“Are you the tech detective or am I?” Ling Lie pressed both hands on the back of Shen Qi’s chair, patting it twice. His tone held little surprise, as if he had long anticipated this scene. “If you ask me, who am I supposed to ask?”

“But…” Shen Qi stared with wide eyes, taking a good while to finally digest the situation. He hurriedly checked the backed-up data on his laptop, speaking rapidly as he worked, like chanting a spell. “‘Pink Mask’ is built on the ‘Floating Light’ dark web. ‘Floating Light’ knows all its data, and the ultimate administrative rights lie with ‘Floating Light’. When ‘Pink Mask’ was invaded, ‘Floating Light’ could choose not to intervene, or choose to intervene! That son of a bitch! It f*cking pulled the plug on ‘Pink Mask’ directly!”

“But this violates the operating principles of the dark web!” Shen Qi slammed his fist on the table.

Ling Lie chuckled lightly. “Principles? Principles are set by the strong. Kid, do you still believe ‘Floating Light’ plays by gentleman’s agreements with you?”

The logic was sound, but Shen Qi couldn’t accept it immediately. He clutched his hair and wailed, “No, brother, we are tracking ‘Pink Mask’ right now. What does this have to do with ‘Floating Light’? Even if we wipe out ‘Pink Mask’, we can’t touch a hair on ‘Floating Light’! Why are they doing so much?”

Ling Lie leaned against the edge of the table, crossing his arms. “Because ‘Floating Light’ doesn’t want us to easily take down ‘Pink Mask’. That’s its spore.”

Shen Qi was confused. “What steamed bun (baozi)?”

Ling Lie patted Shen Qi’s head. “Soy sauce meat filling. Want to eat?”

Shen Qi was instantly sidetracked, turning grief into appetite. “Eat!”

Ling Lie smiled and went out to buy steamed buns. But as he left the tech investigation office area and his face was covered by the shadows in the corridor, the ease on his face quietly faded.

Spores, “Pink Mask”, and other evils happening on the “Floating Light” dark web, are all evil spores bred by “Floating Light”.

They are born from filth, ride the wind upwards, and scatter to every corner of the world.

Shen Qi wasn’t wrong about one thing, which is that in principle, the dark web doesn’t interfere with users. The message conveyed by “Floating Light” doing this is obvious—it is protecting “Pink Mask”, it stands in opposition to the police.

Ah Xue, where are you hiding? What other plans do you have?

The spore that has matured now is “Pink Mask”, so what about the next one? Will these spores dye this land with nauseating colorful hues, making it flow with foul venom everywhere?

How can it be stopped? How can “Floating Light” be made to stop?

“Baozi, baozi!” The old man selling steamed buns shouted a few times, but Ling Lie didn’t react. The old man finally got angry and clapped his hands hard in front of Ling Lie. “So young, how come you’re deaf!”

Ling Lie suddenly snapped back to reality, a trace of astonishment in his eyes.

The old man pointed at the QR code telling him to pay. “Look at you, not only hard of hearing but also weak in body. Eat more of my steamed buns to strengthen your body.”

Ling Lie: “…”

Old men nowadays are all very shrewd, seizing every opportunity to do business.

Receiving Ling Lie’s questioning gaze, the old man excitedly showed off, “Hey, you pretty boy, don’t believe me? I worked as an auxiliary police officer when I was young. My awareness was top-notch, as handsome as that captain of yours.”

Ling Lie was about to leave, but hearing this sentence, he turned around. “Which captain?”

The old man was proud. “Hah, isn’t it the most handsome captain?”

Ling Lie’s eyelid twitched. “Captain Ji?”

The old man was amused, pointing at his own face. “Right, right, it’s Captain Ji. Can you tell?”

Ling Lie looked at the old man’s sparse hair and wrinkled face, laughing along with him, but thinking in his heart: You really know how to brag.

The disappearance of a large amount of “Pink Mask” data affected the police’s further tracking, but fortunately, the police didn’t need to get all the data to execute the mission. The information currently mastered was enough to launch actions in the real world.

