Nominal: Hou Liangping blocking the door? He was slapped away!

The sound of military boots clattering on the gray cement floor echoed particularly harshly in the empty corridor.

Because her hands were handcuffed behind her back, Zhong Xiaoai was unsteady on her feet. With each step, the heavy metal shackles would leave a red mark on her ankles.

The gray, coarse cloth prison uniform hung loosely on her body, and her once carefully styled curly hair was now disheveled, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks with sweat.

The iron gate of cell block number three slid open slowly in front of the sensor, the sound of metal rubbing together was dull and suppressed.

The light inside the prison area was not dim; the cold white light shone down from above, illuminating all the evil and ugliness without leaving any room for escape.

The corridor is lined with individual cubicles. Behind the iron bars, those who once held sway in the political arena of Handong are now just numbered booths.

"Hurry up and move along, don't dawdle."

The female military police officer behind her gave Zhong Xiaoai a hard shove on the shoulder.

Zhong Xiaoai staggered forward a few steps, then subconsciously looked up ahead.

In cell number three, a man dressed in the same prison uniform was squatting on the ground, holding a blackened rag, struggling to wipe the floor tiles next to the toilet.

The man's movements were somewhat mechanical due to long hours of labor, and his once straight back was now slightly hunched.

Hearing the noise in the corridor, the man stopped what he was doing, slowly straightened up, and tucked the messy hair that was obscuring his vision behind his ear.

Hou Liangping froze on the spot the moment he saw Zhong Xiaoai.

He rubbed his eyes first, seemingly wondering if he was hallucinating in this secluded place.

Immediately afterwards, that feeling of absurdity spread rapidly across his face, eventually turning into a near-distorted, maniacal laugh.

"Haha...hahaha!"

Hou Liangping dropped the rag in his hand, rushed to the iron fence in a few steps, and gripped the cold iron bars tightly with both hands.

"Zhong Xiaoai, it's you?"

"Am I seeing things? The high and mighty Director Zhong, the pride of the Zhong family, is wearing this outfit too?"

Hou Liangping's voice was hoarse from not speaking much for a long time, but it conveyed a sense of release that had been building up for a long time.

Zhong Xiaoai stopped in her tracks, her face turning from deathly pale to flushed, and finally to a bluish-purple hue of embarrassment and anger.

"Shut up! You piece of trash, you stray dog!"

"Who gave you permission to call me by my first name? You look disgusting."

She tried to adopt her usual condescending attitude, but the shackles on her feet clanged together with a sharp sound due to her agitation, reminding her of her current predicament.

Hou Liangping was not angered; instead, he laughed even louder, even laughing until tears streamed down his face.

"I'm trash, I'm a stray dog, but what are you now?"

"What did you say to me when Shen Zhong arrested me?"

"You said that for the sake of the Chung family's reputation and your future, you must sever ties with me."

"When you threw that divorce agreement in my face, you didn't even turn your head."

As he spoke, he pointed his finger forcefully at the cheap gray prison uniform that Zhong Xiaoai was wearing.

"Does this suit fit you, Director Zhong?"

"This is what I wore before. The fabric in this area is rough; it must have chafed your skin, right?"

Zhong Xiaoai was so angry that she trembled all over, and her knuckles turned pale from the excessive force.

"What do you know? I'm just cooperating with the investigation; it's a temporary concession in this political game!"

"Grandpa is already making arrangements. Those who have received favors from the Zhong family will soon smooth things over."

"Once I get out of here, the first thing I'll do is make sure Shen Zhong dies a horrible death, and you, you scoundrel who kicked me when I was down!"

She screamed as she rushed toward the iron fence, seemingly wanting to slap Hou Liangping across the face through the iron bars.

However, the chain connecting her handcuffs was of limited length, and she was pulled back abruptly after taking only two steps.

With a "bang".

Zhong Xiaoai lost her balance and fell awkwardly onto the hard cement ground, hitting her forehead on the metal edge, whereupon a trace of blood seeped out.

Hou Liangping stood behind the iron cage, looking down at the woman who had once controlled his fate, his face full of mockery.

"Cooperate with the investigation? Chung Hsiao-ai, do you really think I've gone mad from being locked up here?"

"This is a military prison, a heavy place."

"Look at the men behind you. They're carrying real weapons on their belts and holding orders from the Central Military Commission in their hands."

"Do you think your grandfather can still protect you? He probably can't even leave the gates of Xishan now."

In the monitoring room, Zhou Weiguo crossed his arms and coldly watched the former couple tearing each other apart on the screen.

A deep, steady voice came through the tactical earpiece on his ear.

"Let them continue. People like Hou Liangping, in a desperate situation, will definitely come up with something interesting to protect themselves."

Zhou Weiguo pressed the call button and responded in a low voice.

"Understood, sir. The interrogation team is on standby and can intervene at any time."

On the screen, Zhong Xiaoai sat on the ground, unable to maintain her false pride any longer, and began to sob softly.

Hou Liangping looked at her like this, but the hatred in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest.

He slowly squatted down, brought his face close to the gap in the iron fence, and lowered his voice.

"Zhong Xiaoai, do you remember our wedding room?"

"On the top shelf of the study, the third shelf from the left, there is a thick copy of the 'Prosecutor's Yearbook'."

Zhong Xiaoai's crying stopped abruptly. She raised her head sharply, and a look of extreme unease flashed in her previously unfocused pupils.

"What...what nonsense are you talking about?"

Hou Liangping chuckled, a smug satisfaction that came from having found the opponent's Achilles' heel.

"That night three years ago, you thought I was asleep, but I actually saw it."

"You slipped a silver encryption key into the fold of that book."

"You said to yourself that it was the Chung family's last insurance policy, something that could save Old Master Chung's life in a critical moment."

Ignoring the pain in her forehead, Zhong Xiaoai scrambled to her feet and stared intently at Hou Liangping.

"That's just an ordinary souvenir! Hou Liangping, don't be delusional about trying to gain merit; that's my personal property!"

Her voice trembled, and she spoke very quickly, clearly trying to hide her extreme unease.

Seeing this, Hou Liangping laughed even more wildly, knowing that he had made the right bet.

He turned around abruptly and shouted at the security camera above the corridor.

"I want to see General Shen! I want to see the interrogator!"

"I know where the Zhong family's most crucial evidence is hidden! It's the physical key that Old Master Zhong himself authorized for all illegal activities!"

"Once you get that key, you can complete the entire electronic signature chain!"

"I have one request: if you can remove me from this death row list, I'm willing to take you there to retrieve it!"

Zhong Xiaoai completely broke down. She frantically pounded on the iron gate, uttering sharp curses.

"Hou Liangping! You beast! That's the foundation of the Zhong family! If you destroy the Zhong family, you won't survive either!"

Hou Liangping turned around and spat at her.

"The Chung family ruined me long ago! Now, let's all go to hell together!"

In the military interrogation center, Shen Zhong put down his black coffee and looked at Hou Liangping's almost manic face on the main screen.

He stood up and slowly fastened the top button of his military uniform, the golden stars on his shoulders shining brightly.

"Zhou Weiguo, did you hear that?"

"Take your men and search immediately."