In this storm of public opinion, the voices were almost entirely from the public and the media. No official authority had come forward to respond to netizens' speculations.
But Bai Jie knew — it had already been targeted by certain people in the authorities!
Because it could see that some agents and law enforcers were combing through the bushes and sewers around the residential complex.
Compared to the Criminal Investigation Department agents, Bai Jie was more wary of the law enforcers.
Law enforcers were a crucial instrument through which the federal government maintained social stability and security. They were an armed institution second only to the military, and they held the authority to adjudicate crimes and execute punishments on the spot.
Including the power to carry out on-the-spot executions!
The reason they were granted such immense authority was that law enforcers were not human — they were all highly intelligent androids!
Powered by big data, cloud computing technology, and AI Smart Brain Chips, law enforcers could determine guilt and mete out sentences on the spot based on legal statutes and precedent judgments previously made by human judges.
And because they were equipped with lethal autonomous weapon systems and combat modules, law enforcers could also handle the vast majority of vicious criminals.
Thus, the human agents of the Criminal Investigation Department were responsible for investigating cases and solving crimes, while the android law enforcers handled dealing with various threats and executing dangerous missions.
Simply put, the former investigated, the latter fought — the two complemented each other.
To avoid being discovered by the law enforcers and ending up in a conflict, Bai Jie decided to move its nest tonight.
After all, there was no guarantee the law enforcers didn't have some high-tech means that could locate its current position.
"Saying 'move my nest' makes it sound grand, but there's really not much to pack — just three eggs and a phone..."
...
Xingchuan University, on-campus café.
"The internet is flooded with speculation about Zheng Yueling's cause of death. Should I upload the footage from that day? To expose her true face?" Chen Zhang said.
"No, at least not posted by you." Xia Qimeng took a sip of her latte and said, "No matter what account you use to post it, it'll still be easy to trace back to your location and thus link you to Zheng Yueling's death. While you'd eventually be cleared, it would still be trouble for you."
"Fortunately, Liu Wei rescued you that day, which allowed that footage to be copied over at Gaia Company. I'll contact someone from Gaia Tech and have them upload the video online without leaving any traces."
"Of course, your voice will be processed."
Chen Zhang nodded slightly, though a trace of doubt lingered between his brows. "That would naturally be ideal. But can they really make it 'completely traceless'?"
Xia Qimeng lifted the corner of her mouth, confident. "You probably don't know this — eighty percent of the technology in the federal government's law enforcer androids comes from Gaia Tech."
"The public only knows Gaia Tech's most famous product is the AI Smart Brain Chip, but they don't realize their software systems are just as formidable."
The stone in Chen Zhang's heart finally settled. "That's great."
"By the way," Chen Zhang said, as though something had just occurred to him, "do you think Zheng Yueling might have had accomplices?"
"Hm?" Xia Qimeng's elegant eyes glanced at him with a hint of surprise.
Chen Zhang said flatly, "Alone, it'd be very difficult for her to complete the entire process of killing, hiding bodies, and framing others — all without leaving a single clue or evading the Criminal Investigation Department's probes."
"Plus, I feel Zheng Yueling's death might not be as simple as just being killed by her pet. Could it have been her accomplices silencing her?"
Xia Qimeng just stared at him calmly, saying nothing.
Chen Zhang felt his skin crawl under her gaze. To ease the discomfort, he continued, "In fact — I'm just throwing out a possibility here — could someone inside the Criminal Investigation Department have helped her?"
In an instant, Xia Qimeng's pupils contracted slightly. She gave a soft laugh and shook her head. "Chen Zhang, don't let having a Smart Brain Chip implanted make you forget that you're just an ordinary university student."
"You can keep the Smart Brain Chip — it'll make you safer in these increasingly turbulent times. But I urge you, don't buy into that Spider-Man rhetoric of 'With great power comes great responsibility.'"
"Just live well, like an ordinary person. Cherish your current life — that's the greatest respect we can show our departed classmates."
Chen Zhang fell silent, his expression somewhat pained.
Suddenly, Xia Qimeng's phone rang.
"Hello, Teacher Zhao." Xia Qimeng answered the call, and her originally natural expression abruptly turned strange.