Ji Chenjiao was very busy, not only directing the search and arrest in Xiarong City but also communicating with brother units in other cities at any time. Soon, the initially identified suspects and participants were all captured. After interrogation, they confessed new suspects and participants.

Wang Yingzhuo, who lured Xue Bin to join the “game”, was arrested in a city south of Fengxia Mountain, and special police brought him back to Xiarong City.

He was wearing a windbreaker soaked in muddy water, with two scratches on his face, looking somewhat disheveled, completely different from when they met in Feng City last time.

But his eyes were consistently bright, even emitting a crazy light because he stood on the opposite side of the police.

Ji Chenjiao looked at him across the interrogation table, feeling his gaze was like a biting venomous snake.

“Do you know Xue Bin’s current situation?” Ji Chenjiao clicked on a video less than a minute long and pushed it in front of Wang Yingzhuo.

The video was sent by Huang Yi. Xue Bin was forced to undergo psychological intervention. Before seeing the psychologist, he sat on the ground crying in collapse.

The interrogation room was filled with the hoarse crying and shouting of an adult man. The criminal police officer on the side looked at the screen and couldn’t help frowning.

But Wang Yingzhuo looked down at the video, his expression unwavering.

The video finished playing quickly, and the interrogation room fell silent. A few seconds later, Wang Yingzhuo looked up, looking at Ji Chenjiao without being moved at all.

Ji Chenjiao said, “No thoughts?”

Wang Yingzhuo smiled. “Xue Bin disappointed me quite a bit. Looking like a fierce person, his ability to withstand pressure is so poor. I was hoping he would calm down, think it through, and become my subordinate. Seeing him like this, I guess it won’t work.”

Ji Chenjiao: “What, still thinking about developing subordinates at this time? It’s not that he won’t work, it’s that you won’t work.”

The contentment on Wang Yingzhuo’s face gradually converged. Half a minute later, he sneered, “I didn’t commit a crime. And you wearing this uniform are just acting as accomplices of this world.”

“Oh?” Ji Chenjiao wasn’t angered by him. “Speaking so high-soundingly, then what are you hiding for?”

Wang Yingzhuo was stunned, a trace of anger appearing in his eyes.

“Your round of ‘game’ is already over. You don’t need to stay in Fengxia Mountain anymore, right? Then why didn’t you return to Feng City? Didn’t contact anyone? Giving up your luxurious life to hide in a village like a savage.” Ji Chenjiao said, “What are you after? Asceticism?”

The corner of Wang Yingzhuo’s mouth trembled slightly, not answering immediately.

“Of course you aren’t willing to practice asceticism. You got intelligence that your ‘Pink Mask’ has been targeted by the police, and as Xue Bin’s guide, you are a key target for police attention. So you don’t dare to return to Feng City.” Ji Chenjiao sneered. “It seems you still know that what you did isn’t something that can see the light of day, and you are also afraid of being caught by the police.”

“I’m afraid of you?” Wang Yingzhuo held his head high, eyes and nostrils flaring. The word “afraid” seemed to prick his nerve, making him instantly excited. “I am working hard to make the world better! What are you doing? You are indulging the growth of malice and crime!”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Oh? Then tell me, how are we indulging the growth of malice and crime?”

Wang Yingzhuo’s eyes were unkind. “You don’t understand.”

“Maybe you can convince me.” Ji Chenjiao said, “Use your set of naive, romantic theories.”

Wang Yingzhuo: “Are you mocking me?”

Ji Chenjiao: “I am advising you.”

Wang Yingzhuo shouted: “Get lost!”

Ling Lie leaned against the corridor wall. As soon as Ji Chenjiao came out, he opened his arms. “I heard our Little Ji being yelled at. Come, Brother Lie Lie will give you a hug.”

Ji Chenjiao lowered his head and laughed, walked over, leaned down slightly, and said in Ling Lie’s ear, “Is it necessary, Brother Lie Lie?”

“Aiya!” Ling Lie quickly jumped away, grabbing his own ear and rubbing it vigorously. “You burned my ear!”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

The interrogation just now didn’t yield much information, but it didn’t matter. It was a process of outlasting each other between the suspect and the police. The person was already under control, and Wang Yingzhuo wasn’t the only core member. If he didn’t speak, naturally others would.

