POTL Chapter 9

Yu Shi woke up at home and glanced at the time. It was still early before the scheduled appointment.

She leisurely took a shower. Didn’t bother tying up her hair, she changed into comfortable clothes, and headed out, driving to Xiang Ling’s place. Today was her day off. She was taking Xiang Ling to the hospital to have the cast on her foot removed.

Arriving at the apartment building, she made a quick call to notify Xiang Ling, then sat in the car, lost in thought.

Recently, their team had been assigned a case involving a nightclub brawl where two thugs were killed. Her team had been working around the clock for a while, apprehending several suspects and troublemakers, and incidentally seizing a box of drugs that hadn’t yet been traded. As a result, their superiors granted Yu Shi’s team a four-day break. The others had agreed not to disturb each other during these four days, each enjoying their well-deserved vacation.

After removing the cast at the hospital, they went to the underground station they had visited before. Xiang Ling used her usual method to bribe a homeless person to place the money bag into a storage locker. Once it was confirmed to be inside, the two found a secluded spot. They sat on a bench with their legs crossed, sipping drinks while keeping a close eye on the locker.

People came and went in the underground station, with passengers changing in waves. Finally, around two in the afternoon, they spotted a man wearing a baseball cap sneaking over to open the storage locker, the very one where they had placed the money.

Yu Shi set down her drink and stood up. Xiang Ling reminded her to be careful before blending into the crowd to follow the man.

It had only been a month since they last placed the money inside. Originally, she shouldn’t have paid the fee so soon. But when she tentatively asked yesterday if an upgrade was possible, Xiao Hua said it was. As long as she paid more, she could be switched to another room.

About half an hour later, Xiang Ling saw Yu Shi walking toward her against the flow of the crowd. Seeing her shake her head, Xiang Ling knew they had come up empty-handed. The two slowly made their way back to the car.

Xiang Ling bent down and rubbed her ankle, which had thinned after the cast was removed. The doctor said there would be some pain when she started walking again, but it would get better with time. She still felt a bit stiff and unaccustomed to it.

“After the guy took the bag, I followed him to the second underground level and saw his hands were empty. He probably handed it off to someone else along the way. He’s most likely just a courier, not Xiao Hua.”

Yu Shi recounted what had happened. Additionally, the surveillance system at the underground station was relatively weak, with coverage limited to key areas. The route she had taken while following the man had no cameras. Clearly, their opponent had studied the place well.

“Then we’ll just have to go back and see what kind of room they upgraded us to.” Today, she hadn’t brought that phone with her.

In the end, when the two saw what kind of room Xiao Hua had switched them to, they couldn’t help but feel stunned. The original “Room 2” had been removed and disappeared, replaced by “Room 3”. Seeing the content being disseminated inside, they truly realized how utterly devoid of a moral bottom line some people could be.

Xiang Ling furrowed her brows, beginning to wonder if she should report the situation. Yu Shi saw right through her thoughts and said, “It’s not time yet.”

It’s not the right time yet. The situation with Eden is murky. Until they can be one hundred percent certain that the mastermind behind it will be caught, they cannot expose Eden. If the mastermind isn’t apprehended this time, he can easily start over. As long as people are willing to participate, he can continue using similar software to commit crimes.

“I’m telling you, once I catch the culprit, I’m going to beat him so badly even his own mother won’t recognize him.”

“If that day ever comes, I’ll keep watch for you and testify on your behalf afterward.”

The phone kept replaying a certain unspeakable video. The victim lay unconscious on the bed, completely at the mercy of others. The video didn’t show either person’s face. In the group chat, people began discussing it one after another, filling it with vulgar language and mind-boggling remarks. Some even praised the group admin. For a moment, it felt like demons were running wild. The two of them didn’t know how long this group had existed or how many similar videos there were. They only knew this place wasn’t for normal people.

Silently collecting evidence, Xiang Ling suddenly felt a bit dazed. How much longer would she have to lie low in here? In a flash, she thought of Yang San, who might have endured the same way. Holding out for three years, only to end up like this. She turned to look at the black curtain. She was still stuck in place.

“You won’t end up like her,” Yu Shi said calmly, staring at the empty ceiling.

Xiang Ling’s corner of her mouth curled up, the gloom in her heart instantly dissipating. “I’ll take your word for it.”

