Shu Xia was examining the last item assigned by Hua Yicheng. Her assistant and other colleagues had already left for the day, leaving her alone in the entire research lab. Those mischievous colleagues had turned off most of the lights on their way out, making the lab dimly lit and eerily unsettling. She turned on her phone and played the loudest music she could find, trying to bring a bit of human warmth into the space.
Knock, knock, knock!
Shu Xia shifted her attention away from the microscope and glanced to see who was knocking. She saw Yu Shi’s face pressed against the glass door, staring at her, with one finger pointing at the electronic lock.
“Use your ID!” Shu Xia got up and unlocked the door.
Yu Shi was holding a cake box, muttering, “I’m not working today, so I didn’t bring my ID.”
“If you’re not working, why are you here?” Shu Xia closed the door behind her. She tidied up the items she was examining and led Yu Shi into her office.
Standing side by side at the same sink to wash their hands, Yu Shi said, “I need to talk to you about something.”
Shu Xia dried her hands. She took out a strawberry cream cake from the box and stabbed a piece with a fork before popping it into her mouth. “Go ahead. I’ll finish this piece of cake and then head home.”
Yu Shi also scooped a small piece of cake and asked, “It’s about Yang San. Can you tell me about her?”
Shu Xia frowned. She was enjoying a delicious cake when her visitor asked about a corpse. “I’ve already returned the body to the family. There’s nothing left to examine. And next time, if you come to talk about this kind of thing, don’t bring food. I’ll have to recall the details while telling you.”
Yu Shi: You’ve been a forensic examiner for years. You’re probably used to having dinner with corpses by now. Why fuss over such a small thing? “So, will you tell me or not?”
After swallowing another bite of cake, Shu Xia said, “I know Yang San was a reporter for Wuyang Newspaper. Are you here to ask for your reporter friend? Is she writing an article?”
“She’s on vacation. She’s not working for now.” Yu Shi had just opened a bottle of cola, but seemed to remember something. She handed the cola to Shu Xia and snatched the green tea from her side, forcibly swapping drinks.
“Yang San was stabbed in the abdomen from the front, damaging her internal organs and some major blood vessels. From the time she was stabbed to her death, it was only a few minutes. But it must have been quite painful before she died. The residue in her stomach showed she had eaten salmon, rice, and chocolate. There were no new injuries elsewhere on her body. Based on the blood trail in the room, she was stabbed at the entrance, walked to the living room on her own, and eventually collapsed and died from excessive blood loss.” Shu Xia recounted this in a very matter-of-fact tone, as these were the most common findings.
Yu Shi picked out the key point from the long string of sentences: “From what you’re saying, it sounds like she had old injuries?”
“Not exactly old injuries, but scars. There were four or five on her left arm, between the wrist and elbow. They looked quite deep at the time, but not fatal.” Shu Xia gestured to the area.
Yu Shi thought about it. It seemed most people who self-harm would cut their wrists. “Self-harm tendencies?”
“That’s hard to determine. If she had a habit of self-harm, there should have been more than just these few scars. Besides, those scars all looked like they were from the same period.”
She didn’t pay much attention to this, as studying the deceased’s old scars wasn’t part of her job scope.
Especially those whose cause of death is clear and whose identity is known.
Xiang Ling sat on her sofa, flipping through the book of Genesis. Only now was she carefully rereading the story.
Eden means paradise. God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden. The ground of Eden was scattered with all kinds of gold, pearls, and agates, blooming with various exotic and vibrant flowers. There were also many fruit trees. It never rained in Eden because four flowing rivers irrigated the garden: the Euphrates, the Gihon, the Pishon, and the Tigris.
God tasked Adam and Eve with tending the garden and commanded that they could eat the fruit from all the trees in the garden, except for the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. After God left, Adam and Eve lived happily. But one day, tempted by the serpent, they violated the prohibition and ate the forbidden fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Upon learning of this, God cursed Adam, Eve, and the serpent and expelled them from the Garden of Eden.
After reading it, Xiang Ling felt it was simply a religious myth. She couldn’t figure out why Yang San had specifically marked this story, especially highlighting the names of God and the four rivers, along with that expired QR code, which she had no idea which website it belonged to.
Just then, Xiang Ling received a call from Jiang Xue. As soon as she answered, the other person asked, “Xiang Ling, tomorrow is Yang San’s funeral. Are you going?”
