QQ Lost - Chapter 9
Xu Haibing finally swallowed hard and softened his tone: "I'm sorry, I thought it was another nuisance call. My phone isn't broken; this must be the work of that harasser impersonating your station again."
The woman's voice was surprised: "What? You, as a man, have also been harassed? We've received several reports from women these past few days and are investigating them. We didn't expect it to happen to a man now. Please describe the specific circumstances so we can provide the police with detailed clues to find the perpetrator as soon as possible."
Xu Haibing said seriously, "It seems we're all victims. You really need to investigate this thoroughly. It's fine for me personally to be tricked occasionally, but if your station's reputation is damaged, the impact will be huge. Let me tell you, this person was a woman. She called me twice in a row, but didn't say anything, creating the illusion that the phone was malfunctioning. Then she impersonated a staff member of your station to say that the problem had been resolved and asked me to help test the effect of the repair. She told me to press the phone keys from 1 to 0. When I pressed 0, she then accused me of having an IQ of 0..."
The woman's voice politely requested, "Could you please demonstrate it for us again?"
Without hesitation, Xu Haibing pressed the phone keys from 1 to 0 again.
At this moment, the female voice on the other end of the microphone solemnly warned him: "Dear sir, she did not slander you. After we have confirmed again, your IQ is indeed 0! Hahahaha..." Xu Haibing was completely dumbfounded...
QQ Lost 15(1)
Xu Haibing, who had been so exhausted from staying up all night at school on his first night at the dormitory, returned home at noon, went straight into his bedroom, drew the curtains, kicked off his shoes, and lay down on the bed, exhausted, to catch up on sleep.
He opened his eyes again after closing them, staring straight ahead: Hmm? Why is the indicator light on the brand-new computer on the desk still on?!
Just as he was wondering, a demon's head with a blue face and fangs slowly emerged from behind the bed railing at the foot of the bed, making Xu Haibing shudder in fright.
"Hey, hahaha!" After a burst of laughter, the devil mask was removed, revealing a mischievous boy's face—his nephew, Mao Dan.
Xu Haibing grabbed a pillow and threw it at me: "You little rascal! You scared me half to death. What are you doing wearing this weird thing?"
Mao Dan tilted his head: "To protect against computer radiation!"
"What? You were the one who turned on my computer?"
Mao Dan, beaming with pride, said in a Hong Kong/Taiwanese accent, "Who else could it be but me!"
"Stop being so glib and speak plainly!" Xu Haibing scolded as she quickly got out of bed and anxiously checked the computer. "I just bought this three days ago, and I haven't even used it myself yet. Don't mess with it and break it. Go back to your own home and play. Don't you have your own computer?!"
"Ugh, don't even mention it. My mom, your precious older sister, is incredibly stingy. She only lets me play for two hours a week, and she's always watching me. It's so boring. Hey, Uncle, these days everyone talks about 'win-win' arrangements, how about we make a 'win-win' agreement?"
Xu Haibing became wary: "What trick are you up to this time?"
"You give me the right to use your computer for free, and I'll be your computer technology consultant for free, how about it?"
"Hey! You little rascal, you've got some nerve! Let me test you, do you even know what a QQ number is?"
Mao Dan scoffed, "Hey! I thought you'd ask some profound questions. No wonder your sister said if you don't get transferred from the countryside soon, you'll become a 'country bumpkin'." He swiped the mouse, the computer screen lit up, and the desktop appeared: "See this adorable little penguin? That's QQ, the larger version of OICQ."
Xu Haibing exclaimed in surprise, "Huh, when did it get here and start squatting down?"
"I just downloaded it. With it, you can chat with your regular online friends and even use the internet pager."
"You're quite the little devil; you've got some skills."
"Hey, downloading software is a piece of cake. Let me tell you, I can now make hack bombs. Anyone who dares to mess with me online, I'll blow them up. If an American plane dares to knock our pilots into the sea again, my bomb will immediately infiltrate their Pentagon's office system and paralyze their command network! This is top secret, I'm only telling you this, you absolutely can't tell anyone!"
"Stop bragging! If you keep going, even if the President of the United States doesn't come looking for you, the general manager of the dairy company might. Tell me how to use this QQ account!"
