Chapter 10: 10. The Unexpected Mastermind

10. The Unexpected Mastermind

Half an hour later, the two men, He Jia'an and Wei Jiang, also gathered in the two women's room.

After the group conducted a thorough search of the room, they found another camera and two more wiretaps in various places; the angle of every camera was seamless, perfectly positioned, and extremely devious.

Looking at the voyeuristic and eavesdropping equipment laid out together, He Jia'an's expression was grave as he said, "Things are looking bad. We don't know how much of what we discussed this afternoon was overheard, and those were important secrets involving regional security issues."

As he spoke, he looked at the two victims, Li Yingqi and Yu Lianyun, and his mood worsened. Li Yingqi was their most important partner and comrade-in-arms, while Yu Lianyun was an important protectee for their mission. He never expected them to be harmed right under his nose; this was practically a slap in his own face.

"It's not just that..." Yu Lianyun said, gritting her teeth, "The situation is far more serious than any of us imagined. Remember what I said about the videotape? That video footage carries a heavy Blessing; anyone who watches that video, even if they only catch a glimpse of a fragment, will likely suffer a Curse. If that video was recorded and leaked, it would possess the same power of the Curse..."

Hearing Yu Lianyun's words, the group saw the look of despair in her eyes. He Jia'an and the others felt as if they had been struck by a bolt of lightning, their scalps tingling.

That videotape!?

What on earth was that videotape? How could it have such terrifying power to spread!?

If the "Seven-Day Death Curse" contained within the tape was real, then how many people among those who watched the live stream would be cursed? Would those who secretly filmed and recorded it spread that video to other places?

This is an information society connected by a global network; never underestimate the information dissemination capabilities of this era.

As long as that video is filled with viral traffic and the timing is right, it can easily spread across the entire world. By then, the humans of this world can start holding their own funerals in advance.

For a moment, He Jia'an, Wei Jiang, and Li Yingqi, just like Yu Lianyun, fell into a silent despair.

This matter was completely impossible to stop!

But regardless, He Jia'an decided to report the matter to his superiors at the Xuanmi Group first.

Upon receiving the news, the higher-ups at the Xuanmi Group also fell into a silence that lasted for dozens of seconds. For a long time, only irregular breathing sounds came through the phone—sometimes steady, sometimes rapid, and at other times, the low groans of frustration and annoyance.

"Investigate!" In the end, He Jia'an heard his superior utter this cold word. Although the voice was not loud, He Jia'an could already hear the thick murderous intent and anger within it.

With that, the entire Xuanmi Group immediately launched a full-scale operation, utilizing their organization's information intelligence network to work overtime and track down the mastermind who installed the cameras in the hotel room where Yu Lianyun was staying.

With the survival of humanity at stake, the Xuanmi Group's work efficiency was terrifyingly high. Within half an hour, He Jia'an received good news that allowed everyone to breathe a temporary sigh of relief.

"Great! During the time Yu Lianyun was watching the cursed videotape in the room, the live stream was not turned on. The owner of the room number seems to have been busy with their own affairs, but since the voyeuristic and eavesdropping equipment found were only remote information transmission tools and lacked storage functions, there is a high probability that the recording is still in the hands of the perpetrator. As long as we catch them before they send the recording to the public internet, everything will be in time," He Jia'an said, relaying the good news from headquarters.

Hearing this good news, everyone couldn't help but show joyful smiles, and Yu Lianyun felt a sense of relief and joy, as if she had temporarily escaped death.

"Where is that person!?" He Jia'an suppressed his joy and hurriedly asked the most critical question, "Where exactly is that villain who did the secret filming?"

"According to the IP address analysis, the person is currently living in the city you are in. The exact address is..." He Jia'an carefully noted down the message from headquarters; he now had to hurry to catch the person and destroy the Abnormal transmission channel.

Without any hesitation or delay, He Jia'an and Wei Jiang, having received instructions to complete the mission at all costs, went out directly into the night. After all, this kind of thing could not be delayed.

Yu Lianyun and Li Yingqi also expressed their desire to follow. Li Yingqi wanted to beat the mastermind to a pulp, while Yu Lianyun's idea was very simple: to precisely destroy all video records.

To this day, she still believed that the phone call she received after watching the black videotape was a cry of distress from her future self!

As the leader, He Jia'an did not refuse the two women's request. On one hand, Li Yingqi's hypnotic abilities could be useful, and on the other hand, he didn't mind performing some non-compliant operations to vent his anger.

For a matter directly related to the survival of humanity, as long as it can be stopped, nothing is too extreme—even killing the mastermind would be fine.

Knock, knock, knock!

The door to Room 804, Unit 2, Building 2 of Cuizhu Residential Complex was opened. A girl of about twelve or thirteen years old hid half her body behind the door, opening her innocent, wide eyes to look prettily at the two middle-aged men who had appeared outside.

"Is there something you need?" This girl, who was likely a local middle school student, looked at the two strange men in front of her with some vigilance. Before He Jia'an and Wei Jiang could say anything, the girl's expression changed instantly upon seeing the faces of Li Yingqi and Yu Lianyun behind the two men.

Whether it was nervousness or an instinctive intuition, Yu Lianyun suddenly pointed at the girl with great certainty and shouted, "It's her, she is the person we are looking for."

The girl panicked immediately and wanted to close the door to run away, but as a defenseless young girl in her own home, where could she run?

Wei Jiang blocked the door with one hand, holding back the closing door, and then kicked with his lower leg, forcing the door open. He lunged forward like a vicious dog pouncing on its prey, quickly pinning the panicked girl to the ground.

The girl wanted to scream, but Wei Jiang did not give her the chance, pressing his hand tightly over her mouth.

He Jia'an urged Li Yingqi and Yu Lianyun to enter the room quickly, after which he stepped inside, carefully closing the door and locking it again.

Arriving in this apartment of about sixty square meters, He Jia'an observed the furnishings. Judging by the number of water cups on the table and the number of toothbrush cups in the bathroom, he could tell that the girl usually lived here alone.

Walking into the bedroom and seeing the professional information-receiving equipment, He Jia'an became even more certain of his judgment: the person in front of him was the culprit.

Li Yingqi found it hard to believe that such an innocent-looking young girl was actually the mastermind behind the persecution of her and Yu Lianyun.

Although she had some doubts and felt a bit of reluctance, for the sake of the bigger picture, Li Yingqi still cast a deep hypnosis spell on the girl that carried a risk of causing brain damage.

Li Yingqi only made a few intricate gestures, and the girl's attention was captured. With a snap of her fingers, the girl fell completely into a hypnotic state.

"What is your name?"

"Yun Wenwen."

"Why did you do this?"

The girl: "At first, it was because I needed money to live on my own, and later, it was because this feeling was good."

As she spoke, the girl's sincere subconscious caused a pleasant smile to appear on her face.