After lying low for two more days, the group admin maintained the routine of uploading one video per day to manage the group. Yu Shi, whose apartment had a burst pipe and would be without water for several days while repairs were underway, ended up staying at Xiang Ling’s place. The sofa became her sleeping spot.

Around ten o’clock that day, the group admin uploaded another video with the note: “Fresh out of the oven.” Exchanging a glance, they opened the video. The content showed a group of people surrounding a student, hurling insults at them, even dragging the student into an alley and forcing them to strip, crawl on the ground, and bark like a dog. The video was long, nearly ten minutes. The student was brutally beaten. At one point, someone in the frame pulled out a small knife and waved it in front of the camera. Whether it was used or not was unclear. It flashed across the screen for just a moment before the student collapsed on the ground, unconscious. It was unknown whether they were still alive.

Many people asked if the student was still alive. The group admin gave an ambiguous reply: “They’re not dead yet, but if they’re discovered any later, who knows.”

Then people started attacking the victim’s appearance and mocking the actions they were forced to perform. Some even said it would be best if they weren’t found, wondering if there would be news about it the next day.

Just then, a group member sent a voice message. Xiang Ling was puzzled. Although the app had a voice message feature, no one had ever used it or dared to.

As soon as the voice message was opened, a furious roar erupted, forcing Xiang Ling to hold the phone away: “You motherfucker, that’s my son! How dare you touch him! You little bastard, come out! I’ll kill you!”

For a moment, the group fell silent. No one said another word, leaving only the group member who claimed to be the victim’s father sending one voice message after another. While Xiang Ling asked Yu Shi to analyze the video, she kept an eye on the group’s activity.

Suddenly, the group owner opened a live voice chat. Immediately, the online members who had been eagerly spectating joined in. Xiang Ling was no exception. She quickly opened the recording app on her phone, ready to capture the entire conversation.

Both of them held their breath, waiting. The victim’s father also joined the live voice chat and became even more unrestrained, demanding that the group owner show himself. Then, an abrupt electronic voice chimed in: “This user, please mind your language.”

Yu Shi mouthed the words: “Voice changer.” Xiang Ling nodded and continued listening.

“You better tell me right now where my son is! If anything happens to him, I won’t let you off!”

“You should think carefully about your own position. Who won’t let whom off?” Xiao Hua continued in a tone dripping with contempt. “Not just you, but all the users here. What your identities are in real life and how you appear here, no one knows better than yourselves and me. You threaten me without even considering your own situation.”

“Go to hell! Out of all people, why did you have to pick my son?”

“This user, watch your language. Don’t make me say it a third time! Besides, what makes your son any different from anyone else? I’ve seen how excited you get watching videos, commenting, and judging. Why is it different when it’s your own son? Your son is your son, but aren’t other people’s children also someone’s children?”

“I don’t care what you say. Tell me where my son is right now, or I’ll call the police!”

“Would you dare? What identity would you use to report to the police? The victim’s father, or a member of this chatroom? You call the police, and then what? Can your son accept that his own father is a user in this chatroom, the very person who caused him harm? Can your wife accept that her husband secretly watches these pornographic, violent, and bloody videos behind her back every day? If what you’ve said in this group were made public, how do you think your life would turn out, Professor Chen?”

The two exchanged a knowing glance for a second. It seemed Xiao Hua truly had a grasp on the users’ identities.

After that, the victim’s father fell completely silent. He had heard every word the group owner said. Once his rationality returned even slightly, he would realize he had no grounds to utter any words of condemnation.

There’s a saying: without demand, there would be no harm. Everything is built on the foundation of demand. It’s precisely because there are people who want to watch that such chatrooms can exist.

“Now, I’m giving you only one choice: delete the app, then shut up and live your life quietly from now on. As compensation, I’ll tell you your son’s location.”

“Deal!”

“It’s not a deal. It’s a path I’m leaving open for you out of pity alone. As for the other users, I guarantee that next time, I’ll avoid selecting your family members. You can continue using Eden with peace of mind.” With that, Xiao Hua exited the live voice chat.

