The weapon by the pillow

Building No. 7 in Anping Lane is indeed hiding something; is the fox's tail about to be revealed?

A glint of light flashed in Cheng Jing's eyes: "How many people?"

"The thermal imaging shows at least three people! And they're carrying equipment, so they're very likely the ones controlling the live stream!" Xiao Liu handed over a tablet with thermal images and map locations on it.

Chen Ming immediately stood up: "Captain Cheng! Give the order! One group goes to Building 5 to capture the controller, and another group goes to Building 7 to rescue the people! We can't wait any longer! We don't know what's in that secret room under the floor tiles; what if there's danger..."

Cheng Jing looked at the thermal image on the tablet, where three red human-shaped outlines were clearly visible.

She glanced again at the ongoing live stream on the computer screen—in the video, Li Kai and others were gathered around the hole in the paved wall, shining flashlights inside, hesitating whether to explore further.

The netizens' enthusiasm went too far; they were all craning their necks, waiting for something unexpected to happen!

Nobody wants things to be calm and peaceful; maybe even I myself would prefer something unexpected to happen!

Her fingers tapped on the table, a habitual gesture when she was thinking.

Five seconds later, she made her decision.

"Notify the SWAT team to split into two groups. Group A will surround the target room on the third floor of Building 5, but will not move until I give the order. Group B will covertly approach Building 7 and remain on standby."

Cheng Jing spoke quickly, "The technical department continues to monitor all signal sources, including live signals and any new signals that may appear. Notify the negotiation experts to be on standby if necessary. Instruct the ambulance to be on standby three blocks away."

"Captain Cheng!" Chen Ming exclaimed anxiously, "Why are we still waiting? The people inside could be in mortal danger at any moment! What if there's a trap in that secret room..."

"It's precisely because there might be a trap that we can't act rashly." Cheng Jing looked at him, her eyes sharpening. "Why do you think the manipulators would dare to watch from the building across the street? They definitely have a backup plan. If we rush in now, we might just trigger one of their pre-set mechanisms—maybe an explosion, maybe something else. Moreover, the people in the room are currently in a state of high tension, and any sudden stimulus could lead to an overreaction, such as them killing each other."

She grabbed her coat and put it on: "I'm going to the scene. Chen Ming, you come with me. Tell Lao Zhou to come too—he was my mentor before he retired, he knows this case better than anyone else."

"Master Zhou?" Chen Ming was taken aback. "He's been retired for five years..."

"It's precisely because he's retired that he dares to say some things." Cheng Jing buttoned up her clothes and took one last look at the live stream.

In the scene, Li Kai seems to have made a decision; he is the first to bend down, preparing to enter the secret room under the floor tiles.

In the live stream chat, an anonymous comment, unnoticed by anyone, slowly scrolled across the screen:

"Trial begins. Actors are in position. Audience, please remain quiet."

Cheng Jing's gaze lingered on the message for half a second, then she turned and strode out of the office.

Night was falling. She got into the passenger seat of the police car, fastened her seatbelt, and said to Chen Ming, "Drive fast. But remember, once we get there, follow my instructions."

The police car drove out of the city police station, cutting through the night, and sped towards Anpingli.

Outside the car window, the city lights were dim.

In two abandoned buildings in Anpingli, a life-or-death struggle spanning thirteen years is entering its most dangerous phase.

The police are finally about to officially enter the scene.

"They...the police...finally couldn't hold back anymore...hahaha..."

A boastful laugh came from a closed window.

The sound was not loud, but it had a buzzing echo due to the enclosed nature of the room.

This is Room 302, Building 5, Anpingli. It is less than 50 meters away from Room 403, Building 7, separated only by a narrow alley filled with construction waste.

The room was dark, with only the light from the three laptop screens illuminating three faces.

The room windows were sealed with thick black blackout cloth, preventing any light from getting through and ensuring that no movement inside could be seen from the outside.

The speaker was a man around forty years old, with short hair, a square face, and a faint scar on his left cheek. He wore an ordinary gray jacket, but his posture was upright, and his eyes were sharp, clearly indicating that he had been trained.

"Five vehicles, twelve people, standard tactical setup." The man stared at the police dispatch channel monitoring screen on the screen, a cold smile on his lips. "The team leader is Cheng Jing, a female captain, thirty-seven years old. She has a high case-solving rate, but she has never experienced a real tough battle."

Two people were sitting at the control panel next to him.

On the left is a young woman, about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, wearing black-rimmed glasses. Her fingers fly across the keyboard, and the screen simultaneously displays live stream data, online opinion trending charts, and several encrypted chat windows. She is a top hacker, codenamed "Shadow Cat," and is on Interpol's Red Notice list for "hacking into multiple government systems."

