The Mystery of the Inner Demon

Chapter 230 A moth flies into the flame
"This is how my life should have been!" Luo Yong, who had been calm and restrained all along, suddenly slammed his fist on the table, his eyes burning as if they were about to burst into flames. "I'm almost fifty years old. If I don't be myself now, my life will be over."

Every time I go to the Aegean Bookstore, my gaze is always fixed on You He. I love him; love is irrational. I want to have him, just as I want to have another kind of life.

"So, when you learned that he couldn't find a job, you used your connections and even took advantage of Lou Jing's position?" Qi Fei couldn't stand Luo Yong's "eloquent speech," and his words inevitably carried a sense of condemnation. In his view, Luo Yong was nothing more than a selfish person using the name of love.

“Scumbag…” Wu Shanqiu muttered to herself.

"My feelings are beyond the comprehension of the world. Too many people have completely lost themselves in compromising with the world. I don't want to spend the rest of my life like everyone else."

If I had never known that there was another way of life, perhaps I would have continued to live a hard and numb life in this world. But I know that there are so many stars and unknowns beyond this earth. I could have become a free mayfly, living a short life in the vastness of the universe, small yet carefree.

However, we spend too much of our lives living for others.

For the sake of my parents, my wife, and my daughter, I became a person I didn't like, doing a job I didn't like, and rushing around in meaningless trivialities. My life just passed by meaninglessly like that.

No one knows that every day, when I open my eyes, I feel like I'm drowning, and I can only keep myself from sinking by struggling with all my might.

This is my life, a glamorous life that others envy.

You He is a ray of light in my life, giving me the courage to pursue another kind of life, the kind of life I want where I can sleep peacefully every night and wake up with anticipation, my own life.

"You wouldn't understand." Luo Yong's expression was contradictory, sincere yet indifferent, revealing his selfishness without any remorse. "I've always wanted to be a science fiction writer. Bankers and investors are professions I hate."

I tried publishing my novel online under the pseudonym "Neuromancer." I knew that my style and expression were very different from mainstream online novels. Originally, it was just to provide a secret outlet for my depressed life. Unexpectedly, after publication, it attracted some readers.

It was also through writing novels that I gained a deeper understanding of the ecosystem of the online world. Hmm, very interesting. In this virtual world where everyone wears a veil, all evil and good become so real.

"You know Hao Weiwei?"

"No, I should say he found me himself. That idiot thinks he can do whatever he wants online, not knowing how easy it is to find someone offline if someone is willing."

"Heh, I've read your article, and it's not as easy as you make it out to be. It'll take quite a bit of effort," Qi Fei sneered.

"So, what I'm saying is, as long as someone is willing." Luo Yong looked directly at Qi Fei, as if they were discussing a problem, not in an interrogation-and-being-interrogated relationship. "Hao Weiwei, haha, he doesn't realize that most people ultimately give in to him online not because of his power, but because the internet provides an escape route. People are always afraid of trouble; if they can withdraw and avoid a lot of hassle, most people are better at giving up. Unfortunately, he underestimated the significance of this novel to me."

One day, I received a message in the backend saying that my novel had been blocked because it was suspected of involving AI. Despite my appeals many times, I was still unable to get it reinstated.

Interestingly, the message stated that it was due to a report.

A whistleblower report means that someone is doing it.

Finding who reported it wasn't difficult for me.

"Because you have a double PhD in finance and computer science," Qi Fei immediately chimed in. Luo Yong grinned, "That's why I said Hao Weiwei is an idiot. He thinks the internet is the safest place, but actually, quite the opposite. In this world, you never know what kind of opponent you're facing."

And interestingly, instead of accusing me of plagiarism, he accused me of using AI. How so? A hint of smugness suddenly appeared on Luo Yong's face. "I even kind of consider it a compliment. After all, getting as close to rationality as possible is something I've always pursued in my life. In a sense, this idiot just stumbled upon my novel by sheer luck."

“Even so, is it really necessary to kill him?” Wu Shanqiu couldn’t help but ask from the side.

Luo Yong's gaze shifted to her, and his look was indeed different from that of other men.

He only showed a faint sense of disgust towards the young girl.

"All I can say is that he met a madman. A person who willingly became a madman." Luo Yong calmly said the most arrogant words, "Young man, you will never understand what fifty years of repressive life can drive a smart person to become."

I'm tired of everything and everyone in this world that I don't like.

Hao Weiwei gave me an excuse to turn this weariness into action.

Even if Lou Jing doesn't betray me, I'm going to die sooner or later.

Because I intensely crave the thrill of being a moth drawn to a flame, I long for the intense fire to burn me to ashes, and for those ashes to be scattered in the hopeless wind.

I'm sitting here, and I never thought I'd survive.

Let me tell you what a criminal is really thinking.

I never regretted planning how to kill Hao Weiwei.

I'm thoroughly enjoying this feeling of having everything under control. Hao Weiwei's life is mine; his life and death are my decisions. In this matter, I am his God, his Grim Reaper.

Many people will be grateful to me for killing him.

I know that's what they're thinking.

Although, if you find them, these hypocrites will not admit to this evil idea.

This is a love letter I wrote to Youhe, just like Jack's love for Iando.

Even if we are both dead a thousand years from now, these words will remain in the online world, spreading wider and wider, impossible to erase no matter how hard you try.

"Then what about Lou Jing and your daughter?" Qi Fei interrupted Luo Yong's unconventional declaration, bringing the topic back to reality.

Upon hearing this, Luo Yong looked sadly at the one-way mirror, gritted his teeth, and said, "If life were like an account, you could just delete and restart! This account of mine is ruined." With that, a sinister smile suddenly appeared on his face, followed by a fierce glint in his eyes, and he spat a mouthful of blood onto the glass mirror…