Insights Chapter 98: Demons

Chapter 98: Demons

Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Karai

At night, in an unidentified estate outside Penang. Some in the audience remained calm.

Someone spoke up, “She must be getting so much money from performance bonuses, right? But how come there are so many wealthy elderly people around us purchasing these services?”

They had just seen the company’s promotional price list, and many items were quite expensive. For example, a single housekeeping session would cost between 200 and 500, depending on the area, for a thorough cleaning.

The price for providing a nanny would be even higher. A home visit by a family doctor also cost 500 each time, excluding medication costs. Retirement travel expenses could amount to tens of thousands per month. The services seemed appealing, but even many wealthy elderly people were unwilling to spend so much.

Mr. Pang said, “In light of this situation, our company has also developed a second service model: inheritance consumption.”

Mr. Pang didn’t rush to explain but began pacing back and forth on the stage, making sure everyone in the audience could hear him.

“First, I want to explain to you what inheritance is. It refers to all the property left behind by people after death. Many of you often regret why you weren’t born into a wealthy family or why your parents weren’t rich or in government positions. I believe many of you have had a dream, right? Suddenly, a wealthy person emerges and says they’re actually your grandfather and that they’ve left you a large inheritance, then they hand you a lot of money.”

Such dreams are impossible to realize.

But indeed, many people have thought about such things.

“You are very lucky to meet me. I will tell you the secret of wealth. From now on, your lives will be different because what I’m about to tell you is a shortcut in life.”

“Here, let me tell you two little stories first.”

Mr. Pang told the first story about a fruit vendor who took care of a lonely old man for several years, and in the end, the old man bequeathed his house to the vendor.

The second story was about a young nurse who cared for a seriously ill old man for a year. Before the old man passed away, the nurse discovered that she had received one million yuan in her bank account.

Shen Junci had seen these two stories in some media reports before, and now Mr. Pang was using them.

He told the stories vividly.

Overnight riches, who wouldn’t want that? Even as material for dreams, it sounded good.

After finishing the stories, Mr. Pang asked, “Why do you think they got this money?”

A man in the front row who was asked responded, “They respected the elderly and were kind-hearted, so they received rewards.”

“That’s correct. Do you think they are lucky?” Mr. Pang guided.

There was silence for a moment, then someone exclaimed, “Yes!”

In that voice, there was envy and a hint of jealousy.

Mr. Pang concluded, “Who wouldn’t want a house, money, especially when it seems to come so easily? They only exerted a little effort and received disproportionate wealth. Another reason they could get that money is that they treated those good people well, who were close to death.”

“Everyone has the freedom to dispose of their inheritance. This power can be used for legal heirs to inherit, or to make a will, designating specific heirs, or even to transfer the inheritance to a foundation or give it as a gift to a foundation, which is called legacy donation.”

Then Mr. Pang continued, “What I’m about to tell you now is the secret of wealth, a truth you would never have thought of in your lifetime. I’m saying these words only for you to hear, and they will change your life. Many years later, you may even be grateful to me!”

Every time he mentioned practical content, he would intersperse a few uplifting words. From the audience’s reaction, the brainwashing effect seemed to be quite effective.

“Our Chinese people’s habit, especially the older generation’s habit, is to save money. Rarely do people lose money and still live, most people die with money left unspent. After they pass away, they no longer need that money.”

“The Chinese don’t show off their wealth. Those old ladies picking vegetable leaves in the market might have several property deeds at home. The neighbors you pass by may have a cabinet full of gold jewelry. Those shaky old men in the park might have millions in savings.”

“Our society is aging rapidly, with a large number of elderly people, many of whom have no descendants. Having no descendants means that there is no one to inherit their property. After they pass away, their belongings will revert to the state.”

“But the state doesn’t really need this money. Even if you give a house worth millions to the country and distribute it among all of us, would it make a difference? It wouldn’t. But if this money were given to you, even if only a portion of it, your life could be easier for ten, twenty, or even thirty years.”

This is a novel perspective, something many people haven’t thought about before.

“The reason people are struggling so much now is partly because these elderly people own a lot of social assets.”

“And you can also take advantage of the wealth they’ve accumulated to get rich quickly.”

Shen Junci knew Mr. Pang was deceiving them; these were just persuasive words, a form of brainwashing. But those sitting there were showing signs of contemplation, even longing.