Xiang Ling also left the live voice chat. For now, she didn’t need to worry about the student’s safety. At least she could be assured that he was likely still alive. After all, if Xiao Hua had actually killed the man’s son, the father might have done something to endanger himself. Leaving someone a way out is also leaving a way out for oneself.

Yu Shi captured the student’s appearance from the video footage and focused intently on the school emblem on the uniform. She quickly confirmed it belonged to a prestigious local high school called Chengwang High School. The two of them immediately decided to visit the school the next day to find the student.

The following day, after classes had begun, they obtained a visitor’s pass and entered the campus, heading straight for the teachers’ office. Most of the teachers were already in class, leaving only a handful of people in the office. They approached a random teacher and asked whether the teacher recognized the student in the photo.

The teacher was young and looked at Yu Shi and Xiang Ling with suspicion. “I’m sorry, I’m new here and don’t know this student. Maybe you could ask our academic affairs director,” she said, waving over the director who happened to be passing by.

The academic affairs director walked over and asked, “Who are you looking for?”

Knowing the director wouldn’t easily reveal the student’s name, Xiang Ling handed over her business card and spun a fabricated story: “Hello, I’m a journalist. Yesterday, I accidentally lost my camera, and this student helped me find it. I wanted to come and personally thank him.”

The director examined the card, seemingly skeptical of its authenticity, then looked at the two women’s sincere, friendly smiles. After deciding they meant no harm, he said, “Student Chen is absent today. You’ve come at a bad time. Perhaps you could come back another day.”

The director didn’t provide the student’s full name. His tone made it clear they should leave. Just as they thanked him and reached the doorway, a teacher in the distance waved a piece of paper and called out, “Director, Chen Changming, the father of Chen Liao from Class 1, Grade 10, has submitted a one-week leave request. Please handle it.”

“Just leave it on my desk,” the director replied.

The two women exchanged a knowing glance and left. Xiang Ling pulled out her phone and searched online for Professor Chen Changming. Several entries appeared. Clicking on one, she found a post on a social media platform tagged with Professor Chen Changming. After checking the poster’s information, she quickly identified which university the student attended.

“The internet is such a convenient thing,” Xiang Ling remarked sincerely.

“The name on the business card you gave just now was Li Yan?” Yu Shi had caught a glimpse earlier.

“Besides that one, I also have cards for Zhang Que, Wang He, and Zhao Ying. I never use my real name outside.”

She could easily produce a stack of similar business cards, with the contact number listed being Jiang Xue’s office line.

“You’re really something. What if someone actually calls the newspaper to verify?”

“Of course, I’ve already informed them. If anyone confirms my identity, as long as it’s a single animal name, Jiang Xue will vouch for me.”

If she ever encountered a situation where someone asked to see her ID, she wouldn’t resort to forging one. Instead, she’d pretend she had accidentally given out a colleague’s card and then provide a real one.

Such situations didn’t happen often, of course, since IDs weren’t something people casually showed to others.

Once in the car, Xiang Ling fiddled with her seatbelt and said, “Seriously, when we’re together, our luck multiplies.”

Whether it was the coincidence of them overhearing Professor Chen Changming earlier or the sudden conflict that erupted in the group chat last night, both incidents happened when the two of them were together. Before that, she had been lurking alone in “Room 2” for a month without any unexpected breakthroughs.

“Talk about luck—it’s like the whole building collapsed on us,” Yu Shi grumbled. An opportunity like this might only come once in a lifetime.

They drove to Chengwang University. Chengwang was known in the city for its seamless educational services, offering direct progression from elementary and middle school to high school and university. Chen Changming served as a professor at Chengwang University. His son, Chen Liao, could enroll directly at the university where his father worked after graduating from Chengwang High School.

The two inquired at the front desk about Professor Chen Changming’s office. The staff informed them that Chen Changming was currently in class and would finish in about fifteen minutes. So, they headed to the professor’s office to wait. University professors typically had private offices to avoid disturbing one another.

After waiting nearly twenty minutes, they finally saw a man in the distance walking toward them, carrying teaching materials.

When Chen Changming noticed two people standing in front of his office, both wearing baseball caps and masks, he sensed trouble. Wondering who they were and why they were looking for him, one of them spoke up: “How’s your son doing?”

The tone sounded eerie. Realizing something was wrong, he nervously glanced around to make sure no one else was listening, then quickly took out his keys and opened the door. He ushered them inside.

