I was detained until the afternoon on suspicion of assaulting an officer.
Instead of going back to Ting Tang Road, I bought a fruit basket from a store and hurried to Officer Huang's home.
I had to see the old man's belongings. Unlike Huang Guanxing, who was just a rich heir thinking with his lower half, this old man was a "police academy student" with basic detective knowledge and a knack for uncovering the truth.
"Hope I'm not too late."
I knocked lightly on the door. An elderly lady in her sixties opened it.
"I'm a police officer from the city precinct. We're all saddened by the old man's passing, so I was sent as a representative to pay respects."
The house was heavy with grief. The old lady invited me to sit on the sofa and brought me a cup of tea.
"Please accept my condolences," I said, not touching the tea, instead walking around the room. "May I see the room where Officer Huang lived?"
"Please, go ahead."
In his room, the old man had built a small two-square-meter nook filled with detective novels and police academy study materials. It was clear he was truly interested in solving cases.
I didn't touch anything carelessly. Scanning the books and judging by normal placement habits and the folded corners, I picked out the few books he had recently read.
"There's nothing hidden inside the books."
I opened a drawer and found a notebook with several torn pages, on top of which lay a pair of old reading glasses and a fountain pen with ink—everything neatly arranged and obvious at a glance.
Sitting in the chair the old man used, I thought, If I were him, after discovering a secret that interested me, where would I record it?
"Are you looking for something?" Officer Huang's wife stood at the door.
I stiffened but quickly masked it. "Nothing. Has he acted strangely lately?"
"Not much, except he kept talking about 'Murder Livestream' and every night locked himself in his room staring at the computer like he was waiting for a show. Also…" The old lady hesitated, looking at me for a while before continuing.
"He seemed to have a premonition something would happen to him, so this morning before leaving for work he left a letter, specifically instructing that if anything happened to him, the letter must be given to the police."
"A letter?" I struggled to keep calm. "What kind of letter? Did the old man write a deduction about the case?"
"He wouldn't let me see it, but since you're here, I'll give it to you." The old lady took from her apron pocket a glued shut kraft paper envelope.
"Alright, I'll take it back to the precinct and show it to Captain Tie." My heart pounded fiercely but my face stayed calm as I took the envelope. "I won't keep you any longer. Please take care."
Before leaving Officer Huang's home, I couldn't wait to open the letter in the hallway.
"Murder Livestream. The first livestream was at Anxin Motel, involving five deaths. The second livestream was at New Hu High, with a conservative estimate of more than ten deaths."
"This isn't just a simple puzzle-solving show. The corpses are all real, the scenes shockingly gruesome and intense. And the other party always arrives at the murder scene before the police—very likely the killers themselves."
"The two livestreams share the same host, someone who has been in and out of the police station multiple times, has a close relationship with the CID captain, whose identity is mysterious, actions decisive, mind sharp, and has very high awareness of investigation and counter-investigation."
After reading the whole letter, my face darkened like still water.
Luckily, I arrived early. If this letter fell into Tie Ningxiang's hands, the consequences would be unimaginable.
I took out a lighter and burned the letter and envelope to ashes, cleaning up the remnants before I dared to leave.
Back on Ting Tang Road, distracted, I helped Xiaofeng finish selling clothes, then locked myself alone in my room.
"Is The Netherworld Live Show really a way to collect souls? Or are the deaths just coincidence? Or can only those about to die see the livestream?"
I couldn't figure out the cause and effect, but the fact that every livestream ended in death was indisputable.
"What should I do?" Unable to think clearly, I went downstairs and stopped Xiaofeng who was about to cook.
"Come on, let's go out for a few drinks."
"Is this an official date?" Xiaofeng changed into the new tight skirt she bought and a fitted T-shirt, ditching her long skirt. She looked even more attractive. Seeing those long, pale legs, I immediately forgot a lot of worries.
"What do you always think about? If you don't come, I'll take Baiqi with me."
Baiqi, lying on the ground, perked up his ears when he heard his name, eyes gleaming, like he smelled meat, and ran over to bite my pant leg without letting go.
"Fine, I'm coming," Xiaofeng pouted unhappily and glanced at Baiqi. "This dog is so clingy to you but snarls at me. I feed you well every day, and you all still bully me."
I shook my head with a smile and took Xiaofeng and Baiqi out.
At Jiangbei night market, watching the calmly flowing river, I downed several bottles of beer, trying to chase away the gloom.
