Chapter 31
Shen Yunzhe cooperated very well. In peacetime, ordinary people have a natural trust in the police, and Shen Yunzhe was no exception.
However, the moment the door was opened, the police saw the wall full of dolls. They subconsciously took a step back, and then realized that these were ordinary dolls, so they quickly turned to look at Shen Yunzhe.
"Mr. Shen?" one of them asked.
Shen Yunzhe nodded. "Mr. Policeman, what's going on that requires my cooperation in the investigation? I haven't left the house in a long time."
"Look, about ten days ago, you interviewed for a copywriting position for the internet-famous brand 'Yuanqi Soda,'" one officer asked, while another was working on the file. "You interviewed with a university student named Meng Cunrui, and after the interview, you called the police."
"Yes," Shen Yunzhe replied. "Is it about the remaining issues after we called the police?"
The two policemen exchanged glances, then smiled at Shen Yunzhe. "Please come with us to the police station. We'll be protecting you for the time being."
Shen Yunzhe didn't expect this development. He was a little surprised, "Protection?"
"Please tell me the details after you get to the police station. The police car is downstairs."
So Shen Yunzhe was treated like a police car as soon as he returned to reality. Before leaving, he wanted to hold a doll to accompany him, but was unfortunately rejected. So Shen Yunzhe could only bid farewell to the doll cabinet that he had not cleaned yet, and followed them to the police station he had never been to before.
After arriving at the police station, Shen Yunzhe was arranged to a conference room. There were already four people sitting inside, making five people including Shen Yunzhe. Shen Yunzhe strangely sat in one of the empty seats.
Through simple observation, Shen Yunzhe determined that the four people were not in good condition. They were extremely nervous and tense all the time. One of them was sweating profusely in the middle of winter, and there was still fear in his eyes. He was probably dragged here just after coming out of the playground like him.
With a click, the door of the conference room opened. Two people jumped up at the sound, and only stopped trying to escape after seeing the police uniform.
He definitely just came out of the playground and is still in the playground and hasn't relaxed yet.
Although the man who came in was wearing a police uniform, he looked quite gentle. He sat in the front facing them.
"I'm sorry to have called all of you here, but starting today, we're going to protect you. Please cooperate with us and stay in the police station during this time. Even if you leave, you'll have a police officer with you to protect you."
One of the young men trembled and asked, "W-why?"
"Although this incident is bizarre, it's true." The gentle police officer put away his smile, and in an instant, his expression became unusually calm and serious. "The internet-famous Yuanqi Soda posted a job posting online. A total of 100 people applied, but on the day of the application, 76 people died in accidents."
"We identified commonalities among the accidental deaths during the ten-day investigation, but just ten days later, 19 more people died in accidents."
He said, "Of those who have been interviewed, only five of you are still alive, so we need to protect you."
Everyone present looked at each other, with a hint of resentment in their eyes, because each of them knew what had happened, how these people died, and how they had tried their best to survive.
"It's too much of a coincidence to be deliberate. I don't believe this was just an accidental death, so I called you in." The police officer said to them seriously, "For your own sake, and to prevent other victims, I hope you can tell me everything about the interview."
Such a large number of accidental deaths, all of them young people, and all happened in the same place. The police would not believe that this was a coincidence, but they also seemed unaware of the existence of the playground.
While being questioned by the police, Shen Yunzhe was distracted by the questioning about whether he should talk about the live broadcast. Then he remembered that Meng Cunrui had called the police because of that live broadcast...
This must be said!
"Live broadcast? Is that the one you and Meng Cunrui called the police on?" What a coincidence, the policeman who took Shen Yunzhe's statement was the one who brought him here.
"Yes, Meng Cunrui looked off at the time. I looked over there and saw what looked like a hanged man on the livestream. The interviewer said he had made a mistake and gave us another livestream page. We also took a statement after reporting it to the police. That statement should be more comprehensive regarding this."
The policeman nodded. "I'll go look for them. Then you went your separate ways and went home. Nothing else happened?"
"The door lock had fallen into disrepair, so I kept it unlocked for a long time. I almost fainted from low blood pressure, and my neighbor helped me." Shen Yunzhe ignored the playground and told him the truth. "Then I fell asleep and didn't wake up until noon the next day."
Shen Yunzhe was very cooperative and behaved normally. The person opposite looked at the complete file, thanked Shen Yunzhe and left, asking Shen Yunzhe to sit here for a while.
【If you stay here, you might be able to meet someone from the official side.】
Shen Yunzhe raised his head and quickly realized that this was a police station with surveillance cameras everywhere, so he couldn't talk to himself or behave abnormally.
The system continued speaking as if it knew what he was going to ask.