Xiang Ling whispered, “Why did you start off threatening him like that?”

“No, I had a frog in my throat…” Yu Shi whispered back in explanation, then pulled Xiang Ling into the office.

Once inside, they locked the door and worked together to restrain Chen Changming and search his person. Finally, they found a phone in his jacket pocket. Yu Shi powered it off, removed the SIM card, and asked, “Any others?”

Chen Changming shook his head frantically. “No, no, just this one phone. Who are you? Why are you looking for me?” He swallowed nervously, especially since the first thing they mentioned was his son. It was hard not to think about what had happened the night before.

“We know everything you’ve been doing behind the scenes. We also know what happened to your son,” Xiang Ling deliberately lowered her voice.

“You…”

“We just want to ask you a few things. You need to tell us everything without holding back. If you hide anything, I can’t guarantee what I might do.” Xiang Ling showed Chen Changming a screenshot of his son’s video on the spot.

Chen Changming grabbed his hair. He thought he could stay out of trouble by leaving Eden, but what were these two after? Were they going to expose him? Blackmail him? Threaten his life? Whatever it was, he was at their mercy. It was clear they knew everything about him.

“Tell us everything you know about Eden.” They pushed him into a chair. Both Xiang Ling and Yu Shi pulled up chairs to sit.

“I promised I wouldn’t say anything, or my life would be over,” Chen Changming said, his hair now a mess from his frantic tugging. He was struggling internally.

“If you don’t talk, your life is over right now.” Xiang Ling played the audio she had recorded the night before. Chen Changming’s furious outburst in the real-time voice chat, stripped of any professorial dignity, dragged him back to reality.

He anxiously tried to grab Xiang Ling’s hand, but she dodged it. Avoiding eye contact, he whispered, “I know. Keep your voice down. I’m afraid others might hear.”

Xiang Ling turned off the audio as he wished. Both she and Yu Shi fell silent, waiting for him to speak first. Chen Changming trembled as he gulped down an entire bottle of water, then, in a shaky, hoarse voice, began to recount the whole story.

Chen Changming had initially been an ordinary university professor who kept to his duties. Due to his profession, he had to present himself as a kind, approachable, and dedicated professor. It wasn’t that this personality was entirely fabricated. He simply believed that as a professor, he should embody these traits, and so he naturally adopted this demeanor when facing his students. He was well-liked by his students and had excellent relationships with his colleagues. However, he was also an ordinary man with a family, a career, and desires. In private, he would browse adult websites and watch explicit videos.

The turning point occurred half a year ago. While browsing an adult website, a pop-up advertisement suddenly appeared on his screen, displaying a QR code. Out of curiosity, he scanned it and inadvertently downloaded Eden. After Xiao Hua explained the platform to him, he, for reasons he couldn’t quite understand, paid to join and was immediately added to “Room 3”. At first, he felt uncomfortable, as if he were committing a crime. His conscience tormented him. But since he had already paid, he felt it would be a waste to back out, so he reluctantly continued to participate.

He didn’t know when it started, but he found himself checking the group more and more frequently and engaging in chats with increasing regularity. Standing in front of his classroom, looking at the students seated before him, he felt the constant vibration of his phone in his pocket, reminding him that he was part of a secret unknown to others. These students, still untainted by the harsh realities of society, trusted everything he said, naively and simply believing they understood the character of the professor standing before them.

He began to feel a sense of superiority.

It seemed as if he had been suppressing himself for a long time. Everyone in the group was like him. He felt that people’s innermost thoughts were laid bare in this criminal group. They weren’t wrong. They were simply revealing their truest selves. So, his fingers kept tapping on the keyboard, saying things he would never dare utter in normal circumstances. Among their own kind, they could freely vent, mock, and unleash their malice because the subjects in the videos had no connection to them.

They had paid for the right to vent and seek pleasure. Nothing more.

“Until your son got involved.”

Until his son got involved.

He had never imagined that one day he would see his own family or friends in those videos. He had never considered this possibility, selfishly believing that the victims would always be strangers, that such a day would never come.

The words Xiao Hua had spoken the night before were now deeply etched in his heart. Why were other people’s children acceptable, but not his own?

