469: A thousand-person hunt

Even formulating a more comprehensive contact strategy.

He suddenly curled his lips; the smile was faint and fleeting. The usual hint of charm lingering in the corners of his eyes quietly faded, revealing the sharp, cold scrutiny hidden beneath.

"Lord Prefectural City God," he said slowly, "since His Majesty has already locked onto Torch Dragon as the target, you should understand—the 'instincts' of a Rank Nine Great Demon and the 'instincts' of a mortal streamer are fundamentally incomparable."

Chen Yu sat quietly listening, her gaze calm as she waited for this professional to continue.

Star continued, "If Torch Dragon truly intends to use livestreaming to accumulate fans, every glance in front of the camera, every word spoken, and every real-time interaction could be a meticulously choreographed 'performance'."

"Even those 'flaws' He deliberately exposes might be bait to lure others into a trap."

"I certainly know the ins and outs of the livestreaming industry, but those are ultimately the rules of the human world. To deal with Torch Dragon..." He shook his head slightly. "If we use human experience to track His movements, we're likely to be led by the nose instead."

Chen Yu pondered for a moment, her fingertip unconsciously resting against her chin. "Then in your opinion, where should we start?"

Star didn't answer immediately, looking up toward the children's clothing section.

You Wu had already taken Anan back to their small courtyard in the West Alley of Fengdu City. That child was naturally afraid of the dark and always needed a warm little nightlight before bed.

"Torch Dragon is now a major influencer with millions of fans, receiving tens of thousands of private messages every day. If I only use one account to contact Him, not only are the chances of success slim, but it would also easily trigger His alertness."

Chen Yu raised an eyebrow, signaling him to continue.

"So, it's better to open more accounts." Star's tone was firm. "No, not just a few, but thousands."

Chen Yu was visibly startled.

Star immediately explained, "Register thousands of Dou-dou accounts using different IPs, different device information, and different registration times. Profile pictures, nicknames, and personal bios must also vary to accurately simulate real user profiles. After that, use these accounts to send private messages to 'Candle Shadow Shaking Red' in batches."

"The content of the messages must not be repetitive: some should pose as fanatical fans confessing their love, some as peers sincerely seeking collaboration, some as brands discussing partnerships, and some could even deliberately act as anti-fans to provoke Him..."

"In short, we need to cover every type of private message that might catch a streamer's attention."

"We need to filter His 'response patterns' from the massive amount of interaction. For example, which types of messages will He read but ignore? Which will He give a simple reply to? Which will He block directly?"

"Is there a fixed pattern in His tone, common phrasing, or reaction time when He replies?"

"These overlooked patterns are the key to breaking the situation."

Chen Yu stared at Star, light and shadow shifting in her red eyes. A few seconds later, she slowly exhaled, her expression thoughtful. "Thousands of accounts... that's a significant amount of work."

"But it's absolutely feasible," Star immediately replied.

"The Netherworld is shielded by a dedicated barrier. Since Torch Dragon's true body is in the Source Realm, He won't be able to sense the movements here at all."

"As long as the registration process is well-hidden and the frequency and timing of the messages are controlled, we won't expose our tracks."

"Furthermore, the City God Department can be fully involved in this. The Ghost messengers came from all walks of life before they died; their mimicry of different user tones will be more authentic than any deliberate design."

Chen Yu's finger unconsciously traced the edge of the table.

She was weighing the options.

His Majesty's plans always prioritized stability. Such a large-scale net-casting operation might seem clumsy, but in reality... it might actually yield miraculous results.

Even though Torch Dragon was a Rank Nine Great Demon, since His clone chose to integrate into the rules of human livestreaming, He must follow certain 'mortal logic'.

And within 'mortal logic', when a streamer handles a massive volume of private messages, they will inevitably reveal some subconscious habits. These habits are His loopholes.

"Star," Chen Yu finally broke the silence, "I need to report this to His Majesty first, but I think your idea is worth a try."

As she spoke, she pulled something out of her storage ring.

A pitch-black wooden tablet, about half the size of a palm, with the two characters for 'City God' carved on the surface in vigorous traditional script.

"This is a temporary mobilization order for the City God Department." She gently pushed the wooden tablet toward Star. "Come find me at the City God Department tomorrow at the Hour of Chen. If His Majesty approves, we will begin setting up the accounts immediately."

Star took the wooden tablet. It felt ice-cold to the touch, with traces of Yin energy seeping through his skin into his marrow.

He gripped the tablet tightly and nodded solemnly. "Subordinate understands."

When Chen Yu stood up, the plastic stool made a piercing screeching sound against the rough concrete floor.

"Get some good rest tonight." She glanced at Star, her tone unusually softened by half. "I'll have people look after You Wu and Anan, so you don't need to worry."

A strange warmth filled Star's heart, and his eyelashes trembled as he looked down. "Thank you, Lord Prefectural City God."

Chen Yu waved her hand and turned to merge into the intersecting light and shadow of the Underworld Market. Her black-clothed, white-haired figure soon disappeared at the end of the snack street.

Star sat at the stall for a while longer. The soup in his bowl had long since gone cold, a thin layer of grease congealing on the surface.

He picked up the bowl and downed the tea in one gulp. The bitter taste spread from the base of his tongue to the back of his throat, lingering for a long time.

Putting down the bowl, he took out his phone and sent a message to You Wu: "A-Wu, the talk is over. I'm coming back now."

A few seconds later, You Wu's reply popped up: "The food is warming in the pot. Anan is already fast asleep."

Star stared at the text on the screen for two seconds, the corners of his lips curving up.

He paid for the tea and stood up, walking toward the West Alley of Fengdu City... The City God Department was located in the southeast corner of the Netherworld. It was a three-story black wooden building with several faded red lanterns hanging from the eaves, swaying gently in the Yin wind.

Normally, this place was responsible for registering the deceased, auditing incense offerings, and maintaining the order of Yin and Yang within its jurisdiction. The work was numerous and trivial.

Before the Hour of Chen, Chen Yu was already sitting in the second-floor office hall.

A thick stack of registers was spread out before her. Her red eyes quickly scanned the pages, occasionally pausing on certain names.

Zhao Yun (died in 2005): In life, she was a worker at a state-owned textile factory. After retiring, she ran her own tailor shop. She was passionate about family dramas and web livestreams. Her speech carried the flavor of the marketplace, and she was meticulous and perceptive.

Sun Lie (died in 2012): In life, he was a construction project manager. He was frank and outspoken. He used to be an active member of online forums, skilled in debate, and frequently watched livestreams and gave tips.

Zhou Wenyuan (died in 2018): In life, he was a graduate student in the humanities. He was well-versed in web literature and various subcultures. His writing was elegant and clear, and he was skilled at imitating various styles of text.