What truly unsettled Ji Chenjiao was “Floating Light”. Although he and Ling Lie hadn’t discussed “Floating Light” pulling the plug on “Pink Mask”, his thoughts aligned with Ling Lie’s.

The police could take down “Pink Mask”, the next “Pink Mask”, and the one after that. Although they utilized the dark web, their main members were domestic. But “Floating Light” was entirely different in nature. Its tentacles reached all over the world, colluding with interests in many places. It wasn’t something that could be solved by deploying a certain amount of police force.

Ji Chenjiao was thinking about this when he suddenly noticed Ling Lie glancing at the top of his head repeatedly.

“What are you looking at?”

Ling Lie was caught in the act and quickly withdrew his gaze. “Did I look at anything? You saw wrong.”

The more he acted like this, the more suspicious Ji Chenjiao felt. He touched the top of his head but felt nothing. He went to the vanity mirror to look carefully; he looked handsome today.

“Confess the truth.” Ji Chenjiao returned to his seat, putting his legs up on the desk. “Seeing your sneaky little look, I know you’re up to no good.”

Ling Lie: “You are judging a gentleman with a petty man’s heart!”

“Then tell me what you were looking at?”

“…Checking if you show signs of balding.”

Ji Chenjiao sat up straight instantly. “What did you say?”

Ling Lie relayed what the steamed bun old man said, speaking earnestly, “Little Ji, I’m doing this out of concern for you. Who doesn’t have thick hair when they are young? That old man had thick hair when he was young too, but isn’t he balding now? So I have to watch you. If something’s wrong, let’s go see a doctor for timely treatment.”

Ji Chenjiao spat in his heart. Wasn’t that old man talking nonsense! How could he look like him when he was young? The old man had a square face; did he?

Since he said it, Ling Lie openly observed and even reached out to touch. “Little Ji, your hair whorl is here. Why is a hair missing? Oh no, you’re going bald!”

Ji Chenjiao was infuriated by him. “Let go, the hairstyle I just combed!”

Ling Lie picked up that single hair curiously. “Look, hair loss.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Yes, yes, yes, hair loss. So what to do?”

Ling Lie: “See a doctor, didn’t I say?”

Ji Chenjiao thought to himself, you’re addicted to acting. He simply asked, “Oh, then which department to see?”

Ling Lie wasn’t quite sure. “Andrology?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…Which clinic is best for infertility?”

Ling Lie: “Hahahaha!”

An Xun happened to pass by the door. First, he saw Ling Lie messing with Ji Chenjiao’s head, and then heard that sensational conversation. Sharing it with Shen Qi, he asked, “What do you say Brother Lie and the Captain look like they’re doing?”

Shen Qi thought seriously, then searched on his phone. “Look at this video.”

In the video, a monkey was grooming another monkey for lice.

Shen Qi: “Does it look like it?”

An Xun: “Don’t say, it does!”

Of course, Ji Chenjiao and Ling Lie didn’t know they were being gossiped about again. After Ling Lie finished worrying about Ji Chenjiao’s hair, he went to get water to drink. It was cold recently, but the water heater in the office was broken, so he could only drink cold water. Xi Wan and Liang Wenxian both had thermoses, getting hot water from the tea room to keep warm.

Ling Lie: “That’s not right.”

Ji Chenjiao: “Hmm?”

Ling Lie: “They all have thermoses, why don’t you?”

Ji Chenjiao: “It’s not issued uniformly, why should I have one?”

Ling Lie: “I wanted to say this to you last time in the mountains. Aren’t you the captain? If the captain doesn’t use a thermos, how can you be a good veteran cadre?”

Ji Chenjiao: “…”

Ling Lie grinned, speaking generously, “It’s okay, I’ll buy one for you.”

Ji Chenjiao remembered the cartoon arm sleeves Ling Lie bought and hurriedly said, “Don’t buy randomly!”

“You choose, okay?” Ling Lie said, “You can’t see the real thing online. Go buy it after the case is solved.”

Ji Chenjiao felt this was more acceptable.

