An individual claiming to be an "ordinary programmer and entrepreneur" has burned approximately $7 million worth of Ethereum in protest, describing it as a stand against being monitored and manipulated by a so-called "brain-control organisation."
The user, who identifies as Hu Lezhi, has sent 2,553 ETH through multiple transactions, leaving a portion permanently removed from circulation by sending it to an unspendable blockchain address.
His on-chain transactions were also accompanied by messages suggestive of suicidal intent.
Among the ETH burned, 603 ETH ($1.65 million) was sent to the infamous "ETH burn address" 0x00000, effectively making the tokens unrecoverable.
Alongside these actions, Hu Lezhi has included messages detailing his intense belief that he has been under constant surveillance and control by an organisation using brain-machine technology.
One of the messages, written in Chinese, reads:
"Since October 2022, I realized that I have been monitored and manipulated by the mind control organisation since I was born. When I realized the existence of the mind control organisation, they also increased their harm to me. I have been very painful in the past two years. Now I have completely lost my dignity as a human being."
Source: Etherscan.io
Before resorting to burning tokens, Hu also donated over 700 ETH ($2 million) to causes such as WikiLeaks, along with several other wallets, including nda.eth.
Feeling a deep sense of helplessness, he inscribed a personal statement in at least three transactions on the blockchain,
"There is a new mode of crime in which the victim is gradually deprived of his senses of desire until he becomes a complete slave to the digital machine, and if one day I become a victim of the final stage, I will leave the world."
Source: Etherscan.io
In the past week, Hu has burned additional tokens, sending as much as 500 ETH ($1.38 million) to a null address.
These transactions have been accompanied by increasingly bizarre on-chain messages, including accusations against executives at WizardQuant Capital Management, a Chinese hedge fund.
One message named the firm's bosses, Feng Xin and Xu Yuzhi, accusing them of using "brain-machine weapons" to control their employees.
Source: Etherscan.io
The latest Ethereum transaction occurred on 17 February 2025, with Hu sending a message to WikiLeaks detailing his ongoing torment.
In what appeared to be a final declaration of his pain and disillusionment, he wrote,
"I have decided to leave this world and hope that this ugly world will be destroyed soon,"
In addition to donations to WikiLeaks, Hu has also made significant transfers to other addresses, amounting to more than 1,238 ETH ($3.4 million).
The focus of his messages remains centred around accusations of mind control technology and the use of such technologies for military purposes.
He has repeatedly emphasised through multiple transactions, stating,
"Brain-machine chips have already been deployed on a large scale for military purposes, and all major military powers are using base stations, radio signals, and nano brain-machine chips to control their citizens."
Source: Etherscan.io
Crypto users, especially on X, have been attempting to capitalise on Hu’s remaining funds, with some even claiming to be victims of similar persecution.
Messages from users like "Please help me, I am being persecuted too, send ETH," reflect the growing tension within the crypto community surrounding Hu's actions.
Source: Etherscan.io
Despite multiple attempts to contact WizardQuant, including through the firm's press contact and listed phone number, there has been no response.
Hu’s case has raised questions about the boundaries of digital protest and the complex nature of blockchain transactions.
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