Just like what happened in the group chat yesterday, his child was beaten and humiliated in the video, yet the others in the group continued as usual, using extremely insulting language to comment, fantasize, mock, and vent, just as he always did. Only this time, the target was his own child.

Only then did he realize that everything he had done would eventually come back to haunt him. The world he lived in was the same world as his family and friends.

So he accepted Xiao Hua’s suggestion. He quit Eden, deleted the app, and decided to keep quiet and live his life in peace from then on. But as it turned out, he couldn’t so easily distance himself from it all. What he had done wouldn’t just disappear just because he deleted the app and pretended it never happened.

“It’s known that Eden has three rooms. Did you know there’s a fourth?” Xiang Ling asked.

“I once met someone offline who accidentally saw the app on my phone and told me a bit about Room 4.” Actually, that person had originally intended to persuade him not to use the app. “He said Room 4 is different from the others. It’s a game room. The people inside are playing with their lives.”

That’s why, even though he knew about upgrading, he never asked Xiao Hua about moving to a different room.

“Did that person say anything else?” Yu Shi asked. If they could identify this person, they might be able to gather more clues.

“No. He said he couldn’t handle it and quit. I don’t know him either. We only met that one time by chance.” Chen Changming lowered his head, unsure whether the two in front of him were satisfied with his answer. “I’ve told you everything I know. Can you let me go now? I really want to live a proper life from now on and never get involved in this bullshit again.”

“Then do your part and forget that anyone came to see you today.” Without directly addressing his plea, Xiang Ling and Yu Shi stood up, preparing to leave.

“I’ll forget. I won’t remember it even on my deathbed!” Chen Changming knelt before these two deities. As long as they didn’t expose him, he was willing to do anything.

Ignoring Chen Changming’s kneeling, the two turned his phone back on and checked whether the app had been deleted. After returning the phone to its owner, they left. The moment they opened the door, Chen Changming immediately scrambled back to his chair, pretending nothing had happened, terrified that someone outside might have seen him kneeling just then.

“What do you think of his sincerity?” Xiang Ling asked softly, tilting her head.

“Even though I was taught to be forgiving since childhood, criminals aren’t within the scope of my forgiveness.” Yu Shi paused, then suddenly asked, “Did you just promise him something?”

“No.”

“Good.”

Now that they had confirmed the existence of “Room 4”, they could proceed to the next step.

Xiang Ling took the initiative to contact Xiao Hua: “You there?”

After a long while, Xiao Hua replied, “What’s up?”

Xiang Ling raised an eyebrow and wrote, “Honestly, what’s the deal with your app? It doesn’t seem any different from other websites!”

“I’m all ears.”

Xiang Ling cracked her knuckles and stretched her neck, then typed, “I may have money, but I’m not about to waste it like this. I thought upgrading would show me something different, but it’s been three days, and all I’ve seen are dead-fish-like adult videos and kids getting beaten up?”

Xiang Ling resisted the urge to slap herself, reminding herself it was all for the sake of catching the mastermind behind this.

“What do you want to see? Isn’t that enough? You’ve got some heavy tastes, bro.”

“Do you have anything more exciting?”

Xiao Hua didn’t reply for a full five minutes, likely considering the question carefully.

Thinking it over, Xiang Ling added another line: “If you don’t have it, just say so. People might think you’re the only one in the industry, making it all mysterious to join. I saw forums full of warnings not to use it, and now I realize I was blind.”

This time, Xiao Hua replied quickly: “I’m afraid you can’t handle anything more exciting.”

Yu Shi made an ambiguous sound. This Xiao Hua character had quite a tough personality, but was easily provoked.

“Just name the price.”

“I can do without your money. The photos you sent me last time, high-definition and uncensored, use those to cover your upgrade fee.”

For a moment, the air fell silent. Xiang Ling was conflicted. Yu Shi asked, “Photos? High-definition and uncensored? Hmm?”

“No, it sounds completely different coming from your mouth. It’s not what you’re thinking.” Xiang Ling hadn’t expected Xiao Hua to make such a request.

“Then what is it?” Yu Shi widened her eyes, waiting for an explanation.