Beside him, Gu Yanchen started to furrow his brows in thought.

Indeed, there’s insufficient regulation over individual assets by the state, and the recovery of these posthumous assets is a lengthy process.

Unclaimed inheritance, although theoretically supposed to revert to the state, requires court proceedings, public announcements by the court for a year, and if there are still no claimants after that time, it will become state property.

The quantity and duration of this process aren’t scrutinized closely; it’s a regulatory blind spot.

In the past, people didn’t pay attention to where the property of lonely elderly people around them went after their deaths.

While the inheritance left by each elderly person might not be much, collectively, it could be significant for society.

In a large city like Penang, with a population of tens of millions, there are hundreds of thousands of elderly people passing away each year, and among them, tens of thousands might have no heirs.

He assumed that, on average, each of these people would leave behind property worth a million yuan.

Then Gu Yanchen calculated in his mind, and the amount reached hundreds of millions, even with a conservative estimate. Considering the current property prices in Penang, even modest properties exceeded a million, and some larger ones could be worth several million or even tens of millions. This calculation only considered houses; it didn’t account for cash or jewelry.

If more people left more inheritance, the amount would be even larger.

As society ages, this number will only increase, not decrease.

Thinking up to this point, Gu Yanchen looked at Shen Junci sitting beside him, who was also listening intently, occasionally adjusting his glasses.

He had anticipated that these people would have some methods to attract others to join their ranks, but he had never expected that their methods would have theories and systems behind them.

On the podium, Mr. Pang was still talking eloquently.

“How long do you think these people can live?”

Mr. Pang smiled, “Let me tell you, this is very easy to achieve.”

With a wave of his hand, several images were projected onto the screen behind him.

“These are the activities our company used to do. We would regularly provide free health checks and health seminars for the elderly, and we would give them eggs and health supplements. This way, we could obtain basic information about these elderly people—names, addresses, ID numbers, family information, and their health conditions.”

Those greedy elderly people never thought that every time they filled out a form or chatted, they were revealing their privacy.

They received a few eggs in return, but the information they gave away was much more valuable.

With another wave of his hand, the PowerPoint presentation changed to another slide. “Then we can combine the above information with the big data from banks and the property management bureau.”

“We can find out if these elderly people have children, how many properties they own, whether they have medical insurance, how much savings they have, and their health conditions. Then, we can determine on whom we should focus our efforts. In other words, we can precisely select our prey.”

Shen Junci didn’t expect them to also utilize big data.

From the expressions of the people around him, he sensed one emotion—greed.

They were like a pack of hungry wolves, eyeing their elderly prey.

“These elderly people are your prey, right beside you. And they are perfect prey.”

“Next, I will explain the specific model to everyone.”

Mr. Pang continued, “Inheritance consumption, this method is a form of advanced consumption model. Our company has been cooperating with the Penang Love Foundation. If those elderly people agree to the terms, make a will, and are willing to donate their properties and inheritance to the foundation, they can enjoy our company’s elderly care services for free during their lifetime by writing down a promissory note. The money will only be deducted from their donated inheritance as a debt after their death!”

This sounds like a form of advanced consumption similar to a loan. And the elderly don’t need to repay the debt while they’re alive. 

After they pass away, their money and properties will either go to the state or the foundation, which, in the eyes of those elderly, makes no difference at all. Many people would choose to enjoy the services comfortably before they die, wouldn’t they?”

Mr. Pang explained, “We will evaluate the elderly people’s properties based on the contracts you sign with them, deduct the amount they enjoyed for services during their lifetime, and the remaining amount will be added to the foundation’s donation fund. At this point, you can receive 30% of this remaining amount as a reward. In other words, you can legitimately obtain a portion of these elderly people’s inheritance.”

Suppose an elderly person’s property is worth 3 million yuan, and they consumed 200,000 yuan in advance. This 200,000 becomes their debt. According to the contract, after the elderly person’s death, the foundation receives the donation, which is 3 million yuan. First, they pay off the 200,000 debt for the elderly person. The remaining 2.8 million, 30% of which is 840,000 yuan, will be given to you as a reward. Of course, I’m just giving you a model here; we will deduct taxes from this amount.”

Finally, someone in the audience raised a question, “Is this legal?”

