S.C.I Mystery Series Volume 5 Chapter 214

The Intelligent Killer 19 – Screening

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The capability of the search team far exceeded the expectations of the SCI team, and their stance was notably righteous. This was probably because the Liang brothers had a beloved younger sister, making them deeply detest crimes like stalking women.

Bai Yutang thought it was necessary to investigate every user participating in the game trial. He arranged for Jiang Ping to collaborate with the search team, as it was possible that Chen wasn't the only person Yu Yang had stalked. Yu Yang's skilled and well-prepared methods suggested there might be other victims.

The team decided to first visit the science and technology exhibition to learn about Magic Company and the eerie game they developed, and then make a trip to the psychiatric hospital to understand Chen's situation.

Zhan Zhao sat in the car, reviewing the information Jiang Ping had gathered about Chen and her medical records from the psychiatric hospital.

After reading, Zhan Zhao asked Zhao Jue for his thoughts.

Zhao Jue had reservations about the diagnosis of "paranoia" and "schizophrenia" in the medical records.

"It doesn't seem as simple as being scared," Zhao Jue said. "The situation might be similar to what Hou Yingqi experienced in the Shen family's basement."

Zhan Zhao agreed.

Bai Yutang asked, "Was she hypnotised?"

"That's possible." Zhan Zhao thought they could further confirm this later.

......

They drove to the science and technology exhibition and found there were more people than expected.

Bai Yutang parked the car, and everyone got out and entered the exhibition.

Because Jiang Ping often introduced them to high-tech products, they weren't too impressed upon entering the exhibition.

On the contrary, Bai Yutang felt that it should be called a game exhibition rather than a science and technology exhibition.

There weren't many technological exhibits applied to daily life, but there were a variety of game-related exhibits.

Bai Yutang saw large screens, interactive game experiences, various bizarre gaming pods and chairs, and VR players with controllers in every exhibition area, feeling like they had stumbled into a game exhibition.

They quickly found the area where Magic Company was located.

The booth was very simple, with few products, and just a large screen.

Several staff members were adjusting the equipment, and a few passers-by glanced over without much interest.

Zhao Jue was attracted by the mechanical dog next door, while Bai Ye thought it looked more like a walking table than a dog.

Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang just passed by the booth, not wanting to be too obvious.

Soon, many people gathered in front of Magic Company's booth, mostly participants invited to the competition.

Bai Yutang and Bai Ye checked the time. According to the activity notice on the display screen, Magic Company's event would start in ten minutes.

A witch's image appeared on the large screen.

Bai Ye and Bai Yutang wanted to call Zhao Jue and Zhan Zhao over to take a look, but when they turned around, they found the two had disappeared...

After walking a few steps forward, they saw the two had run to the next booth to look at electronic fish.

Bai Yutang thought the electronic fish were nice, clean and hygienic, not needing to be fed or dying, much better than real fish, and swimming smoothly in the water.

It's just that these fish were a little big... Bai Yutang asked Bai Ye what they were called. Whale sharks? Wouldn't it be too much to keep one at home?

Bai Ye was powerless, thinking it would be better to just loop a video of the underwater world on a big screen rather than keep such a large fake fish. What if the power went out?

Just then, the surroundings suddenly darkened.

Magic Company's booth's large screen started playing a promotional video.

When Zhao Jue and Zhan Zhao remembered their task and returned, the area was already crowded.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao saw Shi Zhu and Liang Xiaoyu not far away.

The four of them calmly blended into the crowd, watching the promotional video.

Zhan Zhao looked around, trying to see what the boss of the company looked like.

But as the "witch" on the screen started talking, everyone frowned – the boss of the company appeared as a virtual character.

Zhan Zhao whispered to Bai Yutang, "So cautious?"

Zhao Jue casually asked a bystander who the boss of the company was.

Several people pointed to the faceless virtual character on the screen, saying, "That's Magic Company's boss."

It was said that Magic Company's boss had never shown his real face, not even to the company's employees. Every appearance was through a virtual character.

There was even a rumour that the real boss of the company was a robot.

Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao found this hard to believe, thinking that a registered company must have a legal representative who was a natural person... They had never heard of a robot registering a company.

The "witch" on the screen explained the rules of the competition in an electronic voice, sounding like a ransom demand.

Bai Yutang listened carefully. The competition involved improving the witch's recommendation performance.

Simply put, it was similar to current big data recommendations, suggesting products based on user preferences.

The witch, a virtual character, would recommend actions and provide game suggestions based on the user's preferences.

Then, the large screen started playing the game's promotional video, detailing the witch's functions.

Zhan Zhao noticed that the witch had a special trading function in the game.

Usually, after playing for a while, players would encounter difficult levels that typically required in-game purchases to pass. However, this game was different. When players struggled to pass a level, the witch would offer to make a trade, if the player agreed, the witch would complete the level on their behalf. In return, the player didn't need to pay money but had to complete a task as specified by the witch.

These tasks were peculiar, neither in the game nor in reality, but in a virtual box.

The so-called virtual box was a virtual identity the player had within the game.

For example, a player's identity in the game might be an assassin... but in the virtual box, the identity could be a chef.

While the player's real-life identity might be a salesperson.

In other words, players lived a double life in the game. The tasks required by the witch as part of the trade were in this virtual world unrelated to either the game or reality.

These tasks were often exaggerated... For example, the salesperson in real life, playing as an assassin in the game, might ask the witch to help pass a difficult level. The witch would then request a trade, requiring the player to act as a chef in the virtual box and serve laxatives to restaurant customers. Since everything was virtual, players would complete the witch's tasks without much psychological burden.

After understanding the details of the "trading", Zhan Zhao felt it was very inappropriate.

