In the future chat group, I'll become the richest man by just eating gossip.

Chapter 26 The Face Behind the Tree
The news reports were very varied, giving Feng Nan a headache. Basically, every news report had a different description and speculation about the mysterious unknown creature that killed Yueyang.

What surprised Feng Nan even more was that this mysterious unknown creature disappeared without a trace in Tang City after killing Yue Yang.

The municipal bureau organized multiple searches of the mountain, digging up every inch of Phoenix Mountain, but still couldn't find any trace of this mysterious, unknown creature.

Only in a cave that collapsed due to the earthquake were some traces of what appeared to be the habitat of a large animal found, but no feces, hair or other samples that could confirm the species were collected.

Even Xu Ni'an, who had disappeared, was nowhere to be found, neither alive nor dead. The body of Xu Ni'an's assistant was found not far from the cave.

So the case became a cold case again, and remained unsolved for five years.

Over the years, there have been occasional claims that people have witnessed similar mysterious creatures near Phoenix Mountain, but most of these claims have been proven to be false after investigation.

Another part consists of unverified suspected rumors.

The information was extremely chaotic and confusing, like a ghost story, but Feng Nan did not give up.

She meticulously compiled all the descriptions from the news reports, especially the account from the male cameraman who escaped alive, and summarized some common characteristics of the mysterious unknown creature from the numerous news articles.

Feng Nan took out her notebook and began copying down the messages she had selected.

[It is very strong, can walk upright, and is covered in long, dark hair. Because it was night, it was impossible to tell whether it was black or brown. It has a strong odor, bright eyes, and heavy breathing.]

The characteristics that Feng Nan copied down all came from news media that had interviewed the surviving male cameraman, so their credibility is quite high.

Regarding the true identity of the mysterious unknown creature, Feng Nan also selected several relatively plausible guesses.

Feng Nan picked up a pen and wrote a few lines after the species guess.

[Possible Creature 1: Bear, 80% match. Bears can walk upright and are very intelligent, perfectly matching the description.]

[Suspected Creature 2: Wolf, 30% match. Wolves typically put their arms around a person's shoulder from behind, waiting for them to turn around before biting off their neck. Ancient legends about vampire zombies often involve wolves putting their arms around each other's shoulders, and in a state of panic, this could be mistaken for walking upright. However, no bloodstains were found at the scene, and there were no bite marks on the body, making it unlikely to be a suspect.]

[Suspected Creature 3: A large primate such as a silverback gorilla, with a 90% match. Three years ago, a laboratory gorilla went missing and has not been found since. Its characteristics closely match those described by survivors, making it a prime suspect. It is reasonable to suspect that this gorilla committed the crime.]

[Suspected Creature 4: Human. The match rate is no less than 95%, and there are signs that reasonably support suspicion. First, there are no animal bite or scratch marks on the body, but there are suspected blunt force trauma marks. Second, no biological samples such as hair or feces were found in the cave. If it were an animal, it would not be so clean. Third, after Yueyang's sacrifice, his service weapon disappeared, but it cannot be ruled out that it was picked up by someone afterward. Humans can disguise themselves as animals, making human involvement a reasonable suspicion.]

Feng Nan stopped writing and looked at her guesses about the identity of the mysterious unknown creature.

He frowned and pondered for a moment, then drew checkmarks on three and four, a question mark on one, and an X on two.

"The possibilities of one and two are unlikely. The situation in the cave is obviously not in line with the living habits of ordinary animals. Although bears are intelligent and can grasp objects with their claws to some extent, they are far from being intelligent enough to use weapons. There are no bite marks or scratch marks on the corpse, and wolves cannot grasp anything, so they can basically be ruled out."

"Among gorillas and humans, the conditions in the cave are more consistent with those created by humans. However, the experimental gorilla is said to be very intelligent, skilled in using tools, and capable of arithmetic, so both are possible. If it can be confirmed that the experimental gorilla has died or been recovered from the laboratory, then it can be basically determined to be man-made."

Feng Nan put down her pen, wearily pinched her brow, and looked at the live stream.

At this moment, under the live broadcast camera, Xu Ni'an and the other two had entered Phoenix Mountain, passed through the viewing area in front, and entered the dense forest.

During the live stream, Xu Ni'an would turn her head to look at the camera every now and then, smiling and interacting with the viewers.

Xu Ni'an: "Babies, look there's danger over there. Just now, Xiao Heizi scared people, saying not to go there because there are wild animals in the mountains that will eat people."

At this point, Xu Ni'an deliberately made an exaggerated expression.

Feng Nan was taken aback, then gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Throughout the entire live stream, she was the only one who sent a comment advising Xu Ni'an not to go into the mountains; all the other viewers were urging Xu Ni'an to hurry up and go. It turns out that Xu Ni'an did see her comment, but she pretended not to.

Now that they feel there's no danger, they're bringing up the corpse again, mocking Feng Nan for making a fuss.

"Ugh……"

"It's impossible to reason with a damned devil."

Feng Nan sighed.

He shook his head helplessly and gave a bitter smile.

"In that case, do as you please."

"Anyway, my goal is to change the future of Yueyang and, incidentally, capture that mysterious unknown creature that's been playing tricks on me. Whether you live or die isn't a big deal."

Feng Nan smiled indifferently, deciding to let go of her desire to help others and respect their fate.

Feng Nan had originally intended to try and save this female internet celebrity, but now...

Feng Nan decided to respect her decision.

Let her enjoy the dead end she chose.

Feng Nan watched Xu Ni'an in the live broadcast room, slowly walking towards the deep mountains and forests.

He mentally counted down the days until Xu Ni'an's death, and casually turned on his phone's screen recording function.

The reason why the investigation into this case has not gone smoothly and why there have been many conflicting opinions about the true identity of the mysterious unknown creature is the lack of video evidence.

Feng Nan also didn't know why Xu Ni'an's live stream replay was lost.

And why didn't any of Xu Ni'an's true fans record her screen?

But none of that matters anymore.

Now that she's recording, things will definitely not be like they were in the future, where there was no video footage.

Time passes minute by minute.

As the time for Xu Ni'an's attack drew closer, Feng Nan couldn't help but feel a little nervous.

His eyes were glued to the live stream screen.

Waiting for the mysterious, unknown creature that took Yueyang's life to appear.

Meanwhile, on another phone, Feng Nan had already dialed the emergency number for the Major Crimes Unit. As soon as danger occurred, Feng Nan would make the call and have Yue Yang pick her up.

Feng Nan's hotel is not far from Phoenix Mountain, and it is located on the shortest route for the Major Crimes Unit to reach Phoenix Mountain, so picking her up will not take too much time.

suddenly!

Feng Nan stared wide-eyed at the live stream screen, instinctively holding her breath.

Just now, under the sweeping light of Xu Ni'an's live stream, she seemed to see a face peeking out from behind a tree...