This speculation is not groundless.

Gu Zhisang has a pair of eyes that can see through evil spirits.

Under this premise, even though He Zhaosheng's ghost can travel through the Internet and use the communication channels of the virtual world to control life, it will still leave traces.

The first time he saw the prophecy of "Revelation Notes" circulating on the Internet, Gu Zhisang discovered the sinister aura hidden behind the prophecy.

Precisely because the energy transmitted by the Internet is invisible and intangible, people who are caught up in the discussion and carnival cannot discover or imagine that their emotions, world outlook, thinking, and even mental state are actually being subtly influenced by the repeated reading of those "Revelation Notes".

After going to Fengcheng Academy of Fine Arts and seeing the painting "Vortex" by He Zhaosheng, Gu Zhisang confirmed his guess.

She asked, "What are the identities of the two people who died outside?"

The spirit team member said: "The identity of the older one is clear, he is Haiming's father. As for the younger one, the police are investigating..."

As he was speaking, the police officer in charge of trace examination outside the house said loudly: "The identity of the deceased has been found out."

The young man stabbed to death by Haiming was a distant relative of the Hai family. He loved speculating in stocks and had lost all the family assets.

Probably because he heard about Haiming's winning the award and becoming rich, he contacted Hai's father a week ago and mentioned that he wanted to visit him, but actually he just wanted to borrow money.

Who would have thought that within ten minutes of arriving at Haiming's house, he was stabbed to death.

The police officer muttered, "It shouldn't be like this... Haiming has no motive to kill his own father and this relative whom he has only met twice!"

"By the way, Director Gu, my colleagues from xx Garden Community have also sent me news, saying that the identities of the other two deceased have been found out. They are the former dean and his wife of Fengcheng Academy of Fine Arts.

According to the investigation results, the two were imprisoned in this room by unknown persons the day after the old dean asked for leave.

This time coincides with the time when "Revelation Notes" began to appear on the Internet.

After a pause, the police officer sighed and said, "The old lady was already seriously ill and passed away on the third day. Her body had been lying in the wheelchair without being moved. She did not suffer any torture before her death."

"As for the old dean, he died in the house on the fifth day of his captivity - nine days ago. From the examination of his body, it can be seen that he was tortured. His eyeballs were dug out and his tongue was cut. Two long network cables were deeply tied into his wrists, penetrating into his flesh and cutting off his nerves. He was placed on the keyboard, just like..."

Like a puppet.

The two elderly people had died not long ago, and their bodies were highly decomposed.

But before the police pried open the door, the neighbors around did not smell any stench of corpse and did not find any clues.

This in itself is one of the doubts.

The computer in the room was still on when they entered.

After the police technicians investigated the computer, they found that the "prophet" IP that had been hiding and difficult to track was this computer.

This is also the most bizarre thing for everyone:

Fourteen days ago, the respected old dean was pinned to a chair in front of a computer desk, his hands were twisted, and he was controlled by an Internet cable, issuing a "death prophecy" every day.

Even the prophecy of his own death came from his own hands.

His body gradually decomposed over the nine days following his death.

But the predictions on the Internet have not stopped.

The festering fingertips rubbed against the keyboard, leaving behind streaks of dried, mottled blood.

There was no trace of a third person in the house except for an old couple. The doors and windows of the house had not been opened for half a month...

Everything confirmed that the third person in the old dean's house was not a human.

The police officer scratched his head and said, "Everyone's death is very strange."

Gu Zhisang played with the broken phone in his hand, grasping a wisp of Yin Qi that had not yet dissipated in his palm, raised his eyes and said:

"It's actually very easy to understand. He Zhaosheng is a natural artist. His thinking and way of revenge are naturally extraordinary."

Even if there is a medium for transmission - the Internet, without a carrier of energy, it is difficult to spread evil spirits widely.

He Zhaosheng is different, it has the best communication carrier:

"swirl"

The painting that was stolen by Haiming and won a world-class award has attracted the attention of all the people in Windy City. It can be said that almost every citizen of Windy City has seen this work that brings glory to the city.

The mark of "Whirlpool" was imprinted in their minds, which actually left a mark belonging to He Zhaosheng.