Most players won't use the "Surprise Easter Egg," and even if they do, they only recruit 10 people at most. Pulling 100 people into the game in just a few days is too risky and too easy to be discovered. Those who can pull 100 people at once are relatively unique and easier to identify.
[Once locked, someone will be there to ensure the 'surprise easter egg' doesn't spread further.]
I know you're wondering why this can't be shared online. It was allowed in the past, but now, after the sanctions, it can only be viewed on personal phones. After all, AI can't be pulled into the game, and even if there are a lot of 'surprise Easter eggs', there are only a few dozen circulating, and they can be targeted and blocked.
Shen Yunzhe realized that this seemed to be a problem that had troubled the authorities for a long time, and after mobile phone networks became a pandemic, it became a popular trend that was even more difficult to guard against.
Those who stayed at the police station needed to notify their families, and the police were responsible for that. Except for Shen Yunzhe, the other four were recent college graduates, most of whom were only children. When their families heard the police notification, they rushed over in a hurry. Shen Yunzhe was an orphan and had no one to contact.
Seeing the four people who were traveling with them hugging their families, they finally relaxed. After seeing their families, they were probably reminded of the playground and cried miserably.
Shen Yunzhe sat on a chair with a glass of water next to him. He picked up the glass and took a sip.
Just then, the sound of running was heard.
"Xiaozhe?!" A familiar voice sounded, and Shen Yunzhe almost spit out the water.
He raised his head hastily. A woman in police uniform came to him. She didn't look young, probably in her thirties. Because she had been a police officer for many years, she had an aura of authority without even getting angry. Shen Yunzhe coughed and put down the water cup quickly, "Sister Xinlu!"
"Why didn't you inform me when something happened!" The woman stared at him with reproach in her eyes.
"I just don't think it's a big deal." Shen Yunzhe quickly apologized with a smile, even acting coquettishly, "Sister Xinlu, you look so busy, how can I have the nerve to bother you."
The woman sighed and looked at Shen Yunzhe with a helpless look. "Okay, wait here. I'll go inside and ask."
Only after watching the woman go in did Shen Yunzhe breathe a sigh of relief.
Shen Xinlu, the biological daughter of the orphanage director, is seven years older than Shen Yunzhe. She has been the big sister of the orphanage since he was picked up. After he can remember, it was she who took him around the orphanage. Later, he was admitted to the Police University and stayed there after graduation to become a glorious people's policeman.
She is 32 years old this year, not married and has no boyfriend. She says she wants to devote her life to her career.
Perhaps Shen Yunzhe was picked up by the dean and took the dean's surname. Shen Xinlu really treated him as a younger brother. If she hadn't been too busy with work and didn't visit Shen Yunzhe often, she would have discovered long ago that he had been fired from his job and there was 400,000 yuan in his account of unknown origin.
"I actually found Sister Xinlu." Shen Yunzhe covered his face, "No, how could I hide this?"
Because of the commotion just now, the people around him looked at him more or less. At this moment, a man sat down next to Shen Yunzhe.
"The person who just went in was your sister? A police officer?"
"Yeah." Shen Yunzhe nodded and looked at him, "Although we are not related by blood, she is still my sister."
The man was silent for a moment, then asked him cautiously, "Have you told the police about the playground?"
"No, it sounds like a mental illness. They might not believe it." Shen Yunzhe looked at him, "Did you say that?"
The man's face turned pale. He didn't dare to look at Shen Yunzhe. After a long time, he whispered "Yeah".
He said, "You know how terrifying it is in there. I really don't dare go in again. I was able to get out this time entirely because of luck. There was a very powerful person in there who protected us newcomers to prevent the game from becoming more difficult. Otherwise, I would have died long ago."
"I just thought: If the police knew about this, if the higher-ups knew about this, would there be anything they could do? I just wanted to seek help."
"If you have any trouble, go to the police. That's all I can believe."
Shen Yunzhe looked at him. He reached out to pat his shoulder, but before his hand reached his shoulder, the man reflexively slapped his hand away. Only after he did he realize what he had done did he apologize to Shen Yunzhe with a grim expression.
The experience at the playground made him completely forget how to survive in peacetime.
"I agree with you." Shen Yunzhe said, "There's strength in numbers. Maybe there really is a solution."
"Although I didn't mention the gaming venue, I did mention the live broadcast. It's okay, and the higher-ups might not be unaware of it."
The man was obviously comforted. He thanked Shen Yunzhe and got up to leave. Shen Yunzhe picked up the water cup again and this time finally drank the water.
Shen Xinlu went in and came out an hour later. It might be because the situation inside was difficult to explain, and Shen Xinlu was a police officer from another police district.
She looked unhappy when she came out, and only forced a smile when she saw Shen Yunzhe.
