An even more cruel scene appeared after the next round of “game.” Masked people pushed in a pile of watermelons. Anyone with eyes could tell something was wrong with the watermelons—they had been cut open and then put back together.

The masked people handed out knives and ordered them to cut the melons.

When the knife fell and touched what was inside, the melon skin fell away on both sides, revealing a bloody human head.

Yu Dalong was so frightened he nearly fainted, and his hand was accidentally injured by the knife.

The cave filled with rapid breathing sounds. At that moment, Yu Dalong felt the entire mountain was a monster—it could move, it could breathe, and their breathing was its heartbeat.

The masked people said coldly that these people had paid the price for what they’d done and said in the past. That price was death, which they deserved. Who told them to be bad? They were the ones making this world worse and worse. The remaining people had done the right thing—cutting them open was just like cutting and eating melons.

This is wrong! Yu Dalong roared in his heart—no one should be a “melon” to be cut open! They had indeed made mistakes, but those who should punish them were absolutely not themselves, not “Pink Mask,” not this hypocritical righteousness!

But Yu Dalong couldn’t speak. No one dared confront the masked people with guns. What worried them even more was that the “game” continued. If they lost in the next round, it would be their own heads being cut open like melons!

The heads, melon skins and flesh were cleared away and taken—allegedly sent to an incinerator along with the bodies to be burned.

The “game” took place every other day. Yu Dalong never lost. But he had become numb. In the first and second rounds, he could still find faults in his opponents—some were real wrongs, others merely moral flaws.

Later on, there were no points left to attack. To win, to avoid becoming a “melon,” they could only fabricate things, compete over who had the louder voice, who spoke faster. If they really couldn’t attack the person themselves, they’d attack family members and friends, using them to prove you weren’t perfect, that your character must be flawed.

Yu Dalong felt he’d gone mad. Why had he become such trash? Was this what “Pink Mask” meant by changing the world? Eliminate all those who made mistakes, had moral flaws, weren’t perfect, and what remained would be perfect people in a perfect world?

No!

What remained was just a bunch of people who were even worse, more cunning, more… undeserving of life!

—If those who lost deserved to die!

There weren’t many people left in the cave. Yu Dalong was exhausted and could no longer continue the “game.” He lost to someone who looked like a student. When the masked people dragged him away, he cried silently.

Regret occupied his mind. Why did he click that link? Why didn’t he tell Fang Yuanhang? Why would he rather trust strangers than the police he knew?

He discovered he was truly despicable. This was human nature. People really were the dregs of this world.

He thought he would become the next “melon” to be cut open. But after losing consciousness and waking again, standing before him were two masked people. The bullet hadn’t penetrated his body. His luggage bag from when he arrived was placed by his feet.

He was terrified beyond measure, not knowing if he was already dead or about to face capital punishment.

“Yu Dalong, do you now understand why our world isn’t beautiful?” one masked person said.

Yu Dalong was still in a state where he couldn’t think normally. His mind was a complete mess—he couldn’t even distinguish between hallucination and reality.

But the masked person continued speaking: “Would you normally attack someone like that, putting them to death?”

Yu Dalong shook his head blankly.

The masked person: “So how did that feel?”

“Executioner!” Yu Dalong’s tears burst forth. “Why should someone be killed just for saying they hope their boss dies? Why should you be labeled and become a ‘melon’ just because your father once harassed a widow at the factory?”

He had too much to say. His anger was like blocked floodwaters. He felt dizzy.

The masked person: “So do you now understand why our world is getting worse and worse?”

Yu Dalong froze. “…Because people have become bad?”

“Why do people become bad?”

“I don’t know!”

The masked person: “In reality, would you mercilessly scold, slander, and attack someone to their face like this?”

Yu Dalong held his head, trembling: “I wouldn’t…”

After a moment of silence, the masked person said: “Right, you wouldn’t. Your opponents wouldn’t either. Only an extremely, extremely small minority of people would. And even if they did, what terrible harm could they cause? None, because there are normal public morals to restrain them, and laws will protect those they wantonly slander. But there’s one place where their evil can endlessly erode others’ lives.”