Mr. Pang seemed to be waiting for this question, “Of course, it’s legal! Firstly, the country encourages inheritance donations. The entire process is notarized when signing the will. What you receive is not their inheritance but the reward we give you! Rest assured, regarding the reward, we will sign a contract with you. This is your legitimate labor remuneration.”

Shen Junci sorted out his thoughts. This is probably why they weren’t allowed to bring their phones in. These people were glossing over the critical issues. On paper, the contracts seemed legal, but in reality, they were laundering money, which is illegal. 

Those money and properties, after being handed over to the foundation, were laundered through various means. 

Mr. Pang’s face was full of smiles, “Each eligible lonely elderly person can have three chances to try our services for free, and if satisfied, they can sign the contract. As part-time sales agents, every successful contract signed will earn you ten thousand yuan as a reward. After the elderly person’s death, you will receive the remaining money.”

This ten thousand yuan is a small enticement for them to join, also known as their reward money.

“Let me tell you, the older people get, the more confused they become. Many of them have no one to help them, and they fear that others will scheme against their inheritance. But when they know that their inheritance will go to a charitable foundation, they will feel reassured.”

“The lonelier the elderly people are, the more they long for warmth.”

“Whether it’s pyramid schemes or fundraising, or any method like living on loans against houses, those are all illegal. But what we’re doing is legal!”

The elderly people don’t know what they’re losing.

The services they receive will be far less than their inheritance.

And what they’re actually signing is a death warrant.

This is illegal and criminal behavior, but these people in front of us have cleverly hidden their illegal operations, trying to escape legal sanctions.

Isn’t this laundering money, deceiving and seizing others’ inheritances?”

Mr. Pang patiently explained to them, “We won’t touch their things while they’re alive; only after they die will we take their property. We haven’t harmed them, and we’re just helping them live their later years better.”

It seems like that’s the rationale…

Someone in the audience asked, “It sounds good, but won’t the company have to serve them forever? What if they never die? That would be inefficient.”

“Idiot!” Mr. Pang didn’t mince his words.

“We set the rules. Our services are given for free, and their inheritance is donated to the foundation. These are two separate contracts. Even if we don’t fulfill our elderly care services, so what? They can’t come after us!” He felt he was speaking the truth and quickly added, “Of course, we are a reputable company and will do our best to meet their demands.”

“What if they change their minds and want to modify their wills?”

Mr. Pang replied, “If they want to modify their wills, change their donation intentions, they’ll have to pay off the service fees owed to the company. If they don’t pay, our company has professional debt collectors.”

It’s easy to fall into the trap, but it’s difficult to get out. Coupled with violence, elderly people are simply at the mercy of others.

Moreover, after getting used to enjoying services for free, how many people would choose to pay?

“If they spend all their inheritance, then won’t we get nothing?”

“We will send them their monthly consumption bills, as well as to you. You will always know how much inheritance they have left. If you find out they’re spending too much, you can try to persuade them to stop.”

Upon hearing this, Shen Junci sneered.

The fox tails of these people were finally revealed.

In the audience, the housekeeping aunt who originally answered the question cried and asked, “I always feel something’s not right. Aren’t we bad people for doing this?”

She envied the money, but at the same time, her conscience told her it was wrong. Although she didn’t know exactly what was wrong.

Struggling between conscience and greed, she couldn’t bear the pressure and burst into tears.

“If you don’t do it, someone else will. You are doing a good deed, even rescuing them from the clutches of telecommunications fraud and illegal fundraising scams, allowing them to live out their twilight years. Part of their inheritance will be used for charity to give back to society. You are promoting inheritance donations, making the world a better place, doing a good deed.”

The aunt looked tearfully at Mr. Pang in front of her, and he convinced her.

Their minds were gradually freed from their concerns.

It was already late at night, and everyone was not only wide awake but also increasingly spirited.

Mr. Pang on the stage, with his head held high, seemed like the king of the world, and…

“If you continue like this, in less than ten years, you’ll become multimillionaires, retire, and enjoy your lives.”

Mr. Pang was vigorously painting a rosy picture for the audience.

Most of the people were eager to try this job, and some even felt as if the money was already in their pockets. They were already thinking about their targets.

One middle-aged aunt asked, “Why haven’t we heard of such a good thing before? And why aren’t other companies doing this?”

Mr. Pang laughed heartily, “You must keep it a secret and not tell others. Others can’t do it because we…”

As he spoke, he pointed upward.

Gu Yanchen furrowed his brows. Did they have someone…?