He Zhaosheng can attach his own power to his paintings and spread it continuously to influence the emotions and mental state of the viewers.

If this is the case, it would explain why the dead people went crazy without paying attention to the people around them.

They are surrounded by electronic products when they are driving, working and living, and He Zhaosheng can reach them through the Internet.

When their souls sense the presence of ghosts, the "imprint" that has been hidden deep in their memories will be catalyzed.

Hallucinations, fear, anxiety... and other emotions will make them "see" bizarre scenes that do not exist, causing car accidents, or being frightened to the point of sudden heart attack and death, or jumping off a tall building.

The death of He Zhaosheng's roommate An was also a carefully planned "coincidence".

The cat, with its keen senses and frightened by the negative energy in the painting, jumped onto the balcony, knocking over the plaster and potted plants, and killing An.

The same is true for the deaths of Haiming and the old dean.

The former's "prophetic dream" was nothing but a trap set by He Zhaosheng against Haiming using hallucinations and dreams.

The scenes and magnificent pictures that Haiming saw in the dream were all designed by it, deliberately to make Haiming deeply involved in them and unable to extricate himself, to see him being fooled around and then collapse.

Its hatred for the old dean is also easy to understand.

In He Zhaosheng's opinion, the old dean is the president of the school and a leader in the art world of Xiaguo. He should have been there to speak up for those who feel wronged, but he became an accomplice in the spread of evil for his own selfish desires.

Not only did he conceal the truth for Haiming, he also slandered and fired himself.

So He Zhaosheng wanted to avenge himself.

It dug out the old dean's eyes that did not know right from wrong, cut off the other party's tongue that confused right and wrong, and used his own hands to publish the "Revelation Notes" to set things right.

It named its anonymous account "Titia". After Gu Zhisang's search, he found that in the Western mythology system, the blindfolded goddess of justice is named "Justitia".

From various details, it can be seen that He Zhaosheng had been planning this "death prophecy" for a long time.

After committing suicide and turning into a fierce ghost, it took more than two months to carry out a grand series of revenges. This was to find an opportunity to link all its enemies together.

This man lived for art and died because of art.

Even revenge seems like a performance art.

So what's behind revenge?

Gu Zhisang lowered his eyes and looked at the slightly flickering screen of his mobile phone, lost in thought.

Among the information that He Zhaosheng posted online and fanned the flames of the incident, there was information about the existence of "gods".

Under its influence, many of its admirers on the Internet have also begun to believe in this god of illegitimate origin.

I don’t know how much this twisted power of faith has spread in secret and to what extent it has developed.

If all this is the 'Black Mist'' to quickly spread the influence of the evil god, as well as the evil spirit and negative emotions;

Then Gu Zhisang could reasonably suspect that all the tragedies that He Zhaosheng encountered might also be a conspiracy of the "Black Fog".

That genius boy is actually just a chess piece.

Looking beyond this incident, when He Zhaosheng placed the bag and the painting in Haiming's office that day, the painting was rolled up and tied with a rubber band;

Haiming didn't know that it was a stunning painting.

How come he was possessed by the devil that day and picked up the painting and opened Pandora's Box?

After the plagiarism incident broke out, why was it that even though He Zhaosheng had clearly written out the whole story with solid reasons and evidence, few people among the millions of people in Fengcheng gave him a second thought and they all swarmed to insult him?

Are they really that angry? Are they really sure that He Zhaosheng is lying and slandering his mentor?

Is there really someone who would have such a strong sense of justice that he would go to He's father's hospital and vent his anger on an elderly man who was seriously ill and had no idea about the situation?

There is always a dark side to human nature.

Whether it was Haiming's greed or An's jealousy... they were all magnified infinitely.

The Windy City is shrouded in black fog, and everyone inside has their judgment affected to varying degrees, becoming a link in the gear.

…

Not long after, the police officer who went to look for Haiming came back and said that Haiming was dead.

There happened to be a sharp wooden thorn at the place where he fell, which pierced his body.

At the same time, he also brought the latest news: "Coach Gu, please check the Internet!"

Gu Zhisang took the phone and found that the hot search terms had exploded.

"Vortex" plagiarized

After clicking on the hot search terms, the top hot posts are statements admitting plagiarism issued by several parties on their Weibo accounts.

