The author used the mysterious dark web as a bacjground to write a mysterious suspense novel. The book strikes a perfect balance between reality and fiction, making it feel like a true story while also providing a lot of suspense, making it very enjoyable to read.
In this book, I think there are three main points. Firstly, it is about criminal investigation and reasoning; Secondly, some content about the dark web; The third is the description of human nature. The author is very clever in these three aspects, satisfying readers' curiosity about unknown fields while also resonating with the book from the perspectives of human nature and reality. The author is clearly proficient in writing and is a very nice novelist.
--Reader Xu Fengnian's Knife

This novel is undoubtedly one of the most memorable mystery thrillers I’ve read this year. It presents readers with a perfectly crafted dark world. While we are all familiar with the surface web, the dark web remains largely unknown to most of us, even unheard of. Yet, the dark web constitutes the majority of the internet, much like the submerged part of an iceberg. The immense allure of the dark web is enough to captivate me, and this novel offers insightful depictions of internet culture and criminal psychology, among other academic themes. It’s evident that the author put considerable effort into crafting this work.
In other aspects, the novel is ingeniously structured, with each plot point seamlessly connected. The character development is profound, and the author has excelled in both literary quality and readability.
— Reader: Weapon Master and Yasuo

★ Highly praised and recommended by numerous suspense authors! The work has a rating of 7.9 on Douban! Once ranked in the top ten of Migu's new book reading and listening list.
★You should know that everyone in this world thinks they are right.
★ A butterfly flapping its wings in the dark can trigger a bloody storm. Dive into the story of criminal organizations lurking in the deep web, exposing the hidden 96% of the internet—a subterranean world 100 times more terrifying than you can imagine!
★ Mysterious murder, dark web, terrorist attacks, and struggles for fame and fortune. A genius detective vs. a mastermind of destruction: one is a warrior of the light, the other a king of the dark. In this battle of good versus evil, brother against brother, how will the game unfold?
★ The four major cases are ingeniously conceived, achieving a proper balance between truth and fiction, and combining Internet culture, criminal psychology, criminal behavior, and idiomatic reasoning to explore the good and evil of human nature, which is thought-provoking.

The story begins with a bizarre series of car crashes in Washington, D.C. One of the victims, Jeremy Wesley, is discovered to have died before the accident, and his body mysteriously vanishes, leaving behind a web of unsolved mysteries.

As the investigation deepens, the protagonist, Gu Chen, uncovers a series of cases intricately linked to a shadowy organization on the dark web known as Beholder. Operating across multiple countries, Beholder lures people into crime, dragging countless individuals into a vortex of evil. What’s even more shocking is that the enigmatic figure behind Beholder has a profound connection to Gu Chen himself. Throughout the investigation, Gu Chen must not only confront the darkness of this criminal underworld but also grapple with his own inner turmoil and the moral complexities of human nature.

In the novel, Gu Chen’s younger brother, Gu Yan, is a core member of Beholder. A master manipulator who excels at inciting others to commit crimes, Gu Yan is known as the “destructive genius” of the dark web. Despite sharing a tragic childhood, the two brothers have chosen vastly different paths in life. One is a prodigious detective who has solved countless cases; the other is a kingpin of the dark web, responsible for innumerable crimes. Their fates become strangely intertwined through a series of cases, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown between light and darkness.

In the novel, Gu Chen's younger brother Gu Yan is one of the core members of Beholder. He is skilled at inciting others to commit crimes and is a "destructive genius" in the deep web. These two brothers had the same tragic childhood experiences, but chose completely different paths in life. One is a genius in solving cases, having solved countless cases; The other is the king of the deep web, who has committed countless crimes. The fates of the two are intricately intertwined with the case, unfolding a battle between light and darkness.

Qiu Er, real name Liu Yang, hails from Heilongjiang Province. Her work Falling for the Top School Hunk: My Glamorous Adventure ranked among the top 10 on the Migu Reading audiobook new releases list. Her short story Banno won third prize in the Rongshu Literature Competition and received an excellence award at the inaugural August House Literature Competition in 2018.

Chapter 1 The Corpse and the Omen / 001
Chapter 2 The Last Supper / 013
Chapter 3 Someone Else’s Author / 029
Chapter 4 Well-Intentioned Efforts / 037
Chapter 5 Mr. Gu / 048
Chapter 6 The Mystery of Identity No. 9 / 063
Chapter 7 Smoke and Mirrors / 077
Chapter 8 A Vegetarian Affair / 088
Chapter 9 The Vanished “Hunter” / 091
Chapter 10 A Shocking Reversal / 101
Chapter 11 The Instigator / 113
Chapter 12 A Bloody “Gift” / 125
Chapter 13 Matters of the Heart / 136
Chapter 14 The Teacher’s Illness / 154
Chapter 15 A Chance Encounter in the Countryside / 166
Chapter 16 Deception and Betrayal / 177
Chapter 17 Curiosity Killed the Cat / 201
Chapter 18 A Moment’s Decision / 221
Chapter 19 Death and the Truth / 269
Chapter 20 The Love of a Möbius Strip / 279

