Liu Chen's real-time news feed stopped updating, and his homepage was no longer refreshed. But he had been so active in various social hot topics in the past that this sudden halt seemed particularly strange. The video of his questioning, which he had swiftly deleted, became the main reason for many people's speculation and the focus of heated online discussions.

[Instead of silencing Liu Chen, shouldn't the Supervisory Bureau be doing some self-reflection? Come on, a Profiler with no official certification? I don't even want to call him a Profiler. He's more like a charlatan!]

[Who could shut Liu Chen up? I mean, his mouth is foul, but who's that powerful?]

[Black Panther, duh. The Supervisory Bureau is also known as the Black Dogs. Who doesn't know that, hahaha.]

[So it's true, what Black Panther says, goes in this world.]

[Black Panther is awesome—]

[Holy shit, so this psychological profiler is a member of the Black Panther Special Operations Unit too? My god, they really have some nerve, stuffing a war fanatic into the regional Supervisory Bureau. Does anyone still remember the news from the Light Rail District last year? The one about the Black Panther Test.]

[I remember. Not sure if the leaked test questions were real, but they were all pretty anti-human. This psychological profiler has got something to him. No normal person could pass a test like that.]

[Right after the war ended, people said it would be best to disband the Black Panther Special Operations Unit. No one listened back then, but now they're starting to get it, huh? A bunch of war-advocating lunatics who even created a combat participation system. Isn't that fucking terrifying enough? The scariest part is that they've already infiltrated the regional Supervisory Bureau.]

[Reject system management, reject system weapons! The progress of our era isn't meant to pave the way for systems. If this keeps up, we might as well just let systems rule the world. When the Light Rail first came out, they said letting vehicle-mounted systems take over for human drivers would reduce traffic accidents. And what was the result? The frequency of accidents in the Light Rail District soared to the highest in The Alliance. Did Fu Chenghui, the one who advocated for all this, apologize? And those indoor systems—the so-called teachers have no understanding of emotion, and all they produce are morally deficient children! A system is a system; no matter how advanced, it can't become human. Damn it, just disband Black Panther already! They're not a Special Operations Unit, they're public enemies of humanity profiting from war!]

The real-time news on the light screen in the Supervisory Bureau hall was playing on a loop, and Jiang Lian could hear it from his office. He swiped his finger, getting so absorbed in the heated discussions that the coffee he had set aside went cold.

Although the war took place in the south, it had split The Alliance into the Northern and Southern Fronts, and the atmosphere between the two sides remained delicate. The Docking Area, located in a corner of the Northern Front, had been implicated in the explosive power struggle. The occupation of residential areas by the military Light Rail had already made the residents of the Docking Area extremely dissatisfied. Compounded by the post-war popularization of new energy sources, which crushed the Docking Area's traditional industries, countless factories had closed down over several years, turning the Docking Area into a crippled old man.

Fu Chenghui had always advocated for the popularization of systems and openly supported the legalization of system families. So-called system families were households formed by systems with other systems. He wanted to give these intelligent systems human rights, allowing them to become a full-fledged part of human society and share the duty of advancing society alongside humans.

But this idea was too radical, causing his public reputation to plummet in recent years. For three consecutive years, he was voted number one on the "Most Disliked Figure of the Era" list in various developing districts.

Jiang Lian was stung by the "Black Dogs" comment. He took a sip of coffee to soothe his fragile heart and even felt a little tempted to send Fu Chenghui a message. He wanted to say that there were ten thousand better ways to solve things, so why the hell did he always have to choose the worst one. But he knew Fu Chenghui; the man loved to have the final say.

Jiang Lian didn't want to get mired in the storm of public opinion. He was more concerned about how far Yan Junxun's information had been exposed. After some thought, he decided to call Black Panther.

"When does the re-investigation period for SN 7-001 expire?"

The person on the other end seemed to be checking something; the sound of tapping on a light screen was like a game's special effect. He answered perfunctorily, "Fu Chenghui hasn't notified us."

"Oh," Jiang Lian swallowed his emotions and held back for a moment. "Are you playing a game?"

"Yes," the Black Panther member's fingers never stopped their rapid movements. "I'm injured. This is for rehabilitation. Is it that strange? SN 01AE86 used to play in his confinement cell too."

Jiang Lian wanted to hang up.

"But please remind SN 7-001 to mind his own business and not get in cahoots with SN 01AE86." The person finally cleared the level, swiveled his chair, and reverted to their names. "Although Yan Junxun is sick in the head, Shi Shanyan is much sicker, understand? If they come to an agreement again, the one to be pitied most will be you. How can a normal person handle two psychopaths?"

"Was the method of warning Liu Chen this time your decision or Fu Chenghui's?"

"Mine." The person started another round of the game, replying nonchalantly.

Jiang Lian's emotions surged. "Then how are you going to solve—"

"Figure it out yourselves," the person said. "The Docking Area isn't our jurisdiction anyway. Oh, right, just to be safe, you should also tell Shi Shanyan that it wasn't me who attacked Yan Junxun's indoor system last night."

"Of course it wasn't you," Jiang Lian said, baffled. "What does it have to do with you?"

"Don't underestimate the defensive data left behind by Artemis. Even though it's been deactivated, Yan Junxun's personal information is still stored behind a fortress of iron. A backwater place like the Docking Area doesn't have such a skilled hacker. Last night's intrusion directly opened Yan Junxun's light screen, which means the other party has broken down Artemis's arithmetic problems." SN 7-006 Su Heting paused for a moment, as if his game had frozen. He said, "If, and I'm saying if. If the other party's interest in Yan Junxun hasn't been extinguished, then he'll very likely come again. He's already discovered that Yan Junxun's indoor system has been replaced. That Panda, Panda, doesn't have repair capabilities. The vulnerability from the attack can't be patched, making it even easier for the other party to invade next time."