There are accounts of Haiming himself, as well as those of the old dean, An, and others.

There is also a video.

The video was taken late at night, and one could only vaguely see Haiming's eyes closed and a look of fear on his face in the surveillance footage. He was dancing and walking back and forth in the room as if he was sleepwalking.

He let out a series of terrified cries, saying over and over: "I was wrong. I shouldn't have stolen your painting... I didn't mean to hurt you!"

"Don't kill me, I'll live!"

The comments from netizens below were heated:

[Fuck? It turned out to be plagiarism? ? Then didn’t I blame He Zhaosheng wrongly before…]

[My feelings are so complicated. If Haiming is really the beast who stole the student's paintings and turned the tables to frame the student, then we netizens have been used as a gun and killed a talented painter! ]

[These people will definitely not have a change of heart. Is someone forcing them to confess? If I remember correctly, He Zhaosheng seems to have committed suicide, but why is Haiming calling his name in the video? ]

[He Zhaosheng, I apologize to you. I'm sorry! ]

[There will never be another genius like this again...]

[Family members, let me tell you something horrible. I just heard from a friend in Windy City that several people in there are actually dead! Who logged into these accounts, and who posted the message? !

It's terrifying to think about it, my family members. It is said that there is a death prophecy in the Windy City. I just searched it and it was not popular on the trending searches before. Is this normal? ? 】

【……】

It was not until this time that the prophecy notes, which had been popular in Windy City, could no longer be covered up.

With more and more netizens paying attention, the popularity of related entries in the notes has also been rising steadily.

The police found another anonymous post on a local website, which read:

"The sixth person died in his dream."

There is no need to guess, this is a note update posted by the absconding He Zhaosheng using another account.

Looking at the anonymous post that was quickly gaining popularity, the members of the Spirit Team gritted their teeth:

“This is too arrogant.”

The police officer at the side sighed and said, "We can only clean up the scene first."

That evening, Fengcheng police re-announced the truth of the plagiarism case, confirming that "Vortex" was a painting by the deceased He Zhaosheng, thus vindicating the young man who was condemned by everyone three months ago.

This time, people all over the Internet felt sorry for He Zhaosheng and felt sorry for such a young genius who committed suicide because he could not bear the humiliation.

Many "righteous netizens" who had previously cursed him, photoshopped his posthumous photos, and even went to the hospital to make a scene to congratulate his father were exposed and condemned.

Some people could not bear the pressure of online public opinion and chose to apologize to He Zhaosheng.

There are also many people who refuse to repent and delete their comments and cancel their accounts, thinking that they can escape the punishment of public opinion in this way.

But they don’t know that they have already accumulated karma, which they will have to pay for sooner or later.

The official took this opportunity to use He Zhaosheng's case as a typical example and called on netizens to think independently and not become a snowflake in the cyber violence.

At the same time, the authorities have set up a special task force to deal with similar cases. From now on, they will vigorously crack down on cyber violence and rectify online water armies, marketing accounts, and people who spread rumors and false information at every turn.

As for the matter of Tianyun Village, the police also gave a general report, but they used "evil forces" as an excuse.

V from Fengcheng Police Station: "In recent days, our city has been infiltrated by unknown evil forces, resulting in major incidents with more than a hundred villagers injured or killed. According to investigations, this evil force has infiltrated many cities, using the Internet as a channel to spread various spells and talismans that are harmful to the physical and mental health of others, brainwashing many people and even causing them to commit suicide."

"These include but are not limited to the 'peach blossom curse', 'fraud groups', 'groups that bully boyfriends and girlfriends' that have recently become popular online... Please keep your eyes open and be vigilant. Do not believe in these evil curses and strange curses that come from unknown sources and are easy to gain without any effort. If you encounter such incidents, please be vigilant and seek help from certified professional places."

"At present, many cities have set up special investigation teams to crack down on the spread of evil forces in various provinces. We also ask the general public to report it bravely!"

With Gu Zhisang's reminder, the authorities realized the seriousness of the matter.

The Thousand-Faced God, which had been circulating in remote and backward provinces and various secret channels, was finally listed as a target that must be attacked urgently.

The police and the spiritual team worked on two parallel lines, digging deeper and investigating from different aspects.

