Monday morning, sunlight penetrated through the blinds of the municipal bureau office building, casting alternating light and dark stripes on the corridor floor, like the keys of a giant piano. The air was filled with the smell of disinfectant and printer ink. Everything was as usual, orderly and routine. In the office of the Second Brigade of the Criminal Investigation Division, colleagues were busy with their own tasks—some making tea, some reading morning papers, some organizing materials that had piled up over the weekend on their computers.

Li Xiaodong sat at his desk with a file open in front of him, but his gaze occasionally drifted to the quiet corner diagonally across from him. Chen Mo had already arrived and was bending down, carefully wiping something with a cloth. Li Xiaodong knew it was Song Wenjie's phone. Since returning from Hekou Town, Chen Mo hadn't mentioned that case again, but Li Xiaodong could sense that beneath the calm surface, the undercurrent was accelerating. That silence carried more power than any intense words could.


Just then, the office door opened, and the captain's secretary poked her head in, scanning the room before her gaze landed precisely on Chen Mo.

"Chief Chen," the secretary's tone was polite but carried an undeniable air of command, "Director Gao requests your presence in his office."

The office immediately fell silent, with everyone's gazes subtly directed toward Chen Mo. Director Gao, the head of the city bureau, personally summoning an aging police chief nearing retirement was extremely unusual. Chen Mo's hand paused briefly; he put his phone and cleaning cloth into the drawer, locked it, then stood up with his characteristically impassive expression. Without looking at anyone, he followed the secretary straight out.


Li Xiaodong's heart leapt to his throat. He had a strong premonition that this conversation must be related to their weekend trip to Hekou Town.

Director Gao's office was on the top floor, with an expansive view and impressive decor, seemingly worlds apart from the crowded and noisy offices downstairs. When Chen Mo walked in, Director Gao had his back to the door, standing in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window with a steaming cup of tea in his hand.


"You're here, have a seat." Director Gao's voice came from the front, sounding gentle.

Chen Mo didn't sit down, but stood quietly in the center of the office. He looked at Director Gao's back, this old leader who had once promoted him from a green rookie, whose silhouette now seemed so unfamiliar and distant.

Director Gao turned around, wearing his usual, paternal smile. He walked to his desk and sat down, then took out several photos from a drawer, gently placed them on the desk, and pushed them toward Chen Mo.

"Take a look."

Chen Mo's gaze fell on the photos, and his pupils suddenly contracted.

The photo was in color but low in resolution, obviously taken from a distance without permission. In the first one, he and Li Xiaodong were standing under the dead locust tree at the entrance to Hekou village. In the second one, they were in front of Hou Liang's half-collapsed mud brick house. The third one, which was also the clearest, showed them in the single-story building with the "Health Clinic" sign, where Li Xiaodong was looking in shock at the wall covered with death certificates. The angle of the photo was cunningly chosen, perfectly framing them together with their desperate surroundings.

Chen Mo's heart sank. He should have realized earlier that their every move was under someone else's surveillance.

"Old Chen," Director Gao began, with no trace of anger in his tone, instead speaking like an elder counseling a younger person who had made a mistake, "How many years have you worked with me? Over twenty years, right? I know your temperament better than anyone. Stubborn, always going down a path to the very end."

He raised his teacup and took a sip, but his gaze never left Chen Mo's face, as if trying to catch the slightest emotional fluctuation. But Chen Mo's face was like a stone, showing no expression whatsoever.

"The case of Song Wenjie was closed ten years ago. The expert team from the provincial department reviewed it and concluded it was an accidental death. The evidence was solid, the procedures were legal—it's an iron-clad case." Bureau Chief Gao spoke steadily, pronouncing each word with exceptional clarity. "I know you're kindhearted and can't bear to see the family weeping. But we are police officers; we base our cases on evidence, not emotions. We cannot overturn a case that has already been conclusively settled just because the family doesn't accept it. This is a matter of principle."

He paused, leaning slightly forward, his tone becoming even more earnest: "You're approaching retirement age. You've worked hard your whole life. Now that you're near the end, can't you just stand your last watch peacefully? Your children are grown up, and you should be enjoying your golden years. Why wade into these troubled waters? Some things, once they've passed, should be left in the past."

The office was so quiet that the faint sound from the air conditioner vent could be heard. Every word from Director Gao was coated with a sugar shell of "for your own good," but Chen Mo knew that beneath that sugar coating lay cold threats. He didn't argue, didn't explain, didn't even make a sound. He just stood there in silence, resisting everything with an almost stubborn quietness.

His silence gradually wiped the smile from Director Gao's face. The atmosphere in the office began to grow heavy, the air seemingly sucked out, making it hard to breathe.

Director Gao set his teacup down heavily on the desk, producing a dull thud. His expression darkened, his gaze becoming sharp as a knife.

"Chen Mo, I asked you to come today for a final heart-to-heart talk, and also to give you one last warning." His voice was no longer gentle, every word seemed to be squeezed through clenched teeth. "The case of Song Wenjie ends here. From now on, stop all your unauthorized investigation activities. If you dare to disobey orders again, it won't be as simple as just a talk. I will immediately suspend you and make you reflect thoroughly in the Discipline Inspection Commission's office until the day you retire!"

As his words fell, the air in the office seemed to freeze. This was a naked threat, an ultimatum from a superior to his subordinate, backed by the full force of the system.