This time, it was Xiang Ling who didn’t reply. She was torn. Those photos weren’t bargaining chips to be casually exchanged. Xiao Hua seemed to realize something too and turned the tables, saying, “You’re nothing special anyway, trying to play some thrilling game. You probably just got lucky finding those photos somewhere, right?”

Xiang Ling ran her fingers through her hair a few times and finally replied, “Deal!”

It was only later that Yu Shi learned the photos mentioned in Xiang Ling and Xiao Hua’s conversation were pictures of corpses. They were photos Xiang Ling had taken since becoming a journalist. She usually didn’t use high-definition, uncensored versions for her reports but kept them in a private folder. Once stored, she wouldn’t open them unless absolutely necessary, using them solely for investigative research.

“I’ll give you some time to organize the photos. In two days, go to the following location to pick up the USB drive I’ve prepared. Store the photos in it and notify me. I’ll retrieve it. After confirming, I’ll upgrade your access.”

“Two days to prepare a USB drive? Sounds like he’s planning to tamper with it.”

Yu Shi knew very well that the other party could simply have given them an email address to send the photos to.

“Like you said, he might be trying to investigate my identity. Besides, if we just send the photos, the quality will be compressed.” After saying this, Yu Shi added a few more lines: “Those are my treasures. How can I be sure you’ll keep your promise after receiving the photos?”

She needed to position herself as passive, creating the illusion that the other party was in control.

Xiao Hua was arrogant and replied, “Then you don’t have to give them. Keep your treasures and admire them yourself. Eden doesn’t lack you as a client.”

“Hope you can at least uphold some professional ethics.”

Both of them smiled meaningfully. Although the process wasn’t quite what they had imagined, they had finally hooked the big fish.

While the photos couldn’t be faked, she hadn’t agreed to include the deceased’s faces. She spent considerable effort removing any identifiable features from the bodies. All the corpse photos were headless. She also hired a programmer on the dark web to buy a tracking program, which she embedded in the photos.

Two days later, Xiao Hua notified Xiang Ling that he had placed the USB drive in a specific location. During work hours, Yu Shi stole a moment, and Xiang Ling drove a rented car to pick her up from the police station. Both disguised themselves as much as possible, wearing baseball caps with hoods pulled up and masks covering most of their faces. At first glance, they looked like two suspicious men.

Yu Shi was responsible for retrieving the USB drive from a subway station locker. The two then drove in silence to a nearby internet café, notorious for its shady clientele. The staff at the counter was unfazed by their appearance and directed them to a private room.

After entering the private room, Yu Shi took out the tape she had brought and covered the built-in camera on the computer. Xiang Ling transferred all the photos from her USB drive to the internet cafe’s computer, then removed her own drive and inserted the one prepared by Xiao Hua, transferring the photos once again. After confirming that nothing remained on the internet cafe’s computer, the two left the cafe without a word and returned the USB drive to the subway station’s storage locker.

Xiang Ling dropped Yu Shi off at the police station, returned the rented car, and immediately went home. She had left her phone at home, worried that Xiao Hua could track her through software. The reason she had Yu Shi retrieve the USB drive was because she currently walked with a slight limp, making her too conspicuous. If Xiao Hua had arranged for someone to follow her, she wouldn’t be able to escape quickly. However, if the experienced Yu Shi went instead, it would be more advantageous. They avoided communicating throughout the process because they were concerned the USB drive might contain a tracking or listening device. They also had to guard against Xiao Hua planting a virus to monitor them through the internet cafe’s computer.

They truly took precautions against every conceivable danger, even questioning whether Xiao Hua was as thorough as they imagined. They thought like their enemy, ensuring they were flawless.

Opening the Eden software, Xiang Ling notified the other party and waited for a location to appear on the screen. The process worked like this: whenever someone used the USB drive, Xiang Ling would receive the user’s location. The virus wasn’t hidden in the USB drive itself but within one of the many photos. The programmer had thoughtfully designed it to evade all known antivirus software. So, unless Xiao Hua had developed his own new antivirus program, he would never detect it.

After waiting for several hours until Xiang Ling felt drowsy, the computer finally showed new activity. A string of numbers popped up in the previously black window. It was the current user’s IP address. Copying the entire string, Xiang Ling investigated and, using a map, pinpointed the user’s current location. With just one glance, she felt a chill run down her spine.

Because the location showed the user was at Chengwang University.

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