After checking like this, I actually found some incredible things.

In fact, this evil god, which emerged from nowhere at any time, has already infiltrated the lower-class people and middle and high-level businessmen who have a huge demand for fame and fortune.

Privately inviting and offering sacrifices to the "Shu Shen" has become a popular industry in some areas.

There are many believers.

In addition to the believers in the open, more and more strange group chats and spell casting methods have appeared on the Internet in recent years.

For example, the "Suicide Game" that was very popular a few years ago, and the "Peach Blossom Curse" that has gradually become popular in the past two years.

Even the vile group chat of the young man who live-broadcasted on the grave that Gu Zhisang had exposed in the show, as well as various online fraud groups...

Behind every group, there is an invisible hand that constantly arouses their inferiority and desires as human beings.

Greed, laziness, jealousy, lust...

Everything that is despised by the world can be found in these group chats hidden on the Internet.

Everyone then realized that there were metaphysical factors behind the fact that people have become worse and worse over the years and that there has been an increasing amount of impetuousness on the Internet.

Realizing this, officials ordered a thorough investigation and rectification.

Soon, this kind of evil god became a strictly prohibited existence within the territory of Xia State.

As for various groups and group chats, the Internet police and members of the spiritual team also followed the clues and cracked down on dozens of them.

For a time, the online atmosphere was improved a lot, and there were some results.

But Gu Zhisang knew in his heart that they had not yet dug up the root of the problem.

…

On the day he was about to leave Fengcheng, Gu Zhisang went to the location of the Yancheng branch.

After recuperating for two or three days, the young man's condition had visibly recovered.

After hearing about what the Spirit Team was currently worried about - how to catch He Zhaosheng after he escaped in the illusory network, his eyes paused slightly.

After a moment, he said, "I might have a way."

Hearing this, Gu Zhisang was a little surprised, "What do you have in mind?"

Even she had a headache knowing how to catch He Zhaosheng.

The situation of this ghost is too special and it is extremely mobile. Even if we can roughly lock its position from the remaining negative energy, it is difficult to control it in the network and catch it out.

The traditional method of catching ghosts with talismans will definitely not work.

But if He Zhaosheng is not captured, although it does not have particularly strong abilities and is not very aggressive, it is obvious that it has been blinded and brainwashed by the evil god and will continue to help the evil god expand its influence.

With such an assist, various evil forces can still be promoted very quickly on the Internet.

So it cannot be left alone.

The spiritual team held several discussions on this issue, but failed to find a suitable way to capture He Zhaosheng.

Gu Zhisang's current idea is to use a large number of talismans to create a wide-range formation, first locking down He Zhaosheng's approximate position, and then setting up a large formation nearby without alerting the enemy.

After the formation was activated, it directly covered the entire area, and then conducted a carpet search to find He Zhaosheng.

But this kind of formation requires a lot of work. Even if she were asked to draw it, it would take more than half a month to prepare, which is time-consuming and laborious.

Not to mention finding ghosts!

After a moment's silence, Yan Cheng proposed a very novel concept: "Do some of your spells use words or language to activate them?"

Gu Zhisang: "That's about right."

For example, the Nine-Character Mantra, each word is a spell, the hand seals are the triggers that drive the power, and the energy of the caster himself is the most critical.

All three are indispensable.

Yan Cheng: "What if I try to have my men make a new system and code the spells you need into the system, will such spells still work?"

Gu Zhisang:?

Code spells, programming techniques?

This is talking about science in metaphysics and practicing Taoism in technology.

After a moment of silence, she looked confused and hesitant: "To be honest, I don't know either. How about giving it a try?"

Not to mention her, an old-fashioned person who lived hundreds of years ago, even the young masters who are still studying in the Xuanmen have probably never heard of such a magical combination.

After a moment's silence, Yan Cheng said:

"Then I'll let my technical team try to research and develop it. If it's successful, we can update the system across all of Yanshi's electronic brands."

Gu Zhisang searched and found out that the largest mobile phone brand in China was invested, developed and produced by the Yan family...

The author has something to say:

After the transition is over, the next episode will be linked to the main storyline, and the "Peach Blossom Curse" and another event have been tentatively confirmed. !