The hashtag #Diao Huaqing spotted by Explore the Supernatural Production Team# lingered near the bottom of the trending list for only a moment before its sheer sensationalism shot it straight to the top.
Footage related to Diao Huaqing from the Explore the Supernatural livestream was also clipped into videos, sparking heated discussion online.
[Diao Huaqing??? Hasn't he been on the run for years? Isn't the production team afraid of karma, using a murderer like him for publicity?!]
[I'm from Birch City. Diao Huaqing was literally our city's childhood nightmare. In those first few months after he went on the run, nobody in our residential community dared let their kids come home from school alone. Everyone took time off work to pick them up personally.]
[My mom was like that back then. Everything made her jumpy, like Diao Huaqing might suddenly pop up behind her.]
[So is it true they've found traces of Diao Huaqing? It doesn't seem very reliable. Qi Gu just said it without any evidence.]
[+1. He didn't even bother doing a finger divination. He just blurted it out.]
[But Qi Gu already asked the viewers to call the police. Surely they wouldn't dare involve the police if it were just a publicity stunt?]
[What wouldn't people in domestic entertainment dare to do? Don't they always trot out dubious police report receipts to prove their "innocence"?]
[When you put it that way, you have a point...]
Following that trending topic, a second post featuring specially processed, clear photographs of all the victims' ID cards also began trending. Its caption read: These really don't look like props. The first six digits of the ID numbers match their birthplaces.
As more curious netizens joined in, some actually began spotting clues.
[The older guy in the first photo looks like my buddy's dad. His dad went away for work and has been missing for over ten years. The surname and birthplace match too. I'll go ask him.]
[The third one looks like my mom. Eight years ago, she said she'd found a good job, but she didn't tell us where. She just said she'd go there for a trial period first. Then she disappeared. Back then, real-name registration for SIM cards and the surveillance network weren't fully developed yet, so they never found out who owned the number that had been contacting her.]
As victims' relatives appeared one after another, the incident grew increasingly puzzling.
Some insisted that the production team was manufacturing hype, but others already believed it was real and hurried into the livestream to see where things stood.
Meanwhile, after receiving tips from netizens, the police had changed into plain clothes and efficiently taken up positions outside Begonia Residential Community, waiting for the suspect to appear.
Some posed as street vendors, some as customers, and others as community security guards, stationed at the various exits.
Everyone was drenched in sweat in the scorching air, but not one complained. Each watched the slightest movement nearby with hawklike eyes.
Inside an apartment in Building Five of Begonia Residential Community, Diao Huaqing quickly packed up his valuables, inwardly cursing how meddlesome production teams were these days. Why the hell did they have to investigate haunted buildings when they had nothing better to do?!
He hadn't killed anyone in over five years and had planned to wash his hands of it all and enjoy a peaceful retirement. Why did they have to dig up everything he'd done now, of all times?
Cursing inwardly, Diao Huaqing finished packing and carried his belongings downstairs.
This time, he planned to go somewhere even more remote, where those police officers would never find him.
Diao Huaqing took the elevator down. For some reason, the moment he stepped out of Building Five, his heart gave a violent thump.
He lowered his head, pulled down the brim of his hat, and quickened his steps toward the exit.
But just as he reached the community gate, two plainclothes officers sprang out of nowhere, twisted his arms behind his back, and pinned him to the ground. His belongings scattered everywhere.
No... how could these cops have gotten here so fast?!
Suspicion filled Diao Huaqing's mind, but he struggled as though he were an honest, law-abiding citizen. "Who are you? Are you trying to rob me? Let go of me, or I'll call the police!"
"I'll make that call for you," the officer restraining him said coldly. "I am the police. Diao Huaqing, you're under arrest."
Hearing his name called out correctly instantly extinguished Diao Huaqing's last shred of hope, leaving only endless terror at the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison.
One squad was responsible for arresting Diao Huaqing, while another headed to the clinic to collect evidence of his crimes.
When this squad arrived, they happened upon an adorable little boy of about eight with curly black hair, discussing something with the directing team.
The squad leader approached. "You're Song An, the person who reported this, correct? I'm Li Xiang, deputy detachment commander of the Summerflower City Public Security Bureau."
"Hello, Officer Li. Yes, that's me." Song An hurriedly greeted him with a polite smile.
After exchanging a couple of pleasantries and confirming the situation inside, Li Xiang moved to enter and collect evidence, only to be stopped by the little boy beside him, who had a lollipop in his mouth.
"Hold on, bro. Things aren't finished in there yet. Be patient."
The boy was Pubu Gesang, who had received Song An's call for help earlier.
Being called "bro" by a child nearly made Li Xiang spit out a mouthful of water. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Kiddo, I'm at least thirty years older than you, and you're calling me your bro?"
"Fair point. Call me boss, then." As Pubu Gesang spoke, he put on sunflower sunglasses, looking every bit the pint-sized big shot.
Li Xiang: ???
This kid really loves playing pretend.
"All right, enough joking, kiddo. I've really got official business to handle. Once I'm done, I'll buy you a lollipop." With that, Li Xiang started to lead his fellow officers toward the clinic.
Realizing he seemed to have forgotten a step in the work procedure, Pubu Gesang slowly pulled his credentials out of the little fried-egg bag he carried. "I really am your superior. See for yourself."
Li Xiang took the credentials and looked. They were genuine.
Pubu Gesang, birthplace: the Tibetan region, male, eight years old, affiliated with the Anomalous Events Management Bureau. His position really was higher than Li Xiang's.
Li Xiang: "..."
Was this kid born to rule the bureaucracy???
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