Chapter 388: His Name

Gu You continued, “G57 was an IT expert. He rewrote the forum’s source code and made some changes, which I discovered later. He altered the task assignment algorithm. Originally, tasks were randomly distributed, but after his modification, everyone received tasks designed by him, turning fake crimes into real ones. On October 18th, I received a task to delete files from a computer. When I entered the room and turned on the computer, I saw… I saw many naked photos of my classmates, taken in the shower. Among them were photos of myself!

“I then received a text message from an unlisted number. It informed me that the owner of the house was a janitor at our school who had installed cameras in the shower to take these photos and sell them to porn sites. This person was already drugged, and there was a knife by the bed. Although I wanted to kill this person at that moment, my rationality stopped me. I realized it was a trap. I deleted the photos from the computer and left… The janitor’s name was Zhang Jiutian. I anonymously reported him, and you can find news about it.”

Gu You looked at the three men. “Did you also receive similar tasks?”

KK suddenly burst into tears. “I killed someone, an old man… It was in November. I received a task to switch a box. I did it easily. After I left, the police arrived. I hid, and I got a text saying the box I switched contained the old man’s daily medication, and what I left was poison. The person who texted had already called the police, who were patrolling the area. If I did nothing, the old man would die; if I tried to help, I’d be caught. I was too scared to return. The next day, I passed by the neighborhood and saw the old man’s funeral… It’s my fault! I killed him!”

Chen Shi wanted to punch KK but restrained himself. This was all Zhou Xiao’s design; he was the true murderer.

Chen Shi said, “My task was also ordinary. When I entered the house, I heard a girl crying. She was locked in a bedroom with iron bars on the door, wearing thin clothes, covered in bruises. I received a text saying the father was abusive, and the electric blanket under him was tampered with. All I had to do was flip the switch on the bedside lamp, and he’d be electrocuted… I was furious but didn’t do it. I removed the tampered electric blanket from under him, which woke him. I ended up beating him up.

“The noise alerted the neighbors, and I was caught. That incident nearly ended my career, but someone saved me and let me work to atone…”

Gu You asked, “Who saved you?”

“I don’t want to say right now,” Chen Shi replied, hesitating.

Everyone then turned to Sun Zhen, who clutched his head in pain. “I can’t remember… Not a single thing…”

“It seems you were caught in his trap too!” Gu You said. “He created convenient murder scenarios for everyone. Some members fell for it, while others sensed something was wrong. Li Xiaochuan was one of the former. After trying to kill someone, he couldn’t stop talking about the experience. Zhou Xiao was changing his mindset. I suggested disbanding the group, but he refused. Remember the chaos on the forum back then? Everyone was guessing who posted those tasks. Then came the Lorraine Villa Massacre, Zhou Xiao’s official reveal. He picked some members to follow him and ordered them to kill those who wouldn’t. It was a bloodbath…”

Chen Shi asked, “Did you go to that place?”

“I did. Foolishly, I wanted to save Li Xiaochuan one last time. But when I arrived, I was attacked. I woke up tied up with a black hood over my head. I heard a fervent voice saying, ‘This world is built on false appearances and order. Those who follow the order will be crushed; only those who break it will prevail. We are powerful. In this world of the strong devouring the weak, we deserve to live a different life, one that others can only envy—wild and splendid. I don’t aim to change the fools. They should die, and you will execute them!’ The cheers broke my heart, as Li Xiaochuan’s voice was among them.

“I heard Li Xiaochuan say ‘sorry,’ then a knife plunged into my stomach. I lay on the ground, the air thick with the smell of blood and the groans of dying comrades. I cried as my body grew colder. After what felt like forever, Li Xiaochuan came back, untied me, and took me to the hospital. Luckily, he missed my vital organs, and I survived. I asked him why he did it. He said he’d always been an obedient child, but he agreed with Zhou Xiao. They could be the greatest criminals with their skills. Why live a routine life, getting exploited by the wealthy?

“I knew I couldn’t change him. I just cried. As they say, power begets desire. Humans harbor endless evil. When ordinary people master advanced criminal skills, it only takes a madman’s nudge to plunge them into the abyss. Zhou Xiao then became a phantom serial killer, beyond the police’s grasp. Li Xiaochuan was one of his victims a year later, likely punished for his disloyalty.”

Everyone fell silent after Gu You finished. Chen Shi smiled bitterly. “Are we who held our ground kind or just weak?”

Gu You replied, “Kindness is precious and hard to maintain.”

KK, still mourning the old man he indirectly killed, wept on the couch. Sun Zhen clutched his head, saying, “In 2007, I worked on a project, but I can’t remember a thing… That person might have worked with me… Maybe that’s why he spared me and just brainwashed me.”

Chen Shi said, “Maybe you were friends.”

Sun Zhen shook his head, “I can’t remember!”

Chen Shi received a text, a list from Lin Dongxue: “Here’s the interview list from the fire investigation. Hope it helps.”

Comparing his list to Lin Dongxue’s, Chen Shi said, “Dongxue sent me a list of people interviewed during the fire investigation. Only one name overlaps with ours… Zhou Tianan!”

Sun Zhen, clutching his head, screamed in pain, confirming they had finally found the right name.