Chapter 61: Arrests Made Overnight, Celebrities Flee in Droves

Suspending Weibo's trending topics section undoubtedly struck right at Weibo's Achilles' heel. Within a single week, the losses in marketing revenue and user traffic amounted to tens of millions.

The trending search ad slots that had already been negotiated could no longer be fulfilled, forcing advertisers to continuously adjust their strategies.

If Weibo could no longer be used for advertising, exposure had to be sought elsewhere, right?

FlashSnap, the platform where Xu Qingfeng was based, grew with even greater momentum. Its traffic was astonishingly high, and most importantly, it was affordable.

Seizing the opportunity, Lin Chen successfully attracted a massive wave of advertisers.

Platforms like Glimmer also managed to grab a share of the spoils amidst the chaos. It is safe to say that aside from Weibo itself, everyone was thrilled with the suspension of the trending topics.

When a whale falls, all things come to life. Those with a sharp sense of smell were already aggressively promoting their own trending rank lists.

Following the issuance of the additional penalty notice, Xu Qingfeng received a call from Lin Chen.

"It's no longer safe where you are. Move over to my place today; I've found a standalone villa for you, and I've sent you the address."

Xu Qingfeng's expression turned serious. When Lin Chen said it wasn't safe, it meant people were already starting to track his whereabouts.

The place he was currently staying at did not have particularly strict security. If someone was determined to find him, they certainly would.

After a brief moment of thought, Xu Qingfeng decisively agreed. He and Lin Chen were now grasshoppers on the same rope; they prospered together and fell together.

"Alright, I'll head over today."

"Hire a few more bodyguards," Lin Chen instructed.

Xu Qingfeng remained silent for a long time.

Beneath the throne of capital lie piles of bleached bones. Ever since he embarked on this path, he knew such matters were unavoidable.

Ordinary people would take desperate risks for tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands; since his actions caused Weibo to lose tens of millions right off the bat, wanting him dead was a predictable outcome.

Fortunately, this was in China, and fortunately, he hardly ever went out. There would be no sudden, out-of-control cement trucks running him over, no deranged individuals randomly slashing people with knives, and no sniper taking a headshot from eight hundred meters away.

Strictly speaking, as long as he brought bodyguards wherever he went, he would be safe.

Coupled with the extraordinary physique provided by the system, he had no fear of physical confrontation.

"Daqian, get ready to move!" Recovering his composure, Xu Qingfeng instructed Daqian to get to work.

He had already thoroughly investigated this batch of bodyguards, and they were temporarily trustworthy. Of course, even if they harbored any ulterior motives, they had been thoroughly intimidated by Xu Qingfeng's effortless victory of taking down five men at once.

Combining benevolence with sternness was the true art of leadership.

Just as Xu Qingfeng was busy moving, another major piece of news broke in the entertainment industry.

That afternoon, on Weibo, the official police-civilian direct transport account for Shanghai released an announcement.

"Recently, following a tip-off from citizens, the Shanghai Public Security Bureau launched a nocturnal operation and apprehended an artist surnamed Wang (male, 31 years old) at the Shanghai Airport. Upon investigation, Wang is suspected of intentional homicide and has currently been criminally detained. The case is undergoing further investigation."

The most thoughtful gesture was that this announcement was simultaneously published on the FlashSnap platform.

In truth, government agencies never settled on just a single platform, and FlashSnap happened to be one of them.

Moreover, FlashSnap was originally a Shanghai-based enterprise, and the local authorities in Shanghai provided immense support for its development.

The internet had completely exploded.

[What do you mean 'recently'? That clearly happened today.]

[Holy crap, the news broke at midnight, and they've already arrested him?]

[Damn, Shanghai is awesome!]

[This is what they call Shanghai speed!]

[God Feng's kill count increases by one!]

[Wang Gu tried to flee overnight and got caught, turning himself into Prisoner Wang.]

[Roll call starting now! Prisoner Wang! Present!]

The arrest of Wang Gu threw the entertainment industry into a panic once more.

