The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 212 Forgotten and Adored

As Wu Shanqiu had predicted, when visiting the villagers, everyone kept quiet, saying they had no dealings with Hao Weiwei, this outsider.

Even the landlord said that apart from collecting rent, he had no interaction with this young man.

Hao Weiwei is like a stray dog ​​in the suburbs, abandoned by the world.

However, when Qi Fei searched for Hao Weiwei's information using his online name "Supreme True One," the opposite was true. He was very active in various forums and communities, appearing to be a leader.

"Does this Supreme One still have some influence?" Qi Fei scrolled through Hao Weiwei's online comments, many of which were evaluations of works by new or unknown authors by a veteran online writer.

The language used is mostly sharp and sarcastic, but this writing style has attracted many fans.

Wu Shanqiu, a level 10 surfing expert, was also studying Hao Weiwei's "online personality" and exclaimed, "Wow, the way Hao Weiwei presents himself online makes people think he lives in a mansion worth hundreds of billions and lives the life of a superior person. Well, he says that other people's novels are not good, and his own are not so good either... But then again, if he were really a first-class online writer, he probably wouldn't have time to go around criticizing other people's works."

“Cyber ​​Assassin…” Qi Fei murmured, “Does this name mean…”

“Haha, I know the answer to this question. As we all know, ‘cyber’ is a transliteration of the English word ‘cyber.’ It was originally used more in science fiction novels, but now it’s a general term for anything related to the internet and computers,” Wu Shanqiu said with considerable insight.

“A cyber assassin killed a web novelist; that sounds like science fiction,” Qi Fei said immediately.

"Well, and he even published the murder process online. Well, luckily, Hao Weiwei's novels aren't actually popular. People enjoy reading his satirical and critical novels, but they're not very interested in reading what he writes."

Otherwise, Captain Liu would be hiding again right now.” Wu Shanqiu had barely finished speaking when a gentle voice came from behind her: “Huh? Why would I hide?”

When Wu Shanqiu turned around, Liu Tong was already standing behind her with a smile. However, this still startled Wu Shanqiu, who stammered, "Oh! Captain Liu, when are you coming in? I'm afraid the leaders will make you hold another press conference to report on the case."

"Hmm, I heard someone has already posted the murder process online?" Liu Tong may not seem to like handling cases, but he has more accurate information than anyone else.

"Don't worry, Captain Liu, we contacted the novel platform immediately to remove it, but we haven't been able to trace the IP address that published the novel yet," Wu Shanqiu said immediately.

At that moment, Qi Fei, who was standing nearby, received a phone call and immediately said, "No need to check anymore, Hao Weiwei's laptop has been found."

"Huh? Where?" Wu Shanqiu and Liu Tong asked in unison.

"It was found in the garbage dump at the entrance of the village when our colleagues who stayed behind conducted a thorough search of the village."

Upon hearing this, Liu Tong turned his head and said, "Wasn't that article describing the murder published when you arrived at the scene?"

Qi Fei frowned: "That's right, my guess is that the murderer took the laptop to publish this article..."

"The details of the murder were written after Hao Weiwei's death, right?" Liu Tong said. Qi Fei nodded: "I think we can be pretty sure about that. Even if the steps of the murder can be planned in advance, details like the finger being eaten by a wild dog definitely can't be planned beforehand. We haven't found Hao Weiwei's finger, so we can't rule out the possibility that it was eaten by a wild dog."

Therefore, this article was most likely written after the murderer had committed the crime.

“Logically speaking, if this cyber killer had already fled the scene after committing the crime, there shouldn’t be any reason for him to go back to the village entrance just to lose his laptop, right?” Liu Tong continued.

Upon hearing this, Wu Shanqiu's eyes widened and she took a deep breath: "Damn, has this guy been staying in the village all this time?"

Qi Fei's expression was solemn: "We searched the garbage dump at the village entrance once before we left, but Hao Weiwei's laptop wasn't there."

"No way? This cyber assassin is too arrogant. This is blatant provocation!" Wu Shanqiu's voice rose considerably.

"Hiss, this kind of killer with an unusual mentality makes me miss Zhong Kui a bit~" Liu Tong said, looking around. "By the way, where has our beautiful consultant been lately?"

"As you know, Captain Liu, she always goes back to Sanwu Town for a while after finishing a case," Qi Fei muttered, his disappointment barely concealed.

Liu Tong patted Qi Fei on the shoulder: "Looks like your charm isn't enough. How about I send you to Sanwu Town to bring Zhong Kui back?"

“Captain Liu, you know Zhong Kui is different from ordinary people; she needs to recuperate. I refuse this job.”

Liu Tong didn't press the issue and said leisurely, "It's up to you. Online writers, whether famous or not, are still public figures. The incident with that female celebrity last time caused quite a stir in the bureau, with a bunch of reporters and self-media outlets waiting downstairs. I don't care if this is Hao Weiwei or Hao Weisuo, we need to find the person who killed him as soon as possible."

As he spoke, he carried his thermos towards the water room, but stopped after a few steps and turned back to say, "Oh, by the way, Hao Weiwei's family will be here soon. You can take them to the morgue to identify the body later."

Upon hearing this, Qi Fei put his hands on his head, looking dejected—this was the part he disliked the most.
-
Sunlight pierced through the mud-stained glass windows, casting trapezoidal patches of light in the corridor.

Qi Fei leaned against the wall in the corridor, counting down in his mind. Sure enough, when he reached zero, a heart-wrenching wail came from the morgue.

The storm of grief took a while to subside.

With her family members helping her out of the morgue, the mother, her eyes red and swollen, finally emerged from the morgue.

The moment the mother saw Qi Fei, she suddenly knelt down, startling Qi Fei, who hurriedly helped her up, saying, "Please don't do this!"

"Officer, you must seek justice for my son!" Hao Weiwei's mother cried, tears streaming down her face. People around her offered their condolences, and the narrow corridor suddenly became chaotic.

"Finding the murderer requires everyone's efforts. Please calm down. I need to ask you about some of the circumstances surrounding Hao Weiwei's murder," Qi Fei said.

“This child has been missing for two years. We’ve been looking for him everywhere. I never thought that when we saw him again, it would be like a parent outliving their child… I’m so unlucky…” Hao Weiwei’s mother said, pounding her chest and crying.