In the instant Chen Mo was dragged into the darkness, the whole world was ignited.

The luxurious banquet hall of the Coastal International Convention Center had long lost its ceremonial dignity. Terrified screams, angry rebukes, and the chaos of reporters desperately pushing forward transformed this temple of power and wealth into a completely out-of-control madhouse. Zhao Lixin collapsed on the stage with an ashen face, being tightly protected by several loyal subordinates, but his trembling body and vacant eyes had already announced the collapse of his empire. Gao Jianguo, under the cover of several security guards, was the first to leave the scene through a side door, his back hunched and steps faltering, as if he had aged twenty years in just a few minutes.


The real storm swept across the internet at the speed of light.

That less-than-one-minute livestream video, interspersed with electrical noise and abrupt interruptions, was like a virus thrown into boiling oil, frantically replicating and spreading across all social media platforms, news sites, and video apps. Each click was like pouring another barrel of gasoline onto this already raging wildfire.

"Shocking scandal at Taihua Group's 20th anniversary celebration! Mysterious man publicly accuses Chairman Zhao Lixin of murdering a journalist!"

"Truth about Song Wenjie case from ten years ago exposed? Whistleblower directly accuses Taihua Group of falsifying pollution data!"
"Audio evidence! 'He's not someone we can afford to offend,' Zhao Lixin's leaked internal speech!"

One shocking headline after another was pushed to every user's phone as red alerts on major news apps. Search volumes for related keywords increased exponentially, directly crashing the servers of several mainstream social media platforms. After emergency repairs by technical staff, people saw a public opinion field that had been completely detonated.


Angry comments surged like a tsunami, submerging every piece of information related to the Taihua Group. Netizens spontaneously dug up old news from ten years ago about Song Wenjie's "accidental fall" from a building. The previously overlooked suspicious points between the lines now appeared so clear and glaring. They also found scattered reports about the high cancer rates in villages surrounding Taihua chemical plant. The helpless villagers' tearful complaints and the local media's vague investigations have now all become irrefutable evidence of Taihua Group's crimes.

"Investigate! We must get to the bottom of this! Justice for Reporter Song!"
"Beasts! Zhao Lixin should be sliced into a thousand pieces! Every sip of wine he drinks is the blood of ordinary people!"
"Who is that man who went on stage? He is a hero! We must protect him!"
"I am from Binhai. My father died of lung cancer ten years ago while living right next to that chemical plant! I've suspected this all along!"
"Where's the Environmental Protection Bureau? Where are the regulatory authorities? Director Gao was sitting right there in the audience, what's his relationship with Zhao Lixin?"

Public outrage spread from online to offline. Early the next morning, hundreds of citizens spontaneously gathered, surrounding the entrance of Binhai City Hall and the Public Security Bureau. They held printed photos of Song Wenjie and screenshots of the pollution data reports circulating online, silently but firmly demanding the truth. Media cameras packed the area, broadcasting live to the entire nation this people's battle ignited by a "madman."

Faced with this political earthquake capable of shaking their foundation, the upper echelons reacted with a speed that surpassed everyone's imagination.

The afternoon of the day after the incident, an announcement from the provincial-level department was released through official channels. The announcement was brief yet powerful: Regarding the issues reported online about Zhao Lixin, chairman of Taihua Group in Binhai City, who is suspected of violations and crimes, the provincial party committee and government have attached great importance to this matter and have established a joint investigation team composed of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection and Supervision, Provincial Public Security Department, Provincial Procuratorate, Provincial Department of Ecology and Environment, and other departments. The team has been dispatched to Binhai City to thoroughly investigate the relevant issues, and will show zero tolerance.

This announcement, like a military order, declared that the local authority of Binhai City had been completely suspended in this case.

That evening, several black sedans with provincial government license plates drove quietly and swiftly into Binhai City. Without police escorts, without notifying local authorities, they were like sharp surgical knives, silently cutting into the already festering body of this city.

The efficiency of the joint investigation team was astonishingly high. They disregarded the preliminary report submitted by the Binhai City Public Security Bureau that had characterized Chen Mo as "mentally disturbed and deliberately disrupting public order." The investigation team directly took over all case files, including the original documents of Song Wenjie's case that had already yellowed with age, which Gao Jianguo had buried in the deepest part of his cabinet.

It was at this time that an anonymous express delivery from a remote small city in the neighboring province was delivered directly to the desk of the joint investigation team leader. The package contained no superfluous text, only a storage card and a thick stack of photocopied documents. The storage card contained a complete backup of all of Song Wenjie's interview recordings from that year, as well as the complete record of conversations between Chen Mo and the informant "Li Xiaodong" before his arrest. The stack of documents contained detailed accounts of all internal financial transactions of the Taihua Group since its establishment, including records of benefits transferred to officials at various levels.

This backup evidence, sent by Li Xiaodong before his escape according to Chen Mo's instructions, became the last straw that broke the camel's back. It completed all the logical chains and legal evidence following the gap that Chen Mo had torn open with his life.