From the time Xu Qingfeng exposed Chen He to Chen He's eventual arrest, several days had passed. During that period, multiple factions had maneuvered behind the scenes, attempting to turn the tables, and had almost succeeded in letting Chen He escape.

However, this time, Xu Qingfeng exposed everything via a midnight live stream, and the authorities' response had been chillingly swift.

Zhang Hongbo was directly blacklisted, Weibo was fined and summoned for talks on the very same day, and its trending searches were suspended for a week. That kind of speed made people's hair stand on end.

And that was fine; after all, given that he exposed him in front of millions of people, they had to at least put on a show of urgency.

Wang Gu was different! That was a criminal detention!

Anyone well-versed in internet gossip knew that administrative detention was nothing—at most a fine. Criminal detention meant the police officers had essentially confirmed the crime, and there was a high probability he would be doing hard time!

The police had made the arrest overnight, likely taking no more than an hour from start to finish, otherwise he would have already fled.

Catching someone in the middle of the night, conducting overnight investigations, and releasing the announcement by noon left zero wiggle room.

That was what terrified them the most. It meant that once Xu Qingfeng started exposing someone, they would have zero time to react.

"What the absolute hell, Xu Qingfeng!"

"That bastard actually managed to build up a bulletproof reputation!"

"No way, I can't stay in Shanghai anymore."

"Looks like Shanghai is fully backing the development of FlashSnap."

It was utterly terrifying. Just imagine: you're sleeping soundly in the middle of the night while Xu Qingfeng that scoundrel is exposing people, and right in the middle of your sweet dreams, police officers suddenly burst in and arrest you. Ask yourself, would you be able to sleep peacefully after that?

Celebrities with a guilty conscience and dark secrets quietly packed their luggage, preparing to flee. Shanghai wasn't the only place in the world, after all.

The reaction of the Shanghai police was simply too fast, and they were terrified they wouldn't have time to escape when their turn came.

Shanghai, which claimed to boast half of the entertainment industry's celebrities, suddenly found its population dwindling.

If they couldn't stay in Shanghai, they would just head to the capital; there were plenty of resources there anyway.

Just as the celebrities were on their way, Weibo exploded yet again.

At a little past four in the afternoon, the official Beijing police account released a notice with white text on a blue background.

"On March 12th, an artist surnamed Duan (male, 32 years old) was criminally detained by the Chaoyang Branch of the Beijing Public Security Bureau on suspicion of fraud and bigamy.

Upon investigation, the criminal suspect Duan defrauded multiple victims of over thirty million yuan under the guise of greasing palms for movie production needs.

Following a tip-off from citizens, the police launched a nocturnal operation and apprehended Duan on the spot at the Beijing Airport as he attempted to flee. The case is currently undergoing further investigation."

The celebrities rushing toward the capital felt as though the sky had collapsed. Would it ever end? Why weren't the authorities ever this efficient normally?

What's this? Did you guys watch the live stream last night too?

No, wait, don't you bastards sleep?

"Damn it! They're arresting people in the capital too?"

"Stop the car, I want to get out!"

"You absolute animals!"

"This lousy place is unlivable."

Several celebrities with ulterior motives who had intended to head to the capital to lie low quietly canceled their travel plans.

The domestic entertainment circle was simply too damn dangerous.

You could get arrested while fast asleep—it was completely absurd.

"Help me cancel all my recent schedules. A family member is sick and hospitalized, so I need to go home to take care of them for a while."

And just like that, several celebrities stealthily vanished from the public eye.

Fame and traffic were sweet, but you needed to stay alive to enjoy them.

Ever since Xu Qingfeng began his self-destruct-style exposures, four people had already entered the detention center, and it was clear they wouldn't be seeing the light of day without serving a couple of years of hard time. One had landed on the disgraced blacklist for life, countless fines had been levied, and three had completely stunk up their reputations.

In less than half a month, Xu Qingfeng's record stood at 8-0. He had taken down eight targets single-handedly and remained completely unscathed.