"What? Alright, I'll notify the other classmates right away."
When Xia Qimeng hung up, Chen Zhang asked, "What did the homeroom teacher want?"
Xia Qimeng's face was grave. She sighed. "Another person has gone missing — your roommate, He Jun. From skipping class without explanation yesterday until now, he's been completely unreachable."
"They can't find him on campus either. He most likely went missing outside before the lockdown."
Chen Zhang instantly froze, like a weathered statue, utterly motionless. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say.
Zheng Yueling was indeed not the sole perpetrator.
Because Chen Zhang had actually run into He Jun on the road yesterday before going to see Zheng Yueling.
And at that time, He Jun seemed to be walking together with Wang Miaoyin!
"Wang Miaoyin..." Chen Zhang murmured aloud, dazed.
He suddenly recalled the time when he had been tailing Zheng Yueling and Wang Miaoyin had exposed him.
"Wang Miaoyin? That great beauty from the New Media class? What about her?" Xia Qimeng asked, puzzled.
Chen Zhang sucked in a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "I suspect there's something off about her."
...
After much difficulty waiting for night to deepen, with the spider eggs and phone bundled to its body with spider silk, Bai Jie finally set out.
A massive black silhouette darted across walls and rooftops, silent and soundless. Aided by the Invisibility Camouflage skill, it successfully threaded through street after street and alley after alley, gradually drawing closer to Xingchuan University.
Along the way, Bai Jie heard a series of bizarre cat yowls and dog barks.
But it couldn't quite put a finger on what was strange about them, and didn't pay them much mind.
It just assumed cats were in a chaotic heat cycle and had provoked the dogs, triggering a cat-dog battle.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, a human scream drew its attention.
Following the sound, it witnessed a horrifying scene.
On the street, a pot-bellied man had a black cat latched onto his neck, refusing to let go, while below, a large dog was frantically mauling him.
"Help, help!" the man wailed. The agony was such that he didn't dare forcibly yank the black cat off his neck.
It was 1 AM — passersby on the road were few and far between. The only two bystanders were so frightened they didn't dare step forward to assist.
The man pounded at the black cat with all his might, but the cat would not release its sharp teeth no matter what.
In just two or three seconds — while Bai Jie was still hesitating whether to intervene — the man's wails had already transformed into the death rattle.
Bubbles of bloody froth welled up from the corner of his mouth. A copious amount of crimson gushed forth gratuitously from where the black cat had bitten down. Very quickly, all signs of life were gone.
At this moment, the cat and dog actually began licking and chewing at the man's flesh!
"AHHH!"
The two bystanders screamed and fled for their lives. Fortunately, the cat and dog were only interested in what was before them and did not give chase.
A faint trace of sympathy stirred within Bai Jie's heart.
It was the empathic capacity preserved from the memories of its human soul.
Seeing the man's ghastly state, seeing gentle creatures that had once been human pets now madly, collectively hunting and killing a human — it was hard for Bai Jie not to feel something.
But this empathy was very weak — to the point that even Bai Jie found it bewildering.
Back when it was human, it would even prepare tissues to dab its moist eyes when watching action movies...
"Could it be that my human emotions are gradually fading away?"
Bai Jie stood on the rooftop, staring blankly as, beneath the orange streetlight, the cat and dog carried out their act of devouring a human.
Ding!
Suddenly, the system notification chimed, and a semi-virtual panel surfaced before its eyes.
[Target]: Black Tabby Cat (Radiation Mutant)
[Vitality]: 1.2
[Body Length]: 34cm
[Status]: Out of Control
(A faint spiritual essence reaction detected on target)
[Target]: High Cane Corso (Radiation Mutant)
[Vitality]: 2.4
[Body Length]: 86cm
[Status]: Out of Control
(A faint spiritual essence reaction detected on target)
Bai Jie was startled, then grew excited.
Without a second thought, it transformed into a black shadow and shot forth, arriving beside the cat and dog in the blink of an eye.
The cat and dog abruptly halted the movements of their mouths, whipped their heads around, and glared toward Bai Jie.
Facing a spider with an 80cm leg span and body length, they showed not the slightest fear.