"This is similar to brainwashing," Zhan Zhao said. "Because the cost is in the virtual world, players will use it extensively and gradually become numb, losing their sense of boundaries..."

Bai Yutang asked, "Does this mean that once they become numb, they might blur the lines between the virtual and real worlds? For example, if the witch asks a player, in their real-life role as a salesperson, to sell fake goods, would they do it?"

"It can subliminally influence people," Zhan Zhao frowned. "I feel that, at its core, it has a similar effect to the contract with the woman in red."

"Rather than brainwashing, it's more like screening," Zhao Jue interjected.

Zhan Zhao thought for a moment and asked, "Like phone scams?"

"Mhmm," Zhao Jue nodded. "Most scam calls are ridiculous, and only one in a hundred people might fall for them. But the scammers target that one person. So, real scams begin by screening out that one susceptible person."

"Once they identify specific targets, they invite them to test the new game," Bai Yutang linked it to Yu Yang's case. "Like Yu Yang... could his stalking and harassment of Chen be related to this game?"

Zhan Zhao thought it was very likely.

Magic Company's event soon ended, and the participants went home after receiving some gifts and brochures.

Shi Zhu and Liang Xiaoyu also left.

Bai Yutang received a call from Ma Han, who, along with Zhao Hu, had found Yu Yang's residence and workplace based on leads from the search team.

Zhan Zhao and the others immediately left the science and technology exhibition to meet Zhao Hu and Ma Han and observe Yu Yang.

Yu Yang changed jobs every time he moved.

Currently, he lives on the third floor of a high-end apartment building in downtown S City, with his workplace a fifteen-minute walk from home.

Zhao Hu and Ma Han parked their car at the entrance of Yu Yang's neighbourhood, waiting for news from Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang.

Seeing as it was almost noon and they hadn't had lunch, Zhao Hu told Ma Han to wait in the car while he went to a nearby convenience store to buy some food.

Hu Zi walked into the convenience store, studying the shelves of bread and rice balls while texting Ma Han to ask what he wanted to eat and if he wanted coffee.

At that moment, a young woman walked into the convenience store.

Walking past Zhao Hu, she grabbed a bottle of yoghurt and a box of sushi from the shelf.

Seeing that she seemed familiar with the place, Zhao Hu asked her if the sushi was any good.

The woman looked up at Zhao Hu.

Despite his rough appearance, Hu Zi was quite sensitive as a policeman and felt that the woman seemed startled by him.

Hu Zi had the kind of personality that was easy to get along with, with a look and demeanour that made him approachable. His lively personality was the reason Qi Le watched him closely, as he was very popular with the girls, much like a friendly dog. 

However, this woman looked at Zhao Hu with a hint of vigilance, which hurt his feelings a bit. Did he look like a suspicious character?

At that moment, his phone buzzed.

The woman, holding her sushi, softly said, "It's okay," before hurriedly heading to the checkout.

Hu Zi sensibly stepped aside, standing where she couldn't see him, to avoid scaring her further.

He took out his phone and saw a message from Ma Han–Yu Yang came out.

Zhao Hu quickly grabbed some food and prepared to leave... As he looked up, through the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the convenience store, he saw Yu Yang standing at the bus stop across the street, looking in the direction of the convenience store.

Simultaneously, he heard the convenience store's door chime as the young woman exited.

From his vantage point, Zhao Hu saw Yu Yang start moving as well, hands in his pockets, holding his phone, appearing like a regular pedestrian.

Yet, every few steps, he would look up... and he was watching the young woman who had just left.

Hu Zi's ears perked up as his phone rang again, this time it was Ma Han calling.

Zhao Hu answered and walked out of the convenience store. Ma Han told him to hurry back, saying Yu Yang had left the neighbourhood.

Zhao Hu replied that he saw him and that Yu Yang was following a woman.

"What woman?" Ma Han had been waiting at the neighbourhood entrance and hadn't seen any woman leave.

Zhao Hu hid behind a tree and snapped a photo of the woman's back, continuing to observe.

The woman, with a backpack, reached the bus stop and got on a bus.

Yu Yang saw her board the bus from a distance and left, probably walking towards his office.

Zhao Hu hurried back to the car and informed Ma Han of his findings.

Ma Han glanced at the photo Zhao Hu had taken and remarked, "Short black hair, professional attire... doesn't she look a lot like Chen?"

"Right!" Zhao Hu checked Chen's profile photo. "Same type, phoenix eyes, very fair skin, tall and slim."

Ma Han started the car and asked Zhao Hu, "Follow the man or the woman?"

Zhao Hu thought it would be better to follow the girl.

Ma Han agreed and drove off to follow the bus.

Zhao Hu called Zhan Zhao, who instructed them to find a way to contact the girl.

Ma Han sped up and reached the bus stop before the bus arrived.

Zhao Hu jumped out just as the bus arrived and got on.

The bus was almost empty at this time. As Zhao Hu boarded, the woman looked up and, upon seeing him, widened her eyes in alarm... clearly finding this man's presence suspicious and that meeting him again didn't seem like a coincidence.

Zhao Hu sighed inwardly, noting she looked like a startled rabbit and walked straight to the seat behind her. He reached out, showing her his badge.

The woman stared at the badge, stunned.

Zhao Hu put away his badge and asked her quietly, "Is someone following you?"

She nodded.

Zhao Hu showed her a photo of Yu Yang on his phone, and she immediately nodded vigorously.

At that moment, the bus reached the stop, and Zhao Hu motioned for her to get off with him.

As soon as the bus left, Ma Han's car pulled up, and the two of them got in. Following Zhan Zhao's instructions, they drove to the psychiatric hospital where Chen lived.

‿︵‿︵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 25, 2024 by Angel

Edited: December 30, 2024 by Soojin