Double evil in the business district

Detective Luo flung open Xiao Yue's office door, only to find an empty room with the financial report still flashing on the computer screen. A chill shot up from his feet to his head, and he realized something might have happened to Xiao Yue.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yue was in danger. Following her agreement with Detective Luo, she headed to the East City Commercial District, the area containing the IP address of the mysterious account tracked by Public Relations Officer Lin. The towering buildings stood in a steel jungle, aloof and indifferent. This area was home to numerous companies, making pinpointing the mastermind's location akin to searching for a needle in a haystack.

Following Detective Luo's instructions, Xiao Yue checked each company one by one, but found nothing. As time ticked by, a growing sense of unease crept in. Just then, her phone vibrated, and an unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.

She hesitated for a moment, but still answered the phone. "Ms. Xiao, long time no see." A low and hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone, which made her shudder.

"Who are you?" Xiao Yue asked warily.

"You don't need to know who I am," the other party chuckled, "You just need to know that you are playing a game that you can't afford to play."

"What do you want to do?" Xiao Yue forced himself to remain calm.

"I just want to give you a piece of advice," the other party's voice turned cold, "Don't continue investigating, otherwise..."

The other party's words stopped abruptly, and Xiao Yue's heart sank suddenly. She realized that she had touched the bottom line of the mastermind behind the scenes.

Meanwhile, Detective Luo paced anxiously in Xiao Yue's office. He called Xiao Yue over and over, but couldn't get through. He realized he might have been tricked. The so-called shell company was just a cover to lure him away so he could take down Xiao Yue.

He slammed the table, regretting his carelessness. He immediately contacted Shen Ting and reported the situation to him. After listening, Shen Ting's face turned pale and he immediately ordered all resources to be mobilized to find Xiao Yue.

At this moment, the online situation suddenly shifted. Public opinion, which had been gradually subsiding, was stirred up again, this time targeting Xiao's financial situation. The online troll army received new instructions, no longer focusing on the previous negative news, but instead began to spread rumors that Xiao's company was about to go bankrupt.

"Xiao's enterprise's capital chain is broken and on the verge of bankruptcy!"

"Xiao Enterprise's stock price plummeted and is about to be delisted!"

……

Sensational headlines flooded major online platforms, with netizens, uninformed by the truth, following suit and reposting comments. Xiao's company's stock plummeted, sending panic throughout the company.

Lin's public relations team convened an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures. However, faced with the overwhelming online public opinion, they seemed somewhat powerless. Lin's public relations team frantically directed their team members, trying to control public opinion, but with little success.

Detective Luo finally contacted Public Relations Officer Lin. After learning of Xiao Yue's disappearance, he became even more certain of his judgment. He said gravely, "The situation is very complicated. Someone is manipulating all this behind the scenes..."

Before he could finish his words, the office door suddenly opened and Shen Ting walked in with a gloomy face, his phone tightly clenched in his hand. His tone was icy: "Contact everyone you can contact and find Xiao Yue, immediately!"

Feng, an ordinary office worker, enjoyed browsing the internet and was particularly interested in gossip. When he saw the news of Xiao's Enterprise's stock plummeting, he immediately thought of all the negative news he had read before. He was convinced that Xiao's Enterprise was truly doomed.

"I told you, there's definitely something wrong with Xiao's company! Those previous news stories were definitely not groundless!" Netizen Feng frantically posted on various social media platforms, exaggerating the "doomsday scenario" for Xiao's company. "I heard that Xiao's company is in chaos, and employees are ready to quit!" He fabricated all kinds of rumors, inciting other netizens.

"Is this true? Xiao Enterprise is going to go bankrupt?"

"Oh my god! I bought their products before, there won't be any problems, right?"

"Hurry up and sell your stocks, it will be too late!"

Feng's comments spread like a virus, and more and more netizens were influenced by him and expressed their concerns and doubts about Xiao's enterprise. Panic spread across the Internet, and Xiao's enterprise's image suffered an unprecedented blow.

At the same time, Zhang Bozhu, a popular online blogger with millions of followers, keenly caught the secret to this wave of traffic. In order to cater to the public's taste, he immediately concocted an article titled "Xiao's Enterprise: The Shocking Truth Behind the False Prosperity."