Mao Dan demonstrated and explained: "...Look, double-click this little penguin, and this window will appear. Enter the password and log in... See, a long bar pops up? These are all your friends' avatars; the colored ones are those that are currently online. To talk to someone, just click on their avatar. Whoever replies will have their avatar flashing..."
Xu Haibing looked at the colorful array of QQ profile pictures on her QQ panel and asked in surprise, "Are so many of these your online friends?"
"What I've said is nothing. There's a sixth-grade boy at my school who has over 200 online friends. Last year, he got all entangled with someone called 'Lai Wen Si Ji Wang Fei,' so he secretly stole money from home to go on a date with her in Qiqihar. And what happened? He's still nowhere to be found!"
"Mao Dan! Come and eat, don't be late for school," Xu's mother called from the outer room.
"Okay." Mao Dan got up to leave, but then deliberately closed QQ. "Don't peek at my chat history."
"Chat history?" Xu Haibing waited for Mao Dan to come out of the room, stared at the little penguin on the computer screen, frowned and pondered, as if he had just figured something out, and then walked out.
Xu's mother called from behind, "Hey, aren't you going to eat lunch?"
"I ate at school." Xu Haibing just went out.
"Hey, why are you walking around like you've lost your soul? Why are you walking barefoot?" Xu's mother exclaimed again.
Xu Haibing looked down and realized he wasn't wearing shoes, so he had to go back inside to put them on.
Xu's mother said, "Aren't you staying at school tonight? I've let Maodan stay in this room..."
Xu Haibing rushed back to school like a rabbit because of the clues revealed in the chat logs: if Shen Daxing used QQ, wouldn't it be possible to obtain valuable clues from his chat logs!
He arrived at room 407, took out his key, opened the door, and his heart leaped into his throat.
There were people inside!
A female college student who was sitting in front of her computer stood up and smiled at him.
Xu Haibing knows: Guo Qinqin.
Guo Qinqin calmly smoothed her bangs that were falling to her left temple and casually extended her hand: "My name is Guo Qinqin, and I'm here to return a book to Shen Daxing. You must be Mr. Xu Haibing, right? I've heard Daxing mention you."
Xu Haibing, the roommate, touched the other person's hand, then seemed flustered: "...This, this, oh, how did you get in?"
"A few days ago, I often borrowed this computer to organize materials for my student council president election. For convenience, Daxing gave me a key. Now that I've won the election, I'm returning the key." As she spoke, Guo Qinqin placed a key with a holographic handle in Xu Haibing's palm.
Xu Haibing stared at the key, completely bewildered.
"Hey, I haven't seen Daxing for the past few days. Where did he go? Did he go back to work or is he sick? Do you know?" Guo Qinqin asked.
Xu Haibing stammered, "Oh, him? I know him. He's probably back at work, right?"
Seeing Guo Qinqin staring intently at him, he guiltily changed his tune: "Maybe he's sick, I don't know, anyway... well, I won't be able to see him for a very, very long time."
Guo Qinqin was skeptical: "Oh? If you want to know his exact whereabouts, please let me know as soon as possible, okay? I want to thank him in person for his help with my campaign in the previous stage. I'll treat you to a meal then, and I hope you can join me. Don't refuse!"
QQ Lost 15(2)
Xu Haibing nodded: "Definitely, definitely, I'll definitely do you the honor of attending."
Guo Qinqin smiled gently: "Then I'll take my leave, bye-bye."
"Bye... goodbye." Xu Haibing watched Guo Qinqin leave, and was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when Guo Qinqin turned back and added, "Oh, I live in 507 upstairs, welcome."
Xu Haibing nodded mechanically, then his heart suddenly skipped a beat: Oh my god! 507?!
He walked to the table, puzzled. His hand had just touched the stack of books Guo Qinqin had returned when he saw—
Another pair of hands reached out!
He instinctively withdrew his hand, looked up, and saw that Shen Daxing's image had suddenly disappeared, realizing it was a hallucination.
He patted his chest, composed himself, and sat down at the already-open computer. He immediately saw the chubby QQ penguin icon on the desktop, quickly clicked it, and the QQ login window appeared. Seeing that Shen Daxing's QQ number was still listed, he tentatively entered a few digits in the "User Password" box. A message box popped up on the screen—
Sorry, incorrect password!
He tried several times but couldn't log in, so he gave up, wrote down the QQ number with a pen, and then opened the folder...
Empty! The original "Student Union" series of documents have disappeared!
