Someone is Following

"The forensic preliminary judgment is suicide."

Qi Huan? Meng Lan's eyes flickered. Gu Ye had an answer.

"Anyone else?" Meng Lan asked.

"Qi Huan, Li Xiaoqing... and a few others," Gu Ye said. He might not be meticulous in his thoughts, but he was too familiar with Meng Lan's expressions. This girl hardly concealed her true thoughts; she didn't bother to lie or hide. So Gu Ye concluded that Meng Lan had a connection with these two.

"Is that all?" Meng Lan asked.

Gu Ye didn't answer directly but asked, "Are you suggesting that there are others involved?"

Meng Lan remained silent.

She didn't know how to explain everything that had happened to her in the past few days. She didn't want to be seen as mentally ill. At this moment, she didn't know if revealing information about the hidden world would invite unnecessary harm, or if it would drag Gu Ye into it as well.

Although this was a good opportunity for honesty, she wouldn't take it after weighing the pros and cons.

"It seems you know something," Gu Ye sighed, sitting at the dining table and tasting the spare ribs soup made by He Wanwan. "Since you're unwilling to speak, I won't force you. But if I don't know what's going on, I can't protect you better."

Gu Ye concluded that He Wanwan also knew the ins and outs of the matter; otherwise, she wouldn't have avoided speaking and shown obvious signs of fear just now, constantly fidgeting with her clothes.

He looked at He Wanwan.

He Wanwan lowered her head and hurriedly left.

Gu Ye looked around. There was no sign of a second person living in this room, which meant that He Wanwan had moved in recently. Thinking of the recent murder case, his eyes flashed with a vague and ambiguous light.

"Wanwan, didn't you say you were going to make chestnut chocolate milk for me?" Meng Lan spoke up to ease the tension. "I'm still waiting for it."

"Oh, okay, I'll go now!"

When Meng Lan uttered the words "Wanwan," Gu Ye paused slightly.

Meng Lan didn't notice his expression and asked directly, "Just say it straight. What happened?"

Gu Ye thought for a moment. "You should know that I can't disclose information related to the case to you. It's against the rules."

Meng Lan knew he was hesitating. "You didn't disclose it to me. I'll ask first. Did someone die? Is this person someone in my social network? Have I interacted with them on social media or elsewhere?"

"So far, no," Gu Ye said.

"Did anything strange happen to him, like the cause of death?" Meng Lan asked again.

"The forensic preliminary judgment is suicide," Gu Ye said.

In the end, he decided to tell Meng Lan. He knew she would keep it confidential, and this case involved Meng Lan's safety.

"The deceased's name is Liu Ming, 35 years old, a human resources director at an Internet company. Based on our cross-referencing, he has no connection to you, Qi Huan, Li Xiaoqing, or even other missing persons."

"Just tell me who is involved," Meng Lan said.

"Qi Huan, Li Xiaoqing, Zhang Jinlong, Zhao Che, and you..."

"Wait, apart from me, have you contacted anyone else? Another question, how are we related to Liu Ming?"

"No, we can't reach anyone else. Qi Huan and Li Xiaoqing seem to have disappeared into thin air. Their families said the last time they saw them was four days ago, but because these two often work overtime due to work reasons, their families didn't immediately realize they were missing. A citywide search has been arranged. Liu Ming's colleague is named Zhao Che. I found his rented house; he hasn't disappeared, but he's mentally unstable," Gu Ye said.

"What's the situation?"

"Currently, Zhao Che's mental condition is not optimistic and requires the assistance of a psychiatrist. So, I haven't been able to get any useful information from him," Gu Ye said.

Meng Lan raised an eyebrow, looking like she had guessed something. "Go on."

!ChatGPT

Gu Ye took a sip of water and recounted everything that had happened recently: "Last week, Liu Ming reported to the police station that someone was following him. To be honest, the officers who received the report didn't pay much attention to it at the time. Firstly, Zhao Che wasn't a wealthy person, and secondly, because he was male. Men only account for 11.2% of all stalking cases, and targeted stalking is even less common."

This was indeed a negligence on their part.

"But at the time, we accompanied Mr. Liu Ming to his home to check, and there were no suspicious signs. We found through surveillance footage that Liu Ming had always walked home alone, with no evidence of being followed. When we presented all the evidence to Liu Ming, he insisted he wasn't crazy and that someone was trying to kill him. When we asked why someone would be after him, he was absolutely convinced. We suspected it was because their company had recently downsized, and the pressure had caused him to become mentally strained and experience hallucinations. We advised him to see a psychologist."

"Mm, did he go?"

