Blockchain

In the next morning in a casual conversation, Dan broached the subject of Bitcoin with Andrew. He expressed his interest in purchasing some BTC, wondering if Andrew could facilitate the transaction directly. "Andrew, I've been thinking of getting into crypto. Could you sell me about €200 worth of BTC?" Dan asked nonchalantly.

Andrew, accustomed to such transactions, agreed without hesitation. "Sure, Dan," he responded.

Dan nodded, appreciating the ease of the transaction. "Great, it'll save me to much time," he said, handing over the cash in exchange for the Bitcoin transfer.

After acquiring some BTC from Andrew, Dan embarked on a blockchain investigation. He meticulously analyzed Andrew's wallet transactions, searching for clues and patterns. The blockchain, an immutable ledger, held the potential to unravel secrets that might otherwise remain hidden.

Each month, Andrew's wallet received BTC from the same source, a consistent pattern that caught Dan's attention. He delved deeper, tracing the activities of this particular wallet. His findings were intriguing: the wallet executed outgoing transactions to a list of 500 different wallets, each receiving a fixed amount simultaneously every month. It appeared as if this was a systematic payment, a salary distribution to 500 persons.

This discovery was a breakthrough for Dan. He realized that his network of AI Church "bots" had overlooked more than fifty individuals. This was a significant piece of the puzzle that had eluded him until now. "Thank you, blockchain," Dan mused with a sense of accomplishment. He now had a substantial amount of data to sift through and the opportunity to link these wallet transactions to specific user profiles.

However, the incoming transactions to the "salary wallet" presented a more complex challenge. The transactions were a jumble, their only consistency being their timing. Closer inspection led Dan to a likely conclusion: these funds were being funneled through a cryptocurrency tumbler. This method is commonly used to mix identifiable cryptocurrency funds with others, effectively obscuring any trace back to the original source. The use of a tumbler made it virtually impossible to identify the true origin of the BTC.

Dan sat back, contemplating the implications of his findings. The blockchain had provided a revealing glimpse into the financial workings of the AI Church, but it also underscored the elusive and complex nature of tracing cryptocurrency transactions. The investigation had taken a significant step forward, yet the path ahead remained shrouded in digital anonymity.