Yu Dalong roared: “Isn’t it you ‘Pink Mask’ people! How many have you killed? None of them deserved to die!”

The masked person laughed. “Your understanding is truly superficial. Can’t you think of that place that truly exists? Our ‘game’ is simply moving what happens online to offline.”

Yu Dalong’s eyes lost focus. After half a minute, he suddenly came to his senses. “You mean the internet?”

“BINGO!” The masked person clapped happily, approaching Yu Dalong like a specter. “Think about the incidents that have happened online over these years. Aren’t people becoming increasingly vicious? A sentence that’s insignificant in real life can destroy someone online. Don’t your faces in the ‘game’ look exactly like those vermin online?”

“I…”

“Don’t argue. The ‘game’ gave you an offline platform, forcing you to become those people online.”

Yu Dalong screamed: “No! If you weren’t pointing guns at us, if losers didn’t have to die, who would become so evil?”

The masked person shook his head. “You’re still not clear-headed. When you become clear-headed, you’ll understand—everyone has a bad side. In reality, they can suppress that bad side. But the internet needs precisely that bad side! The world is getting worse and worse—it’s not people’s fault, not the world’s fault. What most needs to be destroyed is the internet. The internet is the source of all evil!”

The information overload brought Yu Dalong to the verge of collapse. He remembered he was about to become a “melon” to be cut open. He looked at the masked person. “When will you do it?”

“Do it? You mean kill you? No, no, you misunderstood. We’ve never killed anyone. This is just an experience. Yu Dalong, through the ‘game,’ we’ve discovered you’re exactly the person we need. We sincerely invite you to become one of us.”

Yu Dalong gritted his teeth. “How is that possible!”

“Actually, many of our members developed from the ‘game.’ You’re very agitated now. We don’t need you to give an answer immediately. Soon, you’ll leave here and return to your normal life. When you understand the essence of this ‘game’ and ‘Pink Mask’s’ intentions, you can join anytime.”

The masked person said passionately: “Together, we’ll correct this world’s mistakes!”

Yu Dalong let out a long, thin breath, as if finally breaking free from a nightmare. He looked at Ling Lie. “They sent me to this small town. There was an extra phone in my bag—I didn’t dare use it. Even now, I haven’t figured out what this whole thing was about. I should have died, but they let me go. What about the other losers? Were the gunshots we heard fake? Were the heads we saw fake too? Was it really just a ‘game’? But what does ‘Pink Mask’ gain from this?”

Ling Lie pulled Yu Dalong over and patted his back without speaking.

At this moment, not only was Yu Dalong’s mind in chaos—Ling Lie wasn’t relaxed either. In an instant, he thought of many possibilities, but they hadn’t cooled down yet and were attacking each other. He needed time to properly untangle this mess.

Yu Dalong was trembling, sobbing softly. Ling Lie knew he was extremely vulnerable now and needed psychological intervention as well as family companionship.

There was no family here, but there was a good friend.

Ling Lie helped Yu Dalong to the bedside. “I’ll let your Hanghang come in now. He’ll chat with you for a bit, okay?”

Yu Dalong said: “I… I’m sorry to him.”

Ling Lie ruffled Yu Dalong’s hair. “Between friends, there aren’t so many sorrys. Do you want him to come in? I think he’s worried sick.”

Yu Dalong hesitated for a moment, then nodded. But as Ling Lie turned around, he grabbed the corner of his clothes. “Officer Ling.”

Ling Lie smiled. “Hanghang calls me Brother Lie.”

Yu Dalong’s cheeks reddened slightly. “Can I also call you Brother Lie?”

“Of course, Brother Long.”

“I… I want to ask you to help me apologize to him.”

Ling Lie said: “Apologies must be made in person.”