Xiang Ling glanced at the enlarged photo of Yang San with her students on her computer and immediately replied, “Yes, are you picking me up?”
“Why should I pick you up? Drive yourself!” Jiang Xue said irritably. She hadn’t intended to become a driver.
“I forgot to tell you I was in a car accident. My leg is in a cast now.”
Besides, her car had been sitting at the repair shop for a long time. The owner kept calling to ask when she’d take it back, worried she might abandon it altogether. She needed to find someone to retrieve it soon.
“Our newspaper office must be going through a rough patch lately. Wait for me at home tomorrow at eleven in the morning.”
The next morning, Jiang Xue drove Xiang Ling to Yang San’s funeral. There weren’t many people in attendance, mostly relatives. Only then did Xiang Ling learn from Jiang Xue that Yang San came from a wealthy family. Both her parents were professors at prestigious universities who had retired two years ago to travel the world. They had only returned recently, upon receiving news of Yang San’s death, to arrange the funeral.
Jiang Xue whispered to Xiang Ling from a distance, “The elderly couple had their daughter very late in life.”
Xiang Ling looked over and saw the couple who were clearly Yang San’s parents. Their hair was gray, and they looked haggard as they greeted guests. The two of them stepped forward, introduced themselves, and followed the instructions to pay their respects to Yang San at the memorial hall before heading to the dining area to sit down.
Xiang Ling scanned the various faces around her, trying to spot younger individuals. Noticing her searching gaze, Jiang Xue asked, “Looking for someone?”
“Yang San used to be a high school teacher. I wonder if any of her former students might come to see her off one last time.”
She had come with hopeful expectations, thinking she might encounter the students from the photo and ask about the past.
It turned out her luck was still quite good. Within sight, several young men and women, likely college-age, were walking in groups toward the dining area. Among them were a few familiar faces. Although everyone had changed over the years, their general outlines were still recognizable enough to match them to the students in the group photo.
Xiang Ling told Jiang Xue to wait aside while she limped over to the table where the young people were sitting and asked, “Excuse me, are you all students of Teacher Yang San?”
A boy with a buzz cut sized her up and asked, “And you are?”
“I’m a colleague of Yang San’s from the same newspaper. My name is Xiang Ling.” As soon as Xiang Ling finished speaking, a girl with a ponytail pulled out a chair for her to sit.
A boy with eyeglasses handed her a glass of water: “So you’re Teacher Yang’s colleague. What brings you to us?”
“There are a few things I’d like to ask.” Xiang Ling took out her phone. She opened the group photo and showed it to them. “This is your class photo, right?”
The buzz-cut boy recognized it at a glance and sought confirmation from his friends. “Yes. This was taken at the beginning of the year for our Class 3, Grade 11.”
“So, did your Teacher Yang leave after this student’s incident?” Xiang Ling pointed to the student on the far right who had jumped to her death, while also observing the expressions of the others.
The ponytailed girl thought for a moment before saying, “It wasn’t immediately. After Ning Xue’s incident, about two months had passed before the teacher resigned. No one knew the reason.”
“I think Teacher Yang just couldn’t accept what happened! Ning Xue had a good relationship with Teacher Yang before the incident and was kind of the class favorite.” The boy with eyeglasses took a sip of water. Even years later, bringing up a deceased classmate still felt uncomfortable.
“Before that, did any of you notice anything unusual in Ning Xue’s behavior or words in your daily lives?”
“Not really. Even now, we still can’t figure out why she did what she did.” After saying this, the buzz-cut boy immediately asked in a probing tone, “Why are you asking all this?”
Xiang Ling: “Because your Teacher Yang seemed to have investigated this later. She probably wanted to know the reason behind Ning Xue’s suicide as well.”
The girl with ponytails: “That’s going to be tough. Even the police couldn’t figure it out back then. I guess only Ning Xue herself knows the reason.”
Xiang Ling asked a few more general questions to confirm that these students truly knew nothing, then left them. She waved to Jiang Xue and headed to the restroom.
Just as she was about to enter the restroom, the boy with eyeglasses followed her and asked, “Can we talk in private?”
Xiang Ling raised an eyebrow and found a secluded corner for the two of them to talk.
“Are you investigating the cause of Ning Xue’s death?”
“Is there something you couldn’t say earlier?” Xiang Ling sensed something was off since he hadn’t spoken up in front of everyone, but now wanted to talk privately.
