Chapter 169: Dark Web and Playing Cards

“How is that even possible?” Wang Dong exclaimed, his face reflecting disbelief. “Are you telling me that a human brain can function like a computer?”

His expression practically screamed, “Are you messing with me?”

“Why not?” Xiao Yu responded with a half-smile as he looked at Wang Dong. “How do you think computers were invented in the first place?”

Wang Dong immediately fell silent. After all, computers were created by humans.

This was a question that had been asked countless times before. Was the human brain more powerful than a computer?

Consider this—computers can perform complex calculations in a fraction of a second, while it takes a person at least a fifth of a second to solve even a simple problem. So, who’s faster? The answer seems obvious, right?

But it’s not that simple. Computers have merely optimized certain processes, stripping away the complexities of thought, judgment, decision-making, adaptability, and emotions. When it comes to these, the human brain blows computers out of the water.

For instance, a computer could simulate an accident, but a human couldn’t always create an accident based on that simulation. However, the human brain could make decisions and calculations in real time which might lead to accidents.

And consider this—humans might unknowingly cause accidents all the time, perhaps without even realizing it.

Take, for example, a child playing with a marble. They accidentally toss it onto the road. An hour later, a passerby steps on it, slips, hits the back of their head on the ground, and dies. Was that an accident?

Yes, it was—an accident caused by human actions. Most of these kinds of accidents, 99.99% of them, were uncontrollable. But that left 0.01% that were.

Humans often labeled that 0.01% as “coincidence.” It was something nearly impossible to replicate or control, but not entirely out of reach.

Now imagine someone who could use their brain to calculate and control those coincidences.

“Geniuses—they’re always around, no matter the era or time,” Xiao Yu said with a shrug. “Take you, for example, Brother Wang. You’ve made it to where you are now because, compared to many others, you’re something of a genius. You excel in certain areas. Though, to be clear, I’m not talking about your lower back issues.”

Wang Dong, “…”

‘What’s going on here, little bro? Did I steal your rice or snatch your money? Why are you using me as an example?’

“And another example…” Xiao Yu pointed to the tablet. “This killer. It’s not that he’s some terrifying monster. He just happens to be really good at doing a few scary things in a particular field.”

“Can you get to the point?” Wang Dong’s head was buzzing. “Speak in plain language that I can understand.”

“To put it simply,” Xiao Yu explained while looking at Wang Dong, “other than his ability to create these ‘accidents,’ he’s just like any other person. A bullet to the head, and he’s dead. But if we’re caught up in one of his staged accidents and he’s targeting us, there’s a good chance we’ll die. And in those accidents he’s orchestrated, we won’t find any clues. To catch him, we need to act before he creates the accident, otherwise… we’re out of luck.”

“That’s about as useful as saying nothing,” Wang Dong said, rubbing his temples. “If we don’t know who he is before he makes the accident, and we can’t find him after he’s done it, how do we catch him?”

“There is a way.” Xiao Yu pointed to the tablet again. “The cards.”

“The cards?” Wang Dong frowned.

“Yeah,” Xiao Yu grinned. “The killer is a professional, running a business. You’ve looked into where these cards come from, right?”

“Of course,” Wang Dong nodded, his headache intensifying as he gave the answer. “The dark web.”

“The dark web?” Now it was Xiao Yu’s turn to frown, his brows knitting together.

The dark web—those hidden parts of the internet.

Regular internet users couldn’t access the dark web through conventional means. They needed specific software, configurations, or authorization to log in. Due to its anonymity, the dark web fostered various illegal and criminal activities, drawing many into its depths. Countless illicit transactions were happening there.

“We tracked the origin of the cards, but the trail led only to the dark web,” Wang Dong explained. “Using certain methods to enter the dark web, we discovered that the cards are sold through auctions. The starting bid is a hundred thousand, and the highest bidder wins. But we have no idea how the seller contacts the buyers. Even the person we caught with a card didn’t know. It’s as if the person auctioning the cards has a way to find the buyer.”

“Did you inspect the card?” Xiao Yu asked.

“Yes, we did. It’s just an ordinary card,” Wang Dong nodded. “There’s no tracking signal or anything, so we still don’t know how the killer contacts the auction winner.”

“And the dark web?” Xiao Yu frowned.

“No luck there. It’s the dark web, after all,” Wang Dong said, shaking his head. “Aside from specific software tools to log in, it leaves no trace.”

“This is really troublesome,” Xiao Yu said, leaning back on the couch and closing his eyes. “There’s only one option left. Buy a card ourselves.”

“That won’t work,” Wang Dong shook his head again. “Those cards are only sold once every six months.”

“I told you, these people are running a business,” Xiao Yu said, opening his eyes. “If one deal falls through, there will definitely be a second, a third…”

“Is that really possible?” Wang Dong couldn’t understand. “If it were me, I’d be worried about something going wrong.”

“They’ll definitely have a way to verify if someone is a genuine client,” Xiao Yu mused. “Help me set up an identity in another city, then we wait for the next card auction.”

‘Why is this kid so confident?’ Wang Dong thought, still puzzled.

Three days later, sure enough, a card was put up for auction on a dark web site. The starting bid was still a hundred thousand.

***

Nighttime, H City.

On a bustling street full of food stalls, Xiao Yu stood by one, eating grilled squid. He now had a new identity, though still called Xiao Yu. He was a local of H City, a recent college graduate, and an orphan who had just inherited a small fortune after his parents passed away. But now, Xiao Yu wanted someone dead.

So, he entered the dark web and bought a card.

Three days had passed, and no one had contacted him.

Finishing his squid, Xiao Yu wiped his mouth, puzzled. 

“Why hasn’t anyone shown up yet? This is strange. And why hasn’t this case triggered a system sign-in?”