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

When the screen lights up, the interface looks old and gray, and even the cursor looks like it's covered in dust.

Zhou Weiguo typed in the fake message, pressed enter, confirmed, and then exited.

The movement was swift, like casually tossing a stone into a well.

Shen Zhong stood at the back, his eyes never leaving the screen.

The moment the old network was reconnected, the sniffing Trojan horse deep inside was awakened.

It didn't make any extra noise, but simply followed the line of text outwards, like a thin thread burrowing into the darkness.

Zhou Weiguo turned around and said, "They ran away."

"Run further away," Shen Zhong said. "The faster you run, the more firmly the hook will bite."

The deputy director raised his eyelids slightly upon hearing these two sentences.

Shen Zhong didn't look at him, but simply closed the codebook.

"You can continue to follow the process. Once your own path emerges, the process can't protect anyone."

The deputy director remained silent for a while, still with the same expression, "I only recognize the seals I've handled."

"Okay." Shen tapped the table. "Then we'll recognize you from the moment you leave the house."

The night came slowly.

The lights in the solitary confinement cell were dimly lit. The deputy director lay on the bed, his clothes buttoned all the way up, even his turning over exuded discipline.

He touched the receiver, which was disguised as a belt buckle, twice, and just as he was about to close his eyes, the buckle vibrated slightly twice.

He opened his eyes and pressed down on the belt buckle.

The screen lit up.

There was only one line of text on it, as if it had been prepared long ago.

Evacuate immediately via Lane 3; the contract has been withheld.

The deputy director stared at the line of text for a moment, then his shoulders relaxed.

"They replied from above."

He sat up, first putting the receiver back in the pocket, then looked up at the door.

The guards outside were still there, their footsteps echoing through the door.

"It finally moved," he muttered to himself, but his movements were steady.

Under the bed was a private's camouflage uniform, the gray cloth folded neatly.

He took off his coat and changed clothes quickly and efficiently. He pulled down the brim of his hat, and his whole appearance changed instantly.

Just as the patrol footsteps outside passed by, he opened the door, lowered his head, and walked into the corridor.

The light was still on at the entrance to passage number 3 at the end of the corridor, as if a path had been left specifically for him.

In the northern command center, Zhou Weiguo looked at the monitor screen and pressed his hand on the walkie-talkie.

"Sir, the person has moved."

Shen Zhong stared intently at the points on the screen, his voice calm.

"Close the net."

Haizhou.

The old file folder lay on the back seat of the car, the edges of the pages yellowed, and the stamps on the court transcripts were barely visible.

Lu Yike was wearing a dark suit with the cuffs buttoned up tightly and the key tucked into the collar. He looked neat and tidy, and even when he was sitting there looking at the materials, he could turn the pages steadily.

Lin Huahua sat next to her, holding her computer and dangling an unlit lollipop stick from her mouth.

"Director Lu, the signature in the clerk's section is too neat."

"She's a court clerk, and everything is normal."

"But on the last few pages, the pen pressure became lighter."

Lu Yike looked up. "That means she got nervous during the second half of that trial."

Lin Huahua took the candy stick down. "Then let's find her daughter. There's hope."

"Don't say there's a chance yet."

Lu Yike closed the file. "As long as a person is alive, there's a story to tell."

Half an hour later.

A residential building in the old town of Haizhou.

The former clerk's daughter lived on the third floor. Half of the hallway lights were broken, and a bag of freshly bought vegetables was hanging by the door.

The woman who opened the door was in her forties. Her gray knit sweater was faded from washing, her hair was clipped back with black clips, and she had dark circles under her eyes. She was also clutching the keys in her hand.

When she saw the witness documents, her expression changed immediately.

"My mother passed away a long time ago. You've got the wrong person."

Lu Yike took back the documents. "Today we won't ask about your mother's funeral arrangements, we'll only ask about the court transcript of the 1999 Haizhou Port case."

"I have no idea."

"You know."

The woman tried to close the door, but Lin Huahua reached out to stop her.

"Sis, let's talk this out. If you really didn't know, your hands wouldn't be shaking like this just from hearing the words 'Haizhou Port Authority'."

The woman looked down at her hands and immediately put them behind her back.

"Don't force me."

Lu Yike looked at her. "Qin Kewen's name has appeared again."

The room fell silent.

The woman's lips moved, but she didn't reply for a long time.

Lu Yike continued, "He's dead, but his signature is still being processed. Your mother sat in the courtroom back then and copied his statement. She knows who really signed it and who used a dead man as a seal."

The woman leaned against the door frame, her face paling.

"You can't protect her."

"If you keep dragging this out, it will be even harder for the people who come knocking to complain."

Lin Huahua turned the computer screen around, and it showed the court hearing pages of the old Haizhou Port case.

"Auntie's record from that day was missing three pages, right?"

The woman gritted her teeth, her eyes reddening, but she didn't cry.

After a long while, she finally opened the door.

"Come in."

The room was small, with a medicine box and half a glass of cold water on the coffee table.

The woman pulled a metal box from under the bedroom closet. Inside the box were several old photos and a nursing home payment slip.

"My mom didn't leave."

Her voice was very soft. "After the incident, she was hidden away. People said she was dead, but she was actually living in a private nursing home in the suburbs."

Lu Yike took the payment slip. "Which company?"

"Haifu Health and Wellness Center".

"Who arranged this?"

The woman shook her head. "Before my father passed away, he only said, 'Don't ask about it, don't go to see it, just send money over during holidays.'"

Lin Huahua frowned. "You haven't been there in all these years?"

"I've been there twice, and both times I looked through the glass. The director said the elderly person couldn't handle any stimulation."

Lu Yike stood up. "Lead the way now."

The woman froze. "Now?"

"Now."

It was past 11 p.m.

The two cars drove out of Haizhou city and headed straight for the suburbs.

Lin Huahua sat in the passenger seat, checking the route while cursing, "This place is so remote, even the navigation is going around in circles."

Lu Yike looked ahead, "The more remote the place, the more suitable it is for hiding people."

"Director Lu, you're saying the other side knows we're here?"

"It's hard to say."

"Then why are you coming again?"

Lu Yike increased the car's speed, "That's why we need to go fast."

The main gate of Haifu Health and Wellness Center was closed, and a yellow light was on in the guardhouse.

Lu Yike got out of the car and showed her identification.

Just as the security guard was about to make a phone call, Lin Huahua unplugged his landline.

"The elderly are resting at night, you can't just barge in." The gatekeeper waved his hands anxiously.

Lu Yike glanced at him. "Third floor, room 317."

The guard couldn't hide the expression on his face.

Lin Huahua smiled and said, "Alright, no need to even ask."

There was a smell of disinfectant in the third-floor corridor.

The door to room 317 was locked.

Lu Yike lifted her foot.

boom.

The door opened.

The room lights were on, the sheets were pulled back, there were creases on the pillows, and the blankets were warm.

There was a half-full glass of warm water on the bedside table, and a pair of reading glasses next to it.

The person is gone.

Lin Huahua walked to the window and touched the windowsill. "I didn't go through the window."

Lu Yike looked down the corridor. "The front desk."

The office downstairs.

The dean was wearing pajamas with a coat over his shoulders, and clutching a stack of papers in his hand.

"Officer, the elderly man has suddenly fallen ill, and his family has requested a transfer to another hospital. We have all the necessary paperwork."

Lu Yike reached out her hand, "Registration book."

"This involves the privacy of the elderly..."