On the right is a man in his fifties, with gray hair and wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He looks like a university professor and is slowly adjusting the parameters of a professional-grade telephoto camera. He has a PhD in psychology and was formerly the head of the psychology department at a prestigious university. Five years ago, he was forced to resign due to "academic ethics issues."

The three formed a bizarre team.

"Team A has surrounded our building, and Team B is approaching Building 7. They're both on standby," the woman said without looking up. "Cheng Jing is very cautious and hasn't acted rashly. She must have already guessed this is a trap."

"So what if I guessed?" The man lit a cigarette, the smoke rising in the light of the screen. "The script is already in its third chapter. She's just a new actress; she can't change the plot."

The professor adjusted the camera, and through a tiny gap in the curtains, precisely aimed it at the window of room 403 in building 7 across the street. In high-definition infrared mode, the thermal outlines of the seven people inside the room were clearly visible—one of them was bending over and reaching into a hole under the floor tiles.

"Li Kai went in," the professor said calmly. "The first person to try something new."

The man leaned closer to the monitor: "Is everything in the secret room ready?"

"It was all set up three days ago." Shadow Cat switched screens to display a 3D model—the three-dimensional structure of the secret room under the floor tiles of Room 403 in Building 7. "As per your request, all the 'souvenirs' have been placed in place, and the air circulation system has been running for four hours to ensure that there is... enough dramatic effect inside."

The man nodded in satisfaction: "Very good. Let them see for themselves what really happened thirteen years ago."

"However," the professor adjusted his glasses, "Cheng Tan's 'nightmare feedback' was stronger than we expected. His physiological data when he saw the ice pick hallucination—" he pointed to the fluctuating waveform on another monitor, "his heart rate spiked to 160, and his cortisol levels skyrocketed. This could cause him to have a mental breakdown and affect the subsequent script."

"It's good that he's broken down." The man exhaled a puff of smoke. "When you break down, the things in your subconscious will surface. Cheng Tan is the 'eye' of this play. Without him, who are we re-enacting this play for?"

The woman suddenly frowned: "Wait, there's a new development."

"What?"

"Cheng Jing's car stopped two blocks away from Anpingli." She pulled up the street surveillance footage. "She got out of the car and went into a convenience store on the side of the road. Chen Ming waited in the car."

The man narrowed his eyes: "What is she trying to do? Buy time? Or..."

Before the words were even finished, an alert window popped up on the computer: "Someone is attempting to reverse-track my signal springboard!"

"The police's technical department?" the professor asked.

"No, the method is more...unorthodox." The woman rapidly typed on the keyboard, tracing the source of the attack. "It's a master, using seventeen layers of proxies, and the final exit point is in...Southeast Asia? Wait, this method seems familiar..."

She suddenly stopped what she was doing, her expression changing: "It's 'Crow'."

"Crow?" The man frowned. "That information broker? How did he get involved?"

"I don't know, but he's clearly interested in this case." The woman continued, "He's trying to hack into the server we use to deliver 'nightmare-inducing audio.' If he gets his hands on the original files, our 'psychological suggestion' technology will be exposed."

"Can it block it?"

"Yes, but it will take time. And if the 'crow' continues to interfere, it may affect the stability of the live broadcast signal."

The man paused for a few seconds, then stubbed out his cigarette. "Never mind him for now. Our primary task is to ensure the 'trial' proceeds smoothly. Strengthen signal encryption and activate the backup server. Professor, prepare the psychological suggestion materials for the second phase. Once they emerge from the locked room, it'll be time for the 'confession' segment."

"clear."

"clear."

The two responded.

The man walked to the window, gently lifted a corner of the blackout cloth, and looked at the building across the street.

In the darkness, Building 7 resembled a giant tombstone, while the faint beam of a flashlight shining through the window cracks of Room 403 looked like a candle flickering in front of the tombstone.

"Thirteen years, Li Wan," he murmured to himself, his voice devoid of emotion. "Tonight, everyone who owes you will receive their due 'judgment.'"

He lowered the blackout cloth and walked back to the monitor.

On the screen, the live stream feed has switched; it's no longer the fixed camera view from the room, but a first-person view transmitted from the miniature camera on Li Kai's head.

The scene was shaky and the lighting was dim. Li Kai had already entered the secret room beneath the floor tiles.

In the online world, more than 300,000 eyes are fixed on the shaky live stream coming from under the floor tiles.

What might be in the secret room beneath the floor tiles?