S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 212

The Intelligent Killer 17 – Plan

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Issel's sister Irina made a shocking debut, giving the SCI team a frightful start.

This young lady grabbed her younger brother and, without a word, stabbed him with a dagger... This action, which far exceeded mere horseplay, was something Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang had never anticipated.

Fortunately, aside from Issel rolling on the ground, there was no scene of blood flowing everywhere after the stab.

When Irina withdrew the dagger and the blade left Issel's chest, Bai Yutang saw the clear image of a spring-loaded prop knife retracting, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

However, Issel was evidently both physically and mentally traumatised. He sat up, leaned against the wall, rubbed his chest, and panted.

Irina stowed the dagger back at her waist and walked over to ruffle Issel's hair, saying, "You didn't come to see my performance? You've got some nerve! Huh?!"

Issel covered his head and looked at Irina with a frustrated expression.

Hearing about the performance, Zhan Zhao suddenly felt that Irina looked somewhat familiar...

"Ah..." Zhan Zhao suddenly remembered, "You're from that theatre group that's been really popular recently!"

"You've seen our performance?" Irina immediately abandoned her brother and ran over to chat with Zhan Zhao.

Zhan Zhao pointed at her and exclaimed, "Mars Vampire! Wasn't Mars Vampire performed by your group? Genius!"

Irina's eyes lit up, and she grabbed Zhan Zhao's hand, "You watched it?"

"The six-hour extended version!" Zhan Zhao shook her hand earnestly, "Amazing!"

Issel climbed up with a look of disdain on his face, muttering, "Weird taste... Aiya!"

Before he could finish, Irina kicked him down.

Bai Yutang watched from behind as Zhan Zhao and Irina shook hands like they were celebrating a great victory. He recalled the time Zhan Zhao had dragged him to watch that live-streamed theatre performance... those were the most torturous six hours of his life. The first hour alone featured a vampire with an egg-shaped headpiece monologuing in a coffin, causing him to doze off multiple times.

Looking closely, Bai Yutang realised that Irina was indeed that "egg" vampire.

"Yo, Irina." Zhao Jue walked out of the lounge.

"Master Jue!" Irina greeted him and rushed towards him.

Just as she reached him, Bai Ye emerged from behind Zhao Jue. Irina tried to brake, but failed, sliding past Zhao Jue and crashing into Bai Jintang, who was coming out of the forensic lab.

"Oh, boss!" Irina hurriedly greeted Bai Jintang.

Bai Jintang was momentarily stunned and asked, "Are you here to play the woman in red?"

"Mhmm-hmm." Irina put her hands on her hips and tossed her hair, "Boss, we've already started rehearsing our next play..."

Bai Jintang nodded repeatedly – No need to tell me, do whatever you want, just don't make me watch it again.

Zhan Zhao still looked shocked, "Brother, you really have talented people under you!"

Bai Yutang, however, felt that the fact his brother's company hadn't gone bankrupt and was still making money was nothing short of a miracle...

Issel's sister was a stage actress. She had a peculiar theatre troupe and a small theatre of her own, where she often produced particularly "bizarre" plays.

While niche, these plays did have their audience, and such niche programs often attracted fervent fans... Zhan Zhao was one of them.

Although eccentric, Irina was considered a "professional". Watching her nearly tear Issel apart with her bare hands just now, Bai Yutang felt that her combat prowess was probably on par with Guan Yi, if not higher.

Without further ado, Zhan Zhao invited Irina into the SCI office.

Zhao Jue and Bai Ye also came in.

Irina seemed to be slightly afraid of Bai Ye, or rather, she was more reserved around him, speaking softly.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang both nodded – Sure enough, Uncle Ye was at the top of the food chain.

Zhan Zhao roughly explained the case to Irina.

Irina crossed her legs, twirling her prop dagger in her hand, and asked, "So who exactly are you trying to catch?"

Everyone looked at her.

"Are you trying to catch the woman in red or the behind-the-scenes tech team?" Irina shared her thoughts. "In my opinion, the woman in red is just a character. The real perpetrators must be a team, trying to promote the woman in red. What is their true objective? Is the mastermind an alien bent on destroying humanity? Or is it a sentient AI? Ultimately, the true purpose might be to spread hatred, causing people to consume themselves in internal strife and mutual suspicion, leading to their downfall."

The SCI team stared at her, mouths agape at her wild imagination.

Bai Yutang looked at Zhan Zhao – Cat, is this person reliable?

Zhan Zhao glanced at Zhao Jue, while Issel pouted on the side – I've already told you she's a drama queen! Completely uncontrollable, adding her own drama...

Issel was still grumbling to himself when he received a stern look from Irina, prompting him to quickly duck behind Bai Ye.

Zhan Zhao and Zhao Jue, however, furrowed their brows, deep in thought – Irina indeed had a unique perspective, but what she said wasn't entirely without merit. If the creation of the woman in red and the witch company that abandoned the previous AI were really connected, what was their ultimate goal? What kind of system were they developing? To spread hatred? Love and hatred among humans already existed, with or without the woman in red. People wouldn't stop hating each other, nor could they be prevented from loving each other. A seemingly useful but actually insignificant AI, costing so much money and even lives, what was its true purpose?