When Gu Chen pushed open the office door with a Starbucks takeout in hand, Tang Yu, wearing retro MOSCOT thick-frame glasses, was sprawled in a sea of crime scene photos, looking as if he was questioning the meaning of life.
With a “thud”, the coffee cup landed on the corner of the desk, the ice cubes inside dancing a lively tango.
Having braved the scorching sun to deliver the coffee to the Hoover Building, Gu Chen looked thoroughly displeased. His icy expression, as cold as -30°C, seemed to drop the office temperature by a few more degrees.
“Did the cases pile up the moment your boss went on vacation?” Gu Chen sat across from Tang Yu, observing his disheveled state with a hint of schadenfreude.
Tang Yu, already devoid of any will to live, replied weakly, “More than that! There’s a seven-car pileup here—eight dead, six seriously injured. Thank heavens a few lucky ones survived.”
He sighed heavily twice.
Gu Chen glanced at the badge on Tang Yu’s chest and quipped sarcastically, “Didn’t you get transferred? Aren’t traffic accidents supposed to be handled by traffic police?”
“True, but only if the victim died in the crash,” Tang Yu picked up one of the photos on his desk. “Look, there’s no sign of severe trauma or massive blood loss at the scene. And here’s the paramedics’ record of his body temperature—96.2°F. We all know that after death, a body’s temperature drops by 1.5°F per hour. According to the data, the victim’s blood oxygen saturation was 0. All these signs point to one thing: the victim had been dead for at least an hour before the accident. So, this is no ordinary traffic accident.”
The conclusion was undeniable.
“Even so, it’s just a routine murder case. No reason for you to take it on, right?” Gu Chen asked casually. “What about the cause of death? What did the coroner say?”
“If we had the cause of death, I probably wouldn’t need to be involved,” Tang Yu replied. A cup of coffee might help with fatigue, but it did little to ease his migraine.
“Am I hearing this right?” Gu Chen couldn’t resist teasing. “The family refused an autopsy?”
“What if I told you that half an hour before the autopsy, a careless staff member mixed up the tags, and the body was mistakenly claimed by another family and cremated? And now, the ashes are scattered in the ocean, drifting who knows where. What would you say to that?” Tang Yu’s words came out 1.5 times faster than usual, venting his extreme frustration.
Gu Chen chose to stay silent, while Tang Yu, on the verge of losing his composure, suddenly slammed the table and roared, “I swear, if I were any of those people in that chain of errors, I’d either kill someone or kill myself by now! Bunch of incompetents!”
The thought of Washington’s soaring crime rate made Tang Yu break out in sweat. As a former FBI BAU (Behavioral Analysis Unit) profiler and now the acting head of the homicide division, he not only had to outwit vicious criminals but also clean up the mess left by his inept colleagues.
Gu Chen tossed him a mint, hoping it would calm him down.
Suddenly, Tang Yu turned to Gu Chen, his eyes gleaming mischievously. “I was so angry earlier, I almost forgot to tell you the key point!”
A sense of foreboding washed over Gu Chen. He stood up as if his seat were on fire, glancing at his watch. “Let’s talk later. I just remembered I have something to do—”
Before he could finish, Tang Yu yanked him back into the chair and said earnestly, “Knowing you, you’ll definitely be interested in this case!”
“Not interested. And you don’t know me at all,” Gu Chen stood up again, trying to break free from Tang Yu’s grip.
Tang Yu grabbed his sleeve. “When the victim died, his eyes were glowing with an eerie blue light. Witnesses say it’s a sign of a demon’s curse.”
“Curses and demons? Go find a witch doctor. I’m not interested!” Gu Chen struggled harder, putting more force into his words.
Tang Yu sped up his explanation. “The scene was cordoned off immediately, but someone still managed to film it and post it on Twitter. The video, titled ‘The Curse of Death,’ was reposted hundreds of thousands of times in less than an hour.”
“What are you worried about? That kids will panic over a video with decent post-production effects? Or that adults can’t tell real from fake online?”
To an atheist like Gu Chen, such fantastical tales were nothing but clownish nonsense.
“Would you still think that after seeing this?” Tang Yu quickly pulled up a video on his computer and hit play.
The video, shot by an amateur photographer with shaky hands, captured the entire crash scene. The footage showed a gruesome scene, with car parts flying everywhere and cries for help filling the air.
Tang Yu paused the video at the 1:17 mark. On the screen, a white man’s neck was twisted at an unnatural angle in the passenger seat of a crushed Volvo. While there were no visible external injuries on his face, his glowing blue eyes caught Gu Chen’s attention.
“We’ve had techs check it. The video hasn’t been tampered with, and the rescue workers at the scene confirmed seeing this.”
Gu Chen stared intently at the screen, his expression turning serious.