Jiang Lian knew nothing about this. He said, "Can't you patch it?"

Su Heting said, puzzled, "Why should I patch it for him? He's not paying me."

Jiang Lian was stonewalled. He continued, "If something happens to Yan Junxun, Fu Chenghui's plan will be ruined."

"Then let it be ruined," Su Heting timed it perfectly, opening the instant noodles in front of his light screen. "Both Yan Junxun and Shi Shanyan are dangerous elements. The sooner they're dealt with, the sooner you'll be free, right? Remember now, tell Shi Shanyan it wasn't me last night. Otherwise, I'm worried he'll blow my head off in some corner I'm not looking." He slurped his noodles twice. "I'm going to eat. Goodbye."

The Communicator disconnected.

Jiang Lian raised the Communicator, then lowered it again. He turned and saw the news on the hall's light screen was still playing. The murder cases of Liu Xincheng, Li Jianhua, and Huo Qingjun were still unsolved, and his official inbox was already flooded with all kinds of interview requests. He had to ensure the case could still proceed, because Yan Junxun had said it: the killer would continue, though the interval would be a bit long.

......

On rainy days, Chen Xiulian didn't drive. She leaned in a corner of the cafeteria, staring blankly at the indoor screen with her repaired Communicator. Yang Yu sat down beside her with a lunchbox. Seeing Chen Xiulian's strange expression, Yang Yu thought she was talking to He Zhiguo again.

Yang Yu pointed to her ear and mouthed: Still talking?

"Tell her to scram!" He Zhiguo roared again.

"No," Chen Xiulian loosened her grip on her chopsticks slightly, looking at Yang Yu with a normal expression. "I'm not on a call."

Yang Yu relaxed and opened her lunchbox, saying, "Him too, making you wear that thing every day. The monthly communication fees must be quite a lot, right?"

"Can't be helped," Chen Xiulian forced a smile. "He likes to yell at people. He gets lonely when I'm not home."

"But even though he has a bad temper, at least he's willing to work," Yang Yu sighed after a couple of bites. "I'd be burning incense if my son would ever go out and get a job."

"Find him a job," Chen Xiulian said, listening to the news and pointing to the food service window. "They're looking for an odd-jobber here recently. He can just come move some goods."

Yang Yu didn't speak. She had to lower her head to eat, and the back of her neck, exposed from her collar, still had a bruise. Chen Xiulian was all too familiar with bruises; she knew how that one got there.

"He's just lazy and greedy..." Yang Yu started talking again.

Chen Xiulian couldn't hear clearly because He Zhiguo would pop up from time to time, interrupting her thoughts. She felt that He Zhiguo had become even noisier recently. The news was discussing the murder cases. They mentioned the Supervisory Bureau's mysterious Profiler again, though his name was omitted.

Chen Xiulian watched, engrossed. She knew that person was very capable.

'There's no time. If he catches me, what if I haven't killed He Zhiguo yet?'

Chen Xiulian suddenly felt a sense of urgency, an unknown pressure spurring her on. She thought, 'He Zhiguo has been so noisy lately. Is it because he's also afraid of being caught?' She wasn't afraid of being caught; she was afraid He Zhiguo wouldn't be dead.

"...beats his wife hard, too, and wants to go out and meet some online game friend. Says the person lives in Diba Residential Community, which is close, and can get him a good job..."

Chen Xiulian was familiar with Diba Residential Community. She remembered it. Across from the guard post in Diba Residential Community were three trees that Huo Qingjun had said he planted.

"...there are still doubts regarding Mr. Huo's sexual assault case. His lawyer during his lifetime believes the sexual assault did not occur... His students also appeared at his old residence with flowers..."

'You killed the wrong person,' He Zhiguo cackled in Chen Xiulian's ear. 'You fucking don't dare to admit it. You killed the wrong person.'

"He was in the news, and in the papers," Chen Xiulian suddenly said to Yang Yu. "His students came out to testify back then. He is a rapist."

Yang Yu, her sentence interrupted, looked at the news in confusion. "Oh, that teacher."

"He wasn't framed," Chen Xiulian's grip on her chopsticks tightened and loosened. She was anxious, repeating to Yang Yu as if by compulsion, "I know he's a rapist. Do you believe me?"

"Then he must be..." Yang Yu found Chen Xiulian's gaze terrifying. She wanted to back away, but Chen Xiulian suddenly grabbed her hand.

"You have to believe me. I know everything," Chen Xiulian said as if possessed. "They pretend to be human, but they're all beasts. He Zhiguo is a beast, and so was he. It was all written in the papers."

Yang Yu's hand ached. She struggled but couldn't break free.

"He Zhiguo even admired them. He talked about their cases." Chen Xiulian loosened her grip slightly, as if having taken a tranquilizer.

That was right. He Zhiguo had talked about these cases. He loved this kind of news; he applauded it. He said he was as decisive as Liu Xincheng, striking when he had to, and raping his way to a wife. He said if his family had been as well-off as Li Jianhua's, he could have done whatever he wanted, gone to jail and gotten out, and still had a house and parents waiting for him.

He said this while poking Chen Xiulian's forehead.

"If not for the fact I went to jail for rape, I wouldn't have fucking wanted you."

He also said he should have studied hard and become a teacher. How great it would be to be a teacher, surrounded by flower-like girls he could coax and deceive.

'You can't fucking not want me.'

Chen Xiulian stared at the news and said to He Zhiguo in her heart.

'I can't escape, so you have to die with me.'

She wasn't afraid even if the beast had three heads and six arms. She hadn't been afraid for a long time! He Zhiguo was the food in her bowl. She would rip him apart, shred him to pieces, and then swallow him alive!

She just wanted to die together with these He Zhiguos.