At that moment, he suddenly remembered Zhong Zhichun’s words. Is this seemingly groundless way of making money followed by Hetu Trading Association’s backing?

It’s because they have a protector that they can access bank and property data. They use the foundation to launder money, collect a large amount of social inheritance, and aren’t afraid of someone coming to their door. They can also monitor the assets of the elderly at any time.

Shen Junci blended into the crowd and asked a question, “Mr. Pang, did you come up with this model?”

Mr. Pang replied, “How could I be so great? These ideas come from the Dream Master. He changed our lives.”

He was just a puppet pushed to the forefront.

Gu Yanchen frowned. It’s that mysterious Dream Master again.

It seems he’s dedicated to exploiting the evil within human nature.

Next, representatives from the company took turns to share their success stories with the newcomers.

Mr. Pang shouted slogans and enthusiastically promoted them.

“Everyone, rest assured, you can harvest their inheritance with ease, as effortlessly as picking up money on the roadside!”

“For what you contribute, it’s just some time, some care, and what you’ll get in return will be a large sum of money!”

“Believe me, this is the most profitable, highest-return job in your life.”

“The elderly have no future, but you do!!”

Thunderous applause erupted beneath the platform.

The entire room boiled with excitement, everyone was exhilarated, pondering. Their eyes sparkled as if they had just found the meaning of their lives. They envisioned their bright future.

Hearing this, sitting there, Gu Yanchen made a mouth shape.

Gu Yanchen identified it after a moment, he said one word.

“Devil.”

In just two short hours, these people had been brainwashed, turning from people into demons.

Suddenly, Gu Yanchen remembered a sentence.

“With appropriate profit, capital becomes daring. If there’s a 10% profit, it is guaranteed to be used everywhere; with 20% profit, it becomes active; with 50% profit, it becomes adventurous; with 100% profit, it dares to trample on all human laws; with 300% profit, it dares to commit any crime, even risking hanging.”

This profit might even exceed 300%.

Obviously, these ordinary people couldn’t resist the temptation at all, they were swayed.

Shen Junci understood completely where the trap lay.

The elderly care company was an intermediary, a crucial step. On the surface, they served the elderly and helped the needy among them find part-time work.

But in reality, this game of murder, with human lives as KPIs, had started from the very beginning.

This was a large-scale process of devilry.

The so-called consumption of inheritance, providing elderly care, were baits they used to deceive to get the inheritance. It looked good, but it was an illusion.

That’s why many elderly people would sign inheritance donation agreements under temptation, thinking they had gained an advantage.

The insidiousness of this game lay in setting the elderly and the salespeople against each other from the start.

They didn’t mention killing, yet they planted endless murderous intentions in people’s hearts.

Perhaps a small number of upright people could resist such temptation, but there would definitely be people like Zhang Lijie who couldn’t withstand the test.

If those wealthy elderly people were just ordinary neighbors, friends, or relatives of the salespeople, most people could remain rational and get along peacefully.

But once the salespeople found out that when this elderly person died, they could legally obtain much of their inheritance, the nature of the matter changed.

In their eyes, the other party’s existence became a bank, a deposit, some money they could get in the future.

Whenever they faced difficulties or encountered hardships, they would think of that money.

Many people could endure poverty, but they couldn’t resist the temptation of money right in front of them.

The interests of the elderly and the salespeople were in conflict. The more money the elderly spent, the more services they enjoyed, the longer they lived, the less money the salespeople received.

The decreasing numbers constantly affected people’s mentality, causing conflicts.

This money, seemingly within reach but unattainable, would make the salespeople extremely miserable, tormented day and night.

They would turn into madmen, losing their sanity, and conflicts with the elderly would become irreconcilable.

As time went on, the conflicts would escalate, and those elderly people would seem not to spend their own money, but the money of the salespeople.

At that time, a little guidance would make the salespeople realize.

The easiest way to profit was for the elderly to die, so they could safely obtain the inheritance because the dead wouldn’t consume anymore!

But what if the other party didn’t die?

Could they kill them?

Even though they were already old and feeble, still breathing, still eating…

Many people simply couldn’t wait for the elderly to die naturally.

The accumulated greed and malice were enough to crush a normal person.

Once caught in this pattern, the salespeople would gradually be demonized, consumed by their own greed, revealing their demonic forms.

Murder, arson, what couldn’t they do?

