Blazing Armor

Ren Yi stared wide-eyed. “Are you saying that Purple Flame is in the venue?”onPKrYUQQPwJmvegaiEsuNosDfPxeq

“It might not be Purple Flame themselves,” Gong Yingxian analyzed. “They have so many followers, it’s unlikely they’d personally take the risk. Right now, six radio stations and one online platform are broadcasting the concert live. To ensure stable transmission, the venue would limit other satellite signals, which means remote-controlled bombs are impossible. Moreover, if we use signal jammers to block all signals, the bomb would only function as a timer. This would take away Purple Flame’s ability to detonate the bomb early, and they wouldn’t leave such a vulnerability. So there has to be someone on-site who can manually trigger the bomb even if all signals are blocked.”ChCmyHeviHsnmofzomKSKfPYODhvUd

“Manually? Doesn’t that mean that person wouldn’t escape death either?” He Gu frowned. “Listening to your conversation, this sounds like a cult.”nflHyWldspQaDIKpyuIYAySWlCafsU

“You’re not wrong,” Ren Yi responded coldly. “Several cases over the past six months have been linked to them.” Thinking about the past few months—the innocent victims, the firefighters, police officers, and doctors who died or were injured in the line of duty, and the pain left for their families along with the public’s fear—Ren Yi gritted his teeth in hatred for these maniacs.txoBaziUCrLZroaplUflxvkoxiZmUE

“In that case, to ensure someone can detonate all the bombs, the first explosion must trigger a chain reaction,” Gong Yingxian looked at He Gu. “This is easier to achieve in the equipment system, right?”jruoZnHkOOmFHmDyelABiTRzPXWMZD

He Gu nodded. “But the search area is still too large to cover in…” He glanced at his watch. “Forty minutes. Many of the pipeline systems run throughout the entire venue.”LohOJjTpmzFLEKEZwBYgRQePJMnDOI

Gong Yingxian checked his phone. “Yan-jie has arrived. Captain Zhang’s team has made progress too. Let’s go over and gather the clues.”EUbaLqqAzgDTfPZEyWwOkfFhlMAVDJ

The three of them headed to the meeting room, which had been turned into an emergency operations command center.GpISPTAEjgYpmKBCRHAEEezNWcJuLD

Qiu Yan waved them over. “Come here, we’ve found something on the surveillance.”BTJiRpdtkgTxIaWLQyWDmGCYVZoHuY

Tan Haocun, sitting at the computer, turned to greet them. “Hi, Dr. Gong, Captain Ren.”RSxWctUzugEDCKevXCYqqFvTdUMech

“What did you find?”BJVdInBAQImjeIiniOJixyUkmBywVO

Tan Haocun’s fingers flew over the keyboard as he showed them a fast-forwarded video clip.PhuloLnmoZtNCRGMMUHBDAGCIELXuq

They stared at the screen for a while, but nothing seemed to change in the footage.amnDfUFDNQrGcsDBmDrveMPJfRmSiN

“What’s this?”MvUTeUCXQSyyfjpkdPZmwYKMHYoeSm

“This is an example—from 9:30 to 10:00 PM—of footage from several surveillance cameras. It looks like nothing changed, as if no one passed by, but in reality, the video was frozen.”kZJwjNKfRmxEpAqoIzTsBBmjIiOAPb

Gong Yingxian frowned. “The system was hacked a long time ago.”kkEblHezdNomkzWDeafmIYMSXITVQf

“Of course. Otherwise, how would they have gotten the venue’s design plans? Captain Zhang’s team has been reviewing all the surveillance footage from the past week at maximum speed in reverse order. They’ve gone back four days and haven’t found anything unusual.” Tan Haocun shoved a handful of fries into his mouth and then sneaked a glance at Qiu Yan. “Sorry, I eat when I’m nervous.”mBEuRGoqNjHASNgIcJIVSHYywNYQPO

Qiu Yan smacked him on the head. “Keep talking.”ttDIrDTWjiMDVNwtwYLJZLlDkYgOSl

“I’ve analyzed the footage, and there are two possibilities. One, the surveillance was tampered with. Two, they haven’t found anything yet. The further back in time we go, the less likely the second possibility is, so I’m leaning toward the first. I’ve written a program that can detect traces of tampering, but there are several terabytes of footage, and it would take all year to process. Just now, Dr. Gong mentioned in the group chat that the suspects are most likely inside the venue. So, I ran the program on just today’s footage, and I found something quickly.” He took a sip of Coke and pulled up a complex-looking data analysis program with several bar graphs showing peak values. “By cross-referencing, you can see that since the concert began, the surveillance has been periodically altered. To avoid arousing suspicion in the control room, the hacker only modified selective sections and not continuously. Based on the location and timing of the camera alterations, we can trace a person’s movement trajectory.”qDXEUhHMSnfezWuGeFpihMUaAIKegJ