"Let's go. I'll take you home to get your toiletries, and then I'll send you to the hotel next to the police station. There are guards there." Shen Xinlu made herself appear more relaxed. She reached out and hugged Shen Yunzhe. Because she was shorter than Shen Yunzhe, her face was pressed against his chest when she hugged him.
She said, “Don’t be afraid.”
"I'm fine." Shen Yunzhe smiled and patted her back, with a soothing and coquettish tone, "Sister, how did you know?"
Shen Xinlu said: "The police called me directly. When I heard that you were involved in this case, I was so anxious that I came here immediately. After all, I am your sister."
Although she was wearing a police uniform, Shen Xinlu did not drive a police car. She drove her own private car. This was not for official business. In the car, Shen Xinlu asked Shen Yunzhe about his friendships, work situation and emotional problems like other elders, and received three negative answers.
Shen Xinlu couldn't help but reach out and pat him, laughing at him for being even more insulated from the opposite sex than herself.
While waiting for the traffic light, Shen Xinlu stopped the car and turned to look at Shen Yunzhe, "By the way, let me ask you a question."
Shen Yunzhe raised his head.
"Have you ever been to an arcade?"
Shen Yunzhe didn't turn around. He answered without hesitation: "What is a game field? An online game?"
"I don't know." Chen Xinlu turned back to look at the traffic light. "I read the transcripts of several of you. You're the only one who didn't mention the playground. I'm asking. Maybe this playground is the cause of the 'accidental death'."
"It sounds quite metaphysical."
"Many times, solving a case depends on this little thing. Who knows if a keyword that can be considered metaphysical is the breakthrough point of a murder case." Shen Xinlu looked at the red light countdown, "Xiaozhe, now that the police have discovered this, no matter what the opponent is, they will be more restrained. I believe you can get through this difficult time."
The green light came on and the car drove through the intersection.
She came all the way to Shen Yunzhe's house. As soon as she walked in, Shen Xinlu saw the wall full of dolls. She looked at them curiously for a long time, and finally counted them and found that there were more than a dozen more than the last time she came.
Shaking her head slightly, Shen Xinlu didn't want to say anything about this cheap brother's hobby. She only knew that these dolls were not cheap, and most of the money Shen Yunzhe earned after work was spent on these dolls.
"You bought so much again." Chen Xinlu asked sincerely, "Can you see it all?"
"I didn't buy the doll to look at it," Shen Yunzhe emphasized. "I bought it to admire it. Don't you think it's pleasing to the eye?"
"Many people are afraid of dolls, let alone a wall full of dolls. I guess you're the only one who appreciates them so much." Chen Xinlu looked the doll up and down, "Have you given it a name? It's not going to be called Black Hair and White Hair like before, is it? The whole cabinet is full of Black Hair and White Hair."
"It's too tiring to name so many of them one by one. I can't remember them all." Shen Yunzhe replied: "It's better to distinguish their makeup and clothes."
Shen Xinlu shook her head regretfully, “You really don’t have a childlike innocence.”
A grown man who likes to collect dolls, doesn't talk to them, doesn't give them names, and doesn't even buy them new clothes, what kind of doll dad is he!
Shen Yunzhe took a few sets of clothes for changing and picked a doll from the cabinet. Shen Xinlu took the doll and clothes and sent Shen Yunzhe back to the police station. The police station arranged accommodation for him in a nearby hotel. After Shen Yunzhe got the room card, he waved to Shen Xinlu, indicating that she could go back.
Shen Xinlu told him to go quickly, and she left after seeing him go in.
When Shen Yunzhe entered the hotel, the smile on Shen Xinlu's face disappeared. She was silent for a long time before she took out her cell phone from her pocket and made a call.
"Hello? I'm Shen Xinlu."
"Xiaozhe might have already entered the game. Ten days have passed, and he might have even made it through the second game."
There was silence for a few seconds, and then a long time later, the other party replied: "We have detected it too."
Shen Xinlu covered her mouth, her eyes reddened, "So he really..."
"We investigated Shen Yunzhe's account balances and discovered a large, unidentified amount of money, exactly 400,000 yuan, was transferred in. We also investigated the people he had contact with and have confirmed that the company he applied for, 'Yuanqi Soda,' is indeed relying on recruitment to mass-produce 'surprise Easter eggs,' so the probability of Shen Yunzhe being involved in the gaming industry is over 80%."
The reason they didn't say 100% is because they still remain a little skeptical.
"May I ask how he is doing now?"
"Very normal, just like before. I can't even believe he went into a place like that."
There was silence for a moment, and then he spoke, "We need to continue observing."
"We will try to contact him to determine the next steps. Ms. Shen, don't be sad. This is not your fault, nor is it his fault."
"If possible, no one wants this to happen."
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