Chen Mo still didn't speak. He simply raised his eyes to meet the Chief's oppressive gaze. There was no fear in his eyes, no retreat, only a bottomless calm. It was the calmness of someone who had seen through everything and was prepared to bear all consequences.

He nodded slowly and clearly at Director Gao, then turned around and walked out of the office without saying a word.

Watching Chen Mo's resolute silhouette as he left, Director Gao's face turned ashen. He suddenly grabbed the teacup beside him and smashed it violently on the floor. Scalding tea and shattered porcelain fragments splashed everywhere.

"Notify Li Xiaodong and tell him to get his ass up here immediately!" he roared at the secretary at the door.

When Li Xiaodong walked into the office, the mess on the floor had not yet been cleaned up. Director Gao sat behind his desk, his face so dark it could drip water. Li Xiaodong's heart sank, and he stood at attention, not daring to breathe.

"Li Xiaodong!" Director Gao shouted with his full name, his voice filled with barely suppressed anger. "Do you remember what your position is? You are a police officer of the city bureau! Not some confused old man's lackey! I sent you to the Second Squad to learn case investigation experience, not to follow others in neglecting your proper duties and going to the countryside for some 'social investigation'!"

He grabbed the photos on the desk and flung them violently in front of Li Xiaodong. "Look at these! You two really think you're something, don't you! Do you feel like you're dispensing justice from heaven, playing saviors? Let me tell you, this is lacking organization and discipline! It's a serious violation of regulations!"

Li Xiaodong looked at the photos on the ground, his heart pounding wildly. He knew it was his turn now. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his voice steady: "Report to the Chief, I... I heard that environmental pollution in Hekou Town is quite serious, so I wanted to use my weekend to understand the situation and write an internal reference report on social conditions and public opinion. Chief Chen also happened to have personal business there, so we went together."

This excuse was one he had thought of on his way here. It was both reasonable and convincingly distanced himself from the real purpose of investigating the cold case with Chen Mo.

"Internal reference report?" Chief Gao sneered, as if he'd heard the biggest joke. "You're just a probationary officer who's barely started the job. What qualifies you to write internal reference reports? Your duty is to work on cases and follow orders! Not to act like a journalist, and certainly not to play the angry youth activist!"

His fingers tapped heavily on the desk, making a "tap tap" sound, each strike felt like it was hitting Li Xiaodong's heart. "I order you to immediately hand over all your records from this trip to Hekou Town, including notes, recordings, photos, everything! Not a single copy should remain!"

Li Xiaodong's mind went blank with a "buzz." He had secretly recorded Hou Liang's younger brother's words on his phone, which was currently the only lead. If he handed it over, everything would be lost.

A fierce battle raged within him. On one side was his leader's stern order and his own promising career future; on the other side was that man's desperate accusations, that child's weak moans, and that memorial wall built with lives.

After just a moment's hesitation, he made his choice.

"Yes! I'll organize them right away," he answered loudly, without the slightest hesitation.

"Furthermore!" Director Gao's gaze fixed on him like an awl, "From today on, you are forbidden from having any private contact with Chen Mo! Outside of work, not a single word is allowed! You must report any of his actions to me immediately! Can you do that?"

"Yes, I can!" Li Xiaodong's answer remained loud and resolute.

Director Gao's expression finally softened slightly. "You may leave. Remember what you said today."

Li Xiaodong saluted, turned around and left the office. The moment he closed the door, he leaned against the cold wall and realized his back was completely soaked with sweat. This was the first time he had lied to his superior, and also the first time he truly saw the turbulent waves beneath the calm surface.

Half an hour later, he handed a report to Director Gao's secretary. The report detailed his "observations" of the village appearance and local customs of Hekou Town, and his "analysis" of the reasons for the local economic development lag. The entire document was full of pompous nonsense, but it made no mention of environmental pollution and cancer village issues. As for the recordings and photos, he didn't mention them at all, as if they didn't exist.

This was his first time being duplicitous. He knew that from this moment on, there was no turning back.

In the evening, Chen Mo returned to his old apartment building. The motion sensor light in the stairwell was broken, so he fumbled his way in the dark to his door and took out his key to open it.

When he inserted the key into the lock, it wouldn't turn at all, as if something was blocking it from the inside. He frowned, took out his phone, and shined the flashlight at it.

The keyhole had been completely filled with black glue, which had already fully solidified. A pungent chemical smell emanated from it.

Chen Mo's eyes instantly turned cold. He didn't try again, but turned around and went downstairs. Reaching the ground floor, he habitually glanced at his old Santana parked by the roadside.

Under the dim streetlight, the car was tilting to one side, its left front tire had deflated, the black rubber lying flat and limp on the ground. Someone had used a sharp object to puncture his tire.

Chen Mo stood there, quietly observing everything. There was no anger, no surprise. He knew this was a warning. It was the first "greeting" from Taihua Group, or rather from the vast network behind Director Gao.

They were telling him through this underhanded move: we know where you live, what car you drive, and we can make it impossible for you to return home or travel freely whenever we want.

This was the mildest warning, yet also the most direct threat.

The night wind blew, carrying a hint of coolness. Chen Mo pulled up the collar of his jacket and took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The scarlet glow flickered in the darkness, illuminating his chiseled face. He took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled.

Through the smoke, his gaze showed not the slightest hesitation, but instead grew more resolute. He knew that the war had officially begun.