Su Meimei poured oil on the fire, her words dripping with macabre detail. "It was divine retribution. One auntie was eaten by carrion scavengers until only her clothes were left. One body was twisted beyond recognition. Another was covered in knife cuts. When that auntie's family and Liu Dong's family found the bodies, they cried their hearts out. They all swore that once they found the murderer, they would slice them to pieces." She painted the picture vividly, aiming to horrify and incite.
Su Meimei's words hit the chat like a boulder splashing into the sea, throwing up waves of outrage, the digital space boiling over.
[Shi Zi, Building No. 1, Floor 1, Unit 02 (Male)]:"Back then I wondered why five people from the community vanished for no reason. After Wang Qiqi reported them missing, we even went to three of their homes and took quilts, clothes, bowls. Those of us who took their stuff should stand up now and demand justice, shouldn't we?"
[Zhang Feng, Building No. 3, Floor 3, Unit 03 (Male)]: "@Xiao Shu, Villa Area, I only learned a few days ago that the five were brutally tortured to death. So it was you. You played innocent pretty well."
[Zhu Fan, Building No. 7, Floor 5, Unit 01 (Male)]:"Shocking. Is it human nature warped or morality collapsed that made a girl in her prime torture her neighbors?"
The group erupted, messages piling on. Su Meimei savored the moment, a bitter taste of triumph on her tongue. First drench someone with a bucket of filth, then slap on a big hat. Let us see how Jing Shu gets back up from this. "Tch. You think you can play with me?" she whispered to herself, fingers curling.
Voices piled on. Arguments flared. A relative of the auntie even threatened to kill Jing Shu, the text a raw scream of grief and rage.
[Young Madam With a Baby, Building No. 13]:"Stop talking nonsense without evidence. When our family of three was about to die, it was Jing Shu who took us to the hospital in the middle of the night and watched over my child till morning. She saved our whole family. How could she possibly torture others?"
[Wang Xuemei]:"Our house was robbed, and it was @Xiao Shu, Villa Area who brought us grain. Later when I was assaulted, this person avenged me. A hundred times better than you lot who only talk and do nothing. If anyone dares to slander again, I will come to your door with a knife. The so called government is nothing to me. I only know that when my family was dying, this person pulled us back."
[Fat Girl No. 25]:"It was @Xiao Shu, Villa Area who traded us horned frogs. That is why we have zero maggots and carrion scavengers at home now. Plenty of you took favors back then, didn't you? Why believe this person's every word the moment she says a few things?"
[Wang Qiqi]:"Quiet for a moment, everyone. Let's hear what @Xiao Shu, Villa Area has to say. We can't define the whole matter because of a single accusation."
Jing Shu watched the chaos with a cold eye, the screen's glow reflecting in her pupils. Only when someone fell into trouble did human nature around them show clearly. What Jing Shu despised most were people who never checked facts, who took one sentence from someone else and rode the wave as if they already knew the truth. The fickleness was a familiar poison.
Jing Shu's fingers flew over the screen, tapping out her reply.
[Xiao Shu]:"Su Meimei, reports must be real name now. Tell me who filed it. I will confront them. How do they 'know' I was there from 13:00 to 17:00? What exactly was that person doing during that time?"
[Su Meimei]:"Watching you loiter there and commit the crime, of course. That's why you were reported."
[Xiao Shu]:"Then riddle me this. If that person saw me committing a crime, why didn't they call the corpse removal hotline right after and get a pile of work points? Why wait until days later for others to discover it? Your story contradicts itself. If you plan to dump a chamber pot on my head, at least use your brain."
Jing Shu smiled, eyes narrowed to slits. The public didn't yet know about big data. It was classified, a secret tool.
Why?
To trap more people. The thought was cold, clinical.
Su Meimei gnashed her teeth, the sound loud in her quiet room, and couldn't explain without exposing the big data system. Suddenly her eyes lit, a new idea sparking.
[Su Meimei]:"Jing Shu, your father works at the Livestock Breeding Center and brings home dozens of eggs every day. Your mother works at the Planting Industry R and D Management Department and brings back vegetables every day. Did I say anything wrong? A few of you come with me to visit her home and we will see the truth. If Jing Shu doesn't dare open the door, it means she is guilty."
If no one could get water and everyone was eating maggots, people might tolerate it. But the moment Su Meimei said that the family in the villa ate eggs and vegetables every day and had plenty of good food at home, half the group's eyes turned red, jealousy a tangible heat in their stifling rooms.
Several volunteered at once, hoping to fish in muddy waters and steal something. A few people with a sense of decency, those who had received help before, spoke up. "They can raise horned frogs at home and trade for food. So what?" But their voices were drowned out.
[Shi Zi]: "I'm going!"
[Zhang Feng]:"Me too!"
[Zhu Fan]:"Count me in."
There was no stopping hunger fueled jealousy. Su Meimei led the three men toward the villa, the sun beating down on the dusty path, already plotting how to pin crimes on Jing Shu.
"Refusing to open the door is obstructing an official task. I will report that and add to the sentence. If we get inside, there will be plenty they can't explain. We will confiscate it all. Bringing these three will serve as witnesses, in case they try to start a fight like last time." She laid out the plan to the men, their faces eager.
While Su Meimei sweated and marched over with the men, excitedly discussing how to corner Jing Shu, a prickling sensation crawled up the back of Su Meimei's neck, like tiny feet on her skin. A heartbeat later, a bolt of drilling pain shot through her skin, sharp and sudden.
At the same time, a buzzing rose at her ear, a sound distinct from the ever present flies. A needle of pain stabbed her arm, then her leg, then her face, like barbs driving in. Su Meimei screamed, a raw sound of shock and pain.
"Damn it, what is that? Flies?"
"Your flies bite? Run! Looks like bees!" One of the men shouted, panic edging his voice.
By the time the men realized it, it was already too late. Because of the weather there were countless maggots and thus countless flies. They had long grown used to that buzzing and paid it no mind, not until the stings made it clear these were not flies, their venom a burning fire.
Though pain racked her body, Su Meimei bolted with the others, their feet slapping against the hot ground. They sprinted all the way to the community guardroom, a small concrete shelter, before shaking off the bees. Gasping, chests heaving, Su Meimei blinked and realized her vision had gone dark, a twilight descending. She reached up and touched her face, then jerked back in fright, her fingers meeting swollen, hot flesh.
Her eyes had swollen into huge bulges, the lids puffed shut. She couldn't see a thing. A light touch sent a lance of pain through her. Su Meimei shivered, a full body tremble.
Once inside, the four of them finally began to howl, the pain breaking through their adrenaline. Su Meimei's lips had been stung, the flesh ballooning. She could barely speak. After ahhing and oohing for ages without making sense, the pain worsened, itching mingling with it, a maddening combination. At last she couldn't help but scratch, her nails digging in. Pop. The swollen blister burst.
Pus streamed out, thick and yellow. She shrieked, the sound choked. She felt not only blind, but as if her entire body had grown heavier, a sack of throbbing agony.
Jing Shu stepped out of the shadows near the villa gate, having followed at a distance, and looked at Su Meimei's miserable state, the woman slumped against the guardroom wall. Jing Shu couldn't help but smile, a cold, satisfied curve of her lips. Of the four, Su Meimei had it the worst. Jing Shu had given Su Meimei some extra attention, directing the bees with a focused thought.
"Oh my, what happened here?" Jing Shu said, her voice loud enough to carry, laced with false concern. She stood a few meters away, hands in her pockets, watching.