"First of all, welcome Captain Guo Han, Deputy Captain Bai Xian, and all colleagues to Feng County." Sun Weiran paused, then continued, "Just now, another murder occurred in the Fugui Manyuan residential area of FF District, X City. The victim's name was Wang Tianshuai, and his head was severed by a sharp blade, with a demon symbol imprinted on his face. So how did we determine that this was the work of the demon, and not someone impersonating the demon? Because the demon specifically created a forum called the Demon Forum, and every time the demon kills someone, he takes pictures of the scene and posts them on the forum, causing extremely negative social impact! Unfortunately, despite mobilizing a lot of police resources and conducting in-depth investigations both in real life and online, we still haven't been able to solve the case. In reality, the demon is elusive, and his crimes seem completely illogical, as if he acts randomly. Online, the Demon Forum is like an iron fortress, remaining as solid as a rock despite attacks from countless cyber police! This is also the reason why we haven't been able to solve the case for so long!" Sun Weiran said with a helpless expression.
Guo Han, captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of City X, nodded: "We are aware of what Captain Sun said, and the Wang Tianshuai case just now occurred in City X, which is within the jurisdiction of our Criminal Investigation Brigade. In other words, we need to start from two aspects. First, we need to find out the identity of the devil in reality, which is the best outcome. However, it is extremely difficult to find out the devil's identity by ourselves alone. We need to rely on the general public and the ubiquitous surveillance cameras. I believe that as long as we investigate one by one, we will definitely be able to find clues about the devil! I and Wang Kun will handle the interviewing of the public, and Bai Xian and Han Yun will handle the investigation of the surveillance cameras. Second, we need to quickly crack down on the source of the devil's forum online. Liu Mingtian is an expert in this area, so I will entrust it to you. You must destroy the devil's forum as soon as possible and eliminate its impact!"
"Our county criminal investigation team can't just sit idly by either. From now on, we'll all follow Captain Guo's orders!" Director Liu Feixing turned to Sun Weiran and said. Sun Weiran nodded. There was nothing he could do; they couldn't solve the case anyway.
"Okay, it's settled then! Let's get to work!" Guo Han stood up, making the final decision. The staff dispersed to attend to their respective tasks.
...
Ma Xiaoniu sat blankly on the sofa for a long time until after nine o'clock at night, when he finally recovered a little from the rumbling of his stomach. He made some food, ate it, washed up quickly, and then lay on the bed to read.
Before he knew it, it was past midnight, and Ma Xiaoniu put down his book and went to sleep.
At two o'clock in the morning, Ma Xiaoniu was wide awake and not sleepy at all.
It was 3 a.m. and I still couldn't fall asleep.
I simply put on my clothes, went outside, and pulled up a stool to sit in the yard. It was three in the morning, the night was at its darkest, the air was a little chilly, and the sky was dotted with stars. The jujube tree's canopy was still huge, covering most of the yard; looking up, it seemed like a monster, baring its fangs and claws in the darkness.
Monster? What am I now? Am I a monster too?
Like Wang Tianshuai, he was a scumbag, but did he have to die? Legally, he probably wouldn't be sentenced to death. So, was killing him too much? Why did I even feel a sense of excitement when I killed him? Am I a bloodthirsty person?
A slight breeze picked up, and the jujube tree's canopy swayed gently, making it look even more like a monster.
At 5:30 in the morning, the sun rose, and the air warmed up a bit. On a whim, Ma Xiaoniu arrived at the valley of Shenxianjia. The valley didn't have a name yet, and Ma Xiaoniu planned to name it Divine Beast Valley.
Because it was still early, the Valley of Divine Beasts was quiet. He teleported to an open space on the north bank of the lake, lay down, and looked at the sky.
At 8:30, the valley began to stir with activity as various animals started to forage. The white tiger emerged from some cave and, seeing Ma Xiaoniu, waddled over. It had gotten even fatter in the few days since they last met. Learning from its previous mistake, the white tiger didn't lick Ma Xiaoniu this time. After playing around him for a while, it darted into the woods. A little while later, it waddled back, carrying a goat in its mouth. Of course, compared to the white tiger's enormous size, the goat was tiny, but to Ma Xiaoniu, it was a large goat. The goat was already dead, and Ma Xiaoniu hadn't eaten yet, so he simply found some tools to skin it, then gathered some fresh branches to skewer the meat and start a fire to roast it.
The aroma of roasted meat filled the air, and the four mythical beasts gathered in no time. The four enormous creatures lay sprawled around, watching intently, while Ma Xiaoniu looked like a tiny figure in Lilliput. Looking at the four behemoths, Ma Xiaoniu was speechless. While the goat was indeed large, that was relative to him; compared to these four, it probably wouldn't even be enough to fill their teeth.