“Have you considered factors like light refraction or interference?”
Tang Yu nodded. “We’ve ruled out all possible interference. There’s no explanation.”
“Seems a bit intriguing,” Gu Chen murmured, his eyes fixed on the glowing blue eyes, a slight smirk forming on his lips. “Do you have the budget for this? I don’t come cheap.”
Tang Yu pulled a coin from his pocket, grinning. “If I were you, I’d choose to be magnanimous. Besides, with our friendship, talking about money is so vulgar!”
“Talking about friendship hurts my wallet! Let me remind you of my professional principle—”
“Work comes first, money comes second!” Tang Yu said with a dark expression. “I must’ve done something terrible in a past life to know someone as stingy as you!”
“Time is precious.”
“Fine, I’ll settle last time’s and the time before that’s bills by the end of the year!” Tang Yu said, then immediately called a meeting with the homicide investigation team.
Martin, one of the core members of the team, began summarizing the information gathered so far.
“The victim, Jeremy Wesley, male, 29, was found dead in a multi-car crash on June 28, 2018.
“Sarah Dubov is Jeremy Wesley’s wife. They have a 5-year-old daughter, Natalie Wesley. The family moved here from California in March 2014.
“The deceased worked at an auto repair shop. According to his colleagues, Jeremy was socially awkward and a notorious gambler who borrowed money from almost everyone.
“In addition, he had three major vices: drinking, domestic violence, and drug use.”
“A classic social parasite. He gambled every time he had money and always lost, so he racked up a lot of gambling debts before he died,” Tang Yu said, downing his coffee and crumpling the cup into the trash.
“Exactly, Tang!” India nodded in agreement. “Bobby Wayne, the local infamous mob boss and our ‘old friend,’ admitted he sent Bruce to warn the victim, Jeremy.”
“A warning? Who’d believe a word Bobby says?” Officer Jason, with his British accent, rolled his eyes.
Martin, unfazed by the heated comments, continued his report. “Aside from these individuals, there’s also this person who had significant interactions with the victim—Lucas Tom, a drug dealer and pimp who lured women and underage girls. He was the one supplying Jeremy with marijuana.”
“Our victim’s social circle is truly a gathering of scum!” Jason rolled his eyes again, disregarding his image.
Martin sighed and added, “It’s worth noting that some people saw the victim introducing women and underage girls to Lucas.”
“Underage girls and drugs… This scumbag probably got killed in a fallout over uneven shares!” India clenched her fist, cursing under her breath.
“Not necessarily. Don’t forget whose car the victim’s body was found in,” Tang Yu said, his gaze fixed on Gu Chen, who was still staring at the screen.
Martin nodded. “Right, the current suspect is the victim’s wife, Sarah Dubov. I found some old records—Sarah had called the police multiple times reporting domestic violence, with seven police responses. The most recent was a month ago. Here’s a copy of the recording from the dispatch center.”
Martin tapped the keyboard, and the speakers played the emergency call.
“This is 911. What’s your emergency?” the dispatcher said.
“I need a bacon pizza and a dozen beers,” a woman said weakly.
“Ma’am, this is 911 emergency services,” the dispatcher reminded her.
“Yes, a large pizza, no onions. My address is F Street, Building C…” Sarah pretended to be calm, but her frail body trembled slightly.
The dispatcher, exasperated, confirmed again. “Ma’am, do you know you’ve called 911?” These kinds of prank calls never seemed to end!
“Yes, that’s right!” Sarah gripped the phone tightly, tears welling up. She tried to keep her voice steady. “How long will it take to deliver here?”
The dispatcher seemed to sense something was wrong. “Ma’am, are you okay? Do you need emergency assistance?”
“Yes,” the woman exhaled softly. “I think I have some change.”
The dispatcher paused, then asked, “Is there anyone else with you? Can you not speak freely?”
“Yes, how long will it take to deliver to 505?”
“There’s a patrol car about 1.3 miles from your location,” the dispatcher replied. “Do you have a weapon with you?”
“No, please hurry!” Sarah covered her mouth, afraid the man behind her would notice anything unusual.
The dispatcher asked, “Can you stay on the line?”
“No, thank you. Goodbye.”
Sarah hung up and turned around, meeting Jeremy’s hawk-like gaze.
Sarah had a pretty face and a graceful figure. Even with bruises on her forehead, left eye, and corner of her mouth, she still looked stunning in Jeremy’s eyes.
Jeremy gestured for Sarah to come closer. She endured the sharp pain in her ribs and took three steps toward him—what she thought was a safe distance.
The next second, Jeremy yanked her into his arms, a mocking glint in his eyes, as if to declare: See, Sarah? Your “safe zone” is so fragile!
In the corner of the living room, near the TV, 5-year-old Natalie sat quietly, watching everything her father did to her mother, a rope around her neck forcing her to witness it all.