Wang Yingzhuo was detained, and according to procedure, his family needed to be notified. Earlier, Feng City had already contacted the Wang family during the investigation. The Wang family had status in Feng City, pulled strings everywhere, was evasive, uncooperative, and suspected of finding someone to help Wang Yingzhuo go abroad to avoid it.

Now that the person was caught, the Wang family elders collapsed directly, unable to accept that their son was suspected of a crime. Wang Yingzhuo’s brother and brother-in-law rushed to Xiarong City, hired famous lawyers, and even wanted to bribe Ji Chenjiao, begging to let Wang Yingzhuo off.

Ji Chenjiao let Wang Yingzhuo watch this surveillance footage. Wang Yingzhuo was furious after watching. “What is this for? Tell them to get lost back home!”

Ji Chenjiao wasn’t in a hurry to interrogate Wang Yingzhuo. The Wang family kept staying at the municipal bureau and refused to leave, insisting on seeing him. Naturally, they couldn’t see him at this stage. Ji Chenjiao revealed a bit of his family’s movements to Wang Yingzhuo from time to time. Wang Yingzhuo was relatively calm before, but felt worse the more he listened, seeming to feel that this group of family members were all useless trash dragging him down.

At the same time, detailed information about the arrested “Pink Mask” core members came from various cities one after another. Many of their backgrounds were similar to Wang Yingzhuo’s: very young, families were unusually wealthy, with enough money to support them doing this detached-from-reality thing.

Apart from this part of people providing funds, there were also lawyers, internet technology experts, etc., and even two professional prop masters.

Preliminary estimates put the core members at over thirty people. And in the repeated “games”, they had developed over a dozen more people.

Wang Yingzhuo was an original member, a core among cores.

“He studied in Country E, and likely came into contact with ‘Floating Light’ then.” In front of Ling Lie lay a messy pile of documents. “Many of these second-generation rich kids stayed in Country E. That’s ‘Floating Light’s’ lair. But there is one point I still don’t quite understand. These people have no worries about food and clothing, and none have been attacked online. They have no pain points, so why are they so actively wanting to kill the internet?”

Ji Chenjiao held Wang Yingzhuo’s file, his arrogant appearance surfacing in his mind, as well as the way he persuaded Xue Bin back in Feng City.

“Some people are born liking to preach, liking to measure the world with their own ideas, and taking pleasure in changing the world.”

Ling Lie swiveled his chair. “Hmm?”

Ji Chenjiao said, “Precisely because they are wealthy and don’t need to worry about livelihood, they have higher-level spiritual pursuits, and are keen to put the false name of morality, sanctity, and benefiting all mankind on these spiritual pursuits.”

Ling Lie said, “Like certain environmental organizations abroad?”

Ji Chenjiao: “Not just them, many. fundamentally speaking, it’s self-satisfaction.”

Ling Lie laughed. “You are too polite.”

“Polite?”

“What self-satisfaction? In colloquial terms, isn’t it just having nothing better to do after eating their fill?”

Ji Chenjiao nodded. “People like Wang Yingzhuo haven’t experienced malice on the internet, but as long as they pay attention to the internet, they will inevitably discover a phenomenon. That is, whether domestic or foreign, incidents of mutual attacks using the internet are increasing, and suicides caused by this are not uncommon. Society cannot solve the associated incidents of internet malice for the time being, so this group of young people stepped forward, fancifully thinking that as long as the internet is killed, there will be no more internet malice.”

Ling Lie drew the “Pink Mask” logo. “So this collapsing thing represents the internet.”

Shen Qi, who relied on the internet for a living, was startled. “So to speak, they are at least good in their starting point.”

“What good? They committed crimes.” Ji Chenjiao said, “Let alone the issue of whether they instigated Zhao Jie to kill, simply illegal detention and illegal possession of weapons are crimes that must be punished. Not to mention their seemingly righteous behavior has already led to the deaths of Yong, Tang, and Zhang.”

Shen Qi: “That is true…”

Ling Lie said, “I suddenly thought of someone.”

Ji Chenjiao thought he was going to say someone related to the case, but he said, “Xu Jiang.”