In the article, he cited some so-called "internal data," claiming that Xiao's company had long been unable to make ends meet and was only maintaining a rosy appearance by embellishing its financial statements. He also seriously analyzed Xiao's financial situation and concluded that it was only a matter of time before Xiao's company went bankrupt.

Of course, these so-called "data" were all fabricated by him and had no factual basis. But he was well versed in online communication and knew that as long as the title was attractive enough and the content was sensational enough, it would attract a large number of clicks and reposts.

As expected, the article caused an immediate uproar as soon as it was published. Netizens forwarded and commented on it, putting Xiao's enterprise at the forefront of public opinion.

"I was saying it, how could Xiao Enterprises be so perfect? ​​Turns out it's all fake!"

"Blogger Zhang is truly amazing. He exposed the true face of the Xiao Corporation in one go!"

"Luckily I sold the stocks in time, otherwise I would have lost a lot of money!"

Zhang's article was the final straw that broke the Xiao family's back. The company's stock price continued to plummet, partners filed for termination of their contracts, and employees began to panic.

Shen Ting sat in his office, his face terribly gloomy. He watched the negative news constantly refresh on his computer screen, his fists clenched tightly. He knew that all of this was manipulated by someone behind the scenes, with the goal of completely destroying Xiao Enterprises.

"Is there still no news about Xiao Yue?" He turned and asked Detective Luo who was standing beside him.

Detective Luo shook his head and said in a heavy tone, "Not yet. Our people are searching with all their might, but the East City Business District is so vast that it will be difficult to find it in a short time."

Shen Ting took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "Keep looking. We must find her!" He said firmly, a cold glint in his eyes. "Also, find out who is behind this, blogger Zhang and those trolls. I want to know who's behind this!"

Detective Luo took his orders and left, leaving Shen Ting alone in the office. He walked to the French window, overlooking the bustling city below, his heart filled with anxiety and uneasiness. He knew this was a tough battle, and the slightest mistake would lead to total defeat.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. He hesitated for a moment, but finally answered the call.

"Shen Ting," a cold voice came from the other end of the phone, "Do you think you can win?"

Shen Ting's pupils suddenly contracted, "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know who I am," the other party chuckled, "You just need to know that the game has just begun..." The other party's voice stopped abruptly, and a busy tone came from the phone.

Shen Ting clutched his phone tightly, a cold glint in his eyes... He turned abruptly, strode towards his desk, and picked up the phone, "Convene an emergency meeting immediately..."

Lin's PR team worked overnight to prepare a detailed clarification statement, outlining Xiao's corporate philanthropy and social contributions over the years and including supporting documentation. By midnight, the statement was duly published on Xiao's corporate website and major social media platforms. However, this meticulously prepared statement failed to reverse the situation as expected.

Almost immediately, Hong Shuijun and his team launched a new round of attacks. They exaggerated and repackaged the previous rumors, adorning them with fabricated images and videos to make them appear more credible. They also frantically flooded major forums and comment sections, completely drowning out Lin's PR statement in a sea of ​​negativity.

"Is Xiao Enterprise making its last desperate attempt?"

"It's ridiculous that you're still thinking about using PR to whitewash yourself at this time!"

"Don't bother, Xiao Enterprises is finished!"

The comments from the online troll army poured in like a tide, instantly drowning the official account of Xiao Enterprises. Public Relations Officer Lin looked at the constantly refreshing stream of negative comments on the screen, her face pale. She felt like a swimmer struggling in a storm, unable to escape her predicament no matter how hard she tried.

Meanwhile, Shen Ting was also struggling with Xiao Enterprise. He used his own company's funds to purchase a large amount of Xiao Enterprise stock in an attempt to stabilize the share price. While this move temporarily prevented the stock price from falling further, it caused strong dissatisfaction among Shen Enterprise's internal shareholders.

"Mr. Shen, it's too risky for you to do this! Xiao Enterprise is now a bottomless pit. If you invest the company's funds in it, we will only be buried with you!" A shareholder angrily accused at the board meeting.

"Yes, Mr. Shen, you can't ignore the interests of our Shen Group for the sake of Xiao Group!" Another shareholder also echoed.

Shen Ting's face was grim. He knew the shareholders were right, but he couldn't stand by and watch Xiao Yue's hard work go to waste. "I know what I'm doing," he said firmly. "Xiao Enterprises won't fail. I'll definitely save it!"