"But I agree with your approach," Irina expressed her opinion. "To expose a well-hidden individual, whether it's a person or an act, just confront them. The fox will eventually reveal its tail. They created the woman in red, so the best counterattack is to destroy it. Then they have only two choices, either abandon the character they've worked so hard to create, or retaliate equally. And to prove the woman in red's existence, the best way is to target Xu Lie... To prove their existence, the best method is to appear around Xu Lie. This is also the best chance to catch them."

Irina didn't forget to remind everyone, "But you must prepare on multiple fronts, because the opponent is likely a team. You'll need to defend against enemies in real life and those attacking through the internet."

Zhan Zhao smiled slightly and looked at Bai Yutang.

Bai Yutang nodded – Clearly not an ordinary drama queen.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao went to discuss the rough battle plan with Bao Sir. Bao Zheng advised them to be cautious and then approved the plan.

After that, the entire SCI team sprang into action.

Irina seemed like a super external aid. After inviting her, they didn't even need to worry about makeup. After reviewing all of SCI's information on the woman in red, she started doing her own makeup and did a convincing job.

Lu Fang contacted major media outlets, announcing that SCI had captured the woman in red identity created by Jiang Ping.

That day, various news channels began broadcasting footage of SCI capturing the woman in red.

Sure enough, the woman in red quickly went viral again on social media.

However, this time, she lost her mysterious veil and became a murderer, appearing quite "ordinary" in every way.

As for how she committed so many murders, Jiang Ping gave her a special identity as a "computer expert".

The most frightening part of urban legends is when the perpetrator is revealed to be utterly unremarkable.

As expected, the woman in red's popularity died down within a day, while more people started discussing Xu Lie's legendary experiences.

Jiang Ping also reported that searches for the woman in red had significantly decreased.

Irina completed her mission perfectly and then gracefully withdrew.

Afterwards, Xu Lie began to wait.

However, three days passed, and nothing happened around Xu Lie. No one attempted to murder him, and the woman in red didn't appear.

Jiang Ping monitored the situation for a few days but found no unusual online activity related to Xu Lie.

Zhan Zhao was quite surprised. "So, has the other side given up on the concept of the woman in red?"

Bai Yutang, however, was a bit worried. "Could it be that they are lying low for now, waiting for a better opportunity to strike later?"

Zhan Zhao thought this was unlikely, because such events had a peak of interest and time limit. If too much time passed, people would quickly forget about the woman in red, making it harder to stir up interest again.

"Or maybe... they haven't found the right moment?" Zhao Jue suggested.

"The right moment?"

"Mhmm." Zhao Jue smiled, "The woman in red needs to appear in an undeniable, significant event, preferably in front of everyone... only then can it achieve a certain publicity effect."

Bai Yutang frowned. "Are you suggesting organising a concert for Xu Lie, and then having the woman in red appear during the concert?"

After Bai Yutang finished speaking, he noticed everyone looking at him.

"What?" Bai Yutang asked, puzzled.

"Xu Lie does have a concert coming up," the twins said. "He and Qi Le's band hold one every year... and recently, the Bai Group built a new theatre which is set to open at the end of this month. The first event is this concert."

Everyone held their foreheads.

Zhan Zhao asked, "Will it be livestreamed?"

"Of course, everything is livestreamed nowadays," the twins sighed. "And we just thought of another problem..."

Everyone looked at them.

"Our livestream is one thing, but do you know what's even scarier?" the twins asked. "It's the fans doing live broadcasts and posting short videos!"

Everyone looked at each other.

"Think about it!" the twins explained. "If during the concert, a ghost suddenly appears on stage, every fan there will at least have a phone, right? There will be tens of thousands of fans holding up their phones like stars, and suddenly – bam, a ghost appears! Everyone will record it and post it online, so... isn't this publicity for the ghost?"

"Can it be cancelled?" Zhan Zhao asked the twins.

The twins shook their heads vigorously – Tickets had sold out a month ago, and all the sponsors were signed up, cancelling was not an option.

Bai Yutang thought for a moment, "If the woman in red really plans to act that day, it would also be a good opportunity to catch her."

"But the problem is, how do we catch her without helping her gain publicity?" Zhan Zhao thought it was a difficult dilemma.

"How about creating a show?"

Just as everyone was at a loss, Zhao Zhen, who was lounging on the sofa waiting for Bai Chi to finish cooking, lazily spoke up.

Everyone looked at him, "Create a show?"

Zhao Zhen smiled slightly, "If the ghost appears, whether online or in person, it's an opportunity to catch it. To hide a leaf, you need to create a forest. We can make a show out of the woman in red, turning her into a meme. Then Qi Le and the girls can write a song specifically about the ghost. When the ghost appears, the concert can move into that segment. I can create a stage full of ghosts with special effects, lighting up the stage while Xu Lie and the band perform their new song. Meanwhile, you can use the opportunity to capture the ghost... How about this plan?"

After Zhao Zhen finished, everyone in the office applauded.

Even Zhao Jue and Zhan Zhao praised him – Genius!

The twins rubbed their hands together, excited about the idea – It would be a great start for the new theatre!

Only Bai Jintang quietly shook his head – Would it be a grand opening or just a haunted beginning?

‿︵‿︵ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ・❉・ ʚ˚̣̣̣͙ɞ‿︵‿︵

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Translator Notes

Please feel free to comment any mistakes I made so I can improve and do better as I go through the book.

Translated: July 23, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 30, 2024 by Soojin