“It’s not that I couldn’t say it. It’s just that I’m not entirely sure about this matter. Speaking up rashly might not reflect well on Ning Xue.” The boy took off his eyeglasses, wiped them, and put them back on.
“Then why don’t you go ahead and tell me.” Xiang Ling listened attentively.
The boy then began to recount his story. In high school, his family was quite poor, so he had to work part-time delivering takeout after school every day. One evening, he accepted an order to deliver five servings of fried noodles to a location in the red-light district. Although he was worried about being misunderstood, he had already accepted the order and had no choice but to brace himself and deliver it.
After finishing the delivery, he wanted to leave quickly. But at a corner, he accidentally bumped into someone while riding his bike. The person was wearing a hoodie, with most of their face hidden. Their heavy makeup was smudged, making it impossible to recognize their original appearance. Their phone had fallen to the ground. The boy picked it up for them. The person spoke very softly. He barely heard the whispered “thank you” before they left. Later, when he recalled the phone he had helped pick up, he noticed that the charm attached to it was identical to Ning Xue’s.
Xiang Ling found this information quite promising. “Do you think the person you bumped into was Ning Xue?”
“At first, I suspected it. But the next day, when I asked Ning Xue, she said her phone had been stolen two days earlier. Moreover, after hearing my story, she angrily cursed the thief. Her demeanor seemed completely normal. So, I didn’t dwell on the matter.”
The boy with eyeglasses stuffed his hands into his pockets and leaned against the wall. If no one had brought up Ning Xue today, he would never have remembered this incident for the rest of his life.
Xiang Ling roughly understood why he hadn’t mentioned this publicly. If it was just a misunderstanding, it would indeed be a slander against someone who had passed away long ago. “At the time, you were quite certain that the person you bumped into was the thief who stole the phone, right? So why are you doubting it now?”
The boy with eyeglasses scratched his head, looking somewhat unsure how to explain. “I don’t really know how to put it. Maybe it’s because Ning Xue later committed suicide, and now you’re willing to investigate this matter. If this little detail can help you, and if the truth is uncovered someday, it would bring some closure to our entire class. This has been a lingering knot for us.”
“That night, after you bumped into that person, aside from the phone, was there anything else about them that resembled Ning Xue?”
“No. The only thing that left a deep impression on me was the phone. The screen showed a tree, and then a chat page appeared. But I didn’t get a clear look before it was taken away.” Even now, he wasn’t entirely sure.
“A tree?” Xiang Ling tilted her head in thought. It sounded like some kind of reading app.
“I’m not entirely sure if it was a chat page afterward. What I remember most vividly was the tree. It looked like some kind of online learning app. It was a tree split into black and white halves, one side with leaves and the other with bare branches.” The boy with eyeglasses glanced toward the dining area behind him and hurriedly said, “That’s all I have to say. I need to head back. Guys usually don’t take this long in the restroom.” With that, he turned and walked away.
Only then did Xiang Ling remember that she had originally intended to use the restroom. Why did he choose to tell her all this right before she was about to go in?
Things were moving in a very favorable direction. Ning Xue had once appeared in the red-light district. For a high school girl to be in such a place, unless she had a legitimate reason, like the boy with eyeglasses, it was hard not to associate it with something inappropriate for minors. Moreover, the excuse of her phone being stolen just then seemed like a particularly clumsy lie. Though the lie was clumsy, the acting was Oscar-worthy.
“Do you know how many cases there are nationwide of minors going astray?”
Yu Shi tossed the chopped broccoli into the preheated frying pan and began stir-frying with a practiced flick of the wrist.
“I don’t know. But if you’re asking, the number probably isn’t small.” Xiang Ling leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching the other cook. “Go easy on the seasoning.”
Yu Shi, holding the salt shaker ready to sprinkle, hesitated at the reminder and halved the already reduced amount, muttering, “I’m fully aware I’m like a backup blood bank now. Eating light, less oil and salt, all for the sake of health.” When Xiang Ling didn’t catch it and asked her to repeat, Yu Shi said, “Whenever related venues get raided, you can almost always find one or two minors among those arrested.”
“Between voluntary and forced, which makes up the larger proportion?” Xiang Ling wondered if she could write a report on this someday.
“Forced cases are still more common, but voluntary ones aren’t rare either. The money comes fast, and that’s how many people get led astray.” Yu Shi sprinkled other seasonings and asked Xiang Ling to pass her the lid.
“From your perspective as a police detective, if Ning Xue really was there that night, do you think she went voluntarily or was forced?” Xiang Ling handed over the lid and settled at the dining table, ready to eat.
