Rashomon

Just as Captain Li was diligently investigating Qin Ming's assets and Deputy Director Wang was eagerly awaiting the interrogation experts from the provincial department, another war, though fought without gunpowder, was visibly shifting the tide on the internet battlefield.

Backed by Mr. Wei's substantial financial resources, his professional online troll company has begun to demonstrate its powerful destructive capabilities and ability to confuse the public.

Unlike the initial angry netizens who mindlessly flooded various comment sections with "support for the hospital" or offered feeble explanations, they adopted a more cunning and destructive strategy—to completely smear Hou Jun and complicate the incident with conspiracy theories.

Like countless catfish thrown into a pond, these well-trained online troll accounts, well-versed in the psychology of online communication, began to systematically and rhythmically infiltrate relevant topics on various platforms, especially Quick Sound and Weibo.

Initially, their remarks appeared relatively "rational" and "objective," blending into the chorus of condemnations and going unnoticed.

"Let's let things play out for a while. Right now, it's all one side of the story; the hospital hasn't responded yet."

"Medical disputes are too complicated for outsiders to judge. Let's wait for the official investigation results."

"This blogger is too emotional. Could some of the details be subjective speculation or a misremembering detail?"

These comments, seemingly neutral, are actually subtly cooling down the public's heightened emotions and subtly instilling the idea that "things may not be so simple" and "the blogger's words should not be taken at face value."

Following this, even more aggressive and manipulative rhetoric began to emerge on a large scale and in great intensity. They firmly grasped the core of Mr. Wei's instructions—"conspiracy theory" and "smearing Hou Jun"—and fabricated various seemingly reasonable but actually absurd scenarios:

"Breaking news! According to insiders, this Hou Jun is no good at all! He has a huge gambling debt, and he has no intention of paying for his sister's medical expenses. Now he wants to use public opinion to force the hospital to waive the bill, and he even wants to extort money!" These accounts often masquerade as "hospital employees," "neighbors and relatives," etc., and their stories are very convincing.

"Everyone, think about it calmly. How could an ordinary family so easily get a consultation from provincial experts? And transfer to a top-tier hospital so quickly? There must be a professional medical dispute team behind this! That's how they make a living!" This kind of statement directly characterizes Hou Jun's family's rights protection behavior as a premeditated and organized "medical dispute," greatly stigmatizing the victims.

"It's terrifying to think about! I checked Hou Jun's online history, and it seems he's been involved in some bad things (fabricated dark history omitted here)... With such a character, how much of what he says can be trusted?" The online trolls started fabricating Hou Jun's "dark history" out of thin air, launching personal attacks, and trying to undermine the credibility of his statements from the root.

Even worse, some have pointed the finger at seemingly unrelated details:

"Look at that photo of his sister (referring to Xiaoya in the hospital bed). Although it's blurred, she doesn't look that bad. Could it be an exaggeration?"

"What Director Zhang from the hospital said, although harsh, seems to make sense upon closer inspection. Advance payment settlement should indeed be linked to dispute resolution."

These opinions are varied and unconventional, a mixture of truth and falsehood, like swarms of locusts frantically gnawing at the once relatively clear public discourse. They no longer try to prove the hospital's innocence, but instead desperately try to muddy the waters, making the "truth" elusive and difficult to discern.

The effect is obvious.

The comment section, which was initially overwhelmingly in support of the Monkey and condemnation of Ankang Hospital, has begun to see more and more arguments and doubts.

"Uh... after what they said, I'm a little confused too. Who's telling the truth?"

"It seems like there's a problem on both sides, doesn't it? It takes two to tango."

"The information is too chaotic now, with all sorts of 'insiders' and 'revelation' popping up, making it impossible to tell what's true and what's false."

"I'd better not take sides, lest I be proven wrong."

Some netizens who were initially indignant and calling for a thorough investigation began to lose their enthusiasm and became hesitant and silent after seeing a massive amount of contradictory information that seemed to have "something to make."

After all, most ordinary people lack the ability and energy to distinguish between true and false information. When faced with a suddenly complicated and difficult "Rashomon" situation, their most instinctive choice is to wait and see.

"Sigh, never mind, I won't comment. Let's wait for the official announcement."

"I believe the police and the government will find out the truth; there's no point in us arguing here."

"Let the law handle legal matters, and let's keep the media out of it; it's too exhausting."

Such opinions began to gain the upper hand. Although doubts and condemnations against Ankang Hospital still existed, the overwhelming and absolute pressure of public opinion had clearly weakened. The topic was still hot, but it had become internally divided and lost its initial cohesive and destructive power.

This online battle for public opinion has temporarily stalled in a murky, directionless stalemate. It's like a lake that's been flooded with mud and sand; though the waves are still surging, what lies hidden at the bottom is no longer visible.

Everyone seemed to be waiting, waiting for a definitive statement—the long-awaited official investigation report.

Behind the scenes, Mr. Wei watched the increasingly "confusing" public opinion online, a barely perceptible sneer perhaps appearing on his lips. He had successfully created a fog of information through money and manipulation, temporarily blocking the tsunami of public opinion that was about to engulf him.

But he knew this was merely a delaying tactic. The real outcome depended on whether the police could find that fatal, irrefutable evidence. Whether the fog of mystery he had created would ultimately become his shield or a catalyst for his exposure remained to be seen.