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

"The killer is currently in the live stream."

As soon as Chen Bufan finished speaking, the entire live broadcast room seemed to be cleaved in two by a knife.

The chat, which had just been cheering for Zhou Xiaoyu's rescue, suddenly exploded.

What?!

Was the killer really watching the live stream?

Holy crap, this is giving me goosebumps!

What happened to that alternate account?

[Platform, please lock your account immediately!]

Don't let him get away!

Was he watching us the whole time we were talking?

That's insane!

Some people are afraid.

Some people were excited.

This is the most complex part of the live streaming room.

With more people around, all sorts of emotions arise.

Some people are genuinely worried about Zhou Xiaoyu.

Someone wanted to help the police catch the culprit.

Some people also see this as a thrilling live-action murder mystery game.

【Come out, culprit!】

If you're so capable, don't hide it!

[Master, quickly determine who he is!]

Isn't this more exciting than a movie?

[Is the person upstairs crazy? This is a real case!]

Stop refreshing the page, don't provoke him!

Chen Bufan stared at the screen without saying a word.

The quieter he was, the more chaotic the live stream became.

On the other side, in the basement of the old waterworks.

Lin Wanqing also saw the screenshot of that comment.

Her face was frighteningly cold.

Has the platform locked the account?

The technician next to me sounded very anxious.

It's locked.

"The other party registered using a virtual number; device information is popping up."

"This is not a regular account."

Lin Wanqing frowned.

"He had prepared in advance."

The technician nodded.

"right."

"Moreover, he only sent a few comments just now, with very short intervals between each one, as if he was testing the waters."

Lin Wanqing looked at the circle of red rope.

Zhou Xiaoyu has been put into an ambulance.

But the situation here is not over yet.

She picked up her phone and re-entered Chen Bufan's live stream.

On the screen, Chen Bufan sat in front of the camera.

It's like they're waiting.

Sure enough, a few seconds later, a new account without a profile picture appeared again.

This time, he didn't just send one sentence.

Instead, they started spamming the screen.

Master, can you figure out who I am?

Master, can you figure out who I am?

Master, can you figure out who I am?

A dozen identical bullet comments, like a row of white paper money, floated across the screen.

The live stream chat exploded instantly.

It's him!

[The killer's alternate account!]

Stop refreshing!

[Platform should ban him!]

Master, please tell his fortune!

This kind of person must be caught!

He's so arrogant!

Chen Bufan looked at the ID.

The name is a string of gibberish.

The profile picture is blank.

The homepage is blank.

Registration took less than an hour.

There are no works, no followers, and no usable information.

But in Chen Bufan's eyes, words are more than just words.

People speak with a certain tone of voice.

Even through a network cable, anger will leave its mark.

There was a damp, fishy smell in those few lines of text.

It also has a rusty smell.

It looks a lot like the old water plant.

But it's heavier.

It's even more gloomy.

Like people who spend years touching electrical wires, crawling through pipes, or squatting in damp corners.

Chen Bufan raised his hand and pressed down on the copper coin on the table.

The coin did not spin.

He spoke directly.

"male."

"I'm thirty-four years old this year."

The barrage of comments on the screen suddenly stopped.

The garbled text on the small account paused for a moment.

Chen Bufan continued:

"There is a scar on the web of my right hand."

"It wasn't a knife wound."

"It was scratched by sheet metal."

"The wound wasn't stitched up properly back then, so the scar looks like a centipede."

The live stream went silent.

Even the comments section slowed down.

Holy crap.

[That specific?]

[A scar on the tiger's mouth?]

Why has that alt account stopped refreshing?

Did I guess right?

Chen Bufan stared at the screen, his voice completely flat.

"You used to be a plumber."

"It's not a legitimate company."

"I've worked with construction teams."

"You've done everything from renovating old residential areas and connecting abandoned factories to electricity to temporary underground pipeline wiring."

"So you're the one who connected the old water plant to the electricity."

Inside the old waterworks, Lin Wanqing's eyes sharpened.

She turned around immediately.

"check!"

"A man from Haicheng, around 34 years old, with experience as a plumber, a scar on the web of his right hand, and someone who had connections to the old waterworks project in the north of the city!"

The technician responded immediately:

"yes!"

In the live stream, the garbled account fell silent.

A full ten seconds.

Ten seconds can feel like ten minutes in a situation like this.

The comments section gradually returned to normal.

He stopped talking.

[You're absolutely right!]

[Master, please continue!]

Is Officer Lin investigating?

This person is terrifying.

Did he kidnap more than one girl?

Chen Bufan's gaze remained fixed on the screen.

"Your left leg isn't very good."

"It hurts when it rains."

"So when you walk, your left foot lands lighter than your right foot."

"When you tied up Zhou Xiaoyu, she kicked you."

"Kick it on your old calf injury."

"You're very angry."

"So you hit her."

The live stream room fell completely silent.

Those who had been shouting about how exciting things were now silent.

This is not a script.

It's not a game.

She was a seventeen-year-old girl who was tortured for three days in a dark basement.

Lin Wanqing tightened her grip on her phone.

