Episode 7
You little poser
There's something around his neck
Jade?
It'd be good if it is emerald or agate
It is not something
that you'll can touch
At this time of the night
who's wandering around causing trouble
None of your business, get lost
and if I don't?
if you don't...
The two of you better stay down
Professor Shen
Are you alright?
I'm fine
Thanks
What a coincidence
What are you hinting at
Are you saying
I hired these two so I can act like a hero saving a damsel in distress?
no way, that's not what I meant
I meant to say
what are you up to here at this time of the night
Only you're allowed to be here at this time, and I'm not?
Watch out
Are you okay
yeah
I'm fine
It's just like what people say
talking too much can get you killed
it almost came true just now
hey
I'm in a good mood today
so I won't hold it against you guys
Let's go
Come in
So this is where you live
yeah
The house is a little old
make yourself at home
I think I better not sit around
Why not
Because my house is right across the hall
why would I need to chill in your house
I'll see you around
Wait
Let me get the medicine for you
It's fine, it's just a small bruise, there's no need-
okay, then
I'm just giving you an opportunity to interrogate me
If you have any questions for me, ask away
Well, since you said so
I'm gonna give it to you straight
Are you, professor Shen
interested in joining us, SID, as a consultant?
and help us with your knowledge about the Dixing people
No
I'm teaching many classes this semester, I truly am too busy
But, if you need any information from me
you can come to me anytime
Then how is that any different from you becoming a consultant at SID
Exactly, because there is no difference
why fuss over a job title
What's more
now that I'm living across from you
Speaking of
not cool
you just moved in and you don't invite your neighbor over for some fun?
it's not right
my mistake
next time, I'll properly invite you
I'll use a lighter hand
It's okay, it doesn't hurt
I didn't expect you to have such skillful hands
for a university professor, you know quite a bit
As long as you keep watching, listening, and learning
naturally you come to possess knowledge
You're right
you intellectuals learn things faster than us
Hey, hear me out
There's a window in your bedroom
if you look out that window
you'll see the largest database library in this city
You'll like that place for sure
Sure
I'll take a look when I get the chance
But
how did you know my bedroom has a window like that
Uhm
All done
Don't all houses in this area have the same design
I have one in my house
do you not have one?
Uhm, thanks for today
I'll leave you to your business
See ya
Wait
Take this
Thanks
This could've been a good business
that gangster just had to ruin things for us
Boss
I think we better not attempt revenge
it feels like that gangster has a formidable background
and did you see the look on that four-eyed dude's face
sometimes I felt like his eyes were piercing though me
Stop yelling
haven't you had enough
do you see me as a weakling or something
Show yourself
Stop yelling, show yourself
Who's there
There's a monster, a monster
Save me, save me please
A monster like this?
Even if we didn't receive any new cases this week
can't you work on understanding the Chang Sheng Gui (long-live holy device) at least
What are you doing here
telling far-fetched ghost stories
and you just had to make little Guo the protagonist
better not scare him into sickness
We've conducted experiments on it hundreds of times already
Other than the time with Wu Tianen (butler Wu) when it lit up
it has been totally silent
What am I supposed to do?
And in terms of scarying people
You're the pioneer
Shut your mouth
Don't listen to his bullshit
That was an exerpt from a popular web novel
Cats read web novels too?
This was from the newest chapter of “August 8th Ghost Stories"
a masterpiece by the viral author "Lai Su"
Boring
Hello, this is SID
You all better not look down on it
Behind these stories
I heard that...
Hey, a case is getting transferred to us
Where's direction Zhao?
Who the hell knows which old pal he's hanging with now
Everyone
to celebrate the recent peace and quiet
it's decided
I invite all of you for a feast
Director Zhao, we have a new case
Diretor Zhao, look
Why here
Uhm, the crime scene has been kept well
no one ever walked close
As expected, it's him
Based on my experience, he died from freezing
Ha ha
This guy is such a bad friend
You know him?
An understatement
His time of death is approximately 11PM
give or take one hour one hour
that aligns with the time he appeared
Well, let's hurry up and find him
Ay
we don't need to keep rewinding
No, no
We should be more meticulous about it
Director Zhao you said it yourself
Never leave out any detail when solving a case
You, and Shen Wei?
This late in the night
what cat business are you two up to?
Wasn't I out buying food for you at the time?