"In two days, The Netherworld Live Show will release a new mission. Survival is already hard enough—why do we make it harder for ourselves?" Slightly drunk, I looked at Xiaofeng's flushed face. The river breeze blew her hair; strands of black silk fluttered, revealing the deep pain and loneliness on her face.
Compared to her, I was much luckier—I'd lived freely and happily, recklessly.
My hand rested on her slightly thin shoulder. She jumped like a frightened rabbit but relaxed when she saw it was me, her eyes confused and gentle as she rested her head on my chest.
Two lonely souls staring at the river at night—one side full of noise and pleasure, the other distant as the horizon.
"My sister and I are unlucky women. Since childhood, our foster parents cursed us. The old neighbors can recite their license plate numbers but not our names. We're called worthless, money losers, monsters. Everyone points fingers. At first, I didn't understand why—until my sister was killed by Lu Xing. Then I realized, to our foster parents, we were livestock, like fattened pigs, raised only to be slaughtered."
This was Xiaofeng's first time voluntarily telling me about her childhood—colorless, filled with deep gray despair.
"When I met you, seven iron needles had already been hammered into my back. That night I planned to commit suicide after mourning my sister. But you appeared—your eyes so rational and clear, like you could see through everything. In fact, you saved me."
"Since leaving the police station until now, this has been the happiest time of my life. I know you probably won't marry me, but can I always stay by your side? I don't need any status."
Xiaofeng spoke seriously, like the river beside us—silently enduring, asking for nothing in return.
"Who says I won't marry you?" I raised my head and finished the bottle. I must have been drunk, about to say something, when a spiky-haired punk carrying a cigarette walked over.
"Hey bro, can I get a light?" His sly eyes locked on Xiaofeng. "Your friend dresses pretty bold. Want to join me for a drink?"
He was obviously trying to take advantage of Xiaofeng, seeing me drunk.
"Don't make me say it twice. Get lost!"
"Whoa, kid's got attitude. Looks like I need to teach you how to talk to people!" The punk gripped a bottle opener and swung it at my face.
I kicked the table aside, leaned back to dodge his punch, then grabbed the empty bottle and smashed it on his head.
No mercy. Blood spurted out immediately.
"Before your next fight, get a haircut. You look like a hedgehog—how can the doctor stitch that?"
I was already annoyed; this guy had just asked for it.
"What's going on?"
"Xiaowei! Damn, you dare touch my bro?"
"Bring that girl over and apologize to Brother Wei!"
Four or five shirtless thugs at the next table stood up, faces full of scars.
"Gao Jian, let's get out of here," Xiaofeng tugged my clothes anxiously.
"You said you wanted to stick with me, now you're mine. How could I stand by and watch you get bullied?" I smashed the bottle on the bridge pier, half breaking it and exposing sharp glass shards. "Come on! One against five! If I back down today, I'm not Gao anymore."
"Damn! Kill him!" The biggest of the five charged at me swinging a bench. He was nearly 6'3", with a big beer belly, shouting as he ran.
My eyes narrowed. Though dizzy from the booze, I still controlled the fight.
"Pretty loud. You call this move the wild boar charge?"
I lifted the table with both hands, blocking his view, bent my legs, and kicked him in the most vulnerable spot.
He screamed, clutching his crotch. I grabbed his hair and slammed him to the ground.
"Four more of you. Anyone else want a go?"
My eyes scanned all of them, stopping on a man with a scorpion tattoo on his chest.
"That face looks familiar from the security footage."
Still tipsy, I recalled: "Isn't that the bastard who smashed my shop and flipped off the camera? Good, fate's funny—we're settling old scores today!"
The scorpion tattoo guy seemed to be their boss.
"I'll block him with Amin, you two get that girl. She's really cute—looks like a clueless virgin."
"You guys have no shame." I pressed the broken bottle's sharp shards on the neck of the fat thug beneath my foot. "Looks like today will get bloody."
"Don't get cocky, kid. There's four of us, and you're alone."
"No, you're wrong—I've got a dog!"
The thugs looked lazily at Baiqi lying by the river, sneering, "You're joking, right? That mangy mutt?"
I laughed in anger, "Baiqi, you hear that? These guys call you a mangy mutt."
I'd never seen Baiqi lose his cool before. Usually, he looked like an indifferent street dog, just waiting to eat and sleep.
But today, by the river, Baiqi showed a different side.
His fangs bared, radiating the predator's aura. Unlike any pet dog, that chilling killing intent made your teeth chatter and your whole body freeze.