She immediately asked her colleagues:

"Are there any obvious signs of assault on Zhou Xiaoyu?"

A police officer quickly contacted the paramedics and returned to whisper:

"There is redness and swelling on the side of my face."

"I also have bruises on my shoulders and arms."

"Continue the investigation."

Meanwhile, in the live stream, that alternate account finally started moving again.

This time it's not about flooding social media.

There is only one sentence.

If you keep calculating, I'll kill the next one.

The moment those words were spoken, the live stream chat exploded as if doused with ice water.

Everyone froze.

【Next?】

What does this mean?

Does he have people under his control?

Don't provoke him!

【Master, please stop speaking now!】

[Call the police! Call the police immediately!]

Where is Officer Lin? Have you seen Officer Lin?

This madman actually has hostages!

For the first time, Chen Bufan's gaze turned completely somber.

He didn't speak immediately.

Because this kind of person is not begging for mercy right now.

It wasn't just a simple provocation.

He is in control.

He wanted to use the second victim to pull everyone back into his rhythm.

If Chen Bufan continued calculating, he would say that he would kill someone.

If Chen Bufan is disregarded, he will prove that "even masters are afraid."

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

This was a scheme he had prepared in advance.

Lin Wanqing also saw this comment.

She immediately gave the order in a cold voice:

"Tell the platform not to provoke him."

"The technical team is continuing to monitor the situation."

"Investigate all missing persons cases similar to Zhou Xiaoyu's immediately."

"Especially women aged 16 to 25 who have been out of contact for the past seven days."

"quick!"

"yes!"

Outside the old waterworks, the police lights were not flashing.

The atmosphere was even more tense than when they were rescuing people.

Zhou Xiaoyu has just been rescued.

But the killer told them there would be another one.

Lin Wanqing took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She sent Chen Bufan a new message:

Don't provoke him.

We are currently investigating.

Chen Bufan glanced at his phone.

No reply.

He certainly knew he shouldn't provoke them.

But he knew even more clearly that the killer was watching him.

What does the killer want?

attention.

fear.

A sense of control.

He likes to watch the entire internet because of one sentence he said, which made him panic.

He enjoys watching the police being led around by him.

I also enjoy seeing Chen Bufan caught in a dilemma.

Chen Bufan looked at the small account and suddenly spoke.

"You don't dare."

The live chat exploded instantly.

【master!】

Don't upset him!

What if he actually attacks?

Has Master Chen gone mad?

[Let's keep him calm first!]

The alternate account replied immediately, as expected.

Guess if I dare?

Chen Bufan said calmly:

"If you dared, you wouldn't be sending comments."

"You made your move a long time ago."

The screen went silent for a moment.

Chen Bufan continued:

"You're posting this now because you're scared."

"You're afraid that after Zhou Xiaoyu is rescued, she'll reveal her true identity."

"You're afraid the police will trace you back to the old waterworks."

"You're more afraid I'll keep calculating."

"So you're threatening someone else."

"It's not because you're brave."

"It's because you panicked."

These words were like knives stabbing out.

The chat messages in the live stream are no longer spammed randomly.

Everyone held their breath, staring at the small trumpet.

Soon, the alt account sent another message.

Chen Bufan, do you really think you understand me?

Chen Bufan said:

"People like you aren't hard to understand."

Nobody watched over you when you were little.

"No one will respect you when you grow up."

"People think you're dirty because you do plumbing and electrical work."

"If you take on side jobs, the boss will withhold your money."

"You're staring at those young girls not because you like them."

"It's because they look down on you."

"So you locked them up."

"Make them fear you, beg you, and cry in front of you."

"You think this is called control?"

"He's just a useless piece of trash, trying to find a sense of existence in the darkness."

This time, the trumpet remained silent for a full half minute.

No one dared to spam the comments section.

Half a minute later.

The alt account sent three words.

Shut up.

Chen Bufan said coldly:

"Did I hit the nail on the head?"

Another one from the alt account.

Shut up!

Chen Bufan did not stop.

"You do still have people under your control."

"But you didn't arrest him on a whim."

"It was prepared long ago."

"Zhou Xiaoyu was the first to be discovered, not the first to be targeted."

Inside the old water plant, Lin Wanqing stared at the screen, her expression growing increasingly grim.

Just then, her phone suddenly vibrated.

It wasn't sent by Chen Bufan.

It was an unfamiliar number.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service).

She clicked on it.

The moment the image appeared, Lin Wanqing's pupils contracted sharply.

The photo shows a girl.

She was probably in her early twenties.

Her long hair was disheveled, her mouth was taped shut, and her hands were tied behind her back to the chair.

She had her head down, and there was blood on her forehead.

The wall behind me is made of gray cement.

There was a red plastic bucket next to it.

At the bottom of the photo, there is a line of handwritten text.

Master Chen, please continue the calculation.

Lin Wanqing suddenly looked up.

"Technical Team!"

"Go after this number!"

A colleague leaned over for a look, and his expression instantly changed.

"There's one more?"

Lin Wanqing gripped her phone tightly and said coldly:

"Notify all groups."

"The Zhou Xiaoyu case has escalated."

"The killer has a second hostage."