What kind of cat brain do you have
Gui Jian Chou (nickname of Zhao Yunlan, it means ghosts frown upon seeing him) told me to bring this to you
Are you here to scare me
No way
You're someone that stays calm and collected while being robbed by two gangsters
how could I startle such a person
Me? I was just scared into confusion
Regular citizens like me
most certainly need people like you to protect us
Good to be conscious
Hey, professor Shen
the people you speak of includes us too, right?
The Kodiak bear is a subspecies of the brown bear
they half-hibernate, and are herbivores
But in November and December, they enter a period of agitation
It has enough power to break a human's ribs in one swimg of its palm, just like in the photos
That's not it
The Tibetan Blue Bear live in high plain enviroments
Its body is similar to humans in size
So it would make more sense to cause the wound at that location on the body
They possess qualities such as, a thick layer of fat under the skin, superior biting strength
The average mass of an adult is more than 400kg
Definitely not it
Professor Shen
You know that this is not what we're looking for at all
If there were sightings of large animals in the area
then this case should've been handed to the Long Cheng Zoo instead of us
What's more
Our energy detector
found traces of dark energy activity at the crime scene
It's not that I don't want to help you
I have done research on the Dixing people, indeed
but I can't possibly have every piece of information here
The previous two times were just flukes
I know
This is already past the extent of normal information gathering
I also know
you still don't want to share the information you own
I can't force you to
But as a friend, can't you at least give me a hint?
Director Zhao
my stance towards the SID has already been made very clear
There are some questions that, out of principle
I cannot answer
But when the safety of people around me are at stake
I surely will not watch from the side and hide information from you
You can count on me for that
Then come at me
tell us the information you know
You guys are still not done chatting?
Have you never considered You Chu (literal: ghost beast)?
What did you say?
You Chu
What is a You Chu
Wait a second
Their image is similar to human, but extremely ugly
hunched back, shrunken neck, and head full of tumors
You Chu can't control their appetite
They have harmed citizens in LongCheng's nearby cities before
and caused mass panic
The Dixing governor at the time, Hei Pao Shi (literal: black cloak envoy)
did everything in his power to chase them back to Dixing
Theoretically
these dirty creatures should've been extinct here
Then what is out in the wild right now
Hold on
Hello
the culprit is caught?
but something's wrong?
okay, I got it
Professor Shen
There's something I need to take care of, I'll talk to you next time
Wait
I keep having a feeling that, the dead victim and his friend
neither of them has the qualities of a Dixing person
So what are the qualities of a Dixing person
Okay, I won't keep making you feel awkward
I have seen a number of Dixing people now
it's always that most are evil, few are kind
Rest assured
I surely will not lump them under one head
Director Zhao
I trust you have your own way of doing things
Please contact me if you manage to arrest them
I also would very much like to know
what is the identity of this inhumane, beast-like culprit
sure
talk to you later
The two of you go archive this
and tell Lin Jing to join me in meeting this guy pretending to be crazy
Mission accomplished, I'm leaving
It was a monster, a monster
monster
Please, I do science, not psychology
what do you need me here for
If he really was crazy, you can be my shield
Take a good look
What do you think, is he pretending?
Look at my eyes
Am I handsome
Quit acting
Look at this
Look at this photo carefully
Do you know the guy in this photo?
Last night at 11PM, where were you really at?
Monster
Shut your mouth
Take a good look at this damn photo
This person froze to death, where were you really at last night at 11PM?
Have you gone insane too?
This is impossible, ridiculous
What's impossible?
This is ridiculous
This photo is exactly the same as what happened in "August 8th Ghost Stories"
Bullshit
This is reality, how can it be the same as a novel
But freezing to death
this was in chapter 29
plus
this is not the first time
Who would've thought those rumoured gossip online
would be true one day
Wait
That something something Ghost Stories you were talking about
August 8th Ghost Stories
What is it, explain
This novel was serialized at the beginning of this year
At first, it was published on a ghost stories forum
The author was a newcomer in the web novel industry
His name was Lai Su
His stand-alone stories are out of the box murder mysteries
The protagonist is, at the same time, the criminal
a twisted murderer who enjoys strange ways of killing
Originally
we experienced readers were getting tired of the same old tricks in other stories
But this Lai Su, he is formidable in that
he writes absurb and fantastical stories in such grounded detail
as if they really happened
It sounds like you are a fan of him?