Tan Haocun’s fingers flew across the keyboard, and soon, a floor plan of the venue appeared on the screen. Lines representing different routes gradually emerged, each in a different color according to the time. There were a total of eight routes, crisscrossing in a seemingly chaotic manner.zmmjARgxwCOORcRssxXLLxwvpSUCCf

The group silently stared at the screen.tgLcnBCMbNSqyybvUinkpbPqskylOx

“These routes are difficult to make sense of at a glance, and it’s almost impossible for one person to cover all these routes in the given time frame,” Gong Yingxian said. “The hacker is using this method to confuse us and conceal the true movement path of the perpetrator.”rTHnOZJUXRoLIDFHdTKLQrFAcgISjO

Qiu Yan added, “But at least this proves the suspect is indeed inside the venue, and their true movement path must be within the area covered by these tangled lines.”DqYCMsKLbVbgltNrBnocfJoznTtUIH

Gong Yingxian thought for a moment. “Exactly. It also proves the bombs were planted after the concert started, meaning the explosives must have entered the venue with a vehicle.”YEyiYiyfaeCstyoBAipOlCafqyDnpo

While audience members underwent security checks, vehicles entering the garage did not.yErryFhhhUWuUVkHXDVXAaPTaUKEJw

“And it must be a vehicle belonging to the event organizers,” Qiu Yan pointed out. “To prevent fans from harassing the stars after entering, the backstage area is completely isolated from the rest of the venue. However, concert-related personnel could place the bombs inside vehicles belonging to the organizers, VIPs, equipment teams, or media, hiding them in equipment cases or other materials. They could also move freely throughout the venue using their staff credentials.”pNQaZLLxHovEqKPuMIdkVTcMINwctn

The security team leader quickly added, “Their vehicles are parked in a separate section from the audience’s, over 200 cars in total, all parked on the first basement level.”iQNpiPFpmILRZhHjvIzkhrfDBSecSt

“Get ion spectrometry swabs ready immediately,” Gong Yingxian ordered.WjjqvtmWwWgZtEhDigSULsdgAZsMWj

Qiu Yan called Cai Qiang over, leading a team to test for explosives. Nitro explosives, being one of the most common types, leave traceable ions such as nitrate, ammonium, and sulfonate. If an explosive had been inside any of the vehicles, the test strips combined with the equipment would detect it.WcWGwNdqLCqJICRkYxJsJPeOsXrjYh

Tan Haocun muttered, “I hope Qiang-ge can catch them quickly.”iMJGjYVOYUvjGAIGDxjfDDXeSxKatD

“Even if he catches the person, it only removes the threat of an early detonation,” Ren Yi said, glancing at his watch, his anxiety palpable. “We have just over half an hour left, and there’s not even enough time to evacuate the crowd now.”knakUFlViQRiMowloWluDHOmbpBzCw

Tan Haocun nervously shook his leg, stuffing snacks into his mouth, and mumbled, “We, we have to find it, no matter what.”RuQeLCJeJMMUSQwvhQSmYylOHJBSeM

He Gu pointed at the screen. “Print out a copy of this movement trajectory map for me. I need to compare it with the venue’s design plans. At the very least, we can rule out certain areas.”vsStMDKREhbNYjyjKVhgqrtxrCelZd

“Sure,” Tan Haocun replied, then curiously asked, “And you are?”KEEYBxrhSxwxVcTNDDozEzXCZVbrCw

“I’m the venue’s engineer.”ttpvjcQZxPmBWeSTvzsNyqyQhpjvKU

At that moment, Ren Yi’s radio crackled to life. Xu Jin reported, “We’ve already checked the structural pillars, boiler room, power distribution room, and backup generators—no explosives found. As expected, the perpetrator wouldn’t place the bombs in obvious, high-priority targets. But just in case, we’ll continue the search. How are the police doing?”YOKHHPqiVWVBeaKUoihQJoeHZrfzDL

“They should soon identify which vehicle brought the explosives in,” Ren Yi said, glancing at Gong Yingxian. “We’re still working on ruling out suspicious areas.”WWmDKMohuYBxjLHFolVkfEVcnDiIvD

