The diary entries were not coherent, more like hastily jotted down memos. The lines were filled with depression, anxiety, and a contradictory sense of urgency to confide yet not knowing where to begin. As Chen Mo scrolled down, several brief records captured his complete attention.

"...Found it. They were indeed discharging illegally, right through that abandoned sewage pipe. The smell was so pungent that I could barely keep my eyes open. Hou Liang took photos and recorded audio. He said this evidence was enough to shut down Taihua Chemical Plant for good."


"Hou Liang is very scared. He didn't come to work today and isn't answering his phone. I went to find him, but he locked himself in his home and wouldn't open the door. Through the door, he told me someone was following him, and his wife and child had been threatened. He said these people are capable of anything."

"He wanted to give me the evidence, but he's afraid. He said he's just a small person trying to support his family, and doesn't want to risk his life. What should I do? I can't let him face all this alone."

"...We've made arrangements to meet tomorrow at the usual place. He said he's thought it through and can't live in fear forever. This is our only hope."


The diary ended abruptly there. The date of the last entry was the day before Song Wenjie fell to his death.

Hou Liang. Chemical plant. Sewage pipe. Key evidence.


These words felt like red-hot branding irons, searing deep into Chen Mo's mind. Everything became clear. Song Wenjie's death wasn't an accident at all—he had been silenced while attempting to expose Taihua Chemical Factory's illegal waste discharge. And that person called Hou Liang held the crucial evidence that could convict the murderer.

Chen Mo turned off his phone and carefully put it away along with the charger. Sitting in the darkness, the long-extinguished flame in his heart roared back to life at this moment. A gap had been torn in the fog of the past ten years—the light, though faint, was enough to illuminate the path forward.

In the top-floor office of the city bureau, the atmosphere was drastically different from downstairs. The heavy redwood desk, spotless genuine leather sofas, and several calligraphy and painting works by famous artists hanging on the walls all showcased the status and position of the occupant. Director Gao stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the bustling city below. He was well-built, and although his temples had turned gray, his gaze remained sharp.

There was a gentle knock on the office door.

"Come in," Director Gao's voice was steady and powerful.

Li Xiaodong pushed the door open, stood at attention, and gave a standard salute. "Director Gao, you asked for me."

"Hmm, Xiaodong, you're here. Have a seat." Director Gao turned around, a hint of warmth appearing in his smile as he pointed to the sofa opposite him. He personally poured a cup of tea for Li Xiaodong, his movements unhurried.

"Thank you, Director." Li Xiaodong accepted the teacup with surprise at the honor, but only sat on half of the sofa, maintaining a posture that would allow him to stand up at any moment.

"How are you adapting to the Criminal Investigation Unit?" Director Gao asked casually, like a senior caring for his subordinate.

"I'm adapting well. My colleagues are taking good care of me, especially... especially Captain Chen Mo. Though he doesn't talk much, you can tell he's an experienced veteran," Li Xiaodong carefully chose his words.

"Oh? Chen Mo, huh." Director Gao picked up his teacup, gently blew on it, and mentioned as if in passing, "What has he been busy with lately? I heard he's about to take early retirement, so I let him rest more and not obsess over those cold cases. Sometimes, being too persistent isn't a good thing."

Li Xiaodong's heart suddenly skipped a beat, knowing that this was directed at him. He immediately put down his teacup, sat up straight, and began his report.

"Reporting to Chief, I've been observing. Captain Chen has indeed been looking at some old case files recently, but nothing seems particularly unusual. He just checked some previous archiving regulations, then went to the archives room, but I heard that the files he wanted to check were damaged due to moisture, and he left without saying much." Li Xiaodong truthfully reported what he had observed, but deliberately omitted the detail about Chen Mo checking the "regulations for destroying cases over ten years old." He felt that this might be a smokescreen deliberately released by Chen Mo.

"Hmm," Chief Gao nodded, seemingly unsurprised by this result, "Did he contact anyone unusual?"

"No. Except for exchanging a few words with Mr. Wilson from the archives room, he barely had any extensive communication with anyone." Li Xiaodong answered with certainty. Yesterday, he had been secretly monitoring Chen Mo's movements almost the entire day.

Director Gao's face revealed a satisfied expression. "Well done, Xiaodong. You're a smart young man who knows what to do and what not to do." He stood up, walked to Li Xiaodong's side, patted his shoulder, and spoke in a meaningful tone, "Chen Mo is a soldier I personally trained, and I know his temperament best. Stubborn, inflexible. That case from years ago hit him hard, and I'm afraid he might obsess over it and do something irrational. You're young and energetic. Spend more time with him, both to learn from an experienced colleague and to help me... keep an eye on him, show him some care. Do you understand my meaning?"

"I understand!" Li Xiaodong immediately stood up and answered loudly. He felt the director's hand on his shoulder, heavy and powerful. These words were both a sign of trust and a warning.

"Go now. Report to me immediately if anything comes up." Director Gao waved his hand.

Li Xiaodong saluted, turned around and left the office. The moment he closed the door, he let out a long sigh, with his back already soaked in cold sweat. He was increasingly certain that Chen Mo was investigating a case deliberately covered up by the higher-ups. And he himself had already been tied to this ship, as for where it would ultimately sail, he had no way to predict.

Chen Mo spent the entire morning busy at his computer. He utilized his still-active access to the household registration system and entered the name "Hou Liang." There were many people with the same name, so he set filtering conditions based on the age and chemical plant employee status mentioned in Song Wenjie's diary.

Soon, one person's information popped up.

Hou Liang, male, 48 years old, originally from this city. His resume clearly stated: from 1998 to 2012, employed at the suburban chemical plant under Taihua Group.