We readers made a fanclub for him
I was even the leader of it
But recently there is a saying going around in the fanclub that
every case in his stories actually happened in real life
Like in the first chapter
the protagonist swims across the ocean
to commit crimes in the city
As soon as he got to land
he killed the sailor who deceived and enslaved him
And rumours say, near the LongCheng HuCheng lake
they found a corpse covered in ice
Moreover, the most viewed chapter
yes, chapter 19
is about the protagonist meeting at a bar the cheerleader who used to bully him in school
Then
He lured her to a hotel
and killed her
Are you sick?
Then rumour says
half a month ago at LongCheng hotel
the exact same thing happened
The most coincidental of all
the corpse belonged to a dancer working at the hotel
Oh yeah
and in the newest chapter released 5 days ago
The criminal's grotesque face was accidentally exposed to a gangster on the street
he chased behind the gangster
chased the whole way
and froze him to death
Is that not what happened in our case?
The popularity of this web novel is all thanks to these rumours
and the authorities locked all news regarding these cases
I also had thought
everything was just trends on the internet, but now I know
Now you know
reality is even more fantastical than fiction
Yes, exactly
Hello
Director Zhao, given the peculiar match between our case and the novel
the authorities just decided to have divisions cooperate in solving this case
we received all the data on this case just now
Alright, got it
Just when we manage to take a break
we have to start work again
Where is this Lai Su
Don't know
Originally, they release new works once every three days like clockwork
But it's the 5th day today, and they still hasn't updated
Many people in their fanclub are criticizing them for it
Let's find this Lai Su first
Where to even?
Web novel authors like them always hide in the shadows , never exposing themselves
Especially Lai Su
although they gained fame and money from writing this book
they're a very low-key person
they never chat with fans online
Not only their address, I don't even know if they're a man or a woman, if they're an orange or a pear.
Since they publish writing online
they must've left traces of their IP address
If there are traces on the internet
then it must be no problem for our brave investigator
Lai Su fanclub president, colleague Lin Jing
Fine, fine
Okay
but i need some time
sure
but I have to warn you
You better hurry up
if the case is still not solved by the end of the month, your salary bonus...
I'll get on it immediately
immediately
I really don't like to suspicious be of my idol
Anyone home?
It's okay to come out now, they're not answering at all
What are you doing?
I'm camouflaging
I feel like we should've got Zhu Hong to join us
Isn't she part of the Ya Shou (literal: sub-bestial) race
she loves deserted places like this
Right, so that you don't have to come out on an adventure
The girl never complained once doing field work
yet you, a big old man, sure talks a lot
Go unlock it
If I hear any more nonsense from you, I'm deducting from your bonus this month
Threatening me with this everyday
Because I want to
That's fine, it's already open
Did we miss the guy
Nope
Dust in this room isn't piled thick
and the footprints are fresh
so he hasn't left for far
It's not that he didn't leave for far
he didn't even leave
There's the smell of a human in this room
it's recent
Human smell?
There's no one here
You mean you're a no one
or I'm a no one
It's fine
If Daqing says there's someone, then there must be
Did no one else notice
for an actively writing and fairly wealthy author
he doesn't even own a desk
So where does he actually do work
In the time of need
as expected, it's on me to hard carry the team
This is my new invention, the life energy detector
Within a hundred miles
no traces of life can slip under the eyes of my detector
I knew it
that you'd be unreliable
There's a secret passage in this room
we haven't found the switch yet
Well don't stand around, find it
Most of the footprints are around here
the switch is most likely here
Great job
This stuff is hella retro
who would've thought someone would leave behind a secret passage in this day and age
Who knows what's inside the minds of these fantasy-writing authors
Dead cat, you stay here with Lin Jing
you two, come with me
Lin Jing, verify
He's submitted his ID card to an online shop before
compared to that photo
it's a 92.13% match
It's really him
My idol, was it really you that did it?
Heart-breaking
You're a fan of my book
Do you want to keep seeing new chapters?
Please let me go, I'll publish something new immediately
I think you've misunderstood
Oh, you're not here to nag me to release new chapters?
We're here to
discuss with you the recent murder cases
in a honest a thorough manner
You guys think I'm the culprit?
In the legal sense, you are at most a suspect
A suspect...
Well
first, tell us everything about yourself
I just have a vigorous imagination
Please help me, I've become someone's target
There's someone out there, imitating my stories and putting the blame on me
I'm innocent
It's our duty to help you
Get up first
Tell us everything from the beginning to the end, then we can help you
Here, my idol, sit here
I used to live my life without ever achieving anything
No one liked me
and no one bothered with me
All I was
was just a hermit who let his imagination run free
At best, I only posted fragments of writing on my blog
and no one read them
Until one day
a stranger visited my blog
I'm right behind you
You're such a coward
How about scaring some other cowardly readers
and put your talent to use
Talent?
