Mystery Paradise: Wi Chapter 76 - 76 75 Locking on the Suspect

??Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Locking on the Suspect

Chapter 76: Chapter 75: Locking on the Suspect

Zhang Zhiyuan had beco more and more accustod to the vertigo induced by disconnection. He took two deep breaths, removed the VR headset, and slowly opened his eyes.

The intense gunfight had just taken place before his eyes, and at first, he was able to aim at less lethal parts of the body, but as the battle stretched on, and enemies began to flank from the sides, he couldn’t afford to be so ticulous anymore. It wasn’t until all six magazines were emptied that he finally let go of the trigger, and by then, he had no idea how many had died by his gun.

The enormous differences between the two worlds gave him the illusion that he was in a dream.

But his will was clearly warning him that it wasn’t a fictional environnt; everything was happening for real.

Zhang Zhiyuan looked up at the wall clock; the ti pointed to 18:20.

This gaming session lasted about three hours.

Despite the enormous ti discrepancy between the two sides, why hadn’t that world advanced at a rapid pace? Last ti, after being disconnected for three days, in theory, several months should have passed there.

“You’re awake?” Ning Jing ca over and removed the monitoring equipnt from his body, “Director Gao just ca by, he said as soon as you wake up, to have you go straight to his office.”

“I got it,” Zhang Zhiyuan put on his jacket, “Did he say what it’s about?”

“No, but by the look on his face, he seed to be in very high spirits,” Ning Jing said with a smile, “If you get a promotion, don’t forget to treat us!”

“Definitely,” Zhang Zhiyuan smiled, jumped down from the reclining chair, and left the secluded room set up specifically for the Paradise ga.

Then he quickly made his way to the director’s office on the fourth floor and knocked on the door.

“Co in.”

“Reporting in!” Zhang Zhiyuan pushed open the door, entered, and saluted first, “I heard you were looking for ?”

“That’s right, the list you asked

to investigate last ti has so results,” Gao Wei stated succinctly.

“What?” Zhang Zhiyuan was taken aback, “That was quick?”

“Yes, things went smoother than I expected. Hearing that it was our governnt agencies requesting, the Caribbean Company quickly provided the boarding list, and not just that, they also procured the surveillance records from that day.”

“This…” Zhang Zhiyuan realized his boss had so significant news for him, “You… found a suspect?”

“Correct,” Gao Wei drew out a file and pushed it to the edge of the desk, “According to the national criteria, there were a total of one hundred and thirty-seven people that day, twenty-nine could enter the VIP room. Based on the height, arm length, and other features you provided, there’s only one person. This is his file.”

Zhang Zhiyuan picked up the file and quickly skimd through, “Huang Zining, male, twenty-five years old, from Chu City. Is he the ga host? Is there a chance of an identity theft situation?”

“We can’t rule out that possibility, but don’t forget, we found not just the identity, but this ‘person’!” Gao Wei emphasized by tapping on the desk, “He can change identities, but he can’t cover up his movents. As long as we work with customs and the transportation departnt, in cooperation with the big data center, we will be able to trace all of his movents. Under the countless caras, it’s impossible for him to move without trace! Zhang Zhiyuan!”

“Present!” Zhang Zhiyuan stood at attention.

“You are to take full responsibility for this matter, work overti if you must, and find his current location, then proceed with the arrest!” Gao Wei ordered.

“Yes!”

“What’s the matter with you?” The superior gave him a peculiar look, “I thought your response would be more enthusiastic. Isn’t this what you have always wanted to prove?”

He wasn’t wrong, but at that mont, a complex mix of emotions surged within Zhang Zhiyuan’s heart.

For so reason, his mind was filled with images of the multitude of slaves locked in iron cells, the patients moaning on the beds in the holy temple, and the bright eyes of the nun.

However, these images were but fleeting.

His primary duty was to enforce national law and ensure the safety of citizens. “Yes! I guarantee to complete the mission!”

…

At nine o’clock in the evening, Zhang Zhiyuan finally received a call from the data center.

“The materials you requested are ready. We are sending them to you now; is it convenient for you?”

“Thank you for your efforts, please send it.”

Soon, an archive accompanied by image data was received on the computer.

“What is this?” Cui Zhen’en sipped her milk tea while waiting for the files to unpack and said, “I an… are you and Director Gao hiding sothing from ? Last ti you had

check a number, I thought it was a surprise drill, but later I casually checked the location where you dialed from and found out you weren’t at Beifu at all. Now you’ve left

to work overti alone, just to receive encrypted files from the data center, what case are you actually working on?”

“Actually… you guessed right,” Zhang Zhiyuan nodded.

“Pfft—” Cui Zhen’en spat out a mouthful of milk tea, “You guys really are keeping things from ?”

“Sorry, that was my decision, because this case is extraordinary.”

“Talking like you’re so detective agency!” Cui Zhen’en rolled her eyes, “Please, we’re essentially more like an intelligence agency, responsible for exchanging information with counterparts around the world. We neither need to go to the scene nor catch people physically, so what case needs to be treated with such secrecy?”

“It’s far more mysterious than you think, or I should say… other cases can’t even be ntioned in the sa breath as this one. I kept you here this ti because I was planning on getting you involved too. Because Director Gao…,” he paused, then changed what he was about to say, “he values you highly.”

“I think you just lack manpower and wanted to drag an innocent person to keep you company for overti,” Cui Zhen’en snorted with a laugh, “Stop beating around the bush, just tell

straight.”

“No rush, take a look at these files first, you’ll have ti to slowly co to terms with it,” Zhang Zhiyuan said slowly.

Cui Zhen’en gave him a strange look, but couldn’t be bothered to argue, and used the encryption key received from the other side to open the archived file.

“So this guy is the suspect, huh?”

She opened a series of videos in parallel; the footage locations included airports, high-speed train stations, and many were street corners, but no matter where, the main character in the center of the videos was always the sa person.

“Correct.”

“What cri did he commit?”

“He participated in a large-scale online virtual reality ga, and we’re not clear whether he’s an administrator, a ga designer, or maybe just a small role within the custor service team. But once we catch him, I believe we should get an answer.”

“Huang Zining?” Cui Zhen’en raised an eyebrow.

“No. It’s a ga that connects the world,” Zhang Zhiyuan said.

“What kind of ga is that? MMORPG? Or AAVG? But what law does that break, are they evading taxes?” Cui Zhen’en started to suggest but then imdiately dismissed the idea, “No, that doesn’t fit, why would Director Gao be concerned about tax evasion? We are not from over the strait. Can you explain this in more detail?”

“I can. Simply put, these people are operating a virtual reality ga, but in essence, it’s not an ordinary ga. It leads players to a world that actually exists, a place they call Paradise,” Zhang Zhiyuan said while watching the characters in the video, articulating every word, “Rember the invitation we found in Wayne Jas’s email when we were investigating him?”

“Wait a second… When you ntion Paradise, are you referring to the Paradise ga where Jas and other criminals secretly t? The one that openly defied Interpol?”

“Yes, but as I said before, it’s not just a ga. The place where I t Jas… is called Magnificent Castle, and it… is in another world.”