“Judging by her attitude afterward, it leans more toward voluntary. But based on that suicide note, the possibility of coercion is also strong.” Yu Shi gave an ambiguous answer.
As for how they ended up in this situation, it all started when Yu Shi called Xiang Ling, telling her not to order takeout, then hung up abruptly. Xiang Ling had been asleep but woke to the doorbell. Opening the door, she found Yu Shi standing there with two large bags of groceries.
“Were you sleeping?” Yu Shi immediately noticed Xiang Ling’s drowsy face, her gaze still unfocused.
Xiang Ling nodded and stepped aside, letting Yu Shi enter with the bags. Yu Shi asked, “How did you get to the door so fast? With your injured foot, I expected you to crawl down slowly to let me in.”
“I’ve been sleeping on the sofa.” Xiang Ling closed the door and went to sit on the sofa, trying to wake up fully.
Yu Shi placed the groceries on the table. She glanced at the sofa with its sheets and pillow, and asked, “Don’t tell me you’ve been sleeping on the sofa ever since you left the hospital?”
Xiang Ling yawned. “It’s just easier. Sleeping upstairs is inconvenient.”
Everything except the bed was downstairs, so staying down there saved her the trouble of going up and down.
Yu Shi wore an “I knew it” expression, but completely understood. Dragging an injured leg up and down the stairs risked a fall, which could lead to more than just a cast on one foot.
Since Xiang Ling’s discharge, daily tasks had become challenging. Whenever Yu Shi had free time, she tried to come over and help with cooking, ensuring Xiang Ling didn’t rely on takeout every day. Homemade meals were better for recovery and overall health.
“I also brought Ning Xue’s case files with me.”
Yu Shi lifted the lid, letting a wave of steam escape. She turned off the electric stove and transferred the stir-fried broccoli to a plate.
As a police captain, accessing old investigation files was relatively straightforward. The detective originally in charge had retired and was likely enjoying his retirement in the countryside. Probably not someone they wanted to disturb unnecessarily. If questions remained after reviewing the files, they might have to visit him in person. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.
After finishing dinner, Xiang Ling sat on the sofa flipping through case files. After a quick scan, she found no useful leads. The only suspicious detail was that Ning Xue’s phone was missing. It hadn’t been found at school or at home. Xiang Ling remembered that the boy with eyeglasses had encountered Ning Xue in the red-light district early in the year, shortly after the class photo was taken. Ning Xue’s suicide had occurred around mid-year. If her phone had been lost early in the year, it was unlikely a kid of that age could go months without one.
So, where had Ning Xue’s phone gone?
Xiang Ling clutched her head and let out an unintelligible groan. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she grabbed her laptop and began searching the internet. By the time Yu Shi finished tidying up in the kitchen and walked out, Xiang Ling already had over a dozen browser tabs open.
“Any progress?” Yu Shi asked.
“A little.” Xiang Ling patted the sofa beside her, gesturing for Yu Shi to sit down. She then turned the laptop screen toward her and said, “Take a look at this. Does it match what the boy with eyeglasses described?”
Yu Shi stared intently at the image on the screen before replying, “It does!”
“Do you remember the story of Eden I told you about?” After Yu Shi nodded, Xiang Ling continued, “This drawing was made by someone depicting the tree from Eden.”
“So Ning Xue’s death really is connected to the story of Eden.”
Yu Shi rested her chin on her hand. She had also found it strange that Ning Xue’s phone had disappeared. During the initial investigation, even her parents hadn’t known about the missing phone.
“Wait a moment…” Xiang Ling typed “Eden” and “chat room” into the search bar. After scrolling through dozens of pages, she finally found a low-traffic link.
Clicking the link led to an inquiry post. The question read: Does anyone know of a chat app with an opening animation of a tree?
I suspect my dad is cheating. He never used to set a password on his phone, but now even my mom can’t access it.
Below the post, there was only one comment. The user replied: The app is called Eden, but I advise you not to look for it. You probably won’t find it anyway. Also, I’m pretty sure your dad isn’t cheating, so don’t worry about it.
“Why is this person so vague…” Xiang Ling muttered to herself, then clicked on the commenter’s profile, only to find the account had been deactivated.
“He did it on purpose, didn’t he? He’s so sure the poster won’t find it, yet he gives the app’s name and tells him not to look. Is this how young people are these days? And how does he know the dad isn’t cheating?” Yu Shi turned her head sharply. Xiang Ling gave her a look that said, “Why are you looking at me?”