"No, he didn't. A week later, he called us again, repeating only one sentence: 'He's back, he's standing outside my door watching me.' We responded promptly, but still found nothing." Gu Ye recalled. At the time, due to duty, he led the team. Five people simultaneously ascended the stairs from the emergency exit and elevator, but found no suspicious individuals.

Meng Lan lowered her gaze. "Did he mention who was following him? It sounds like he knows the person's identity."

"We asked him, but either he didn't know or he didn't want to say. We checked his mail, packages, and social media, but he received no warnings or threats," Gu Ye said. "At the time, when we broke in, Liu Ming was cowering under the bed, clearly traumatized."

"No one was there, really?"

"Do you doubt our current surveillance methods?" Gu Ye countered. "Since that day, he seemed to have really gone crazy. He called the police every day, requesting an escort to and from work. You know, since the public reports it, we have no reason not to respond. Two junior officers followed him, but found nothing unusual. Until three days ago, Liu Ming attacked a police officer."

"I don't understand."

"Liu Ming insisted that the officer was the one following him, and he viciously assaulted my colleague, fortunately with only minor injuries. After that, he stopped calling the police and locked himself in at home, refusing any assistance from us. His house was covered in black tape, completely opaque, with all mirrors and reflective objects covered or removed."

At the crime scene, Gu Ye smelled a foul odor, like cockroaches trapped in a sewer, struggling to survive in the darkness.

"Only yesterday, the neighbors heard screams and banging and called the police." Gu Ye seemed to see the bizarre scene at the crime scene again.

"Go on."

"I'm worried it might disgust you."

Meng Lan chewed on the spare ribs. "You have to believe me, I've seen bloodier things."

"Such as? Is the stock market booming?"

"That's a roaring success. Continue."

The roar of the blender came from the kitchen. He Wanwan, true to her word, didn't listen to Meng Lan and Gu Ye's conversation. She was a very obedient person, and she considered it her only virtue.

"The walls inside the house were covered in writing: 'I saw you, stop watching me.' Through note comparisons, these were written by Liu Ming in red marker. At the same time, he drew eyes with the red marker, like this." Gu Ye handed the crime scene photos to Meng Lan.

Meng Lan took the phone and carefully examined it. Liu Ming probably couldn't draw, and the eyes were the simplest sketches, with solid eyeballs inside the outlines, exuding a sense of eerie presence. When you stared at them, you felt like they were staring back.

The walls of Liu Ming's house were filled with these drawings, oppressive and uncomfortable.

"The preliminary autopsy result for Liu Ming is suicide. He gouged out his own eyes," Gu Ye pointed to his eye sockets, "then accidentally hit the radiator, leading to excessive bleeding. There was no evidence of external intrusion in the house. We checked the surveillance on his floor, and no suspicious individuals entered or stayed in front of his door on the day of the incident."

"It's kind of painful," Meng Lan said. "Could he have thought his own eyes were surveilling him? Are you sure he wasn't mentally ill?"

"I've checked his medical records and colleagues have visited relatives and friends. This person is introverted and honest, follows the rules, and hasn't shown any unusual behavior," Gu Ye paused, circling around the topic, finally getting to the most important point, "There were names of several of you written on his desk: you, Zhao Che, Li Xiaoqing, Qi Huan, Zhang Jinlong. So, can you tell me what really happened?"

"Are there any other names?" Meng Lan asked.

"No, that's it," Gu Ye inadvertently omitted a name - He Wanwan.

Meng Lan didn't respond.

This was the list from the previous mission.

She rubbed her temples. When Jiang Celang found her, he said he knew she had entered the mission.

So, someone had the ability to know the list of participants for the next mission?

She was sure Liu Ming was from the hidden world, but who killed him?

Why kill him?

Meng Lan had a conjecture.

—Scarcity of resources leads to conflict, in any situation.

"Do you have something you find difficult to say?" Gu Ye asked. After all, this was a private conversation, and there was no evidence implicating Meng Lan in the strange suicide case.

"Yes," Meng Lan was straightforward, "but I can't say it now."

At that moment, Gu Ye's phone rang.

His colleague on the other end shouted urgently, "Gu Ye, the murder case in the neighboring area has been linked. Hurry back for a meeting!"

"I'm coming," Gu Ye hung up the phone apologetically and stood up, "If you want to say something, tell me now. I'll do my best to help you."

"Alright, take some bread with you when you go. If your stomach acts up again, your mom will blame me for not taking care of you," Meng Lan said.

Gu Ye left.

He Wanwan emerged from the kitchen with two cups of chestnut milk. "Hey, why did he leave?"

"I think we might be in danger," Meng Lan looked out the floor-to-ceiling window.

She lived on the 18th floor.

From up high, she could see everything clearly. Below, under the warm yellow streetlights, a figure flashed by.

"Jiang Celang has hidden something from us."