Chen Mo's heartbeat began to accelerate. He continued reading, and in the family members section, he saw the names of Hou Liang's wife and daughter. Then, he saw the most crucial information—the household registration change record.

Records show that in July 2012, less than a month after Song Wenjie's case, Hou Liang's entire family completed household registration transfer procedures. The destination column only vaguely indicated a province name, with no specific address.

Relocating the entire family with an unspecified address. This was clearly an attempt to hide from something. Chen Mo was almost certain that this Hou Liang was the person he was looking for.

But in the vast sea of humanity, where could he find him?

Chen Mo fell into deep thought. The only lead was Song Wenjie's younger sister, Song Wenqi. Perhaps she could recall some useful information from fragments of conversations with her brother years ago.

In the afternoon, Chen Mo took time off and drove to a flower shop in the suburbs. Song Wenqi worked there. Ten years had passed, and the little girl who used to follow her brother around had blossomed into a graceful young woman. In her features, one could still faintly see traces of Song Wenjie.

Seeing Chen Mo, Song Wenqi was startled for a moment, then displayed a polite but distant smile. "Officer Chen, what brings you here?"

"Let me see you. How have you been lately?" Chen Mo's voice was somewhat dry. Facing this girl, he always felt an indescribable guilt.

"I'm doing well, thanks for asking." Song Wenqi said, keeping her head down while trimming flower branches. She seemed unwilling to continue the conversation.

Chen Mo was silent for a moment, but decided to get straight to the point. "Wenqi, I want to ask you about someone. Think carefully, did your brother ever mention someone named 'Hou Liang' before he passed away?"

Upon hearing the name "Hou Liang," Song Wenqi's hand paused while trimming the branches. She looked up, her eyes filled with confusion. "Hou Liang... that name sounds somewhat familiar. I think my brother mentioned it once."

Chen Mo's heart tensed. "What did he say?"

Song Wenqi struggled to recall, her brows slightly furrowed. "I don't remember the details, I was still young then. I just remember once, my brother came home, feeling very dejected. I asked him what was wrong, and he said... he said he had met someone, a person with a conscience, but who was too timid. He wanted to help him but didn't know how." She looked at Chen Mo, asking uncertainly, "Could the person he was talking about... be this Hou Liang?"

"Very likely." Chen Mo nodded, then asked further, "Did he say anything else? For example, where Hou Liang was from, where he lived?"

"About that..." Song Wenqi shook her head, "He didn't go into detail. But..." she suddenly remembered something, "I've got it! Once when my brother was talking to him on the phone, I think I heard my brother say, 'Your hometown is really too remote, it doesn't even have a decent road.' Then he also mentioned something about 'Hekou Town'."

Hekou Town!

This place name was like a beam of light, instantly illuminating Chen Mo's thoughts. Although it was just a vague place name, at least now they had a clear direction.

"Thank you, Wenqi. This information is very important to me." Chen Mo said sincerely.

"Officer Chen, you... are you still investigating my brother's case?" Song Wenqi looked at him, her eyes flickering with a glimmer of hope. "Everyone says my brother was careless... but I don't believe that. My brother never did anything without being certain."

Chen Mo looked at her without directly answering, but his eyes had already given the answer. "Trust me, someday, the truth will come to light."

After leaving the flower shop, Chen Mo returned directly to the bureau. He checked the map; the place called "Hekou Town" was in a very remote mountainous area of the province, with inconvenient transportation and isolated from information. Looking for someone there would be like finding a needle in a haystack, but this was his only hope at the moment.

He immediately decided to go there alone over the weekend. No one at the bureau could know about this.

On Friday afternoon, close to the end of the workday, Chen Mo was packing up, preparing to leave early. Li Xiaodong, however, appeared beside him like a ghost, without making a sound.

"Brother Chen, are you planning to go out?" Li Xiaodong asked with a grin, his gaze sweeping over the provincial map spread out on Chen Mo's desk, where there was a circle drawn with a pen on the name of Hekou Town.

Chen Mo's heart sank, but he calmly closed the map. "Yeah, I have some personal business this weekend."

"What a coincidence, Brother Chen." Li Xiaodong clapped his hands with a look of "surprise" on his face. "I have a relative who lives near Hekou Town in my hometown. I was planning to go back and visit this weekend, it's been a while. Why don't we go together? I'll drive, it's on my way anyway."

He spoke flawlessly, his reasoning so perfect that not a single flaw could be found.

Chen Mo looked up, quietly observing him. Li Xiaodong wore an enthusiastic and sincere smile on his face, his eyes clear, as if he truly was just a young colleague wanting to get closer to his senior while catching a ride.

But Chen Mo knew this was all a facade. This young man was the eyes sent by Director Gao to monitor him.

The office suddenly became extremely quiet. Colleagues around were busy with their own work, no one noticed the confrontation in this corner. Chen Mo looked at Li Xiaodong, and Li Xiaodong met his gaze without any avoidance. Their sightlines crossed in the air, as if engaged in a silent contest.

Chen Mo quickly weighed his options internally. Refuse him? That would only make him more vigilant, and he would definitely find other ways to follow. Take him along? Though troublesome, at least keeping him under his own watch meant his every move would be under control.

A few seconds later, Chen Mo withdrew his gaze and spoke flatly.

"Fine."

He only said one word, without any unnecessary questions or the slightest emotional fluctuation. Then he stood up, grabbed his shoulder bag, and walked straight out.

Li Xiaodong was stunned for a moment, as if he hadn't expected Chen Mo to agree so easily. He watched Chen Mo's back as he walked toward the door, that silhouette still silent and lonely, but for some reason, it gave him an inexplicable pressure. He hurriedly gathered his things and quickly followed.