Death Notice 2 Destiny

Chapter 18

"You went to the Wanfeng Hotel because the assassin promised to reinstate your teaching job, right?"

“Yes…” Wu Yinwu’s voice was already very low.

"After what happened, do you still think you're fit to be a teacher?"

Seeing that the other person did not answer, the man continued, "It seems that you yourself also think it is not suitable—if that's the case, why do you still want to go? Is it that for you, being a teacher is just a job, and compared to the salary that this job brings you, the so-called responsibilities and obligations are relatively unimportant?"

"I...I don't want to answer this question," Wu Yinwu said weakly, avoiding the question.

"Why are you running away? Haven't you regained your courage?" the man persisted. "Have you ever considered that if you hadn't gone to the Wanfeng Hotel that day, or if you had never become a teacher, this tragedy wouldn't have happened? In a way, didn't your students die because of you?"

"I...I..." Wu Yinwu could no longer utter any words; what came out of the recording was a painful and desperate sob.

"Damn it!" Luo Fei couldn't take it anymore. He raised his eyebrows and scolded, "Asking such a question to an old man who has just suffered a severe physical and mental injury is like driving him to his death!"

“How else could we generate such a viral effect? As for whether the person being questioned can handle it, these reporters don’t care at all.” Zeng Rihua said, turning off the player. Then he grinned exaggeratedly and said, “Maybe they just hope Wu Yinwu can’t handle it and something bad happens. Look at the audio titles on the internet, aren’t they just using Wu Yinwu’s death to create hype?”

"His intentions are despicable! His intentions are despicable!" Luo Fei angrily repeated the idiom twice, then asked Zeng Rihua, "Who is this reporter?"

Zeng Rihua shook his head: "I don't know yet. The online reporter used pseudonyms when publishing the article, and if you listen to the recording, you can see that he altered his voice, obviously afraid of being identified in the real world. It probably won't be easy to find him..."

"I'll keep this for now." Luo Fei took the MP3 player from Zeng Rihua. "I refuse to believe we can't find any clues."

Zeng Rihua shrugged and asked rhetorically, "What's the use of finding him? His interviewing behavior itself isn't illegal."

Luo Fei was taken aback, realizing the other person was right. Yin Jian, in the driver's seat, couldn't contain himself any longer, slamming his fist on the steering wheel: "Just for forging documents and impersonating a policeman, detain him first. Once we're in the cell, we'll see how we deal with him!"

"Forget it, let's not think about that now." Seeing that his assistant was getting agitated, Luo Fei waved his hand and said, "Don't let it interfere with our business."

Yin Jian gritted his teeth in resentment and said nothing more. Zeng Rihua sighed and said, "Sigh, you know, we're fighting tooth and nail to deal with Eumenides, but sometimes when we encounter these infuriating things, we really wish Eumenides would take care of these guys."

Luo Fei glanced at Zeng Rihua, and although he didn't say anything, a slight ripple stirred within him. He put the MP3 player in his pocket, lost in thought, seemingly pondering something.

1:32 PM.

Luo Fei and his two companions arrived at Bo World Online City.

Like many misleading advertisements, Bo World Internet Cafe has a very catchy name, but it's actually just a small, cheap internet cafe. Dozens of computers are crammed into a room of about 30 square meters. Although the service environment and hardware configuration are not good, business is not bad because it is close to a university.

Luo Fei instructed Yin Jian and Zeng Rihua to guard the entrance, while he himself walked straight towards the front desk. Although he had changed into casual clothes, his demeanor still exuded a unique air. The internet cafe owner, accustomed to snobbish characters, quickly came out to greet him, asking cautiously, "And you three are...?"

"Police." Luo Fei showed his badge. "The police are on a mission. Everyone must line up and leave the internet cafe, and register your personal details at the entrance. Please cooperate."

"Well..." The shopkeeper hesitated for a moment, then winked with a troubled expression, "They've all paid, and if we don't have enough time, we probably won't be able to catch them..."

“Give them a full refund, and the police will bear all the losses incurred by the internet cafe.”

"Alright!" That was exactly what the boss was waiting for. He readily turned around and ducked under the front desk. Luo Fei was wondering what was going on when he saw the boss pull out the power socket for the front desk server and then yank off the power cord.

His action quickly provoked a reaction in the internet cafe, with voices of doubt and curses rising and falling.

"What happened?"

"Damn it, I'm disconnected!"

"Damn it, why is the internet down?!"

"Boss, boss!"

...

The boss walked to the middle of the room, looking completely innocent: "The server crashed."

"Then restart it right away!"

"It won't boot up, damn it, the motherboard's probably burned out." The boss cursed as he glared at the server, looking as if he wanted to kick it.

Luo Fei watched him calmly, secretly laughing to himself.

The netizens erupted in commotion.

"Damn, what kind of junk is this?!"

"Give me my money back!"

"Yes, refund me!"

The boss was so aggrieved he was almost in tears, but he also put on a pathetic act of trying to smooth things over.

