Chapter Forty-Seven: The Devil Behind the Keyboard

Fang Nian’s thoughts drifted back along the threads of memory to the hunting ground of “Class Three, Senior Year.” When the criminal was apprehended and every student had been swayed by Fang Nian’s influence, he believed that everything had finally come to an end. He was just about to call out to Xi to leave this hunt behind.

But at that very moment, Fang Nian sensed something was amiss. Everything seemed oddly unnatural, or perhaps this victory had come far too easily. In a sudden flash of intuition, he felt as though a shroud of mist was closing in around him.

Composing himself, Fang Nian sifted through his thoughts again and again, hoping to unearth some kind of clue, but no matter how long he pondered, nothing revealed itself. It was only when his gaze fell upon a name in the live chat—a user called “The Judge”—that a faint tremor ran through his body.

Fang Nian opened the chat log and compiled the messages sent by The Judge. In an instant, he was shocked to discover that this person seemed to be manipulating the rhythm of the livestream in a unique manner, subtly guiding all the viewers’ thought patterns toward an outcome of his own design.

Realizing that this must be the crux of the issue, Fang Nian rewound the stream to review The Judge’s earlier comments. Gradually, sweat broke out on his face and down his back. In his mind’s eye appeared a cold-faced keyboard warrior, seated before a computer, furiously typing out chilling messages, as if determined to make the entire world feel his malice.

“This sort of character wasn’t part of my design. I never imagined that in this hunt, such a sinister figure would emerge. So what is his goal? What does he hope to gain by passing the game?”

Fang Nian dug deeper and soon discovered that this person played the role of a cold-hearted judge across many online platforms, using sharp words and overwhelming malice to steer others in the direction he desired.

Through the conversations, Fang Nian identified an abundance of psychological suggestion, used to incite others to attack the target, to hint at the bleakness and apathy of the world.

With these words, he forced victims to seek relief in a particular way—a hidden blade cutting down the fragile, utterly depraved.

Xia Ye’s death, too, had been orchestrated by this person from the shadows. In an instant, the entire narrative Fang Nian had painstakingly built around Xia Ye’s suicide seemed to crumble; the true mastermind was this man hiding behind his keyboard.

Xu Zhuo was shaken to his core as he listened to Fang Nian.

“Nian, if what you’re saying is true, then not everyone in ‘Class Three, Senior Year’ changed. Doesn’t that mean someone cleared the game? But in the end, you all won. How did that happen?” Xia Moyu, propping his chin in his hand, suddenly snapped out of his thoughts and spoke up loudly.

“Ah… I get it now! That keyboard warrior is Fang Jie, isn’t he? Brother-in-law, stop keeping us in suspense—what happened?”

Fang Nian paused, surprised that he’d only now realized it was Fang Jie.

Fang Nian managed a helpless smile, took a sip of beer, picked up a piece of freshly grilled pork belly and popped it into his mouth, then spoke calmly.

“According to the rules we set, the hunt could only be won by changing everyone’s stance. This person seemed impossible to sway, but after analyzing him, I realized it wasn’t out of the question—though it would require something special.”

“So after much deliberation, I decided to use reverse psychology to conquer him. I began digging into his background, because as they say, know your enemy and you’ll win a hundred battles. Do you remember the bespectacled boy in our class?”

Xu Zhuo nodded.

“Yes, the one who edited the Photoshop photos?”

Fang Nian smiled.

“Exactly. He was a computer whiz, and through him I learned a lot about Fang Jie’s persona. It turned out Fang Jie suffered severe trauma in childhood. His father, for the sake of a seductive woman, not only abandoned him and his mother, but even beat his mother for money. Forced to survive, mother and son had to beg on the streets.”

“When he finally got into university and won a national computer science award, he thought his luck had changed. But disaster struck—his mother committed suicide. She couldn’t bear the scorn, ridicule, and overwhelming malice of the world. After witnessing her son’s success, she chose to depart in the most tragic way.”

Xia Moyu suddenly understood.

“Ah… so that’s why he used the internet to take revenge on the world, targeting the privileged and those who had what he never could.”

Fang Nian nodded.

“Exactly. So I used that—exposing his malice to everyone, making it clear that he was the real culprit behind Xia Ye’s death and the deaths of many innocents.”

“As the saying goes, fight fire with fire. Under the onslaught of public outrage and condemnation, his mind collapsed. In that moment of defeat, he finally realized his mistakes, changed his stance, and ended his own life in the same way as Xia Ye.”

As Fang Nian spoke, Xia Moyu couldn’t help but spit.

“Brother-in-law, that guy really got what he deserved. But how did he end up so badly in real life? I heard after his surgery he still hasn’t woken up, and even if he does, he’ll never be a hunter again—his corpus cavernosum was removed.”

Hearing Xia Moyu’s words, Fang Nian’s brow furrowed slightly. He knew this was a side effect of the system’s demonic mode, closely linked to that entity in the hunting ground.

This was why Fang Nian had grown wary of this mode, and why he’d been so drained that he’d fainted. If he hadn’t discovered Fang Jie’s role in this contest, the victim would have been himself.

Of course, Fang Nian would never tell them that.

“Maybe his nerves just weren’t strong enough. Even though the hunting ground rules have been nearly perfected, there are still areas beyond human exploration. Accidents like this are inevitable—just his bad luck, I suppose.”

The others nodded in agreement; this explanation seemed reasonable enough.

At that moment, the lively atmosphere at the table fell silent. Fang Nian said no more, drinking his beer alone. Xu Zhuo and Xia Moyu still seemed lost in the aftermath of Fang Nian’s account of the hunting ground.

Suddenly the fat one broke the silence.

“Old Fang, now that you’ve done this to Fang Jie, the Fang family is bound to pin the blame on you. With the Xia family’s current resources, I doubt they can withstand the Fang family’s wrath. What are you planning to do next?”

Fang Nian’s brow creased, a deep chill rising within. The feud with the Fang family was precisely what he least wished to confront. To escape them, he had fled from District 4 to District 16 in search of refuge. Who would have thought he’d run into Fang Jie here, and end up in such a mess?

Of course, Fang Nian knew that even without this encounter, the Fang family would eventually discover he was with the Xia family. Since this grudge was bound to surface sooner or later, what difference did it make when?

Fang Nian gave a faint smile.

“It doesn’t matter. If the storm is coming, I can’t run from it, can I? Fang Jie’s fate should serve as a warning to them—the real reckoning is only just beginning. Whatever they do to me, I’ll accept it. On the contrary, I’ll make sure they pay dearly for everything they’ve done, even if I have to destroy them utterly.”