Yu Dalong lowered his head and said: “Then Brother Lie, I want to thank you.”

Ling Lie smiled. “Received.”

Fang Yuanhang had been waiting outside the door, anxious and restless. Ling Lie instructed: “Don’t ask him what happened when you go in. I’ve basically grasped the case. Go in as a friend, listen to his complaints, listen to his grievances, hug him. Understand?”

Fang Yuanhang saluted. “Yes!”

Ling Lie slapped Fang Yuanhang’s shoulder forcefully. “Go in.”

The cold wind in the small town’s deep night blew fiercer and fiercer. Ling Lie sat on the stone steps below the guesthouse, not lighting his cigarette for a long time.

He squinted at the nearly empty street, one hand holding the cigarette, the other his phone. After finishing one cigarette, he stood up and called Ji Chenjiao. “Want to chat?”

---

Before nightfall, Ji Chenjiao had just traveled from a small town north of Fengxia Mountain to another town. This day had been like fighting a battle, non-stop. In these continuous verdant mountain forests, there must exist a nest not yet grasped by police, where crime, harm, brainwashing, and deception bred and radiated toward surrounding villages and towns. Members temporarily transferred from the Major Crimes Unit, Criminal Investigation Detachment, and SWAT had already controlled some villages and towns, finding traces matching earlier deductions.

Ji Chenjiao held a list with over ten people. They were very similar to Yu Dalong—all outsiders who suddenly appeared in small towns. Someone had checked them into inconspicuous guesthouses. According to locals, their behavior and gazes were somewhat strange—either constantly keeping themselves locked in rooms or running wildly through streets like madmen. None stayed long—arriving suddenly, disappearing suddenly.

Ji Chenjiao paid particular attention to a man named Zhang Bing and a woman named Wan Xiaomeng. They appeared in different towns. Wan Xiaomeng appeared earlier than Zhang Bing, but they came from the same city and were similar in age. Perhaps before coming to Fengxia Mountain, they already knew each other?

Ji Chenjiao immediately instructed Shen Xi to focus on investigating these two people. Afterward, he came to the small town police station. He was calling Liang Wenxian on the south side of Fengxia Mountain to communicate ideas. Shortly after hanging up, he saw Ling Lie’s name flashing on his phone.

The small towns on both sides of Fengxia Mountain were similar. Late at night, almost no one could be seen on the streets. The cold wind whistled past, scraping against faces with a piercing chill.

Ji Chenjiao came to the police station entrance and sat on the steps. He and Ling Lie didn’t know that at this moment, they were both blowing the cold early winter wind, looking at deserted streets, even their sitting postures almost identical.

Ji Chenjiao listened to Ling Lie’s voice and looked up at the moon hanging on bare branches.

“How’s your side?” they said in unison.

Ji Chenjiao’s nerves, tense all day, relaxed slightly due to this coincidence. His voice carried a hint of laughter. “You go first. Did Yu Dalong tell you anything?”

Ling Lie initially had his legs bent, feet on the ground. Now he let his long legs straighten out, sprawling on the steps. “He said quite a bit. My mind’s messy—need to sort through it.”

He lit a cigarette and repeated what Yu Dalong said to Ji Chenjiao. The process of speaking was like untangling a ball of yarn. By the end, details that hadn’t made sense in the room earlier seemed suddenly clear.

“We didn’t misjudge. This gang—or rather, organization—called ‘Pink Mask,’ their kidnapping behavior has been escalating. If initially they were just casting a wide net, conducting experiments, by this time, they have very clear targets. Yu Dalong is bait. Who they really want to recruit are police like Fang Yuanhang who have great upward potential but are easily manipulated due to youth.”

Ling Lie said: “Yu Dalong is still rather confused, not quite clear about what exactly happened to him. But given time, he’ll naturally understand his experience during this period. He’ll resonate with ‘Pink Mask,’ then find ways to bring Fang Yuanhang into the ‘game.'”