"Okay, refund, refund, all refunds..." He picked up the internet registration form on the table and walked to the entrance of the internet cafe. "You all line up, one by one... Your deposits and ID numbers are recorded. You'll get a full refund with your ID cards."

The netizens grumbled as they got up, but since it was a full refund, they didn't really complain. A queue quickly formed for refunds. A few who tried to cut in line and cause a ruckus were stopped by Luo Fei. He didn't need to reveal his identity to deal with these young people so engrossed in the virtual world.

The boss handed the internet registration form to Yin Jian, who was guarding the door, and said in a low voice, "These people's information is recorded. You just need to check their ID cards."

Yin Jian and Zeng Rihua exchanged a knowing smile: This boss is quite capable; he resolved this rather thorny issue so smoothly in such a short time.

The clearing of the internet cafe was thus successfully completed. Although they knew the possibility of Eumenides hiding among these internet users was extremely small, Yin and Zeng still carefully checked their identification documents one by one. Their experience of dealing with Eumenides several times told the police that he was someone who often acted unpredictably, and as his opponent, the police had to be meticulous in every aspect.

After all the internet users had left, the once noisy internet cafe became completely silent. Luo Fei and his two companions looked around at the empty seats, and a strange pressure was quietly creeping in.

"Is it possible to start looking for him now?" Luo Fei suddenly asked Zeng Rihua.

The young man blinked, seemingly not quite understanding.

"Why did he choose this internet cafe?" Luo Fei voiced his confusion. "If we're going to communicate online, we can do it anywhere. Why limit ourselves to this particular internet cafe?"

“There must be a machine here that’s special to Eumenides, one that can help him achieve some hidden goals!” Yin Jian continued analyzing, following his captain’s train of thought. “I think… maybe it’s some kind of virus.”

"What purpose? What kind of virus?" Zeng Rihua asked thoughtfully.

Luo Fei looked at Zeng Rihua expectantly: "This is your area of expertise. I'd like to hear your answer."

Zeng Rihua shook his head in confusion: "Viruses... there are all kinds of viruses, but their purpose is nothing more than to control the other party's computer, or to steal data, or to remotely monitor. But what reason would Eumenides have to control the computer here? He just wants to have a network call with Huang Jieyuan. What use would a virus be to him?"

Luo Fei pondered for a moment: "How about this, let's not worry about what he's up to. You check all the computers here one by one—is there still enough time?"

Zeng Rihua glanced at his watch: "Barely enough." As he spoke, he pulled up a chair and sat down, operating two computers simultaneously with both hands.

Seeing that he was engrossed in his work, Luo Fei stopped disturbing him and turned to Yin Jian: "We can't just focus on the computers; the area around the internet cafe might be more worthy of our attention. Eumenides specified this location; could they be planning to use the terrain here to their advantage?"

"Could he be planning to hurt Huang Jieyuan?" Yin Jian grew tense. He took a few steps towards the internet cafe entrance, observing his surroundings. The place was adjacent to a main street, lined with low-rise shops on both sides. The afternoon was peak time for such locations, with a constant stream of people of all ages coming and going.

Yin Jian scrutinized the passing young men with a critical eye, as if each one of them was worthy of suspicion. After several encounters with Eumenides, all the participants suffered from similar aftereffects.

Luo Fei followed, and after scanning the surroundings, he raised his right hand and pointed to several high places: "The third floor of the furniture market, the east side of the fourth floor of the power building, and the roof of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China—we need to set up informants in these places. Yin Jian, go and make the arrangements now, and have the personnel in place within half an hour."

After Yin Jian left to carry out his orders, Luo Fei dialed Liu Song's number again: "How's the situation on your end?"

"The candidate has been chosen," the young SWAT officer replied on the other end of the phone. "Should I bring him over to see you now?"

"No! Don't let him get close to the internet cafe. Prepare a detailed personal profile for me."

"Okay." Liu Song estimated the time. "I should arrive at the internet cafe in about forty minutes."

Luo Fei also checked his watch. In that case, Liu Song would likely arrive at the same time as Mu Jianyun and Huang Jieyuan, which would be just the right time.

As Luo Fei had predicted, around 3 PM, Liu Song, Mu Jianyun, and Huang Jieyuan arrived at Bo World Internet Cafe almost simultaneously, while Yin Jian had already deployed police forces around the cafe. At this point, all police resources were in place. The tension was high; after joining the special task force, Luo Fei was finally about to face Eumenides for the first time.

Luo Fei used the internet cafe owner's lounge as a makeshift command center. He led everyone into the inner room and first asked Mu Jianyun, "How are your preparations going?"

Mu Jianyun nodded: "I've designed some steps, and President Huang has already understood the key psychological points—but whether it will be successful depends mainly on the actual conversation between the two parties on the spot."

"Hmm." Luo Fei nodded slightly, then immediately changed the subject, "Liu Song, could you introduce the candidates recommended by your special police team?"

Liu Song handed Luo Fei a yellow file folder: "This contains his personal information."