Although the shareholders were dissatisfied, they also knew Shen Ting's character. Once he made a decision, he would not change it easily. They could only accept this reality helplessly, but their hearts were filled with worry and uneasiness.

Detective Luo still had no news of Xiao Yue, which made Shen Ting even more anxious. He kept calling Xiao Yue, but no one answered. He had a bad feeling that Xiao Yue might be in trouble.

"Is there still no news about Xiao Yue?" Shen Ting asked Detective Luo again.

Detective Luo shook his head. "Not yet. We've expanded our search area, but we still haven't found her."

Shen Ting's expression darkened. He walked to the French window and looked out at the brightly lit city. He felt a sense of powerlessness. He knew he had to find Xiao Yue as soon as possible, otherwise the consequences would be disastrous.

At that moment, Detective Luo's phone suddenly rang. He answered, his expression changing dramatically. "What? What did you say?" He hung up and turned to look at Shen Ting. "Mr. Shen, our people found an abandoned vehicle at the East City Wharf. The license plate number is exactly Ms. Xiao's..."

Detective Luo's voice stopped abruptly. He didn't dare to continue because he saw that Shen Ting's face had turned ashen and there was a chilling cold light in his eyes.

He spoke slowly, his tone as cold as the wind from hell, "Prepare the car and go to the East City Pier."

At the East City Pier, a sharp sea breeze lashed the rocks with a salty, fishy aroma. Police sirens pierced the night's silence, and flashing red and blue police lights illuminated the pier like daylight. Shen Ting's face was terrifyingly gloomy as he strode towards the abandoned car, its doors open and empty.

"Xiao Yue..." Shen Ting's voice was low and hoarse, as if it was squeezed out from deep in his chest.

Detective Luo directed the officers to conduct a search nearby, and a tense atmosphere hung over the dock. Shen Ting's eyes fell on a pearl earring scattered by the dock. It was Xiao Yue's favorite. He picked it up with trembling hands and held it tightly in his palm.

Meanwhile, Xiao Yue was in a dimly lit warehouse. She was tied to a chair, her wrists painfully constricted by the rough ropes. The warehouse was filled with the musty and dusty smell, making her feel nauseous. A dark figure emerged from the corner. Her face was unclear, but she could hear his sinister laughter.

"Miss Xiao, long time no see." The black shadow's voice was hoarse and low, like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.

Xiao Yue tried to remain calm, staring coldly at the shadow, "Who are you? Why did you kidnap me?"

The shadow didn't answer, but threw a letter in front of Xiao Yue. "Take a look at this, and you'll understand."

Xiao Yue bent down with difficulty and picked up the letter. There was no signature on the envelope, only one line of words: Stop investigating, otherwise you will bear the consequences. The letter paper was yellowed and had a faint musty smell. The content of the letter was simple, only a few sentences, but every word was like a knife, piercing Xiao Yue's heart:

"I know what you're investigating. I advise you to stop now, otherwise, you'll pay a heavier price. Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you have Shen Ting's support. There are some things he can't control."

At the end of the letter, there was a black rose drawn, looking eerie and sinister. Xiao Yue's heart sank, knowing it was a warning from the mastermind behind the incident.

She took a deep breath and tried to control the fear in her heart. She would not be intimidated. She was determined to find the mastermind behind this, uncover the truth, and clear the name of Xiao Enterprises.

"Do you think you can scare me like this?" Xiao Yue raised his head and stared at the black shadow with a firm gaze. "I'm telling you, I won't give up! I will definitely get to the bottom of this and bring you to justice!"

The shadowy figure seemed enraged by Xiao Yue's courage. He stepped forward and grabbed Xiao Yue's hair. "If you don't accept my toast, you'll have to drink the wine! Since you're so ungrateful, don't blame me for being rude!"

The shadow raised his hand high, and Xiao Yue closed his eyes...

Meanwhile, Shen Ting waited anxiously for news. As time ticked by, his heart grew heavier. Suddenly, his phone rang. It was Detective Luo.

"Mr. Shen, we found it..." Detective Luo's voice trembled slightly, "We found... a discarded cell phone near the warehouse, it belongs to Miss Xiao..." On the other end of the phone, Detective Luo's voice suddenly stopped, leaving only the crackling sound of electricity.