Criminal Consultant, he might not spend all his money in a lifetime. He can't be doing this for money; so what is his true intention? If we recklessly use someone's identity, could that put them in danger?"
"I'll use my own," Yuan Jun said. "Honestly, I’m worried he won’t come looking for me. If buying this mask is dangerous, I’d actually like him to come after me so I can deal with him."
"You may not fear danger, but the rest of us have pursued Criminal Consultants before; he knows our names," Old Shao pointed out. "Using our identities won't work; we need someone he hasn't met before. I'll ask around at the bureau later to see who is willing to sacrifice their personal information to face an unknown risk."
One person spoke up.
He pointed at himself with thick fingers and said, "I'll do it."
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