“At least we now know there really is a chat app called Eden, and it’s quite mysterious. It might require some special channel to get the download link or something.”
Just then, Yu Shi received a phone call. After a brief conversation, she excused herself and left. Xiang Ling watched the door close before turning her attention back to the laptop.
The post was made early last year, meaning that, under ideal circumstances, the app might still exist. Since it couldn’t be found openly, the only option was to search in the shadows.
In other words, the dark web.
Since the software was created, its purpose is to be used by someone. And since it’s not something you can easily find on the surface web, it’s highly likely that the creator didn’t want it to be publicly available. However, if they need users, there must be a way to attract them.
She had never used the dark web before. Now that she thought about it, she wasn’t a professional, so it wasn’t something she could just waltz into. She ended up looking up a lot of tutorials and videos. Following the instructions step by step, she installed the software gradually. After failing a few times without understanding why, she finally entered the underground network world that ordinary people never get to see.
She searched for information about the Eden chatroom as usual. She couldn’t find the software itself, but there were several forum posts discussing it. Some comments claimed the app was essentially a pornographic platform, specifically offering videos and photos, no different from ordinary adult websites. Other users mentioned having tried it, suspecting the software secretly monitored phones and locations. They also noted it was particularly expensive and advised uninstalling it in favor of regular adult sites.
After reading through all the related posts, no one mentioned where to download the software. It was all complaints.
Feeling helpless, Xiang Ling registered an account on the forum and posted a question. Glancing at the time, she realized it was already 1 a.m. Unknowingly, she had been staring at the computer for hours. She logged off and shut down the computer. She lay on the sofa, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.
When she woke up, it was past 9 a.m. She casually turned on the computer and checked the website. Several people had sent her links, but clicking on them led to ordinary video sites. Some users even advised her not to use that chat app, joking that if she had money to spare, she might as well give it to them.
After reading all the replies, she noticed a private message. Opening it, she saw a message from a user with a garbled nickname asking why she wanted to use Eden. The timestamp showed it was sent over three hours ago.
She clicked on the user’s account but couldn’t see anything. It was a private account. She figured this person must have a different perspective from the others and might even know how to download the app. So, she replied, “I’ve got money and just want to see something exciting.”
As soon as she sent it, she wondered if it sounded too rude. But the message was quickly marked as read. Perhaps her reply had hit the right note, as the other person responded almost immediately, asking, “Eden doesn’t cater to ordinary people. How can you prove yourself?”
The question left Xiang Ling stunned, partly because her mind wasn’t fully awake yet, but mostly because she couldn’t understand what the other person meant. How was she supposed to prove she wasn’t ordinary? Did they want her to send a screenshot of her bank balance to prove she was rich? And she wasn’t rich at all. It was all a lie.
Was Yu Shi wealthy? Maybe she could ask Yu Shi to send a screenshot of her bank account?
After a long silence with no reply, the other person added, “I mean, do you have anything that proves you’re different from others?”
Xiang Ling cursed inwardly: How is that any different from what you just said?
After some thought, she turned her attention to her private folder. The things in her folder weren’t meant to be seen by others, and most people probably wouldn’t want to see them anyway. As soon as the idea crossed her mind, she opened the folder, apologized and explained to the photos, selected one, blurred the face with a mosaic, and sent it.
After a long while, the other person replied, “Exciting. Do you have one without the mosaic?”
Xiang Ling mentally beat the person up. She didn’t even want to send the blurred version, let alone an unblurred one. So, she replied, “Do you think I’d easily share my private collection with you?”
Another five minutes passed with no response. Just as Xiang Ling thought the conversation was dead, the other person sent her a picture. It was a QR code, along with the message, “This QR code is valid for one hour.”
Xiang Ling first saved a screenshot of the QR code. Instead of scanning it immediately, she pondered whether this QR code was related to the one Yang San left and whether it might have been tampered with. For instance, if it could only be scanned once. If she rashly scanned it now, could the software have hidden functions, such as monitoring or tracking the phone?
If she were to download this software, she would have only one chance. She absolutely could not install it on her phone for daily use.
Once she made up her mind, she struggled to climb up to the second-floor bedroom, retrieved a spare empty phone from the bedside cabinet, and then carefully returned to the sofa on the ground floor. Using the empty phone, she scanned the QR code.
