Chapter 5: As Clean as a Blank Sheet of Paper
Gu Xu: "..."
"Let's do this: you take the notes first and then wait for the processing notice," the policeman said with a deep frown.
The day before, everyone at their police station had received a text message that had left them quite surprised.
It was widely believed that the current criminals were becoming increasingly audacious, but no one had expected that someone would report a crime just one day after receiving such a message.
It seemed that the scope of this mass text message was not limited to their police station alone, indicating that this was no ordinary case. It was likely a major fraud case that had captured the attention of the entire country.
Later that afternoon, the report had circulated throughout the police station, causing quite a stir. Everyone was alert and discussing the situation.
"I heard there's another major case?"
"Do you remember that fraudulent text message from yesterday? We checked, and most people in Yucheng between the ages of 18 and 60 received it!"
"These criminals are getting bolder by the day!"
Everyone understood the gravity of the situation, and even Deputy Director Li Qi was alarmed. He decided to personally lead the team to investigate this large-scale fraud case.
The fraudulent text message had reached a wide audience, and while they had received only one report so far, it was likely that many people had fallen victim to the scam without realizing it.
"It's truly bizarre that people would fall for such deception," Deputy Director Li Qi muttered as he examined the text message on his phone with a puzzled expression.
However, upon reflection, he realized that the perpetrators had cast a wide net, sending messages to everyone in Yucheng, ensuring that at least some people would take the bait.
"Contact the network information department and the telecommunications bureau. Ask them to trace the source of the text message and gather information," Li Qi instructed as he prepared to lead the investigation.
Behind him, the police officers wore grim expressions. They, too, had received the same text message on their phones, and it was clear that the criminals were challenging them openly.
It was as if they were daring the police to catch them.
An hour later, the police received detailed personal information that they eagerly examined.
"Qin Mu, 26 years old, male."
"Orphaned at a young age, dropped out of high school, and has been working as a livestreaming anchor with 20,000 followers."
"No prior involvement in wire fraud or association with dubious individuals."
Upon hearing this information, everyone's brows furrowed even further. It seemed that Qin Mu had no criminal record and did not fit the profile of a scammer.
Furthermore, it was unlikely that a single person could send such a massive number of text messages—it had to be the work of a large criminal organization.
"From the photos and documents, he seems to have a clean record," Li Qi remarked with a thoughtful expression.
With thirty years of experience in law enforcement, Li Qi had developed a keen sense of judgment. Intuitively, he felt that Qin Mu might not be involved in the scam.
"Deputy Director, he's currently livestreaming. Should we watch it?" the technician suggested cautiously.
Shortly after, they began streaming Qin Mu's broadcast on a computer screen. The title of the livestream immediately caught everyone's attention.
"Building a World-Class University for the Four Provinces of Shanhe in One Month?"
Li Qi's eyes widened, and he immediately recalled the content of the fraudulent text message. It appeared that the scammers were attempting to carry out the same scheme—claiming a lack of funds to build a university.
"It's him!"
"It must be him!"
"This is outrageous! Criminals today are brazenly livestreaming their activities on the internet?"
The officers were infuriated and eager to report Qin Mu to the authorities for justice.
However, at that very moment, in the livestream, Qin Mu paused what he was doing and looked up at the camera. He held up a hand-drawn design in front of the camera.
"I've completed the logo for Shanhe University," Qin Mu announced.
In the police station, everyone's attention shifted to the blueprint in Qin Mu's hand. Though it was hand-drawn, the design was remarkably eye-catching in terms of line quality and overall aesthetics.
"He... seems to be designing Shanhe University's school badge?" Li Qi mused, his eyes fixed on the design pattern.
Inside the livestream chat, the comments started pouring in.
"Finally, the anchor finished the design! Don't just stand there; show us your original stockings!"
"Hey! The design, the aesthetics, and the concept—all of it! Anchor, can you sell this school badge? I'll offer 2,000!"
"2,000? Are you serious? I graduated from an art school, and a design of this caliber is worth at least 20,000!"
"Wait, what's wrong with all of you? Aren't you focusing on the wrong thing?"
"Is the anchor's design really that incredible?"
Unconsciously, the number of viewers in the livestream had exceeded a thousand, with many art students bidding for Qin Mu's school badge design.