The atmosphere in the hall suddenly changed.
It was no wonder that even the seasoned old minister broke his usual calm—they were being investigated by an entity that had actually sent a message directly to their private email? Didn't this mean that the other party not only knew they were being investigated, but also had clear knowledge of the investigators' identities?
"Is this... a provocation?" someone muttered under their breath.
"Let's take a look first," Gao Wei tapped the table, signaling everyone to quiet down.
The signal was quickly connected to the central big screen, and the intelligence department publicly opened the seemingly ordinary email. After a simple animation effect, a gate constructed of red and black appeared in the center of the screen, with the words "Click here to enter" above it. Below the gate were more details, which Zhang Zhiyuan, with his sharp eyes, read aloud.
"A new round of the game is about to begin."
"To enter Paradise, you can choose between two types of tickets: one million US Dollars or outstanding investigative and detection skills."
"Inside Paradise, you can enjoy unparalleled sensory stimulation and a brand-new cognitive experience. Not only can you win generous rewards from the game, but your life and fate can also undergo a complete change, and whether it's for better or worse is entirely up to you to decide."
"Paradise awaits your visit."
"Awesome!" Cui Zhen'en couldn't help but exclaim in the internationally recognized language, "This can hardly be called a provocation, can it? How is it any different from a direct challenge thrown in our faces?"
"What does 'outstanding investigative and detection skills' mean? Are they planning to get us involved as well?"
"Can't you trace where this email came from?"
"No, the gateway has no data record, it's as if it just appeared in the mailbox out of nowhere." The voice of an intelligence colleague came from the screen, clearly, they were also at their wits' end, "We have disconnected the network connection to the outside world and are checking for backdoor viruses."
"So, can we click on 'register' now?" Cui Zhen'en asked with interest.
"In theory, there shouldn't be any issues; the email is currently in a virtual lockdown."
"Try clicking it," Gao Wei instructed.
The intelligence department did as instructed, and the red and black gate slowly opened to reveal a formal registration form in front of everyone.
"Uh... Is that it?" Cui Zhen'en couldn't help but say.
In fact, this was what everyone was thinking—if the image didn't move, it would've been fine, but the movement completely exposed the poor production quality. The rough textures, the stuttering and missing frame effects when the gate opened—not to mention a seasoned programmer, even a university student in a related major could do better. And the registration form itself was completely made with PowerPoint, which could be done in less than three minutes by hand.
Without a doubt, Caribbean Company's technical capabilities could never produce such cheap work.
"It feels like a job application from a small company…" a criminal detective couldn't help but say.
"Someone is deliberately playing with us."
"Xiao Zhang, what do you think?" Gao Wei directly addressed.
Zhang Zhiyuan, though only in his twenties, possessed remarkable abilities and was fluent in multiple languages. After being transferred to the international criminal police department, he had made notable achievements several times, earning him considerable regard from superiors. Therefore, it wasn't surprising to anyone when Gao Wei asked the question in such a manner.
"To be honest... I don't know," he said, scratching his head with a hint of helplessness. After all, such an outrageous matter had never been seen, not in his career nor in the entire police department's archives. "But there's one thing I think we need to be careful about, and that's not to assume beforehand that the Paradise Organization is connected to Wayne James. The man indeed participated in that game, but he also took a trip on the Heart of the Ocean cruise ship, and we certainly can't claim that the entire Caribbean Company is involved. With this premise in mind, it becomes meaningful to delve deeper."
"Hmm, continue," said Gao Wei.
"I'm also concerned about another point," Zhang Zhiyuan mused. "Filling out a few forms with three false inputs and one true might at worst result in a loss of one person's basic data. But if they can easily send emails to us, getting our surface information should also not be difficult. Look..." He pointed at the screen, "It doesn't even ask for job positions or involve any case details, just height and gender, seems a bit like a trick for mind control."
"Mind control? What do you mean?" Gao Wei asked.
"When our department interrogates stubborn criminals, the interrogating officer starts with some simple questions that can be easily answered, to gradually lower their guard," explained Zhang Zhiyuan. "Usually, these are questions like 'What day of the week is it?' or 'What did you have for dinner?', and after several times, the criminals begin to subconsciously develop a sense of compliance."
"What guts, so this is a test of our compliance!" Cui Zhen'en slapped the back of her chair.
"The key isn't there," he continued. "We want criminals to comply because we need their confession, in other words, there's a certain cooperative relationship. So what is the purpose of Paradise doing this? After all, mere mischief and provocation wouldn't require such tactics."
These words left everyone in thought.
Gao Wei was the first to speak, "So that's why you said we shouldn't assume too early that Paradise has something to do with Wayne James. Makes sense... but they're terribly wrong if they think they can negotiate with us. Hacking into government networks is already a violation of the law, and as soon as we find out where these people are, I'll definitely bring them to justice!"
"Indeed," Zhang Zhiyuan agreed. "We can try enlisting while having our colleagues in the cyber intelligence division trace the signal and coordinating with criminal police in other regions to lay a trap. Even if we can't catch Wayne James, at least we have a chance to uncover what exactly he did at the previous gathering."
"Should we send someone to ask Zhou Zhi?" suggested Cui Zhen'en.
"Keep an eye on it for now. We don't yet know if he'll take part in the second game, and we shouldn't spook the suspects prematurely," decided Gao Wei after thinking it through. "If he participates again, we'll leave him be. If he doesn't make a move, then we'll approach him during the game's start and directly inquire about the first gathering. Although I have a feeling, he won't be much help to us." Having said that, Gao Wei stood up, "So everyone... let's get to work."
"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.
...
"...Quite the sharp bunch, aren't they?" Chaoyang slowly opened his eyes and couldn't help but sigh.
He had not only sent the email out of thin air but also observed the entire meeting through the lobby's security camera. And this was one of his abilities.
At the moment of awakening, Chaoyang not only understood the Demon's way of life but also instinctively knew the abilities he possessed. Simply put, Demon powers could be categorized into two types. One was 'Fraud', which was the core and an ability all Demons possessed. This included entering dreams, creating illusions, or creating temporary objects or phantasms, which also increased the consumption of wishing power.
Especially creating physical objects, using such powers on Earth, where wishing power was sparse, was almost suicidal. Had he not discovered another world rich with wishing power, he might never have been able to use this ability.
The other type was a power unique to him, which also distinguished each awakened Demon. Chaoyang's power allowed him to easily intervene in the network, turning those elusive electronic pathways into tangible pathways and doorways.
The first time he used this power, even he marveled at the advancement of the era, for even Demons were evolving with the times.
He named this ability 'Cyber Eye'.
And he became the first Cyber Demon of the 21st century.