After scanning, a webpage popped up. The page was simple, with only a download button for “Eden”. She initially wanted to take a screenshot, but the phone displayed a message saying screenshots were not allowed on this page. So, she had no choice but to copy down the URL character by character and then download the software.
Sure enough, after Xiang Ling downloaded the software and tried scanning the QR code again, the webpage could no longer be found. Thankfully, she had thought one step ahead. Otherwise, how could she have asked the other party to resend it?
The software icon depicted a snake, white on a black background. Xiang Ling didn’t open it immediately. Instead, she tore off some tape and covered the front and rear cameras before tapping to open it. She thought to herself that if the software could secretly monitor the user’s location, there was nothing she could do about it.
The opening animation of the software was a tree, just as the boy with eyeglasses had described—half black and half white, with leaves on one side and withered branches on the other.
After the opening animation, a blank chat page appeared. After a brief exploration, it seemed no different from other chat apps. It had all the standard features, and even some that shouldn’t be there, such as the ability to set passwords for specific chat rooms. Overall, the page design was relatively simple.
Suddenly, her phone chimed. She received a message from the only contact in her friends list, named Xiao Hua.
“Dear user, welcome to Eden!
Would you like to choose the 1,000 yuan three-month premium package or the 2,000 yuan three-month standard package?”
Xiang Ling thought for a moment. The software asking for money right off the bat seemed anything but normal. She wasn’t sure whether this Xiao Hua was a system or a real person, so she decided to test the waters first and replied, “What’s the difference between these two packages?”
Xiao Hua replied, “The standard package offers more and higher-level content than the premium package.”
After confirming that the other party was a real person, Xiang Ling asked, “Besides these two packages, are there any others?”
Xiao Hua replied again, “For new users, we currently only offer these two packages.”
In other words, there were other options. But as a newcomer, she wasn’t being introduced to them. So, Xiang Ling chose the standard package. Starting with the more expensive one, she could always ask about the cheaper one later.
Suddenly, Xiao Hua wrote, “As we are currently undergoing reforms, please provide proof of being male.”
Where was she supposed to get proof of being male out of the blue? Random images found online definitely wouldn’t work. So, she put down the phone and picked up her daily-use phone. She went to the bathroom, closed the door, and made a call.
Yu Shi was in the middle of a conversation with Li Yu when Xiang Ling suddenly called. As soon as the call connected, Xiang Ling asked if there were any men around her. Yu Shi replied, “Yes, Li Yu is here.” Li Yu had originally greeted them and was about to leave the office. But upon hearing his name, he stayed put.
Xiang Ling rubbed her forehead and asked, “Does he have a lot of leg hair?”
Yu Shi was completely baffled. “Why are you asking that?”
“I’ll explain later. It’s urgent. Please take a photo of Li Yu’s leg hair, just his legs, and try not to include too much of the surroundings. Send it to me as soon as you take it.” With that, Xiang Ling hung up, leaving Yu Shi feeling awkward.
“Is it for me?” Seeing his partner’s strange expression, Li Yu thought something had happened.
Yu Shi blurted out, “I need to take a photo of your leg hair.”
Xiang Ling didn’t have to wait long before the photo arrived. She excused herself from Yu Shi, imported the photo into her backup phone, and sent the leg-hair photo to Xiao Hua.
“Why did it take so long?” Xiao Hua asked.
Xiang Ling replied, “Give me a moment to prepare mentally. I almost took my pants off…”
Xiao Hua responded with a string of ellipses, then wrote, “Please prepare 2,000 yuan in cash, mark it with your assigned number, and deliver it to the following location by 2 PM today. Once the cash is confirmed, you will be granted access to the chat room.”
Xiang Ling checked the user page in the app, where a six-digit number appeared to be randomly assigned. If it were assigned in order of usage, the number of users on this app would be staggering.
Realizing she had to go out today, Xiang Ling withdrew cash from an ATM, placed it in a small white envelope, and wrote her assigned number on it. Following the address, she arrived at the designated drop-off point. It was a password-protected storage locker in an underground station.
Near the station, she found a young man who looked idle, held onto his ID, and paid him 100 yuan to place a toy box containing the money envelope into the storage locker.
From a distance, Xiang Ling watched as the young man indeed placed the box inside. She then returned his ID and paid him the 100 yuan as agreed. After that, she left the underground station.
