A single divination predicts life and death; the entire internet begs me to start a live stream.

Chapter 20 Character Collapse

When the words "We are Haicheng Public Security Bureau" came into the live broadcast room from outside the door, Zhao Qiming fell completely silent.

The man who had just been cursing and swearing suddenly looked as if someone had grabbed him by the throat.

In the black screen, only the sound of rapid breathing remained.

And there was the increasingly loud knocking at the door.

thump.

"Zhao Qiming".

"Please open the door immediately."

"Otherwise, we will take coercive measures in accordance with the law."

The chat room was going crazy.

The police have really arrived!

Open the door!

Wasn't it very hard just now?

[Basement! Check the basement immediately!]

Save the one that's still alive!

[Zhao Qiming, stop pretending to be dead!]

I donated money, and now I'm so angry my hands are shaking.

A flurry of footsteps came from Zhao Qiming's direction.

Someone asked in a low voice:

"Brother Zhao, what should we do?"

Zhao Qiming did not answer.

A few seconds later, the live stream ended completely.

A prompt appears on the screen.

The other party has ended the voice chat.

In Chen Bufan's live stream room, he was the only one left.

However, the number of online users has increased rather than decreased.

five million.

Six million.

Seven million.

The comments section is so full that the text is illegible.

Someone is criticizing Zhao Qiming.

Someone is asking for news from the scene.

Someone is contacting the media.

Some people even sent all the screen recordings, screenshots, donation records, and old video clues to the police and the platform.

Chen Bufan's expression didn't improve much as he looked at the screen full of comments.

He simply whispered:

"Hopefully it's not too late."

The comments section was a beat slow.

[Is the master referring to the one in the basement?]

It definitely is.

Please, please, you must live.

Zhao Qiming is truly inhuman.

[They scam money by posing as animal rescuers and abuse stray animals; they're worse than beasts.]

Less than ten minutes.

Zhao Qiming's live stream account has also been shut down.

The platform displays:

The live stream has been interrupted due to violations of relevant regulations.

But the live stream ended, and the matter didn't end there.

Instead, it exploded completely.

Nearby residents photographed several police cars parked in front of the villa area where Zhao Qiming lived.

People in uniforms also entered the residential area.

Security personnel set up a temporary cordon.

In a secretly filmed video, the faint sounds of a woman crying and a man shouting can be heard coming from inside the villa.

"It wasn't me!"

"I know nothing!"

"It was all done by a team!"

The video was quickly deleted.

However, it had already been saved, forwarded, and edited by netizens.

The topic is trending again.

#Science debunking expert taken away by police#

#The Basement of the Counterfeit King#

#Chen Bufan guessed the third floor tile#

#Qiming Stray Animal Rescue Project#

#There's another one in the basement#

One after another.

Like a thunderclap.

Half an hour later.

The first video clip from the scene has been released.

The video is very shaky.

It looks like it was taken from a distance.

The only footage captured was of Zhao Qiming being led out of the villa by two police officers.

He has lost the composure he displayed during live streams.

His white shirt was wrinkled beyond recognition, his hair was messy, and his glasses were askew.

He lowered his head, trying to avoid the camera.

But there were cell phones all around.

Someone shouted angrily:

"Zhao Qiming!"

"What did you do to those cats?"

Zhao Qiming did not answer.

He simply quickened his pace and got into the police car.

The car door closed.

boom.

This internet celebrity, who rose to fame by exposing fakes and has millions of followers, was mistaken for a "fake" person for the first time.

The chat room exploded with comments.

【Cool!】

[They've finally been taken away!]

He used to expose others; now it's his turn.

[His carefully constructed persona has completely crumbled.]

[The anti-counterfeiting king, in the end, becomes the biggest counterfeiter himself.]

[Don't just gloat, what's the basement actually like?]

Soon, more information came out.

Media reporters contacted nearby residents.

Some people say that cats often meow from that villa.

However, Zhao Qiming explained to the public that it was a temporary relief point.

Some people also said that they saw Zhao Qiming's team moving cages late at night some time ago.

Some people have also revealed that the cats that Zhao Qiming supposedly "rescued and adopted" had no real adoption records at all.

The so-called public welfare accounts are in complete disarray.

After the donations came in, very little of it was actually used for relief efforts.

A large amount of funds flowed into the team's personal accounts.

Soon, netizens uncovered even more detailed information.

[The Qiming Relief Special Account is not a formal charitable account!]

I found it; the account holder is a personal studio!

Sun Tao is his assistant; he often appeared in behind-the-scenes footage.

He said the cat's treatment cost 30,000 yuan, but the veterinary hospital invoice was fake!

He reused the photo of that orange cat three times, passing it off as different rescue cases!

I donated 500 yuan, and now I just want him to return the money and go to jail.

Public opinion has completely reversed.

Just a few hours ago, the fans of the "Fake Exposing King" were still cursing Chen Bufan as a fraud in the comments section.

Now, most of them are silent.

The remaining group started frantically deleting comments.

Some people couldn't stand it and turned against the site.

[Zhao Qiming, I've been a fan of yours for four years, and this is what you show me?]

I used to think you were righteous when you accused others of lying.

[Turns out you're even dirtier than those scammers.]

You're eating the blood and sweat of stray animals.

[Refund! Refund is mandatory!]

The platform responded very quickly.

On Zhao Qiming's account homepage, all videos have begun to be restricted from viewing.

