She sighed again, “Does Simon not support you stopping the updates? But this time I’m on his side. What’s wrong with making more money? From the first day I met Simon, I knew he wasn’t a good person. To be precise, no man is a good person.”

I sighed. Simon and Jean have always disliked each other and I’ve gotten used to it.

But now reality was forcing me to keep updating, so I had to be careful. I thought about it for a while and decided to change the murder methods from the previous novel. Whether it was a home invasion robbery or sewing someone into a pig’s stomach, these weapons were too easy to find.

After much consideration, I decided on a completely new way to die: falling to death from a helicopter. I didn’t believe a serial killer could even get a helicopter.

After coming up with a solution, I updated frantically.

By 9 PM that evening, the new chapter was finally complete. I clicked the publish button on the website, hoping the serial killer would spare me.

When the new chapter was posted, the netizens went wild.

[Dying from a fall off a helicopter? It seems the author went to great lengths to distance themselves from the case!]

[A helicopter isn’t easy to come by. Would a serial killer even have a helicopter?]

[I still think the author is the killer. The more bizarre the murder methods she writes about, the more traffic she attracts. She’s made so much money; buying a helicopter would be no big deal for her.]

Seeing this, my heart raced again. I prayed the serial killer wouldn’t get a helicopter—I didn’t want to keep being accused of murder.

I spent the entire night in a state of anxiety.

The next day was calm, with no news—which was the best possible outcome.

Simon also sighed in relief, “It seems like everything before was just a coincidence. I told you, you were overthinking it.”

Netizens also commented,

[The serial killer doesn’t have a helicopter after all. The author really went out of her way to clear herself of suspicion!]

[It seems the author really isn’t the murderer; the murderer is just trying to frame someone else.]

That night I slept well, but early the next morning, a new news article suddenly appeared on my phone screen.

[Our city’s serial killer has struck again. This time, the killer threw the victim from a helicopter at 5,000 meters above ground, shattering the victim into pieces.]

Seeing this news, I felt a chill run down my spine. I clicked in to see that the victim’s time of death was just a little earlier than the time I updated my novel.

However, the victim had already been crushed into human tissue and hadn’t been discovered until yesterday.

This morning, someone was walking their dog and the dog discovered the dead body.

I was going crazy; I couldn’t figure it out. I didn’t understand how the murderer knew in advance the method I used in my novel. And he even managed to get a helicopter—this murderer was truly powerful.

The police came again, but this time they still found nothing. But I knew I didn’t have much time left.

I asked Simon to check my computer. I suspect it might have been infected with a virus and was being monitored by the murderer. Otherwise, how did the murdered know exactly what I was going to write?

After Simon checked everything, he found nothing.

Simon said, “If you're really worried, I'll help you buy a new computer!”

I nodded in agreement.

Then I went online and found the post discussing my novel. Now it was ranked first on the local hot topics list.

I found the ID of the person who first claimed that the serial killer's modus operandi was identical to that of the characters in my novel.

In my book, the first victim was simply taking a shower at home when the killer burst in and stabbed them to death—a fairly common method of murder. The second victim's death was slightly more bizarre.

But after so many years of suspense novels from other authors, what strange method of death hadn't been seen? Why did that netizen insist on linking the plot to me?

I handed the ID to Simon, hoping he could help me find the person who had been guiding everyone.

After fiddling with it for a few minutes, Simon slowly said, “This address is at No. 188 St. Peter Road…”

I was startled—this address was right next to Jean’s house!

Simon sighed, “Devon, I've told you before, Jean isn't a good person!”

But I couldn't understand why Jean would want to harm me.

I struggled to speak, “Maybe Jean was doing it for my own good. She knows my biggest dream is for my novel to become popular...”

Seeing Simon about to snap at me again, I hurriedly said, “Everything has been checked now. There's definitely no problem this time.”

Simon expressed his dissatisfaction with a cold snort, “To prove I didn’t leak your novel, I’ll stay at a hotel tonight. You just focus on updating it!”

I sighed helplessly. In my previous life, after I was taken away by the police, Simon had always believed in me and helped me investigate the case. How could I possibly doubt him now?

But Simon was acting like a child, insisting on leaving, so I had no choice but to let him go.

After he left, I began checking the room again to see if any eavesdropping or surveillance devices had been installed.

After everything was checked thoroughly, I took a deep breath. Not only did I need to prevent my home from being monitored, but I also needed to change the murder method in my novel.

There were so many murder methods; I had to choose one that was impossible to imitate.

By 9 PM, the latest chapter was finally updated. I was very satisfied with the murder method in the book. I didn’t believe it could be imitated.

Curious netizens had already started waiting. As soon as the new chapter was uploaded, it immediately sparked heated discussion.

[Wow, the author actually came up with this murder method. It’s not easy to imitate. Do you think serial killers might also use this method?]

[This murder method is indeed quite challenging and the murder location is in a shopping mall, in plain sight. How would the killer carry out the murder?]

[The helicopter method was also said to be difficult, but in the end, the killer still used that method to kill someone!]

[In my opinion, the author must be the murderer. Otherwise, we’ll just have to wait and see!]

But before the next day arrived, the answer was already revealed.

Around 11 p.m. that night, a news report on my phone stated that a woman was killed by a crystal chandelier falling from the ceiling of the City Mall as it was about to close.

The mall was about to close, which means it was before 9 PM, right?

I was numb. I couldn't fathom how the murderer had learned the murder method from my novel. And such a complex murder method—how did he manage to pull it off?

The City Mall where the incident occurred was the newest and largest mall in the city. Killing there was clearly a provocation aimed at the entire city.

Netizens’ anger was instantly ignited.

[No doubt about it, the murderer must be the author—arrest her and sentence her to death!]

[He went to such lengths to gain fame with these murder methods. Even the devil monster weren’t as cruel as her. Someone like her deserves to be dismembered a thousand times!]

[@Police, please apprehend the author immediately! He must not be allowed to write anymore!]

Simon heard that I was being cyberbullied and hurried home from the hotel.

As soon as he arrived home, sirens could be heard outside the community.

Simon embraced me tightly, his face filled with regret, “Devon, it’s all my fault. If I had known this would happen, I would have never let you continue updating. Just run away and never come back!”

After saying that, he opened the door and tried to push me out.

Just then, the police arrived in a hurry. They raised their guns, but the barrels were pointed at Simon.

“Don’t move!” the police exclaimed at him.