The meat was quickly roasted. Most of the goat meat was tossed to the Four Divine Beasts, and then Ma Xiaoniu grabbed a goat's head and started gnawing on it. The roasted meat wasn't very tasty; because it wasn't salted, it was both gamey and bland. Ma Xiaoniu only ate a few bites before stopping and tossing the rest to the Four Divine Beasts. The Four Divine Beasts ate with relish, but it was clearly not enough. In just a second or two, the meat was completely devoured. The Four Divine Beasts were still unsatisfied. The White Tiger was clearly the smarter one; it turned around and darted into the forest, returning shortly with another goat. Ma Xiaoniu was speechless. Oh well, they hadn't come for several days; this time, he'd let them feast to their hearts' content.
They were busy until after ten o'clock when the four divine beasts finally finished their meal. The White Tiger lay down on the sandy shore of the lake and started snoring, while the Azure Dragon lazily coiled up beside it, occasionally flicking its tongue. The Vermilion Bird flapped its wings and ran into the forest, while the Black Tortoise slowly crawled towards the lake.
How envious! Ma Xiaoniu looked at the four divine beasts with envy. Look at them, they eat their fill and then sleep, sleep well and then eat again, how wonderful!
Ma Xiaoniu suddenly froze, a sudden realization dawning on him. Life is inherently peaceful; it's the foolish who create their own troubles. Life is a mirror, reflecting each person's heart. If you are kind, life will be kind; if you are wicked, life will be wicked. Many people think snakes are evil because they look terrifying, so many feel fear upon seeing them, assuming snakes are inherently evil. But in reality, what people see is merely their own reflection.
So what is there to worry about? I only killed bad people, I have a clear conscience, and my heart is set on good. Isn't that enough?
After figuring things out, Ma Xiaoniu felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. Everything felt clear and unobstructed. He felt refreshed and extremely comfortable.
Stretching, Ma Xiaoniu lay down on the sand and fell into a deep sleep. The sand was warm and cozy under the sun, like sleeping on an electric blanket.
Around 6 PM, Ma Xiaoniu, still fast asleep on the beach, felt something wet on his face. He groggily opened his eyes and found a huge dog's face in front of him. The dog's eyes were staring at him, and it was about to stick out its tongue, which was even bigger than Ma Xiaoniu's, to lick him again. Ma Xiaoniu woke up instantly, sat up, and quickly ran to the lake. He washed his face vigorously for several minutes, but even after washing, he could still smell a fishy odor on his face.
Ugh... This damn stupid dog.
The white tiger in the distance looked bewildered, while the Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise lay sprawled to the side, staring intently at him. Several dead goats lay beside them.
Well, I don't know why they love eating goats so much, but anyway, the goats in this valley are really unlucky.
The goat was skinned and cleaned, then skewered on fresh branches and roasted over a fire. In no time, the aroma of roasting meat filled the air, making mouths water. The White Tiger lay nearby, its eyes gleaming, its long tongue lolling out, drool dripping from it. The Azure Dragon remained coiled, its head held high, its forked tongue flicking faster, its tail twitching and throbbing. The Vermilion Bird spread its two fluffy wings, its mouth slightly open, a tuft of hair on its head standing upright. The Black Tortoise stretched its neck long, veins bulging, conjuring up some unhealthy images.
Damn, these gluttons! After finally getting all the goats roasted, the four mythical beasts devoured the meat. Ma Xiaoniu smiled, but his rumbling stomach told him it was time to eat. It wasn't that he didn't want roast meat, it's just that, damn it, he hadn't gotten any!
Night had fallen, but the fire from the barbecue still burned, and the valley fell silent once more. Ma Xiaoniu extinguished the fire with sand, then glanced at the four divine beasts still enjoying their meal, smiled slightly, and then teleported back home.
Because he slept on the sand, his body was covered in sand. After a quick wash and a meal, Ma Xiaoniu sat on the living room sofa, opened his laptop, and logged into the Demon Forum.
The forum was bustling with activity, with posts growing rapidly every moment. Luckily, it was generated by the system; otherwise, the traffic would probably have crashed long ago.
Open the comments section.
Speculation about the demon's identity
Analysis of the Construction Principles of Demon Forums
"Wang Xiaobing, your mom wants to see you for dinner."
"The devil has finally been exposed! Look at the photo!"
Analysis of the strange logo related to the demon.
"The Criminal Investigation Team of City X has arrived in Feng County. The devil is about to be brought to justice."
...
There were many posts, and they were growing rapidly, measured in milliseconds. Ma Xiaoniu was startled when he saw the post "The demon has finally revealed its identity, look at the photo!" He quickly opened it and found that there was only one picture in the post. The picture showed a chibi-style demon with red eyes, blood-red wings, two pointy ears, and a round, chubby body. It was incredibly cute.
"The poster is a pig."
"Damn, are you a demon, OP?"
"Ha ha ha ha"
"You know what, she's actually quite cute."
"..."
"I am a police officer from X City. Distributing these things indiscriminately is illegal!"
"Upstairs, come and get me!"
Same as above