A few minutes later, the profile picture turned gray.

A message appears on the homepage.

This account has been banned for violating platform rules.

When this line of text appeared, Chen Bufan's live stream chat was immediately flooded with comments.

[It's blocked!]

[The "Fake News King" account has been banned!]

Millions of followers, gone in an instant.

This is what you call a persona collapsing.

He tried to expose Master Chen this morning, but ended up going to jail himself tonight.

Where are the people who criticized the master a couple of days ago? Come out and apologize!

Multiple media outlets immediately followed up on the story.

Some media outlets published articles:

[A well-known anti-fraud blogger, Zhao, is suspected of engaging in fake charity work and animal abuse; police have launched an investigation.]

A legal blogger analyzed the situation overnight:

If the amount of fraudulently raised funds reaches a certain threshold, it may constitute fraud; if there are instances of animal abuse or illegal disposal of carcasses, other administrative or criminal issues may also be involved, subject to police investigation.

Media outlets and relevant aid organizations also contacted Zhao Qiming to inquire whether his past collaborative projects were genuine.

Overnight.

Zhao Qiming collapsed.

It collapsed even faster than the Wang family's.

Because of the Wang family's scandal, many people are just watching the show.

But Zhao Qiming is different.

He's selling justice.

It's about trust.

They rely on fans spending money, playing the victim with stray animals, and establishing themselves as debunkers.

Now that the truth has come out, the anger is even more intense.

Chen Bufan's live stream followers surged once again.

The number in the background increased from 780,000 to 1.5 million.

It rose to two million.

Three million.

The number of requests for live streaming is full again.

Private messages were completely flooded.

Master, I was wrong. I insulted you during the day.

Master Chen, I apologize to you.

I used to be a fan of Zhao Qiming, but I've stopped being a fan.

Master, you really saved that cat.

Please perform a divination for me; something's been wrong at home lately.

[Master, is there someone behind the "King of Exposing Frauds"?]

Chen Bufan, however, showed no joy whatsoever.

He turned off the live chat request.

Turn off tipping.

Then look at the camera.

That's all for tonight.

The comments section immediately erupted in panic.

No, Master!

Is there any sequel to the "Counterfeit Exposing King's Basement" story?

Was the cat rescued?

Master, have you discovered something?

Why do you always have this expression after a major case?

Chen Bufan offered no explanation.

It is just that:

"Wait for the police to issue a report."

"Do not spread extreme images without authorization."

"Those who have donated, please keep your receipts."

"Those who can assist the police should submit materials through normal channels."

He paused.

"I won't do any divination tonight."

"I don't accept gifts either."

After saying that, he ended the broadcast immediately.

The screen went black.

Even on a black screen, the comments were still scrolling.

[Master, please be careful.]

I have a feeling he's discovered something again.

[Are copper coins involved in all three cases: Shen Qingyue's case, the Wang family's case, and the case of the counterfeit-hunting Wang's case?]

[Black Fate Mark!]

Yes, that's the Black Fate Mark!

Is someone supporting these people behind the scenes?

In the rented room.

The computer light shone on Chen Bufan's face.

He didn't check the number of followers.

I didn't even look at the trending topics.

Instead, they clicked on a video that had surfaced from the basement.

The video is only twelve seconds long.

The video is very shaky.

It must have been taken hastily by a staff member from the basement entrance.

The camera pans across the damp concrete floor.

Several iron cages were piled up against the wall.

The old freezer was ajar.

In the corner, a floor tile had been pried open.

A police officer was crouching there, carefully carrying something out.

The cat's appearance is not clear in the video.

Only a very faint cry could be heard.

thin.

dumb.

It looks like it's about to break.

Chen Bufan stared at the scene, his fingertips pausing slightly.

Rescued.

still alive.

He scrolled the video back.

In the last two seconds, the camera pans across the corner of the basement wall.

There were some odds and ends scattered there.

Syringe.

Old towel.

Plastic gloves.

There was also a dark-colored metal plate.

The video was filmed so fast that most people wouldn't even notice.

Chen Bufan pressed pause.

enlarge.

Zoom in again.

It was a copper plate.

It's not round.

It looks like it was taken off some kind of object.

The edges are rough and the color is black.

On its surface, there is a thin, long black rune.

Like a snake.

Like an eye.

Like a chain that binds fate.

Black life mark.

There are black life patterns in Shen Qingyue's red cloth bag.

The Wang family's ancient bronze coins have black markings.

Now, there are also black markings in Zhao Qiming's basement.

Three cases, three circles.

The entertainment industry.

The elite social circle.

The online celebrity opinion circle.

On the surface, they have no connection.

But everyone has the same thing around them.

Chen Bufan slowly leaned back in his chair.

He suddenly realized something.

People like Zhao Qiming made their fortune by exposing frauds, profiting from online traffic, cultivating a righteous persona, and exploiting the trust of their fans.

This kind of person shouldn't have become famous so quickly.

It's even more unacceptable that they always manage to hit the trending topics so accurately.

His account seemed to have been artificially pushed up.

Exposing counterfeits is like using a knife.

Justice is just a facade.

Traffic is transportation.

The copper piece in the basement was probably not meant to harm him.

It's used to "cultivate his luck".

Let him gain followers.

It made him a sensation.

It allows him to trample others to death every time he stands on moral high ground.

They continue to generate traffic by using the plight of stray animals, the kindness of fans, and the anger of the public.