Gu Yanchen, sitting beside Shen Junci, also understood the murderous intent of those killers.

Meng Shi had created a perfect murder trap, inducing people to commit crimes.

Such lectures and guidance definitely occurred more than once. They would select the people they wanted layer by layer, and as the number of brainwashings increased, people’s hearts would change.

Then, these lunatics, brainwashed multiple times, would be released back into the world.

Every time those salespeople approached those elderly people, their mouths were full of smiles, but in their hearts, they were thinking, why aren’t you dead yet! Once you’re dead! Your money, your house, they’re all mine!

How could such people be called human?

After being refined, they became demons wearing human skin.

Just like Zhang Lijie.

He knew Zhao Chuanwen and Wei Sen were wealthy, so he roped them into signing contracts. The care he provided to those elderly people should have been done before signing the contract.

Once the elderly person signed the contract, their relationship changed.

When his grandson needed surgery, when his life was in dire straits, he thought of killing the elderly person to get money.

He might feel that the idea of killing stemmed from his own heart, that no one forced him to kill, but an invisible hand pushed him to commit such a cruel act.

After killing Zhao Chuanwen, Zhang Lijie’s thought was surprisingly, “I should kill Wei Sen next, killing one more means earning a bit more.”

Before committing the crime, the perpetrators would have a sense of luck, they would feel that they were safe if they weren’t caught.

If they were discovered later, they wouldn’t expose the foundation or the elderly care company because they naively believed that their families could still get that money.

They might even feel happy and satisfied after committing the murder because the countdown tormenting people had finally stopped! The money they had been longing for seemed to finally be theirs!

But even if the other party didn’t give in? Could they still sue them?

Even if they went to court, they couldn’t explain what those rewards were for.

In the end, they would lose both people and money.

Human nature can’t withstand the test.

Salespeople fell into the devil’s path.

The elderly would be mercilessly slaughtered.

Both the salespeople and the elderly were losers.

The real winners were only those behind the scenes. When everything settled, they would produce the inheritance donation agreements the elderly had previously notarized and take away that money.

They wouldn’t even need to do much, they would profit from it and gain a large inheritance.

In this process, apart from money laundering by the foundation, you couldn’t catch them on anything else.

They might even say that the elderly voluntarily donated their inheritance to the foundation. The salespeople’s murders were personal conflicts, and the money laundering was carried out by staff members.

Nothing had to do with them.

But they were the instigators, they planted the seeds of evil, which bore fruit in the city.

Gu Yanchen’s mind was chilled as he sorted out this new criminal pattern.

The whole process went through brainwashing, murder, money laundering, and involved countless people.

Murder spread in the city, society was in turmoil, and public order and morals were destroyed. The elderly were like livestock awaiting slaughter, pushed into the abyss by people.

Moreover, most people in the city were still unaware of the impending crisis.

What’s frightening was that such things had already gone through several cycles in this city.

Even more frightening was that today’s young people would eventually grow old.

People kept falling into the trap as new livestock.

They were continuously squeezed of every drop of blood and every bit of asset.

The one who opened this Pandora’s box was Dream Master.

This was the truth that Jin Yuewen learned, and also the reason why he had to die.

Then Gu Yanchen realized that even if Jin Yuewen accidentally learned the truth, due to the complexity of the evidence chain, it would be difficult to find evidence and report it to the police.

Who would believe that someone could use a pattern to lead ordinary people step by step into becoming murderers?

Even if Jin Yuewen reported it to ordinary lower-level police officers, they would think it was a fantasy, impossible to file a case or report it.

All the police ever saw were one corpse after another of elderly victims.

The whole city gradually fell into decadence, but the mastermind couldn’t be found.

And if they didn’t enter this new training, they would never know the truth behind it.

Director Ding, watching the scene on the surveillance footage, also saw this.

The other police officers stood around, silent for a long time.

They were all shocked by such facts.

Director Ding took a deep breath.

His voice came through the earpiece, “From now on, this case is upgraded to a comprehensive one, and I have personally reported it to the provincial department. Ensure your safety, if the training ends, then… along with those people… quickly withdraw from inside… we will…”

Just as they heard this, a sharp, piercing sound emanated from Gu Yanchen’s earpiece, accompanied by the crackle of electrical noise.

Shen Junci also frowned, sensing something wrong.

Their communication was being disrupted, the call interrupted.