The arrest operation was carried out late that night.

The investigation team's operatives bypassed the Binhai City Police Department entirely, being dispatched directly from the provincial headquarters. The first place they went to was Gao Jianguo's heavily guarded villa in the suburbs. When the door was forcibly broken open, Gao Jianguo was sitting alone in the dark living room, with a cup of completely cold strong tea on the coffee table in front of him. He did not resist, nor did he show any surprise, as if he had long anticipated this outcome. He just looked at those unfamiliar law enforcement officers who rushed in with extraordinary calmness, and slowly extended his hands.

Almost at the same time, another team appeared at a private club owned by Zhao Lixin. This business tycoon hadn't fled overseas as rumored. When found, he was wearing a pristine white silk robe, sitting alone in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the city's night view. His expression was calm, except for a slight, extremely contemptuous sneer that appeared at the corner of his mouth when he saw the arrest warrant presented by the investigators.

"Do you know how much I sacrificed to make this city what it is today?" he said to the lead investigator, his tone devoid of any remorse, "Progress always comes at a price."

No one answered him. The cold handcuffs shackled the hands that had once signed countless contracts and directives.

Overnight, everything had been turned upside down.

With Zhao Lixin and Gao Jianguo at its core, a massive web of power and money that had loomed over Binhai City for nearly twenty years was mercilessly torn apart. From executives of Taihua Group to dozens of officials from departments like the Environmental Protection Bureau, Land Administration Bureau, and Tax Bureau, as well as several confidants within the city bureau who acted as Gao Jianguo's enforcers—all were precisely targeted and taken away for investigation in the days that followed.

Taihua Group's headquarters was sealed off, and all its assets were frozen. This once-invincible business empire collapsed overnight, leaving behind only a massive empty shell awaiting liquidation.

The sky over Binhai City seemed truly about to change.

Song Wenqi was in her small living room when she saw this news.

On the television screen, the news anchor was reporting the latest developments in the Taihua Group case in a clear and articulated voice. Those names that were once beyond her reach—Zhao Lixin, Gao Jianguo—now appeared in the news footage as "criminal suspects," handcuffed and escorted by court police, their faces showing undisguised defeat and gloom.

Song Wenqi watched quietly as tears fell unexpectedly, drop by drop, hitting the old floor. She didn't sob aloud, but simply allowed the decade's worth of grievances, pain, despair, and resentment to transform into silent tears, flowing freely in this moment.

She slowly stood up, walked into the bedroom, and took out a photo frame from the bottom drawer of the bedside table. In the frame was a photograph of her brother Song Wenjie when he was young. In the photo, he wore black-framed glasses, smiling brightly and fearlessly, his eyes full of love for the world and the light of idealism.

Song Wenqi gently caressed her brother's face in the photograph with her fingertips. The cold glass seemed to still retain a trace of warmth from ten years ago. Her tears fell onto the frame, blurring her brother's smile.

"Brother..." she choked, her voice as soft as a sigh, "it's over."

Everything was over.

That driver who hit and killed you, that foreman who gave false testimony, that Zhao Lixin who drove you to despair, that Chief Gao who covered up the truth... everyone has received their deserved fate.

You can rest in peace now.

Song Wenqi held the photo frame tightly against her chest, crouched down, and finally burst into uncontrollable sobs. Her cries echoed in the empty room, filled with endless sorrow, yet also carrying a hint of relief as if a burden had been lifted.

One week later, the joint investigation team released their final official announcement to the public.

This meticulously worded announcement was published in the most prominent positions of all official media outlets. It confirmed in detail the focus of public concern: Taihua Group had been committing crimes by falsifying pollution data and illegally discharging highly carcinogenic waste into rivers and underground for a long time, actions that had caused extremely serious damage to the local ecological environment and people's health.

The announcement also confirmed that the "Song Wenjie falling incident" from ten years ago was not an accident. Investigation proved that Song Wenjie, having obtained core evidence of Taihua Group's pollution, was murdered through a premeditated scheme by Zhao Lixin and others, who forced him to take his own life through psychological pressure and indirect threats.

At the end of the announcement, the authorities published the disciplinary results for Zhao Lixin, Gao Jianguo, and dozens of other key suspects. They will be transferred to judicial authorities and face severe legal punishment for multiple charges including intentional homicide, environmental pollution, bribery, and abuse of power.

Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent. This announcement seemed to draw a perfect conclusion to a case that had remained unsolved for ten years. Citizens of Binhai City spread the news eagerly, the internet was filled with jubilation, and everyone celebrated this hard-won victory.

However, at the end of this long and detailed official announcement, there was a small paragraph placed in the most inconspicuous position, which almost no one noticed.

That paragraph read:

"Additionally, suspect Chen (male, 48, former police officer of Binhai City Police Department), during his investigation of relevant leads, exhibited serious misconduct including circumventing organizational procedures and conducting unauthorized investigations, which undermined normal judicial procedures. After being lawfully detained, he experienced enormous psychological pressure and committed suicide during the investigation period. Related aftermath matters are being processed."