Later, Xiang Ling spent some money online to install anti-surveillance software on her phone, which effectively eliminated concerns that the app was eavesdropping on her conversations near the phone. However, she still didn’t remove the tape covering the camera.
Shortly after 3 PM, she received an invitation from Xiao Hua. After confirming, she successfully joined a chat group named “Room No. 2”. Along with her, three other new members joined. The three immediately greeted everyone, and Xiang Ling followed suit.
After that, there was some kind of welcoming ritual for new members in the group, with questions being asked. Eventually, the conversation turned to how everyone had joined. Some said they had sent proof of their bank deposits, others mentioned cutting themselves a few times, and some admitted to sharing secretly recorded videos.
After chatting for a while without getting to the point, Xiang Ling asked, “What can you see with the standard package?”
A helpful group member replied, “Just adult videos.”
Then, another new member asked, “What about the premium package? If it’s just ordinary videos here, wouldn’t it be better to go for the premium package?”
Xiang Ling became intrigued by this question. To this day, she still didn’t know the specific differences between the two membership tiers. If this place were just ordinary adult content, what made it any different from other websites?
“The standard tier is child’s play. You can only watch low-level content, like secretly filming under girls’ skirts. Honestly, I found it boring after joining, so I asked the group admin to upgrade me. This place is much more interesting.”
“Exactly! It’s so much better here. If you’re interested, you can even contribute content yourself. The group admin will even give you a discount on your fees.”
Xiang Ling quietly began recording all the information on her computer. Suddenly, her phone vibrated repeatedly. She glanced at it. Someone in the group had posted several photos. The content showed a woman whose face was not visible, and even the background was blurred. The woman’s attire wasn’t particularly revealing, just a loose, casual T-shirt and shorts.
The group member who posted the photos asked, “What do you all think of my new wife?”
The group immediately exploded with activity. Everyone rushed to comment, delving into inappropriate territory, with some even expressing fantasies and envy. Xiang Ling felt a surge of disgust and anger rising within her, but she restrained herself and blended into the discussion to avoid raising suspicion. After typing several “+1″s to show agreement, she originally wanted to take screenshots of the chat history, but discovered that the app didn’t allow screenshots on any page. Instead, she used her camera to take photos for future evidence.
The group had a maximum capacity of 100 members. With just this one group, Xiao Hua could earn 200,000 yuan, not to mention other groups. Currently, there were at least two known groups, and it was unclear if there were more. If there were many groups like this, earning millions per month wouldn’t be a problem.
The discussion in the group continued, growing increasingly frenzied. Xiang Ling felt psychologically uncomfortable and stopped looking.
“So this is why you asked me to take photos of Li Yu’s leg hair?”
Yu Shi held up the phone with the Eden app installed and asked. She had come over after work because of this matter. Li Yu had been giving her confused looks all day.
Resting her chin on her hand, Xiang Ling stared intently at the computer. “Xiao Hua said they’re undergoing reforms and only catering to men. If it’s because of Yang San, that makes sense. Before this, they didn’t strictly verify users’ genders. But after Yang San’s identity was exposed, they had to tighten security.”
“These people are monsters in human clothing, aren’t they? Look at this and that. They can even discuss their own wives and daughters for everyone to see. They’re simply not human.” Yu Shi grew angrier as she read the chat history.
“Even so, we can’t hand this over to the police just yet. Yang San has been investigating for a long time. It’s definitely not that simple. I think we need to dig deeper, especially since we don’t know the real-world identities of these users. If there are big fish involved, things could get complicated.”
Yu Shi sighed and asked, “So you didn’t find out who picked up the money bag today either?”
“No. I was worried that the phone could be secretly tracking my location. Plus, with my leg injured and being new to this, I can’t afford to raise any suspicion.”
She was fairly certain about the phone tracking issue. If Yang San’s death was connected to Eden, and considering her impression of Yang San as cautious—if she never revealed her identity or address in conversation—then the only way the other party could have obtained her location was through phone tracking.
“That is a problem, especially for you, living alone. If someone disguises themselves as a food delivery person or a courier, you’d be done for as soon as you open the door.”
This was indeed a legitimate concern. Women living alone were already easy targets, and Xiang Ling was injured on top of that. Even after recovering, she wouldn’t be able to take on three people at once like she could.
“For now, there’s no need to worry about that. As long as I don’t slip up and pay on time, it shouldn’t be a big issue.”
But the next payment was due in three months, which felt far too long for her.
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Saturday: [0/5]
Sunday: [0/5]