Luo Fei glanced through the document and then praised, "Very good." He was clearly very satisfied with this candidate. Then he handed the file to Huang Jieyuan, saying, "Your task has been clearly stated: to shift Eumenides' target to this person. You have less than an hour left; familiarize yourself with this person as much as possible."

Huang Jieyuan pulled out a thick stack of documents from the file bag. At the top was a full-body photo of a man. The man in the photo looked dashing.

“He was our brigade commander’s best friend before he passed away,” Liu Song added, his voice hoarse from choking back tears.

A look of sadness flashed across Luo Fei's face as he thought of Xiong Yuan, feeling the pressure on his shoulders grow even heavier.

Huang Jieyuan glanced through the stack of documents and shook his head, saying, "It's impossible for me to remember so many."

“You don’t need to remember too much. He was just a comrade-in-arms you worked with eighteen years ago. It’s normal that you don’t know all the details about him. You should even be careful: if Eumenides asks too many questions, you can’t answer them all, as that will only arouse his suspicion.” At this point, Luo Fei turned to Mu Jianyun, “Teacher Mu, please take a look at these materials as well. Help me decide which information should be revealed to Eumenides and which should be kept secret.”

Mu Jianyun nodded in understanding and began studying Yang Lin's personal information with Huang Jieyuan. Seeing this, Luo Fei left the inner room. Meanwhile, in the internet cafe lobby, Zeng Rihua was still battling it out with dozens of computers.

"So? Did you find anything?" Luo Fei walked over and asked.

“We’ve removed some viruses from each machine, but we can’t see any connection to Eumenides.” Zeng Rihua said, his hands fluttering like butterflies as he moved between the two computers. Seeing that Luo Fei showed no sign of leaving, he added, “Actually, if I were Eumenides, even if I wanted to tamper with the computers, no one would be able to detect it now.”

"Why?"

"All I need to do is memorize the target computer's network address, which is like a thief identifying the crime scene. Since the agreed-upon time for the crime is 4 PM, is it necessary for me to arrive here before 4 PM?"

"You mean Eumenides will wait until the agreed time before making his move?"

"Yes. Because he knew we would check the computer beforehand. With his abilities, attacking a regular internet cafe computer would be a piece of cake, there was no need to take action in advance."

"I understand." Luo Fei pondered for a moment. "Then, according to your suggestion, how should we take precautions?"

"In any case, prior checks are always a good idea. But the more crucial work should be done after four o'clock. I will be monitoring the internet cafe's server then, because no matter which machine Eumenides attacks, he can't escape the server's monitoring. Then you guys hold Eumenides off as planned, while I track his movements online."

Luo Fei nodded in agreement: "If you need to transfer field personnel, you can contact Yin Jian directly. He has handled all the manpower in the perimeter."

Zeng Rihua chuckled: "Then you'd better tell him to get ready, because we'll be going to arrest people directly."

Of all the participants, Zeng Rihua was the most relaxed, which affected Luo Fei, easing the latter's tension somewhat. All police personnel were in their assigned roles, awaiting the arrival of the new battle.

And as we waited, it finally came to four o'clock in the afternoon.

Liu Song stood guard at the entrance of the internet cafe, vigilantly watching the passersby; while on the outer perimeter, Yin Jian led more police officers to set up an impenetrable encirclement; Huang Jieyuan came to the internet cafe lobby, extremely anxious about his beloved son's safety; Mu Jianyun stood beside him, ready to provide psychological and strategic guidance at any time; Luo Fei was in the center directing the overall situation, but at this moment his attention was more focused on Zeng Rihua.

Zeng Rihua was guarding the front-end server. According to his analysis, Eumenides would make a move at this moment, and this would not escape the server's monitoring.

Zeng Rihua's analysis was indeed correct. When the agreed time arrived, he quickly discovered the anomaly in the network monitoring.

“Machine number thirty-three!” he shouted. “It’s uploading some software.”

Luo Fei immediately asked, "What software?"

"I've never seen this before. It looks like some kind of control program. We'll only know its specific function once it's running. Should we stop it?"

“No, let him send it—we’ll handle this. You quickly track down his web address!” Luo Fei’s thinking was clear. The police needed to take advantage of this online meeting, and stopping Eumenides’ actions at this moment would be too hasty.

"He's started installing the software," Zeng Rihua continued reporting. "Keep an eye on machine number 33. I'm also copying the software... He's hidden the network address, but I'll crack it soon!"

Luo Fei's gaze quickly swept across the internet cafe lobby, and he soon located computer number 33. It was a spot in the far corner of the internet cafe, and Huang Jieyuan and Mu Jianyun had also found it following Zeng Rihua's directions.

Seemingly in coordination with the police's actions, a dialog box suddenly popped up on the screen of computer number 33, containing three eye-catching words: "I'm here."

The black, Song-style font looked so familiar, only this time it had moved from the note to the computer monitor.

Luo Fei knew that the chat box belonged to a popular chat software, and he also knew who had sent them such a message from the other end of the network.