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

The room was dimly lit, and Lu Zhengping's voice was low-key, but every word was steady.

"The confidential sign-in book requires writing your organization and name. The registrar reminded him, but he picked up the pen and only wrote two words."

Lu Yike looked at him.

"cutting edge."

The pen nib drew two heavy characters on the paper.

cutting edge.

Lu Yike circled those two words separately and tensed the back of her hand.

More than 20 years ago in Haizhou, three years ago in Handong, and now in the northern section, these two words connect several broken sections.

Did he leave anything else behind?

"No. He went into the confidential room after signing, looked at a few case file catalogs, and didn't stay for long."

Which sign-in book is it?

"Confidential visitor sign-in book, gray cloth cover, year: 1998."

After Lu Zhengping finished writing the last stroke, he pushed the paper in front of Lu Yike.

"That works too. If that page is still around, it's stronger than my testimony."

"I know."

Lu Yike picked up her internal secure cell phone and dialed Haizhou directly.

The phone rang three times before being answered.

"Haizhou Intermediate People's Court Archives Department? This is Lu Yike from the Handong Provincial Department."

I heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor from over there.

"Director Lu, please speak."

"Seal the warehouse. Review all confidential visitor sign-in books, file retrieval registers, and vehicle entry records from 1998 tonight."

"tonight?"

"Now."

He took a breath.

"Director Lu, this is too old. The archives require two procedures."

"I'll complete the paperwork. Everyone goes into the storage room first, the cameras are on, and nobody touches the paper alone."

"clear."

Lu Yike hung up the phone and then dialed Lin Huahua's number.

The lights were still on in the provincial department's technical laboratory.

Lin Huahua answered quickly, her voice hoarse from staying up all night.

"Director Lu, don't tell me there's another job."

"have."

"I knew it. If the case doesn't end, I won't get any sleep either."

"The attendance book of Haizhou Intermediate People's Court in 1998 may contain original signatures from the front line."

There was a two-second silence on Lin Huahua's end, followed by a creaking sound from the chair.

"The original?"

"If it were still there."

"I'm carrying the trace evidence inspection kit and waiting for orders."

"Don't do anything yet, wait for Haizhou to call back."

"Okay. I'm going to wash my face so I don't mistake the evidence bag for a breakfast bag later."

Lu Yike hung up the phone, and the weariness in her eyes lessened.

Sometimes, Lin Huahua's witty remarks are more effective than hot water.

Two hours later.

Haizhou called back at 4:21 a.m.

The head of the archives department spoke in a tense voice, and there was a commotion of people turning over cardboard boxes nearby.

"Director Lu, we found the records. At the end of 1998, a heating pipe in the archives burst, ruining a batch of sign-in books."

Lu Yike sat up straight.

Which batch?

"The confidential visitor sign-in book and part of the file retrieval registration book were flooded and were later treated as damaged archives."

"Where's the original?"

"That's it. Curry only has the damage report."

Lu Yike held her phone firmly.

"Take photos of the damage registration form and seal it up. Also, retrieve the repair order, duty roster, and warehouse management list from that year."

"Director Lu, that batch of paper was soaked into pulp back then."

"The pulp also has a source. Continue the investigation."

The phone hangs up.

Lu Zhengping looked at her, and the light in his eyes dimmed.

"The heating pipe burst at the perfect time."

"The more coincidental the connection, the more you should investigate."

Lu Yike zipped up the document bag and then pressed the second note into the transparent bag.

"If the sign-in book is missing, check the maintenance team, the warehouse manager, the approvals, and who went into the archives that day."

"This will take a long time."

"Then let's wait it out."

She stood up and picked up her coat.

"Dad, you rest first. I'm going to the provincial government."

Before Lu Zhengping could speak, the secure internal cell phone on the table suddenly rang.

The screen only displayed an encrypted number, with the note indicating that it belonged to Zhou Lan's family.

Lu Yike answered the call and pressed record.

"I am Lu Yike."

The person on the other end of the phone was a young woman, her voice trembling as if she were standing in a cold wind.

"Director Lu, my mother asked me to see you."

"Take your time. Is there anyone with you at the protection point?"

"Yes, there are two comrades outside the door."

"Okay. You're safe now."

He took a deep breath and held it in for a long time before speaking.

"My mom woke up once just now. She heard that you were looking for the 1998 attendance book, so she asked me to call you."

Lu Yike's hand stopped on the edge of the table.

"What did she remember?"

She said that the night before the heating pipe burst, she was on night shift. She was afraid that something would happen to the notebook, so she tore out a page.

Lu Yike looked up at Lu Zhengping.

Lu Zhengping also looked at her, his face tense.

"Where is that page?"

"The old house in Haizhou. It used to be the apartment in the court's staff quarters. There was an old freezer in the kitchen, with four bricks underneath. She wrapped it in oil paper and placed it under the innermost brick."

"Is she sure it's the frontispiece page?"

"She said the signature that day was so strange, the two characters were written very heavily, and she remembered it for the rest of her life."

Lu Yike wrote down the address.

"You and Comrade Zhou Lan will remain at the protected area and do not call anyone again. My people will contact you using a password when they arrive."

"What password?"

"Qingtai".

They stopped there for a moment.

"What about the reply?"

"As usual."

The phone hangs up.

Lu Yike immediately dialed Lin Huahua's number.

"Inspection kits with traceable markings, for field operations."

The sound of a cabinet being pulled came from Lin Huahua's side.

"Where to?"

"Haizhou, the old courthouse staff quarters. Under the old freezer, there's a confidential attendance record from 1998."

"Wow."

Lin Huahua paused.

"Director Lu, you're really good at hiding things in this case. The phone's hidden in the wall, the evidence under the freezer—are you going to bury something in the stove next?"

"The paper is over 20 years old, so it may have been damp, and it may have been wrapped in oiled paper. We took photos, measured the moisture, collected fibers, sealed the bag, and recorded the whole process on video."

"clear."

"You'll be escorted by special police. Take the second car. Don't unpack the bag, don't take photos or distribute them, and don't leave a copy anywhere."

"Director Lu, I'm not stupid."

"I know you're not stupid, I'm just afraid you'll get itchy fingers."

Lin Huahua chuckled.

"Then I'll wear two layers of gloves, so I can't scratch the itch."

Twenty minutes later.

The roller shutter door of the provincial parking garage rose, and the SWAT convoy drove out into the rainy night. Two cars were in front, a forensic vehicle was sandwiched in the middle, and the last car brought up the rear.

Lin Huahua sat in the second car, holding a trace evidence testing kit in her arms.

……

Inside the technical bunker on the northern line.

The glass control room was cleared out, and the door was locked from the inside, keeping the investigation team outside.

Wearing anti-static gloves and with his cuffs tightly tied, Zhou Weiguo placed the encrypted terminal in the center of the control panel.

The terminal's casing was blackened, with military discipline inspection commission asset codes affixed to the corners. It looked legitimate, but its true nature had already been exposed just now.

Shen Zhong stood behind him, his military uniform buttoned up to the top, his epaulets pressed against the light, and the cigarette between his fingers still unlit.

"Reading my diary."

Zhou Weiguo connected to the isolation testing device.

The screen suddenly lit up.

"Access handshake missing".

"continue."

"Access token missing".

"continue."

Zhou Weiguo stared at the scrolling records, his lips twitching slightly.

"Wow, I'm pretty busy."

Outside the glass wall, the head of the investigation team slammed his fist on the door.

boom.

"You have no right to dismantle the military discipline inspection equipment! Shen Zhong, open the door immediately!"