Xu Haibing's two sharp eyebrows furrowed again...
In the afternoon, Zhang Wen was teaching a computer theory class to MBA students in the lecture hall when he suddenly heard a series of snoring sounds coming from below.
Xu Haibing was fast asleep with his head tilted to one side in his seat, while the other trainees chuckled.
Zhang Wen ignored him and tried to continue speaking, but his snoring grew louder, and the students' laughter also started.
Zhang Wen had no choice but to step down from the podium and go to Xu Haibing, tapping the table with his knuckles. Xu Haibing woke up with a start, blinking as he looked at Zhang Wen.
Zhang Wen angrily declared, "This is a classroom, not a dormitory. Just as I have no right to sleep in your dormitory, you have no right to sleep in the classroom where I have classes."
Xu Haibing retorted, "Me? Did I fall asleep? I was just listening to your lecture while deep in thought."
The students burst into laughter.
QQ Lost 16(1)
The West Suburbs Police Station was established in response to the large-scale westward expansion of Lianjiang city. However, it was built too quickly, and there wasn't enough time to build an office. So, they temporarily preserved a farmhouse courtyard that was unfortunately falling into the clutches of the "University Town" and was slated for demolition, using it as a makeshift office for a while. The room that Dayu and Xiaoyou are currently using for the night shift used to be the wedding room of the original resident when his son got married. The large red double happiness characters, as big as millstones, still hadn't been removed because the glue was stuck on them too firmly.
Da Yu leaned back on the worn-out faux leather sofa, rapidly flipping through TV channels, finally turning it off in frustration: "Hmph, it's either the Big Braid or the Black Dog Team."
"Who upset you again?" Xiao You, who was facing the wall and doing dumbbell exercises, asked in confusion.
Da Yu grumbled, "This damn TV! It's always either Qing Dynasty dramas or police dramas, all made up and completely distorted. It's utterly disgusting!"
"Well, it's strange enough that a policeman doesn't like watching TV dramas that depict police life, but to actually call yourself a black dog? You have no self-respect!" Xiao You put down the dumbbells and squatted down in front of the barbell.
Da Yu got up and helped Xiao You put the barbell on her shoulders: "I only said that because I'm too self-respecting. I watched movies since I was little, and everyone in black uniforms was a bad guy, they looked like they were going to do something evil. When I grew up, I wore a green military uniform in the army, and then a green police uniform when I transferred to the police force. I have a simple, proletarian feeling for the color green. Don't laugh, or you'll hurt your back. But now we copy everything from others, even dyeing our clothes the same color. If this continues, where will we find Chinese characteristics? In the Holly Bar? In the Cleopatra Nightclub? In the Madonna Foot Bath? Or in the KFC restaurant?" He then helped Xiao You take the barbell off.
Xiao You took a breath, grabbed a towel to dry himself, and retorted softly, "How could I not find it? Didn't I treat you to 'Second Aunt's Dumplings' and 'Belt-Pulled Noodles' yesterday? Besides, the foot bath water was made with Chinese medicine." He turned the TV back on and saw an intense police-gangster standoff and gunfight scene playing: "Isn't this exciting? Look at You Yong, no wonder he's a descendant of the You family, he acts so well, he's more like a real cop than me, Xiao You."
Da Yu was still full of complaints: "These people in the film and television industry are always stirring up trouble. They write, direct, and act out bizarre and sensational cases to make a quick buck. But for us, the year-end performance evaluation is based on the number of cases we handle and our crime-solving rate. The more trouble you get in your area, the more bonus you get, while I get penalized if nothing happens. Today they're focusing on 'two fugitives,' tomorrow they're cracking down on 'two robberies.' If I do a good job of prevention and control, no one will dare to rob in my territory. What am I supposed to do? I can't just ride my motorcycle out onto the street and snatch a necklace from a lady's neck, can I?!"
Xiao You teased him sarcastically, "I completely understand how you feel. It's really unreasonable that the bureau didn't reshuffle your mid-level positions at the beginning of the year."
"Get lost. Whether I sprain my ankle or not, I'll still get the salary of a battalion commander and the benefits of a section chief. You're the one who should get involved. You can't keep training at the grassroots level. Of your graduating class from police academy, apart from Xiao Shunzi from Huangzhuang, there aren't many left still hanging around in the police station." Da Yu's stern tone was tinged with concern.
