The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 226 Who is Jack?
It was late at night, but the broken neon lights outside the Aegean Bookstore's floor-to-ceiling windows were still flickering, faintly illuminating the walls covered in rain stains.

Qi Fei walked up to the shop manager, known as "Swordholder," and compared the ID card he handed over: "You're Dongfang Tian, ​​right? We asked everyone individually, and you're the only one whose whereabouts were unknown around April 11th. The bookstore was closed during that time. Would you mind telling me where you went?"

Dongfang Tian adjusted his tortoiseshell glasses: "I went on a trip, alone."

When he said "alone," Qi Fei frowned slightly: "So, no one can prove where you went?"

"But you say the person who died was an online writer, and I'm a bookstore owner. Do you understand what that means? Let alone an online writer, I've never even read an online novel, so how could I possibly kill someone?"

This person speaks in a very refined and scholarly manner, truly resembling an old-fashioned bookworm.

"We heard that you got into a fight with your team members before. Would you mind telling me why?" Qi Fei continued to ask.

"You mean Jack?" Unexpectedly, Dongfang Tian made no attempt to hide anything. "I only fought with this person, but I did nothing wrong. This has nothing to do with the murder case you're investigating, right?"

Qi Fei wore an ambiguous expression.

Dongfang Tian frowned slightly: "I think that person crossed the line. Passion and illusion are two different things. As for the rest, I have nothing to say." He stubbornly turned his head away and kept his lips tightly closed.

"Hmm? You said that person's name is Jack?" Zhong Kui suddenly seemed very interested in the name.

"Captain Jack Sparrow, the one from Pirates of the Caribbean..." Dongfang Tian's eyes darted away for some reason, avoiding Zhong Kui's burning gaze.

"Is Pirates of the Caribbean science fiction?" Zhong Kui asked mischievously. "You're such a terrible liar."

"Whichever Jack it is has nothing to do with what you're asking! Are you police officers or gossip reporters?!" Dongfang Tian's temper was indeed quite something.

“Hmm~ Darling, I think we can end our questioning here today.” Zhong Kui suddenly turned around and said to Qi Fei in a sweet voice, “Let’s have Xiao You, oh, Iando, and the Swordholder come back with us.”

As if he had spent too long at this sci-fi themed masquerade ball, Zhong Kui's tone of voice had taken on a theatrical quality.

When she mentioned "Iando," she glanced at Dongfang Tian. His chestnut hair, disheveled and falling slightly across his forehead, trembled slightly. He was clearly struck by Zhong Kui's words, the meaning of which was known only to him and Zhong Kui.

Outside the bookstore, rain fell in the dark night, damp and carrying the mixed smell of moss and cement.

Zhong Kui remained silent after leaving the bookstore.

Until the five people got into the car.

The car door slammed shut. Wu Shanqiu squeezed into the back seat with You He and Dongfang Tian. Zhong Kui sat in the passenger seat, looking through the rearview mirror at You He, who was huddled in a corner of the car, his head resting listlessly against the window, looking utterly dejected.

“You’re worried that after today, those people won’t accept you anymore,” Zhong Kui said, cutting to the chase.

Yu He realized he was being observed, so he quickly straightened up and denied it, saying, "No, nothing."

"It's the Swordholder who reminds you of Jack." Zhong Kui continued casually, but her words struck You He like an electric shock, making him tremble. He abruptly looked up at Zhong Kui in the rearview mirror.

Zhong Kui looked at his eyes, which were like those of a frightened fawn, with amusement: "You really are pitiful to look at."

Sitting next to You He, Wu Shanqiu sensed the gossip: "What kind of riddles are you two playing?"

Zhong Kui didn't rush to answer, but looked at Qi Fei, who was driving: "It seems that some people really haven't watched Cyber ​​Killer's masterpiece properly."

"Hmm? I read it carefully, word by word."

"Your loneliness hurts me more than death," these are the words spoken by the protagonist Harkness to his virtual lover Jones in the novel by the neuromaniac. He thought the names—Neuromaniac, Harkness, Jones—were obscure enough, and he thought the restrained, cold style of language was obscure enough. I can understand his anger now.

Why did this online novel, which neither sold well nor received critical acclaim, provoke such intense hatred from its author after being reported by Hao Weiwei as being created by AI? "I told you this trip to Baicheng would be smooth sailing," Zhong Kui said, then suddenly exhaled softly. "We found you so quickly, You He."

"I don't understand what you're saying?" You He's thin left hand gripped the car door tightly, tense yet stubborn.

“You should read that novel—'After the Anchor Point Failed, I Was Reborn in the Third Dimension.' This novel, which seems as heartless as AI to most people, may only be something you can understand.” Zhong Kui continued, her clear, all-seeing eyes fixed on You He in the mirror. He was now as terrified as a small animal caught in her trap. “Before, you could say you had no idea what happened in that world of online novels, which is different from yours. But, I'm sure you’ve already felt a strong resonance with the name of the protagonist in this novel I mentioned.”

As Zhong Kui spoke, she shifted her gaze to Dongfang Tian's face, who was also silent: "I don't know what role you played in this. Originally, apart from you, no one would have noticed the connection between these two names. After all, most of the people in your group are book fans, and very few watch the show."

Unfortunately, I like to exhaust all knowledge when doing my homework.

So, I watched that sci-fi show. She paused, a hint of smugness in her voice, as if savoring Dongfang Tian's surprised expression, before uttering the show's name, word by word, "Torchwood, a sci-fi TV series from decades ago, featuring Jake Harkness, Iando Jones, a touching love story between an immortal time traveler and a mortal, and more importantly..."

"Enough!" Dongfang Tian finally snapped, shouting as he interrupted Zhong Kui, "No matter what, Iando is innocent. He doesn't know anything about what happened between me and Jack!"

"What are you talking about? It sounds like the relationship is a bit complicated!" Wu Shanqiu was completely confused.

Only Zhong Kui, who seemed to know everything, calmly said, "Of course, Iando will always be innocent, but Jack has already killed someone. So, Swordholder, you can no longer keep the secret about you and Jack. Jack, under the alias Neuromaniac, wrote a web novel with himself and Iando as the main characters. Now, he has killed another web novelist."