Would you call what I have "talent"
Even if I had talent, it doesn't pay the bill
As long as you write it
Money, fame, the worship of fans will naturally find you
Trust me
let your imagination run free
then you will obtain everything you ever wanted
I swear I'm telling the truth
That person instigated my writing of the book
and imitates my stories to murder people
he deserves the most grave punishment
That's impossible
This damn coincidence
my fans, I'm coming
I was innocent since the beginning
But he wasn't lying
Money, fame, worship of the fans
they're laid in front of you
I earned those things myself
I had nothing to do with the crime
Aren't you a fan of mine
please convince your boss for me
Tell him
You nag me to write new chapters everyday
If you solve this for me
I could write a character just for you
Let go
The author I look up to isn't like this
You clearly know that once you put out new stories
someone's going to imitiate the murder
but in order to please your fans, you never once stopped writing
Up until now, the range of cases keep expanding
then you finally panic
and hide yourself like a rodent in the sewers
aren't you ashamed of yourself
If you can't take responsibility for every word you write
then you don't deserve the title of an author
you don't even deserve to be called a person
Well, take a sit and rest for now
don't let the anger overwhelm you
Sorry, this is also the first time we've seen him this angry
Here
It seems like you hurt him deep this time
Old Chu, Daqing
You two keep watch for 24 hours
Be cautious of anyone who comes close to this place
Got it
What about me?
You?
Just stay put
If there's is someone like that hiding in the shadows
Then his ultimate target surely is you
Let's go
It's really my fault
is it my fault?
my fault..
I need to use my computer
Can I do that?
Go ahead
This can't be that simple
If the culprit is someone else
then how does he manage to find a perfectly fitting victim in such a short time
and what is his purpose
Other than himself
who can prove these things
But seeing how scared he was
he really doesn't look like he was lying
Could it be that he has multiple personality disorder
and commits the crimes when he's unconscious of them
Boy
there's merit in what you said
Multiple personality disorder...
Please, stop the killing
put an end to all of this
I don't want anything anymore
I'll give up everything
Lai Su just released a new chapter on the forum
It's the story's ending ahead of time
he cut the story short and wrote the murderer's death
This is bad
It's over
Everything is over
What's left to do is
I hide
return to my normal life
then it'll be fine
It's too late
Thank you for writing the ending to your own life
Goodbye
Lai Su
Oh pitiful Lai Su
I will miss your despicable and selfish heart
Excessive secretion of catecholamine, and breakage of the myocardinal muscles
lead to suspension of cardiovascular activities
Speak English
He was scared to death
Let me you ask you
At the very end of the novel
how did the monster die
He's commited so many crimes
that he become engulfed by guilt
In the end, he is scared to death by his own reflection in the lake
Well
it is what it is
I don't know if this would be considered the murderer atoning for his crimes
Director Zhao, what is going on here
There's no one here?
A shield that prohibits dark energy?
as expected, there's something fishy about the SID
You can keep the Chang Sheng Gui for now
as long as I get to the Shan He Zhui (literal: mountain lake piercer) first
The virtual online world
some people mistake it for a place to do business in reality
They would even disregard other people's lives for the sake of money and fame
ultimately harming others and themselves
People should stay grounded after all
to express your talents and chase your dreams in a dignified way
Hence, as a witness
do you think Lai Su really brought this upon himself?
I can't say for sure
But based on the current situation
Lai Su must've had Dixing genes
but he didn't know that himself
His ability
must be to self-hypnotize with his writing
in other words
he and the monster he wrote about are the same person
In the end, when he rushed to cut ties with the monster
and wrote the premature death of the monster
the monster pounced back and engulfed him
That is possible
but he's already dead
hence we have no way of verifying it
Even though he had that kind of ability
if he hadn't overuse it
surely he wouldn't have been overrun by the monster
It's unfortunate
he ended up becoming horror story author
motivated by desires and greed, he repeatedly activated his ability by accident
completely immercing himself
Don't authors always say
the moment they raise their pen
the character
is already equipped with a life and their own awareness
Life is drama
Hey, who knows
maybe we're also characters in someone else's book right now
I never would've thought
that you would say these words to me today
and I even more wouldn't have expected
that you would one day
empathize with the helplessness of the Dixing people
You know what
I didn't think there'd be a day like this myself
I keep having this feeling that
winter is coming to Long Cheng