“There’s also Xue Bin. I guess ‘Pink Mask’ needs three types of people. First, those who can provide power protection for their existence, so Fang Yuanhang became their target. Second, people who master certain specific technologies. Considering how they used ‘Floating Light,’ they likely want computer and internet talent. Third, suckers—wealthy people, specifically young people with strong guilt, making them easier to accept their concepts. Xue Bin fits this condition.”

After listening, Ji Chenjiao thought for a moment. “The message ‘Pink Mask’ conveyed to Yu Dalong is that the internet makes this world ugly?”

Ling Lie said: “According to Yu Dalong’s description, ‘Pink Mask’ infinitely magnifies problems appearing online, then places them offline. The internet breeds malice—trivial matters can be magnified online to the point of demanding someone’s death. ‘Pink Mask’ seems to want participants to realize the internet’s horror through this kind of offline ‘game’ of mutual attacks.”

“Obviously, ‘Pink Mask’s’ preaching ability is very strong. They can definitely influence some people. When they leave the ‘game,’ they’ll become resistant to the internet, even influencing those around them to boycott it together.”

Ji Chenjiao said: “The losers in the ‘game’ being killed is just an appearance?”

“Not sure if anyone was really killed, but I think very likely not.” Ling Lie leaned back, elbows supporting himself on the ground. “‘Pink Mask’ needs to create an atmosphere like infinite loops where losers must die. Yu Dalong believed it initially—maybe all participants believed it. Only this way would survival instinct maximally stimulate their malice toward opponents, using words to attack opponents to death. Rumors, smearing—when these things commonly seen online are magnified offline, only then can they become victorious survivors.”

“When Yu Dalong’s head was covered with a sack, he truly thought his head would be cut open like a melon. Even now, he feels it’s unreal that he’s alive—you can imagine how afraid he was then. It should be when reaching this step of leaving the ‘game’ that participants discover they won’t actually be killed. They’re quietly sent to unfamiliar townships, returning to their lives, while those remaining in the ‘game’ see their extremely realistic prop corpses.”

Like Ling Lie, Ji Chenjiao also needed considerable time to digest these clues. He stood up, pacing back and forth on the steps, kicking small stones. “Looking at it this way, this ‘Pink Mask’ is a radical anti-internet organization. It starts by absorbing a small portion of people with extreme experiences. Among them, some will become their members due to fear, ‘awakening,’ empathy, or other emotions, developing new members in reality. New members enter the ‘game,’ repeating this process.”

Ling Lie said: “Yes. Analyzing Yu Dalong as a sample, ‘Pink Mask’ gave him an impression of being very mysterious and powerful. For ordinary people, the easiest thing to think is that ‘Pink Mask’ has an extremely vast network of money and power connections behind it. So even if they don’t ultimately become new members, they most likely won’t dare speak of this experience.”

“Zhang Chunjuan is an example.” Ji Chenjiao frowned thinking of that college student who silently walked toward the lake water. “He couldn’t emerge from the ‘game’s’ terror. Afraid of ‘Pink Mask,’ finding no one to confide in in reality, while the internet had become synonymous with malicious evil in his cognition.”

Ling Lie said: “So he ended his life in collapse. Opposite him is Zhao Jie. Hiss—”

Ji Chenjiao quickly asked: “What’s wrong?”

Ling Lie said: “I suddenly realized what Zhao Jie’s motive was.”

Ji Chenjiao’s brows paused. “Zhao Jie… he’s a programmer!”

“Right.” Ling Lie said: “A programmer, and an outstanding one. In his family’s eyes, his personality was eccentric and unconventional—the second type of people ‘Pink Mask’ wants to recruit. His department had everyone working on internet technology. They were supporting Fanfei’s internet development.”

A chill ran up Ji Chenjiao’s spine. Just as Ling Lie spoke eloquently, he thought of that unclear statement Zhao Jie made during the last interrogation—what was guilty?

What Zhao Jie wanted to say—wasn’t it that the internet is guilty?