“Good, keep in touch,” Xu Jin replied.TsKAleXYzrQUPnCrxHbdLoqbsZLiDU

Gong Yingxian sat off to the side, clutching his head, replaying every word Purple Flame had said in the video, scrutinizing even the slightest changes in tone.hpZJExlXVtVLrlBOyQpuPmSJhrolXs

Ren Yi looked at Gong Yingxian’s pale, tightly furrowed face, deeply concerned. Yet, he painfully realized he no longer had the right to care.yfUMlAtFxUBpNETlSAADOduQKWlkca

Qiu Yan walked over to Gong Yingxian, patting him on the shoulder. “Don’t rush it. Stay calm and think.”qMZYUefBxSzHBklftmMECHvfWLXLeq

Gong Yingxian nodded.BtKpyXwEwLErMMGnwhZLLiALUdiYMP

“Is Purple Flame… that person?”BnsEuYojqLvMPOEdvaHdqIlACbbZwQ

“No.”PDMyxitlaVKCRvetRSdQKsktHoAjfR

“You’re that sure?”FZLPzLpVlVaOozlZFRVltQKEOZvAjN

“Based on Liu Dayong’s description, that person has severe OCD. Purple Flame doesn’t exhibit any signs of that,” Gong Yingxian explained gravely. “Also, Song Juhan is a young singer, and Purple Flame listens to his songs, so he can’t be older than thirty-five. Purple Flame introduces himself as a ‘humble’ messenger, but then claims to be conveying God’s will. Subconsciously, he believes that the only one above him is God, and that he is God’s representative on earth. His words are filled with arrogance and narcissism. His video, the planning of this bombing, and even his gestures and movements when speaking, all display a strong desire for control and attention. None of these traits align with the characteristics of that arsonist from back then. That arsonist vanished for eighteen years, deliberately hiding his existence. If he were Purple Flame, he’d want the entire world to know about his achievements. This psychological need to be at the center of the world’s stage, to bask in attention and admiration, is a common trait among cult leaders and one of their sources of allure. So, they aren’t the same person.”zXXcZVMjdpKfyVnMTEZKTmpeWLUoBz

After hearing Gong Yingxian’s analysis, Ren Yi took a sharp breath.JqfOQezSfztNsKVxoFJZVVIWPhlUCY

This intricate, eighteen-year-long string of crimes—what terrifying truth lay hidden behind these layers of fog?HHuRaARkIwLbEXqHaVdPcOLdoInOHy

“What puzzles me now…” Gong Yingxian pondered aloud, “is what standard Purple Flame uses to judge whether a soul is ‘evil.'”IAMfmaFIWxeBbPKKyCHKzSvKojeuSQ

This question stunned everyone.UAekQWJdhTWVVxEjSuDWGNYzClJPaT

Gong Yingxian continued musing to himself, “Only by understanding his motives can we grasp his actions.”MAsgQpgUbQGxOytUcvXTBIVaZoETst

They had never considered this question before. To a normal person, everything the cult did seemed mad, irrational, beyond comprehension. But now, they had to understand.LGuqtnVdWCVUoHgDPrmxHhTlhyHzvL

Tan Haocun chimed in, “Aren’t they just a bunch of pyromaniacs? Setting fires is their belief, right?”CdBmkGogseWdvdQZcmLiQMTQHsliEZ

Gong Yingxian shook his head. “Maybe that’s what Purple Flame believes, and maybe the others do too, but when X Cult controls people, it must be for a ‘righteous’ reason. Purple Flame needs this reason to unite the group, to brainwash them, stripping away their individual personalities and forming a collective mindset. The group, in turn, needs that reason to justify their actions. When the outside world attacks them, they’ll cling to this righteous excuse to justify themselves, and in doing so, they’ll become even more united. So, Purple Flame would never say, ‘We kill for fun.’ He’d say, ‘We kill to purify the evil souls with fire,’ and he’d say it over and over until he and everyone else believes it.”TVUYfuBhRNYTPCzSuqdeoBUECFFLDU

Tan Haocun straightened up. “I’ll pull up all arson cases from the past ten years and see if we can find any linked to this organization. Maybe we can figure out their criteria for what constitutes an ‘evil soul.'”YKeCtTzLNCIlVDBgfittkqdRtyLYxt

“They couldn’t have operated in the shadows for so long without leaving traces. I believe the real organization formed when the Seraphim website gained influence,” Gong Yingxian remarked. “Narrow the timeframe to five years.”tYkMDLFKKjkBVvDMHowQUNGfbvUpBO