"Sigh, don't even mention it. This morning I went to the bureau to report on the preparations for closing the case of Shen Daxing's death, and I was hoping to also ask the political department about it. But I ran into Forensic Doctor Zhao, who kept dragging me along to argue with him, and that took up all my time."
What could that old man possibly have to say to you?
"Old Zhao said that Shen Daxing's autopsy report was prepared by trainee forensic doctor Xiao Qian while he was on sick leave. Deputy Director Sun shouldn't have signed it in the first place, but Sun and Qian were alumni of the police academy and were mentored by the same person. Sun wanted to keep Qian and squeeze out Zhao, so he created opportunities for Qian to rise in every way, while making things difficult for Zhao in every way..."
"Surely not? You have to consider the owner before beating a dog. Isn't Old Zhao related to 'Second Master Li' from the Municipal Bureau by marriage?"
"Isn't 'Li Erba' reaching retirement age at the end of the year?"
"Who cares about Zhao, Qian, Sun, Li, Zhou, Wu, Zheng, or Wang! Who has time to deal with all this tangled mess? As long as the conclusion is correct, who cares what others think?"
"That's the problem. Zhao and Qian disagreed on the fact that Zhao believed fright alone couldn't kill a person; fright was merely a cause, and death was the result of illness or other factors. He also argued that Qian was inexperienced, unreliable, and lacked any experience in autopsies. At the time of the autopsy, more than 48 hours had passed, the optimal time for results, and the body's cells had already decomposed, resulting in 'gigantism.' Giganticism is always associated with a state of near-terrification, even in cases of death from laughter, the eyes are wide open in a glaring manner, much like how children with congenital intellectual disabilities all look alike. Aside from a head injury from impact to the occipital lobe, there were no signs of poisoning. Zhao said that, conventionally, in such a situation, it's impossible to determine the external cause of death, yet Qian concluded that fright and extreme fear were fatal—utterly absurd and nonsensical."
"Hey, you're a professionally trained actor, tell me—can this guy just be scared to death?" Da Yu leaned closer to Xiao You and asked with wide, bull-like eyes.
Whether it was from his question or his gaze, Xiao You felt a chill run down her spine and instinctively moved away from him before answering, "Of course! We encountered a case like that during our police academy internship. A young man who usually liked to joke around picked up a tattered rope from the ground while on a picnic with some friends, suddenly threw it at a timid female companion, and shouted 'Snake!' The woman screamed in terror and died instantly. Later, we participated in her autopsy and found many rose-colored hemorrhages in her myocardium, indicating that in the instant she was frightened, her myocardial cells were damaged to varying degrees, leading to excessive bleeding and impaired heart function."
"Could that small amount of money be inferred from this?"
"I thought so too. After leaving Lao Zhao's place, I specifically went to chat with Xiao Qian. We were both young, and we hit it off immediately. He insisted that people can be scared to death, and his explanation was quite professional. He said that when a person is suddenly frightened, the brain instructs the adrenal glands to secrete a large amount of a substance called catecholamine, which causes the heart rate to accelerate, blood pressure to rise sharply, and the oxygen consumption of the myocardium to increase dramatically. In this way, the excessively rapid blood flow impacts the heart like a flood that has just been released, causing the myocardial fibers to tear, the heart to bleed, and thus leading to cardiac arrest and death."
QQ Lost 16(2)
"Did you go to the Criminal Investigation Department? What did Captain Hu and the others say?"
"Yes, we went. The Criminal Investigation Division also agreed. The on-site investigation found no signs of external disturbance inside the room, and the deceased's body showed no signs of external force. Captain Hu clearly stated that even if the victim wasn't scared to death, it still falls into the category of sudden death."
"That settles it! I already said it had nothing to do with murder, so there was no need to file a case! In the end, it was just a false alarm! It's true what they say, there's nothing wrong in the world, but fools make trouble for themselves." Da Yu sighed and lay down easily on the worn-out faux leather sofa.
"It's hard to say whether there's anything wrong or not right now, but one thing is certain—there are indeed people who enjoy making trouble for themselves." Xiao You's words were loaded with meaning.
"Who?" Da Yu sat up abruptly again.
Xiao You winked: "Is that even a question?"
Under a pale moon and sparse stars, the new campus of Dalian University was shrouded in darkness in the dead of night.