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

Sha Ruijin removed his hands from the table and placed them on his lap. "Confirmed."

Lu Yike didn't say anything, but simply tucked the document bag away, then looked up and stared directly at him.

Sha Ruijin knew what that look meant. It wasn't a question; it was waiting for him.

He looked down at the table. The chair leg creaked softly on the floor.

"The documents weren't saved." He paused for a second, "but there was a cell phone."

Ji Changming stopped writing.

Tian Guofu raised his head.

Sha Ruijin pushed back his chair and walked to the left side of the office. There hung a landscape painting there. He reached out and lifted the frame from the bottom, revealing a shallow groove embedded in the wall behind it. There was no lock, only a metal plate.

He pushed the tablet aside and took a cell phone out of the slot.

The phone has a black body, worn-out edges, scratches, and a yellowed screen; it's an older model candybar phone.

He put his phone on the table, but didn't push it over; he just left it there.

Lu Yike glanced at the phone, then looked at Sha Ruijin.

He sat back down, his face ashen, his tie askew and left uncorrected, his hands on his knees, the backs of his fingers taut.

"It was formatted." His voice was hoarse. "I did it myself, the day after the third day of the third lunar month."

Lu Yike reached out and picked up the phone. The phone was heavier than she had expected, the screen was black, and fine dust was embedded in the scratches.

She flipped the phone over, then flipped it back over, and looked at the wear and tear on the charging port.

Then she looked up at Sha Ruijin's ashen face.

"Secretary Sha, you'd better pray that there's really nothing inside."

Provincial Department of Technology Laboratory.

Lin Huahua was wearing gloves, her hair was clipped back, and she had some dark circles under her eyes, but her hands were very steady.

Lu Yike stood behind her, his dark suit jacket draped over the back of the chair, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, and the key on his collar pressed against the fabric, occasionally making a soft sound.

"Is there any way to save him?"

Lin Huahua didn't look up. "Save as many as you can."

"Sharuijin formatted it himself."

"I can see that." Lin Huahua pressed the probe onto the motherboard solder joints. "Formatting wasn't enough; he turned the computer on and off several times afterward, and the file area was repeatedly written to."

Lu Yike frowned.

Lin Huahua continued, "This guy has some mediocre technical skills; he knows how to clear a phone, delete records, and change SIM cards. Unfortunately, he doesn't understand base stations."

The technician, Xiao Zhao, brought in coffee and had just put it down when Lin Huahua glared at him.

"Stay away from the motherboard."

Xiao Zhao immediately took a half step back. "Sister Lin, I'm just trying to save your life."

"I don't drink coffee anymore, I drink data."

Lu Yike glanced at her, "Don't force yourself."

"Director Lu, if you let me rest now, will I be able to sleep tonight?"

Lin Huahua zoomed in on the screen, where lines of white text on a black background climbed upwards.

"Too much physical coverage has rendered chat history practically useless. The contacts list is unusable. Most of the text message content is also unusable."

Lu Yike pushed the cup over, "Most of it is ruined, only a little bit is left."

"You sound like Director Qi."

"Then let's pretend he's here."

Lin Huahua smiled and continued typing.

Time was gradually pushed back.

Xiao Zhao changed the hot water three times, but no one drank it.

The clock on the wall struck 2:47 a.m., and Lin Huahua suddenly pushed her chair back.

bang.

Xiao Zhao was so startled she almost dropped her notebook. "Sister Lin, what's wrong?"

"Don't make a sound."

Lin Huahua stared at the screen, her fingers flying across the screen as she dragged several fragments into the same window.

Lu Yike took half a step forward.

The screen displayed a bunch of gibberish, with a few legible characters interspersed among them.

March 3rd.

Qingtai.

Qin Kewen.

name.

Continue using it.

Lin Huahua licked her dry lips. "The main text is gone, but the base station cache left a fragment of the delivery."

Lu Yike pressed down on the edge of the table, "Let's put it together."

It's being worked on.

A dozen seconds later, the projection screen lit up.

That incomplete half of the text message was enlarged to cover the entire wall.

"On the third day of the third month, the Qingdao-Taiwanese version of the agreement will remain unchanged, and Qin Kewen's name will continue to be used."

No one spoke in the lab.

Xiao Zhao held the cup, the steam rising from the rim hitting his face, but he forgot to put it down.

Lu Yike stared at the line of text, her gaze fixed.

This sentence is very short.

It's as short as a sticky note.

Yet every word exudes the air of an old-fashioned official document—clean, practiced, and devoid of any superfluous emotion.

Lin Huahua tapped the table. "Director Lu, this is what Sha Ruijin could take out of his phone behind the wall."

"Where's the number?"

"We are conducting a reverse investigation."

Lin Huahua pulled up another screen, and a string of virtual numbers popped up in the number field, followed by more than a dozen layers of jump records.

"The virtual number is disguised in multiple ways. It uses overseas nodes on the outer layer, two civilian service providers on the inner layer, and a government information platform in the middle."

Xiao Zhao couldn't help but interject, "If this were investigated as a regular case, it might not be clear even after three months."

"Shut up, stop trying to glorify yourself."

Lin Huahua zoomed in on the underlying path and placed the last section marked in red on the map.

core.

Service Center for Retired Cadres

Lu Yike's gaze lingered on those words for a long time.

Service system for retired cadres.

Q5.

An old cell phone behind Sha Ruijin's wall.

Now they're all together.

Lin Huahua rubbed her neck. "Director Lu, the sender of this text message clearly points to the core veteran cadre service center via an underlying base station. A virtual number can be faked, but it's very difficult to completely erase the base station handshake records."

"Print".

"How many portions?"

"Two paper copies, one to be sealed, and one to take with me."

"What about the digital version?"

"It will be integrated into the dual-track system of military and civilian storage, and synchronized with the Qi Department."

Lin Huahua nodded and turned to press the printer.

The printer spews out paper with a click.

Lu Yike picked up the paper that had just come out; the paper was still warm.

She read the sentence again.

The name Qin Kewen will continue to be used.

These words made her very uncomfortable.

It's like finding a piece of clothing that doesn't belong to the present in an old closet; the gray is new, but the smell is from twenty years ago.

Lin Huahua handed over the sealed bag. "Director Lu, you look a little pale."

I'm going to see someone.

"Now?"

"Now."

"Do you want me to come with you?"

Lu Yike put the documents into a black briefcase and zipped it all the way up.

"No need. You stay in the tech room and don't leave this phone."

Lin Huahua slapped the back of her chair. "Understood. I'm here with my phone."

Xiao Zhao muttered to himself, "What about me?"

"You're here too."

"I knew it."

Hospital sanatorium area.

The hallway lights were half-on.

Lu Zhengping had just finished physiotherapy. He was wearing a gray knitted sweater with a thin jacket over it. His hair had turned quite white, but his back was still straight.

He sat on the bench in the Haizhou Court when he was young, and he still hasn't lost the habit he developed.

A teacup sits on the table, and a newspaper is spread out halfway.

When the caregiver saw Lu Yike come in, she was about to speak when Lu Zhengping raised his hand first.

"Let her in."

Lu Yike walked to the table and put down the document bag.

Lu Zhengping looked at her face. "Coming so late, has the case moved forward again?"

"Dad, take a look at this first."

She pushed the printout over.

Lu Zhengping picked up his reading glasses, put them on the bridge of his nose, and first looked at the title, then at the content.

The next moment, his hands trembled.